From: Hermit (virus@hermit.net)
Date: Fri Oct 03 2003 - 14:15:22 MDT
Perhaps it may be helpful to focus on one paragraph of The Disciplinary Process"
[2] Membership
[2.1] A person does not become a member of a community simply by asserting that they are such a member, but also by the community accepting the membership of that person. In the absence of more particular rules, the only way to determine who is a member of the community is a statement of affiliation by a putative member and the acceptance of this assertion by the community, in otherwords, a community of the willing.
I suggest that this paragraph is a key to understanding what the entire "non-punishment" oriented regime we have instituted is about. Please consider for a moment that nobody has a "right" to be a member of a church or other such "community of the willing." Affiliation is always voluntary and mutual. Not only does an outsider have a choice as to whether or not they wish to join with a community, but the community has the choice as to whether or not to accept that person as a member of the community.
From this it follows, that when the community withdraws it's assent from a member, temporarily or permanently, this is not in any way an infringement of the member in question's rights, unless such a right exists. However, as we have seen, no "right" to be a member does exist. So when our community acts to protect itself, its members and good order, by withdrawing its countenance, facilities or acceptance from a member, the community is not "punishing" the member, it is simply disassociating itself from the behaviour, and in extreme cases, the person that the community perceives as not being in unity with it.
Why a person joins a community is an interesting, but totally different question. One which I think deserves to be explored in a seperate track.
Kind Regards
Hermit
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