Religion On Wikipedia Is A Recipe For Controversy As 'Edit Wars' Rage On

[cbayer]

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/07/27/religion-wikipedia_n_5618877.html

Religion News Service | By Sarah Pulliam Bailey

Posted: 07/27/2014 9:17 am EDT Updated: 1 hour ago


The 'Wikipedia' logo is seen on a tablet screen on December 4, 2012 in Paris.
LIONEL BONAVENTURE via Getty Images

(RNS) When he was a student at Brigham Young University three years ago, Anthony Willey came across a Wikipedia page on Mormons. What he read filled him with frustration.

The article focused on polygamy, which seemed odd since Mormons officially outlawed the practice in 1890. “It didn’t say what Mormons believe or what made them unique,” Willey said. “I had the thought, ‘Who’s editing this stuff?’ and that got me hooked.”

Since editing that page and adding 50 percent to the content, Willey has made more than 8,000 edits to the editable online encyclopedia, mostly on articles related to Mormonism. His top edited pages include entries on Joseph Smith, Mormons, Mormonism, and Black people and Mormonism.

The problem confronting many Wikipedia editors is that religion elicits passion — and often, more than a little vitriol as believers and critics spar over facts, sources and context. For “Wikipedians” like Willey, trying to put a lid on the online hate speech that can be endemic to Wikipedia entries is a key part of their job.

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[Brettongarcia]

1. The other side of the coin: articles that are wholly biased in favor of a given religion

I've been involved personally in this controversy. My solution to possible bias on both pro- and anti- religionists, was in part to suggest that both be allowed space on any religion entry in Wiki.