This will not come as news to the staff team, but I thought I'd make an announcement to the rest of the community.
I've decided that 3 years is long enough for me, and so I'll be stepping down as both a forum administrator and a sysadmin for the site. I've seen the site go through more changes than any other member here; I was there when the ancestor forum was set up (atheistforum.com), and I was there when we did a mass migration to the current incarnation. Although I've tried to distance myself from the concept of "owning" the site, I've been behind most of the big decisions we've had to make.
The forum has evolved and grown in the last 3 years more than I ever could have imagined. However, I too have grown, and I've gradually become disillusioned with the place. Most of you are absolutely wonderful people; people I'd still love to meet someday and spend time with in the "real world". You guys are the reason we created the forums in the first place; for people to meet, share ideas, have civilized discussions, and become friends.
There are, however, people here who do not seem to think that this is how a community should function. They take pleasure in mocking people of other beliefs, have no desire to find out about why such beliefs are held, and are content with using fallacy after fallacy, as long as it gets their opponent to shut up and go away. Unfortunately, for all the good that most of you do here, these people make such a large impact on the forums that they are almost indistinguishable from the original place we set up.
We've long held that theists are more than welcome here; that we encourage discussion of their beliefs, as long as they (like everyone else), follow the rules. It has led most to a much better understanding of religious views than they ever would have got otherwise. We all have to share this world, and it makes more sense if we can do that as friends with disagreements than as enemies. I have nothing but respect for most of the theists here; to have to defend their beliefs time and time again, and yet still be part of the community.
I'm not going to delve into the specifics of why I've decided enough is enough, but I will say that I simply don't feel like I can be an active part of the forum anymore. There is a certain hostility to the place that I find very off-putting, and most of it I'm afraid to say comes from people who are much older than myself, yet somehow think it is wise to use horrendous insults, make ridiculous assumptions, and all the while patting each other on the back over a job well done. I certainly hope I never to get to the point in my life where I think that being a jerk is going to convince someone I'm right.
This isn't the only reason I'm "leaving". I'm at a new point in my life; I've got my first job, I'm moving into my own place, and I'm finding new things to be excited about. It's time for a big change.
So I'm resigning from the staff team, giving up my sysadmin rights to other more deserving people. I'll still be around on the forums from time to time I'm sure; I won't be abandoning you all like some previous (unnamed) members. I'll still hang out in the chatroom, I'll still participate in Google Hangouts or Skype calls, whichever you want to do. I'll still be there if people want to talk to me; I like talking.
It'll take a while for us to transfer all the stuff that is needed to run this place properly, so I'll be on the staff team for the next few weeks in all likelihood. theVOID and I are probably going to try and reinstall the forums and sort out a few bugs before I go, but that might happen later on. You'll have to suffer me for a bit more is what I'm trying to say!
Some concluding remarks: Thanks to everyone who has helped out in some way over the last three years; that includes people who have donated, who have served as staff, or have helped and welcomed new members. Thanks to those members who take the time to listen to people of different views to them; to discuss with them on equal terms, rather than resorting to ridicule. You are the reason these forums were started, and hopefully one day you might get them back to that point. Thanks to our theist members who put up with so much; it has been a pleasure listening to your stories, understanding your beliefs, and becoming good friends.
So long for now...
-Tiberius
(Adrian Hayter)
I've decided that 3 years is long enough for me, and so I'll be stepping down as both a forum administrator and a sysadmin for the site. I've seen the site go through more changes than any other member here; I was there when the ancestor forum was set up (atheistforum.com), and I was there when we did a mass migration to the current incarnation. Although I've tried to distance myself from the concept of "owning" the site, I've been behind most of the big decisions we've had to make.
The forum has evolved and grown in the last 3 years more than I ever could have imagined. However, I too have grown, and I've gradually become disillusioned with the place. Most of you are absolutely wonderful people; people I'd still love to meet someday and spend time with in the "real world". You guys are the reason we created the forums in the first place; for people to meet, share ideas, have civilized discussions, and become friends.
There are, however, people here who do not seem to think that this is how a community should function. They take pleasure in mocking people of other beliefs, have no desire to find out about why such beliefs are held, and are content with using fallacy after fallacy, as long as it gets their opponent to shut up and go away. Unfortunately, for all the good that most of you do here, these people make such a large impact on the forums that they are almost indistinguishable from the original place we set up.
We've long held that theists are more than welcome here; that we encourage discussion of their beliefs, as long as they (like everyone else), follow the rules. It has led most to a much better understanding of religious views than they ever would have got otherwise. We all have to share this world, and it makes more sense if we can do that as friends with disagreements than as enemies. I have nothing but respect for most of the theists here; to have to defend their beliefs time and time again, and yet still be part of the community.
I'm not going to delve into the specifics of why I've decided enough is enough, but I will say that I simply don't feel like I can be an active part of the forum anymore. There is a certain hostility to the place that I find very off-putting, and most of it I'm afraid to say comes from people who are much older than myself, yet somehow think it is wise to use horrendous insults, make ridiculous assumptions, and all the while patting each other on the back over a job well done. I certainly hope I never to get to the point in my life where I think that being a jerk is going to convince someone I'm right.
This isn't the only reason I'm "leaving". I'm at a new point in my life; I've got my first job, I'm moving into my own place, and I'm finding new things to be excited about. It's time for a big change.
So I'm resigning from the staff team, giving up my sysadmin rights to other more deserving people. I'll still be around on the forums from time to time I'm sure; I won't be abandoning you all like some previous (unnamed) members. I'll still hang out in the chatroom, I'll still participate in Google Hangouts or Skype calls, whichever you want to do. I'll still be there if people want to talk to me; I like talking.
It'll take a while for us to transfer all the stuff that is needed to run this place properly, so I'll be on the staff team for the next few weeks in all likelihood. theVOID and I are probably going to try and reinstall the forums and sort out a few bugs before I go, but that might happen later on. You'll have to suffer me for a bit more is what I'm trying to say!
Some concluding remarks: Thanks to everyone who has helped out in some way over the last three years; that includes people who have donated, who have served as staff, or have helped and welcomed new members. Thanks to those members who take the time to listen to people of different views to them; to discuss with them on equal terms, rather than resorting to ridicule. You are the reason these forums were started, and hopefully one day you might get them back to that point. Thanks to our theist members who put up with so much; it has been a pleasure listening to your stories, understanding your beliefs, and becoming good friends.
So long for now...
-Tiberius
(Adrian Hayter)
