The following rules have been created by The Marriage Bed oversight group. Because of the nature of the discussion there are some unusual rules. The rules will be enforced by the board moderators as gently as possible, and as strictly as necessary.
1. BE A CHRISTIAN:
The Marriage Bed bulletin board is designed to be a Christian forum where Christians do not have to defend their faith (If you are a non-Christian and wish to post for specific reasons, please contact the Oversight Group to discuss permission.). We will take a person's word that they are a Christian (we will not judge the heart of another), but any non-Christian doctrine posted on the boards will be removed. Please be aware that doctrines from Mormon, Jehovah Witness, Scientology, etc. religions are considered to be non-Christian doctrines on this board.
2. BE MARRIED OR ENGAGED:
The Marriage Bed bulletin board is a safe place for married and engaged couples (one man and one woman) to talk about sex and intimacy. If you are not married or officially engaged, please do not post to these boards. Posters who are "serious in their relationship," "pre-engaged," or any other form of "serious without being engaged" will have their posts removed.
- *Those who are engaged should limit their posting to the engaged section of the board and those sections where the discussion is not graphic (prayer request, theology, off-topic, etc.).
We all have vastly different life experiences, we come from all over the world, and we span many generations. So, while we want to bring the truth to the subjects discussed, please do so with grace and kindness.
- * We discuss very personal issues here, and some people are not comfortable with pointed questions. Please do not request updates - generally if people are comfortable giving an update, they will volunteer it.
* If you publicly represent yourself as a minister, health professional, counselor, or other helping professional, we are likely to hold you to a higher standard. 2 Timothy 2:24
No name calling, unkind sarcasm, or personal attacks. Passionately discussing an idea or concept is fine, talking rudely about an individual is not (this extends to people who are not on the boards as well, including spouses). It is fine to talk out your frustrations, but name calling, unkind sarcasm or personal attacks do not lead to healing and discourage other posters.
- * Because political discussions nearly always result in flaming of some kind, we ask that you refrain from posting about politics on this board.
Do not endorse or encourage behavior that the Bible calls sin (adultery, premarital sex, porn, dishonesty, etc.).
6. KEEP SPEECH INOFFENSIVE:
Limit sexual language to medical or mild slang terms. Please avoid detailed personal information. The goal is to inform, not titillate or offend. For more specific language guidelines, see here.
7. SEND CLEAN LINKS:
Be careful when suggesting books or sending links to web sites. Give an idea of what it's about and if it's Christian. Please warn about anything possibly offensive, and be very careful about resources which support ideas which are contrary to the Bible (for example, all links to LDS sites will be pulled). If in doubt, contact a moderator and check.
8. GIVE CREDIT WHERE CREDIT IS DUE:
Please respect copyright statements. Do not copy an article to the boards. Post short quotes from the article and/or give a link to the original article.
9. MAKE CLEAR, SHORT QUOTES:
When you quote a previous message, please limit yourself to a short, relevant passage. If you are replying to several parts of the message intersperse the quotes with your responses. DO NOT place any quote at the end of your message, and do not quote signature lines (unless you are commenting on them). For how to do quotes, see here.
10. KNOW WHEN ENOUGH IS ENOUGH:
Please feel free to state your point of view and go back to clarify if necessary: but know when to stop. If a line of discussion has dwindled to a back and forth between two or three people rehashing the same arguments, please make your final point and drop out of the discussion.
11. PLACE POSTS IN APPROPRIATE THREADS:
Don't start a new thread without seeing if what you want to ask or discuss fits in an existing thread. When a topic veers off, move it to the appropriate thread. Moderators will move or delete posts that are off topic for a given thread.
12. DON'T SPAM ON-TOPIC LISTS, USE A TAG LINE:
It's normal to want to share about your family or business, but please don't spam the on-topic lists with off-topic information or sales pitches. Please limit links to personal or business sites to one line of your signature line. For example:
Lori <><
Check out our site! - http://www.themarriagebed.com
"Let marriage be held in honor among all, and let the marriage bed be undefiled." Hebrews 13:4a
In the off-topic section of the website you can share more openly about your lives. What is allowed to remain in the off-topic section is subject to the moderator's discretion.
13. DON'T INCITE TROUBLE:
The OG will, at it's discretion, remove any post(s) that are deemed to be inflammatory, unnecessarily harsh, overly aggressive, or otherwise likely to cause problems.
14. HELP US MODERATE:
If you see something offensive, use the "report this post" button to alert the moderators.
15. TAKE CONCERNS TO THE MODS/OG:
If you have a problem with another poster or the content of a thread, please do not discuss it on the boards, instead deal with it privately or contact a moderator. If you are are unhappy with any action taken by a moderator, please do not discuss it on the boards, but rather contact the Oversight Group by PMing "og"
16. VENTING:
Venting is a valid and important part of what happens here, but care must be taken less venting take over every discussion. There are places for venting, please try to limit venting to those places. Please do not post to a positive thread, or a general discussion and say "Like my spouse will ever do that" or "I'd give my left arm if my spouse would do that". Out of place vents are subject to disappearance without notice.
Just a note about our mods ...
The moderators are here to help enforce the rules of the board. If a moderator contacts you about a rule violation and you disagree, please deal with them in a polite manner. On the Internet it is easy to forget there are real people behind the posts. Rudeness and aggression are just as painful on-line as they are in real life. Two rude or aggressive responses will result in oversight group intervention, even if the moderator you are speaking with is also a member of the OG. Continuing in that manner will result in the suspension of your account. We are happy to discuss concerns with members, but no one is required to endure ongoing disrespect. Since our mods are all volunteers, we need to honor their efforts on the boards by interacting with them respectfully.
OTHER RULES you should be aware of, if they apply:
Duplicate accounts for one person
If you are here with an agenda
Guidelines for how much information to share (Is it TMI?)
Guidelines for determining "One Trick Ponies"
Official board statement about counseling options
Official board statement about being the Body of Christ
