Behavior & Beliefs
Our Beliefs:
It is our belief that we can come together with love, in Christ and be able to enjoy the World of Warcraft.
By His Stripes will strive to provide a safe atmosphere for all of our members to play and enjoy the game of WoW. This means we encourage and promote a family friendly environment where everyone feels safe and welcome, from a young child to an adult. We will strive to present an environment where we can openly talk about our love for God and our faith. This means that even though we do not require all members to be Christian, we will freely and openly talk about spiritual issues in both Discord and within guild chat. Our faith and love for our Lord is what has brought us together, and we will freely express it. We will also strive to be a witness to others in the World of Warcraft. We will let our actions speak for us in many situations and treat each other and others with respect.
The Golden Rule
Matthew 22:36-40 (NIV)
36"Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?" 37 Jesus replied: " 'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.' 38 This is the first and greatest commandment. 39 And the second is like it: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.' 40 All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments."
Matthew 7:12 (NIV)
So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you...
If ever something comes into question as to whether or not it should be done, take a moment to pause and consider how you would like having that happen to you. Remember we are all here to enjoy playing this game in fellowship.
Behavior
(Please note the behavior outlined below applies to all facets of the game whether in guild chat, Discord server or an outside group. BHS behavioral guidlines are to be observed and upheld for as long as you are part of the guild.)
Matthew 5:14 - 1614
Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid. 15 Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house. 16 Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven
We expect all members to behave in a manner that they will see that we are Christian by our love and our actions, so words will not be necessary.
1. We treat people with respect:
Whether or not you agree with another person, that gives you no right to degrade another person. Behind each avatar sits a living, breathing person with a heart that beats and we expect that you treat every player as if they were such. This does not just pertain to our behavior to other guild members or just allied guilds, but to every single person we come into contact with in the game.
2. No profanity or use of obsecenities:
This is a family environment and as such, use of profane words or obscene language is strictly prohibited. If you are upset and the only thing that you can think of to say is something obscene or profane, simply don't speak. This extends to and includes abbreviations/acronyms that would contain a letter for a profane word as well as variations of a known profane word or words used for your toon name.
3. No name calling:
We do not insult ourselves or others. This is not limited to profanity, but extends to terms such as stupid, ignorant, noob, retard, etc. This applies to any word that would be used to apply inferior status to another individual or to yourself.
4. No debating:
Discord is a place of love and bickering or debate style tactics are not welcome here. When we have a discussion, we simply want it to be that, a discussion. We are Christians of differing denominations, cultures, and walks of life, so we are going to have different views on some different aspects of our faith. If you don't agree with someone else's opinion, then you need to agree to disagree and not try to force your own opinion on them.
5. No immoral behavior:
Dancing naked, running through cities undressed, or behaving in an overly sexual nature are inappropriate.
6. Do not spam in guild chat:
If you ask something and it goes unanswered there is a good chance that no one online knows the answer to the question. If you are asking for help and it went unheard, you can ask again in a few minutes as people may be busy.
7. No begging for gold:
Gold is not always an easy thing to come by in World of Warcraft, therefore we find it in poor taste to beg others for money. Money can be earned with a little effort at any level.
8. We do not power level:
Do not beg a max level character to run you through a low level instance or to help you finish a quest that is above your level. Instances are nice and can bring some good gear, but they are not a required portion of the game and you can advance your character without them. If you really want to get an instance done, try looking for a group outside of the guild if necessary. This is not to say we prohibit max player from running a level 20 through an instance if they so choose to, but it is an action that is of the player's discretion and is not required of them.
9. Take up issues and problems privately:
If you have a problem with an officer or the way the leaders are running the guild, bring it to an officer or the GM privately and not publicly in Discord. If there is a problem between you and another player, feel free to contact an officer to mediate the issue privately and do not drag the entire guild into the drama of the personal problem.
10. Do not use the Lord's name in vain.
We are a Christian guild, therefore since it is part of the Ten Commandments, we do not allow the use of the Lord's name in vain. This also extends to the use of acronyms or abbreviations that would do so as well.
Consequences
Breaking our behavior policies:
This is not something that can be determined prior to an actual "offense" having occurred, so we will not attempt to pass judgment beforehand. We will attempt to treat any and all deviations to our behavior policy with love and compassion.
Mathew 18:21-22
21 Then Peter came to Jesus and asked, "Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother when he sins against me? Up to seven times?" 22 Jesus answered, "I tell you, not seven times, but seventy-seven times.
Please note, however, it may occasionally be necessary to take actions that are design to protect the other members of the guild. This will always be a last resort, but the needs of the many in this case will have to outweigh the needs of the few.
PvP Guidelines
The guidelines we set on members for PvP come as a matter of respect to the other players in the game. Remember that your actions not only reflect upon you, but upon the guild as a whole.
1. No corpse camping:
If you kill someone, move on and don't sit and camp their corpse waiting for them to come back. This is disrespectful to the person to whom you are doing it and reflects poorly upon the guild. This includes both world PVP and Battlegrounds.
2. No killing the flight master:
If you are participating in world PvP, do not kill flight masters in a town. This does not just affect high level players, but affects all players of the opposing faction in the area. While it can be argued that this is a part of the game, we do not approve of this type of behavior in the game due to the impact it has upon so many.
3. No killing lowbies:
If you are max level and see a level 30 run by that happens to be flagged for PvP, do not kill them. There is no honor to be gained in killing someone who can not even be considered a challenge to you and thus it can only be perceived as being mean and disrespectful.