I believe in running an open forum.  This means that I encourage dissenting opinions. Presently, I do not moderate all comments, but comment moderation will catch certain comments that meet criteria I’ve specified and flag them for my review.

I never delete comments that contain dissenting opinions solely on the basis that it contains a dissenting opinion.  If you have submitted a comment that didn’t make it up to the forum, it was probably caught by my spam folder or some mishap on WordPress’s end prevented it from getting posted.

Comments that contain multiple links are automatically moderated.

This post from the WordPress.com blog contains some helpful information on commenting that I really appreciate.  In brief, these are:

1. Be specific.  One of the most annoying things about comments is when people leave a comment that could describe any post on any blog.  It’s fine that you like my content or think that it is head and shoulders above everything else out there (both sentiments I’ve received, by the way), but please tell me why you think that!
2. Don’t leave a link to your blog.  The form for comments has a URL field; therefore, people will be able to visit your blog by clicking on your avatar.  Links are okay (even to your own material) as long as they exist for a reason and you can tie them back to what you’re talking about.
3. Stay on topic.  That should be self-explanatory.  I’m not always debating the existence of God, atheists; quite frankly, I assume the existence of God as self-evident and rational even in posts that debate it.  Translation: don’t turn a discussion of a different denomination or a post on a heretical position within Christianity into a debate over God’s existence!
4. Be nice.  It works both ways, I know, and I’m working on being nicer to commenters.  Abusive, harassing, or threatening language will not be tolerated.
5. Keep it brief.  This is my blog, not yours.  WordPress and Blogger are both free and easy to use, so if you have lengthy discourse on a topic, please make your own blog.

The following comments will be deleted without warning:

• Content that is only links
• Blatant or excessive self-promotion
• Any attempt to argue the “Christ-myth,” including (but not limited to) the following: (1)that there never was a Jesus of Nazareth; (2) that the Jesus portrayed in the canonical Gospels is a legend, possibly based on one or more real, historical charlatans who pretended to be the Messiah; (3) that Jesus is interpolated pagan mythology ~~ The “Christ-myth” is not a position taken very seriously by secular historians, despite what you may have been led to believe by its proliferation on atheist websites.
• Trolling (posting inflammatory or off-topic comments specifically designed to cause fights)
• Links to porn sites
• Promoting heresy (defined below)
• Excessive use of profanity
• Attempts to Google-bomb another website

For the purposes of this site, heresy includes the following perspectives:

• Prosperity theology: the belief that if you pay tithe money you will become rich
• Five-fold ministry/revival movements/latter rain theology: anything that wants to change Christianity completely based on extra-biblical, prophetic revelations or similar utterances
• King James Onlyism: belief that the KJV (or any edition of the Bible other than the autographs) is the only truly inspired version and all others are inferior or demonic
• Traditional heresies defined by the ecumenical church councils; including, but not limited to: Gnosticism, Monophysitism, Monothelitism, Arianism, Docetism, Nestorianism, etc.
• Anything claiming to know or prove the specific dates of the Final Judgment or Second Coming (interpretations of eschatology are debatable until you claim to know the actual dates of Christ’s return — something the Bible clearly teaches that you can’t know)
• Non-trinitarian concepts of God

I reserve the right to expand or modify this list and to delete a comment that doesn’t fit the criteria above. Such instances will be very rare and the author will be notified of the reason by e-mail (if possible).

I try to respond to each comment.  However, sometimes it takes a while since I procrastinate.  If you have something to discuss quickly, please send an e-mail.

Commenters will be on a three-strike system, just like a batter in America’s favorite past time.  I will assess a strike for each flagrant violation of the rules.  The first strike is a simple warning.  I’ll assume good intent and simple ignorance of the rules.  Strike two means that your comments will be moderated until I deem you are well-behaved enough to have the moderation lifted.  The third strike means that I will ban you.  Strikes are announced both in the forum and via e-mail.

Some users use fake e-mail addresses. I am not trying to embarrass or humiliate by announcing strikes or bans publicly. I’m just trying to make sure everyone is on the same page.

If your comment fails to appear and you have a question as to why, please contact us.