[net.news.group] Proposal for net.religion subgro

steve@zinfandel.UUCP (12/15/84)

Tim Maroney:
> Liz, if you are using the ARPAnet to distribute a list which explicitly
> discriminates in its membership on grounds of religion, you are asking for a
> peck of trouble.  That is definitely not a Constitutional use of government
> resources.  You'd best change your discriminatory policy!

Fred Avolio:
> Yes.  Thank God for the way Liz worded her article.  If you read the stated
> purpose, you'll see *guidelines* and *suggestions*.  No one need be
> excluded.   And nothing Liz posted indicates that people *will* be.

Fred, I see at least two indications in Liz's statements
that people *will* be excluded:

Liz Allen:
1> The purpose of the list is to provide a non-hostile
1> environment for discussion among Christians...

If the stated purpose is to provide an environment for discussion
AMONG CHRISTIANS, then exclusion *is* certainly implied.

Liz Allen:
2> For any Christians out there who would like to join the list, send
2> mail to seismo!umcp-cs!mailjc-request and I'll add you.

Where do non-Christians who would like to join the list send
mail?  That information *was* excluded, wasn't it?

Steve Nelson
zehntel!zinfandel!steve

liz@tove.UUCP (Liz Allen) (12/19/84)

Sorry to take up people's time with an old issue, but I thought I
should respond to make sure that this is cleared up.

> = Steve Nelson <steve@zinfandel.UUCP>

>Liz Allen:
>1> The purpose of the list is to provide a non-hostile
>1> environment for discussion among Christians...
>
>If the stated purpose is to provide an environment for discussion
>AMONG CHRISTIANS, then exclusion *is* certainly implied.

Anyone can be added to the list and listen in to the discussions.
The newsgroup net.religion provides a forum for discussion between
believers and unbelievers so any need for that kind of discussion
is already taken care of.

>Liz Allen:
>2> For any Christians out there who would like to join the list, send
>2> mail to seismo!umcp-cs!mailjc-request and I'll add you.
>
>Where do non-Christians who would like to join the list send
>mail?  That information *was* excluded, wasn't it?

I think that I phrased the above, I was worried about getting
flooded with requests from people wanting to be on the list.  I
was new at moderating the list and wanted to limit the people on
the list to those for whom the list was created (primarlily) until
I had the list better organized.  I've got things organized better
now so this is no longer a concern; anyone can mail to the above
address asking to be added to the list.
-- 
				-Liz Allen

Univ of Maryland, College Park MD	
Usenet:   ...!seismo!umcp-cs!liz
Arpanet:  liz@tove (or liz@maryland)

"This is the message we have heard from him and declare to you:  God
 is light; in him there is no darkness at all" -- 1 John 1:5