RevJohn has made some wise observations about the nature of online communications and Wondercafe in Go_38's thread "Question from a lurker". Perhaps some of you missed it. So here is a thread to discuss the meaning of our online community (and others), it's usefullness, it's detriment, it's very nature.  Has it done us good? Are we kidding ourselves? Are we turning ourselves into hopeless introverts? I'm looking for true honest opinions.

People leave this place. There are reasons for that. Will we all still be here in 10 years time?

 Well I have recently met probably the most amazing person ever.  His name is Feroz and he is a Muslim.  He lives in my town.  He isn't just any Muslim though, he is one of the most learned Muslims...like...ever.  He has permission from all 7 of the major Sufi orders to teach their ways (he is one of only 2 people  in the past half century to achieve this), he has worked with the Prime Minister, done Akido training for CSIS, and has an incredible intellect.

I picked my daughter (age 3 1/2) up from daycare last week and she'd had a rough day.  Normally we only hear good stuff but that day, whoosh, she'd whacked one kid and thrown food, tried to induce a coo against another child...the works.  It was, as I said, a rough day and we talked a lot about what had happened that day.  Part of it that seemed to contribute to it was two of her boy daycare friends suddenly deciding to turn on the girls, chase them with pretend guns while yelling that they were going to kill them.

I have a problem with this.

Would this be like an infinite CIA? God-like Phantom ... Shadow!

We couldn't have that in church, could we?

            The theme of today’s reading from the First Letter of John is “love one another” - a most appropriate theme for Mother’s Day, on which we celebrate the Christian family. Writer A. E. Brooke once said, “Life is a chance of learning how to love.” I know of no better place for learning to love than the home.

        So I was just wondering what people think of the education system and how it works. Do you think students should have grades or marks? It seems like students don't learn as much as they could because they focus on getting good grades, instead of actually understanding a subject. For example, cramming information the night before a test might help someone get good grades, but will they really understand thoroughly or remember the information later? It seems so pointless to take a course, do loads of work and then not learn much at all.

I taught both elementary and high school for six years before teaching university the rest of my career. Recently, having retired, I have been supply teaching - and have been dismayed by changes I sense in the schools.

This week, in the online clergy discussions in which I participate, we have been going back and forth about the use of words in sermon illustrations. It began when one pastor noted he had used the word "nigger" when telling a story *about* someone who had said it. *He himself* was not using the word, but was illustrating how racism continues, and wanted his congregation to sit up and take note.