Freejohn, why do you assume everyone who disagrees with you came from a 'Catholic background?'

Even if someone does come from a 'Catholic background', it doesn't necessarily mean they are going to be Catholics or Catholic sympathisers themselves.

Remember, even Luther came from a Catholic background.......

freejohn,

This is Lisa's house like it or not. She pays for the domain name. This is her homepage. She gets to set the rules. PDM enforces them.

What is it you don't get about this? If you do the same, you have every right to post what you like. If someone came into my home and started being disrespectful to others who are there, I'd kick them out. Does that mean I was inhibiting their freedom of speech. Of course not. There are rules, limits, and boundaries that we all have to deal with.

No one is trying to stop your freedom of expression.

BTW, the "New Commandment" that Jesus gave us at the Last Supper (Love one another as I have loved you), is obviously centered towards how we can be more Christ-like. One of the principal ways we show someone that we are following in His example, is to express that love. However, one of the parts that define love is respect. If you address some one in a disrespectful way, you are not, IMO, following in the "New Commandment".

.This is lisa,s forum and she can do what she likes..eh.....
I am the one not being shown respect mr slim.Who is PDM to think that she knows best as regards my creative debating.She changed a thread name to her liking ,not mine.
Forcing what she thought was best and it was not best.It altered the sense of the thread and changed the direction of it.It dead now .I was looking forward to discussing further issues around 666 and I got the man I despise most added to my lovely title.
With this thread ,the fact that two people with such opposing views engaged in dialouge was an opportunity to reach perhaps a happy end.I am not short sighted and was working towards that despite what certain people saw as the same old thing being repeating.Sometimes things are not as they seem.
If someone came into my protestant home I would not expect them to say what I wanted to hear.I would not mess about with thier writings or change things according to what I thought was best.I would not feed them the food that I thought was best.I would not put something in thier hands that I thought was best either.
Just like when the queen went to visit the pope and ended up with a cathoilc rosary in her hands ,and if this was my forum ,I would never force changes on any persons thread title,because I respect that creative expressive act.You have shown in your own words that you would not.Its an abuse Mr slim and you are blind to it.If a thread title was offensive then offcourse it could be altered or with permission of the writer.
My thread heading was changed and this one threatened with termination ,so contrary to what you just stated.My freedom of expression was stopped.the meaning of 666 was messed with ,totured and murdered about 1 week ago by the great authourity whom you so love and respect and as far as you are concerned can do anything she likes ..the privilege to do so stamped with the royal seal of lisa.
A good leader serves the people and allows them to engage in creative freedom of expression without interference.Respect individuals freedom of expression for a healthy forum.
Rest in peace ..the meaning of 666..sorry for what happened....and you ended up in hell with karl marx.
They want my head now.Oh yes I can hear them screaming for my blood.Mr slim also got his gun ready.OFF WITH HIS HEAD!OFF WITH HIS HEAD.
PDM needs the royal seal of approval though.Lisa oblidges.Slim complains ,because he wants to shoot me first.
But jesus said love your enemy and turn the other cheek.Do not execute them.He also said .Do not kill.Stop the murder..look what happened to the meaning of 666 ...hes now in hell with karl marx.
I forgive you PDM.

posted by freejohn

I fail to see what that has to do with my postings on the forum. I was raised Presbyterian (as was my mother--my father was raised Baptist--but attended the Presbyterian Church with my mother and family). I am not and never have been Catholic--if you look at my other postings you will see I am critical of the Catholic Church. Now what are exactly does any of this have to do with our current discussion?

PDM told you this? If not then you're ascribing something to her that may or may not be correct? If she didn't, then you're the one showing disrespect. What if she re-titled the thread to make it more representative of what was actually being discussion?

The other point was her saying that she was thinking about terminating this thread. You said it was violating your freedom of expression. From what I understood, it was because no progress was being made and the same points were being made over and over again. It was at the point where you'd say something (without a bit of supporting documentation of your position), and I'd respond (with documentation of mine). That's not "creative debating". That's more like a ****ing contest. You say something, I'd say something back. You'd say basically the same thing, I tried to provide more documentation of my position. This had gone on ad naseum. All the points had been made, so it time to wrap it up and go home.

I don't appreciate this remark. You don't know me from Adam's house cat, so, metaphore or not, don't characterize me like this.

The "SouthSide" part of my name comes from the fact that I came of age on the south side of Chicago. It's not the nicest of places, so you learn how to defend yourself pretty well (if you don't, you're not around too long). Even so, or because of this, I detest guns. I don't own one, and I believe that they should be strictly regulated. Despite what many folks here in the USA think, the second amendment to the constitution does not guarantee the right for unrestricted gun possesion.

