Wikipedia:Requests for arbitration/International Churches of Christ

Case Opened on 13:52, 28 March 2008 (UTC)

Case Closed on 19:35, 12 April 2008 (UTC)

Watchlist all case pages: 1, 2, 3, 4

Please do not edit this page directly unless you are either 1) an Arbitrator, 2) an Arbitration Clerk, or 3) adding yourself to this case. Statements on this page are original comments provided at arbitration request and serve as opening statements. As such, they should not be altered. Any evidence you wish to provide to the Arbitrators should go on the /Evidence subpage.

Arbitrators, the parties, and other editors may suggest proposed principles, findings, and remedies at /Workshop. That page may also be used for general comments on the evidence. Arbitrators will then vote on a final decision in the case at /Proposed decision.

Once the case is closed, editors may add to the as needed, but this page should not be edited otherwise. Please raise any questions at Requests for arbitration, and report violations of remedies at Administrators' noticeboard/Arbitration enforcement.

Involved parties

 * , filing party

Requests for comment
Request for Comment Disputed article RFC

Statement by Xiaphias
I stumbled upon this article by chance several months ago and, finding it to be in terrible shape, authored an entirely new version. An IP editor (presumably TransylvanianKarl; see below) promptly reverted it to its previous form.  When Karl expressed his support for the anonymous revert, I asked him to explain his objections so that we might reach some compromise.  Among his criticisms was the fact that I'd indicated which levels of church clergy were salaried; he explained, "Paid, and unpaid, are not neutral category, this is a hostile vievpont because, the leaders are the servant of members, and they are payd, because they work, and serving the church, the church members, and God."  He added that he considered unflattering the photograph I'd uploaded of the church founder.

Subsequently I filed a Request for Comment. Four users voiced their opinion; unanimously, they supported my revised edition. "Your version is far, far, superior," wrote LtPowers, "to the point that I felt it necessary to revert back to it. It's that much better. The prior state of the article was a mess, absurdly POV, and overflowing with unduly-weighted sources. I commend your effort and hope more people notice this article to help keep POV edits out." Pspadaro thanked me for the work, saying of the new article, "It is coherent and usable. It will be a great (new) starting point to expand the article as needed. I appreciate you putting in the time to make this a legitimate article." User seektruthfromfacts noted that both versions could be improved; "However," he added, "only one has multiple reliable sources - Xiaphas' version."  Last to voice his opinion was Nswinton, who agreed that the newer version was superior.

A plethora of anonymous edits prevented me from effecting the agreed-upon changes; when a three-day semiprotected status was introduced, TransylvanianKarl abruptly returned to carry on the work of the IPs.

I would like to recommend that TransylvanianKarl be permanently banned from editing the ICoC article page (though not its corresponding talk page), and that it receive permanent semiprotected status. Since registering in later 2006, Karl has relegated his edits exclusively to two articles: that of the International Churches of Christ and of Kip McKean, its founder.. Sometimes, he'll submit hundreds of edits over the course of just a few days. As a self-admitted member of the organization in question, his strong emotions (I believe) preclude him from making productive contributions. However, I would like him to be allowed access to the talk page so that he may shape the article indirectly; his perspective as an insider could undoubtedly prove to be an asset.

Thank you for your time and consideration. --Xiaphias (talk) 08:32, 26 March 2008 (UTC)

Statement by TransylvanianKarl
My english is poor. It is too difficult for me. In the hungarian wikipedia aren't translated the "Requests for arbitration" -article.

I think the neutrality is very important in an enciklopedy. My first problem was with Xiaphias's version the neutrality. For example this is POV!: "is a controversial Protestant sect which splintered from the mainline Churches of Christ" This is a non neutral sentence! The neutrality is not an option in the wikipedia! My second problem was with Xiaphias's version: vandalism. Xiaphias vandalized the original version, he deleted a lot of information without, discussion. This is not okay, because the original version was discussed from 2005 to 2007. I think when we have two version, have to merge this two. Exchange the aricle without, discussion? I dont know of the kind rule in the wikipedia. About my conviction "Requests for comment" don't substitute the minute work and the discussion of sections one by one!!!! Today and yesterday I worked a lot on merge this two version, I think I made a balanced article now. But it is very important the NPOV in the whole article, and the criticism section too.!!! --TransylvanianKarl (talk) 11:46, 28 March 2008 (UTC)

