Launching a New Blog
Posted by Dave Keller on April 9th, 2006
Welcome to a new forum for discussing topics of Mormon and Catholic interest. The design of this forum is to give Mormon and Catholic bloggers equal time in describing the beliefs, culture, and practices of their chosen faith as well as offer humble critiques of the corresponding facets of the other faith. This will also be a place to get both perspectives on current events and hot topics being discussed in both the thriving Mormon and Catholic blog communities.
While this site will strive to maintain a balanced overall position in regards to Catholicism and Mormonism, it will be partial to posts and comments that that employ gentle persuasion as opposed to spirited debate. No personal attacks will be allowed and items that draw heavily on boundary maintenance literature may be deleted. Additionally, mockery of beliefs and practices deemed sacred by either faith will not be tolerated.
A few simple principles will facilitate good dialogue:
1. When summarizing the teachings of the other faith, be gracious when a clarification is offered. On this blog the last word on what their church currently teaches will be given to adherents of that faith.
2. Clearly delineate the transition between stating a belief and analyzing it. Too often the two get confused, leaving correspondents to feel misrepresented.
3. Look for opportunities to employ Dr. Krister Stendahl’s rules for learning about other faiths:
- Ask adherents, not enemies.
- Don’t compare your best with their worst.
- Leave room for Holy Envy.
4. Since this site will present both perspectives on issues, it will be a resource for those seriously considering conversion from one faith to the other. While both religions sometimes stress the dire consequences of leaving the religion, please respect a contributor’s agency. Build up a repoire before offering advice and only do so when it is requested.
Thanks for stopping by. We hope to have more content and an improved format up soon. We also welcome suggestion on what features to add to this blog.
April 18th, 2006 at 12:32 pm
Dave and Brad,
You are setting up a nice forum here for healthy dialogue between Catholics and Mormons. I’m impressed. Best of luck to you both. I’ll keep my eye on this blog and comment as more content appears.
April 18th, 2006 at 2:48 pm
Congratulations, Rob! First comment!
April 19th, 2006 at 1:57 am
Oh Yeah! The first comment is a major milestone for this blob. Rob, I have enjoyed reading some of your thoughts on Brad’s blog. I hope we can produce some comment-worthy items here as well.
May 12th, 2006 at 6:08 pm
You might be interested in a post at my blog a bird’s eye view not too long ago titled From the Pope, or A Study in Catholic Envy.
I look forward to reading more from this blog.
May 12th, 2006 at 8:32 pm
Neat idea, I wish there were more blogs like this.