but still anchored to faith-based doctrine.

No.

I don't think you understand this religion. Devotion in this tradition is different than what is found in popular Western religion. It is not "faith" in a conventional sense. When the boundaries between subject and object have been erased, and there is no distinction between devotee and deity, what does "faith" mean?

This is a space in which modern notions about the left and right hand paths are worthless.

All the things described are passive indulgences, much like watching a television.
One may learn certain things by doing so, but it is rarely a hands-on learning.

Whether something is a 'passive indulgence' or not has entirely to do with the fruit it bears, and very little to do with the environment in which it occurs. In other words, it really depends on the person we're talking about. It is entirely possible for a certain kind of person to become a 'fully realized' human being in an urban environment. It is also quite possible that this will happen, for some, in a rural environment where one is further away from the psychosocial clutter of civilization. It's worth noting that some people achieve this even when they are confined in a prison, mental asylum or monastery.

No matter where you are, reality is all around you. Nature doesn't begin where civilization ends. It permeates everything.

Please excuse this post if it sounds patronizing or something. I get where you're coming from, Crow. I generally lean towards rural life, actually. It's just that I don't believe in the absolute dichotomy between 'active, healthy, engaged rural living' and 'decadent, passive, self-referential urban living'. Things are rarely so neatly binary, in my experience.

Someone beat me to Paolo. That guy's work is great because it looks majestic, beautiful, disgusting and absurd all at the same time. Skillful visual representation of the death metal ethos.

I think it's kind of a bad idea. Better to just ban people if they're really causing trouble. Remember - people who check out the new site are likely to check out the forum. If they show up here and pick up on all the bitterness, interpersonal intrigue, name calling and passive aggression, any enthusiasm the front page inspired in them is likely to be soured.

The forum should probably be treated like an extension of the main blog. Bullshit should really be resolved 'behind the scenes', not in some kind of daycare 'time out' thread.