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Post by juliette on Jul 16, 2009 12:19:24 GMT -5
I had an idea and wondered what people would think of it.
I have a hard time keeping people straight on here (no double meaning intended, Gene). For example... I get Ron and Rob confused which is very confusing to me because they are very very different. It would often be helpful to know someone's background and current beliefs when reading their posts.
So... I was wondering about a VOLUNTARY section that would be clipped to the top of the main board where people could give some basic info about themselves if they wished. We'd have to have a limit on number of words, because some people like to get a little wordy ;D and we'd probably want to agree that your bio would not be the place to trash other groups or people. And the bio section would be only for bios, not for posting about other people's bios.
Maybe my bio would look like this (name and identifying info optional)
Juliette: I'm Juli Beyer Stucker and I live in Mpls MN, married with two kids. I'm 4th generation born and raised in the friends and workers fellowship. We officially left the church about 3 years ago after years of sporadic attendance and much questioning.
I currently identify with the Christian tradition through Jesus, but don't identify with a large portion of Christianity, especially the idea that Christianity is the exclusive path to God. I'm not a believer in the infallibility of the Bible, I believe in trusting my God given instincts. I'm also an unapologetic progressive.
Any thoughts? This would obviously require administrative work for the mods.
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Post by Scott Ross on Jul 16, 2009 14:13:38 GMT -5
Any thoughts? This would obviously require administrative work for the mods. grrrreeeeat Juli..... I'll pin this to the top and see how it catches on. I think it is a good idea, and any comments regarding someones bio should be posted elsewhere. This thread will be just for everyone to say something about themselves. Scott
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Post by Annan on Jul 16, 2009 14:17:22 GMT -5
Yep. Nice idea. Although I do not think it's a good idea to use real names. As far as limiting the length of posts, I don't read long posts anyway.
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Post by caretoshare on Jul 16, 2009 15:59:53 GMT -5
Nice idea, I might try it.
I tend to skip posts which are chopped up into debate-style because I have to read two people's posts that way: the statement AND the rebuttal TO the statement. That can get VERY long, TIRING, and repetitive. I am MORE likely to read a paragraph or two which is uninterrupted and authentic writing by the poster. That's just me, though. I tend to post in that style myself, although I CAN post in the other style as well. But for PURE writing I would rather just post things that come from the heart and/or are authentic/creative thoughts to share. (TOTALLY)fwiw.
K2S
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Post by Annan on Jul 16, 2009 16:45:28 GMT -5
...I do not believe in "hell" as a place of eternal torment, but rather the afterlife for the "unsaved" as a place of correction and restoration. Just to satisfy my curiosity and because I love knowing what people believe, what comes after the correction and restoration? Does a person then gain entry into heaven?
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Post by Admin on Jul 16, 2009 17:49:53 GMT -5
We are considering this excellent suggestion, and setting up a sub-board with its own moderator for the purpose.
You might like to wait for that before posting your bio here. Suggestions on how best to do this are welcome.
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Post by Annan on Jul 16, 2009 17:50:13 GMT -5
I'm a 52 year-old wife, mother and full-time homemaker. I am also a holistic/metaphysical healing facilitator employing Reiki, crystals, sound (my favorite healing method), and essential oils. I practice yoga, belly dance, meditation, and ritualistic witchcraft/spell working. I guess that brands me a new ager. I was raised by 2X2 parents that no longer profess. Growing up, I refused to accept being told not to question God when it wasn't God I was questioning but man. It is impossible for me to believe that any person(s) was chosen to bring God’s message to man in the words of man, as the universe made by the God is itself God's language and much more precise and eloquent than man could ever be. I see all that is/exists as the exploration and expression of an unknowable source/call it God if you will. I believe life is inseparable from matter and that the universe is alive and conscious, as is the very Earth beneath my feet. I celebrate the seasons of the Earth/Wheel of the Year as it teaches me the seasons of my own life. Mine is an Earth-based path and my home is run as eco-friendly as possible. I'm known as the neighborhood Earth-nut, yet they keep coming to me when they have a need. Figure that? I could go on and on, but I'll stop here.
