[About the Catholic forum]

lately the quality of posts has really been going down the poop hole, just thought i'd let you all know...

-- greg jones (greg@yahoo.com), May 10, 2004

What ive said is not a "gag." I'm not trying to pull a practical joke or anything. I'm not trying to shock anybody or offend anybody by saying something funny. I was simply stating my opinion, that the quality of posts was getting worse and worse. I can't believe that anybody would actually tell me that i shouldnt have said what i said in the way that i said it. i never cursed, i never insulted anybody. all i said was that the quality of posts was getting bas. TELL ME: the quality of my post was bad, that I'm wasting your time. but dont tell me that i CAN'T say what i said on this forum! are we living in communist Cuba?!

-- GREG (greg@yahoo.com), May 14, 2004.

-- David Ortiz (cyberpunk1986@hotmail.com), May 16, 2004

Answers

I check once in a while at what's being said over there in the one- sided Catholic forum. It is SOOOOOOOOOOOOO boring now.

-- David Ortiz (cyberpunk1986@hotmail.com), May 16, 2004.

Also it's become to political...

-- David Ortiz (cyberpunk1986@hotmail.com), May 16, 2004.

[For clarification purposes...]

GREG (greg@yahoo.com) posted in the Catholic Forum while his post is being present here.

[I didn't want readers thinking his post was meant to describe this forum. This forum is never boring!]

(:o

.........

-- rod (elreyrod@yahoo.com), May 16, 2004.

Hi David,

"Boring" is in the eye of the reader. I think the goals of the Catholic forum and this forum are very different. I like both forums. IMHO, both forums feed the soul, although in different ways.

You have a point on your comment of being too political. I think that's a concern of the Catholic forum moderators too. Tough sometimes to keep a good balance. At times I agree with you, but at other times, I realize if more Christians applied their faith to politics, the world might be better place.

-- Andy S ("aszmere@earthlink.net"), May 16, 2004.

David

Catholicism is a completely developed religion. ergo, the debates are invariably more detailed. that, to the untrained eye, could appear boring.

protestantism on the other hand -- well, you tell me -- people who can barely agree on even the most fundamental point. from that division we get 30,000+ denominations, growing daily. NOW -->> that's a lot more interesting -- because watching people agree with each other is, to use your turn, SOOOOOOOOOOOOO boring.

its that simple, David.

-- Ian (ib@vertifgo.com), May 16, 2004.

David,

I would disagree with you on this that the Catholic forum is boring. I actually find it very enjoyable and encouraging. This forum's purpose is more aligned with apologetics/debate, and that has its proper place. However, I do not enjoy arguments when they get heated (which admittedly occurs often on the Catholic forum's political threads, and for this reason I tend to avoid posting on them. That is not my purpose in being there.). However, theologically, Catholics have much on which to agree.

I remember once that I found an internet forum that was restricted only to those who held a Calvinist interpretation of Scripture and Christianity, because the intent of their forum was to go deeper into other issues, not to debate whether Calvinism was true. I think that, while I disagree with their theological stance, their intent was good. The idea of having agreement and moving on to deeper issues is quite Scriptural.

Hebrews 5:12-6:3 (KJV)

12 For when for the time ye ought to be teachers, ye have need that one teach you again which be the first principles of the oracles of God; and are become such as have need of milk, and not of strong meat. 13 For every one that useth milk is unskilful in the word of righteousness: for he is a babe. 14 But strong meat belongeth to them that are of full age, even those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil.

1 Therefore leaving the principles of the doctrine of Christ, let us go on unto perfection; not laying again the foundation of repentance from dead works, and of faith toward God, 2 Of the doctrine of baptisms, and of laying on of hands, and of resurrection of the dead, and of eternal judgment. 3 And this will we do, if God permit.

For example, in this passage we see that baptism is a foundational doctrine, or as the NIV puts it, "elementary teaching." In other words, we should agree on this doctrine and understand it, then move on to deeper things. Do all of us in this forum agree on the purpose or meaning of the "elementary teaching" of baptism? No. So that should show us that there's a problem with the state of "Christianity" today.

What I love about the Catholic forum is that I am able to learn so much there, because we can build on our agreements and go deeper into them to get a better understanding.

One advantage that I see in this forum is that when I present a certain view, there are more people who disagree with it, so they can point out to me whether I presented anything that was logically or Scripturally flawed. Whereas at the Catholic forum, if we all agree, we may miss the flaws in each others' points. So there are advantages and disadvantages to both approaches.

-- Emily ("jesusfollower7@yahoo.com), May 16, 2004.

That's so true, Emily. Yet this forum was Protestant in the beginning:

For that change you can thank David, for being more open than others, after himself being banned from the catholic Forum.

Also Kevin (one of the originals), Rod (who fights for openess), Ian (for Catholic issues), faith (Protestant side), and Me, the Christian Yahwist (a unitarian as opposed to trinitarians) (Besides James el Greco who hasn't posted in a while).

The Christian Yahwist

-- Elpidio Gonzalez (egoval@yahoo.com), May 17, 2004.

Actually,

This forum was full of some very weird people. There was accually someone who posted as "Jesus Christ" and gave advice to people.

-- (@@@.@), May 17, 2004.

In the beginning, there was a great void and it was boring. I'm talking about this forum. I sense that we have quite a number of lurkers who do not post, yet they are regulars to this forum. I wonder what they must think of our discussions, debates, preachings, and bickerings.

...............

-- rod (elreyrod@yahoo.com), May 17, 2004.

A lot of them don't speak English, Rod.

Especially Argentinians have made me #1 there.

There was an Elpidio Gonzalez who was an honest vice-president. So honest the guy was shining boots after he left office, or so the story goes.There are streets, schools,...named after him.

Para todos los argentinos que por equivocacion leen este mensaje pensando que buscan un lugar argentino, No hay mucha diferencia entre el Elpidio Gonzalez que era vicepresidente y yo.

Solo que yo soy mexicano.

El hombre de Yavé, el cristiano yavista.

-- Elpidio Gonzalez (egonval@yahoo.com), May 17, 2004.