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Tall_Timbers
Well-known member
A lot of Christian Boards are under attack by nefarious individuals. Those people can still read the forum posts after they are banned. Behind the scenes of this Board there is probably 10-20 times more banning of bad actors seeking accounts than a member might ever see.
Just a month or so ago around the Charlie Kirk assassination, we had a Satanist join and spread all forms of spam throughout our fourm. We know this person was a Satanist because they had said so within their username. They did this multiple times, even after getting banned. Some people need to be kept off the site.
I do think some should not get banned, like those who respectfully disagree yet reject the diety of God. We can witness to these people, especially those who are humble in temperment.
Ive seen the good get banned, ive seen the bad get banned. I think the mods are doing a good job, they keep us safe against bad people. Id say I wish some people weren't banned, such as those I was trying to witness to, but the site runs how it does. The site is for us Christians, people who reject Christ and spread false beliefs tend to get banned. If say I see these people get banned more often than anyone else.
I do see people people get away with a lot of disrespect towrds their own brothers/sisters in Christ though, they dont get banned. I think its safe to assume as a believer with mostly orthodox beliefs, as long as you dont spread heresy youll probably not get banned. Thats what Ive observed. Its pretty hard to get banned here.
Hi Betty,
I understand that wanting to give people a chance and trying to help them grow through mistakes or bad choices -- after all, it's a hallmark of being a Christian. Unfortunately, that won't work for some, and so it's a necessity to balance things out with boundaries.
You said you believed that the person should be forgiven and not just banned without being told what they did. As far as I know (after talking to some who have received bans,) they get a clear message stating why they have been banned when they are notified of the banning, so they are given a clear reason. If anyone knows otherwise, feel free to correct me.
I've been here going on 17 years, and I say that not as a flex, but as a witness to the different ways the site has tried to deal with bannings over the years.
Many people complained that a reason wasn't given and should be available to the public, so for a short time, the banned username would have a reason under it ("Teaching Heresy," for example.)
However, that became very complicated. I've heard stories of people whose posts I read myself on the forum that always sounded wholesome and were often loaded with Scripture; behind the scenes, I was told (by some of those who said it was happening to them,) that some of these most righteous sounding posters were sending sexually explicit messages to others.
People who didn't know what was going on were outraged that these "Godly Christian" people were being "banned for no reason," but we don't always know what's going on behind closed doors -- and the site can't always spell it out. I have also had people come to me for help for those who were spiritually abusing them behind closed doors, and I always encourage them to go to the administration, and be prepared to give proof for them to work with. People who do this often can't be reasoned with, because they feel God is on their side, no one understands God at the level they do, and they insist that they themselves are an extension and voice of God Himself.
Publicly stating the reasons for every banning, I'm guessing, might also have legal ramifications. If you publicly state that someone was banned for sexual harassment, can that person come back and try to sue the site for slander? I'm not sure, but I'm sure the admin has to think about all of these things. It's not just a simple matter of forgiving someone; and in my observation, people who are acting out that kind of behavior usually do not stop. They either look for another victim or another outlet, or all of the above.
There have also been all kinds of other crazy things that have happened over the years. I heard about one person who claimed to be a young girl whose sibling had died. People showered her with sympathy -- and then it was found out that her sibling was very much alive -- she just wanted attention. But it wasn't fair to the people who poured their heart into her story (I'm not sure if any financial gain was involved.) I've been told of many cases of emotional catfishing behind the scenes, even to the point of becoming engaged, with the catfish ghosting them soon after -- but moving on to the next person on this site to do the same thing to. If the administration investigates this and decides bans are in order, it would be difficult to state this publicly without causing pandemonium.
We also have instances of people coming here to lure people in for less than noble reasons (finances, exploitation, etc.) I'm always highly suspicious of profiles that have "Friends Lists" that are almost all members of the opposite gender, especially if their avatar or pictures they've posted are unusually attractive. We've also seen cases of avatars posing as exceptionally pretty young girls (claiming to be, say, 13,) who are actually someone else trying to attract and trap men (they will turn the conversation towards things that shouldn't be talked about, then say, "You'd better send me money or I'm going to go to the police, because I'm underage.")
Sites like this also attract people who are addicts and mentally ill and may exercise less impulse control when posting (I am NOT criticizing or judging anyone in that situation, I'm just saying, I've seen many cases of people who seemed to loved to post when they were drunk/high, not taking their medicines, etc. -- and it showed.) I remember one guy who would post all about his love for Jesus and how much he would witness on real life -- then say he was drunk and made posts hitting on the women here. I remember another who would also write incredibly spiritual-sounding posts, but they were always "off" -- and he later wrote that he often posted while under the influence of crystal meth. Should these people be shown compassion? Yes. But they also need to behave within guidelines if they want to stay.
Another issue is that you'll always have members who disagree with one another and in the past, some have dealt with this by making threads with titles like, "(Member I Don't Like -- naming the person) is a (insert insult and/or slandering description here." This is one of the reasons why most threads take time to be posted, as they now need moderator approval to prevent this.
I'm sure the administration must pull their hair out in dealing with such cases because they can't control who comes here -- they can only try to uphold rules, and discipline, to maintain safety.
I think the site does the very best it can with the limited resources it has available, and that's one of the reasons I've stayed here so long.
Go somewhere nice ... say ... Detroid and sleep with your door open at night. See how it goes.
Did someone you know get banned? I noticed someone was banned when I accessed the site this morning.
They had been promoting the Eve-had-sex-with-Satan heresy. Personally I am glad that person is no longer
here to keep pushing his heresy. And you know what? I am certain he was here before, and banned before,
and he knows what for. So many people get banned, and they come right back under a new user name and
do it all over again. They are being deceitful because they know they are breaking the rules.
