Advice for new posters?

[adamhovey1988]

Ask questions that are not impossible to answer. Please avoid proselytizing. Be careful because people are in fact sensitive of their religious beliefs for the non Catholics do remember that this is primarily a Catholic website. Be sure to read the rules.

 

[alwayswill]

if you are asked a yes or no question please include a yes or no in the response.

Pasting a three paragraph reply that doesn’t use the same terminology as the question is confusing

Clearly state yes or no then you can paste a three paragraph reply

 

[Tommy999]

Treat others like you would like to be treated and you should do fine.

Fight the temptation to think people on CAF are just “cyber people” without feelings. They are real people behind somewhat interesting screen names.

Fight the urge to think Catholics are a monolithic group who all think and believe alike. The same goes for Protestants and other religions. There are some in each group who are more traditional, some more inclusive of other Christians, some more condescending, some who are respectful, and some who are holier than thou. It’s kind of like going to a large family reunion.

 

[Mike_from_NJ]

Don’t assume you know exactly what it says in the Bible, Catechism, or any other religious text. Find and bookmark sites where you can search those texts and take a minute to be sure it says what you think it says.

Don’t assume that your point of contention isn’t something that hasn’t already been discussed multiple times on CAF before. In fact, in can’t hurt to do a forum search to find previous threads on the matter. Then you’ll be aware of likely counter-arguments, counter-counter-arguments, even counter-counter-counter-counter-counter-counter-counter-counter-arguements

There’s no law that if someone responds to you that you have to respond back in 30 seconds. Take your time. Sleep on it if the conversation is getting somewhat tangled.

Check out some of the lighter sub-forums like Popular Media. Not only will it give you a nice breather, but you might find person X who you’ve been fighting tooth and nail over transubstantiation may like the same TV show you do. It puts a bit of a human face on the people with whom you’re discussing heavier matters.

 

[pianistclare]

Keep it succinct.
Writing long tomes won’t get you read.
Those who want to write a paper should enroll in online classes.
Don’t overstate your credentials. This is fairly transparent except to the very naïve.
But most of all, when you sincerely ask a question, and people sincerely answer, don’t get angry! People ask, people answer. That’s the way it goes.