Your Discord admin Kaze is here to give an important announcement. When we first created the Discord server, I was really excited about the kinds of things it could lead to. Ideally, it would supplement our blog to allow us to create and discuss our content even better than before. It kind of happened sometimes, but not really. Instead, it turned into a place where people could discuss anything from playing games to life struggles to spiritual questions in an open and respectful manner. That’s great. It really is, but it isn’t quite what we were hoping for.
Beneath the Tangles is a place that connects anime to Christianity and other religious beliefs which then creates a place of open discussion. The Discord server has been an amazing place for open and respectful discussion of spiritual beliefs. Unfortunately, that alone doesn’t quite align with what we are about when it comes to combining that discussion with Japanese media. It is definitely related, and I would be completely in the wrong to say we do not support it. Even so, I and many of the staff have decided (after some heated debate, mind you) that we will be closing the Discord server. We really want to focus on that intersection of our love for Japanese media and our love for God and use that commonality as a meeting point with others. The Discord server has not really done this as it continually spiraled off into a place of pure religious discussion. Great discussion, but not the kind Beneath the Tangles as a blog is really aiming for. This is an organizational problem, not a personal one. I joined this blog because I felt God calling me to use my love of anime to minister to others, and I honestly don’t feel the Discord server helps this specific goal.
I admit some of the discord the server has occasionally sparked has been part of this decision, but I still believe that the community has created an absolutely positive thing. I am reminded of the passage in 1 Corinthians 12 about one body but many parts. Rather than just people, this can also be applied to organizations. As such, we have found that the Beneath the Tangles blog and the Discord server are not the same part but two distinct parts. Since we cannot be two parts at the same time, we are asking someone to create a replacement for our server. A replacement with the express purpose of being a community that can discuss serious, religious things with love and respect as you all already have been doing but also one that can have fun chatting about the anime and games that brought us together in the first place. We don’t want to see this community broken up, and we hope to be a part of this new community. Please pray about this if you feel led to create and lead such a community (or join with others to do so as it is quite a large responsibility). Until then, we hope to keep the Discord server open long enough for someone to establish a permanent replacement.
I am saddened to hear this and would love to keep in touch with the people I met through Discord, but I totally understand and support your reasoning. Blessings.
Even though I may have cried upon hearing this, I understand your point of view. I think the server has been important to people because it makes them feel like they’re apart of something, having a support group and I know for me, I feel like I’m loosing my friends in a way. I know that is not true, but I want you to know that what you have done, even if it hasn’t been what you wanted, has been very important and special.
I couldn’t agree more! The people that I have met on the Discord chat, the relationships that were built, and the general conversations about anime that were had are some that I will never forget.
Hey, if anyone’s got a replacement, like Laiseran with Discorinthians, let me know. I’d be down for that any time. 🙂
This reply thread would be the perfect place for invite links to these new venues, neh?
🙂