Banned Topics List
Catholic Answers has an obligation to protect our members and assure that the Forums remain a respected discussion environment in which members feel secure in participating.
To achieve this, it is necessary to ban certain topics, content, and posting techniques. If you are unsure whether or not something falls within the scope of this list, inquire of a moderator privately, before posting
Advocating violence or threatening a person or institution
Inappropriate language or graphics (crude, obscene, rude, vulgar, or blasphemous)
Pornography and links to pornographic sites or sites which host links to or advertise pornographic sites
Sexually explicit or graphically violent material or content that is inappropriate for non-adult members or might offend adult members
Hate material and links to sites that promote bigotry, hatred, or prejudice toward those of any race, religion, ethnicity, culture, or nationality
Derogatory terms characterizing a class of people by religion (Papists, Prods, Fundies), political affiliation, or national/ethnic origin
Blatantly disrespectful characterization of any faith, (“Rome is the Whore of Babylon”, “Nazarenes are Holy-Rollers”, “Jews are Christ-killers”, “Muslims are terrorists”) its tenets, practices, or adherents
Proselytizing Catholics or encouraging them to leave the Church
Debating moderator action, including discussing, disputing, or speculating as to why a member’s posting privileges were restricted, why posted messages were edited or deleted, or why threads were closed or removed from public fora
Posts in circumvention of a restriction, suspension, or ban imposed by staff
Solicitation of personal information (e.g., age, income, or location), beyond that freely offered by members through inclusion in their public profiles
Identifiable information pertaining to individuals, including the names of non-public personages who have not consented to being identified, their mailing or e-mail addresses, telephone numbers, or details of their private life (or such information - not already in the public domain - which relates to a public personage who has not consented to it being revealed)
Private correspondence or e-mail from a third party
Discussion of political candidates, including posts that name a candidate, allude to a particular candidate, use euphemisms for a candidate, or refer to surrogates for a particular candidate
Rumored “conversions in process” that involve third parties, particularly public figures. Exception: If the possible conversion is itself a news story, that news story may be discussed in the Catholic News sub-forum so long as a link to the news story is provided in the original post
Encouraging “swarming” of other forums to engage in debate of anti-Catholic postings there
Links to blatantly anti-Catholic sites, except as a valid reference point for discussion
Addresses or telephone numbers of individuals, institutions, or commercial enterprises to promote activity that might negatively affect another’s life or business operations
Identifying individual parishes, clergy, or hierarchs as “unfaithful to the Magisterium”, guilty of “liturgical abuse”, or otherwise engaged in unacceptable or unpopular practices, based on personal “knowledge” or opinion
Soliciting or proffering financial, legal, medical, or mental health advice
Asserting credentials as a clergyman, religious, theologian, or legal or medical professional, on which members might rely to their detriment, when the credentials cannot be verified to the satisfaction of CA staff
Lengthy excerpts of articles or publications that exceed standards for “reasonable use” (generally no more than three paragraphs) or might otherwise be construed to infringe copyright
Unlinked news stories or those not linked to a publicly accessible website (one that does not require registration or payment)
Intentionally deceptive material, including plagiarism (presenting another’s work as one’s own) or text attributable to or quoting others that has been altered
False statements maliciously made to defame another’s reputation
Promoting unapproved apparitions and revelations (those not approved by the Church for private or public devotion) or alleged private locutions
Soliciting business for any commercial enterprise without prior approval by CA staff
Soliciting donations for any individual or institution without prior approval by CA staff
Spamming (multiple or repetitious messages consisting of identical or nearly identical text or links without substantive commentary)
Using “sock puppet” identities to deceive others, promote an agenda, bolster one’s own credibility, filibuster, or engage in debate with oneself in furtherance of a point of view
