The Australian Evangelical welcomes comments and feedback that thoughtfully engages with the articles and content on our site. However, in light of the ungracious conduct that typifies discourse on the internet, we would like to provide some general parameters around engagement and commenting on our platform.
1. Courteous, Charitable, and Thoughtful
All comments should ideally come from an approach that is thoughtful, seeking to be charitable in understanding and representing both the authors as well as other commentators, applying a general standard of courtesy.
As such, name-calling, personal attacks, spamming, racism, sexism, any-other-ism, will not be tolerated. Likewise, please refrain from hurling baseless and offensive insults during discussions on various topics. Using terms like ‘bigot’, ‘homophobic’, ‘hater’, etc., in the context of sexual ethics discussions only shows a lack of willingness to understand differing viewpoints. In such cases, engaging in a dialogue seems futile, or more precisely, it’s not productive to publish what essentially becomes a one-sided rant. If expressing such views is important to you, consider starting your own blog for that purpose.
Similarly, derogatory labels commonly used by some ‘new atheists’, such as calling someone a “worshipper of a sky-fairy”, are not conducive to respectful discourse. Let’s strive for a more understanding and respectful exchange of ideas.
2. No Anonymous Comments
Our policy requires that all comments be attributed to identifiable individuals. We do not accept anonymous comments or those submitted with unverifiable details such as false or temporary email addresses. It has been our experience that a significant proportion of abusive comments originate from anonymous sources. Therefore, if a commenter cannot be clearly identified, their comment will not be approved for publication. We acknowledge that there are certain circumstances where anonymity is necessary. In these instances, commenters are requested to provide a valid email address, which will be kept confidential and not published.
3. Flagging Comments
If you have a problem with a comment, DO NOT REPLY TO IT. Instead Click the Dropdown Icon/Arrow to the right of the offending comment and click the Flag link from the dropdown. Our Moderation Team will then deal with any inappropriate comments.
4. Copyright Infringement
Infringing upon copyright laws is strictly prohibited on this platform. This includes, but is not limited to, soliciting or distributing torrent details, exchanging illegal merchandise, and sharing copyrighted photographs, audio files, or any other items that are legally protected. Should any such violations be observed, the offending posts will be promptly removed. Repeat offenders may face a ban, as we must ensure the integrity of the site is not compromised. Additionally, in the event of any copyright holder inquiries stemming from rule violations, we are legally obligated to cooperate fully with them.
5. Your Responsibility
While we will endeavor to moderate comments to the best of our ability, please be aware that by commenting, you assume full responsibility for your content and any resulting legal or other consequences that may arise from your writings.