I just got an IM from AFIN. Apparantly she can't post right now. I don't know what she did exactly, so I can't speak to her specific offense, but in general I think the absolutely wrong thing to do is ban J-Dubs who come here to debate.
I think we all can agree with the following statement: The most important thing is for us to find the truth.
The truth should never fear any examination, debate, questioning, or challenge. The truth should always welcome those things. The truth stands on it's own and trusts that these activities will always vindicate it.
Falsehood on the other hand requires darkness, silencing, banishment, and edicts from authority squelching any questioning of legitimacy. It can't stand on it's own without these things. Falsehood knows without these dishonest activites, it will be found lacking.
I therefore think it sends the wrong message to our JW brethren when we attack or ask for them to be banned. It shows that we don't have faith that truth can stand on it's own, or that we are afraid of the truth itself!!!
Isn't that type of intolerance and intellectual cowardice why so many of you left the JW in the first place? Doesn't "banning" sound an awful lot like "disfellowshipping"?
Now I am not saying we should indulge disruptors. People who come here for no other reason then to keep us from having a conversation should not be allowed to remain. That is a form of "silencing" in itself, and prevents open debate. Such decisions should be made for anybody engaging in such behavior regardless of their beleifs. Ideally such a decision would be made from predefined rules.
I am not saying this wasn't the case for AFIN, I am just saying this is the ideal.
And finally, yes this is Simon's house. We are guests here. Whatever he says goes. I am merely advocating an ideal, and I hope we all will keep the spirit of that ideal in mind when our JW friends show up to spar.
So here is my request that we simply beat the JW's here in the fair and open arena of ideas. We don't need to ban them. They "ban" themselves with their sad, misguided ideas.
And as a Christian, I feel we have a need to show them all the compassion, love, and help we can. Lord knows they need it.