Eyring-l

Eyring-l

The Mormonism and Science Mailing List

Welcome to Eyring-l, a mailing list devoted to discussing Science and Mormonism. Any topic relating to Mormonism and Science is welcome here. A common topic of discussion is investigating Evolution from a Mormon point of view. Other discussions have focused around the theological implications of the Big Bang or recent discoveries relating to the mind. Some archaeological discussions relating to horses, elephants and other species mentioned in the Book of Mormon can also be found here. Please realize there are people with divergent opinions on these matters on the list. Please be respectful of those who disagree with you. Remember that we are here to discuss not to convince. Having said that though it helps if you've thought out your position and can offer some support for it.

Because the theme of the list is science, it covers a large espanse of topics. Social Science and Psychology are as much on topic as are the harder sciences like biology, physics and chemistry. We do ask, however, that topics be related in some way to science. There are other lists better suited for the general discussion of the scriptures, theology, or politics. Having said that many aspects of those issues do impact science and are fair game for discussion. Detailed discussions of the LDS temples are off topic as they are considered sacred by many members of the list. Likewise personal attacks on the leaders of the church will not be tolerated.

Eyring-l is a moderated mailing list. While every post is not edited, the list itself is moderated. We may send comments to you personally or to the list regarding a particular post or thread. Please realize that we are doing this as much to help you make your point as to keep discussions polite and on charter. It is also helpful to realize that sometimes a private response to a poster is more appropriate than a message sent to the entire list. If you don't think the majority of people on the list would enjoy reading your post, then please consider before sending it. In general, if you abide by the following guidelines, you shouldn’t have any problems. If you feel a post was rejected in error, feel free to write us about it and we can hopefully work something out.

We also ask that when you post you do a little research first. All too often opinion replaces facts in discussions. With the readily availability of numerous CD-Roms containing reference materials, there is no excuse for not being able to do a little research. We don’t expect the equivalent of a term-paper or thesis. We do expect that you be able to support your position. The emphasis of the list is a considered discussion of Mormonism and science. Please try and keep that in mind when posting to the list.

If you have not used a mailing list before, please read the discussion on mailing lists we have.

To help you in deciding the content of your message, we have the following list of guidelines you should follow in posting to the list.

1. Be Charitable Remember that not everyone will think the way you do. The point of the list is to discuss not convince. The differing assumptions we bring to the data will lead to different conclusions. Avoid flaming, name-calling, biting sarcasm, or even disparaging remarks. A little application of the golden rule is appropriate. "Do unto others as you would have them do unto you." Even if you are angry with an other person there is no reason to be hurtful towards them.

2. The Theme is Science If you just want to make a joke or head down a tangent, please consider taking the discussion to private email. If a topic ceases to really be relevant to the list, consider taking the discussion to an other list. If you do this, please invite others to joing you as there may be people interested in the discussion.

3. All are Welcome Anyone who can abide by the guidelines are welcome. This means that many different religions and belief systems will be present. Please keep that in mind when discussing issues. Be respectful of the other ways of thinking. Don’t assume everyone is as familiar with the jargon or issues as you are. Remember that you are always responding to the whole list and not just a single person.

4. Respect the Brethren I will not allow disparaging remarks about the leaders of the Church be made. This may appear to some to limit discussion, but I think it will actually better facilitate a wide range of views and discussions. This doesn't mean that some aspects of science that don't put people in the best light can't be discussed. It just means that personal attacks towards the leaders are inappropriate. Likewise remember that most list members are faithful Latter-day Saints who utilize testimony in how they approach the issues. All belief systems are welcome and just as I won’t allow attacks or disparaging remarks be made about the beliefs of non-Mormons, I won’t allow them to be made about Mormons.

5. Discuss, not Convince Most likely we won’t always agree. Differing assumptions frequently lead to differing conclusions. The point of the list is to discuss the issues not to try and reach consensus. Don’t think that just because someone disagrees that you’ve not made your point. Sometimes discussions go on that are just beating a dead horse. There is a time to move on.

6. Check your formatting Many mailers can’t accept 8-bit characters. Likewise some email clients like MS-Outlook sometimes attach files to the messages. Please make sure your mail reader is configured properly. Make sure that you are wrapping your text within 75 characters otherwise it can be difficult for others to read in their mailer. Please use paragraphs, capitalizations, and other formatting to make your posts easier to read.

7. Limit Quoted Replies Some people quote most of the message they are replying to. This is poor style. In general you should only quote as much as is needed for someone reading your post to be able to follow the conversation. If you are quoting more than you are responding to you probably ought to go back and delete some text.

8. Provide Sources If you are making point with references many may not be able to easily access, please post enough so that they can follow your reasoning. Quoting from articles or books, so long as they aren’t too extensive, is fine and falls within the fair use act of copyright law. Please also try and make your argument cogent and clear enough for others to follow. Very few things in life are as obvious as we take them to be. The implications of a particular text are prime cases of this.

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1. Be Charitable	Remember that not everyone will think the way you do. The point of the list is to discuss not convince. The differing assumptions we bring to the data will lead to different conclusions. Avoid flaming, name-calling, biting sarcasm, or even disparaging remarks. A little application of the golden rule is appropriate. "Do unto others as you would have them do unto you." Even if you are angry with an other person there is no reason to be hurtful towards them.
2. The Theme is Science	If you just want to make a joke or head down a tangent, please consider taking the discussion to private email. If a topic ceases to really be relevant to the list, consider taking the discussion to an other list. If you do this, please invite others to joing you as there may be people interested in the discussion.
3. All are Welcome	Anyone who can abide by the guidelines are welcome. This means that many different religions and belief systems will be present. Please keep that in mind when discussing issues. Be respectful of the other ways of thinking. Don’t assume everyone is as familiar with the jargon or issues as you are. Remember that you are always responding to the whole list and not just a single person.
4. Respect the Brethren	I will not allow disparaging remarks about the leaders of the Church be made. This may appear to some to limit discussion, but I think it will actually better facilitate a wide range of views and discussions. This doesn't mean that some aspects of science that don't put people in the best light can't be discussed. It just means that personal attacks towards the leaders are inappropriate. Likewise remember that most list members are faithful Latter-day Saints who utilize testimony in how they approach the issues. All belief systems are welcome and just as I won’t allow attacks or disparaging remarks be made about the beliefs of non-Mormons, I won’t allow them to be made about Mormons.
5. Discuss, not Convince	Most likely we won’t always agree. Differing assumptions frequently lead to differing conclusions. The point of the list is to discuss the issues not to try and reach consensus. Don’t think that just because someone disagrees that you’ve not made your point. Sometimes discussions go on that are just beating a dead horse. There is a time to move on.
6. Check your formatting	Many mailers can’t accept 8-bit characters. Likewise some email clients like MS-Outlook sometimes attach files to the messages. Please make sure your mail reader is configured properly. Make sure that you are wrapping your text within 75 characters otherwise it can be difficult for others to read in their mailer. Please use paragraphs, capitalizations, and other formatting to make your posts easier to read.
7. Limit Quoted Replies	Some people quote most of the message they are replying to. This is poor style. In general you should only quote as much as is needed for someone reading your post to be able to follow the conversation. If you are quoting more than you are responding to you probably ought to go back and delete some text.
8. Provide Sources	If you are making point with references many may not be able to easily access, please post enough so that they can follow your reasoning. Quoting from articles or books, so long as they aren’t too extensive, is fine and falls within the fair use act of copyright law. Please also try and make your argument cogent and clear enough for others to follow. Very few things in life are as obvious as we take them to be. The implications of a particular text are prime cases of this.