Which forum is which?

Please pay particular attention to the differences between Purgatory and Epiphanies – and read their forum guidelines for additional details.

The Styx

The Styx is the information clearinghouse for the whole Ship of Fools site. It’s here that you’ll find announcements about new features, and where you can report problems and ask questions. The forum covers technical stuff, media reports, suggestions for how to do things better, questions that aren’t covered in the FAQs, and a thread where you can practice using UBB code before trying it out on the other forums.

Heaven

Heaven is for creative stuff, experimental threads, storytelling, amusing asides and other miscellaneous bits and pieces. Threads which have done well in Heaven have covered “so bad it’s good” TV programmes, the soundtrack to your life, fantasy stage names, stories that don’t use the letter “e” and collaborative novels. Hang around long enough, and you’ll get the general idea.

Epiphanies

Our space to discuss issues where people are personally invested, where academic detachment just isn’t possible, and where issues and identity significantly overlap. Special guidelines apply.

Purgatory

Purgatory is the Ship of Fools serious debate forum, where we talk over the big issues of contemporary culture, and delve into ethics, history, theology and various other -ologies, too. Pretty well all views are welcome in Purgatory, as long as you are prepared to debate and have your opinions challenged.

Hell

All online forums experience flame wars, when people get into personal arguments with each other – and Ship of Fools is no exception. Because personality conflicts upset the flow of debate, we created the Hell forum, which is where personal complaints and disagreements can be talked out. You’ll sometime see people being told to take their argument to Hell, because it’s become too hot for the other forums. Hell also has a life of its own, with threads dealing with darker humour and rants against the irritations of modern life. The rules are more relaxed in Hell… but even here there are still limits on how people can behave.

All Saints

All Saints focuses on the online and offline community of Ship of Fools. Online community includes prayer requests, personal announcements, greetings to other shipmates and gossip. The offline stuff is where Ship of Fools gets unplugged and shipmates meet each other for crew meets. All Saints can be used to arrange meetings and to report back on how they went, complete with compromising pictures.

Ecclesiantics

This is our forum for talking about church life generally, in all its wonder and weirdness. Here you can discuss liturgy, worship, new forms of church and exactly what to do with your maniple.

The Mystery Worshipper

This is where you can comment on Mystery Worship reports that have been published on the Ship and reply to comments that have been posted by others. If you are logged in to the forums, new threads are started by posting a comment within the Mystery Worship report itself.

Kerygmania

Kerygmania is the Ship of Fools Bible discussion forum. It is not for talking about the overall meaning and significance of the Bible, but for looking at the actual text itself. Typical thread titles are: “2 Kings 20: the shadow moved backwards”, “Paul and women”, or even simply “Ephesians 1 v 13”. If you want to talk about what Jesus meant when he told the parable of the talents, this is the place to post.

The Circus

The Circus is our forum for games, word-plays, obscure facts, limericks, haikus, cricket (plus other sports).

The 8th Day

Our experimental forum for test runs of Shipmates’ weird and wonderful creations. Who knows – this month’s test could become next year’s a brand new forum. Shipmates who wish to submit a topic for a trial run here should polish that idea, recruit a few Shipmates as co-hosts, and then pitch it in The Styx.

Glory

As a community, we have sometimes known shipmates for many years. We therefore dedicate Glory to our shipmates who once posted here, but are now in the bosom of Abraham. This space is where we remember them and share their stories; many are also recorded in our old digs.

Limbo

This is our archive of fun, interesting or thought-provoking threads. It is a read-only forum, with threads listed in alphabetical order by forum.

Oblivion

Old threads come here when they’re dead and gone. They range from mildly interesting to terminally dull. Feel free to browse, but don’t say we didn’t warn you. Oblivion does get tidied up occasionally, so if you want to keep your favourite thread forever, save it locally.

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