I know the owner. We worked about 20 feet from each other when he started the website and then would tell me daily how it was growing, and I am excited its taking off for him. I am still on EA (believe it or not) and the way I stay on there is I obey the rules. He knows im a lib.. heck we joked about it in the lunch room over food. And yes, he is conservative.
But heres the thing.. and I do indeed see it from his viewpoint. He looks around and sees plenty of places where folks can argue doctrine (he mentioned this forum specifically) and he doesn't want a place where there is arguement or hard feelings or 200page threads and pastors/youth leaders have to warn their people to be careful going there, its just good business from his point of view.
His goal is to have a peaceful social forum where youth, adults, and ministers can get together and be comfortable. From what I gather he wants to avoid anyone feeling offended so that he can grow it and allow the various denominations to put their stamp of approval on it instead of myspace.com or other social networks. It makes sense if you understand what he is trying to do.
And he really is a nice guy in real life and he lives what he believes which I have no problem with, I always respect folks personal convictions if they truely live them and don't use them to hurt others. His church would be classified as moderate-conservative.. they aren't hardcore by any means, I know folks in the church and also have had a chance to sit down with the pastor there and watch him and my pastor joke around. They are hardly a AMF church or anything, they are well within the norm of the UPC.
Is the owner John Howell?
I am just really curious about the banning thing, did someone say James Griffin was banned? I can't imagine James Griffin saying or doing anything to get himself banned. As far as I can recall, he didn't even have a picture up? And even if he did, I am connected to someone on there who is a backslider out of my church (don't ask me, I have no idea why he wants to be on there) and his picture clearly shows his facial hair and his arms, which are covered in tattoos.
I know the owner. We worked about 20 feet from each other when he started the website and then would tell me daily how it was growing, and I am excited its taking off for him. I am still on EA (believe it or not) and the way I stay on there is I obey the rules. He knows im a lib.. heck we joked about it in the lunch room over food. And yes, he is conservative.
But heres the thing.. and I do indeed see it from his viewpoint. He looks around and sees plenty of places where folks can argue doctrine (he mentioned this forum specifically) and he doesn't want a place where there is arguement or hard feelings or 200page threads and pastors/youth leaders have to warn their people to be careful going there, its just good business from his point of view.
His goal is to have a peaceful social forum where youth, adults, and ministers can get together and be comfortable. From what I gather he wants to avoid anyone feeling offended so that he can grow it and allow the various denominations to put their stamp of approval on it instead of myspace.com or other social networks. It makes sense if you understand what he is trying to do.
And he really is a nice guy in real life and he lives what he believes which I have no problem with, I always respect folks personal convictions if they truely live them and don't use them to hurt others. His church would be classified as moderate-conservative.. they aren't hardcore by any means, I know folks in the church and also have had a chance to sit down with the pastor there and watch him and my pastor joke around. They are hardly a AMF church or anything, they are well within the norm of the UPC.
None of this surprises me and even I knew (or could guess) the motivations behind everything done. I know that the owner wanted a site for classic UPC folk to go to and not face constant arguments or strife.
And he has every right in the world to run the site how he sees fit.
My problem is more philosophical. Seeing the discussions and various 'rules' took me back 20 years to my old church. You were not allowed to question or debate -oh, they would call certain meetings and functions "debates" but they really weren't. In the forums I saw very regiments discussions where people talked about tiny details, but everyone agreed on the basic holiness 'standards' and the idea of asking the pastors permission -for everything.
My feelings are mixed because everyone needs to hang around with people they agree with from time to time, if only to keep their sanity! But I just see the site as an extension of an organization that I left a long long time ago. Quite frankly, it felt good to get banned and not "have" to go back.
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