LJ-SEC: (ORIGINALLY POSTED BY sunfell)

Hello, all-

Our numbers keep climbing, which is a good thing. I hope that the new readers here are getting a lot out of this community. And I am glad to see 'regulars' posting and commenting, too.

More posters on board means that I need to increase the number of folks to help me mind this community. So, I am looking for some people to volunteer to help me out in the moderation department.

The criteria are:

Been a member of this community for a while
Are familiar with the posting guidelines
Read and post to this community regularly
Willing to communicate and work with me on matters pertaining to this community

This isn't a heavy duty job, but it does require some 'board time'. Folks here are pretty good about following the posting guidelines, and when I do have to delete or moderate, I always say 'why'.

If you are interested in being added to the moderator lineup, just reply to this post.

Thanks!

LJ-SEC: (ORIGINALLY POSTED BY sunfell)

There have been some wonderful posts in this community of late, including some excellent articles and commentary. One thing has been overlooked, though- and that is tagging. Tags help future researchers find articles and posts in this community, so adding a tag or two to your post will help make it part of the research database that should be forming.

I'll admit that I have been lax in this myself, and will correct that problem. It is easy to edit a post to add tags, and we have a large selection to choose from. So please, tag your posts. Later readers and researchers will thank you.

LJ-SEC: (ORIGINALLY POSTED BY sunfell)

Just noticed in my monthly numbers check that we've reached 840 members. This is great! Welcome newcomers, dig in and enjoy yourselves. Be sure to read back a week or two to make sure things aren't repeated too much.

There are lots of things about the Religious Right in the news as the midterm elections near. If you have something interesting to post, please do so- especially if you are in Ohio- that is a major religious battleground state.

Read and follow the rules, don't bash, mind your manners, and enjoy your stay!

LJ-SEC: (ORIGINALLY POSTED BY sunfell)

To the anonymous donor who added two more months to our Paid Account: Thank you. Your contribution is deeply appreciated.

LJ-SEC: (ORIGINALLY POSTED BY sunfell)

I just checked our stats for dark_christian, and we're at 795 subscribers! That's excellent! Also, I have noted that our subscription is good through August 2008, and for that, I would like to thank those who pitched in to help out.

Headlines like the one I just quoted in the last post remind us that we must keep up this examination. We must continue to learn about the overall Dominionist movement, its language, projects and jargon, and most important, we must do what we can do detoxify it wherever and whenever we find it.

Dominionist-contaminated Christianity is a fear-based faith. They fear women- especially strong and autonomous women. They fear gays. They fear any who do not have identical beliefs to theirs. They fear science. That fear often becomes hatred and paranoia.

The only way to break the fear is with knowledge. Dominionists fear knowledge more than anything, because that dilutes the absolutism that they constantly hammer into their believers. Knowledge is Satan to them. But knowledge can break down the walls, dispel the toxins, and renew the hope upon which Christianity is based.

It is vital that we understand this. Dominionists are prepared to take their 'enemy' -people like us- face-on, but are not prepared for the oblique attack, the soft approach. They are ready to face haters, but not people who actually care about their mental health and spiritual well-being. It is clear that there are some mental health issues to understand, if the stories of the 'walkaways' here are to be believed.

Water is a 'soft' thing, but it can bore holes through stone. Christians here must remember that under the hard shell of hatred and fear is a Christian core, and seek to find and redeem it. Dominionists need to be saved... from themselves.

LJ-SEC: (ORIGINALLY POSTED BY sunfell)

I would like to thank Bridgidsblest and Arliss for contributing to our paid account. Your gifts are greatly appreciated. Same goes for those who chose to remain anonymous.

And thank you to everyone here who plays a part in keeping this community interesting and inviting. We now have 786 subscribers, which is pretty good for a community this specialized. Here's to another good year!

LJ-SEC: (ORIGINALLY POSTED BY sunfell)

Hiya, folks-

I just got notice from Live Journal that the paid account for this community is expiring shortly. We've grown pretty huge in the last year (784 registered users at last count), so it's worth it to keep the paid account and its perks.

Wanna pitch in? You can make a donation towards the renewal ($25 for a year) here.

Use the "Gift" option, and plug dark_christian into the username blank!

Thank you very much for helping to keep this community going!

LJ-SEC: (ORIGINALLY POSTED BY sunfell)

I had to delete the Mormon holocaust baptism thread because (a) it was off-topic, and (b) it was degenerating into bashing.

Remember, bashing has no place here, no matter how offensive the practice being bashed might be. There are many other places to cuss and discuss such things. There will always be those who impose their beliefs upon others, and will not listen to any kind of argument against their practices. This kind of spiritual arrogance is very common- even in its most innocent forms. We must understand that these things can and will happen, find a way to cope with it in a civil manner, and move on.

