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Code of Conduct

We of Legacy of the Sacred Saber work to uphold and act in accordance with the Code of Conduct and the rules and guidelines based on it.

No threats of violence toward self or others

We are each responsible for our own actions, no matter what feelings we may be having, and no one should be made to feel responsible for another person's actions. We do understand that sometimes difficult feelings come up, and we encourage you to discuss those feelings with your fellow Jedi while avoiding discussions of desires to act on those feelings in harmful ways. Clergy members are particularly suited to these discussions, and connecting you to outside resources as necessary. Do remember that no one is here in a capacity as a mental health professional, not even if they happen to be one outside of the Sanctuary. Therefor, if you are having thoughts of hurting yourself or someone else, please contact local mental health or emergency services, or call an appropriate hotline. In extreme situations, when someone is concerned about your or someone else's immediate physical safety, emergency services may be contacted. On our Discord server, in cases where a Discord policy has been violated Discord will be notified as appropriate.

Respect privacy

It is natural that we will come to learn personal things about each other as our bonds strengthen. Therefore, confidentiality and privacy must be respected. We ask that only Temple names be used within the Temple, and that specific locations and contact information are not shared in public spaces. While we trust and believe in our community this is still the internet, and you never know what safety issues may be a concern for someone. 

Discuss principles, not people

In any discussion, whether or not you agree with the premise, the ideas are what should be considered and discussed, not the people who introduced the ideas. It is possible that at some point the Board, a committee, or an officer will make a decision that you don't understand or agree with. We encourage you to bring your concerns to the appropriate person, respectfully. If you choose to discuss your concerns more publicly, your focus should be on the underlying principles of the decision and not the decision itself or the people who made it. 

Respect rank

While we are all our own people, ultimately responsible for our own actions, there is a rank system in place here. If someone of a higher rank suggests something to you, give the suggestion genuine consideration. Even if you find you disagree with the suggestion, at least your disagreement will be well reasoned and you won't have dismissed the idea out of hand. If someone of a higher rank asks something of you, assume that there is good cause and do your best to comply. Of course, we know that you may not always be able to help with a specific task or request, and you can respectfully let the person know that. 

The exception to this is that if a Moderator asks you to do something in their role as a Moderator, you will be expected to comply. You may take concerns to the appropriate officer, while still following the direction of the Moderator until the situation can be addressed.

Be inclusive

We know that as various relationships form and diverse subjects are explored, there will sometimes be conversations that don't make sense to everyone. We ask that excessive jargon be avoided in community spaces unless those spaces (forums, chat channels, etc) are specified to be about that topic, and that questions and curiosity be acknowledged. Should you need to have an exclusive conversation, there are ways to speak privately.

Respect personhood

There will be many perspectives and paths represented here; some you will agree with and understand, and some you won't. In all cases, the right of each person to make their own decisions for themselves and to reach their own understandings must be respected. Of course, discussions about the principles of perspectives and actions can be had, but judgmental actions or language will not be tolerated. 

Rules And Guidelines

1 - Abusive language, harassment, speech that is racist/homophobic/transphobic/sexist or otherwise attacks a person’s protected characteristics, personal attacks, or excessive swearing and/or swearing in contravention of the policy

 

1st time - Final warning, with initial post deletion and the option to reword the post at mod discretion

2nd time - 1 week ban for excessive swearing, 1 month ban for abusive language, harassment, or personal attacks.

Any further comments of this nature once the ban is over - Permanent ban, otherwise than for excessive swearing which is at the discretion of the Security Officer.

 

Bullying or baiting of other members may result in an immediate suspension or ban at the discretion of the Security Officer.

 

The posts containing abusive language may be permanently deleted at the discretion of any moderator after a copy is posted in the moderator forum.

 

2 - Members who may otherwise be disruptive

 

It is possible that a member may exhibit behavior which, while not strictly rule breaking, is not conducive to reasonable discussion, or community.

 

These members may (list not exhaustive):

  • Use antagonistic or aggressive language not otherwise breaking rule 1

  • Regularly disrupt threads with off-topic comments

  • Post multiple threads under the same topics

  • Not engage with the community as a whole, except for under a very narrow section of the forum

  • Post passive aggressive comments or topics aimed at other members

  • Appear to use the forum to push a particular agenda beyond general discussion or interest

  • Appear to target more vulnerable members

  • Regularly post in other members’ journals

 

Where members exhibit the kind of behavior as listed above or similar and do not cease after an initial warning, LotSS reserves the right to remove these members at the discretion of the Security Officer.

 

Legacy of the Sacred Saber also reserves the right to request a member to complete certain lessons of one or more of our education programs or other relevant teaching material within a certain period of time at the discretion of the Security Officer, in order for the member to demonstrate a willingness to understand and be part of our temple.

 

During this time these members will be assigned a Knight to be their contact and to engage in discussions surrounding their studies, or other topics posted on the forum.

 

These actions will only be implemented as a result of the kind of behavior described above, not due to any beliefs or views held by the members which may potentially conflict with those of LotSS. Previous behavior will be taken into account before a decision is made, as will any previous rule breaking.

