Welcome to Focus on Truth (FOT), and thank you for joining with us in our earnest quest for the truth on Biblical matters.
All those who accept the Bible as the inspired word of God, desire to know the truth, and whose manner of life is in accordance with Christian principles are welcome to join FOT and have immediate posting rights.
Members are expected to conduct themselves according to the rules and members will be disciplined for unacceptable behavior that is not in accordance with the aim of this group, which is to “focus on truth”. The owners and moderators intend to be fair and just with all.
The owners and moderator(s) reserve the right to remove and ban from this group any member at any time without having to disrupt the groups “focus on truth” by dealing extensively with such issues on the list. We intend to be fair with those who break the rules.
Subject matter allowed:
Resources such as articles and outlines on Biblical topics, humor, websites of interest to disciples of Christ, news of computer hardware and software, helps for Bible study and brotherhood news and political musings.
Subject matter not allowed:
Advertising:
Business advertising: no product advertisements whatsoever (hardware, software, books, etc) may be placed nor links to web sites related to business or sales of any kind without the owner or moderator's express permission. Permission must be sought first.
Support Requests:
Requests for support and preacher placement are not allowed.
Gripes and Issues with Individuals or Groups:
If you have a gripe or an issue with any individual then please take it up with them privately. Do not post your gripes and issues on FOT.
If you have a gripe or an issue with the way other groups are conducted then please take it up with the owners of that group. Do not post your gripes and issues on FOT.
Focus on Truth was created specifically for the purpose for seekers of God's truth to discuss the Scriptures in an atmosphere of safety and mutual edification, and we believe that this type of discussion is counterproductive to the goals of maintaining a spirit of Christian unity, brotherly love and mutual edification in a safe environment.
Personal Correspondence:
Please do not post any correspondence that has been addressed to you personally – either in its entirety or in part. Just think how you would feel if a private letter of yours was posted!
Please avoid submitting posts that have no apparent benefit to Christians seeking to go to heaven.
Rules or guidelines for posting messages:
The rules are intended to benefit all by helping to promote a learning environment that, to the best of our ability, is free of improper behavior. Some rules are provided simply to help prevent things that hinder learning, as noted in the items below.
First, it is important that you read the rules and understand them. The moderators do not want to have to be continually reminding people of what is stated in the rules. IT IS YOUR RESPONSIBILITY TO KNOW THE RULES. You should save this file.
Identify yourself at or near the beginning of the post, and the person to whom you are addressing. For example: “John Doe to Dave Jones.”
SUBJECT HEADINGS:
Put something in the subject heading that relates to what you are discussing. If the thread changes, you might need to so note and state what will be the new thread. Then, all participants should continue replying using the proper subject heading. Do not use a list member’s name in the subject heading, unless it is an announcement of illness or something of this nature.
Clearly identify what you quote from another by the use of quotation marks or, for example: < Baptism is an important issue, but it is only a step toward heaven. >
No “Amen-ing”. If you agree with what someone has to say do not send a post to the list unless there is some substance to the post. If you want to send a naked amen, send it privately.
Carefully read the posts to which you wish to respond, preferably at least twice. Write your response and carefully read it, preferably at least twice. If the subject matter is sensitive and/or you are angry wait until the next day to post. Think: will what I am saying tend to have a calming affect, or will it only inflame?
Endeavor to make your posts as concise and to the point as possible, but do not sacrifice clarity for brevity. Use scripture to back up what you say.
If you are new to the list “lurk” for a while before posting. Be careful about hitting the “reply” or “forward” button. Otherwise, you may send something to the list that was intended to be private, which will embarrass you and perhaps others.
This list is not intended for just “chat”. Personal discussion that may not be profitable to others should be sent privately. People leave lists because of being flooded by email from which they derive no profit.
Articles etc. may be posted, but should be so noted in the subject head with the following: < A >. Sermons that are posted should have < S > in the subject heading. For example: < S > The Golden Rule. This will help others, who do not have time to read every post, to quickly hone in on the items that interest them most.
Endeavor to avoid inflammatory remarks and personal attacks. Be respectful. Persons who START such will be dealt with promptly and improper behavior will not be tolerated. If you feel that someone has intentionally made inflammatory remarks, been rude, or otherwise engaged in unseemly behavior such as belittling, berating etc., you are encouraged to call it to the attention of an owner or moderator, who, by the way, are also expected to follow the rules. Be slow to anger and quick to forgive. Be patient, loving and kind. In short, practice the GOLDEN RULE. It seems that many people say things on a list that they would never say in the presence of another person. Words, whether written or spoken, mean things, and your words may have a powerful affect for good or evil. Remember, there are ARCHIVES. Thus, people will be reading your comments years from now. Also, the person you address will not be the only one reading what you write. There are “lurkers” (people who seldom or never post) and some are looking for truth and may be influenced by the WAY you present yourself.
Ridicule, name calling (false teacher, liberal, heretic, etc.), rudeness, intimidation, making charges against another that cannot be substantiated, assigning motives, using guilt by association, and other means to discredit someone will not be tolerated. Deal with the issues. Defeat the error, not the person teaching it.
No spam, or pranks please. Some spam (business advertisement, items for sale etc.) may be allowed occasionally, for a period of time, only upon notice by the list owners.
Do not quote entire long letters when not necessary. Quote only the pertinent part to which you wish to respond. Delete footers, such as Yahoo advertisements, signature files etc. before hitting the “send” button. Endeavor to make your posts as readable as possible. If your posts are coming across like this, then do something to correct it. Either make your lines shorter by hitting the enter key or do not hit the enter key at all, which will allow the text to “wrap”.
Have a mind to help make this list a place where there can be a profitable exchange of thoughts and ideas. The list owners and moderators want FOT to be a place where healthy debate and exchange of ideas can take place, but where sensitive persons can feel comfortable. We want FOT to be a list that the members can be proud of and will invite their friends, family and neighbors to join.
Q: What are archives and where may I find them?
A: The archives are where all the past postings of FOT are kept for viewing. These are accessed by clicking on the following:
http://www.yahoogroups.com/messages/Focus_On_Truth
Q: How do I change how I receive mail?
A. You can receive mail either as “digest”, containing multiple posts, or as individual e-mail, which will be sent to you immediately. You can change from one to the other by going to the site listed above. Then, click on “edit my membership” (right-hand side of page). If you desire, you can also change the setting to “receive no mail”, which man do when going on vacation, etc.
Q: How do I get off this list?
A: You can unsubscribe from the list yourself. The option to so do is directly below the option to edit your membership (see above).
Q: How do I post to the list or start a discussion?
A: If you receive your posts as “individual mail” and wish to reply to a post, then you may simply hit the “reply” button, type your message in the body and hit “send”. If you receive your mail as “digest” or if you want to start a new “thread” (topic, subject etc.) then change the subject (see SUBJECT HEADINGS above).
Q: I have been removed from the list. How do I get back on?
A: Write to an owner or moderator requesting another chance. State what has changed or why you think you are now better able to abide by the rules.
Q: I have been told that I am banned from the list, what does this mean?
A: It means you will not be allowed back on the list because you have repeatedly violated the rules and given no indication of changing your behavior.
Q: I have not been removed from the list, but I am not getting list e-mail. Why has this happened and what should I do?
A: Various things can cause this problem. Usually it is caused by mail boxes filling up, which results in your e-mail being sent back to the list and being automatically “blocked.” Let us know and we will remove the block.
David Ferguson