My dear fellow readers and students of The Urantia Book,
Any actions that the moderators take or fail to take in their role as maintainers of peace on this forum should not be seen as reflecting the attitude of Urantia Association. The rules that govern the conduct of forum participants, as stated on this website, have been formulated by the Association but the moderators take full responsibility for their interpretation and implementation of those rules when dealing with formal complaints. We have been criticised for being invisible and unresponsive when threads turn into personal attacks and feelings run high. The reality is that there are only two of us and we don’t always get to read every post in every thread. Consequently, we sometimes don’t become aware of a problem until we receive a formal complaint.
BB, with respect to your specific complaint against Bradly, I believe you are justified in feeling “harassed”. Bradly, your formal apology to BB is most welcome and appreciated. As moderators, we live in hope that members will sort out their differences in a mature and Jesusonian manner. A Melchizedek of Nebadon made a pointed reference to Jesus’ love of men and his ability to defuse potential strife by patiently and sympathetically seeking the viewpoint and true motivation of one who may inspire irritation and resentment:
In physical life the senses tell of the existence of things; mind discovers the reality of meanings; but the spiritual experience reveals to the individual the true values of life. These high levels of human living are attained in the supreme love of God and in the unselfish love of man. If you love your fellow men, you must have discovered their values. Jesus loved men so much because he placed such a high value upon them. You can best discover values in your associates by discovering their motivation. If some one irritates you, causes feelings of resentment, you should sympathetically seek to discern his viewpoint, his reasons for such objectionable conduct. If once you understand your neighbor, you will become tolerant, and this tolerance will grow into friendship and ripen into love. [100:4.4; 1098.1]
To be fair, the vast majority of interactions between members on the forum are conducted in a spirit of friendship and mutual support. It is disappointing when we see disputes escalating into full-blown slanging matches. It is inevitable that misunderstandings will occur due to the inherent limitations of the social media format. It is easy to make negative assumptions about the ‘other’ based on their personality and communication styles. We might also feel offended by statements that we perceive as provocative and/or inflammatory; we may feel fully justified in righting a wrong, defending a truth, or fighting for a righteous cause. But we need to be careful about how we do this! Rodan gave us a timely warning about the hazards of engaging in a “battle for the right”. It often results in a “Pyrrhic victory”!
Another requirement for the attainment of maturity is the co-operative adjustment of social groups to an ever-changing environment. The immature individual arouses the antagonisms of his fellows; the mature man wins the hearty co-operation of his associates, thereby many times multiplying the fruits of his life efforts.
My philosophy tells me that there are times when I must fight, if need be, for the defense of my concept of righteousness, but I doubt not that the Master, with a more mature type of personality, would easily and gracefully gain an equal victory by his superior and winsome technique of tact and tolerance. All too often, when we battle for the right, it turns out that both the victor and the vanquished have sustained defeat. I heard the Master say only yesterday that the “wise man, when seeking entrance through the locked door, would not destroy the door but rather would seek for the key wherewith to unlock it.” Too often we engage in a fight merely to convince ourselves that we are not afraid. [160:3.3,4; 1778:1,2]
So rather than take sides in a dispute, we as moderators would prefer to give counsel based on the precepts and principles of the Fifth Epochal Revelation and then hope that the parties involved will take them to heart and correct their own behaviour. If a member flagrantly or persistently contravenes the rules, we will implement the 3-strike policy regarding misconduct. First, a private warning; second a 30-day ban from the forum; third infraction within a year may result in the person being banned from the forum for a period of six months. We obviously don’t want to have to resort to such punitive methods.
Would the readership prefer us to intervene in a thread as soon as we detect a deterioration in the decorum of the conversation?
Feel free to offer your suggestions.
Your fellow servant of the Master….
Moderator 2
Anyhow, I am not apologizing to Bradly. I did him no harm. I will apologize to you for my last remark, however.
