Generally, how do you feel about the posting style of DU members in R/T?

[Boojatta]

Poll question: Generally, how do you feel about the posting style of DU members in R/T?

[Viva_La_Revolution]

1. delete

I'm slow, but I figger it out eventually. :)

[Boojatta]

2. Religion/Theology. It's where this poll thread is.

[Viva_La_Revolution]

3. Happy New Year!

I started early. :)

[trotsky]

4. Other

The same styles are found here that are found everywhere on DU. Heated arguments take place over just about every topic - there are just more sensitivities when it comes to religion.

[cyborg_jim]

5. Too many polls

[Evoman]

6. I find my style of posting non-sensical and frequently insulting.

Other DUers are just fine though.

[and-justice-for-all]

7. I do not give mercy to R/T. nt

[lips]

8. This category

gets to easily construed by the following:

Maths
Physics of the non-local, observational variety
theological issues
ethical issues
general issues of inter-faith categorization

[pegleg]

9. the posting styles vary, but I cannot understand why atheists post

in RT instead of in a blog of their own. Atheism has absolutely no connection to religion or religious discussion. It's kinda like a vegetarian commenting on a sausage makers blog.

[cosmik debris]

10. I'm not a Republican,

But I take part in discussions of Republican policies because they impact my life every day.

I'm not religious, but I take part in religious discussions because they impact my life every day.

This is an open forum for all points of view on religion. It is not an echo chamber only for those who agree on the topic of religion.

[trotsky]

11. I'm so tired of that thinking.

cosmik said it very well above. Could a vegetarian not have an opinion about sausage making? They might not want to force everyone else to go veg, but can't they have some input about how animals should be treated & processed humanely, as well as maintaining product safety?

Atheists and other non-believers do have a group here on DU, as do believers. This is a forum, where views interact. Religion and religious policy impact us all, you know.

[pegleg]

12. There is absolutely no way that an atheist can have a discussion about things

spiritual when the spiritual world does not even exist to them. there is no logical connection.

[trotsky]

13. Can the religious beliefs of others affect atheists?

That's a nasty attitude you have there.

[pegleg]

15. I never said that you didn't have a right to post in RT, but only

that atheists have absolutely nothing to add to a discussion on theology, but only to disrupt. Incidentally, I do support and respect atheistic positions,but i do not hold those beliefs and have no interest in them.

[trotsky]

16. If you want to discuss something spiritual/theological without contrary opinions,

use a group. That's what they're for.

Forums, such as R/T, are open and made for debate.

Sorry DU doesn't conform to your standards. Perhaps you should take it up with the admins, or find a board more to your liking.

But thank you for illustrating one of the main reasons I like to post in here: confronting believers with attitudes like yours.

[pegleg]

20. As well do I enjoy confronting those with your attitude, but that aside,

I agree with you that I should post in a group if I don't want open debate. Thanks for the suggestion. I am relatively new here and didn't know there was a group for theological discussion.My one wish for all posters in this new year, regardless of theological positions, is that you would all find and strive for peace and respect.

[trotsky]

22. "Strive for peace and respect."

Hollow words considering the source.

[pegleg]

24. Obviously you have a problem with contrary opinion , too

[trotsky]

25. Naw, just with being told I shouldn't express mine. n/t

[pegleg]

26. I think I'll find a good sausage maker's blog and discuss the benefits of

being vegetarian.

[trotsky]

27. You never answered my questions the first time you brought up that lousy analogy.

I'll repeat them for your benefit:

Could a vegetarian not have an opinion about sausage making? They might not want to force everyone else to go veg, but can't they have some input about how animals should be treated & processed humanely, as well as maintaining product safety?

[Dorian Gray]

29. That's actually a good point.

I see RT as thoroughly a debate forum. I do belong to a Catholic forum outside of DU, and that's where I post to find debate within the realm of Catholic theology... or just plain Catholic based discourse.

I am not, myself, interested in going to an Atheistic forum, as I have no desire to disrupt or throw in my opinion in a place where it wouldn't be welcomed.

