Has the forum changed?

[lewisnotmiller]

It's always been a riot zone. Just pick your weapon of choice and join the carnage.

Shall we say sharpened wit and a brace of cutting quips at dawn?

 

[Brickjectivity]

The last week or so I have felt the forum has changed (maybe for longer too), and not for the better. It does not feel like a religious forum as it used to do earlier this year.

Have others also felt this?

And if there is a religious topic, it is sure to be beaten down by those who do not believe anything and it is more a competition to bring down religious beliefs. The happiness in the forum is gone, at least to me it is.

I always try to encourage users to be very specific about where they start debates, because RF does have this issue from time to time.

RF wants people in different faiths and those who are not in faiths. People do not naturally mix and meet others, and so somebody has to play the host. The idea is to provide a public block where people can get to know each other, maybe get rid of rumors that arise, maybe stimulate some awareness of the other. When people never interact they start to get strange ideas about the other group, so (the way I see it) RF is providing a space for interaction between people who do not agree. For this to work there have to be spaces for disagreement, and those are marked debate.

Peace often depends upon the members being informed about where they post and where they start threads. I think if someone posts a religious question in General Debates or in Religious Debates it is difficult to moderate and to screen out who belongs or doesn't belong, however if they start their debate in Same Faith Debates and specify who is permitted in the conversation we can limit the peanut gallery effect.

RF also has an ignore function, so members may add people to their list whom they wish to ignore. That is pretty convenient if another poster is irritating. Sometimes, though, people want to debate the other. RF provides room for that, too.

 

[SalixIncendium]

The last week or so I have felt the forum has changed (maybe for longer too), and not for the better. It does not feel like a religious forum as it used to do earlier this year.

Have others also felt this?

Yes, there has been a recent insurgence of people complaining about it instead of doing something about it.

 

[Twilight Hue]

Another point here is that RF has a bunch of forums with "debate" in the title. Seems like fair warning has been given.

Yeah that's what I was going to say if somebody is having too much trouble coping with the Bushido Warfare that you find in debate, there's always discussions and directives one can go to. Even journals if you like blogging or just pointing out your philosophies.

 

[Milton Platt]

The last week or so I have felt the forum has changed (maybe for longer too), and not for the better. It does not feel like a religious forum as it used to do earlier this year.

Have others also felt this?

And if there is a religious topic, it is sure to be beaten down by those who do not believe anything and it is more a competition to bring down religious beliefs. The happiness in the forum is gone, at least to me it is.

If it is a competition, it is between those with objective evidence in mind and those who do not depend upon objective evidence. Happiness??? LOL

 

[Milton Platt]

Yes, there has been a recent insurgence of people complaining about it instead of doing something about it.

How does one "do something about it"?

 

[Spirit of Light]

There are many DIRs where you will find people who share your viewpoints and not be dismissive of your viewpoints.

Strangely but even in the Dir there is examples of Atheists who come to speak their case about how they dislike religion, so no it does not always work in a good way.

But i will say this, i have had the night to think about this thread. and it may be that my own view also is a wrong view when it comes to how we should behave toward non believers

 

[oldbadger]

The last week or so I have felt the forum has changed (maybe for longer too), and not for the better. It does not feel like a religious forum as it used to do earlier this year.

Have others also felt this?

And if there is a religious topic, it is sure to be beaten down by those who do not believe anything and it is more a competition to bring down religious beliefs. The happiness in the forum is gone, at least to me it is.

Hi Amanaki......

It is a bunch of forums, Amanki, and some are religions. All the purely religious forums are protected from aggressive posts.

And in the open forums, where the nasties (like me ) lurk, religious threads don't really get attacked unless they are selling themselves, knocking other religions or seeking confrontations.

I noticed that a senior member sent (what I thought was) a nasty post to you about something that you wrote ..... you were defending a religion, as I remember. You want to get a soft skin for the love that can be found here, and a thick skin for posts like that nasty one, which I thought was 'the usual aggressive junk'. D

If you want to experience some really nasty theological forums you can lurk on some of those which pretend to be open forums but which favour fanatical forms of single religions. You will get shocked to your socks, and on return here will think this forum to be quite sweet.

All the Best.....

 

[Spirit of Light]

Hi Amanaki......

It is a bunch of forums, Amanki, and some are religions. All the purely religious forums are protected from aggressive posts.

And in the open forums, where the nasties (like me ) lurk, religious threads don't really get attacked unless they are selling themselves, knocking other religions or seeking confrontations.

