Topics we should have on OC.net

[Fr. George]

In the thread "For Those Who Don't Post Much (or Who Don't Post At All)" (http://www.orthodoxchristianity.net/forum/index.php/topic,17925.0.html), it was suggested that we have too many threads focused on theological debate, and not enough on regular-type subjects (a point on which I agree).  So this thread is to gauge interest in various other types of threads that could be started here, in the interests of having discussion amongst Orthodox Christians (and other Christians) about everyday-life subjects.

This poll is not restricted to those members who don't post much - anyone and everyone is encouraged to vote!

[Michał Kalina]

IMO it's good, that the forum is focused on theological or wider - religious issues. If someone looks for opinions about Angelina Jolie or lawnmowers he won't search here . I wouldn't like this forum to be cluttered with such junk threads.

[Fr. George]

IMO it's good, that the forum is focused on theological or wider - religious issues. If someone looks for opinions about Angelina Jolie or lawnmowers he won't search here . I wouldn't like this forum to be cluttered with such junk threads.

Well, I put some of those options in there just to "throw people off" - not expecting anyone to choose them, but rather to get a good laugh at them.

[serb1389]

I am not sure what "simple, live life" means, but I figure if it's something like "My neighbor's dog did his duty on my yard" and how do I handle it, and etc. type of stuff, then it is worthwhile.  I'm not really sure what it means though, but it sounds good! 

[Fr. George]

I am not sure what "simple, live life" means, but I figure if it's something like "My neighbor's dog did his duty on my yard" and how do I handle it, and etc. type of stuff, then it is worthwhile.  I'm not really sure what it means though, but it sounds good! 

That sounds about right... Everyday living subjects like "what to do with annoying neighbors" or the like.  You got the meaning.

[EofK]

I also like the idea of just talking about life.  In any case, shouldn't Orthodoxy permeate every aspect of life?

I also do gardening.   

[ytterbiumanalyst]

I do enjoy reading the deep theological threads, but I hardly post in them. My experience of Orthodoxy is mainly from just trying to live the best I can, so those threads are the ones in which I spend most of my time here.

It is true that Christianity is not just a religion but a way of life, and therefore really anything can have spiritual implications. Auto repair, for instance, includes overcoming the temptation of cursing your car as it breaks down, resisting the prideful thought that you can fix it yourself, and the martyrdom of being swindled once you get to the shop.

But seriously, I'd like to see less politics, especially what I term the "politics of sex"--abortion, homosexuality, stem cell research, and the like--and focus more on the problems that we ourselves face on a daily basis: how to be kind to our neighbour, how to morally earn and spend money, how to make church a priority when we're juggling two careers and three kids' activities.

[Fr. George]

Mr Y. - Agreed.

we're juggling two careers and three kids' activities.

So you have a couple kids that Mrs. Y doesn't know about? *chuckle*

[EofK]

 

Just kidding.  Or not?

(Unless he's referring to the two cats who act like kids but don't have many activities apart from bringing dead things to our doorstep.)

[SolEX01]

I'm partial to medical research just to share different perspectives on medical care especially with the wide age range from infants to at least 60 and above.

[Fr. George]

(Unless he's referring to the two cats who act like kids but don't have many activities apart from bringing dead things to our doorstep.)

ooooh.  Fun.

[ytterbiumanalyst]

Mr Y. - Agreed.

we're juggling two careers and three kids' activities.

So you have a couple kids that Mrs. Y doesn't know about? *chuckle*

No, I'm just trying to envision scenarios that would be useful to our members. Several of us have multiple children; Mrs. Y and myself probably will too (though not too soon I hope).

[Fr. George]

No, I'm just trying to envision scenarios that would be useful to our members. Several of us have multiple children; Mrs. Y and myself probably will too (though not too soon I hope).

I got the idea...

[AMM]

Curling trivia.

[Asteriktos]

I'd actually like to see more of every kind of discussion--both theological and non-theological. If someone suggests that there are too many theological threads, that one will leave me scratching my head. Where? I missed them! If anything, this forum is light on the number of theological threads compared to other (mostly Protestant) forums that I've been a part of. On the other hand, I don't mind "daily life" topics either. Both are relevant to the life in Christ.