Arbitrators' opinions on hearing this matter (5/0/0/0)

 * Accept. Sam Blacketer (talk) 10:08, 27 March 2008 (UTC)
 * Accept, I think we can help sort this out. FloNight&#9829;&#9829;&#9829; 11:01, 27 March 2008 (UTC)
 * Accept. Kirill 13:01, 27 March 2008 (UTC)
 * Accept, given that prior attempts at dispute resolution have broken down, though parties should be aware that, as has always been the case, we will not ourselves be making any content decisions here. --bainer (talk) 13:24, 27 March 2008 (UTC)
 * Accept, although I will reevaluate if TransylvanianKarl makes a statement before tomorrow when the case is due to open. I have left a note on his talkpage regarding status of the request. Newyorkbrad (talk) 21:41, 27 March 2008 (UTC)

Temporary injunction (none)
=Final decision= All numbering based on /Proposed decision, where vote counts and comments are also available.

Editorial process
1) Wikipedia works by building consensus through the use of polite discussion. The dispute resolution process, including requests for comment, is designed to assist consensus-building when normal talk page communication has not worked.
 * passed 8 to 0, 19:35, 12 April 2008 (UTC)

Edit-warring considered harmful
2) Edit-warring is harmful. When disagreements arise, users are expected to discuss their differences rationally rather than reverting ad infinitum. Revert rules should not be construed as an entitlement or inalienable right to revert, nor do they endorse reverts as an editing technique.
 * passed 8 to 0, 19:35, 12 April 2008 (UTC)

Neutral point of view
3) Wikipedia articles are to be written from a neutral point of view and without bias, and must not contain advocacy for any organization, cause, or belief. Assertions of fact, particularly controversial ones, should be supported by citation to reliable sources.
 * passed 8 to 0, 19:35, 12 April 2008 (UTC)

Conflict of interest
4) Editors who have or may be perceived as having a conflict of interest should review and comply with the conflict of interest policy. The conflicts policy does not prohibit editors from working on articles about entities to which they have only an indirect relationship, but urges that editors be mindful of editing pitfalls that may result from such a relationship. For example, an editor who is a member of a particular organization or holds a particular set of religious or other beliefs is not prohibited from editing articles concerning that organization or those beliefs. However, such an editor should take care that his or her editing on that topic adheres to NPOV and other policies.
 * passed 8 to 0, 19:35, 12 April 2008 (UTC)

Sockpuppetry and IP editing
5) The use of sockpuppet accounts, while not generally forbidden, is discouraged. Abuse of sockpuppet accounts, such as editing the same article from more than one account, is prohibited. A registered user's editing the same article from the user's registered account and from IP addresses has the same ill-effects as editing from a main and a sockpuppet account, and therefore is also prohibited.
 * passed 8 to 0, 19:35, 12 April 2008 (UTC)

Assuming good faith
6) Editors, including members of the Arbitration Committee, should assume good faith concerning the editing of other contributors, even where those contributors have made mistakes or violated policies, until there is cogent evidence to the contrary.
 * passed 8 to 0, 19:35, 12 April 2008 (UTC)

Non-native speakers
7) Appropriate allowance should be made for editors whose native language is not English, so long as their overall contributions are of benefit to the project, and extra efforts should be made to explain our policies and procedures to such editors.
 * passed 8 to 0, 19:35, 12 April 2008 (UTC)

Disruptive editing
8) The editing of users who disrupt editing by edit-warring or aggressive sustained point-of-view editing may be restricted through measures such as topic bans or revert limitations. Where unavoidable, such measures will be imposed even where a user appears to be acting in good faith, for the benefit of other contributors and the project as a whole.
 * passed 8 to 0, 19:35, 12 April 2008 (UTC)

Locus of dispute
1) The locus of dispute is the article International Churches of Christ, and in particular the editing of this article by.
 * passed 8 to 0, 19:35, 12 April 2008 (UTC)

