Welcome to the Ishmael Guestbook!
Please be advised: This is a Guestbook, not a discussion board.
So, while this is not a discussion board, we can reccommend several excellent ones:
IshCon.org...or
Lance Pierce and John Haynes created this one (with a great site attached to it)...or check out Michael Pearson's discussion board...or visit yet another started by Ishmael supporters...or this one, also started by an Ishmael reader. We have tried other formats and different guidelines from those posted here...what you see on the site now is the result of more than 5 years of evolution. It is not perfect--it does not satisfy everyone--we don't intend for it to be all things for all people.
Think of this guestbook as a well in the middle of a desert of thought.
With sanity nowhere in sight consider this an oasis and a place to stop,
briefly--to rest your bones, converse with friends, strengthen your
resolve, then take up the journey again. The well will be here should
you need it again, but staying too long will discourage others from
dropping in. This is a place to stop and rest and draw water and drink
and talk--a temporary stop. Many of us stop, some of us talk, many of us
find solace, some will argue, most all will go away and come back again.
We don't welcome folks who move into the well and attempt to make it
their own. We don't want you to camp out and act as if the well and the
water are both your own: We want you to visit and converse and allow
others to do same.
The guestbook is moderated and attended to by several people who are
long-time Ishmael readers/teachers. These folks will try to assist those
who have questions and give directions to those who ask. Occasionally,
they may ask you to move on so that others may take part.
We request tolerance and courtesy in this space. If you want argument,
there are other places, discussion places, for you to go--not here.
Remember, the Ishmael.org website is a place where all levels of
understanding converge. Give the newer folks a break and be patient.
Posts without a verifiable email address will also be deleted (your
email address will not be displayed on the guestbook). They're like a
voice from the ether without a person attached--and if you're truly
noncorporeal, we'd like that verified as well...:). If you don't have an
address, it's quite simple to get a free email account with Hotmail,
Yahoo, and other providers.
Please note that Daniel Quinn does not take part in Guestbook
discussions. For now, his primary interaction via the website can be
found in the Q and A.