[Heorhij]

I voted for "other" because I would like to see more interesting communications about books. We do have a thread "What Are You Reading," and it is interesting, but it contains mostly people's reports about reading this or that book by a certain Christian (mostly Orthodox) author. On the other hand, posts in this thread where people share their impressions about a certain book, rather than just report that they are reading it, are in a minority. Also, I would like to see more communications about good fiction books (not Harry Potter etc., but something more, ahem, adult).

[ytterbiumanalyst]

No, I'm just trying to envision scenarios that would be useful to our members. Several of us have multiple children; Mrs. Y and myself probably will too (though not too soon I hope).

I got the idea...

Sorry. I knew you were joking, but I also didn't want to be in trouble.

[Fr. George]

Sorry. I knew you were joking, but I also didn't want to be in trouble.

Your secret is safe with me.

[Fr. George]

Bump - for those who didn't get a chance to vote earlier.

[Orthodoc]

Bump - for those who didn't get a chance to vote earlier.

I thought OCN.Net stood for ORTHODOX CHRISTIANITY.Net!  What in the options listed ties them into Orthodox Christianity or even religion for that matter?  Over the years I have recommended this site to many people interested in Orthodoxy.  Many of them have come in looked and left because of some of the subject lines like 'What kind of music are you listening to?', etc. completly turned them off.   

If you get any more secular you will lose even more of your membership who are interested in serious discussion and debate regarding the Orthosdox Catholic faith.  But what do I know!

Orthodoc

[Fr. George]

I thought OCN.Net stood for ORTHODOX CHRISTIANITY.Net!  What in the options listed ties them into Orthodox Christianity or even religion for that matter?  Over the years I have recommended this site to many people interested in Orthodoxy.  Many of them have come in looked and left because of some of the subject lines like 'What kind of music are you listening to?', etc. completly turned them off.  

I suppose I have a different outlook - I'd rather engage people with the same worldview (i.e. other Orthodox Christians) on subjects like music than those who don't share the same values.  The diversity of subjects just shows the comfort level exhibited, I reckon.

If you get any more secular you will lose even more of your membership who are interested in serious discussion and debate regarding the Orthosdox Catholic faith.  But what do I know!

Well, not all of the above topics are "secular" per se... The most popular choice by vote (14 votes, 20% of the votes cast but selected by 50% of voters) was "simple 'living life' subjects" - which is exactly what most discussion of Orthodox Praxis should be.  But it is an excellent point: the goofier threads, while they can be fun for those participating, can be a huge turn-off for those who want a more reasonable and relevant discussion on Orthodoxy.

Of course, I think one of the reasons why some folks have shied away from the more serious topics is the sort-of "Merry-go-Round" feeling of many of the topics... How many more Church Politics, homosexuality, pews, menstruation & Communion, etc. threads can we take, before the reasonable 3/4 of the membership goes crazy?

[Fr. George]

If you get any more secular you will lose even more of your membership who are interested in serious discussion and debate regarding the Orthosdox Catholic faith.  But what do I know!

On this subject, I have to give Asteriktos a lot of credit - he's been great at starting new and interesting discussions lately, saving us from the boring rut of bashing Traditionalism/Modernism/Foreigners/Politicians/Women/Men/Babies/Aliens/Cats/etc.

[Νεκτάριος]

I voted for "other" because I would like to see more interesting communications about books. We do have a thread "What Are You Reading," and it is interesting, but it contains mostly people's reports about reading this or that book by a certain Christian (mostly Orthodox) author. On the other hand, posts in this thread where people share their impressions about a certain book, rather than just report that they are reading it, are in a minority. Also, I would like to see more communications about good fiction books (not Harry Potter etc., but something more, ahem, adult).

I second this.  There are a lot of fantastic writers from Orthodox cultures, and many of the Orthodox cultures have a really rich secular literature.  Russian is the most obvious obvious and is easily available in English translation for the most part.  But I also think someone like Andrić (Serbian / Yugoslav) or some Ukrainian literature would be fun to read as well ( I mention these because I am most familiar with them, not as a slight to others).     

For now I have Gao Xingjian's Soul Mountain on my will read next list.  If anyone is interested in starting a thread in the reviews forum, I'd be game for following along. 

[Bogoliubtsy]

How about Orthodox-Non-Christian discussion. Anything from Judaism, Buddhism, Islam, Hinduism, Atheism, etc. etc. etc.
How about that?

