mercie,
whomever is making you feel this way should ought to take a better look at Ray's site because on the bottom of his page it state "Ask your question in the bible-truths discussion group. See THOUSANDS of emails not posted here.
Join Now - http://forums.bible-truths.com" Granted it also gives his email address but nonetheless.
Mercie and everyone else. Yes this is what is said at the bottom of Ray's site, but here is the situation the moderators are in. We are not teachers, and because of this feel very overwhelmed. What happens is someone does ask a question and then the trouble begins.
For the most part the forum has many good folks asking honest questions, there are also those who will try and teach things which they have no understanding of. Religious hobbyists, and self appointed scholars are those that can confuse us little children. Answers are given and twenty different views are added in and in the end the strongest personalities win out and it leaves the silent majority, the new people, the non posters, the babes in Christ, who have had their eyes opened to the truth, more confused than ever. I become confused and I have had more experience than most.
Yes, Ray Smith is the teacher who without, the website and forum would not exist. I believe he is called of God to teach. Does he have all the answers?. Of course not.
So what tools do the moderators have to try and keep things on track? (Remember we are not teachers and don't have the time to keep the truths taught on Bible Truths on track) The tool we use is the thing that brought us all to the forum, the writings of Ray and the scriptures he uses to provide some answers to people. When we do this, then we are accused of only letting Ray's views be the boundry of discussion.....Well H-E-L-L-O, that is why the questions are generated in the first place. Remember the forum rules "If you come here to teach us, please take your teaching elsewhere" This applies even if your teaching is correct, because none of the moderators have the time to study what you are teaching or believe, we have a hard enough time within the confines of the rules of the forum.
Perhaps the forum has run its course, I for one am tired of the trouble and confusion it is causing. If it is to be used to answer questions then it will need a teacher and I know of no one here that can fit that calling. Ray could not write another paper and spend the rest of his life answering email questions generated by his teaching and would not finish. Thirty moderators could not do justice to the job of answering honest questions posted here, let alone the questions of what is the spritial meaning of this or that? Joe said it right when he compared it to herding a roomful of cats.
I wish the site would just become a place to fellowship and spritiual resting place. Many are coming out of the wilderness and need a place of sanctuary, instead of coming out of babylon into another babylon. We need to lift each other up in fellowship, many of us here have lost the fellowship with others and are now shunned. When this site becomes a forum of confusion we are failing each other. Too many here try very hard to be teachers, preachers and leaders. The fact is very few will ever be called to do that job, the majority of us are to be diligent students and all of us are to let Christ be a witness through us, not by speaking or writing a thousand words but by the actions of Him in our lives.
Blessings!
Craig