.

[...]

.

Edited March 19, 2023 by ...

[Jim_Alaska]

15 hours ago, Brother Stafford said:

I was wondering if it might be a good idea to create another area specifically for people to discuss  and debunk passages of scripture that many perceive as contradictions in the Bible.  It could also be a place to compare how the modern versions change or omit verses that do cause contradictions and difficulties in those versions.  I was thinking of just creating a thread for such discussions, but thought that the thread might get confusing, especially for guests or newcomers.

Examples would be:

Did Elhanan kill Goliath or the brother of Goliath? 2 Samuel 21:19 (KJV vs. NASB, ESV, NIV)

Did Jesus Lie to His brothers? John 7:8 (The missing "yet" in some versions)

 

This idea comes up quite often Bro. Stafford. In answer to this I would submit the following. If we create different forums for each subject there comes a point where just trying to find the right forum to post in or read becomes burdensome. The present layout of the forums at OB are a case in point.

At OB we have no less than 29 different forums which comprise the board as a whole. There is no limit to creating new forums and sub-forums. Most of the forums you see on this board are the result of members suggesting the very same issue you address. Topics such as you detailed can easily be incorporated into existing forums simply by creating topics within the framework of individual forums.

As far as any thread becoming confusing, my take on this is a simple one and made from observance of members browsing habits. Most people that belong to any kind of board and frequent it regularly make extensive use of two helpful features; one is the "mark forum read" and the other is the "unread content" feature. These two features can keep members fully up to date on any new topic or reply posted.

So then it just becomes members to use these features, which is a practice of discipline on their part. We have to remember when thinking of board complexity in the number of forums on a board, the job of the board owner and moderators. More forums equates to more work and time spent for those charged with administering and moderating.

Make no mistake, I am not against multiple forums on a board, I just think there comes a time when any more forums are too much. Take me for instance. I am an administrator of this board, which is quite extensive, but also have like duties to other boards that most here don't even know exist. I administer two other boards that contain six forums within each of them, so I think you can see that my time, each and every day. is devoted to administering boards and forums. Of course this is a responsibility I voluntarily take on, but it is a daily responsibility non-the -less.

There is one other point to be considered in creating an additional forum for specific topics and that is the point of “need”. I mean this in the context of; “is there really a need for a new category?”

A case in point would be the “Homestead Forum” that I created at the request of members. I forgot that you were the member that first brought this up. I love the idea of this kind of forum, but if you look at the use it gets after almost a year and a half it is obvious that the “need” is not really there. There are only 444 posts on this forum. Compared to the rest of the forums at OB, there does not seem to be a real need.

There is also, within any special forum the moderation of it. For moderators a major part of their work is keeping the posts within a forum on topic, this is a big part of moderating and adds to time spent by moderators.

I didn’t mean to write a book in reply to your suggestion, but once I got thinking about it all these other things came to light.

Subjects such as you addressed in your post are easily handled within the framework of existing forums. It doesn’t have to be confusing if members would simply use the “search” feature to see if a subject they are interested in has been addressed already.

In the end the addition of a new forum should be the prerogative of the board’s owner, BroMatt. I hope what I have written gives members an idea of how boards work and what goes into making them function properly, as well as keep them interesting and informative.

 

[Jordan Kurecki]

20 hours ago, Brother Stafford said:

I was wondering if it might be a good idea to create another area specifically for people to discuss  and debunk passages of scripture that many perceive as contradictions in the Bible.  It could also be a place to compare how the modern versions change or omit verses that do cause contradictions and difficulties in those versions.  I was thinking of just creating a thread for such discussions, but thought that the thread might get confusing, especially for guests or newcomers.

Examples would be:

Did Elhanan kill Goliath or the brother of Goliath? 2 Samuel 21:19 (KJV vs. NASB, ESV, NIV)

Did Jesus Lie to His brothers? John 7:8 (The missing "yet" in some versions)

 

ive heard it said that Elhanan was possibly another name for David.

[Salyan]

We have the King James Bible section... seems to me that discussions about the Bible, including problems caused by alternate versions, would fit well under that section.

[OLD fashioned preacher]

On 9/22/2018 at 10:17 PM, Salyan said:

We have the King James Bible section... seems to me that discussions about the Bible, including problems caused by alternate versions, would fit well under that section.

I agree with this.