Be A Berean
This page last updated:
10/24/2007 06:01 PM
Getting There from Here
Helpful Hints | A Few Simple Rules
| Changing the Look
Descriptions of the Available Learning and
Debate Centers
REGISTERING
Berea is our name for the Whole Bible
learning and debate center. It was
created to provide a place to ask and answer questions, as well as to
provide a better and more current study help. As of this writing
there are three sections and nine
divisions. It is a
bulletin-board format, meaning that people can 'post' messages like
notes on a bulletin board.
Berea can be publicly viewed by
anyone, but
you have to register in order to participate more than that. If you want
more information keep reading down or use the menu at the top to
investigate rules and further information on the types of
sections.
To register, all you have to do is click on the link below which
will take you to the registration pages. The first page is the
agreement, so just read it and if you agree click on the appropriate
link at the bottom of that page. Next, you will see a Profile
page, where you enter information about yourself. If you don't
know what something means, then don't put anything in that field.
Later you can ask someone if you want, and change your profile however
you want.
IMPORTANT - We need to see at least a little bit of personal
information. This is why. We get a lot of spammers who
send out programs called 'bots' (short for robot) to crawl the web
looking for centers like ours. Then they try to get some sort of garbage
listed, like a web site or picture or something (frequently
for sites of, shall we say, 'not family oriented' information).
When we get one of these trying to register, they use strange names and
usually just have a web site listed in the profile. To avoid
clutter we delete these on a regular basis.
This means that if you use a name that doesn't 'look real,' or if you
only put a teeny bit of information about yourself in the profile, then
it looks like a spammer and will probably get deleted. So USE A
REAL NAME, like your first name and last initial, or first initial and
last name, or something else which will tell us you are real.
Jump to the Register Page
To go back to where you were use your browser's 'Back'
button.
Please observe these few simple rules
for discussion.
Fill out your profile as completely as space permits. This helps other
people get to know you a little. Even something as simple as where you
are living can open up all sorts of good connections to someone else.
Support your Scriptural ideas with Scripture; label your opinions as
opinions.
Always be courteous, avoid poor language. Treat everyone with respect.
If you disagree with someone's point of view, argue ideas rather than
attacking individuals or groups. Derogatory statements about Jews or
Judaism, or Christian denominations, practices, or beliefs, and
individually aimed insults or threats that cause any participant to feel
discomfort will be deleted if necessary. However, disagreements
can become rather sharp on occasion, simply because of the nature of
disagreement. Please try to grant extra courtesy on these
occasions. Notify the administrator of any post which you think
goes past these boundaries.
Stay on-topic. Be sure that your discussion relates to the subject of
the particular thread in which you participate. If you want to discuss a
new subject, start one. Just be sure to put a short title in the Subject
line.
Watch your language. Profanity, anti-Semitism, obscenities, sexually
explicit language, sexual innuendoes, vulgar or rude comments, and
expressions of bigotry are out of place here, including attempts to
"mask" such words by using initials, blanks, or asterisks.
Do not impersonate anyone.
Compose carefully-reasoned comments. Be sure to think before you click.
Guard yours (and others') personal safety and privacy. Do not post
anyone's full name, personal phone number or address. In addition, do
not post private e-mail you have received from someone else unless the
author has given you specific permission to do so.
Do not advertise. Commercial-type information is not allowed.
Do not post copyrighted material. Instead, post URLs to Web content or
cite reference information (title, publisher, etc.).
Hopefully, this forum will give all of us a healthy place to exchange
ideas and help one another as we attempt to follow God with all our
heart, soul and strength. Treat others as you have been treated by your
God. Love is our vehicle, Jesus is the goal.
Use your browser 'Back' button to go back.
DIGGING IN section
Seeker's
There are lots of these kinds of sites out
here in computer land. What makes this one different? It is not flashy
or graphically active, nor is it loaded with people who know everything.
You won't find all the answers to every problem, because that is God's
territory. Here is a group of people who care, and we simply offer
whatever understanding of the Word we have for the hopeful benefit of
others.
