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An honest question about putting "CC" in post titles


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Why?

 

Do those of other religions put a disclaimer in their post titles too?

 

I'm not trying to be snarky, just honestly wondering why it's the Christians who seem to be the only ones putting a disclaimer to posts.

 

No, they don't, nor have they been asked to.

 

I refuse to do it.

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If I understand it correctly it is a disclaimer to expect it. Plus for some asking for advice, they may want it from a Christian perspective. So if someone wanted to discuss a subject from a Muslim point of view or secular or [insert any religion, worldview etc] I would imagine that they would put a similar disclaimer.

 

That way one doesn't feel blindsighted by the content and if you (generic plural term) didn't want to read about the 'evils of Halloween' or why it is wrong to believe in Santa [again insert any subject here], you have been forewarned.

 

HTH.

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That way one doesn't feel blindsighted by the content and if you (generic plural term) didn't want to read about the 'evils of Halloween' or why it is wrong to believe in Santa [again insert any subject here], you have been forewarned.

 

But with that logic any posts with "secular" content need to be noted. Right?

 

I guess I just don't get it. If one opens a post and it offends, close it and go on. *shrug*

 

Again, just trying to understand why it seems to ONLY be Christians who are doing this.

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Since I just did this I will respond. I specifically put "CC" in the title of my thread so those who are not Christian could know immediately that I am coming from a Christian point of view and to save them time on that score. You know, clue them in to my viewpoint so they can decide whether they want to bother reading it. I guess I figure those who aren't Christians may not want to join in discussion meant to wrestle with Christian ideas. It's kind of a "red flag" of sorts to give folks scrolling down the list of threads a heads up as it were. It's also a way of alerting Christians that I'd appreciate their input on my thoughts. It's certainly not meant to offend - just meant to clarify. Does that make sense?

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A while ago there was some debate in one of those really, really long drawn out threads and if I'm not mistaken a Christian was the one who suggested using cc so others could move on if they wished. This board used to be fairly Christian content heavy and now that it has grown and there are so many other people here representing all walks of life I think there is a shift in consideration. I think that they are just trying to be considerate, I don't think it's meant to be snarky. It certainly isn't required by any group.

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But with that logic any posts with "secular" content need to be noted. Right?

 

I guess I just don't get it. If one opens a post and it offends, close it and go on. *shrug*

 

Again, just trying to understand why it seems to ONLY be Christians who are doing this.

 

[treading lightly here] It is difficult to always know the right way to title a thread. I have seen posters treated a bit harsh by their threads when they do. I believe this is one of those threads that comes around every 6 mos or so. And it always seems to end up "d***** if you do d***** if you don't" kind of things. I agree with your logic, but will still post CC if I am posting something explicitly christian. I love the idea, b/c there are many threads I don't open b/c of the title. (I don't knit, so I am not going to read a whole thread on knitting KWIM?) Especially if someone wants a specific point of view. I don't blame them, but since I am not Muslim it would be silly for me to try to answer a question they have regarding this faith. I also don't generally read threads about high school children and how to hs them b/c my oldest is 10. Them's my $.02. :tongue_smilie:

Edited by newlifemom
Yikes! I know how to spell their.
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If I'm remembering correctly it started because non-Christians here posted their frustration with opening a thread and having it be religious. If they'd known that, they wouldn't have opened it. So the Christians, at their suggestion, started putting the CC in the title so anyone not interested in reading a religious post wouldn't have to waste their time with it. So rather then being an arrogant type thing (is that the word I want?) it was meant to be a helpful thing.

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You do get tags saying secular or Pagan content at times. They are less frequent though, because there are less of us on the board. Besides, Pagans don't usually feel the need to cross reference with each other because we are not a community in the way Christians are. The tags are just setting the scene, really. A one word tag can save the need for a full paragraph in the original post.

