What do you look for in a Catholic forum?

[Insanis]

The question is more or less all I am asking, but I'm asking because I am wondering what motivates people to register, log in, and engage on a Catholic forum of any kind, and in particular, this one since this question is being asked here.

On my registration I stated I was joining for "Catholic discussion and fellowship" and I really didn't want debates or contention. I wanted a forum with activity and to have more lighthearted discussions. You can see in my history how I started.

It was only coming across some shockingly abnormal posting on a "Catholic" forum that I became so serious in posting.

Serious errors are worthy of serious responses.

But that is not what I wanted to do. It is just what I found. For those who were here before, or were here for years even, why did you stay active?

What are you looking for?

[Tennessean]

I never expected much activity in a forum to begin with, as everyone has moved to twitter and now tiktok, but I wanted to join a forum of Traditional Catholics who I could relate to. I don't have any Catholic family to argue or small talk with. There's also the search function for finding old topics, and the occasional devotional to read. Maybe to help in networking at a later point; you never know how you may be a help to somebody.

[St.Justin]

Most of us have been fighting the battle for Tradition for many years. We share our thoughts and news with each other. For the most part in a family friendly manner.
When newbees in the battle come on here with questions we try to answer them. I have never ceased to learn from others on here. It is a safe haven from the NO world. There are people on here who think they have answers to specific issues and we discuss them.

The worse thing that happens on here is when people come on here as if they have all of the answers and preach to people and talk down to them. They don't usually last long once they find out people quit listening to them

There are some very knowledgeable people on here and they share it gladly.

[Christina_S]

It all started with Catholic Answers Forum back in 2012 when I was just a new teen... 

What I look for here (having left CAF before drama/shutdown really took hold, and having had a brief stint on Fisheaters) is a place to shoot the breeze and commiserate with like-minded Catholics who are seeking the truth.

Many princes of the mainstream Church have largely betrayed the faith and we are "like sheep without a shepherd." It's tough figuring out what to do: how to deal with trans nonsense in my extended family, to go SSPX or not, how to argue against feminism, how to provide a Classical education to future generations, how to push back against the evils of the current culture, pants on women, Catholic social media use, etc. I don't have time to actively debate a lot of these things, but I frequently learn from others here (or quietly point out the holes in their logic to my cup of tea).

[Michael Wilson]

 To spend time with like minded people; not that we have to agree on every subject; in fact, the areas where we disagree leads to interesting discussions, which is what keeps us coming back. The nice people who are here are fun to hang out with. I have had to do a lot of reading in order to respond to the arguments made against some of the posts; and I have also learned a lot just from reading what other people have posted. Made many good friends on here over the years. Even people who I have had some of the most intense arguments with.

[AlNg]

Education. To learn about Catholicism and the Catholic church. Does the Catholic Church of today have the four marks of the true Church? In particular, is it ONE Church or a divided Church?

[Michael Wilson]

Education. To learn about Catholicism and the Catholic church. Does the Catholic Church of today have the four marks of the true Church? In particular, is it ONE Church or a divided Church?

Maybe you want to post this question in the "Traditional Catholic discussion", section.

[lauermar]

A place that is properly moderated without bias. Which means that repeat offenders are allowed to post blasphemy and even hint at violence against Pope Francis because they belong to the good old boy/old girl network. Whereas other people who are annoyingly rude get suspended for "conduct violations" because they are not part of the in-group.

I say that because I saw a remark awhile ago that said Jesus' dying on the cross was a suicidal intention. Yes, I saw that here. I reported the post, but it stands to this day. The offender was not banned because of it.

[Bernadette]

I think I remember seeing that post. It was confusing.

[lauermar]

I wasn't confused by the suicide post at all when I saw it. I recognized it immediately as a direct attack on Our Blessed Lord.

It sure is nice to see Insanis' posts. I come here for that and good articles, or prayers for people. But I'm rethinking coming here in time of spiritual trouble. If I ask for help, I will get spite because the in-group despises my political opinions. There's no excuse for hitting someone who is down, they can just scroll past. Our Lord said we don't hold grudges.

What Insanis described is vitriol and even heresy allowed without moderation on nearly every Catholic blog now. The twist is that true defenders of the faith are being cancelled while the destroyers are upheld. It's gotten worse since the papacy of PF. The 3 bullets thread here on SD is a stealth wish for a repeat of the JP II shooting. It's Satanic, and it turns my stomach. This is also allowed.

Secular social media is a mess too. I went off FB for 2 years, but my job called for me to establish an account again. Unfortunately, I also missed out on a lot of family stuff when I went offline at that time. The only media accounts I have now besides FB is LinkedIn (a career necessity) and SD. I never engage in discussions on LinkedIn because I don't want to risk my job. If there was a way for me to delete my account from SD myself, I'd seriously consider it.