We are dealing with real-life religious arrogance here- the arrogance of certain sects who believe that their beliefs are superior to all others (unpalatable, but ultimately acceptable- this is part of freedom of religion) but who wish to impose these beliefs upon others by force of law (mixing religion and government is unacceptable). It is the latter which sorts the spiritual from the actual. We must remember this and pay close attention to this difference. It is critical to do so.

LJ-SEC: (ORIGINALLY POSTED BY sunfell)

I would like to remind folks here to please use the 'tags' feature in your posts. Tagging entries will help researchers and archivists dig out entry subjects. If your entry does not have a tag listed that you can use, let me know, and I'll fix one up for you.

Thanks.

LJ-SEC: (ORIGINALLY POSTED BY sunfell)

Hello, all. I would like to commend everyone here for being great contributors to this community. It is your articles, links to news stories, and such that keep this community active and flourishing. It has occurred to me lately that with the large number of readers, there will be some who have either been traumatized or are sensitive to traumas that are specific to the cruel side of extremist Christianity. Reading such things can trigger flashbacks to those who have suffered these traumas at the hands of parents or co-religionists, and can give them great distress when they come across these things.

With that in mind, I would ask you to please put potentially triggering articles behind LJ cuts, with a text inclusion that warns readers of potentially distressing or triggering material. The two major 'triggers' are child cruelty and abuse to adults, including (and especially) rape. If you do not know how to create an LJ cut, there are detailed instructions here.

Thank you all for your help here. This is a difficult subject by its very nature, let's try to make it as palatable as we can.

LJ-SEC: (ORIGINALLY POSTED BY sunfell)

I know that we have a lot of newcomers to this board, but I have noticed that the tenor of some of the more recent posts has become somewhat mean-spirited and perhaps might border on bashing. This is not acceptible, and I must remind folks here that this is not a religious bashing board. While the tactics of the more extreme believers might be difficult to fathom, it does us no favor to be calling them names. Let their own actions speak for them- don't add gasoline to the fire, please.

There are people of many faiths here- and most of the people here are Christians of one sort or another. Let's respect them. Same with the Pagans, Atheists, Buddhists, Agnostics and others who visit this board: the working word is respect.

Name calling and intolerant behavior is unacceptable here. This board should be a safe place and level playing field for all believers (and nonbelievers) to study, understand, and critically examine the Dominionist movement. We're not here to hate, bait, or debate this branch of Christianity- or Christianity in general- we're here to learn about it, talk about it, and find reasonable push back solutions to counter the growing Dominionist influence in our government.

Historical discussions are OK. Trying to drag down or dismantle Christianity as a faith is not. We're not here to debate the validity or truth of this faith- it is clear that it has withstood the various assaults of various critics for centuries, and it isn't going to crumble under our assault. It is the mix of religion and politics, of church and state, of spirituality and manipulative behavior, of power and money being cloaked under the guise of religion, that we are concerned with. The use and abuse of this faith as a political wedge and a social cudgel is the purpose of this board.

Let's remember that, and stay on topic and on track. There are many other LJ communities that invite debate, active criticism, and flame wars. This isn't one of them. Let's continue to be civil to each other and lay our differences aside and learn from each other.

Thank you. Be good to each other.

ETA: I have three co-moderators on board, too. They are seshen, rpeate, and our latest addition, wyldraven, who also hosts and administrates our Wiki.

LJ-SEC: (ORIGINALLY POSTED BY sunfell)

This morning, I checked the front page and discovered that we've topped 700 members in the last few days. To our newcomers, welcome! I hope that you will take a few minutes to browse the older posts and read the guidelines on the front page. With the growing number of posts here, adherence to the guidelines is critical. The main thing is not to post quizzes, memes, petitions and things like that. There are plenty of other places on Live Journal for these things, or you can post them in your own journal. Also, watch out for off-topic posts. Sometimes these are purely accidental, or because the poster is inexperienced. But if it's off topic, we'll let you know.

There are plenty of resources here for you to utilize if you are just starting to delve into this very large and often troubling topic. Since this community was created nearly 3 years ago, many other sites addressing the topic of the hard right and dominionism have appeared. Some are thriving. Others are not, and have been retired.

One of our best resources is our Wiki. It's still pretty new, but it is growing by leaps and bounds. This is a participatory project, and if you are interested in contributing to it, please sign on, learn the ropes, and start adding to it. We already have a large collection of websites, books, movies, and biographies of various players in the religious right, as well as pages and articles about allies who are battling them. Knowledge is power, and the wiki goes beyond the limitations of this community to work as a repository for information and links.

