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There was a gradual escalation of the conflict between the science guys and the religious people and some of the science guys reached the 'tipping-point' and used the wrong language which caused Jim to ban them....this just inflamed the situation further and, more language, more banning,etc.

Many of the science guys just up and quit in support of those banned.

I was able to hold my tongue through all the fighting.

FYI, Jim had been ocassionally banning the serious religious disrupters to my science threads through all my posting history. One particularly persistent disrupter, FReeper 'f.Christian' was banned by Jim.
(I'm told) He went on a criticizing campaign against both me and Jim on other conservative sites. I seriously considering leaving FR too. So.....(Everybody Lost!)

I have a friend who manages two web sites. One is a meet-up and the other a subject matter blog, kind of like a ping list. He had to eject one person for persistent malicious language, and was concerned about some rather insulting arguing that was going on among others. He finally prepared lists for each site of appropriate and inappropriate conduct/language which he enforces. He is going to send these to me for my own information. I am wondering if something can be resurrected from the ashes of these past banishments. Would Jim be willing to let people back on after a year of banishment if they agree to follow some code of appropriate commentary? Would past members want to come back if this were done?

I remember participating in some rather lengthy arguments here (ggg) regarding Noah’s Ark and some evolution ideas. It is a shame that people don’t understand the difference between belief (faith) and evidence (science). It is hard enough to have to argue with people about evidence who stick to one point because they have not looked for additional evidence (Clovis comes to mind); and then in addition have to deal with people who don’t understand that belief is NOT the same thing as evidence, and thus deserves to be ignored in such arguments. As I said earlier, it is a shame that so much interesting discussion and information has been removed from our circle, and I hope perhaps some of it can be restored.