Everyone is welcome and encouraged to comment here. However, as we do not intend for this blog to be a forum for the mud-slinging and vitriolic digressions which often drag blogs that encourage the exchange of varrying viewpoints into the realm of uncharitable and unChristian “attack mode” rather quickly, some rules are in order, and they will be enforced.
The first and most essential step to intelligent commenting is to carefully read the post to which one is responding, paying due heed to the various qualifications, clarifications, and elaborations in said post. This would seem to be a given, but it is unfortunately often missed. Comments must be relevant to the general subject matter of the post concerning which one is commenting, must be posed in a non-combattative manner, and should be either substantial contributions to the discussion, brief encouraging remarks, or questions posed for the purpose of clarification and understanding. Both one or two sentence “hit and run” (i.e. laced with antagonism) remarks as well as pontificatorial diatribes loaded with proof-texting of one’s pet Bible passages or theologian will not be permitted. And any questioning of the purity of another’s motives or intentions will never be allowed, and may result in one being banned from commenting permanently if repeated. Playful remarks will be allowed, but antagonistic sarcasm will not. If you are making a comment in good fun but this is not clearly spelled out for the moderator, your comment will be deleted without hesitation.
We intend this forum to be irenic in tone and catholic in spirit. This is the reason for having a moderately strict commenting policy. We know through experience that things can get very ugly very fast in internet discussion if antagonistic comments are permitted.
The first comment you leave here will automatically be placed on moderated status. After that, once you have one comment approved, you will be able to comment freely. However, if you thereafter write a comment which transgresses any of the above stipulations, it will be deleted as soon as it is seen by one of the moderators.
Another post on commenting may be located here.
