Comments on FAIR/MAD

[Guest]

Just curious what your opinions are on the current FAIR/MAD board. I checked in over there, looking for a thread to borrow from and came up empty handed. Anyone have any idea how happy FAIR/MAD management is with the current state of their board?

I wonder if the moderating has taken its toll. Most of the contributors in the threads I skimmed through seemed very, very green. The critics are pretty mellow and drowned out by numbers. Maybe there is some revenge for the admins there to relish, but doesn't FAIR/MAD have loftier goals? Given how they are enamored with "scholars"? I always thought they were a little embarrassed by newbie apologists, and it seems to me they've got a board full of those now. The "old crew", bad as some of them were, you have to admit were fighters. It doesn't appear to me that protection has strengthened the stock, maybe it's time for them to let the wolves in to thin out the herd?

[_Sethbag]

I personally haven't posted much on MAD in the last few weeks or so. I have just been completely bored with it, and frustrated, and couldn't take the BS anymore. Gordon B. Hinckley could sacrifice a baby on an altar in the tabernacle on live TV* and some of those apologists would find a way to justify it. It's so predictable, and so completely transparent, and bogus, that at some point I just can't take it anymore. I'm not 100% ruling out making some kind of return to activity over there, but I wouldn't be surprised if I really didn't post over there much ever again. We'll see.

*to mirror a remark Tarski made recently, I only use this way over the top example because it's otherwise difficult to find something completely bogus about the LDS church that the apologists wouldn't defend, excuse, or rationalize away

[_Scottie]

I think the bias towards apologists is becoming larger and larger. They get to say pretty much whatever they want. Critics have been suspended and banned by posts that, while not innocent, certainly don't warrant a suspension/ban. At least not compared to some of the apologetic behavior.

I've gotten in trouble for saying things not a tenth as bad as some apologetic posters over there. I get tired of it.

I always love how they use the old "by their fruits shall ye know them" as proof that the church is true. Judging by the mean spirited fruits that are on MAD, what tree does the LDS church belong to??

[_Who Knows]

You know it's getting boring over there when DCP finally decided to show up and start posting here.

[_beastie]

Yeah, it's a total snoozefest the vast majority of the time. Bubblewrapping the place so believers' sensitivities are protected has a cost.

It still delights me to have witnessed the whole spawning of MAD:

1 - LDS believers are angry at their treatment at the hand of extremely biased moderators at Utah Lighthouse Message Board.

2 - Some of those same believers created Zion's Lighthouse Message Board to be deliberately non-partisan in moderating, the exact opposite of UTLMb.

3 - At first, LDS believers enjoy ZLMB, which is populated mainly by LDS and EV critics.

4 - As the board grows, more secular critics appear on Z.

5 - Believers begin to mutter that critics are making Z unbearable, despite the non-partisan moderating which does not allow any personal attacks.

6 - Some of those same believers created FAIR, which had an openly biased moderating team.

So we witness, once again, the oppressed rising up to become the oppressors!! It's an old, old, story. ;)

[_Doctor Steuss]

Judging by the mean spirited fruits that are on MAD, what tree does the LDS church belong to??

I might like Cher, but I don't think that necessarily makes me a fruit.

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Just curious what your opinions are on the current FAIR/MAD board.

As far as "posts" go and the general state of things, I enjoy it. Kevin Christensen has posted some really interesting thoughts on D&C 1 recently as well as on the divine feminine. A couple of weeks ago, CKSalmon had my head scratching pretty good in a philosophical thread where we were hashing out "time" and "creation." CaliforniaKid always has interesting insights and often causes me to re-evaluate my positions.

I think if anything, it has become quite a pleasant little community. This might not make for the greatest dialogue at times, but it can also lead to some fantastic dialogue. It’s nice to sometimes be able to post your thoughts/views on a topic and not sit chewing on your teeth while awaiting a dogpile for being a brain-dead Mormon.

[_beastie]

I think if anything, it has become quite a pleasant little community. This might not make for the greatest dialogue at times, but it can also lead to some fantastic dialogue. It’s nice to sometimes be able to post your thoughts/views on a topic and not sit chewing on your teeth while awaiting a dogpile for being a brain-dead Mormon.

Perhaps it's a pleasant little community if you're one of the "more equal" members. :O

[_barrelomonkeys]

I think if anything, it has become quite a pleasant little community. This might not make for the greatest dialogue at times, but it can also lead to some fantastic dialogue. It’s nice to sometimes be able to post your thoughts/views on a topic and not sit chewing on your teeth while awaiting a dogpile for being a brain-dead Mormon.

I like it here because I'm not dogpiled for being a brain-dead nevermo. I can't count the number of times I had a thought at MAD and couldn't post it for fear of setting someone off. I delete posts and have really poor impulse control here constantly. I was a bundle of nerves when I posted there.

I think the majority of people that post on MAD are very nice people. There are a few that are absolutely vile.

[_Runtu]

I'm convinced that most of what we see on these boards has more to do with personality and the notion of winning or losing than it does with the validity of Mormonism. It took me a long time to figure out that some people will just jump on anything I say, not because I said something wrong or evil or critical, but just because I'm me and I'm on the critics' "side." Witness Juliann's recent attack on moksha for agreeing with a statement she made.

In the end, none of what we say here matters, does it? In the end, the church is what it is, and nothing we say changes that.

[_Doctor Steuss]

I think if anything, it has become quite a pleasant little community. This might not make for the greatest dialogue at times, but it can also lead to some fantastic dialogue. It’s nice to sometimes be able to post your thoughts/views on a topic and not sit chewing on your teeth while awaiting a dogpile for being a brain-dead Mormon.

Perhaps it's a pleasant little community if you're one of the "more equal" members. :O

LOL. “Four legs good…”

There are times where I kind of cringe a bit at comments made towards Rhino, CKS, CK, Don B, etc. And I have probably taken advantage of the "more equal" moderating at times. But, overall I like it and think that although not completely "FAIR," they are doing a good job, and from my perspective they seem to treat the more prolific non-Mormon posters just as “more equal” as the LDS.

But, my view is of course biased (which I readily admit).