But, RT here at DU seems to be meant as a place where we can all voice our opinions about religion in general, and theological discourse more specifically. I don't always love when a topic is started here regarding theological matters, and it devolves into the same old same old. (Which is why I have spent less and less time as of late.) But, I do think that we should all have our opinions on all of these matters. Just because I am not Wiccan does not mean that I can't be interested in the religion, ask questions about it, and state why I don't believe as the practitioners do. And people on all websites are prone to stating their opinions on all sorts of matters. They are open forums for a reason, and I think that they should stay that way.

[trotsky]

30. It's hard to shut us atheists up.

Look at the "Ethnicity, Religion & Atheism" groups. The Atheists & Agnostics group has more posts than all the rest combined. Let's face it - you poor believers would be bored silly without us. ;-)

Of course some history is lost on n00bs as well - the only reason R/T exists at all is that religious topics would get out of control in GD. R/T was created specifically to host those threads that by their very nature tended to be controversial and adversarial. And what's funny is that compared to a whole lot of threads in GD, the disagreements in here are relatively mild!

[Dorian Gray]

34. Well, yeah!

(I don't really post in the Catholic section here because I do so elsewhere.) I do think that a good argument is fun, so we'd be really bored without you all! :)

[cosmik debris]

17. You obviously haven't been paying attention

Some of the best theological scholars on this board are atheists.

[pegleg]

18. Only in an atheistic mind.

[cosmik debris]

19. So, tell me....

Whose posts here are better at the translation and interpretation of the Old Testament than Mr. Wiggles?

Here's a hint: Any time I have seen his interpretation in dispute...it was disputed by another atheist.

[TZ]

21. Excuse me?

Although I am an atheist myself, I am a very curious person and like to ask believers questions about why they beleive or what they don't believe.
BTW, I'm a biologist with a background in evolutionary biology. A lot of religious people are trying to maket the case that evolution doesn't exist and ID/creationism should be taught instead. I would say I have an interest in what beleivers think, because it does effect my profession and how its taught!
And I am also very capable of joining in a theological discussion WITHOUT disruption.
In this case, I would say YOU are doing a good job of being rude, unpleasant and disruptive something that atheists get accused of from time to time.
I'm sorry if it upsets your sensibilities to hear what someone with a different pov has to say.
Censorship of large groups of people is NOT what this message board is about.

[pegleg]

23. Who said anything about censorship, I merely questioned an atheist's

qualification to add anything constructive to the subject of theology.

[cosmik debris]

28. So, that respect business doesn't apply to you?

It is obvious that you have no respect for the intellectual abilities of atheists. Yet you pretend that you want respect for all.

Around here, you get the respect you give. And you are off on the wrong foot.

Just because you believe more than an atheist doesn't mean that you know more than an atheist.

[TZ]

33. Considering that many atheists

are former believers, and many came from really religious households, I don't think thats true.
FYI, I am also by heritage Jewish and do enjoy talking with both gentile and goya about the religion and its practices having been raised to it...

[immoderate]

31. If atheism is not an aproach to theology, what is it?

--IMM

[pegleg]

32. So are you saying that atheism is a theology?

Or is it an anti-theology?

[immoderate]

35. It's a-theology...

The prefix a- means not or without. Thinking of atheism as a theology, is like thinking that bald is a hair color, or barefoot is a shoe, or sitting is a dance...well, you get the picture.

Consider the set of theologies. Atheism is not a member of that set.

Now consider the set of approaches to theology. That's a more inclusive set. A-, anti-, non-, and un-theists all have contributions to make. Theists have a lot of power in our society, and this power is based on unsupported assertions. You can see why questions of this forum would concern nontheists.

I've written about this before, but since you may not have heard it, I'll point out that atheists have an advantage in a discussion forum. Debate and rhetoric depend on logic and reason. Atheists take a logical position, and use logic and reason to defend it, and the opposition is trying to use logic and reason to support things that are not cogent. It's a mismatch. It's also tough emotionally. Theists interpret attacks on religion as an attack on their identity. Philosophical statements are felt as personal assaults. For atheists, not so much.

Are you thinking there should be no place where atheists and theists can discuss religion? :shrug: Let me also challenge you to find a more civilized atheist/theist debate anywhere on the internet. That should take a while.

