STATEMENT OF PURPOSE
The CFI Forum is operated by the Center for Inquiry, a nonprofit educational and advocacy organization. The Forum supports the interests of CFI by creating an online community of supporters and interested inquirers into CFI’s areas of concern, which can be generally described as advancing the enlightenment project, fostering an evidence-based, scientific outlook and humanist values.
CFI FORUM RULES
The CFI Forum is moderated. This means that there are rules to participating on this Forum, and there are volunteer and/or CFI-employed Moderators (including Administrators) whose task it is to enforce these rules, aid in conversation, and otherwise support Forum functioning, as they see fit. Moderators have the sole authority to make such decisions. Their decisions regarding Forum policy are not open for a vote among Forum members, nor open to protracted debate. Those looking for unmoderated discussions should look elsewhere. There are other, unmoderated forums on Usenet and the Web. In the opinion of CFI and Forum Moderators, however, the most congenial and fruitful places for internet discussion and inquiry (especially concerning the controversial and important topics CFI focuses on) are those which are capably moderated.
The CFI Forum is open to everyone willing to abide by the Forum’s rules. We welcome reasoned discussion, debate and disagreement, so long as this is done in an objective spirit of inquiry and does not become disruptive as described below in the sections on problem threads, posts and members.
Generally speaking, Moderators will try to provide fair warning about behavior that might require their action, either on the boards or through email or private message. Failure to respond to or heed warnings from Moderators is grounds for suspension of posting privileges and/or account termination. Moderators of the CFI Forum have the responsibility to enforce the Forum rules listed here. They are also empowered to act so as to improve the general well being of the Forum and its community of inquirers. Therefore, be aware that Moderators are allowed to take all necessary and appropriate actions, up to and including the editing or deleting of problem posts and the termination or banning of problem members. Moderators answer for their official actions to their fellow Moderators and to staff at CFI.
Note that Moderators may not be aware of all activity occurring on the Forum. If there is something you feel needs Moderator attention, please send a concise Private Message or Email including your statement of the issue and the URL of the associated post or thread. Moderator decisions on any topic may be delayed, perhaps by several days.
(1) Free inquiry is only possible if we maintain civility. Abuse of forum members will not be permitted. In particular, abuse of Moderators for performing their responsibilities will not be permitted. Abusive forum members are subject to suspension or termination and their posts to deletion. What constitutes abuse will be determined by Moderators on a case-by-case basis, however in general it amounts to any racist, sexist, homo-sexist, threatening, harassing, or other personally offensive, vulgar or derogatory comments. Abuse would include so-called hate speech and fighting words.
(2) Problem threads and posts are subject to editing, deletion, closure, or being locked for further discussion. The decision to leave any thread open and available is at the discretion of Moderators, in their capacity as responsible stewards of Forum functioning. Members re-starting conversations in closed or locked threads are subject to warning and/or termination, for being “problem members”. Some examples of problem threads and posts follow in (a)-(g):
(a) Spam is not permitted on the CFI Forum and will be deleted immediately.
(b) Duplicate or multiple posts on the same topic are subject to deletion.
(c) Publishing material under copyright is only allowed as per “Fair Use” rules.
(d) Publishing private messages, emails or other correspondence without permission from the authors is not allowed.
(e) “Trolling” or posting derogatory or inflammatory messages on sensitive topics with the intent to bait members into responding is not allowed.
(f) Threads and posts that in the opinion of Moderators are impolite, vulgar, nasty, uncivil, or otherwise disruptive to the good functioning of the either the Forum or to CFI’s mission are not allowed. In general, trolling, inflammatory, hyperbolic or overly emotive rhetoric should be avoided on the CFI Forum. This community exists, first and foremost, to foster inquiry. Inquiry does not flourish in an atmosphere of heated rhetoric, mutual vilification or recrimination. Disagreements should be kept, as much as possible, to the issues at hand and not become overly personalized. To take but one example, pointing out a person’s lack of scientific qualifications when discussing scientific issues is on-point, but referring to someone’s political beliefs is not.
(g) Threads and posts that are disruptive to the flow of conversation by being off-topic, or which in the opinions of Moderators were written to drive up a post-count or otherwise not relevant to the mission of CFI and its Forum are not allowed. They are subject to locking, editing or deletion.
(3) Problem members: members who in the opinion of Moderators frequently engage in problem posting, or in abusive, nasty or disruptive behavior. At Moderator discretion, problem members are subject to banning or deletion. The decision to allow any member to post is entirely at the discretion of Forum Moderators, in their capacity as responsible stewards of Forum functioning.
Forum members are allowed a single username per person. “Sock puppets” (multiple usernames hiding a single person) are not allowed and will be deleted. Members engaging in such behavior will be considered problem members and are themselves subject to warning, banning or deletion.
Members who have been banned or deleted from the Forum are not allowed to re-register under different usernames. Such re-registry may result in immediate deletion of the new account, and deletion of all associated new posts.
(4) In the opinion of CFI and for the purposes of this Forum, “humanism” is to be interpreted broadly. Anyone self-identifying as a humanist should be so considered. Discussions as to which Forum members are humanists is discouraged, and continued denigration and harassment of self-described humanist Forum members in that light is considered disruptive to CFI’s mission and to that of CFI’s Forum. Members engaging in such conduct will be considered “problem members”.
(5) Users may express their disagreements with the decisions or actions of Moderators or Admins, but disagreements, criticisms and the like may be discussed in the Problems & Complaints Forum ONLY. (You must read the instructions at the top of that Forum before making complaints there). Any such discussions not taking place within the P&C;Forum are considered off-topic, and as such are subject to moving, locking or deletion, at the discretion of Moderators.
(6) These Forum Rules are subject to revision and updating at any time, as appropriate.