I noticed that a senior member sent (what I thought was) a nasty post to you about something that you wrote ..... you were defending a religion, as I remember. You want to get a soft skin for the love that can be found here, and a thick skin for posts like that nasty one, which I thought was 'the usual aggressive junk'. D

If you want to experience some really nasty theological forums you can lurk on some of those which pretend to be open forums but which favour fanatical forms of single religions. You will get shocked to your socks, and on return here will think this forum to be quite sweet.

All the Best.....

I do agree with you, so yes I do need thicker skin then I have And yes i would like a more soft-spoken forum, ad honestly RF is maybe the best I found, even with its attackers (they are of course other places too)
Yes, i will always stand up for religion, no matter what religion that is in the discussion. but I will try to not make posts or Threads that is hurtful to Atheists.

Maybe i should use ignore button more

 

[oldbadger]

........................
As I understand it, the acknowledgement that free-for-alls can be unconfortable is a main reason why there are so many different areas in these forums. Including the DIRs, which I personally feel to have outlasted their welcome - but others disagree.
.................................

Hi.....

Some of the DIRs are most strange, in that a DIR member can open a really aggressive conversation, knowing that all contrary ideas will be banned.

Sometimes members will ask a question such as 'Is *** the way?' and pop it in to the *** DIR so that nobody can explain why they think *** is not the way.

In earlier days when DIRs were coloured blue and green a member asked an open question on a coloured DIR and I (who never understood or recognised such forums) responded with a non-aggressive suggestion. A mod (who came and left in a very short time) sent me the only warning I have ever received, and it was quite horrible and immoderate ..... It was at that time that I felt like leaving....... and I did for a year or so. That warning still reminds me that this place is impermanent (for me) and why I have never committed to full membership.

 

[oldbadger]

I do agree with you, so yes I do need thicker skin then I have And yes i would like a more soft-spoken forum, ad honestly RF is maybe the best I found, even with its attackers (they are of course other places too)
Yes, i will always stand up for religion, no matter what religion that is in the discussion. but I will try to not make posts or Threads that is hurtful to Atheists.

Maybe i should use ignore button more

Fair enough.
I do debate against one religion a lot, probably because I perceive that one to be really 'fork-tongued' with its history, its claims and its goals. And I love conversing with any fanatics..... good fun!

Ignore button? I have not put anybody on ignore for years ...... Sometimes a member softens to another, and I'm presently holding hands with debaters who have posted some real nasties to me. Now we debate along side of each other where we can, so I won't ever shut anybody out.

But @Revoltingest won't. He just don't hold hands.

 

[Spirit of Light]

Fair enough.
I do debate against one religion a lot, probably because I perceive that one to be really 'fork-tongued' with its history, its claims and its goals. And I love conversing with any fanatics..... good fun!

Ignore button? I have not put anybody on ignore for years ...... Sometimes a member softens to another, and I'm presently holding hands with debaters who have posted some real nasties to me. Now we debate along side of each other where we can, so I won't ever shut anybody out.

But @Revoltingest won't. He just don't hold hands.

Sometimes i have wanted to kick @Revoltingest in the butt but i guess i would get my own butt whooped a lot if i do

 

[oldbadger]

Sometimes i have wanted to kick @Revoltingest in the butt but i guess i would get my own butt whooped a lot if i do

@Revoltingest ??
He's got Steam Rollers and stuff like that........ he'd flatten you out and incorporate you in to a driveway.

 

[Notanumber]

Have you not noticed certain OP that is super negative toward religious figures or religions or their way of living as a religious person, especially Islam has been targeted a lot in the last weeks. Personally, I do not feel comfortable with this form of critique.
Of course, I am not allowed to give names of the threads or those who created the thread i speak of, it would be against the rules of this forum to do so.

Should Islam be above or excluded from critique?

 

[Spirit of Light]

Should Islam be above or excluded from critique?

It should be question in a sensible way. Not the way a few people do in this forum

 

[Notanumber]

It should be question in a sensible way. Not the way a few people do in this forum

If it is robust, it will be able to withstand any critique.

 

[Spirit of Light]

If it is robust, it will be able to withstand any critique.

Not when it become racistic. Then critique is not accepted

 

[SalixIncendium]

How does one "do something about it"?

• Be a productive member of the community by posting only productive content.
• Don't feed the trolls (Don't engage them by responding to their posts; report them. Creating public complaint threads about their behavior also feeds them; this is how they measure their success.)
• @ADigitalArtist's comment in reply #4 of this thread sums it up perfectly...

...be the change you want to see on RF.

 

[Notanumber]

Not when it become racistic. Then critique is not accepted

Is Islam a race?

 

[Spirit of Light]

Is Islam a race?

You start again? You do know that there are many races/cultures/ beliefs within Islam. And I refuse to start a new thread where you will slander Islam.
You know just as good as me what it means to be racistic toward Islam so cut the Bullsh.....t