Hello, Christian Liberals/Progressive People of Faith Group

[Skinner]

I understand that out in the "real world" there still exists a significant level of animosity between believers and non-believers, particularly among certain segments of society. That sucks -- believe me, I know. We all hope that someday soon we can all live in a society that is truly accepting of all worldviews. It is a sad fact that even Democratic Underground does not always live up to this ideal, and it is made more difficult by the fact that we exist in a society that does not live up to the ideal. But it is our intent to do what we can to make DU live up to that ideal. We believe that all of our members are capable of respecting the beliefs or lack-of-beliefs of everyone here. And by "all members" I mean everyone: Believers should respect those who do not believe, and non-believers should respect those who believe. We don't expect you all to agree, but we do expect you to disagree in a mutually-respectful way.

This is a friendly reminder.

The purpose of this Group is to discuss topics of mutual interest relating to Christian Liberals and Progressive People of Faith.

The purpose of this Group IS NOT to discuss idiotic posts by non-believers, to ridicule or attack other members of DU, or to whip up feelings of victimization. Here is the mission statement of this group (emphasis added):

The DU Christian Liberals/Progressive People of Faith Group is for Christians and Christian-friendly persons who would like to have an open discussion about our faith and its role in the world around us. Our group will provide a safe haven for discussion and support, and find ways to express our beliefs in positive, non-threatening ways. Group members agree to an open forum, welcoming all progressive faiths and other open-minded people. By participating, we agree that we will not engage in proselytizing or denigrating other religions or non-believers.

The purpose of this group is to discuss politics from a liberal Christian perspective. Discussions may include, but not be limited to: how to counter the RW fundamentalists and their attack on mainstream Christianity, and how our faith forms our understanding of progressive politics.

As the administrator of this website, it is my job to make sure that the mission statements of the various DU Groups are enforced. You should probably know that we intend to block individuals from this group who violate the mission statement of this group.

Furthermore, we expect all members of DU to treat each other and our differing worldviews with respect when participating anywhere else on this discussion forum.

Most people in this group and on DU are productive members of our community. But I am concerned that there is a very small number of people who have been deliberately whipping up feelings of ill-will between belivers and non-believers. At this point, there are some who are in danger of being banned from this website, and part of the reason for this post is that I hope we can avoid that outcome.

Thank you for your understanding.

Skinner
DU Admin