I have a question for all members

[Domenic]

I have been trying to figure out the core purposes of this forum?
It is not to promote faith in God. Yet it is listed as a religious forum”
Those who believe in the Bible cannot say this is true, or that is false, unless they refer to their comment as, “In my opinion.” Those who do not believe in God, are free to say, “That’s not true.”
I understand rules. Many of the rules I see, are toward the support of those who do not believe in a God, or the Bible?
Is the purpose of the forum to bash people who believe in God?

 

[9-10ths_Penguin]

The core purposes of RF are spelled out in our mission statement:

Mission Statement

As a community of diverse cultural and religious backgrounds, our aim is to provide a civil environment, informative, respectful and welcoming where people of diverse beliefs can discuss, compare and debate religion while engaging in fellowship with one another.

 

[Domenic]

The core purposes of RF are spelled out in our mission statement:

That's a good theory, but does it hold true?
Here is an example of what I am asking:
If I know a Bible statment is true, and can be proven as true, My having to say, "In my opinion," in order to not be outside rule 8, puts what I can prove a fact, as nothing more than an opinion...thus it is no longer a fact.

That would be like saying, "If you jump out of an airplane at 10,000 feet without a chute, in my opinion, you will die. That is like saying you may not die.
Why would a statment have to be labeled an opinion, if it can be proven as true?

 

[beenie]

That's a good theory, but does it hold true?
Here is an example of what I am asking:
If I know a Bible statment is true, and can be proven as true, My having to say, "In my opinion," in order to not be outside rule 8, puts what I can prove a fact, as nothing more than an opinion...thus it is no longer a fact.

That would be like saying, "If you jump out of an airplane at 10,000 feet without a chute, in my opinion, you will die. That is like saying you may not die.
Why would a statment have to be labeled an opinion, if it can be proven as true?

On the other side of the coin, those who don't believe in the Bible can claim their statement is true and be proven as true. The rules are not swayed either way; all parties need to stick to them.

 

[Vinayaka]

Depends on what you mean by 'prove' I guess.

 

[Kilgore Trout]

Depends on what you mean by 'prove' I guess.

People usually mean "assume" when they say "prove."

 

[Domenic]

On the other side of the coin, those who don't believe in the Bible can claim their statement is true and be proven as true. The rules are not swayed either way; all parties need to stick to them.

Well, in my opinion;
In that case, it matters not what either side says, nothing is learned. Nothing is gained.
So of what value is the forum?

 

[Musty]

I have been trying to figure out the core purposes of this forum?
It is not to promote faith in God. Yet it is listed as a religious forum”
Those who believe in the Bible cannot say this is true, or that is false, unless they refer to their comment as, “In my opinion.” Those who do not believe in God, are free to say, “That’s not true.”
I understand rules. Many of the rules I see, are toward the support of those who do not believe in a God, or the Bible?
Is the purpose of the forum to bash people who believe in God?

Discussions on this website can sometimes degenerate into 'bashing' but it's important not to confuse bashing with people engaging in frank discussion on a subject which you're sensitive about.

I've often run into the problem of not being able to discuss a particular issue with someone or a group because they are too emotionally attached to the subject matter can't struggle to remain objective enough to listen and make a worthwhile contribution. It's particularly difficult when dealing with groups of people with a shared opinion. Confidence in ones opinions is often inflated when surrounded by those that share the same views.

Personally I visit this forum exactly because it's filled with people with different views. There is plenty of good discussion about religious and non-religious topics even if I don't necessarily agree with the views exposed.

 

[Vinayaka]

People usually mean "assume" when they say "prove."

Or some variation in between. :yes: Prove can mean anything from 'possibly' to '90% sure', to 'quite likely' to 99% sure.

So Domenic, what is this Bible statement that you say is true, 100%. Since I don't believe in the Bible at all, maybe there is something in it I could believe in. Never read it, so don't really know. So I'd like to hear what this is that is so solid.

 

[Vinayaka]

So of what value is the forum?

For one thing, we get a lot of people just out looking for information, not to argue or debate, or discuss, but just use it like a resource. Since there are many knowledgeable people here, surely that helps. It;s less boring than reading a book.

 

[Domenic]

In my opinion;

When I was in the military, they had rules. These were called, “General articles.”
One of these articles read, “This article, covers all articles not in these articles.”
It somewhat reminds me of rule 8 on this forum.

