Is "Religious Forums" Too Political?

[Rival]

This thread whats your beef with brexit? | Religious Forums has been going since 2017. We have another thread from 2019 also still going Boris Johnson - let's see how he and his government performs.... | Religious Forums

That's where most of the British stuff goes.

But it seems everytime someone so much as sneezes in US politics there are 5 threads for it.

 

[9-10ths_Penguin]

**Please read the OP in its entirety before voting in the poll**

Given the forum's mission statment...

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.​

...I think the primary intent of Religious Forums is to discuss and debate religion. A few of us have been discussing behind the scenes our concerns that the political forums are in conflict with the forum's mission statement, particularly with regard to the toxicity, volatility, and lack of civility the political forum brings, particularly in the debate section.

As I look at the new threads section this morning, I'm seeing 7 out of 10 threads are political in nature, which I find a bit unsettling.

View attachment 46777

We have concerns, being a religious forum, that the nature of political debate may have an adverse impact on membership and traffic, particularly with those that registered here with the intent of discussing religion.

The poll in this thread requires two responses. Please read the question in the poll and select one of the seven choices that best fits your views on the political forums and feel free to reply to the thread to add any commentary. Also, please select one of the bottom three responses that best describes why you're here. The results are private and visible only after you have made your selection.

Also, please note in a reply any changes or ideas you think might benefit the community with regard to the political forums.

Thank you for your time in reading and responding to this.

The political stuff comes in waves.

... and last week wasn't exactly a typical week. All of the political threads in that screen shot are about the same extraordinary event.

In the past couple of months, we've gone through:

- the US election (including election day in November, plus all the rigmarole around certifying the results, court challenges, the Electoral College, runoff elections, etc.)
- Brexit becoming final
- an attempted coup in the US

... and in the background of all this, a global pandemic and the responses of all the world's governments to it.

So it makes sense that politics has been on people's minds more than normal lately.

 

[9-10ths_Penguin]

Hmm... 8 votes in the first part of the poll and 11 votes in the second part. RFers: Comprehensive readers who are great of following instructions.

The wording of your poll options certainly didn't help.

For me, at least, the commentary you added ("cool," "simply awesome," etc.) left me thinking that none of those poll options reflected my position. I ended up having to re-interpret them based on what I assume you were trying to get at in order to actually answer.

 

[Jayhawker Soule]

I don't think this is going away any time soon. It seems to be part of the enraged culture.

Good. We're experiencing the fruits of the indifferent culture.

 

[Rival]

Good. We're experiencing the fruits of the indifferent culture.

I don't think enragement is a good way to deal with anything though. More mature discourse is key and I think this is what's lacking. Everyone just seems to want to prove each other wrong and one-up them, score points, rather than have a dialogue.

 

[Jayhawker Soule]

I voted for options 3 and 10. I would have preferred more thoughtful and serious wording.

 

[PureX]

Religion has been politicized and even "weaponized" all over the world, and throughout history. I don't think there is any discussing it without including these possibilities.

Ideologies have behavioral consequences when they're practiced, and for this reason there will always be an intent to use ideology to control the behavior of others. And I don't think we can discuss ideology honestly while ignoring this facet of it.

 

[Jayhawker Soule]

I don't think enragement is a good way to deal with anything though.

I've heard this liberal plaint throughout half a century in the civil rights movement. It sickens me.

 

[Rival]

I've heard this liberal plaint throughout half a century in the civil rights movement. It sickens me.

I'm a strong believer in doing things through the correct channels and trying to work for change within the system rather than against it. I can see why others would be less inclined to this, but it's how I see things. I don't think hot emotions do any good or help civil discourse in any way.

 

[Eddi]

Also, please note in a reply any changes or ideas you think might benefit the community with regard to the political forums.

Why not make it so that new threads made in the political forums don't appear on the list of new threads on the homepage?