 

Rosie

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Even as recently as a year ago, it took some people a really long time to open a thread. Either because of a dial-up internet connection, or a slow computer, or both. So it helps people know whether they want to open a thread or not, which used to be a bigger time investment. To be honest, I usually don't open the "CC" threads just because I wouldn't have anything to offer.

 

It does bug me a little, though, when a thread is labeled "CC" and it is actually about what is the moral thing to do in a situation. I think good morals are good morals, and few would disagree about the details. Now if it is about a church issue or theology, that is a different matter.

 

Julie

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If I'm remembering correctly it started because non-Christians here posted their frustration with opening a thread and having it be religious. If they'd known that, they wouldn't have opened it. So the Christians, at their suggestion, started putting the CC in the title so anyone not interested in reading a religious post wouldn't have to waste their time with it. So rather then being an arrogant type thing (is that the word I want?) it was meant to be a helpful thing.

 

It also stemmed from the old format of the boards and a lot of folks at that time still being on dial-up. It could take a lot of time and bandwidth to open a long post/thread (those to which that label tended to apply tended to get really long and contentious really quickly at that point) and find out that it was a very specifically Christian thread in which replies were only really being solicited from other Christians about a specific religious matter rather than something intended for general discussion among the entire community. It has never been a requirement or expected standard from either Christians or non-Christians. Some folks use it, some don't, some do sometimes.

 

I read it as "I'm really primarily interested in hearing what other Christians have to say on this question". Sometimes I read them, sometimes I don't, sometimes I comment if I have something pertinent to say, even though I am no longer a Christian. Only rarely have I been told that my input was unwelcome as long as it was relevant rather than snarky.

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I do it as a courtesy to people who would not be interested in reading a "Christian thread". I actually started doing it after I read someone's comments on this board to that effect. They were saying that they wished that they knew ahead of time which posts had Christian content so they knew they could just go ahead and skip it. I do it as a courtesy for them.

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Actually Ibbygirl, it was your thread on the pending hurricane in Nova Scotia that got me thinking about this. In general, I appreciate cc on a thread, there are times I struggle. My problem. No one else's. If the thread is a prayer request for something serious and is labeled cc, I'm not sure how to handle it. I may not be Christian, or at the very least unsure, but it doesn't mean that I don't wish, hope, whatever, that someone's marriage survives, a child gets better, or that people in the path of a hurricane remain safe.

 

Sometimes I have pm'ed a poster and just asked if it's okay to send them my well wishes/karmic thoughts. Their needs are in my heart regardless of my personal belief system. I don't wish to offend, but it wouldn't be honest of me to send my "prayers". Sometimes cc on a moral or general kindness issue can feel like a judgement. Just because I am not Christian does not mean that I am lacking in morals or empathy or kindness. Again, my problem, not anyone elses. In general, thanks for the cc content.

Edited by swimmermom3
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Actually Ibbygirl, it was your thread on the pending hurricane in Nova Scotia that got me thinking about this. In general, I appreciate cc on a thread, there are times I struggle. My problem. No one else's. If the thread is a prayer request for something serious and is labeled cc, I'm not sure how to handle it. I may not be Christian, or at the very least unsure, but it doesn't mean that I don't wish, hope, whatever, that someone's marriage survives, a child gets better, or that people in the path of a hurricane remain safe.

 

Sometimes I have pm'ed a poster and just asked if it's okay to send them my well wishes/karmic thoughts. Their needs are in my heart regardless of my personal belief sytem. I don't wish to offend, but it wouldn't be honest of me to send my "prayers". Sometimes cc on a moral or general kindness issue can feel like a judgement. Just because I am not Christian does not mean that I am lacking in morals or empathy or kindness. Again, my problem, not anyone else's. In general, thanks for the cc content.

