Forum Rules

[Admin]

New users may register as a member of this discussion board by clicking on the "Register" link and completing and submitting the brief form as per the instructions.

The Apostolic Friends Forum is compliant with COPPA, the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act. Users under the age of 18 are required to submit parental consent by fax or mail prior to being allowed into the Apostolic Friends Forum. Additionally, the Apostolic Friends Forum is geared toward Adults.

AFF FORUM RULES

Let it be understood that Apostolic Friends Forum is an Apostolic Forum.
Apostolic is defined on AFF as:

Those that believe that every sinner must repent of their sins.
That Jesus name baptism is the only biblical mode of water baptism.
That the Holy Ghost is for today and is received by faith
with the initial evidence of speaking in tongues.
The saint will go on to strive to live a holy life, pleasing to God.




Rules of Conduct

This discussion board is for Apostolic Pentecostal Christians who believe that the Bible, in its entirety, is the Word of God, is without error, and that it is completely relevant today. We welcome and encourage visitors of other faiths to post and ask sincere questions in their honest search to learn more of our faith and about our wonderful Lord, Savior, and God whose name is Jesus Christ. Threads or posts questioning the Apostolic doctrine must be limited to the Debate room.

We do not allow any rebuking, hatefulness, name calling, or verbal attacks by any person or group of people, toward any person or group of people. Content that is unseemly, using bad language, or any form of insinuating bad language (i.e. one letter and ****), or offensive slang, is not permitted.

This administration knows that God's Word allows for rebuking and correction under certain conditions, but because of the lack of understanding by some, as well as the differing views by a multitude of readers here, and for the sake of peace, we will not permit it under any circumstances.

Attitudes

Given this is an active forum, and we many times have heated discussions on various subjects, Admin will continually moderate the attitudes of the posts that are presented on AFF. As a rule of thumb...

• Organizations can be discussed but not assaulted.
• Posters can have disagreements but not bloodbaths.
• Apostolic truth can be questioned but not be mocked.
• Doctrinal absolutes can be queried but not criticized.
• Admin can be contacted privately but not called out openly.
• Standards can be debated but not minimized and disrespected.
• Posts can be diametrically opposed but not diabolically attacking.
• Concerns can be expressed freely but not just hurled and unrestricted.

Because our goal is for AFF to be a place where Liberal, Moderate, and Conservatives can peacefully co-exist, Admin reserves the right to ban any member at any time should they agree that any member's posting style, general attitude, or overall presence is causing a disruption on the forum as a whole.

Furthermore, as the ultimate success of this forum depends on the ability of posters to respect others, each individual poster must conduct themselves within the boundaries of decency and tolerance towards the doctrinal convictions, religious standards, and/or particular fellowship of their fellow posters. Persons blatantly violating these boundaries of decency and respect will be subject to being banned.

Doctrinal Positions

On matters of doctrine, feel free to post your views supported with scripture. It is okay to disagree, just let the conversation flow, letting go of the need to prove yourself right. Remember, the truth needs no defense, so let go of your fleshly pride and ego. Use your anonymity to humble yourself and learn. There is no injury in this, only benefit. We can all learn from each other. If the issue is an important one and all involved are truly seeking truth, then prayerful discussion and study of God's Word will reveal it.

Self-Moderated Board & Banning Penalties For Unruly Posters

The Apostolic Friends Forum is for the most part a self-moderated discussion board. If you feel that a user is not in compliance with the rules of this board please use the report button to report inappropriate posts, or send a private message to an Admin. The Admin will make a determination to allow the post, remove the post and warn the user, or immediately remove the user.

Admin may remove any offensive post, or ban any members at the sole discretion of the Admin on duty at that time. In the event a thread is closed, or a person is banned, Admin staff will review the situation, and either agree to uphold the ban, or reinstate the poster. If you are banned, you have forfeited your right to communicate and post in the forums. Persons attempting to access AFF via another user ID (new or existing) are in further violation of their previous banning condition(s) and may be subject to an immediate, permanent banning. Persons relaying communications from banned users may also be banned at Admin discretion. You may receive no warning before you are banned. Discussing the ban of another member openly is prohibited. It is your responsibility to have read the rules and to know them. If you break them it will be assumed that at the time you knew you were breaking them. With the exception of those that are just "out of control", we will follow the following guidelines for banning:

• First Offense: 3 day ban
• Second Offense: 7 day ban
• Third Offense: 1 month ban
• Fourth Offense: 3 months - 1 year OR Permanent ban (at Admin's discretion)

Any member who is banned can petition Admin via email to ask for reinstatement prior to the ban being lifted. Admin will review this and make their decision.

Promoting Unwholesome Behavior

We do not allow the promotion of immoral or unwholesome behavior including, but not limited to: homosexuality, fornication, drug use, pornography, or visiting establishments that facilitate such. While we are all adults here, we are in mixed company, and some discussions (i.e. sexual discussions or innuendos) are not appropriate for this forum. You will receive a warning the first time; after that you will receive an infraction. More egregious violations of this rule may result in an immediate ban. Your post may or may not be deleted or edited for content.

Privacy of Posters & Private Messages

As privacy is an important issue to many posters on Apostolic Friends Forum, let it be understood that anyone that maliciously reveals another's private information will be banned.

Private messages are a privilege. Private messages and emails which are exchanged privately, are not to be posted on the forum without consent of both parties. If you receive inappropriate emails or pm's, please notify an Admin, and allow Admin to deal with it accordingly.

