We welcome our readers’ comments on our reviews and in our new discussion forum.
Whenever matters connected to faith and religion (and sometimes even one’s personal views on fiction and literature!) are under discussion, emotions can occasionally run high. We want to encourage lively discussion, but in order to keep CatholicFiction.net a pleasant venue for all sincere readers and contributors, and to develop a true spirit of community, we will all need to abide by a few principles. Participants who have trouble adhering to these principles will be first warned and (if necessary) banned from participation.
So before you hit the “send” button on the comment or discussion forum form, please keep the following in mind:
STAY ON TOPIC:
This is not a forum for discussion of religion or politics per se, but for discussing fictional works with Catholic themes, or by Catholic authors, or of particular interest to Catholic readers. (See our Notes on Criteria.) If particular points of politics or religion are relevant to discussion of the fictional work or author in question, that’s fine, but we all know how easily this traffic can stray off course, so we ask everyone to stay vigilant.
PRINCIPLES OF GOOD “ARGUMENT”
“People generally quarrel because they cannot argue.” —G.K. Chesterton
In previous generations, when the lucky few who were educated at all received what we now call a “classical education,” Rhetoric, logic and the principles of good reasoning and argument were at the top of every curriculum. Now, unfortunately, when the Internet and New Media have broadened opportunities for discussion and communication almost beyond measure, few people (including professional blogges) bother to learn or employ those principles of rhetoric and reasoning that can prevent “arguments” from sliding into “quarrels.”
But there are readily available online resources for Christians to acquaint themselves with these principles. Here are a few good places to start:
- ChangingMinds.org ARGUMENT page
- Nizkor Projects FALLACIES page
- logicalfallacies.info
- Don’t You Believe It by A.J. Hoover
NETIQUETTE:
“But I tell you that anyone who is angry with his brother will be subject to judgment. Again, anyone who says to his brother, Raca, is answerable to the Sanhedrin. But anyone who says, ‘You fool!’ will be in danger of the fire of hell.” —Matthew 5:22″
“We’re trying to have a civilization here!” —George Costanza, SEINFELD
- Shooting from the hip” (and often later regretting it) is way too common on the web. There is something about the digital “anonymity” of this media that encourages people to say things (or say things in a confrontational or dirisive manner) that they wouldn’t if they were speaking to someone face to face, as a guest in someone else’s home.Note that our concern is not deliberate flamers & trollers, who can generally be gotten rid of fairly quickly, but passionate members who seem to think that the justness of their case, whatever it is, trumps the importance of civility and respect. We’re therefore asking our members to think of this forum as someone’s living room, where you’re coming as a guest to hang out and chat.
- Keep in mind that the reviews published here (and views expressed here in the comments or forums) express the opinions of the writers, none of whom (so far) are bishops or theologians. Nothing here is “ex-cathedra.” That goes for all of us, so let’s all practice a little humility. If you disagree with something said here, give your own opinion in a spirit of recollection & charity.
- Derogatory personal comments, flaming and trolling will simply not be tolerated.
- Before you contact us with suggestions (or complaints) about the titles we’ve included in our reviews, or in our Catholic Fiction Reading List, please read our Reviewers’ Guidelines and Notes on Criteria.
SPAM:
- SBecause spam (including X-rated spam) is such a noxious web-wide annoyance, we use “Captcha” software to assure us that you’re a human being and not a spam robot. I know it’s inconvenient, but it beats the alternative.
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