Server Rules Explained

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The Mighty Gerbil

Tribe of Judah TF 2 Chapter Leader & CGA Admin
Staff member
The following represents my opinion not that of Toj or other admins. Actual server rules are within the quote, word definitions within spoilers have been added for clarity. I've tried to anticipate some people's questions/statements, these are in red. Be forewarned in making this thread I realize there are those who would, in word or manner, use it to push the limits of what is tolerated. If this is your intent it will not be allowed. Our rules plainly state "Actions perceived as tempting the admin will get you kicked/banned."

Server Rules said:
1. Keep all language and subject matter G rated. Acronyms and suggestive material is not allowed.
2. Respect all players and admins. Actions perceived as tempting the admin will get you kicked/banned.
3. Non-Christians are welcome, hostile behavior towards Christianity is not.
4. No begging for items or chat spamming.
Note: Admins reserve the right to move players in order to balance teams.


Short explanation of our rules:
If you have ever been offended...
Offensive 1. causing resentful displeasure; highly irritating, angering, or annoying: offensive television commercials. 2. repugnant to the moral sense, good taste, or the like; insulting: an offensive remark; an offensive joke.
...or annoyed by anything anywhere (a picture, a video, mic spammers, etc.) you have standards. Many of the words banned on our server deal with the very same subjects one would be offended by seeing in real life. Our standards are simply higher than others. The server is our property and rented for the express intent of having one where our standards are upheld. You are free to politely disagree with our level of standards but it's still our server and you are expected to follow our rules not yours. Consider we are forced to tolerate many things on the majority of other servers. You having to follow rules on the minority means you put up with a lot less than us. We would ask that you not abuse us for wanting to have a clean, un-harassed game. We have absolutely no hate for you but if you cannot respect rules please play elsewhere.

The Longer Explanation of Our Rules:

It's just words.
Words are less explicit than pictures, pictures less than real life but words remain explicit to those who, like us, observe meaning in words. As people we are responsible for what we say as any other action (Matthew 15:18). If one argues words do not represent the reality and should be allowed one can argue images are just pixels or seeing it in real life doesn't mean you are interacting with it. Rather it is the content, meaning and intent that causes our objections. Yes images are more explicit but text can still be offensive.

You allow the use of a word that means the same thing as another you don't allow?

In society some of these things do need to be referenced and there are polite and explicit standards of doing so. Our standards do allow some tolerance. If you have doubt as to what is allowed don't say it. Note deliberately rubbing our nose in a word we tolerant will get you ban just as a more offensive word would. At the same time one should not play in fear. If you make an honest mistake you will be warned but you should know from then on. On the words which secular society universally deems profanity you should already know better though. For these you may or may not be warned given our motd and confirm rules dialog already do. Offensive names won't even get in our server without kick/ban.

I don't mean the words literary.
Most people do use cussing without forethought but then why use those particular words? Wouldn't other words do if it wasn't linked to a meaning somewhere? Somewhere along the line people chose words which would incise or offend to draw attention. Deriving that attention from shocking, grossing or offending people. Though overuse many stop paying attention. Then people create new (and often more vulgar) expletives to garner the same attention. Ask yourself if people aren't fixated on attention through obscenity how do we end up with so many different words specifically for vulgar things? That cycle stops on our server. I recall a rather painful video where the limits of one person's wit was saying the F-word over and over. With each use one could tell the other person in the video was having to force himself more and more to laugh. As children we are taught there are good ways and bad ways to get attention. Being explicitly offensive and perverted are bad ways. Furthermore as Christians we already try to pay attention and respect one another without cussing. Being "tough" and not giving a "insert vulgarity here" will only paint you as an immature child who cannot control himself.

Cussing is just a habit for me it was the way I was raised.
We respect and forgive you to the degree we can without ruining our server (or to the point we believe you can't/aren't even trying not to cuss). However one of the reasons we want a clean server is we don't want your habit passed to ourselves (or children). All have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God which includes Christians, we aren't perfect. One of the applications of Christianity is we try not to validate our sin by excuses. We accept we fail but instead of giving in to sinful habits we continue to fight against our sin (and avoid temptation) in the effort to do better. I don't care how strong your will is being pressured by society and hearing words over and over again will tempt you eventually. If you can't control yourself please turn off your mic until you can.

