Christianity Knowledge Base:Christian point of view
From Christianity Knowledge Base
| This page represents the official policy of the Christianity Knowledge Base. | This policy is widely accepted by the editors and is considered a standard that all users should follow. Please discuss any possible changes to this policy on the associated discussion page. |
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[edit] Introduction
This is the official policy on referencing and maintaining a Christian point of view within the Christianity Knowledge Base.
We are explicitly attempting to move away from the Neutral Point of View policy adopted by Wikipedia because of the unique format of CKB. Articles should be written from the perspective of Christianity. While there is nothing wrong with being neutral in and of itself, the Christianity wiki community recognizes that the NPOV of wikipedia is there so that they come across as a global community seeking the truth. But this does not accurately reflect the Christianity wiki community; we are a specific community that has found the truth, and so neutrality is not precisely appropriate for this encyclopedia.
[edit] Fundamental Principles
These are some of the fundamental principles which articles must follow.
- CKB does not subscribe to the doctrines or beliefs of any single Christian denomination. Rather, it attemps to present the viewpoints of many types of Christians, to further the goal of understanding and conciliation.
- Articles should reflect the belief that (John 3:16) (NIV) "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.
- CKB also accepts the canonical Gospels and the Pauline Epistles as Scripture.
- When quoting Scripture (a practice which is explicitly encouraged), the version of the Bible must be mentioned.
- Discussion, exploration, and criticism are encouraged, along the lines of:
- (Jude 1:3) (KJV) "...ye should earnestly contend for the faith which was once delivered unto the saints"
- (1 Pet 3:15) (KJV) But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts: and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear:
- (John 7:24) (KJV) Judge not according to the appearance, but judge righteous judgment.
- (2 Timothy 4:2) (KJV) Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all long suffering and doctrine.
- Articles which violate any of these rules should be marked with the template: {{CPOV-Specific}} so that they can be easily found and cleaned up.
- Issues and questions concerning CKB policy shall be decided upon by the elected administration of this Wiki, taking into consideration all relevant research and discussion provided by both administrators and editors. Administrative decisions are final.
[edit] General Information
In general, basic questions which are universally accepted by all Christian denominations should be taken as a given when writing articles for the CKB. For example, the existence of God and Jesus should be taken as a given. (Sadly, Christianity is so diverse that these are perhaps the only things which are universally agreed upon.)
Furthermore, an article about God should be written from a Christian perspective. While our policy should maintain tolerance of other faiths, this does not mean that an article on CKB about God would need to explore the other intepretations of God offered by other religions. Of course, open discussion of issues like the existence of god is allowed and encouraged, but it should be limited to the Talk pages. We invite the contributions of members of other faiths as well as non-theists.
It should be remembered that the goal of this knowledge base is not to push any particular viewpoint on anybody. Nevertheless, it must also be understood that this resource is meant primarily for Christians, with the additional objective of teaching non-Christians about Christianity and its many forms.
In instances where there is disagreement about particular issues within the Christian faith (i.e. different biblical interpretations by different denominations), there can be sections within the article that explain the diverse viewpoints (eg. Catholicism's view of Abortion). No denomination shall, under any circumstance, be considered superior, more correct, or more righteous than any other.