 

Further continuous disruptive behavior may result in a ban.

 

3 - Posting of third party links with the purpose to spam advertising, either in PMs or on the forum

 

1st time - Permanent ban

 

4 - The advertising of, and posting of third party links to, other organisations

 

Third party links to, or advertising for, other organizations or sites are not permitted within any areas of the forum, or in the LotSS discord. Links to third party organizations are NOT allowed to be posted in member journals. Advertising for other third party organizations is not allowed without consent from the Council.

 

5 - Unofficial Teaching

 

1st time - warning

2nd time - 1 month ban

Any further unofficial teaching once the ban is over - Permanent ban

 

Unofficial teaching includes clear direct teaching of one member by another on the forum or in PMs. Sharing knowledge is welcome and encouraged at LotSS , but teaching in contravention of the existing teaching structure is not.

 

6 - Repetitive Topics

 

Where multiple threads on the same topics are posted, moderators may merge them if there are no distinct differences between the topics or discussions held.

 

7 - Thread Locking

 

Threads may be locked at the discretion of a moderator where members are being antagonistic, abusive, or posts are disruptive or consistently off-topic etc. Locked threads may be unlocked at a later time once a reasonable period of time has passed at moderator discretion.


 

8 - Public announcements of banned members

 

In order to foster a culture of openness, where a member of the forum is banned, except where they are banned for spam advertising, a public post will be made unless the Council determines exceptional circumstances.

 

The post will give their username, the effective date of the ban, its length of time, and a reference to the rules or policies broken. No personal or specific details will be given.

These posts are not up for discussion, and only the individual banned may request a review.

 

9 - Policy surrounding swearing

 

Swearing is allowed on the main forum but must be moderate and infrequent. More leeway will be given towards the language used in journals and in PMs, however a warning should be posted at the beginning of a journal post which contains swearing so that those who want to avoid it, can choose to.

 

Use of the strongest terms is not allowed, nor is the aggressive use of swearing towards another forum member. Any colloquial or slang terms which may be considered socially or racially offensive are not allowed. If you are not sure, err on the side of caution or speak to a moderator.


 

10 - Policy surrounding what constitutes ‘abuse’ and ‘harassment’

 

Abuse may be a single act or many repeated acts, that may be psychologically, physically, mentally or emotionally damaging to someone. The behavior can be the result of one large act, or many smaller ones which cumulatively are damaging.

 

There are many examples of what may constitute abuse in an online setting, these may include:

 

  • trolling (that is, posts that are purposely offensive, upsetting or inflammatory)

  • trying to damage your reputation by making false comments

  • accusing you of things you haven’t done

  • tricking other people into threatening you

  • stealing your identity

  • setting up profiles in your name

  • electronic sabotage

  • publishing personal information about you, sometimes called doxxing

  • cyber-stalking

  • encouraging other people to be abusive or violent towards groups of people

 

abuse and bullying might also include

 

  • sending threatening or abusive messages

  • creating and sharing embarrassing images or videos

  • shaming someone online

  • setting up hate sites or groups

  • encouraging people to self-harm

  • voting for or against someone in an abusive poll

  • sending explicit messages

 

These lists are not exhaustive.

 

Harassment includes targeted behaviour with the intent to cause ‘alarm or distress’ and may include offensive or unwelcome comments or negative stereotyping about a person’s characteristics or background (including but not limited to gender, race, culture, pregnancy, sexual orientation, religion and age). Harassment may also include offensive racial or other slurs and may not be specifically directed at an individual. It may also include the uploading, posting or linking to content which shows attitudes that may be considered offensive for the above reasons.

 

11 - Mental Health Discussions

 

Legacy of the Sacred Saber is a religious order. Its members (irrespective of rank) do not function as mental health practitioners and are not trained to handle a mental health crisis.

We strongly encourage those experiencing mental health challenges to seek the professional help of a mental health provider in their local community rather than utilizing LotSS or something that is beyond its scope. Using LotSS as an alternative to professional mental health services:

-Obligates our members to engage in conversations for which they have no training

-Distracts from the actual purpose of LotSS 

-Puts an undue burden on the community 

-Puts members of LotSS at legal risk depending on their location

 

Therefore, in order to maintain the community spaces and scope, the following conversation topics are prohibited:

-Discussions about suicide or suicidal ideation

-Discussions about engaging in self-harm

-Discussions which encourage delusions and unrealistic thought processes.

 

The Clergy are here to provide limited support with these things including providing information on appropriate resources, but other members may not be consulted and are not obligated to engage in these sorts of conversations. This includes both discussions on the official Discord and in the forums. The consequences of engaging in such conversations in public and/ or with members who are not Clergy will be:

1. Warning

2. Restricted access to study only

3. Removal

 

If you are in need of mental health services, Psychology Today has a search function which allows you to find a local professional, while BetterHelpprovides therapy services online. If you are experiencing high suicidal ideation or believe that you are at risk of seriously harming yourself due to a mental health crisis, please call 911 or the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-8255 in the US, 999 in the UK, or your area's local emergency number.

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