Post by Xypher on Aug 7, 2015 1:23:32 GMT -7
This is a very odd place to see something like this, but after some deliberation and self evaluation I feel strongly compelled if not personally obligated to make this thread.
We are a website that worships the myth so to speak. We believe that what the common, mundane folk of the world believe to be myth are reality. Dragons, Angels, Vampires, Werewolves, you name it. We believe these are real, factual things in existence... On a level that is not in the same with the physical world.
I believe in Dragons. If I said that at my work place, I would be laughed at, but it is true. I have seen them, listened to them, and learned from them. Do I have some winged reptile the size of a large dog romping around my living room? No, not exactly, but that would be cool.
With the subject matter of our website so out there and diverse, we are going to have to deal with one important thing. What is Reality, and what is Fantasy.
There is a brilliant saying. A god only exists if there are people who acknowledge it in any way. Whether it be that it does, or it does not. Anything someone says, or believes, is true to them. Is it real? Maybe. We deal in a subject matter that involves things that we cannot necessarily prove.
However, there are those who wish to be "Special Snowflakes" if you catch my meaning. Those who need to be different, and will find any outlet they can to be different. Religion and Faith is possibly the most dangerous places people can go to be this different. So we must be our own filters. Our own warning signals. We must realize that there is a difference between Reality and Fantasy, and must strive as a community to ensure that the website that we hold so dearly be a place for spiritual growth, and not a cess pool of roleplayers.
Before I go on, I would like to indicate that this is not directed at anyone in particular, just a vast slush of horrid experiences that I do not wish to repeat itself on this site. The shame and hatred one feels when someone twists their faith, the beliefs, and sometimes even their gods into something that is horrid and wrong and laughs at your own hard work and life's dedication to. A good example is how I felt shortly after the time "Skyrim" came out, and all these teeny bops were coming out claiming they were dragon priests.
We are a pool of knowledge. We all answer to no individual faith, and yet we are a community. We talk to each other, and accept each others differences because we are by nature different. As we are a community though, we must be careful as to what we post on this site as true, or false. We must deliberate on these things with a level of scrutiny that is fair, yet sensible. For the sake of our community, we must find a way to weed out the fraud from the legitimate possibilities.
With that said I suggest that those who have been given the rank of Inner Circle, those being the ones that have been seen as legitimate as we can possibly make them out to be take on the brunt of this responsibility. That we be the Interfaith Council that this site needs to exist, and thrive. That we look, deliberate, and decide what we can back up and teach, and what we must unfortunately let slip back into obscurity.
While doing this though, we must also strive to teach people who come to us. People slip off the path constantly. The slightest change of perception can change ones entire view of something. Someone could live their life believing they are alone in their beliefs, not knowing that what they believe is the same as what a vast group of other believe. The only difference being the focus, the point of origin, or even a slight detail. One degree of north can leave you miles from your destination at the end of your journey.
Long story short, we need to do what we can to ensure this site remains a place of learning. I personally hope the day never comes where I have to tell someone their beliefs are not beliefs but an overarching need for individualism. I understand it will happen though, as I hope the rest of you understand. This is a conversation, and a topic that no one likes to discuss, but for the benefitial rosperity of our goal wit this site it is one that must be brought up and faced.
We are a website that worships the myth so to speak. We believe that what the common, mundane folk of the world believe to be myth are reality. Dragons, Angels, Vampires, Werewolves, you name it. We believe these are real, factual things in existence... On a level that is not in the same with the physical world.
I believe in Dragons. If I said that at my work place, I would be laughed at, but it is true. I have seen them, listened to them, and learned from them. Do I have some winged reptile the size of a large dog romping around my living room? No, not exactly, but that would be cool.
With the subject matter of our website so out there and diverse, we are going to have to deal with one important thing. What is Reality, and what is Fantasy.
There is a brilliant saying. A god only exists if there are people who acknowledge it in any way. Whether it be that it does, or it does not. Anything someone says, or believes, is true to them. Is it real? Maybe. We deal in a subject matter that involves things that we cannot necessarily prove.
However, there are those who wish to be "Special Snowflakes" if you catch my meaning. Those who need to be different, and will find any outlet they can to be different. Religion and Faith is possibly the most dangerous places people can go to be this different. So we must be our own filters. Our own warning signals. We must realize that there is a difference between Reality and Fantasy, and must strive as a community to ensure that the website that we hold so dearly be a place for spiritual growth, and not a cess pool of roleplayers.
Before I go on, I would like to indicate that this is not directed at anyone in particular, just a vast slush of horrid experiences that I do not wish to repeat itself on this site. The shame and hatred one feels when someone twists their faith, the beliefs, and sometimes even their gods into something that is horrid and wrong and laughs at your own hard work and life's dedication to. A good example is how I felt shortly after the time "Skyrim" came out, and all these teeny bops were coming out claiming they were dragon priests.
We are a pool of knowledge. We all answer to no individual faith, and yet we are a community. We talk to each other, and accept each others differences because we are by nature different. As we are a community though, we must be careful as to what we post on this site as true, or false. We must deliberate on these things with a level of scrutiny that is fair, yet sensible. For the sake of our community, we must find a way to weed out the fraud from the legitimate possibilities.
With that said I suggest that those who have been given the rank of Inner Circle, those being the ones that have been seen as legitimate as we can possibly make them out to be take on the brunt of this responsibility. That we be the Interfaith Council that this site needs to exist, and thrive. That we look, deliberate, and decide what we can back up and teach, and what we must unfortunately let slip back into obscurity.
While doing this though, we must also strive to teach people who come to us. People slip off the path constantly. The slightest change of perception can change ones entire view of something. Someone could live their life believing they are alone in their beliefs, not knowing that what they believe is the same as what a vast group of other believe. The only difference being the focus, the point of origin, or even a slight detail. One degree of north can leave you miles from your destination at the end of your journey.
Long story short, we need to do what we can to ensure this site remains a place of learning. I personally hope the day never comes where I have to tell someone their beliefs are not beliefs but an overarching need for individualism. I understand it will happen though, as I hope the rest of you understand. This is a conversation, and a topic that no one likes to discuss, but for the benefitial rosperity of our goal wit this site it is one that must be brought up and faced.
time to get to work.