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Post by Admin on Jul 16, 2009 18:30:02 GMT -5
Perhaps we'll say that if you post your bio here now, before a proper home is set up, it will likely be moved by the person who ends up moderating a bio sub-board.
A thought is to put it at the top of this main board, alongside the sub-board that lists other websites.
Something to consider is how best to accommodate the obvious urge to comment on others' bios. Maybe separate threads as required on the main TMB would address that best.
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Post by sharon on Jul 16, 2009 19:03:01 GMT -5
Perhaps we'll say that if you post your bio here now, before a proper home is set up, it will likely be moved by the person who ends up moderating a bio sub-board. A thought is to put it at the top of this main board, alongside the sub-board that lists other websites. Something to consider is how best to accommodate the obvious urge to comment on others' bios. Maybe separate threads as required on the main TMB would address that best. Seems like it'd be best to keep the bio section without a possible quote or response, wouldn't it? Then if anyone wanted to comment on it, they could paste the post that they want to talk about into a new thread on the main board? That way, hopefully no one gets their bio butchered by someone else's responses!
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Post by sharon on Jul 16, 2009 19:04:02 GMT -5
What I meant was like if someone posted their bio, then someone else posted their bio...but then there were multiple postings involving the first bio! on and on like that!
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Post by Brick on Jul 17, 2009 4:24:30 GMT -5
Anyway, great idea Juliette! Ditto to that.
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Post by gloryintruth on Jul 18, 2009 0:01:25 GMT -5
NAME + HUMAN INTEREST My real name is the worst kept secret on the TMB, but I prefer to be addressed by my nome de plume Glory in Christ, or simply GiC. I have two dogs - a Golden Retriever and a Jack Russel mixture rescued from a pound. I believe strongly in the ancient Christian principles of giving to charity, and doing good works.
OCCUPATION Teacher\university lecturer (mathematics). I one undergraduate degree, one postgraduate degree, and am currently working on a combined degree in History and Geology\Theology.
CHURCH I am a committed professing person, who belongs to the Fellowship that sometimes (though incorrectly) referred to as "2x2".
THEOLOGY Orthodox Reformed Protestant.
I believe in all the standard, historic, and orthodox doctrines: the existence of One, True, Almighty God, a literal heaven and hell, the coming of God into the world in Jesus Christ, his death, burial and resurrection. I believe in all the the infallibility and inerrancy of Scripture - indeed, all of the "solas": sola scriptura, sola fide, sola gratias, sola Christus, sola Deo gloria (translated: "scripture alone, faith alone, by grace alone, through Christ alone, to the glory of God alone").
I categorically reject all other religions as having validity; there is only one Way to eternal life, and that is though Jesus Christ alone. There is no other.
(KNOWN) WEAKNESSES Sometimes can be much too calm and patient, and is not always sufficiently dogmatic.
INTERESTS Theology, Literary Fiction
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Post by juliette on Jul 20, 2009 15:13:13 GMT -5
PLEASE POST YOUR BIOS ON THE WHO'S WHO THREAD!
If you've placed a bio on this thread, please move it to the Who's Who thread by the end of the week!
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Post by Sylvestra on Jul 21, 2009 11:34:07 GMT -5
I have a suggestion, after reading dietcoke's bio in the bio thread. He mentioned that his bio is "for now" because he changes....we all do, and furthermore, sometimes we think of more things we'd like to say. Would it be a good idea to always make record of those changes as a post script, and not change the original bio. We could add something like, "I've just had an epiphany!"
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Post by emy on Feb 8, 2011 23:42:45 GMT -5
I have another suggestion. If you want to learn more about a person's forum persona, click on the members name and read some or all of their posts to the board!
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Post by questioner on Apr 25, 2011 0:28:14 GMT -5
Pink & emy:
I just joined, and I clicked on my name to see what it says and it says that I have posted before- I have not- the posts that my name is attached to I never wrote. I just activated yesterday. Why is this? Can this change?
