Posted by:
Concrete Zipper
(
)
Date: October 07, 2018 12:48PM
First, let me introduce myself to those of you who don't know me. I've been involved with the exmo on-line community since 1997 and have been helping Eric with the exmormon.org site since about the year 2000. Most of my work has been in the shadows, though I occasionally pop my head up to moderate things on the bulletin board.
My philosphy for the site is indeed aligned with Eric's and I don't expect exmormon.org's core mission or values to change much in the days to come. That hasn't always been the case: in the early days of the exmo community, I was much more interested in activism and trying to explicitely confront the church. Over the years, I have come to agree with Eric and Susan I/S that activism isn't particularly productive or even necessary. The church is in the process of tearing itself apart, and doing so in a far more effective manner than we ever could. Our best strategy right now is to keep publishing the truth and helping the wounded.
The most harmful lie that the church ever taught is that people who leave it will be alone and unhappy. The fear of that lie keeps the membership bound to a harmful cult and prevents them from being themselves and seeing people outside the church as wonderful, friendly human beings. The primary mission of exmormon.org will be demonstrating how false and pernicious that lie is.
The transition from Eric to me will not be instantaneous and the mantle will be passed, bit by bit, over the next few weeks. There was no precipitating crisis for the change, just Eric's need to simplify his life during retirement. He's put a lot of effort and resources into the site and the movement over the years and deserves our deepest gratitude. He's saved lives and changed the world for the better.
I will note that I also have a lot going on in my life and so will be delegating some tasks in the near future. Security and trust are paramount so we will be reaching out, personally, to appropriate individuals. As the song goes, "Don't call us. We'll call you."
One my my near term goals is to modernize some of the technology on the site and to update the look. That doesn't mean the bulletin board will change much. Those of you who have been clamoring for avatars and fancy graphics will continue to be disappointed because we are going to stay with a simple, low-bandwidth, easy-to-read format. The front page of exmormon.org will get cleaned up and there will be other changes in the background, but the bulletin board will be similar.
As far as the bulletin board goes, our hope is that it remains a useful community for both our regulars and for newly-questioning Mormons who need our help. To maintain the community, we ask that the atmosphere be friendly and congenial. Personal attacks and bickering will not be tolerated. We don't expect that everyone will agree with each other, but the conversations should be adult and respectful. Violators may be asked to take a time out. Repeat violators may be banned. I'm very forgiving of people who are sincere and will change their ways, but those who intentionally deceive or harm our community will be shown the door with extreme prejudice. On this topic I am far more ruthless than Eric ever was.
Remember that the administrators and moderators are here to make sure that things run smoothly, not to mediate disputes between posters. Please don't ask us to. Also, please don't make demands: go ahead and tell us how you're feeling, but don't try to tell us what to do. That's a rude to our small cadre of volunteers.
For general suggestions and inquiries, please just post on the bulletin board. To notify us of offending posts, use the report facility (you need to be logged on to do that).
If you need to get a hold of me, send e-mail to concrete.zipper@gmail.com. I'm busy and may or may not reply but I will do my best to help with legitimate concerns.
Here's to a bright future and friendly community, free of the control of an oppressive church. Things are looking up and we all have reason to be optimistic.
CZ (admin)