Yeah im pretty sure ive seen this before too, though theres no way of telling if its the same person or someone who's suspiciously alike the banned person.
Nobody ive known personally has gotten banned, but people I was witnessing to have been banned even though they were respectful, due to heresy.
When their name is almost identical? I have known people who have returned multiple times after being
banned, and threads were made about it with people wondering why that person had been banned because
they had seen nothing untoward... but if you were on the receiving end of their continual abuse from multiple
accounts you would not be questioning why. Saying there is no way of telling, well, obviously some of us disagree.
Then there are those who leave and announce it and say it is specifically because of so-and-so, and the next thing
you know, here they are again. Over and over and over again. Of course for a person to leave and become a guest
by asking to have their account deleted, and then return, is not breaking the rules. However, some of those same
people do get banned and their repeated returns do not go unnoticed by all. I certainly cannot always tell, and
people come and go so quickly that really trying to keep track is somewhat of a waste of time for me. Other times,
the similarities between how certain people post after being banned and coming back again are hard to miss.
A warning seems reasonable to me. God warns His children.
Most bans go under the radar without bringing attention to them. This makes it difficult to sometimes understand banable offenses. I think they are sometimes due to gross heresy.
There's a lot of leeway given though.
Other times it's probably emotional overreactions to offenses. I haven't been here as long as others who can explain the reasons better.
Good. I'm tired of the serpent seed heresy. It's an artificially flavored concentrate of foolishness ......just add water and stir.
Psalm 18:25 With the merciful thou wilt shew thyself merciful; with an upright man thou wilt shew thyself upright; 26 With the pure thou wilt shew thyself pure; and with the froward thou wilt shew thyself froward.
Froward -- Twisted, perverse, crooked, distorted
Glad you made it my friend. Even Robocop couldn't fix Detroit.
I agree , sometimes genuine mistakes can occur . Things can b blown out of proportion or cultural differences can cause a misunderstanding etc . I think people should b given a few chances b 4 they get an outright ban . This site seems quite tolerant most of the time and that's really good . The more rules u have on a site , well obviously , the more likely it is that they will get broken . I know another Christian site where members r literally not allowed to disagree with each other , no I'm not joking ! Even polite disagreement is not allowed ! That's just foolish , how can anyone learn anything from anyone else if everyone has to tie a strict line and agree with each other all the time ?! As a consequence of this policy , the discussion part of that site is almost totally dead . Freedoms of speech is very important , as long as people r polite and respectful , not using personal insults or abusive language . Disagreement provokes the brain into thinking deeper about things , other people giving different perspectives to our own opens our minds up and stimulates us . It's essential !
We have a dating in the UK ; Don't throw the baby out with the bath water . Yes , it's a bit odd
hope u guys get it 
.
We have a saying not a datingI agree , sometimes genuine mistakes can occur . Things can b blown out of proportion or cultural differences can cause a misunderstanding etc . I think people should b given a few chances b 4 they get an outright ban . This site seems quite tolerant most of the time and that's really good . The more rules u have on a site , well obviously , the more likely it is that they will get broken . I know another Christian site where members r literally not allowed to disagree with each other , no I'm not joking ! Even polite disagreement is not allowed ! That's just foolish , how can anyone learn anything from anyone else if everyone has to tie a strict line and agree with each other all the time ?! As a consequence of this policy , the discussion part of that site is almost totally dead . Freedoms of speech is very important , as long as people r polite and respectful , not using personal insults or abusive language . Disagreement provokes the brain into thinking deeper about things , other people giving different perspectives to our own opens our minds up and stimulates us . It's essential !
We have a dating in the UK ; Don't throw the baby out with the bath water . Yes , it's a bit odd
stupid auto correct !
We have that saying on this side of the pond also! A search told me: The idiom "don't throw the baby out with the bathwater"We have a saying not a dating
originates from a 16th-century German proverb, das Kind mit dem Bade ausschütten, meaning to discard something valuable (the baby) while trying to get rid of something undesirable (the dirty bathwater). While a popular story claims it comes from medieval bathing practices where babies were literally at risk of being thrown out, this is a folk tale; the phrase first appeared in Thomas Murner's 1512 book Narrenbeschwörung (Appeal to Fools) to criticize foolishness, often illustrated by a woodcut of a woman discarding a baby with wastewater.
I really am new to the forum (I think, unless I took too many Ambien...) but I liked the comments. The internet is a difficult place, especially for sensitive topics. On top of that, moderators are really not better than the trouble makers who, I have noticed, are often witch-hunted. They become objects of derision and people get a power trip. I've been in that situation in real life when it seems funny to threaten someone's job and gossip and I not only did not speak up, but I gave into it.
You know the moderators have their own secret areas and threads. Why?
They can come up with a million and one excuses and that is all it is. Websites are privately owned and free to do as they please, but what moderators of a forum do is not the practice of a jury in a free society.
Is a web-board being protected from bias with rights that important? No really, but I think the secrecy is a breeding ground for destructive gossip and rumors.
You know the moderators have their own secret areas and threads. Why?
They can come up with a million and one excuses and that is all it is. Websites are privately owned and free to do as they please, but what moderators of a forum do is not the practice of a jury in a free society.
Is a web-board being protected from bias with rights that important? No really, but I think the secrecy is a breeding ground for destructive gossip and rumors.
A lot of good posts here, I'll just highlight this one because of the effort put into it.
I'm becoming impressed with the rational thought on this site despite distractions.
I struggle with cynicism, so when I see sin confronted, I applaud.
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