Lance wrote: > Why not let David take care of this privately? Because Gary said it publicly. Besides that, my experience is that Gary often does not respond to my private posts, so why should I waste my time?
Can't you, Gary, and John follow rules? Let's not be lawless. We have one rule on TruthTalk: No ad hominem arguments. The reason for this is because the dialogue degenerates into being about egos and people defending themselves. We want to talk about truth. The list is not for evangelizing, personal counseling, or any other similar personal ministry. It is a place for discussing Truth. Here is the way it works. When Perry acts as moderator to guide people away from the ad hominem arguments, the people addressed should comply and not respond to the list. If you have a problem with what he is saying, write to him privately. Perry is the only one on the list who can address personal issues, and he does so as moderator to keep the discussion on track. So please do not reply to the list when reading any post where Perry signs it as moderator, or indicates in the subject line that the post is being made as moderator. Concerning Kevin calling John a liar. That is an ad hominem remark as well and is generally not allowed. We have been over this many times. Giving evidence along with the remark might make such a post allowable in some cases. That is for the moderator to make the call on. The reason it might be allowed is because if he wants to demonstrate how someone is bearing false witness by producing facts, that might be edifying to the list. Just calling someone a liar is not edifying. Still, what is considered solid evidence to one person might appear to be no evidence at all to everybody else, so the moderator has the final say about what will be allowed. There are gray areas here. Personally, I think it is best if nobody ever calls anyone a liar on the list. That does not mean he cannot do so privately or in another forum. It is not a sin to call someone a liar. It is something we simply discourage on this list only. The reason? We want to talk about truth, not judge one another on the list. The focus here should be on truth, concepts, ideas, theology, philosophy, and opinions, not upon people. So to summarize: 1. No ad hominem arugments are allowed on the list. 2. Do not respond to the list on any posts signed by Perry as moderator. Accept what he says, or respond privately if needed. 3. If you think someone has crossed the line about the ad hominem rule, respond to that person directly on the list in the course of your argument to point out their error, or write Perry privately and ask him to do something about it. Do not attempt to use it to justify the ad hominem remarks of others. Two wrongs do not make something right. You cannot justify bad behavior by pointing out somebody else's bad behavior. If we follow these simple rules, the list will get cleaned up and we can get back to some constructive discussions like we have had in the past. Peace be with you. David Miller List Administrator ---------- "Let your speech be always with grace, seasoned with salt, that you may know how you ought to answer every man." (Colossians 4:6) http://www.InnGlory.org If you do not want to receive posts from this list, send an email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] and you will be unsubscribed. If you have a friend who wants to join, tell him to send an e-mail to [EMAIL PROTECTED] and he will be subscribed.