 

[Revoltingest]

...I think the primary intent of Religious Forums is to discuss and debate religion. A few of us have been discussing behind the scenes our concerns that the political forums are in conflict with the forum's mission statement, particularly with regard to the toxicity, volatility, and lack of civility the political forum brings, particularly in the debate section.

The mission statement has a problem...it doesn't match
the evolution of RF. We have "mission creep".
Participation in political discussion isn't mandatory...anyone
who wants to limit their involvement to religion has that ability.
The core mission I see is discussion that is civil, diverse &
interesting. Let the members decide what is discussed.

If RF were to limit political discussion, I'd be outa here.
(Perhaps staff think that would be a worthy benefit?)
There are only so many times per year that I'm compelled
to explain why I'm an atheist, & that I don't eat puppies.

 

[Revoltingest]

Hmm... 8 votes in the first part of the poll and 11 votes in the second part. RFers: Comprehensive readers who are great of following instructions.

I voted before reading the OP.
(I don't read directions for things I buy either.)
But I got it right anyway cuz your wording was excellent.

 

[SalixIncendium]

Politics or religion or something else? I didn't see an option for 'something else'. And I don't have an opinion as to RF being too political.

The last three choices had nothing to do with RF being too political. They were to determine demographic of RF. Are people here to discuss only religion, only politics, or both?

Again, I'm not sure you read or understood the OP and the purpose of the poll.

Just out of curiosity, are really you here to discuss something other than religion or politics? If so, what?

 

[Revoltingest]

I don't think enragement is a good way to deal with anything though. More mature discourse is key and I think this is what's lacking. Everyone just seems to want to prove each other wrong and one-up them, score points, rather than have a dialogue.

I think it's actually better than you stated.
Many here are good at conversing.
Alas, hotheads are more noticeable.

 

[Revoltingest]

Just out of curiosity, are really you here to discuss something other than religion or politics? If so, what?

If I may jump in here....
Many of us are also here for humor, food, & all the miscellany.
This is also necessary for relief from political & religious bickering.
Otherwise I think @sun rise & @Wu Wei would eat everyone.

 

[SalixIncendium]

If I may jump in here....
Many of us are also here for humor, food, & all the miscellany.
This is also necessary for relief from political & religious bickering.
Otherwise I think @sun rise & @Wu Wei would eat everyone.

I'm not saying that people don't discuss other things, but I'm not sure most of the members here didn't initially register with the primary intent of discussing either religion or politics.

 

[Revoltingest]

I'm not saying that people don't discuss other things, but I'm not sure most of the members here didn't initially register with the primary intent of discussing either religion or politics.

The great thing is that there's something for everyone.
I stay out of the areas that don't interest or prohibit me.
Is it really a problem that there's so much more here than
religious discussion?

 

[SalixIncendium]

The great thing is that there's something for everyone.
I stay out of the areas that don't interest or prohibit me.
Is it really a problem that there's so much more here than
religious discussion?

I don't think the diversity is a problem, but it's evident that the toxicity is a problem for at least some.

 

[Revoltingest]

I don't think the diversity is a problem, but it's evident that the toxicity is a problem for at least some.

For those who cannot look away from the train wreck
that political discussion is, I have 3 suggestions....
1) Learn to look away.
2) A software feature making selected forums invisible.
3) Clamping down on toxic posts.
This means more work for moderators, but I'm willing
to consider doubling your pay as compensation.

 

[SalixIncendium]

The wording of your poll options certainly didn't help.

For me, at least, the commentary you added ("cool," "simply awesome," etc.) left me thinking that none of those poll options reflected my position. I ended up having to re-interpret them based on what I assume you were trying to get at in order to actually answer.

I understood the wording might not fit everyone perfectly. So I made sure I placed the header in the OP...

**Please read the OP in its entirety before voting in the poll**

...in big and bold letters, and went on to explain the process in detail in the OP and gave direction to select the choice that "best fits your views."

But thank you for your critique.