Understand the place, then you understand the appreciation for screen names. This isn't facebook or something of the sort. This place is where much of the original real exposure to predators took place. People who shared had a lot to lose by speaking out. The screen names and anonymity allowed for people to open up and share without fear of repurcussion.
Walt is correct, by using a screen name it allows me to share what I want to say without you judging me, but my statement. This has served me well.
When I was here much more frequently, the screen names are all that I needed. We developed relationships with each other through our posts, not through a knowledge of each other's personal lives. Many times I have prayed for a screen name when they shared prayer requests, understanding that God knew their real name and location. Some people, after interacting so frequently, we were able to figure out that we knew each other and communicated a little off site - but never really about the topics here. We just knew that we knew that we knew.
It is also a place of great satire and sarcasm, which is what I found so intoxicating. A place for people who grew up in IFB, especially HAC, to poke fun at themselves in a way that no one else would understand. I chose my screen name because, as a kid, we used to throw back shots of Binaca before church. Good memories. Add to that the irony of the high alcohol content in Binaca and the fame it had as a necessary part of being a preacher boy - I find it a hysterical title to go by on a site offering so much humor.
Much of the humor is gone from the site now and it has become a place to do more ranting than satire, sarcastic humor. I miss the old days. I long for those who would travel the Old Paths with me!
