Barry,

Thank you for your post. We were glad to lend our support. I think the distinction that Joe is trying to make is between praying here for those we know, who will have the ability to benefit from reading our contributions as opposed to people who are not directly associated w/ Mudcat. It's not that he doesn't have goodwill for all, it's just to keep some balance in the content of the discussion forum. Mudcat tends to be cyclic & Max allows it to be self-regulating. What that means is that, every now & then, we get a lot of non-music threads, people object, & we get back to more music for awhile. Unfortunately, in the process, there's usually some bad feeling. I am a mainstream Christian who certainly prays & believes in the power of prayer, but I am totally in agreement w/ Joe on this one. People will continue to do as they choose &, yes, we *can* choose which threads we open & read, but there *are* 2 sides to this issue, even among believers.

best,

bbc