Manna
This is organized around the annual reading
cycle, called the parasha or portion, common in many congregations and
published in a booklet we make titled 'Manna for Whole
Bible Christians.' This forum is divided into about 61 or so fixed
topics (one for each week, plus God's feasts) using the Hebrew name, the
English transliteration of the name, and the Bible section. The order of
the subjects is fixed so to find new posts you may have to scroll down.
God's Festivals are at the bottom of the list for easy location. The
object is to create a gathering point around the topics relating to each
portion where people can give and receive help or find further study
options and hear what others are saying. Comments or personal insights
on anything in that section of Scripture are welcome, as are links to
other commentaries or related articles. Jump in!
Word Studies
Share with us your studies on particular biblical
words here. We'd prefer to see your own studies, but links or quotes for
other studies are okay too. Word studies can be a little tedious, but
seeing how words are used in different sections of the Bible is a huge
help in understanding the Word as a whole.
Books or
Courses
In here we discuss books we have read both fiction
and non-fiction. They don't have to be directly related to religion or
the Bible or a particular faith, though they should be productive or
edifying. But that doesn't mean just 'serious' books because
entertainment can be productive or edifying also. "All work and no play
makes Jack a dull boy." We also discuss courses of study that contribute
to our understanding of the Word as well as to prepare for leadership.
These might be on CD or DVD, or it might be just printed, or a combination of all
formats. It could be a college course or a one-time seminar.
PERSONAL TOUCHES section
Life Updates
Under this heading we can keep each other informed
about changes in our lives that we would like to share. Family
additions, losses, sickness, healing, struggles, trials and tribulations
are all of interest to your brothers and sisters in our online
community. Keep us updated here so we can keep you in our thoughts and
prayers, share in blessings and answered prayer, and encourage one
another in love. "Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who
weep." (Romans 12:15)
Real Life Torah
We thought this would be a place where
we could discuss real life examples of Torah problems. This is intended
to be more specific than simple discussion of general Scripture topics.
It is for actual descriptions of problems that crop up from time to time
between people. The situation is described (what happened/is happening),
solutions or judgments are given (what did you do) and further opinions
or judgments are solicited (what should have been done/what should I
do?).
Movie Opinions
Here we give our opinions on movies. Mostly it's to help
people choose a movie by disclosing information that may not be
available just by reading the box or hearing from other people. For
instance, many movies have scenes that really ruin the movie for most of
us, including nudity or graphic violence or homosexuality or whatever.
This is not mentioned on the box. The rating system of the MPAA is
pretty lame most of the time, although it can be a fairly decent guide
to language, sex, drugs, and violence. But they have a modern
(which is to say, wrong) view of how to rate movies, which can cause
problems even if you avoid 'R' rated or above movies.
We decided to start a board for movies, because so
many of them are really bad viewing choices for one reason or another,
and frequently we don't know it 'till after the money is paid. When you
are looking to rent or buy, check here first to see if anyone has
already seen it and can tell you more about it.
Music
Obviously this is for discussing music, or for listing information
on songs or bands or singers that you like or found interesting.
Music plays such a large part in our lives and
worship together that a separate forum section seems to make sense. Post
links to web sites, write a review, or share some of what you have
written. Try to keep within genres or artists that are 'good'
meaning material that is edifying or expressive rather than simply noise
or garbage.
FUN 'N GAMES
Web Video Clips
The idea for this section was given by the
popularity of sites like YouTube. As we find interesting or funny video
clips, there is a desire to share the fun with friends. So post your
links to clips here and share them with your friends here, too.
Other
sections may be added
from time to time as the needs of the participants dictate.
To go back to where you were,
use your browser 'Back' button.
Helpful Hints for participation in Berea
Use the FAQ.
At the top of each page is a menu, and one of the items you can select
is the Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) item. Most of the things you
need to know are in there.
After logging in, you will see a list of subjects (actually you can see the list and read the subjects without logging in).
Move your cursor over a title and you can click it to read it. The
series of comments in each subject is called a 'thread.'
If you want to start a new subject,
click on the button at the bottom of the list of subjects that says,
'New Topic.' A form will pop up where you can type in a subject, then
compose your opening questions and comments.
If you want to reply to
someone's comments, click the button labeled 'Post a
Reply.' You will get the same type of form as the New Subject form. You
do not have to enter a subject; just enter the body of your comments.
