I have to agree with Rachel, that plagiarism is a serious crime, and if someone actually has two Master's degrees, in just about anything, I have to wonder how anyone would even consider posting an entire post without sourcing it. Here is an accurate definition of plagiarism.
Plagiarize - Definition and More from the Free Merriam-Webster Dictionary
Full Definition of PLAGIARIZE
Transitive verb : to steal and pass off (the ideas or words of another) as one's own
: use (another's production) without crediting the source
intransitive verb : to commit literary theft : present as new and original an idea or product derived from an existing source
I have an MDiv, and I feel guilty just thinking about copying and pasting anything without the source. I just posted on FB a funny post on bicycling and chocolate, and I even pot the source for it. On FB, where 90% of the "facts" are utter garbage.
In my opinion, it seems impossible anyone who has done graduate work would imagine copying and pasting without references. Even people without any formal education on this site usually post references. Zone, (who I miss terribly!) ALWAYS posted references for each and every thing she copied and pasted, small or big articles. She always let us know who wrote it, because plagiarism is lying and stealing. I thought that was the standard we were all going for.
I know from Rachel's link, that AgeofKnowledge has two Master's degrees. One is apparently an MDiv, which he posted in this forum, the other reference was in the Christian News Forum found on the link Rachel posted. However, (and my memory may be wrong!) I also remember him saying he had a Master's degree in International politics, when I voiced my opinion that many Americans do not know the world exists outside the USA. (And that is a real stereotype and not totally true, but it just seemed that so many of the end time posts were all about America, and people did not use the entire world to compile their data concerning whether we are in the end times or not!)
So perhaps that is the Master's degree he did all the statistics in? I would appreciate it if AgeOfKnowledge could clarify. Of course, don't give out the university and seminary where you studied, as that would be too much personal information. But I would appreciate, just for my own knowledge, what AoK studied, just so I can understand how someone with two Master's degrees could even consider posting someone else's materials without referencing.Or perhaps he could just admit he erred, and all is forgiven. If he doesn't want to discuss this in the forum, then just PM me. (And thanks in advance!)
I am not trying in any way to assassinate AoK character. I am just curious about his educational history. I do appreciate many of his posts, and his willingness to look at many sides of an issue, plus his sense of humour. And sorry to side track this thread.
(I even post references here when I have quoted a book. They really trained me well at my University for my undergrad and at my Seminary for my MDiv. LOL!)
Rachel I think was just a little outraged at catching a deception, and I do hope we will not lose any more people to banning. I am really against banning people (my personal opinion again!) unless they are actually proselytizing for some other cult or religion. The flavour of the forum gets lost when so many people get banned. I have run Christian forums in the past, and tried very hard not to ban people unless they were consistently abusive, or proselytizing.
PS I'm sorry for posting on this thread, when I said I would not. I have been following it, though, and I just wanted to support Rachel, who has been very upset, as a University student, when she found plagiarism.