Message-ID: <3f00>
From: Chris Ho-Stuart
Subject: Re: Selling Bibles 🙂
Newsgroups: aus.religion.christian

[Material quoted from previous posts has been omitted

at the author’s request.]

I am not commenting on that subject. I am simply making a

brief comment on good use of the internet.

I really feel for you; and would very much like your

experience here to be much more positive for you.

You can help that yourself. Following some basic usenet

guidelines can only help.

If you are not interested in this subject of usenet

netiquette, you are under no obligation to even respond

to my posts. But if you do choose to respond, it would be

best to avoid

(1) adding new groups to the header

(2) adding a whole pile of material quoted from OTHER posts

and which I am not addessing.

(3) topposting. The proper quoting convention is to quote

material to which you are responding, and then add your

comments.

There are good reasons for these general guidelines. They

apply for everyone.

You also ask me a question….

[Material quoted here from previous posts has

been omitted at the author’s request; asking whether

or not it was poor netiquette for an atheist to

participate in a religious conversation.]

No, not at all; it is perfectly acceptable netiquette for

an atheist, pagan, Christian, Jew, Muslim, Hindu, agnostic,

or just plain undecided person to join in religious

discussions.

Usenet is a free and open forum, and there is no

obligation at all in any netiquette guidelines about

constraining the topics on which people can contribute,

based on their beliefs with respect to religion.

aus.religion.christian is a group set up for anyone to

discuss Christianity. Christianity is the topic of

discussion, not the limit on participants. According to

the charter, everyone is welcome to join in.

However, you should note that in this case I did not in

fact join in on any of the religious aspects of your

discussion. If you think I should not be involved, then

you would be best not to add those topics into your

followups to me. Here again I have removed all that,

because I am NOT joining in that discussion.

Comments were made here about snipping. I followed up

to THOSE comments; and my suggests are intended to be

helpful. Usener guidelines are not intended as a pick

stick to beat up on others; they are intended as

guidelines to help use the net more constructively,

for yourself and for your readers.

Try it; I guarantee it will improve matters and actually

help you make your own points more effectively.

Cheers — Chris