Guidelines for Discussing Religion

[skip.knox]

David@2011 , it's a good idea to read the guidelines for any new forum you join, whether here or elsewhere, prior to actually posting anything. And to lurk for a while, to understand the general tone of the community.

 

[Devor]

My reading of the rules here is that posting such prosyletising would be frowned upon and might lead to your restriction. Expressing personal views on politics and religion is expressly excuded.

Politics is out. Mythic Scribes is generally a place to get away from politics.

Religion is not strictly banned: You may ask honest questions, or talk a little about your own beliefs, but not challenge, proselytize, or otherwise debate the subject.

And there's a little more leeway when it's directly relevant to fantasy writing, especially your own writing.

 

[Dermot.Cochran]

While we welcome discussions on religion, all exchanges must be carried out in a spirit of mutual respect and genuine inquiry.

The cardinal rule is this: treat all religions with respect.

A) When engaging in a discussion, look for what is good and true in all religions, even those that you may disagree with.

B) If you don't understand another person's belief, politely ask them to explain it, emphasizing that you want to understand where they are coming from.

C) If you strongly disagree with another person's belief, don't even bring it up. If your mind is already made up that they are wrong, there's no point in starting a discussion.

D) If you initially disagree with another person's belief, but are open to the possibility that they may be correct, then it's appropriate to engage them in a discussion. If you are legitimately interested in learning where they are coming from, then it's also fine to ask questions.

E) However, if you KNOW that you're right and that someone else is wrong, and your objective is to prove how right you are, then having a discussion is pointless.

F) Finally, attempting to deconstruct and prove as false another person's deeply held beliefs is not a respectful exchange.


In general, don't discuss religion unless:

1) You are legitimately open to other points of view.

2) You sincerely want to learn about other religious beliefs.

Is it ok to discuss fictional religions in the context of my writing. Any resemblance to a real world religion would be coincidental and unintentional.

 

[pmmg]

Yes

 

[Dermot.Cochran]

I use AI as a sounding board to check my ideas and to help visualize my characters but I don't copy and paste AI generated prose if that's what you mean.

 

[pmmg]

Not sure where AI became the subject, but that has little to do with a discussion on religion.

But...good luck with the AI.

 

[cornu aspersum]

Not sure where AI became the subject, but that has little to do with a discussion on religion.

But...good luck with the AI.

Maybe Dermot mistook your signature for a response to his post?...

 

[pmmg]

Maybe... But, my siggy is as true today as when I wrote it.

I'd like to not drift the thread on religion into AI, so... I am checking out unless its about religion.

 

[Dermot.Cochran]

Not sure where AI became the subject, but that has little to do with a discussion on religion.

But...good luck with the AI.

I misread your reply; you mentioned AI in your tagline.

 

[Dermot.Cochran]

Maybe Dermot mistook your signature for a response to his post?...

Yes that is exactly what happened.

 

[skip.knox]

>is it ok to discuss fictional religions in the context of my writing.

Impossible to say without knowing more. Why do you want to discuss fictional religions? Do you mean the ones you have invented or are you looking at religions from other books? By "discuss" do you mean "here's the backstory whaddyathink?" Or something else?

As I said, I can't give a meaningful reply without more information, other than to point you to the policy, which you have presumably read but still are unsure.

 

[Dermot.Cochran]

It sounds like this forum is not for me. The rules seem too restrictive.

 

[pmmg]

I dont know how. Its a fictional religion. But…bummer. I wanted to know what he might ask.

 

[Dermot.Cochran]

An agnostic demiurge, who denies knowledge of any higher divinity, claims that creation is an illusion, pretends to be indifferent and disinterested, but secretly intervenes from time to time. Unconsciously created the whole multiverse without intending to. Hates being worshipped. She is actively ignored or despised by most major (fictional) world religions, but nevertheless has a small band of loyal followers and friends who know the Truth. They call themselves the Fellowship of Sages but are too disorganised to be considered a proper 'religon'. Their experiences and teachings are recorded in The Book of the Demiurge, which is banned and forbidden in most parts of the world.

The Demiurge gets a bit defensive and sarcastic when asked about suffering and evil; but secretly works to remove timelines that would lead to irredeemable evil outcomes.

 

[skip.knox]

I don't see an invitation to discuss, nor do I see a question. But the statements as they stand seem fine. If you want to solicit feedback, that probably belongs in World Building, as it's not in relation to an actual story in progress.

I'm curious, though, to know what you saw as possibly offensive or controversial. Something that caused you to ask the initial question.

 

[Dermot.Cochran]

I had misunderstood the rules as a ban on all religious topics

 

[skip.knox]

Yes, that was a misunderstanding. Feel free to discuss; folks will let you know if there's anything amiss.