Thread deletion and closure are tools we use to keep discussions from getting out of hand. That's the main criterion used - keeping the peace, and each closure or deletion call is the moderator's best guess about which action will work. It's a tactical decision. When things at Mudcat are chaotic in general, then our deletion and closure may be used more frequently.

We can't and don't give public explanations for our closure of threads, so I'm going to close this one. If you'd like to discuss this further, I'm the contact person. Feel free to contact me by email.

I suppose you may be asking about the BS: Answers: Re Religion thread. The very similarly nasty BS: Qu: Regarding Religion had been closed, probably because a moderator had legitimately decided that the bigotry and abuse had gone on long enough. To a great extent, the second thread merely repeated things that were already said in the first thread. There's certainly no need to duplicate any thread, and especially not a distasteful one. Give the subject a rest for a few days. If you want to talk about the subject further, try to do so in a way that respects all positions.

-Joe Offer-
joe@mudcat.org