TransylvanianKarl
2) TransylvanianKarl has edited Wikipedia since March 2006. He has never been blocked or otherwise sanctioned. A majority of TransylvanianKarl's contributions to Wikipedia are to International Churches of Christ and closely related pages. TransylvanianKarl self-identifies on-wiki as a member of that church. He has also stated on-wiki that he is not a native speaker of English, that his English skills are limited, and that his native language is Hungarian.
 * passed 8 to 0, 19:35, 12 April 2008 (UTC)

Problematic editing
3) Over a sustained period of time, TransylvanianKarl has edited International Churches of Christ disruptively, including edits reflecting a biased point of view and advocacy, repeated reversions without discussion, replacement of reliable sources with less reliable ones, failure to seek consensus in the face of disagreements, and unexplained removal of cited material and citations.
 * passed 8 to 0, 19:35, 12 April 2008 (UTC)

IP editing
4) As suggested from the article history and confirmed as likely by CheckUser, TransylvanianKarl appears to have edited International Churches of Christ from a number of IP addresses as well as from his registered account.
 * passed 8 to 0, 19:35, 12 April 2008 (UTC)

Additional findings
5) TransylvanianKarl has explained that because of his limited English, he is having difficulty participating in the arbitration proceedings. His statement in the case reflects some understanding of core policies such as NPOV and a desire to follow them, but the record suggests that he would benefit from further review and better understanding of the relevant policies and norms.
 * passed 8 to 0, 19:35, 12 April 2008 (UTC)

Conclusions
6) We conclude that the case is best resolved through flexible remedies designed to maximize the possibility of useful editing from this contributor, who has not previously been sanctioned, while protecting the best interests of the encyclopedia and other users. We have considered suspending the case pending TransylvanianKarl's receiving language assistance, but conclude that his and other editors' time would be more fruitfully spent in trying to improve his editing skills, rather than in mastering the nuances of participating in an arbitration case.
 * passed 8 to 0, 19:35, 12 April 2008 (UTC)

Remedies
Note: All remedies that refer to a period of time, for example to a ban of X months or a revert parole of Y months, are to run concurrently unless otherwise stated.

TransylvanianKarl urged and instructed
1) TransylvanianKarl is urged to refrain from editing International Churches of Christ and any related pages until he has fully familiarized himself with the English Wikipedia core policies mentioned in this decision, including Neutral point of view, Consensus, Verifiability, and Conflict of interest. TransylvanianKarl is instructed to comply with these and other applicable policies in his future editing. TransylvanianKarl is also urged to raise issues and suggestions on the talkpage before making potentially controversial edits to articles, including deletion of cited material and citations.
 * passed 8 to 0, 19:35, 12 April 2008 (UTC)

TransylvanianKarl restricted
2) TransylvanianKarl is instructed to edit International Churches of Christ and related articles only through his registered account and not from a not-logged-in IP address.
 * passed 8 to 0, 19:35, 12 April 2008 (UTC)

Future disruptive editing
3) Should TransylvanianKarl continue to edit International Churches of Christ or related pages disruptively despite the guidance provided by this decision, any uninvolved administrator may, after a warning, impose a reasonable restriction upon him such as a revert restriction or temporary page ban. Should chronic problems continue, a request may be filed on Requests for arbitration after 30 days requesting that this committee reopen this decision and impose more restrictive remedies.
 * passed 8 to 0, 19:35, 12 April 2008 (UTC)

Assistance invited
4) Editors fluent in Hungarian are encouraged to assist TransylvanianKarl in complying with these remedies and to answer any questions he may have concerning Wikipedia policies, his editing, or this decision.
 * passed 8 to 0, 19:35, 12 April 2008 (UTC)

Enforcement
1) Should TransylvanianKarl violate any restriction imposed by an administrator under authority of this decision, he may be blocked for an appropriate period of time of up to one week. After five blocks, the maximum block time is increased to one year. See also remedy 3 providing for reopening of this decision if necessary.
 * passed 8 to 0, 19:35, 12 April 2008 (UTC)

Log of blocks, bans, and restrictions
Log any block, restriction, ban or extension under any remedy in this decision here. Minimum information includes name of administrator, date and time, what was done and the basis for doing it.