[Asteriktos]

How about Orthodox-Non-Christian discussion. Anything from Judaism, Buddhism, Islam, Hinduism, Atheism, etc. etc. etc.
How about that?

That would interest me, though I think we're probably in the minority here.

[prodromas]

How about Orthodox-Non-Christian discussion. Anything from Judaism, Buddhism, Islam, Hinduism, Atheism, etc. etc. etc.
How about that?

That would interest me, though I think we're probably in the minority here.

I would find that interesting and post there.

[ytterbiumanalyst]

How about Orthodox-Non-Christian discussion. Anything from Judaism, Buddhism, Islam, Hinduism, Atheism, etc. etc. etc.
How about that?

I would like such discussion.

[Ian Lazarus]

I didnt see a category about Ramen noodles or toe lint.   

How about a pole to make less poles?

And for you smarties, no I don't mean the eastern european Poles.

They have some cute goils.

[ytterbiumanalyst]

And for you smarties, no I don't mean the eastern european Poles.

Of course not. You meant polls.

[GabrieltheCelt]

How about Orthodox-Non-Christian discussion. Anything from Judaism, Buddhism, Islam, Hinduism, Atheism, etc. etc. etc.
How about that?

I would like such discussion.

We might want to think it through really well first.  What I mean is, visitors from other faiths should feel welcome anytime regardless, and I think they do already.  But when we invite them here for the explicit reason for an 'inter-faith' dialogue, things can turn sour pretty quickly.  A person's faith is very personal and emotional as well with their whole identity being tied to it.  I'm not convinced that it won't devolve into a lot of arguing.  Just my $0.02 

[Νεκτάριος]

How about an Orthodox travel forum? 

I had a 24-hour layover in Istanbul recently and didn't really know what to see other than Hagia Sophia (as amazing as it was, I didn't really like forking over money to the Turkish government to subsidize its continued oppression of Christian populations) as far as Orthodox sites go.  Something along the lines of how to get to working churches used by the local Orthodox communities (i.e. how to get there using public transport) and other Orthodox related points of interest that won't be in Lonely Planet or wikitravel. 

[EofK]

How about an Orthodox travel forum? 

I had a 24-hour layover in Istanbul recently and didn't really know what to see other than Hagia Sophia (as amazing as it was, I didn't really like forking over money to the Turkish government to subsidize its continued oppression of Christian populations) as far as Orthodox sites go.  Something along the lines of how to get to working churches used by the local Orthodox communities (i.e. how to get there using public transport) and other Orthodox related points of interest that won't be in Lonely Planet or wikitravel. 

Great idea! 

[Fr. George]

How about Orthodox-Non-Christian discussion. Anything from Judaism, Buddhism, Islam, Hinduism, Atheism, etc. etc. etc.
How about that? 

That would be interesting, but would have to have (a) strict guidelines for discussion, both for the Orthodox participants, and the non-Orthodox, and (b) a moderator with not only sufficient patience and grace, but more than passing knowledge of many major non-Christian faiths.  I'm all for it, if we (the Administration and Moderation Team of OC.net) can satisfy both (a) and (b).

How about an Orthodox travel forum? 

I had a 24-hour layover in Istanbul recently and didn't really know what to see other than Hagia Sophia (as amazing as it was, I didn't really like forking over money to the Turkish government to subsidize its continued oppression of Christian populations) as far as Orthodox sites go.  Something along the lines of how to get to working churches used by the local Orthodox communities (i.e. how to get there using public transport) and other Orthodox related points of interest that won't be in Lonely Planet or wikitravel.  

Great idea.  I wished I had known - I could have given you some names and phone numbers and contact info for Istambul.

[GreekChef]

If you get any more secular you will lose even more of your membership who are interested in serious discussion and debate regarding the Orthosdox Catholic faith.  But what do I know!

On this subject, I have to give Asteriktos a lot of credit - he's been great at starting new and interesting discussions lately, saving us from the boring rut of bashing Traditionalism/Modernism/Foreigners/Politicians/Women/Men/Babies/Aliens/Cats/etc.

Oh, man!  I missed the alien bashing?!  Dood, what thread was that in?  I wanna post!!!  I love alien bashing!!!! 
Just kidding.

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