Member Email Addresses & Open Proxies

Members are required to keep their account updated with their correct email address. Email addresses that come back undeliverable at any time will result in that account being removed. Member accounts that are not used will be removed periodically. We recommend that you not post your email address on the board. What many may not realize is that this discussion board is a public board that is viewable by anyone and everyone in the world with internet access.

To prevent spammers and/or banned troublemakers returning to the forum under a new username, all open proxy servers may be subject to immediate banning and removal of the user. In other words you must NOT go through someone else's server to hide your real IP address.

Posting Quotes & Links

All copyrighted material must be given credit and the source cited. If it's posted on the internet you must provide a link. Posting only portions of quotes is allowed. Entire content or excessive quoting is not allowed, i.e., quoting 30% of a news article would be too much, unless you have direct permission. Thank you for helping to keep the forum in compliance with copyright laws. Any link that is offensive in nature will be deleted. All links are subject to the approval of Admin.

What to do if you have a problem with an Admin action

If you have a question about a ban, or any action of an Admin, discuss it in PM or email with Admin. Openly questioning or defying the Admins over a banning or other Admin actions will result in a ban. All actions viewed as seditious or anarchistic will result in a banning as well. Remember, the Admins are here to help make the board run smoothly and need your cooperation.

These rules are always in process of being updated and improved upon. If you have input or suggestions regarding the rules of conduct on this discussion board please contact the Administrator.

The Admin Team

Prax
The Mrs
Hoovie
Esther
CC1
*AQuietPlace*
MissBratified
Cindy

[rgcraig]

Please refresh your memory on the forum rules since it seems so many have NEVER EVEN READ THEM!!!!!

[Praxeas]

From time to time it needs to be reminded that the Admin are not Omnipresent nor Omniscient and simply can't be logged in 24/7 nor read every single post.

That is why it's up to YOU to REPORT a post and let us know about it.

Self-Moderated Board & Banning Penalties For Unruly Posters

The Apostolic Friends Forum is for the most part a self-moderated discussion board. If you feel that a user is not in compliance with the rules of this board please use the report button to report inappropriate posts, or send a private message to an Admin. The Admin will make a determination to allow the post, remove the post and warn the user, or immediately remove the user.

Admin may remove any offensive post, or ban any members at the sole discretion of the Admin on duty at that time. In the event a thread is closed, or a person is banned, Admin staff will review the situation, and either agree to uphold the ban, or reinstate the poster. If you are banned, you have forfeited your right to communicate and post in the forums. Persons attempting to access AFF via another user ID (new or existing) are in further violation of their previous banning condition(s) and may be subject to an immediate, permanent banning. Persons relaying communications from banned users may also be banned at Admin discretion. You may receive no warning before you are banned. Discussing the ban of another member openly is prohibited. It is your responsibility to have read the rules and to know them. If you break them it will be assumed that at the time you knew you were breaking them. With the exception of those that are just "out of control", we will follow the following guidelines for banning:

• First Offense: 3 day ban
• Second Offense: 7 day ban
• Third Offense: 1 month ban
• Fourth Offense: 3 months - 1 year OR Permanent ban (at Admin's discretion)

Any member who is banned can petition Admin via email to ask for reinstatement prior to the ban being lifted. Admin will review this and make their decision.

[CC1]

Originally Posted by Praxeas

From time to time it needs to be reminded that the Admin are not Omnipresent nor Omniscient and simply can't be logged in 24/7 nor read every single post.

That is why it's up to YOU to REPORT a post and let us know about it.

Self-Moderated Board & Banning Penalties For Unruly Posters

The Apostolic Friends Forum is for the most part a self-moderated discussion board. If you feel that a user is not in compliance with the rules of this board please use the report button to report inappropriate posts, or send a private message to an Admin. The Admin will make a determination to allow the post, remove the post and warn the user, or immediately remove the user.

Admin may remove any offensive post, or ban any members at the sole discretion of the Admin on duty at that time. In the event a thread is closed, or a person is banned, Admin staff will review the situation, and either agree to uphold the ban, or reinstate the poster. If you are banned, you have forfeited your right to communicate and post in the forums. Persons attempting to access AFF via another user ID (new or existing) are in further violation of their previous banning condition(s) and may be subject to an immediate, permanent banning. Persons relaying communications from banned users may also be banned at Admin discretion. You may receive no warning before you are banned. Discussing the ban of another member openly is prohibited. It is your responsibility to have read the rules and to know them. If you break them it will be assumed that at the time you knew you were breaking them. With the exception of those that are just "out of control", we will follow the following guidelines for banning:

• First Offense: 3 day ban
• Second Offense: 7 day ban
• Third Offense: 1 month ban
• Fourth Offense: 3 months - 1 year OR Permanent ban (at Admin's discretion)

Any member who is banned can petition Admin via email to ask for reinstatement prior to the ban being lifted. Admin will review this and make their decision.

I second what Prax has stated and would like to add that if everybody would post in a christian manner we would not have to worry about moderation.

However reality has shown that some people's christian principles do not extend to posting on a christian forum.

I would also like to remind people that this forum is intended to be a welcome place for Pentecostal / Apostolics from many different viewpoints but that a universal principle should be civility.

It is sad that on a Pentecostal / Apostolic forum we have to state that being profane, crude, making sexual references or innuendoes, cursing, etc are prohibited and cause for being banned. This should be a given.