Paths section.

Makes since, though I think the idea has to avoid a sub-forum for every single path.
Though I agree that a pathworking forum is important.

I can see the reasoning behind that and it might be interesting to see how that works, but I can think of a few potential problems;-

Mainly I think it will make it increasingly difficult as time goes by to know "where" to post and/or find threads and thus could result in a lot of duplication.

Secondly there are many things which are "path specific"; in which the given terminology of a particular path is understood by those participating and it could become increasingly tiresome to repeatedly explain definitions and meanings to those joining a thread. For example the term "Priest" has very different connotations to Pagans, Christians or Buddhists. 

Thirdly it makes anything anyone says open to potential thread derailing attack. For example if I started a thread about the nature of evil seen from a Satanist perspective it would be all too easy for somebody to decide to vent their dislike of Satanism rather than debate the topic. Or a Pagan discussion on the nature of the Goddess could easily be derailed by questions or attacks on the nature of deity itself. Of course the admins could step in where necessary, but it might be making more work for them.
While I understand that Allpaths is not meant to be a "spiritual sanctuary" in quite the same way MW was, I think there need to be some areas where members of any path feel comfortable to discuss their beliefs without everything being open to challenge. Otherwise participation may suffer.

You're making a lot of assumptions there, though. When in doubt, post away, and we'll move it if we have to. That's part of our job. We won't give you grief about it, I promise. (Unless you are trolling, or similar things, obviously.) Honestly, moving a thread is one of the least annoying things in our job description. We just started this board, we know this kind of stuff is going to happen. We (the royal we) don't plan on going nuts on people for needing help on the board. I mean, if I'm getting crazy upset about having to move a thread, it's probably about time that I step down as an admin. YKWIM?

Please, just post.

Cassie, yes, people can come in and discuss particular aspects of different paths. If they're just in there attacking Satanists because they're Satanists, I think that falls under the harassment or personal attack rule. That being said, disagreeing or questioning a particular path is not a *bad* thing. This *is* a discussion board, and we want people to discuss. You can't have that when everyone is afraid of stating their opinion for fear of offending someone. Or assuming that disagreement is a personal attack, which it's not. If people want to write in a place where no one questions what they say, then they can start a blog and rule it with an iron fist. Because doing things that stop discussion is really exactly the opposite of what a discussion board is trying to accomplish. I'm all for a general paths forum, but I am very much against having a different one for each different path.

And I also want to avoid fixing problems that we haven't yet had on this site. (I know, I'm probably the worst offender of this, LOL.) This is a new site, and we want to let it be new and create new problems for us to solve. And we're lucky, in that we have experience in dealing with this stuff. But I really think we should avoid fixing problems that we don't yet have.

Thank you! I love me some Pucca!

Well would the practice forum be a pathworking forum? Because pathworking is a subject unto itself... I mean for example.

Say you start a thread about tring to find your place in modern times or in a new country. The struggle to stay true to your roots but to also adapt with your times.. Where would that go?

I also agree with Cassie that there's going to be problems- but I ccan also see the wisdom in that being the entire point as well. I think that having a thread that briefly discusses what each path entails... like a small blurg about what Satanism actually is (as opposed to what Pat Robertson thinks it is)... or if not, I think we at least need to be on top off pointing out cultural and path differences when it comes to perspective.

I think it's great that you want to focus on what brings us together that's a powerful thing but balance in everything. We also have to honor our differences as well and to do that we have to be aware of them.

It's like Unitarian Universalists.. we do a good job getting along and we do tend know about another's path in some regard but we do a poor job regarding on really understanding things from their shoes. I am UU but I do have to criticize UU's in general here.

I'd hate to see us make that same mistake as well.
I think we might be able to have path listed in the post bit and emphasize a "consider someones path" guideline.
It isn't a perfect suggestion, stereotypes abound.

We could say at the beginning of a post "considering a Satanic perspective" or something like that.

And this doesn't even begin to contemplate correspondences but that's the Cermeonial Magician in me talking.

You don't have to explain yourself a hundred times. You could explain it once, and subsequently link to your explanation.

I too think it is best to talk about issues and not paths for the reasons already mentioned.

I don't see a problem with path specific forums. While those of the same path may congregate there they certainly don't stay just there. Right now I have a series of 30 posts in 30 days I would love to do but some are Heathen specific and I don't see putting them any where as marked. At least an all-paths section would be more appropriate then nothing.