Klarinet Archive - Posting 000124.txt from 1997/02

From: "Scott D. Morrow" <SDM@-----.EDU>
Subj: Re: religion online
Date: Wed, 5 Feb 1997 09:14:00 -0500

I don't know if this is so much a case of "not being the
appropriate place" as much as "is this really what you want to do?"
Klarinet has often stretched the boundaries of "clarinet-related" material.
I am NOT a Christian, but I also realize that I can just not read the
proselytizing tags. And I don't! My question to EVERYONE who posts
deeply-felt beliefs and/or viewpoints in a tagline is: are you comfortable
expressing these beliefs someplace where they are essentially trivialized?
If the answer is "yes", then, as far as I'm concerned, go ahead (as long
as, as Gary Bisaga wrote, they are within the realms of legality - good
taste being subjective! - and are not excessively long)! Just don't be
offended when they are ignored!
Be true to your beliefs. But, even more importantly, respect them!
-Scott

David Blumberg wrote:

>Please leave the proselytizing for alt.religion
>(1 line sentence followed by a long signature)
>
>
>At 08:24 AM 2/5/97 -0500, Gary Bisaga wrote:
>>Warning -- non-clarinet related material follows.
>>
>>At 12:08 AM 2/5/97 -0500, Neil Leupold wrote:
>>>I ask the same question as Mrs. Wayne. Whether the references are
>>>a form of Christian cyber-evangelism or not, it seems that Klarinet
>>>is not really an appropriate place to advertise one's personal private
>>>beliefs on any subject beyond what relates closely to the clarinet.
>>
>>I don't agree, Neil. Like Tracy, I too am a Christian, but this is not why
>>I disagree. Even in specialized forums like the Klarinet list it has long
>>been common practice that people put their personal beliefs in their
>>signature files. The signature file people use typically has nothing to do
>>with the forum in which they post messages. Thus, I would consider it
>>acceptable for people to put, within reasonable bounds of good taste,
>>legality, etc. their own personal beliefs in their .sig files.
>>
>>I do agree that Tracy's original message was an Internet faux pas because
>>it only consisted of one line of text followed by 9 lines of signature
>>file. However, I have seen this many times before on many different
>>mailing lists, including this one. Unless Tracy makes a habit of posting
>>one-line messages with this 9-line .sig file, I don't feel a censure is in
>>order.
>>

Scott D. Morrow
Department of Biochemistry
School of Hygiene and Public Health
Johns Hopkins University
(410) 955-3631

SDM@-----.edu