Sorry,Slim, ... the gun thing.It was just meant in a humurous way.Obviously in the environment you live ,cannot be easy to see any kind of humour including that word.I do not expect PDM to chop off my head either with a axe or chain saw .On a serious note,I would never put my hands on a gun either.
I will attempt to articulate better the freedom of expression violation.
Altering peoples written work whether it be in this forum or anywhere else is a flagrant abuse of creative free expression.Obviously changing of abusive language is permissable and over changes with permission of the writer.
Threatening to stop ONGOING diolouge between people on this forum or anywhere else is also abuse of freedom of expression.
Not easy to express onesself properly with that threat hanging over ones head.
Its important that for the development of a healthy society that people are able to engage in communication with as little interference by the controlling powers as possible.
When the controlling powers whether they be a private entity or public do what they think is best for the people engaged in free expression,intefering with that process ,then the potential of free expression is disturbed AND DIMINISHED

As regards the accusation said by others also that this thread was repeating the same thing.Its not what you say,but how you say it.
We could say the same things over 1000 times in different ways and by the 1000th time we may hit the red button of understanding.

Sometimes ,you have to keep saying the same thing over and over again in different ways and then finally a bridge of communication materialises..Its not also about what you say ,its also about eliminating the fear out of the situation ,that can take time.Certain co-incidents along the way often help that, such as over the freedom of expression thing.
I have been in negotiations before and often purposely looked for a side line issue on which me and the enemy might agree and unified agreement on the side issue being achieved , then helps resolve the foremost argument with them on the table.

THE TRUTH WILL WIN

I really don't want to participate in this any further.

I belong to another forum where threads - nice, long, happy threads - are simply erased by the moderators without any explanation.

These are threads that I would like to go back to and read over - but I can't, because the site managers and moderators can edit, erase, lock, etc, any thread, if they think fit, because that is what they do.

I moderate this site voluntarily because I enjoy the conversations.

It's Lisa's site and I organise it for her according to her rules.

As for changing titles ~ I only do this very occasionally, when members change the direction of a thread, to the extent that others would not guess what was being discussed.

If you want to 'change direction' you should start a new thread.

Usually, when this happens, I copy the relevant posts to a new thread, but if I am busy elsewhere and too many posts have been made, what am I supposed to do then?
The only anser is to edit the title (which I did this time, but only in parenthesis).

Most people want the site to run smoothly, and I think that moderation helps that.

I agree that the title wasn't offensive, and the rules specifically talk about causing offense, but if threads go off in all directions, just as when people make offensive comments, the site doesn't run smoothly for everyone. Things tend to become chaotic.

Now Freejohn, I am sorry that my moderating has caused you distress, but I have to keep on top of things, otherwise I would not be able to continue ~ the forum is getting bigger and bigger all the time. I am sure that you can appreciate this.

Furthermore, you need to address the fact that a number of your comments, to other members, have been downright rude ~ and you have made unnecesary and potentially offensive assumptions about others. Also your tone has been far too aggressive at times.

You have been warned that rudeness will result in a ban.

You have also been told that this thread will close if arguments persist.

This page has not concerned the thread topic at all.

Do you - or anyone else - have anything more to add to the discussion on the rosary?

pdm,
read your explaination,but creative free expression is a seemingly chaotic process and when attempts to control it take place it is disturbed and deminished.
The thread has not covered the concerned topic recently because you had threatened to close the topic.Thats your fault not mine.Its hard to get on with a topic with the axe of closure looming over ones head.
the meaning of 666 was meddled with and that ended up in a dark grave with Mr marx.Thats your fault and not mine also.
As regards the rude thing.From certain observers standpoint the judgement on whos being really rude might be surprising indeed.

Just to add something to this topic.The pope did give the queen a catholic rosary.In conversation with a norwegian professor and expert in catholic history he supports all points that I have made regarding the incident.It was bad mannered.He saw it ,I saw it,and a lot more people saw it too.
He said the queen was not shown respect.Not sure about kateyes,but protestants do not praise mary at all in any way.

Well kateyes is Protestant and I never said anywhere that I praise Mary. The rosary is not just about praising Mary and as you will see from the sites listed below, a variety of Protestants are now using a Rosary:

http://www.urbanmonastery.com/prayer-beads

http://www.elca.org/communication/rosary.html

http://www.rukoushelmet.net/English.htm

http://www.moriel.org/articles/discernment/catholicism/rosary_not_just_catholic_ritual.htm

http://www.christianrosary.org/

Seeing that there is certainly a growing interest in Protestant rosaries--I will again say IF the Pope gave the Queen of England a rosary--I doubt that she was grossly offended. I think it is fine that you "KNOW" this occurred--but since you can offer no proof-(and trust me many of us have looked for proof to corroborate what you say). So I again say,-please stop the distractions and attacks and just answer the questions put to you.