Editing. You can change what you
wrote at any time. Just go to where your comments are posted, then click
on the Edit button. The form will pop up
with your comments in it. Change what you want, then press the 'Submit'
button at the bottom of the form.
Using the text modification buttons.
There are little buttons near the top of the form that modify the text
you type with Boldface, or italics, and so on. You incorporate these by
highlighting what you want to change, then clicking on the button. Or,
when you get to a spot where you want to use one, click the button (this
puts the start coding in place), type what you want, then click the
button at the end. A third way is to use the code that appears just
below the button line when you place your mouse pointer on the screen
over the button. For instance, to separate a quote into something more
special, type in the word [quote] inside of square brackets to start the
quote, then type in [/quote] in square brackets to end the quote.
An emoticon is the little face
we use to convey emotion, because sometimes communicating in writing is
sort of sterile. Nobody can see your face or hear your tone to judge,
for instance, whether or not you are kidding around. So we use the
emoticons to help with this. To use them, simply place your cursor where
you want the face to go and click there (the little upright bar will
blink at the spot), then go and click on the emoticon. You should see a
code inserted that represents the face. You can also use the code by
itself, if you want, and it will be translated when you post.
Sometimes an emoticon will pop up where
you don't expect it. This is usually because the computer program
interprets something you typed as code for an emoticon. For instance,
the code for 'cool' is an eight followed by a right parenthesis but it
looks like this
when you post. To keep this from happening, put a space between them,
like this 8 ).
Cursor jumps to bottom. At
times, when you try to use an emoticon or the little buttons for Bold or
Quote or whatever, the cursor bounces down to the bottom of the Message
body area and places the codes for what you want down there. Either use
the highlight function, or put the codes in manually. If you want to see
the codes, just put your cursor someplace in the Message body area and
click on one of the buttons or emoticons. The code will be inserted for
you, and you can then figure out what it is and use it manually.
Preview. To look at what you
wrote before posting, press the Preview button at the bottom of the
form.
Use your word processor program.
We suggest using your word processor to compose lengthy replies, or any
replies for that matter. This way you can use your spell checker to
correct spelling and grammar and what not, and you can take your time
composing, and save what you composed just in case the computer blinks
and you lose everything. If you want, you can use the codes (in square
brackets) in your word processor, then they will copy and paste like you
want them.
To go back to where you were use
your browser's 'Back' button.
You can change the appearance of what you see at
any time. All you have to do is go into your Profile (find the word
'Profile' and click on it) after you register. About two-thirds of the
way down you will see a box for 'Board Style.' Click on the arrow to see
your choices and pick one. When you press 'Submit' at the bottom, the
program will take you to a screen that says 'Your Profile has been
updated. Click Here to return to the index.' When you click on this, you
will see your new style. If, after browsing around, you don't like the
new style, just go back to the profile and pick another.
The default style (what you get when you sign up) is named Athena. The
default style when we started this board was subSilver. I am working on
getting a logo, too.
We uploaded a few styles that we thought were interesting. If you want,
you can go to
www.phpbb.com/styles (click on the word 'Downloads') and browse
through the styles they have listed. If you see one you like,
email with the name and URL if you know how to
find it (just the name will be okay, I think) and I will try to get it
uploaded and installed so you can use it. Please remember, though, that
right now we only have so much space on the server, and I don't think I
can load all the styles. So take it easy on asking for new ones, please.
Avatars
If you want you can upload an avatar. An avatar
is a small picture that you can use to represent you or it can be an
actual picture. It must be no larger than 160 x 160 pixels and 40
kilobytes. If you aren't sure what this means, you can try uploading the
avatar and the program will tell you whether or not it fits.
Go to your profile and scroll down about two-thirds of the way, and you
will see the Avatar section. You can browse to a site either on your
computer (use the 'Browse' button) or on the web and the program will go
get it and load it for you. If it's too big, the program will tell you.
In that case, use a graphics editor like Adobe or the one built into
Windows XP and crop it or resize it. Then try uploading again. In some
editors (like Adobe Photoshop) you can specify how many pixels you want
it. A pixel is the small dot on your computer screen that pictures are
made out of.
If you have problems or questions just email
info@wholebible.com.
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