Last-modified: 1st December 2003 Version: v2.003

aus.religion.christian Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

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Table of contents

1. Introduction. 1.1 Where can I get this FAQ? 1.2 What's new in this edition? 2. What is aus.religion.christian? 3. Who can post in aus.religion.christian? 4. What topics are welcome in aus.religion.christian? 5. Posting guidelines. 6. Moderation. 7. Other Internet resources. 7.1 Usenet groups. 7.2 World Wide Web. 8. Acknowledgments.

1. Introduction. ----------------

This document is the Frequently Asked Questions list (FAQ) for the Usenet newsgroup aus.religion.christian. If you are new to Usenet, information on how to use the Usenet news service, and advice on netiquette, is available at news.announce.newusers

This FAQ is intended to address questions relating to the newsgroup, rather than the topics discussed in the newsgroup. It was originally derived from an older FAQ for aus.religion that was maintained by Andrew Bromage, and from the official charter for aus.religion.christian, and from input provided by members of the newsgroup. It is a work in progress, and may be updated to maintain relevance to the group.

Suggestions are welcome, may be proposed by followup to this FAQ.

1.1 Where can I get this FAQ? -----------------------------

It is posted every four weeks to aus.religion.christian.

On the WWW, it can be found at <http://jmm.aaa.net.au/arc/>

1.2 What's new in this edition? -------------------------------

This is an extensive rewrite of an aus.religion FAQ previously maintained by Andrew Bromage, with material also added from the aus.religion.christian charter. As new versions are developed, changes will be noted in this section of the FAQ.

The list of other Usenet groups has been pruned, and rearranged.

2. What is aus.religion.christian? ----------------------------------

Aus.religion.christian is a newsgroup for discussion of Christianity and issues relevant to Christianity, for Australians or people connected with Australia.

Aus.religion.christian was created in July 1995. The original charter for the group may be found in the groupinfo pages maintained by the aus.* new hierarchy administrators <http://aus.news-admin.org/groupinfo.cgi/aus.religion.christian/>

For the purposes of this document, "Christian" is to be interpreted in the widest sense, with self-ascription as the primary criteria. This does not imply anything about usage elsewhere, and it is likely that who really "qualifies" as Christians will be a common topic of discussion!

3. Who can post in aus.religion.christian? ------------------------------------------

The group is intended to provide a more intimate discussion and local focus than may be found on larger international groups. It is requested that contributions should not be posted to aus.religion.christian from outside Australia, unless (a) the poster is an Australian expatriate or has some other association with Australia. or (b) the material or topic is specifically related to Australia.

There are no constraints on the beliefs of contributors. The topic of discussion is Christianity, and input is welcome from contributors of all religious backgrounds, or from those with no religious background at all.

4. What topics are welcome in aus.religion.christian? -----------------------------------------------------

Almost anything pertaining to Christianity is welcome.

There are bound to be major differences in doctrine and belief between participants, and it is expected that there will often be discussion as to what is the proper Christian perspective on various matters. There is no official position of the group itself with respect to doctrinal issues.

It is understood that other topics sometimes spin off from the discussion. However, generally we request posters wrap up these topics after a time, and maintain the focus on matters relating to Christianity in particular.

Some topics are a recurring problem and would be better pursued elsewhere.

Creation vs evolution debates should use talk.origins.

MAKE.MONEY.FAST or related topics should use alt.make.money.fast

"I am right and you are insane/hellbound/evil" should use aus.flame. The ideal for aus.religion.christian is robust discussion that maintains mutual personal respect.

5. Posting guidelines. ----------------------

Aus.religion.christian is first and foremost a discussion group. It is home to many people of extremely diverse beliefs. Please respect this.

This is not to say that you shouldn't criticise people's beliefs --- on the contrary, most people enjoy having their beliefs challenged. However resorting to personal abuse is the surest sign that you have lost your argument. If in doubt, bear in mind the primary principle of netiquette: "Remember the Human". Don't let the fact you are using a computer blind you to the real people whom you engage in discussion.

Please don't cross-post to other news groups, especially international ones. Aus.religion.christian prides itself on its relatively high signal-to-noise ratio. If you must cross-post (for example, many religious groups hold political beliefs, so a cross-posting to aus.politics is conceivable) please include a Followups-to line in your message so that the resulting discussion is limited to one of the groups. Also mention this for the benefit of anyone who may wish to follow the discussion.

6. Moderation. --------------

In 1996 it was found that the increasing number of "noise" postings, mostly cross-posts by people (often from overseas) who clearly did not wish to contribute to discussions in the newsgroup had become such a serious problem that a vote was taken to remove a large class of such postings automatically.

In July 1996, the vote to "retromoderate" aus.religion.christian was passed overwhelmingly. Articles cross-posted to more than one group not in the aus.* hierarchy were thereafter cancelled by an automatic script. This is rather different to conventional Usenet moderation, in which all posts must be approved to appear in the group.

No restrictions of any kind were applied with respect to the content, or the source, of postings. Cancels were made automatically on the basis of crossposting only.

The programs which generated cancel messages has been inactive now for many years, and the group now relies upon the restraint of individuals using the group.

7. Other Internet resources. ----------------------------

This list is not exhaustive. It is intended to give people a starting point for seeking further information or alternative forums.

7.1 Usenet groups. ------------------

There are an enormous number of other newsgroups available on Usenet. Here is a limited selection of what is available. The comments associated are the sometimes ironic comments added by those who maintain lists of newsgroups. For the real deal, check out the groups for yourself.

alt.religion.clergy (unmoderated, for Christian leaders: noise-level decreasing each year; sometimes has spirited, intelligent discussions on theological subjects)

soc.religion.christian Christianity and related topics. (Moderated)

soc.religion.christian.bible-study Examining the Bible. (Moderated)

alt.religion.christian* (about 20 unmoderated groups, mostly related to Christian denominations)

Change to alt.christnet* (the oldest Usenet Christian groups - about 20 of them, related to religious/Christian topics. Some of these groups are ' noisy')

soc.culture.jewish Jewish culture & religion (cf. talk.politics.mideast). soc.religion.eastern Discussions of Eastern religions. (Moderated)

soc.religion.islam Discussions of the Islamic faith. (Moderated)

soc.religion.mormon The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. (Moderated)

soc.religion.quaker The Religious Society of Friends.

7.2 World Wide Web. -------------------

There is a good coverage of basic questions that you might have about Christianity maintained the soc.religion.christian FAQ, along with a host of other resources and pointers. It can be found at the home page of soc.religion.christian. <http://geneva.rutgers.edu/src/>

The bible is available, in a number of versions, at the bible gateway. <http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?>

There is a large collection of Christian resources indexed at <http://www.iclnet.org/pub/resources/christian-resources.html>.

8. Acknowledgments. -------------------

Many people have contributed to this FAQ, and their assistance is much appreciated. Andrew Bromage and Danny Yee especially worked hard at establishing and maintaining the original FAQ and charter on which this document is based. Chris Ho-Stuart developed this current version and collected feedback from the group. Rowland Croucher arranged for presentation on the web.