 

 

Absolutely no offense taken. :) Of course a person's good thoughts and wishes are welcome! By all means!! And I pray that I do not come off as judgemental ever! Those who know me well, would know that I am not that way. I think I put the CC on that post out of habit more than anything. I didn't even think about it actually. I just knew that I wanted to ask people to start praying for this storm to be diverted from land and I guess because I knew I was using the term "prayer" the cc just went automatically. Of course Christians are not the only people who pray and of course all are welcome to pray or send good thoughts or feelings. I was not meaning to be exclusive by any means. I am sorry if you were offended. :grouphug:

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Absolutely no offense taken. :) Of course a person's good thoughts and wishes are welcome! By all means!! And I pray that I do not come off as judgemental ever! Those who know me well, would know that I am not that way. I think I put the CC on that post out of habit more than anything. I didn't even think about it actually. I just knew that I wanted to ask people to start praying for this storm to be diverted from land and I guess because I knew I was using the term "prayer" the cc just went automatically. Of course Christians are not the only people who pray and of course all are welcome to pray or send good thoughts or feelings. I was not meaning to be exclusive by any means. I am sorry if you were offended. :grouphug:

 

No offense at all. I've read enough of your posts to know that you come from "a good place" and mean well, if that makes sense. It's impossible to please everyone.

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I'm guessing different people use it for different reasons. A while back it was questioned if people would be offended if atheists used AC on their posts if they were wanting answers geared to their specific viewpoint. I don't think anyone said they would be offended, but it never quite took off. In the end, I think I would feel like I was being inflammatory to put something like that. Much in the same way as how, say, on Facebook lots of my friends post Christian articles/quotes/etc., yet I feel like it would be seen as disrespectful to them if I posted an article that was atheistic in nature. (Even if the article were not disrespectful in itself.)

 

Christian posts don't bother me at all, but when I analyze my thoughts about the matter, I realize that I assume atheistic posts would bother my Christian friends. It's quizzical, and possibly nonsensical.

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Actually Ibbygirl, it was your thread on the pending hurricane in Nova Scotia that got me thinking about this. In general, I appreciate cc on a thread, there are times I struggle. My problem. No one else's. If the thread is a prayer request for something serious and is labeled cc, I'm not sure how to handle it. I may not be Christian, or at the very least unsure, but it doesn't mean that I don't wish, hope, whatever, that someone's marriage survives, a child gets better, or that people in the path of a hurricane remain safe.

 

 

I am a stickybeak and dip my oar in Christian threads quite often. No one has ever hounded me over it. Good wishes are good wishes. It wouldn't be appropriate to jump in and say "I will pray to Zeus for your recovery" but what kind of mug is going to get offended by someone saying "I hope you mend quickly?"

 

Rosie

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I am a stickybeak and dip my oar in Christian threads quite often. No one has ever hounded me over it. Good wishes are good wishes. It wouldn't be appropriate to jump in and say "I will pray to Zeus for your recovery" but what kind of mug is going to get offended by someone saying "I hope you mend quickly?"

 

Rosie

 

Thank you, Rosie!:grouphug: You definitely have a knack for understatement, which is why I enjoy your posts. Sending you peace and joy.;)

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honestly wondering why it's the Christians who seem to be the only ones putting a disclaimer to posts.

 

I have put a "heads up" on a couple of posts that I thought would only be of interest to fellow Muslim posters.. but I think we only have a handful of Muslims posting here, I generally don't make many posts of a religious nature and save that for Muslim homeschooling groups I'm a member of.

 

I also haven't seen many posts that are specific to Jewish posters or Pagan posters, but when there are that has usually been made clear in the thread title as well.

 

In addition to earlier comments about trying to help out people who have long load times, I also think there just isn't a whole lot of religious posting going on by folks of other faiths. I could be wrong.

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I am a stickybeak and dip my oar in Christian threads quite often. No one has ever hounded me over it. Good wishes are good wishes. It wouldn't be appropriate to jump in and say "I will pray to Zeus for your recovery" but what kind of mug is going to get offended by someone saying "I hope you mend quickly?"

