Welcome to Religious Roundtable! 

Please take some time to look over the rules of the group, and then  jump right on in!  Also, please familiarize yourself with the forums. General Discussion and Religious Potpourri are DEBATE FREE ZONES.

Always keep in mind the purpose of this group is, first and foremost, to have fun! We are all humans on the other side of the screen and we are all subject to our emotions, especially in regard to closely held beliefs. If you find you are NOT having fun, it is probably a good time to take a break and cool down. Also, please note that debate is NOT about changing another person's mind. It is about making an argument to the audience. This is a Debate Group. This means that there WILL be people with differing opinions and heated discussion just goes with the territory. The following are rules and guidelines that everyone should keep in mind while participating in this forum.

1. Debate the topic, not the person.

2. Refrain from inciting anger. Cursing people out is unacceptable. Debate the topic, don't make it personal.

3. Keep a cool head. You control what offends you. Debate the topic. Don't take it personally.

4. Generalities are frowned upon. Making statements that include "All ________ are _________" will result in a warning at the discretion of the Admin Team. No blanket statements referring to a religion as evil without proper support and source citation will be tolerated. Hate speech will not be tolerated. 

5. Deleting a post will not be tolerated. You may edit a post, but DO NOT DELETE IT. Deletion of a thread is deletion of another person's intellectual property. Use discretion when you post.

6. ALWAYS ALWAYS ALWAYS CITE YOUR SOURCES. If you copy and paste, give credit where credit is due. Not only is this a rule of the group, it is also LAW! Often, C&Ps are obvious. Failure to cite a source WILL result in a warning. 
         

7. FONT RULES:

PINK FONT is designated to signify sarcasm, HOWEVER, if it is used to insult or belittle another person, you WILL be warned. 

RED FONT is to be reserved for official warnings and peace breaks administered by the Admin team. Please refrain from using red font. Failure to do so will NOT result in an official warning, but a reminder will be issued.

8. ARGUING A WARNING IN THE FORUM IS STRICTLY PROHIBITED! It WILL result in a subsequent warning. Please be aware that each member is allowed 3 warnings with in a 3 month time frame. Upon receipt of a third warning, the member will be booted. If you feel you have received a warning in error (i.e., did not break a rule) then you can feel free to PM the GO or any admin and plead your case. I nor the rest of the admin team wish to see any member booted because of loss of cool in a single thread.

9. Peace Breaks and Reminders, while offered in red, will not count as a warning. All warnings will be reviewed by the Admin team before they are given. Official warnings will be posted both in the forum and via PM.

10. No drive by preaching will be tolerated here. All advertising must be contained in your signature. There is a thread on the General Discussion forum (link) where you can promote your group, products, and what have you. Please keep these ads contained in their proper places.

CONSEQUENCES:

When the Admin team determines that a rule has been violated, the violator will receive a public warning and a warning via private message. After receiving 3 warnings, the admin team will decide if the violator should be removed from the group based on the gravity of the transgressions. If one receives a total of 3 warnings within 90 days, the individual will automatically be removed. 

Please recall Rule # 8. You are welcome to contest your warning, but please do so privately. The Admin team will discuss and review the warning and, if it was rashly or inappropriately given, the warning will be revoked. DO NOT CHALLENGE A WARNING IN THE THREAD.

OK!! Now that that messy business is out of the way, Jump in and have fun!!!