--IMM

[pegleg]

37. Point taken . This is very civilized debate.

[cosmik debris]

14. But we CAN discuss the impact of those ideas

And this is the place for that discussion.

[heidler1]

36. How about discussing whether spirituality is just BS? There is nothing in R/T

that demands belief in R/T dogma. The selling 0f all religion IMO is detrimental to mankind whether you believe it or not. Being we all live in this world we should take a self interest in making it better and yes we each promote what we believe in.

Thanks to Bush, we have a perfect example of what happens when the wall between church and state is knocked down even a little bit. I don't like it and it's pretty plain that the wiser of the religious plus the non-religious, other voters don't like it now either, even though they thought they would earlier.

The good news is that most of the narrow minded fundies are Republican. This allows us broad minded Democratic Liberals to play the smart, big tent guys who are open and let all humans have their say. This is why we'll win in November. At the same time we must realize that a Huckabee's type BS still sells to many people.

[heidler1]

39. Try looking at R/T as a study of R/T or those interested in R/T or even why is there R/T.

If it effects everyone then everyone has a vested interest in R/T. It effects taxes, what's taught in school's, blue laws and many other things. The question comes up are the foregoing good or bad and are the preachers of this dogma capable of setting good examples?

IMO what ever is promoted should meet the test of sustainability and the health of mankind both mental and physical not some myth.

[dmallind]

47. You'd be right

If the following was also true:

Sausage makers using the power of their majority were attempting every day to enforce the rules and beliefs of sausage making on vegetarians by force of law

The vast majority of sausage makers knew far less about sausages and how they are made than most vegetarians, but still wanted to enforce their own view of sausage making on vegetarians

A majority of the population thought vegetarians were untrustworthy and not capable of holding office, and that sausage making in and of itself made people more moral and fit for elected office

The entire language and culture of society assumed the superiority of sausage making over vegetarianism

Sausage making was an interesting intellectual issue in and of itself, with a few millennia of powerful and influential documents, movements and political power behind it that were perfectly capable of being understood and disucssed without actually wanting to make or eat sausages at all.

[Boojatta]

38. Kick for more votes, comments, and questions.

[edhopper]

40. Nice hijacking everyone.

Way to go!

[Meshuga]

41. Boring

At least lately. This place was happening with good posts and fun flame wars. What is happening to this place? :-)

[edhopper]

42. Oh Yeah,

DON'T GIVE ME THAT, YOU SNOTTY-FACED HEAP OF PARROT DROPPINGS!
SHUT YOUR FESTERING GOB, YOU TIT! YOUR TYPE MAKES ME PUKE! YOU VACUOUS TOFFEE-NOSED MALODOROUS PERVERT!















For those who ask; Monty Python

[Meshuga]

43. Look, I CAME HERE FOR AN ARGUMENT...

The argument sketch is a classic. :-)

"YOU TIT!" :rofl: I can't wait for the oportunity to use this one. :-)

[edhopper]

44. Sounds like you want to complain...

You want to complain! Look at these shoes. I've only had them three weeks and the heels are worn right through.

[Silent3]

45. All the flaming has moved to GD:P

When the primaries are over, the flame level here in R/T should increase back to the comfy toastiness we've all come to know and love. :)

[skepticscott]

46. You said a mouthful

I've been hanging out in GD-P for the last couple weeks, and I can tell you...don't go in without thick skin and asbestos underwear, because they will char your ass to a crisp. Even as someone who's used to the vehemence of R/T, the level of hostility and low ratio of intellectual content to insults in the political forums surprised me. By comparison, it seems almost peaceful here. It's strange but apparently true that the supporters of different Democratic candidates (who, if you step way back, aren't all that far apart on the political spectrum) are even more irreconcilably at odds with each other than atheists and religionists here. It was also somewhat disappointing to see how quick people in those forums are to use the Ignore button (I think I'm already on more lists there than here); simply blocking out dissenting opinions, rather than confronting them, seems to be their first rule of rhetoric.

[saltpoint]

48. It's a surreal mosaic.

Which makes it kinda fun.