Commenting and Content Policy

RNS is meant to be a place of lively yet respectful and edifying discussion of our stories and the issues they raise. We welcome thoughtful contributions that abide by the safe, tolerant and inclusive spirit of religionnews.com.

We understand that people feel passionately about religious belief and other topics we report on, and we fully encourage debate and disagreement – including criticism of our articles. Comments, press releases, and sponsored content posts are expected to be civil and respectful. We will remove or delete material that is defamatory, abusive, bullying, harassing, racist, hateful, violent, sexually explicit or obscene; we will block commenters who post material that is deemed to be of this nature, and we will remove anything that is itself or is a link to something that is vulgar and obscene. Also not permitted are ethnic slurs, religious intolerance, homophobia, and personal attacks.

Conversations can encompass many ideas, but they must remain on the topic of a story or related issues. Commenters should understand that they may be misunderstood and should make an effort to be clear and maintain a mature and moderate tone. As a commenter you agree to abide by these rules, as well as the general rules of use for our entire web site.

And, finally, please understand that we cannot review every comment that appears here. If you see a comment that violates our policy, or if you see content you are concerned about, please write to us at [email protected]