What I am speaking out against is something that is far beyond anyone here and this website. It is the status quo not just across internet forums but in countries edging ever closer to a police state with a polarized government and public.
I think this is a very valid concern, but it's worth remembering that the internet itself is so huge and empowering that just because someone is unable to participate in one website, does not mean they can't be involved in others. If a state applies restrictions, people don't have the same equivalent freedom to move, but that doesn't apply to internet for most of us.
Civility, I think is an essential requirement of interfaith dialogue. Because of the nature of the subject matter, things are always going to get rocky sometimes, or people will post in the heat of the moment and regret it, and that's always going to be taken into account. There needs to be a general acceptance I think that making one or two mistakes doesn't a bad person make.
However, I absolutely draw the line at people who want to turn CR into their own personal marketing channel. It serves the interests of a minority, and the internet allows these people to set up their own marketing in their own space, under their own rules.
A community such as at CR is a social gathering, with all the varying dynamics. But as with all social situations, there is a line of acceptance in terms of what should be tolerable for the overall group, and what should not be allowable.
If I'm in a pub or restaurant, and someone starts shouting at the clients and won't calm down and generally acts disruptive, I expect that they will be ejected from the premises - else I'll be the one to leave and not return. If the behaviour is tolerated, how many people will care to visit such a place? Who will be motivated most to visit it if aggressive behaviour is openly accpeted?
I apply a similar thinking to CR - most people don't need moderater attention because they can already accept basic norms of social behaviour. If not, I will usually try and work it out with them, but there comes a point when it needs stating that enough is enough.
It's never an easy call to make, but to be honest, the only reason such objections to these decisions is made is because - despite seeing people as trouble-makers from the start - I gave them tolerance enough to try and adapt to the basic acceptable norms that CR runs on. As a forum admin, I should remove trouble-makers the moment they appear, but it's precisely because I am trying to be so tolerant in what is allowed that such situations develop long enough that the resulting decisions come under scrunity.
A point about Bobby's writing column - I knew him from other sites a long time ago, and thought that a series of writing columns on CR offering different faith positions would be interesting to run. He writes from a moderate Christian perspective I find interesting, and think stories such as Big Buddy have a wide appeal.
I have tried to get others to write for this - you may remember pseudonymous who also turned up and began writing prolifically, and was provided a column as a channel for that - but he disappeared almost as quickly and there seemed little point in having an empty column on the site, so his threads were moved out into the general forums. He had a unique non-committal approach to spirituality and went through his own prophetic experiences, but he didn't come to CR to force them on us as a marketing practice. He simply wanted to share some of the extreme experiences he had felt in his life.
Others have suggested writing columns, but nothing's come of it, and I'm tempted to start one myself - I try to run CR from a neutral position, and it's rare that I push any of my own opinions here. I will sometimes try to add to a discussion to move it one way or another, especially where I beleive a discussion is lacking balance. Maybe that's why a column seems a good idea - the ability to share my own views and experiences without impinging on the general neutrality of the site. Something I'd like to do, but maybe don't have the time to post regularly enough on at present.
On that note - there's a software upgrade coming to the forums over the summer that should allow people to have their own blog sections on the forums. It'll be interesting to see what happens with this, and whether it proves useful for people.
Another point on the issue of suitability for CR - sometimes people will have complaints raised against them simply for their different opinions and how they express them. I remember some time ago people raised complaints about you, cyberpi, especially regarding your activity on the Islam board. I made the judgement call that you were a constructive member and no action was required.
I'll admit - I don't like the decisions I make being called into question or scrutiny, and on a personal level it I don't like it. But as a forum admin, I figure it's my responsility to allow such questions to be raised, and to be accountable for them. Ultimately, CR is only as strong as the community it develops. My priority therefore has to be to try and look after the majority interest community as I see it, to allow it to continue to grow and stregthen.
2c.