Atheist Chat

Lets speak a short prayer for the recently banned....oops...this is atheist chat....so lets take a moment to commemorate the recently banned...

simus dei....may you find peace
MajorMalfunction...I disliked you, but you are missed nevertheless.
Kacen....(was she really banned?)

am I missing anyone?

The banned are still able to read this, just as the dead are still able to view the earthlings (if I am allowed to say such a thing on an atheist thread).

The banned are able to return to ATS under fresh ISP-adresses and give it a new start. No big deal really.

ALL staff discuss board matters before major actions are taken, that includes S.O. Sometime a banning is an easy call. We've all seen trolls come in and get banned immediately. The rest I don't understand. What do you mean "reliable sources"?



How do you define "injustices"? Are you in possession of all the facts? Is the board less than an individual member that doesn't abide by the rules of the board that ALL members are required to adhere to?



WRONG! No one speaks for me. Contrary to some beliefs we do disagree on some issue, not often though as we keep the board first and not ourselves. If every member did that we wouldn't need moderators.

I don't really want to get into this, but I feel I have to make a couple of points, the first being that no-one apart from those involved know what went on.

If a member is banned, then IMO there must be ample reason.

Having called twice for the subject to be closed, I think the mods are being extremely fair in continuing to discuss this.

I'm going to quit while I'm ahead, I'll miss MM and I enjoyed her views, but it's not the end of the world.

Lex was recently banned. Anyway, just answering a question in this thread. Now, back on topic. How about them atheists?

reply to post by intrepid

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By reliable sources I mean just that. I can't be sure of what a moderator's intentions actually are when posting. Sometimes the line between personal opinion and board regulations blur. It's part of being in a position of authority. Sometimes you have to tell the people what they need to hear in order to keep the peace.

And you're right, I'm not in possession of all the facts. I can only go by what I've read. And I can go back through all of MM's recent posts and find nothing but steady, intelligent debate from the point of view of an atheist. I can see what she posted, and see that in my opinion none of it deserved a banning.

And your statement about putting the board before yourself just reinforces my point. Sometimes a mod has to say what they have to say to keep the members from acting up. If that means saying that there was more to it than her what we're allowed to know, then there we have it.

Kinda like governments keeping secrets for the good of the nation. Although it may be for our own good, you can see how it leads to distrust.

But then again, I don't (and can never have) all of the facts.

*preparing for a warn*

[edit on 15-1-2008 by Rasobasi420]

But you assume that much did not go on behind the scenes.

We've asked plenty of times already to stick to the topic at hand, which is certainly not the reason why MM was banned, but yet we continue to engage everyone on this matter. When we could just as easily close this and ignore your concerns, we do take the time to listen and respond. Does none of this give us the benefit of the doubt when a popular and well-liked member is banned?

I'd say there are more atheists and agnostics on the staff than there are those that practice an organized religion. I myself am an Agnostic, but I tend to lean more towards atheism.

MM was not banned for her beliefs, and I would hope that members would stop trying to discuss such topics on the public boards. It's not what we are here for.

If you have a concern, submit a complaint. We will hear you, we will listen, and we will respond. Details will not be discussed, but such concerns are more suited to private u2us among members and staff.

This is "Atheist Chat", not "Why MM Was Banned" chat.




You're above that Ras, even if you are taking this latest development a little hard.

[edit on 15-1-2008 by chissler]

reply to post by chissler

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Actually Chis, I was preparing for the warn for taking the thread off topic again. I don't expect to be warned for my statements against the banning.

I just needed to get that off my chest.

I often have a hard time when things occur in a less than transparent fashion. I guess I'm a big fan of the 'public trial' thing. But this is a private board, and it's up to the owners to do what they will.

No, there is no blur here. I could give you at least a dozen members that I personally think add nothing to the site. That is just ME though.



This is a misconseption, we're in authority? Of what? Without the membership we wouldn't have a site. It's like a garden though, if the weeds aren't taken out the flowers will be stiffled.



Right, you don't see what happens via u2u though.



Thank you, you understand. If issues were put up to general review you wouldn't have ATS anymore, you'd have something that was run by popularity, not content. Yes, I've seen the references to Simius, Lex, et al. The question once again is, do we suspend the T&C because a member is well liked?



Wrong. I guess you don't get it yet.

See my post to Chissler. I was preparing for the warn because even I'll admit that the last rant was way off topic.

I know this is 'Atheist Chat' but this is probably one of the only times we can discuss something that happened here. I just want to ask one simple question, and it has nothing to do with any specific members.

Why is it ATS's policy to not discuss why a member got banned? Why is it so bad to let other members know why their friend disappeared and the reason why we will probably never talk to that person again for the rest of our lives? The members are people, and taking away a member and a friend and not providing any answers is almost inhumane.

reply to post by hikix

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Reading between the lines mate, I suspect it's something to do with U2U's rather than any of her posts.

I am all for transparency and open and honest discussion.
I dislike censorship of any shape or form.

However, it is imperative for the integrity of this site that the details of all U2U's should remain private unless both parties agree.
If MM overstepped the mark through a U2U then the Mod's and Staff have to take whatever action they have to take.

I know this is a bitter pill for a lot of us to swallow but the integrity of the site must be the primary concern.

I too have been expecting a warning for going off thread and as such this is definately my last post on the topic.

I hope MM can reconcile her differences with the Staff and Mod's and continue to take an active part in ATS discussions whilst adhering to the T&C's.
If not, then she will indeed be most sorely missed, but the show must go on.
RnR to all concerned.


[edit on 15-1-2008 by Freeborn]

Relax Ras, I dun wanna loose anymore peeps bro.

Unfortunately, I've been away for a week so I wasn't able to comment earlier. I do see that the moderators have stated that this subject is off the topic of this thread. Are you suggesting that we should open a thread called, "Why MM Was Banned" chat so that we can legally discuss that topic?

Occam



[edit on 16-1-2008 by Occam]

Trust me, that will be closed faster than you can say "Sweet Zombie Jesus."

You may be right, but you're not a moderator. I'd like some official guidance.

Occam

reply to post by Occam

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MY question wasn't answered for a reason. I just hope it was read. There will be no answers. I can rant, but I have some non-digital issues to tend to that are more important. I'm just a 'stick to the topic in the boards' member now, thats what i signed on to be anyway.

MM got banned? sharks!!!

She is the glue in Atheist Chat, without her I fear that this thread will soon be forgotten...

Hope maddnessinmysoul will get some interesting stuff to chat about in this thread.

reply to post by ixiy

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In MM's absence this thread will fade away and die.
The only hope would be for MM to reconcile her differences with ATS Staff and Mod's and I somehow suspect that that will not happen.

ATS will be the worse but things change and life moves on.
Theists on ATS must be dleighted that one of their most feared opponents is no longer with us to denounce their ramblings.

This thread has diminished from a discussion of Atheism to the hows and whats behind the banning of a member. As you are all well aware, it is against etiquette to discuss banned members. It serves nothing to the discussion, and can be disrespectful to the departed member at times. Not implying that MM has been disrespected by any members here, and it's quite the opposite on this instance. But in the past, members are discussed, disrespected, and they have no opportunity to defend themselves.

With that, this thread is going to be closed.

If anyone wishes to author another Atheism Chat thread, by all means. But we'll expect it to remain on topic.

Thread Closed.

Thank you,
ATS Staff