 

Rosie

 

Yup, I agree. I often sticky beak into them too, and see you there already, Rosie :)

 

These boards are full of very many viewpoints, a lot of Christians, but quite a strong and vocal minority of secular folk. Denoting CC is just a tidy way of directing your post toward a certain segment of the board population, if you are looking for specifically Christian feedback on something, or sharing a particularly Christian experience, or asking for prayer. But theres no rule about it and if anyone is offended that they feel they "should" do it- there is no "should" that I know of. It is just a part of ever evolving cyberspace etiquette.

I guess the reason us secular folk don't do it is that we are far less to write from a religious viewpoint unless a question draws out our views. We are not likely to, on this board, ask for Moslem prayers for our dying father, or ask you to meditate in a Buddhist way to send healing energy to our sick child.

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I have put a "heads up" on a couple of posts that I thought would only be of interest to fellow Muslim posters.. but I think we only have a handful of Muslims posting here, I generally don't make many posts of a religious nature and save that for Muslim homeschooling groups I'm a member of.

 

I also haven't seen many posts that are specific to Jewish posters or Pagan posters, but when there are that has usually been made clear in the thread title as well.

 

In addition to earlier comments about trying to help out people who have long load times, I also think there just isn't a whole lot of religious posting going on by folks of other faiths. I could be wrong.

 

I've also seen the odd post, usually regarding curriculum, with "secular" in the title.

 

And as one of those on dial up I do appreciate the different heads up tags. I don't want to spend time loading a page asking for a science reccomendation only to learn they want a creationist curriculum and I have nothing to offer them.

 

On the whole I think it's a nice practice for some. They can target their posts a little and it's give the rest of us a way to respectfully refrain from posting in their threads.

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A while ago there was some debate in one of those really, really long drawn out threads and if I'm not mistaken a Christian was the one who suggested using cc so others could move on if they wished.

 

It is actually a hold-over from the old board format. On there, it took people with dial-up or slow access a long time to open threads. It was requested that posts with Christian content be labeled CC so that those not interested didn't have to waste time opening them. There were many Christians and non-Christians on the old board, and this was a courtesy back in the good old days of those boards.

 

I have yet to see a post with CC that doesn't include at least one response from a non-Christian, so I don't think it is intended to nor is it disincluding anyone from posting.

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I'm a non-Christian, and I can tell you that I truly appreciate all of the people who put CC in their posts. I'd like to explain, and I hope I don't come across as offensive to anyone because that is truly not my intent.

 

As a secular homeschooler, I am definitely in the minority. People who don't know me assume I'm religious upon learning I homeschool. I've experienced this many times with other homeschoolers I run into at museums or wherever during traditional school hours. It's irritating. Think how you would feel if most homeschoolers were Muslim and you weren't, so upon meeting people for the first time, they already have all these pre-conceived notions about who you are and what your believe. How would you feel if they started talking about Allah in a way that made it clear they assumed you held fast to the same beliefs they did? What if they started quoting the Koran at you, and you could tell by these eager looks of joy on their faces that they assumed they had met a kindred spirt? Wouldn't you ever get tired of people who don't know you making these vast assumptions? Quoting to you from a text that you don't believe in over and over again? You know what's even worse? When they discover you're not "one of them." I have had conversations that started out friendly end with receiving the cold-shoulder because I'm not a Christian homeschooler. I know not all Christian homeschoolers are like this (most aren't -- most are loving, accepting, wonderful people) but some are.

 

It's like that with posts on many HS message boards. A lot of people make the assumption that everyone is Christian, and so quote scripture and such. I obviously can't speak for all secular homeschoolers -- just for myself -- but to me, it is very off-putting. It's frustrating to open up post after post with vague titles, only to find that it's full of Christian content. There is a thread I would have read today that was about a homeschooling article, but it had CC after it, so I knew it probably wouldn't be for me. When people are kind enough to put CC in the thread title, I know that it will probably be a thread I can't relate to, so I choose not to read it. I don't open it and become frustrated that out of the 10 posts I opened that morning, 9 of them are posts quoting scripture I can't relate to. Instead, I might find one post in 10 like that. It's less frustrating, and it truly is a kindness towards non-Christians to give us a heads-up.

