Hi Phil,

I haven't visited this board for awhile, but it's changed a lot since I used to come here a couple of years ago. There seems to be only three or four people now and the tone is very right-wing conservative, even on the theology and spirituality threads (remember, I had sent you an email to create the politics forum to move those off the other discussions). One person in particular seems to be here mainly to attack liberals.

Where are the women? I was one of several who enjoyed coming here and sharing experiences. That spirit of sharing isn't here any more. Where's johnboy? Has he given up on this place? And Wanda? I used to enjoy visiting with her. I don't even see Terri posting any more.

The rest of the site is nicely done and helpful. Maybe I'll check out your premium groups. Is it the same people there as here?

Love, Kris

Kris,

Thank you for the feedback. What is your soul longing for and what would you like to see, hear and feel here? What attracted you here in the past?

Welcome and caritas,

mm <*)))))><

One person in particular seems to be here mainly to attack liberals.

Kris, I was thinking about cutting back anyway. So go ahead and join in. No hard feelings. But you've got to make me a promise. Don't let MM turn this into a strictly left wing establishment.

Conservatively yours.

Welcome back, Kris (would that be Kristie?). The feedback is appreciated.

There have been times when we've had a wider variety of people active, but, more often than not, the history of this board has been just a few plodding along -- kind of a four- or five-man blog with a few others who drop in and out somewhat regularly. There are also quite a few people stopping by to read (judging from the guests listed on the index page and forum stats), and occasionally someone new drops in to chat about something new (like Jacques, the last couple of days). I do wish we had more women involved; that is the case with the premium groups.

Conservative tone . . . for sure, especially re. political issues. I don't think that applies to the religious discussions, however, where I hope we maintain an ecumenical (even interreligious) perspective. I would also say that even in the political discussions, people who have voiced liberal viewpoints were treated respectfully and were engaged re. the issues.

Your idea (and I do remember that email now) to move the political discussions to one forum was a good one. Alas, some of the other forums sometimes have topics that drift in that direction. Just hold your nose and skip those posts.

I hope this response doesn't sound defensive. I've thought a lot about the issues you've raised, but, frankly, don't know what to do about them. So long as people abide by the general rules for participation, I don't generally make any effort to control the contents discussed here. The board is what it is. I'm open to suggestions on how to improve things, however.

Shalom. Phil