The staff have been working on some restructuring of the forums behind the scenes (a few small changes you may have noticed already), and part of that project is going to be to restructure the DIR area. One thing we want to do is ensure that forums located in this subsection of the forum are truly treated as "blue" DIRs - that is, that they are treated as exclusive forums for the use of those specific groups alone. Per Rule 10, technically the only people who should be posting at all in the Seekers DIR are seekers. We'd like your thoughts on a couple of options:
- Move the Seekers DIR out of the DIR area and into to Interfaith Discussion. Moving it here would allow the forum to behave the way it traditionally has: seekers could post threads saying they're looking for a path, and both seekers and non-seekers could provide helpful comments and feedback. Debate is still prohibited, and of course proselytizing. The forum would be renamed "Seekers Circle."
- Leave the Seekers DIR where it is and start enforcing Rule 10 there. This would mean the only people who can post in the Seekers DIR with non-questions are other seekers. As we all know, there is some benefit to having a space for like-minded individuals, or fellow seekers, to help each other out without those conversations being interrupted by outsiders.
The staff have already agreed that moving the forum makes the most sense, but before we finalize that, we wanted to ask the RF community for your thoughts just in case you all have a different perspective on this. We're particularly interested in hearing from seekers. 
Voted "relocate".
I am sort of thinking out loud here so bare with me...
As a suggestion it may be an idea to merge the Seekers DIR with the New Religious Movements DIR and relaxing the proselytisation rule in that area.
Treating seekers in isolation under Rule 10 doesn't make a huge amount of sense in practice given that what seekers most want will be information regarding religions. Very often this can be found in other DIRs or other debate forums. The second option sort of creates a "dead end", whereas the first option creates a specific space for people to ask specific questions regarding individual faiths that can already be asked in DIR or other su forums.
New Religious movements DIR is often an open space for members to map out ideas but then have no one to talk to and so the religions simply die on the drawing board. The non-proselytisation rule affects all belief systems equally even though they are not equal in terms of membership. (I think Christians and atheists on the forums represent 40% of regular members on the forums if not more). As such it effectively protects the dominance of existing groups on RF, making it hard for new religions to break through as more than one person belief systems and an uphill battle for recognition.
If you look at some of the oldest threads in the new religious movements DIR this was essentially what it was used for- a space for suggesting new DIRs to be included on the main forums. Only this would make it a permanent feature and for new religions.
If you think of seekers and new religions as two sides of the same coin (supply and demand if you will) putting them together would create one area where new religions are free to gain new adherents and seekers can experiment with new ideas. Seekers would have a genuine choice based on members presenting new, original ideas and other members get to test their beliefs out with willing participants.
Upon attaining x number of members, that new religion can apply for a DIR of its own. This therefore creates a temporary solution for religions that are too small to merit DIRs but need therefore to find members to gain recognition. This would act as a sort of "entry level" for religions to pick up maybe 5-10 adherents and then get their own DIR and face the major belief group on RF in debates. Doing so will act as a sort of warning signal if the forum were overwhelmed or monopolised by a new religion that didn't have a DIR of its own.
The downside is that this would be a protected space for seekers and new religious movements- requiring moderation. It necessarily assumes a willingness for experimentation and not dogmatism amongst "new religions" who may bully seekers. But this would help increase the diversity of beliefs on the forum.
Imagine a space on the forums where someone can talk about a flat earth or ancient aliens with an interested, if bemused, audience and not face the hostility of the converted or the perpetually sceptical from the main forums. you can see what I am getting at as opening up some of the rules in a controlled way- hopefully to the benefit of everyone by increasing the forums ability to share and spread ideas in a respectful and civil way. It's not ideal but it may solve several problems in one go by increasing diversity, creates a protected space for experimentation with new ideas and makes it easier for new religions to gain adherents in the hope of getting their own DIR. It marries several functions of the forum into a single space but it is up to members to make it work as a workshop for new beliefs.
