Religion, politics, and other Trains.com forum no-nos

[loathar]

Hey Bergie- I like to think that we're all pretty good poeple posting here and pretty self policeing with profanity by useing[censored][banghead][soapbox] and try to keep this a family friendly place. Do you get a lot of nasty stuff being posted here that we never even get to see before you delete it?

[Anonymous]

Bravo!

Bob Boudreau

[twhite]

QUOTE: Originally posted by gvdobler

The politics rule on the Toy trains forum must not apply. I'm seen some very nasty name calling over there. Must be a different set of rules.

I haven't visited the Toy Train forum, but they probably have a different moderator. Stuff might be getting past. I know it's hard for a moderator to be on line 24/7. I'm on another forum that was almost closed down by the moderator because things got so hot and heavy. Not an easy job, but I see Bergie's point. If we want to talk about our religious and political differences (or similarities) we can always e-mail each other. I've got several friends on this forum that I correspond privately with.
Tom [:)]

[Bergie]

QUOTE: Originally posted by gvdobler

The politics rule on the Toy trains forum must not apply. I'm seen some very nasty name calling over there. Must be a different set of rules.

No, the same rules apply over there. If you see it please e-mail me at [e-mail] with a link to the thread in question and I'll get rid of it. I encourage all of you to help with the policing of our forums... it's impossible for me to see everything that goes on here.

Thanks,
Erik

[Anonymous]

It's been a hoot to say the least.

[Anonymous]

Another way to know that maybe you shouldn't go where you are headed, if your statement starts:
"Don't take this the wrong way...", or "Just out of curiousity..." you need to think about whether what you are saying needs to be said at all.

[gvdobler]

The politics rule on the Toy trains forum must not apply. I'm seen some very nasty name calling over there. Must be a different set of rules.

[randyaj]

Thanks for letting us know Bergie, I really appreciate you responding. After the thread that I posted was deleted without an apperent explination, I was about ready to back out of these forums. Although I disagree with you (and the Great Commission kinda does to [;)]) I will abide by the rules. Again thanks for the reply and I will climb off of my [soapbox]
Randy Johnson

[Trainnut484]

Thanks Bergie. There are other forums for discussing religion, etc etc.

Russell

[Anonymous]

Well put Bergie my Grandfather many years ago taught me the same.. never talk religion or politics with a friend or at the dinner table.. I apologize for any part of the confligration that I may have added to.

Have a good one and thank you.

Coyote

[railroadyoshi]

Thank you Bergie very much

[egmurphy]

Well said.


Ed

[Bergie]

I know I've made a few people upset by deleting the recent "are you a Christian?" threads. Let me explain why we like to keep away from religion and politics in our forums (for any new users this might be the first time you've heard of these guidelines).

Before I go on I must admit that I (a life-long Christian, I might add) was more than just a little amused by the comment "The persecution of Christians continues" by GearDrivenSteam in the second thread after I deleted the first thread. I'm not persecuting anyone... in fact, I'm trying to avoid persecutions by not allowing talk about religion.

Simply put, most discussions about religion and politics typically lead to arguments between otherwise perfectly good friends. Everyone has their own beliefs on the two subjects, and they can vary greatly. The last thing we need between the otherwise perfect friendships that we have in this forum is for someone who's not a Christian to stand up and say "what about my religion? Do you think you're superior to me?" Believe me, it's happened and all H-E-double-you-know-what has ensued. Thus, we don't allow it.

In closing (and most of you long-time users have heard this before), when I was a teen my father told me to never discuss politics with a friend because it would only lead to bad feelings. At the time I really didn't understand it, because most teens have a million things on their mind before politics. As I grew, I added religion to that list. If I've established a friendship with someone without prior knowledge of the beliefs, why should I care later on what their beliefs are. A few weeks back I added marital status (after that simple question lead down an argument-filled road).

I hope you all understand my point of view. We're all here under a common bond: model trains. Let's not ruin that bond with discussions about topics that may potentially be harmful despite the best intentions.

Have a super weekend everyone,
Bergie