Suggestion General Apology

[CDFDiveMaster]

Dear SB Members, Staff and Users,

I want to express my apology for causing some of you to become irate and upset regarding my request to have a Title for Christian Divers. I have examined my request suggestion and found that SB is definately not the place to discuss Divers being christians or diving with christian divers however, I am an american "proud" served my country, fought for my country and have put my life on the line for those of you who have never served but use and take hold of the blanket of freedom that has been so graciously given to you by those of us that have sacrificed ourselves. My point: Freedom of Speech, Right To Bear Arms, and best of all Freedom of Religion. Thank you to SB for providing this site where we can come together and express "diving", which may include on ocassion our religious prefrence and how we apply it to "diving". Again my apologies to those I may have offended, forgive me, as it was not my intention to do such.

Sincerely,
Jay A. Canals
Christian Divers Fellowship, Pastor.

 

[Jim Lapenta]

No need to apologize. As others have said there's alot of forums on here I don't click on because I'm not interested in those areas. I don't discuss politics or religion with most people. Too personal and too controversial. But I have no problem with others discussing them as long as they respect that I'm not going to participate or that I'm not really interested.

 

[HowardE]

I've been very quietly reading this thread since yesterday, and trying not to pipe in, but I guess I can't help it now.

I would have to agree with Damselfish, that leaving the "message of christ" behind on a wreck or a reef, is IN FACT LITTER! It doesn't matter how you slice that one. IMHO, if I found one of those tags, I think it would make me ANGRY. Not because of the religious implications, but rather the obvious trash left behind, no matter how altruistic it is.

On the topic of being offensive. Well, I KNOW that I OFFEND MANY. Do I try to... not really, unless it's someone who is easily offended... This really offends me... While I respect the person's right to get offended and express their offence, what really gets me is when people come into my store, and actually go out of their way to "HIDE" offensive material.

You're wondering now... do I sell offensive material? Well, some would say so. One such item, which blows my mind, is the woman's breast postcard, which has a superimposed skier, jumping off of her breast. You know, like skiers do, except instead of a ski mountain, it's a naked breast. People actually COVER this postcard quite often, I can see the look of disgust on their faces, but really, how prude.

We also sell items with the F word on them, like a few stickers, and a few T-Shirts. I can often see SOME people scoff in disgust at these items, and maybe even run out of the store, like someone has thrown FIRE into their eyes. But really, it's the 2000's come on. These people have never heard these words before? They are some of our best sellers, in the T-Shirt dept. It's funny how what is non-offensive to most, can so incredibly offend others.

So what's the point of this whole rant? Well... Would I read posts in the christian based forum, if there was one? Probably not. Would I read any religious posts. Probably not. Do they have the right to say what they want? Absolutely! Whether I like it or not... People in this country (the U.S.) should be able to say whatever they want, whether it offends or not.

I don't think an apology is required here either, but I do see why SB isn't allowing it, as it is a borderline violation of the TOS to have a fully religious forum. This would probably require the addition of a Buddhist, Jewish, Muslim, etc. forum as well, which would ultimately make this forum even more crowded, and ultimately contain topics that were totally non-scuba related.

So, to wrap it up... No Apology... Be offended or not, it's America, get used to it. People will disagree on things. Speak your mind, and don't be afraid to piss someone off.

 

[GrierHPharmD]

I'll chime in on a couple of issues:

First of all, it wasn't wrong to address the issue of a possible new section on the board. I agree with the admins that it wouldn't be appropriate, but then again, neither would a Pharmacist Diver's Forum, a Liberal Christian Forum, a Bearded Guy Diver's Forum or any of a number of others that I might be interested in joining. You've been a great sport and I wish you the best in organizing a complementary site for Christian Divers.

Secondly, I have to say that I agree with the statement above about littering. I think the reason that conservative Christians cause such strong reactions is that in the current cultural environment, they are perceived as trying to infringe on everybody else's rights and forcing their positions on everybody else by using some pretty ugly tactics. Placing tracts in the bar men's room might be irritating, but placing tract tags on a wreck or reef will not achieve the effect that the CDF is trying to achieve. I can't imagine Jesus resorting to that sort of tackiness.

I tend to be more contemplative in my own faith. I believe that faith should be a personal thing and is something best kept out of politics, schools, the legislature and the courts. Nothing wrong with being a person of faith at all - I am one, but I think that it would bring devisiveness to the board, and we don't need more of that. We already have PADI, DIR and Solo Diving!

Interesting discussion.

-Grier

 

[MSilvia]

I wasn't offended by the suggestion at all, but I don't understand what would be discussed there. CDFDiveMaster, I'm curious what sort of posts you would want to make that would require a "Christian Divers" forum. Would it be a place to discuss how diving and Christianity cross over into one another, a place to discuss diving for folks who only want to interact with other Christians, or what? I'm having difficulty thinking of anything I'd consider a "Christian Diving" topic.

I have to agree about leaving the tags underwater. Finding something like that would surely bias me against whatever organization advocated leaving it. Even as an ordained minister, littering for Jesus isn't the sort of campaign I can get behind.

 

[MXGratefulDiver]

Besides, Jesus wasn't a scuba diver. He walked on the surface ... remember?



... Bob (Grateful Diver)

 

[IceBergSlim]

Dear SB Members, Staff and Users,

I want to express my apology for causing some of you to become irate and upset regarding my request to have a Title for Christian Divers. I have examined my request suggestion and found that SB is definately not the place to discuss Divers being christians or diving with christian divers however, I am an american "proud" served my country, fought for my country and have put my life on the line for those of you who have never served but use and take hold of the blanket of freedom that has been so graciously given to you by those of us that have sacrificed ourselves. My point: Freedom of Speech, Right To Bear Arms, and best of all Freedom of Religion. Thank you to SB for providing this site where we can come together and express "diving", which may include on ocassion our religious prefrence and how we apply it to "diving". Again my apologies to those I may have offended, forgive me, as it was not my intention to do such.

Sincerely,
Jay A. Canals
Christian Divers Fellowship, Pastor.

I'm sorry but that was the most sanctimonious post I have ever seen.

Anywhere.