The subject matter can be grim and frustrating at times, but to ignore it is to do so at your peril. The dominionists rely on apathy and ignorance of their real agenda to advance their cause. Lately, people are really starting to catch on, and are uncovering their vast web, and bringing them and their activities to light. More and more articles exposing their often blatant intolerance and hatred are being published in highly respected publications. People are starting to question their dominance and pushiness in the government.

This is not a Christian bashing site. There are people of many faiths, and none at all who read and post here. The main purpose of this site is education and critical examination of the political-religious hybrid that uses religion and the trust of its believers to advance a political trend. We must remember this, and welcome Christians who see the danger to their faith, and who wish to acquire the knowledge and the tools needed to reclaim their faith from the political forces. If we can enlighten, encourage and educate, we have done our job here.

Again, welcome. Enjoy your stay.

LJ-SEC: (ORIGINALLY POSTED BY sunfell)

I just updated the DC Wiki to add a section about 'bad laws'. If your state is proposing, or has passed a law, resolution, or amendment to the constitution which advances the agenda of the Religious Right (anti-gay, marriage, abortion, declaring Christianity the state religion, kicking out activist judges, etc,) please post a link to it in the wiki.

Here's the main page of the new section where you can see what has already been constructed. Please follow the editing protocols set up. And make a note as to whether this law is proposed, or already passed. And make sure to differentiate between a bill, a resolution, or a constitutional amendment.

Remember, knowledge is power, and like a writer at Talk to Action has said, many states like to pass 'me too' laws echoing bad laws in other states.

LJ-SEC: (ORIGINALLY POSTED BY wyldraven)

The Wiki is once again available for reading. It is now (by community consensus) closed to editing except for registered users. That's not as severe as it sounds. If you have posted here, chances are you will be given editing privileges. Go here to request registration. It is a manual process, but there are several admins already signed up, so service should be reasonably quick.

dogemperor and jehovahsfitness, since you have already been posting, as soon as you submit your registration request, it will be setup.

LJ-SEC: (ORIGINALLY POSTED BY wyldraven)

In this thread, there has been some ongoing discussion about the security of our Wiki. I am investigating options, and am inclined to implement this as part of the solution.

This will apparently place a burden on the lone admin to grant anything over read privileges on a case by case basis. I don't see any way to grant "sub-admin" privilege to other parties. Is this really worth doing now?

There is a web based utility to support more than one admin. So I should be able to assign other admins and reduce the burden.

I need a consensus today if possible, otherwise we wait until next week. My main tech on this timrhodes will be unavailable tomorrow mid-day until Monday.

LJ-SEC: (ORIGINALLY POSTED BY jehovahsfitness)

I starteded a new category on the Wiki called Organizations. Part of the reason is to distinguish the more extremist splinter groups from mainline churches. It was also partly inspired by the list of (ostentibly) charitable groups someone compiled post-Katrina (I've lost the link). So far this list only lists specific denominations, but expanding it to other organizations will be helpful. In fact, the former could be incorporated. My idea is that, like the charities list, this one could give a brief description of each of the organizations listed, and whether they are dominionist or have dominionist ties. I've given it an initial listing by country, though I don't know how helpful this will be, given that many of these organizations are international (especially the Pentacostals).

LJ-SEC: (ORIGINALLY POSTED BY sunfell)

I did this on my own LJ, but since I have a much larger sample size here, I want to know what the age range is for readers of this community. So, please pick a button and answer my poll.

[Error: Invalid poll ID 685414]

LJ-SEC: (ORIGINALLY POSTED BY sunfell)

Technorati Profile

LJ-SEC: (ORIGINALLY POSTED BY sunfell)

I've added links to our new Wiki to our front door, along with links to two communities that might be helpful to people recovering from spiritual abuse and cultic involvement:

woundedwarriors
hot_seat_cult

If you join these groups, please respect their purpose and posting rules.

I've also tweaked the links list on the sidebar, removing "Jesus on the Family" and adding the Dark Christianity Wiki (where I've added the December Mother Jones issue and its links to the "Periodicals" section). If you find any broken links on the sidebar, let me know.

LJ-SEC: (ORIGINALLY POSTED BY wyldraven)

One area that we opened late, of which you may not be aware, is the Glossary. It was opened at the request of deedop, and was initially populated (by me) with the phrase deedop was trying to remember.

That's all that is in the glossary right now. I know I can dig through all the past posts looking for the wonderfully informative posts and replicating the keyword content. Or some of you who know this stuff off the top of your head can help. It is a collaborative environment, you know?

Consider this a gentle nudge. Go, update, please.

EDIT: I do intend this to be the last time I directly mention the Wiki for its own sake. I do reserve the right to direct folks to it as appropriate for specific needs.