02 Mar 05
Originally posted by geniusWell, ideally it would depend on what the topic of debate actually is. Either the thread would be entirely moved to Spirituality, or else the posts in question are inappropriate and could be alerted.
just wondering what will happen if a thread that originally starts about something non-religious, for instance evolution or the big bang, turns into something religious?
02 Mar 05
Originally posted by AThousandYoungwhat, so you're saying that we can't even talk about religion in this forum? not even if the flow of a thread is going that way? and wehatever happened to freedom of speech...?
Well, ideally it would depend on what the topic of debate actually is. Either the thread would be entirely moved to Spirituality, or else the posts in question are inappropriate and could be alerted.
02 Mar 05
Originally posted by AThousandYoungI think it's more politic to politely tell the person who posts religous material that if they wish to discuss the religous/spiritual aspects of a debate to take it to that forum. The point isn't to kill their discussion, but to enable them to do so without irritating those who dont wish to discuss the religous aspects.
Well, ideally it would depend on what the topic of debate actually is. Either the thread would be entirely moved to Spirituality, or else the posts in question are inappropriate and could be alerted.
Alerting should be saved for someone blatantly flouting what I would hope will be an informal rule...it's going to get messy if every single time someone even mentions the bible it gets alerted.
MÅ¥HÅRM
02 Mar 05
Originally posted by geniusI'm not the one who asked for the Spirituality forum.
what, so you're saying that we can't even talk about religion in this forum? not even if the flow of a thread is going that way? and wehatever happened to freedom of speech...?
I think that given the fact that we have such a forum, the initial question for debate should decide which forum it goes into. If people get inspired to discuss religion, they should make a new thread over there instead of hijacking a non religious thread.
02 Mar 05
Originally posted by MayharmWell yes, of course asking people to be nice should come first, but I don't think that's going to keep religious people from inserting religion all over the place.
I think it's more politic to politely tell the person who posts religous material that if they wish to discuss the religous/spiritual aspects of a debate to take it to that forum. The point isn't to kill their discussion, but to enable them to do so without irritating those who dont wish to discuss the religous aspects.
Alerting should be saved for some ...[text shortened]... ng to get messy if every single time someone even mentions the bible it gets alerted.
MÅ¥HÅRM
02 Mar 05
Originally posted by AThousandYoungyeah-but it's not exactly hijacking the thread if it's going that way anyway, is it?
I'm not the one who asked for the Spirituality forum.
I think that given the fact that we have such a forum, the initial question for debate should decide which forum it goes into. If people get inspired to discuss religion, they should make a new thread over there instead of hijacking a non religious thread.
02 Mar 05
Originally posted by geniusWell, to be honest, I don't really care if religion is here in this forum. I just think that it's a good idea to keep topics in their own forums if there are special forums for those topics.
yeah-but it's not exactly hijacking the thread if it's going that way anyway, is it?
If a debate about something entirely non religious shifts toward religious topics, then the appropriate thing to do is make a new thread about the new topic.
02 Mar 05
Originally posted by geniusI'd guess the posts discussing the off topic topic would get erased by the moderator?
yeah-but then what happens to the old thread?
Since I am utterly indifferent about this topic, I probably won't discuss it any more here. Let someone who cares figure all this out. I'm only saying what I have to say because I think following the rules once they are laid out is important, and I like analyzing details like this.
02 Mar 05
In terms of new threads I think it will generally be okay, as people will learn that they are in the wrong forum. Other people can advise them to head on over to the spirituality forum and repost. In terms of an existing debate, including religious points of view, if relevant, should be no problem as long as the subject of the debate is not significantly altered. If it is then perhaps someone would suggest taking this tangent to the spirituality forum and starting a new debate, whilst returning to the matter at hand. I see no reson for alerting unless people like Darfius begin witnessing with no relevance to the debate in question. It's about being mature and tolerant I guess.
02 Mar 05
Originally posted by AThousandYoungSimply remind them, politely, that in most religions it's considered a sin or at least spiritually unhealthy to stir people to anger. Since they now have a choice of posting where it will make people angry or where it wont (and there's no reason they cant post a link to any off-shoot religous discussion), their own faithfullness with their creed could quite likely be called into question.
Well yes, of course asking people to be nice should come first, but I don't think that's going to keep religious people from inserting religion all over the place.
Dont forget, this spirituality forum is as much for their benefit as for those who dont want to debate religion.
MÅ¥HÅRM
02 Mar 05
Originally posted by geniusThat's all very well, but clearly it's not stopping the strife that keeps re-appearing over this subject.
but whatever happened to just not reading threads that could go along religious lines?
For a start it's not allways immediately obvious that a thread is religous in nature. Then there's the fact that at least half the topics in this forum are religous and you have to hunt around to find the ones that aren't. On top of it all when a religous aspect enters into what might have been an innocuous discussion about pesticide usage in agriculture the number of posts can balloon dramatically making it even harder to find the non-religous, on-topic posts.
It may only take a matter of seconds to find any one topic/post of interest, at least if you're anywhere near as fast a reader as I am, but those seconds stack up. I can spend 5 minutes hunting around for the stuff I might be intrested in reading or posting to. I hate it, I cant imagine what a chore it is for people who aren't speed-readers...
Put it this way, if people weren't that intrested in having debates, this forum probably wouldn't exist, the few debates that did take place would appear in the general forum where the lack of quantity would make a complaint look silly. But people are intrested in having debates and thus the debates forum, imagine if we had all the threads in here in the general forum...
So if there are so many people discussing religion, so much so that it interferes with those do not wish to do so, the same principle applies, give it it's own forum.
MÅ¥HÅRM