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Post by Scott Ross on Apr 25, 2011 1:38:43 GMT -5
Pink & emy: I just joined, and I clicked on my name to see what it says and it says that I have posted before- I have not- the posts that my name is attached to I never wrote. I just activated yesterday. Why is this? Can this change? What happened is that someone previous to you registered the name 'questioner', and then at some point they deleted their account. Next to your name it shows the date your account was activated, so any posts dated prior to that was from someone else. Unfortunately, you can't go in and delete or modify those prior posts. Some people DO register the same name more than once and it is fitting that the posts remain with that name. One option is to delete your account and then register under another name. Scott
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Post by Scott Ross on Apr 25, 2011 1:49:07 GMT -5
Pink & emy: I just joined, and I clicked on my name to see what it says and it says that I have posted before- I have not- the posts that my name is attached to I never wrote. I just activated yesterday. Why is this? Can this change? I fixed it for you. There was only one post under the name of the original 'questioner' that I thought was worth keeping, and it was this: " I did not invite him to "our" meetings, sorry to say. I am one of those who am having a hard time being moved to invite people to a church that I am not agreeing with these days. So I don't invite anyone." This is the exact quandary that I found myself in nearly forty years ago. I reached that point of agonizing re-appraisals. How could I invite someone to Gospel Meetings, when I knew that I disagreed with what was going to be said there? I couldn't. The Gospel Meetings that I attended were preached by the Head Worker of our state, so I had to believe that what he preached was a true representation of the sect. I could not explain away his preaching as an anomaly. He freely condemned other Christian churches. I know of others who felt the same way I did, but continued on. They didn't invite anyone else to meetings. I couldn't be that way; if the meetings were right for me, then I should be able to fully endorse the teachings to outsiders. I couldn't. I left the meetings. Forever. I realize now, that those who felt the way I did, yet still remained, were too attached to the social aspects of being a member of the group. The cost of membership in the group was (in my view) to stifle your disagreement with the preachings. The cost was to high for me. How could I invite "outsiders" to come to listen to something I didn't agree with?? And, if I didn't agree with it, what was I doing there myself?? Why was this "my church" in the first place? I was born into it. Somewhere along the line, someone in my family, left another church to become a member of the F&Ws. Now, I was leaving the F&Ws. I have come to believe that in all families, there are "questioners" and there are "followers". My ancestor who first joined the "2x2s" was a "questioner". He questioned the validity of his former church. Two generations of his descendants were "followers". To belong to something was enough. Now, more "questioners" are showing up in my family, and the "2x2s" have been found wanting.
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Post by questioner on Apr 25, 2011 11:44:49 GMT -5
Hey- thank you so much Scott!
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Post by Scott Ross on Apr 25, 2011 13:28:26 GMT -5
You are very welcome.
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m2
New Member
Posts: 2
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Post by m2 on Apr 28, 2012 12:42:24 GMT -5
It fascinates me about myself and about many who post here that our history with this religion/ministry/belief has had such a profound effect on our lives. In my case, I qualify as B&R, on a convention grounds no less. And although I left the way of life behind soon after I went to college, it has certainly never left me.
I had a pretty good understanding of the history (not in detail, but generally) and was not disillusioned about this group so much as unable to continue to believe all the faith-requiring, illogical aspects of Christianity generally. Though I had a few issues with "the truth" that I felt strongly about, mostly having to do with racial attitudes and the roles/treatment of women, I did not leave angry. Mostly sad to disappoint my family.
That was all more than 40 years ago--but still has some feeling of immediacy. I don't feel injured or bruised by this childhood and youthful experience in any way. Indeed, there is something quite wonderful about growing up believing one is among God's special people--among the chosen!
I tend to romanticize the whole thing more than anything else. The modesty and unpretentiousness, the lack of showiness, the obvious sincerity (of many, though of course not all) all seem sort of sweet and innocent to me. I know about some parts of the darker underbelly, and I probably am too forgiving and tolerant of the various human foibles that manifest themselves among this group of humans. But I choose mostly to treasure the good parts and gloss over the rest. I am, for example, very grateful for the working knowledge I acquired of the old and new testaments. I am grateful that I had the experience of making a faith-based surrender at a time in my life when I was capable of that--not unlike falling in love.
I wonder if there are others who process their own history in the way I have. Oh yes, and I can still smell convention stew.
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