 

[YmirGF]

Well, in my opinion;
In that case, it matters not what either side says, nothing is learned. Nothing is gained.
So of what value is the forum?

It's about getting out from ones own little group and trotting about in a world, filled with people of different understanding. That understanding does not necessarily conform to your own understanding. If it helps, think of it as a way to learn more about what you really think, by defending your thinking from others who have different viewpoints. It's a win/win thing, to be sure, but not for the faint of heart.

In my opinion;

When I was in the military, they had rules. These were called, “General articles.”
One of these articles read, “This article, covers all articles not in these articles.”
It somewhat reminds me of rule 8 on this forum.

But surely you understand that a truly clever person is not bound by such guidelines as they will rarely break those guidelines in the first place.

 

[9-10ths_Penguin]

Well, in my opinion;
In that case, it matters not what either side says, nothing is learned. Nothing is gained.
So of what value is the forum?

I fail to see why not being able to put one's beliefs out as unquestionable fact would prevent anyone from learning.

 

[Domenic]

Or some variation in between. :yes: Prove can mean anything from 'possibly' to '90% sure', to 'quite likely' to 99% sure.

So Domenic, what is this Bible statement that you say is true, 100%. Since I don't believe in the Bible at all, maybe there is something in it I could believe in. Never read it, so don't really know. So I'd like to hear what this is that is so solid.

AS TO RULE 8.. IN MY OPINION:

I am a person to not beleve everything I read, or hear. If I have an interest, I try to prove, and disprove. Before I believe anything, it has to prove out 100%.
The Bible has some 10,000 Prophecies that can be proven to have come true. There are just a few left to take place.
If these Prophecies in the Bible had not come true, i would have thrown the Bible into the trash years ago. It is because of these Prophecies, the unproven stuff can be trusted, Does this make sense?

 

[Domenic]

I fail to see why not being able to put one's beliefs out as unquestionable fact would prevent anyone from learning.

Would you learn anything for a statment like this:

In my opinion, the core of the Moon is getting hotter, I think?

 

[9-10ths_Penguin]

Would you learn anything for a statment like this:

In my opinion, the core of the Moon is getting hotter, I think?

Sure I would: I would have just learned what you believe. One of the main reasons for this forum is to provide a place where people can learn about the beliefs of others.

 

[Willamena]

That's a good theory, but does it hold true?
Here is an example of what I am asking:
If I know a Bible statment is true, and can be proven as true, My having to say, "In my opinion," in order to not be outside rule 8, puts what I can prove a fact, as nothing more than an opinion...thus it is no longer a fact.

That would be like saying, "If you jump out of an airplane at 10,000 feet without a chute, in my opinion, you will die. That is like saying you may not die.
Why would a statment have to be labeled an opinion, if it can be proven as true?

It's not a requirement to label your opinions, and in fact I actively promote ignoring such anality. If someone else can't tell an opinion from a fact, that's their problem.

Edit: I guess there is also a problem if you can't tell your own opinions from facts.

 

[bobhikes]

AS TO RULE 8.. IN MY OPINION:

I am a person to not beleve everything I read, or hear. If I have an interest, I try to prove, and disprove. Before I believe anything, it has to prove out 100%.
The Bible has some 10,000 Prophecies that can be proven to have come true. There are just a few left to take place.
If these Prophecies in the Bible had not come true, i would have thrown the Bible into the trash years ago. It is because of these Prophecies, the unproven stuff can be trusted, Does this make sense?

As to rule 8 in my opinion it is impossible to prove anything 100% so thereby impossible to fully know anything. Then you should always be open to discussion and opposing views. If you remain open you can learn a lot about yourself, others and God.

If you want to close the book and believe you have the 100% answer then you can learn nothing. In my opinion.

 

[Secret Chief]

Shall we cut to the chase:

yada yada yada

 

[Daemon Sophic]

Would you learn anything for a statment like this:

In my opinion, the core of the Moon is getting hotter, I think?

In addition to learning what you believe, since this is a discussion/education forum, I would ask. "based on what evidence? What makes you believe that the core of the moon is getting hotter?"

If you answer, I could learn more about your beliefs and/or your information sources. If you or your sources provide enough proof, then I might have just learned something new about our moon as well. Double win.