Admin help! My best thread was deleted for no reason

Thomas Miller3 said:Dammit, I’m not even into spirituality myself, but now my curiosity is absolutely killing me. I really wish I could see what all the fuss was about. Doesn't anyone have anything saved in their browser cache or something?

I went looking too, out of pure interest, but there’s nothing there.🤷

Look, hiddenpuma75, you’ll figure it out next time, though I’m honestly surprised it hasn't clicked for you yet🙄—whenever you spend a significant chunk of time on topics like this, they get saved locally on your own machine first. Basically, before you ever hit Post reply, you should just highlight everything, copy it, and paste it into a text editor on your computer...

Anyway, go ahead and waste another hour😁 trying to hunt it down. It’s clearly piqued my interest and everyone else's too. It’s probably just some nonsensical religious or New Age garbage, but still...

On the bright side, this is actually great (and free) advertising for you.🤣

It’s a shame things went down the way they did—it's a mess, honestly. Most of all, I'm bummed that mistyscout2 won't be part of the discussions anymore; I've always seen them as someone truly exceptional. Consider this my way of sending some support their way since private messages aren't an option now. I just hope the druid moderators don't take offense at me posting this here...

steelskipper5 said:Maybe ego was right to call out hiddenpuma75 for that pathetic 10,000-point card. ☕

☕

hiddenpuma75 is just your average troll and a total waste of everyone's time, yet the spirituality mods are far too lenient and fair... if he actually managed to rattle a spirituality moderator, then that 10,000 point penalty and the permanent ban (which later got downgraded to a partial one) were probably overkill.

* It’s a shame I didn't spot this thread earlier, but I really hope the spirituality crowd shuts down the next similar one the moment it opens.

hiddenpuma75 said:3) the druid moderator wiped this thread without any explanation or reasoning today.😲
even though the discussion was going great and had already hit three pages.

There must have been a reason.
Without even seeing the thread, I can guess you were probably just trolling people mid-week—maybe even picking on mistyscout2 specifically.

Get a life! What you're doing is just pathetic and gross...

mellowraven22 said:Please accept my apologies—personally and on behalf of the entire site staff—for this sudden, uncalled-for move by our former moderator here at USForums.org.

Finally, seeing the admin team actually step up. A hundred more of these and you guys will be broke.

PS. Not trying to be a know-it-all, but if a regular user dropped that many insults—especially calling for physical fights and then following up with threats in DMs—they’d be reported to abuse support before they could even blink. Hope the same rules apply to this "former moderator" too.
Also, hoping this was just a temporary lapse, because honestly, pretty much anyone would lose it in a situation like this.

mellowraven22 said:Unfortunately, that isn't an option anymore. They messed it up quite thoroughly.

Please accept my apologies personally, as well as on behalf of the entire site staff, for this unexpected and unsolicited action by our former druid moderator.

The druid moderator clearly failed to grasp that this is the most visited and open forum in America. On the spirituality subforum, everyone has the right to express their own spirituality—from the geniuses to the absolute outliers.

Therefore, I propose that we find a more professional, perceptive, and inclusive moderator for "Spirituality - Free Style" within the medicine or psychology subforums.

I’ve received word that my partial ban regarding spirituality is currently being processed. Given the situation, I wanted to share a few thoughts—not just about myself, but regarding the overall health of this forum and everyone who pours their heart into creating it. 🙂

----------------------------

Thanks for getting back to me.
However, I’d like to pose a question for your consideration:

You’re essentially accusing me of being destructive toward religion and/or spirituality, 😲 which honestly caught me completely off guard. If you look at my track record—eight years of writing and roughly 300 open threads—the facts tell a very different story: I have been consistently constructive and dedicated to contributing to this community. 😉
The burden of proof, then, lies with you to demonstrate this alleged destructiveness to both me and the public.

Furthermore, I’d like us to discuss a matter that is vital for the forum's growth: the actual process used to determine if someone is being "destructive."

It seems to me that decisions about my supposed destructiveness are being made behind closed doors in forum corridors. Don't you think it would be much fairer if such matters were handled in the public eye, perhaps even through a vote? It shouldn't feel like a person's fate on this site depends on whether they happen to clash with a specific clique—for instance, if I don't care for your particular sports or philosophy, while another group here supports me because we share an interest in chess or Nisargadatta Maharaj.
As it stands, the future of long-term contributors seems to hinge entirely on the whims of a moderator or an admin. 🙄

Honestly, that feels inherently destructive and fundamentally unfair in any democratic setting. I truly urge you to find a way to improve this mechanism.
Parsifal's greeting, and please keep up the good work. 👋

P.S. As always, I would prefer to discuss these issues publicly on the forum rather than in the shadows of private messages and backroom deals. I’m genuinely curious what the rest of the community thinks: shouldn't permanent bans be decided by a vote rather than by hallway whispers?
If the consensus of the people leans one way, then the admin—acting as the leader—should simply step up and honor that voice. 🙂