Howdy, r/reformed! The Moderators wanted to tell you about trial run we are going to be conducting over the next few weeks with the moderation of certain topics.

As the sidebar explains:

/r/Reformed exists to be a place where reformed believers, in a broader understanding of the term, can come together in unity by the bonds of the Gospel to exhort one another, spur one another on intellectually in reformed theology, and discuss doctrine.

Unfortunately, as many of our long-time subscribers have no doubt noticed, with the increase in users (now over 54k!) we have also seen a marked increase in certain types of self posts seeking advice for personal matters, usually relationships and sin. These types of posts are often repetitive and are barely on the fringes of relevancy, and, quite frankly, they’re drowing out more relevant content. So, we need to do something about this.

However, at the same time, we also recognize that folks will often come to this sub seeking personal advice because we are a sub that takes the faith seriously and often gives good advice. Thus, while a lot of this content isn’t directly relevant to the sub, we are hesitant to shut it down entirely, irrelevant to the sub’s purpose as it may be.

So, we are going to be conducting an experiment in moderation over the next few weeks. For the time being, the following types of self-posts may be removed, and the users may be directed to re-post their questions in the NDQT threads or the FFAF threads:

1. Relationship Advice Posts - We understand that relationships with others can be difficult, be it marital relationships, dating relationships, familial relationships, or relationships with others inside and outside of the church. Unfortunately, this sub is not primarily an advice sub or a relationship sub, so we simply can’t let it turn into that. If you are seeking advice on something that fits, even broadly, within this category, we may ask you to re-post in the NDQT or FFAF threads.

2. OCD / Scrupulosity / Sin / Unpardonable Sin Posts - These are tricky, because they are often a mixture of religious issues and mental health issues. Over the years, we have fielded many questions and suggestions on what to do about these posts, and we may still need to take different action in the future, but for now all of these posts are going to be removed. If they are arguably relevant, we may direct users to re-post in the NDQT and FFAF threads.

3. Sexual Sin / Pornography / Masturbation Posts - We know that we have a lot of users who are struggling with these issues. Unfortunately, this sub is not an accountability group and not a general advice group. If a post is arguably relevant, we may direct users to re-post in the NDQT and FFAF threads.

So, for the time being, each of the above three categories are subject to removal to the NDQT or FFAF threads under this pilot program. Will this reduce the number of posts on the front page? Probably, but that’s not a bad thing at all. We want there to be plenty of room for content that is more directly in line with the purpose of this sub. During this time, we will be evaluating several factors, including how this affects the NDQT and FFAF threads and how this affects the sub in general. After our evaluation, we may keep this program long term, we may tweak it, or we may scrap it entirely. That’s why it’s a pilot program.

Finally, we have a big ask for our long-time users: It used to be the common advice on this sub that people speak to their pastors. In fact, the advice became so common that it became an intra-sub meme. When you see these types of questions pop up in the NDQT and FFAF, feel free to encourage people to see help from the proper sources, and take a moment to explain to somebody why they should talk to their pastor or doctor or whomever. Again, as this sub has grown, we have more and more people here who have no real experience inside the Reformed world, so it may be helpful to explain your answers.

Thanks, everybody! If you have any questions or comments or suggestions, feel free to send them to us in modmail! We’re going to lock down the comments for this post. If we get questions in modmail that we need to answer and clarify publicly, we’ll just edit this post.

I will log all edits to this post below, so that users can see if and when we change something:

Edit 1: A simple spelling typo. Nothing substantive has been changed.

Edit 2: For those who are new to the sub, NDQT is "No Dumb Question Tuesday." This thread appears every Tuesday on the sub and is the perfect place to ask questions that don't deserve their own individual post. FFAF is "Free for All Friday," which is a casual chat thread that appears every Friday. Discuss anything you like there.