TF2 is a M rated game and/or why are Christians playing a violent game?
Christian standards are not secular standards. I have put "keep it G rated" in our rules listing because it would be understood quickly by non-Christians not because it conforms perfectly to our standards. In particular I do not have an objection to violence rather it's context. Christians are not pacifists. We believe there is a time and place for everything under Heaven. That vengeance is God's alone not ours. That we should love our enemies and hope for their redemption not destruction, if appropriate even to the point of dying like Christ to redeem them. Consider though Christ himself whipped the money changers out of the temple. This is not to be taken out of context as an excuse for any act of violence but it clearly debunks the "Christians should never fight" myth. I do object to games which glamorize and reward criminal/immoral behavior, create lust, and games which exist only to relish in gory violence but again it's context! Sin is an act at an improper place or time not an act unto itself. Still I accept there are Christians who will find the gore in TF2 to much. In consideration of them I have installed the silly gibs mod on our server (EDIT: until it started crashing our server and I had to remove it :( ). Note though some Christians take the opposite tack wanting realistic gore in games to not be desensitized to the pain of real violence.

TF2 has some language in it.
We cannot change the game, if I could easily remove those words I would, we can however admin our server. Good multiplayer FPS games, along with many other genres, created to Christian standards do not exist. We work with what we have.

Why are you so intolerant?
While it depends on the admin and circumstances we are tolerant. There are words which I never personally use which I have let slide on our server and if you are making honest mistakes you need not fear. I care about every person I've perma-banned and do regret some from my "learning to deal with people" phase. However we have a server to have a clean game and if we fail to enforce the rules we might as well not have a server. If you have a house and let strangers rip it apart you aren't going to have a house much longer. Finally to be clear, because many today abuse the meaning of the word, tolerate means...
2. to endure without repugnance; put up with: I can tolerate laziness, but not incompetence. 4. the act or capacity of enduring; endurance: My tolerance of noise is limited.
it does not mean not acceptance...
2. favorable reception; approval; favor. 3. the act of assenting or believing: acceptance of a theory.

Your standards are too high.
We who observe meaning in our lives and actions observe meaning in our words. Thus, along with the aforementioned tolerance, the actual meaning of the words we say set the standard.

Some of the content we object to and why:

Sexual Immorality: If Christians are against sexual immorality wouldn't we object to throwing around words that encourage sexual thoughts or deal with perverse subjects?

Profane:
1. characterized by irreverence or contempt for God or sacred principles or things; irreligious.
Picture this someone takes the name of someone you love, sandwiches it in-between a few vulgarities and uses it to draw attention when anything bad happens. I do not believe in Buddha or Allah but I would not disrespect a Buddhist or Muslim in that manner. As to the use of the d-word nothing in existence is worse than being condemned to Hell, nothing! Yet for many it is among the most common curse word. To d-word things when you stub your toe is inappropriate language by definition. On a side note I am a bit bewildered as to Atheists who use words with religious origins then at the same time seek to remove any trace of religious origins (for instance making A.D/B.C. common era/BCE, etc.). If being religious in origin alone is enough to object to something why do you continue to use faith based words?

Vulgarity: Vulgar
1. a : lacking in cultivation, perception, or taste : coarse b : morally crude, undeveloped, or unregenerate : gross 2. a : offensive in language : earthy b : lewdly or profanely indecent.
It makes for a rather unpleasant gaming experience wading through this. Once again we realize these subjects happen (we had to deal with the addition of Jarate to TF2 T_T) and I realize people will, ahem, crack a butt joke from time to time (done only to show I am human and not without mercy) but we do not use explicit language nor do we linger on the subject. Honestly sometimes I hear people talk and all I see are monkeys throwing poo at one another, this does not make fun times.

Racial Bigotry: It should be a given considering popular secular society condemns it too.

Really Long Arguments: TF2 is a game and games are meant to be played. We welcome questions about our faith, we do put sincere interest in Christ above a game but please keep questions brief. Most are best kept in our forums. There we won't be distracted by the game and can give articulated answers without worrying about ruining the game for others because we are involved in discussion. In the past some people have joined our server, completely ignored our answers, completely ignore us telling them to go to our forums and go on and on about something. You don't have to agree with us to play with us but when you disrupt games, ignore answers and ignore admins telling you to stop you will be taken as doing it on purpose and be banned. Furthermore we are not an advertisement server for other faiths and will not allow content that does them homage whether mocking or legitimate.

There are a very small handful of words which don't fall under the above categories. In conformity of common polite standards we still refrain from their use.

In closing do not expect perfectly uniform administration with all admins enforcing rules the same. One admin may tolerate more when another would not. Admins are instructed to sincerely WWJD according to their conscience. Regardless respect the admin if he tells you to stop a behavior.
 
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