 

FWIW, I do agree that if there are other types of religious content (other than Christian) or something that is graphic, it should be noted in the thread title so everyone is afforded the same courtesy so many Christians here are respectful enough to offer. I commented on that on a thread a month or 2 back when a woman was going into great detail about her unconventional living arrangements. I knew it would be extremely offensive to many Christians here, and even many non-Christians found the detail a little shocking. It's not that I'm trying to persecute Christians -- I just feel that everyone needs to respect that there are many different beliefs here and be respectful of the feelings of others.

 

To all of you who are courteous enough to put CC in thread titles -- thank you from the bottom of my heart. I truly appreciate your consideration of those who do not share your beliefs.

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No, they don't, nor have they been asked to.

 

I refuse to do it.

 

On the other hand, you seem open to hearing input from non-Christians. For example, I always open your threads. Some people who post CC are not interested in my opinion, so I don't open their threads.

 

I was here when the whole CC thing started. I personally don't care if people put CC in the title or not, but I do like when people specify that they are not interested in feedback from non-Christians, because then I don't waste my time trying to help.

 

If I am not interested in getting advice from people with perspectives different from mine, I don't post here. The beauty of this board is the diversity.

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It is actually a hold-over from the old board format. On there, it took people with dial-up or slow access a long time to open threads. It was requested that posts with Christian content be labeled CC so that those not interested didn't have to waste time opening them. There were many Christians and non-Christians on the old board, and this was a courtesy back in the good old days of those boards.

 

I have yet to see a post with CC that doesn't include at least one response from a non-Christian, so I don't think it is intended to nor is it disincluding anyone from posting.

 

I do understand this; I lurked on the old boards for years. I was referring to the recent increase in the CC usage.

 

The percentage of Christian to Non-Christian has changed. There are more Non-Christians being vocal now, myself included. I feel much more comfortable posting here than I ever did. I am very grateful for the courtesy that some provide in the title. :)

 

Personally, I have gone to CC posts to read, learn, and often times be amazed at the diversity within the Christian community on this board. It has been quite an education.

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Christian posts don't bother me at all, but when I analyze my thoughts about the matter, I realize that I assume atheistic posts would bother my Christian friends. It's quizzical, and possibly nonsensical.

 

This was my concern. If I post my good wishes on a prayer request with a cc, will I offend someone? Rosie, I think you're right for the most part.

 

...but what kind of mug is going to get offended by someone saying "I hope you mend quickly?"

 

Rosie

 

However, there are some on the board that would not be happy because they do not know the source of my well wishes. Make sense? I do have a fairly good sense of who they are and probably wouldn't be on their threads anyway.

 

I appreciate cc on most everything. Not that it keeps me away. I grew up in a religious background and harbor no anger towards my faith or any others. Besides, I'm always curious and appreciate a good religion thread Christian, pagan or otherwise as long as it is intelligent and respectful.

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This was my concern. If I post my good wishes on a prayer request with a cc, will I offend someone?

However, there are some on the board that would not be happy because they do not know the source of my well wishes.

 

Such people are categorised as mugs in my mind. If someone gets offended by good wishes from a person outside their faith, I see no reason why I should care. No one has offended them, they have gone looking for a reason to be offended and chosen me to be that reason. Deliberately saying things to cause offense, or neglecting to even try to employ tact is bad behaviour. We can't be responsible about how other people interpret us, providing we're being polite. I've jumped into a prayer request thread to offer my secular style good wishes, and the OP was surprised I cared enough to respond (since our world views are So different) and accepted with pleasure. So she's not a mug, heheh.

 

:)

Rosie

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