Religion Threads

[Joshular]

This post is directed to those who start and participate in threads having to do with religious belief or non-belief.

We've had a few good threads where people could respectfully discuss different beliefs without it degenerating into name-calling or telling people they're going to Hell for not believing, or that they're delusional for believing in a man in the sky, or whatever. Unfortunately, most degenerate into angry posts hurling insults at one another. This isn't OK.

The bottom line is, a theist will not be able to convince an athiest that religion is real, or exists, or is sensible, and an atheist is not going to be able to convince a theist that religion is a waste of time.

Each person is entitled to hold his or her own beliefs.

It does not matter how strongly you are convinced that there's zero logic to support the idea of any supreme diety, or how deeply you've felt the connection and spirit of God in your body to convince you that God is real. Neither of you will ever convince the others.

So, to and to facilitate a welcoming and respectful community, it is absolutely imperative that people stop making belittling remarks toward each others' beliefs or non-beliefs, tell them they're delusional or that they're going to hell, or otherwise personally attack them. (This, by the way, applies in many situations, not just in religion.)

Each of you who post can help by not responding in anger to a post, not resorting to personal attacks, calling people "buffoons" or "assholes" or "ignorant" or anything of the sort.

If you feel anger as you're posting... stop, take a break, wait, and then think about how you can say what you want to say without offending the other. If you can learn to do that... you'll make the community a much more pleasant place to be.

Thanks Joshular


Quack!

[Geminize]

^^Totally agree^^ Still Josh, you are such a buffoon for posting that!

I had a very satisfying "disagreement" on another forum about this topic. We discussed, debated, and disagreed without ranting and insulting each other. I hope we can get to that point with sensitive topics here on GS!

[Pix]

I agree.

However, a serious problem is that we can't talk about the bad apples either without people feeling personally attacked. And even jokes get twisted out of context.

Christians attack other Christians all the time and that seems to be ok. And my own granny is just one of many Christians who thinks Matthew 23 (against hypocrites and pharisees) is aimed at most organized Christianity today. Meanwhile the "witch wars" of Wicca are legendary in the neopagan community (at least back when I kept up with it), that is Wiccans getting nasty against other Wiccans (both personal politics and condemning the theology of other types and using absurd stereotypes to describe each other with). 'Course Wiccans and Christians are prone to lashing out at each other, too.

When I was a Heathen with Asatru friends (who also had feuds with other Heathens, and some also popped an attitude with Christians & Wiccans both) I didn't get upset when people complained about the racists, I commiserated or agreed how stupid those elements were, and if they said all Heathens were racists then I generally corrected them, I didn't have a meltdown the way all too many others do when someone points out their religion has bad apples and things that aren't easily accepted by people not raised in it or otherwise with some powerful experience. So it makes me very hard to sympathize with with religious people who come off as so insecure to me that they freak out over a joke or making snarky remarks about the hypocrisy of the Pope or mentioning Westboro. And frankly, even if someone believes Christianity SHOULD accept gays (just as Christianity no longer endorses slavery as it used to) it seems absurd to pretend that a lot of gays don't get tormented both passively and actively in the name of Christ (among others) and to act as if because we don't like those who lash out at us that therefore we don't like them either...at least wait until someone says ALL religion or whatever before taking it personally.

[cardiganwearer]

Some

People

are

Cunts!


Quack!

But it's OK to use language like that towards people?

[Joshular]

^^Totally agree^^ Still Josh, you are such a buffoon for posting that!

I will never ever deny the fact that I am a buffoon >.<

[Joshular]

But it's OK to use language like that towards people?

>.< Cardi you funny falla

Yup it's fine cos it wasn't directed at anyone other than "some people" cunt >.<
NOTTY DIRECTIONED AT ANY SPCIFIAL PERSONAL PERSON!
(I jest at you don't get offended)

Thanks


Quack!

[VileKyle]

This post is directed to those who start and participate in threads having to do with religious belief or non-belief.

Just pointing it out, but you just did exactly that ^^

[Joshular]

Just pointing it out, but you just did exactly that ^^

TBH I did copy and past this
And edited it to fit kinda