I get the feeling there are some forum people here that are from the "old skool", where they have a notion of how Dharma should be learned, spread and grown.
Not wanting to name names. But where is the open mind that Buddhism teaches us, the non-attachment, right down to our own held views.
The arguments put forward by the "Old Skool" try to come from a scholarly backing they quote the books, ie. the Lam rim, yet the tone and delivery of these certain peoples arguments are not Lam Rim, in a sense its rather arrogant if the word is too strong to use. How can you want to share Dharma on one hand, then make inflammatory remarks which only works to scare newbies away? cause them to think all Dharma is like that?
Oh and whats really speechless, is the argument, "i reserve the right to be critical"... i showed a friend this website to see what he thought, he is non-buddhist / for the greater good of all school of thought, out of the lot of "em", buddhism to him is the least worst of the religions in this world. He spent some time in the forums to get a feel for the people visiting, and came to the conclusion its filled with the blind leading the blind, with a lot of contradictory hearsay and some name calling. He left no wiser having read through.
I haven't been on this forum long to notice who YOU are, the CRITICAL for the sake of being critical, and there are a few.
If your centre is still small you should be asking yourself some tough questions already.
the first being, what are we the so "called" devoted students doing to keep people away?
It all has to start with a cause right, and it can't be caused from something external, logic says it must be internal.
One last observation before i go... yes the Lamas of the past were highly critical, but i think you need to understand that its the skillfulness of the Lama that one hearts and minds not the criticisms. If your method of being uncompromising and critical is meeting so much resentment, and the same reaction day after day after day, check yourself, do the people you share YOUR Dharma with leave happy enlightened with pearls of wisdom that help them change their lives for the better, or do they leave with bad taste in their mouths that Dharma creates people like YOU.