Posted by:
Maude
(
)
Date: February 01, 2017 01:33PM
Eric K wrote: [On a trial basis] We will allow some leeway in political posts ***insofar as they pertain to religion.***
See entire thread here:
http://exmormon.org/phorum/read.php?2,1932344NB: NO PARTY POLITICS. NO ARGUMENTS.
Please note this is not intended to be a free-for-all re party politics. That includes NO US election/results/transition events, government policy, confirmation and other hearings, SCOTUS and other major frankly political subjects.
If you are writing a post containing "political" content (previously not allowed) it is strongly recommended that you clearly relate your comments to the main topic of this board: Mormonism/Religion.
The major rule of No Preaching - Religious OR Political - still stands.
Previously, even posts about JS and BY and their beliefs and interactions with the US government were discouraged/not allowed as they inevitably (as with politics in general) led to divisiveness on the board, which is not the type of discussion we want here. Now, on a trial basis, posts about early Mormon leaders and their beliefs/teachings about Utah and the US government of their time, etc, will be permitted.
If you want to avoid deletion, do not write about current events (such as world happenings) and current US politics. Just because a US senator is Mormon does not exempt his/her activities and statements from the general no politics rule. Don't merely post a link to a political story - relate it to religion; iow, why is it pertinent to our main topic of Mormonism.
Posters have inquired about discussion of Islam and why these posts often get deleted. They are usually (inevitably?) slanted in a very political direction and discussion frequently leads to arguments and bad feelings. Again, we want to avoid this.
Example: Posts comparing beliefs between different religions are generally permitted. Those accusing "all" adherents of a certain religion of particular beliefs and acts are usually too political and/or divisive for RfM. The first includes discussion of concepts and principles, for example, which is what we want to see, and the second nearly always becomes argumentative and "phobic". Just as we don't allow comments that are sexist, racist or homophobic neither do we want gross generalizations or rabidly "anti"-[religion].
This board is read by people from many countries. Rather than insult or alienate anyone, we want to emphasize our main purpose, discussing and answering questions about Mormonism and supporting those with questions, those who are thinking of leaving or have recently done so, and those who have been out for some time - all wanting information and support from an understanding community.
If you have a particular topic that is pertinent to your life that touches on the political arena (eg: a poster recently mentioned her need for medical insurance) as long as you keep it specific to yourself it may be allowed to stay up. (Somewhat the same idea as with personal religious beliefs being allowed but general preaching not being permitted). A general discussion of the ACA, for instance, likely too political, therefore, not OK. A question or comment relating to a personal situation, likely OK.
As Eric said, this is not always going to be 100% objective or consistent between moderators. These are judgement calls (but our mods are very mature, unbiased and experienced at what they do). Rather than a black/white rule against all political discussion, now we are trying to allow some discussion that may extend into the political sphere somewhat. This gets into nuance. There will be disagreements within the nuances. Admin gets the final word, of course, with the continued goal of making the board a helpful place, free of angry exchanges between posters, with still the primary purpose of helping questioning Mormons and new exmos.
Allowing even limited political discussion greatly increases the demands on the moderators. Thank you for your efforts to stay within the guidelines.
Edited 3 time(s). Last edit at 02/01/2017 05:52PM by Maude.