christianleft - Profile (original) (raw)
on 19 January 2003 (#862140)
This is a community for Christians who fall on the left side of the social and political spectrum. There is a long tradition of social justice and activism within the Christian faith, and we seek to nurture that spirit as an alternative to the conservative stand of the Christian Right.
Though member politics are progressive, individual views on theology run from Orthodox to unorthodox. Everyone is welcome -- you don't have to be a Christian or a liberal to read or participate. Postings should be related to the topic of liberal Christianity, and those interested in discussion of such.
There are two related communities, 
xtianleftdebate in which unrestricted debate on political and theological issues is encouraged, and xtian_left_safe which is designed to be a supportive and safe environment, free of debate or controversy.
The many purposes of this community include sharing our spiritual journey with fellow Christians with a concern for social justice, and discussing current political issues from a left-of-center Christian viewpoint.
christianleft invites persons of all sexual orientations and gender identities to participate fully in the life of this community. We seek justice, equality and dignity for all persons regardless of sexual orientation or gender identity, and we explicitly affirm the rights of all human beings to be treated equally in all ways, both under the law of the land, and within the church as brothers and sisters in Christ.
Diversity of viewpoints on issues is welcomed in this community, as long as those diverse viewpoints are expressed with courtesy toward one another, and without condemnation or judgment.
Personal attacks on one another will not be tolerated.
Effective February 1, 2009:
CIVILITY POLICY / CODE OF CONDUCT
Participants in this community who engage in personal attacks against each other (rudeness, insults, "flaming," etc.) will be subject to warnings from the moderators to stop this behavior. After two warnings, members who continue to engage in personal attacks will be removed and banned from the community upon the third offense.
Stating an unpopular position is not, in and of itself, a violation of the civility policy. Framing a statement of a political or theological position as a personal attack on another individual is a violation.
Example:
UNACCEPTABLE: "Real Christians believe XYZ. If you don't believe that, then you're not a real Christian. This is a Christian community, so why don't you just leave?"
ACCEPTABLE: "I believe XYZ to be true, and it is central to my own personal faith. I find it very difficult to understand how believing in ABC can be reconciled with the traditional Christian understanding of XYZ."
UNACCEPTABLE: "You'd better get down on your knees right now and pray that God will forgive you for that sin because your soul is in real danger right now."
ACCEPTABLE: "Can you explain to me why you see that as compatible with your faith?"
UNACCEPTABLE: "Your attitude reminds me of the people who burned heretics at the stake. It's people like you who give Christianity a bad name."
ACCEPTABLE: "What you have said here really bothers me. It reminds me of some of the arguments that were used in the past to justify persecuting people for their faith. Can you explain more clearly what you meant by that?"
If there are questions about the code of conduct or wish to make a suggestion or a complaint, please contact the moderators by leaving a comment at this post.
This community was founded by Kynn Bartlett.
acceptance, activism, activists, bible, bible study, books, brotherhood, brothers, charity, christ, christianity, christians, church, churches, civil rights, community, compassion, conservation, current events, divinity, doctrine, dogma, ecology, environment, environmentalism, equality, ethics, family, feminism, friends, gay rights, god, good news, gospel, gospels, human rights, inclusion, jesus, justice, left, leftist, liberal, liberal christianity, liberalism, liberation, love, loving, meditating, meditation, ministers, ministry, morals, mysticism, new testament, open and accepting, pastors, peace, philosophy, politics, prayer, preachers, priests, progressive, reconciliation, reconciling, religion, reverends, rights, scripture, sermons, sharing, sisterhood, sisters, social justice, social programs, socialism, spirituality, theology, tolerance, virtue, women's rights, world news, worship