god

[Black Dragon]

I agree with what you said in the post, above, except with respect to the quoted portion.

Steerpike,

The full sentence reads as follows:

If you disagree with another person's belief, don't bring it up. If your mind is already made up that they are wrong, there's no point in having a discussion. It only puts them on the defensive.

If you initially disagree with a belief, but are open to the possibility that they may be correct, that's a different story. If you are legitimately interested in learning where they are coming from, that's also fine.

But if you KNOW that you're right and that they're wrong, and your objective is to prove how right you are, then having a discussion is pointless.

I'm not sure why someone would feel threatened or unwanted or somehow less able to contribute to the community at a whole because of a thread in which some members disagree with their religious views (or lack thereof). I haven't seen the PMs you are getting, but I've seen them on other boards and they often are some variation on "I don't like or am not interested in that subject, so please don't let people talk about it."

The private messages that I've been receiving are nothing like that.

 

[Devor]

True. But if someone wants to stop interacting with me, or with you, in a given thread, that's exactly what they should do. My question is of the need to take it beyond that and actually complain to the mods in an attempt to get them to stop everyone else from interacting in the thread as well.

Trust was already broken in this thread. People had already stopped sharing. The remaining conversation was hostile by its very nature.

 

[Steerpike]

If you initially disagree with a belief, but are open to the possibility that they may be correct, that's a different story. If you are legitimately interested in learning where they are coming from, that's also fine.

But if you KNOW that you're right and that they're wrong, and your objective is to prove how right you are, then having a discussion is pointless.

That makes sense. I generally assume when someone is engaging in a discussion that they have some interest in the other person's point of view. Even if they aren't likely to be swayed, I hope they have a legitimate interest in understanding the other viewpoint.

In my case, for example, while I am not a religious person now, I grew up in a religious environment. My grandfather was a southern baptist "preacher," and I attended his church as a child. He was also a very kind and intelligent person. Much of my family remains quite religious, others of us are not. Religious or not, I think we all tend to be good people. Because of my own path in life, I am always very interested in religious discussion, and in how people respond to philosophical and other problems. For example, with respect to historical accuracy or internal consistency in a religious text - I think too many religious people are drawn into that trap. From a religious point of view, I'm not sure any of that matters, because the book is meant to provide spiritual guidance and teaching, and not intended to be a science text or historical treatise. On the other side, the non-religious person who criticizes on those grounds as a way of dismissing the work is also going down the wrong path (in my view)....

In any event, this is not to restart the discussion if we do not want it here, but merely to illustrate where I'm coming from when I enter a discussion of this sort. I'm genuinely interested, and even though I do not have religious views and have (in my view) good reasons for my objections, I have found that people who are religious, from all faiths I've encountered, are intelligent, reasonable people. My questions aren't intended to be disrespectful because I do not feel any disrespect toward people who hold religious viewpoints, whether the views be those of Christianity, Islam, Judaism, Buddhism, a Native American spiritual belief system, or what have you.

 

[Black Dragon]

That makes sense. I generally assume when someone is engaging in a discussion that they have some interest in the other person's point of view. Even if they aren't likely to be swayed, I hope they have a legitimate interest in understanding the other viewpoint.

I would hope so. But all too often people are interested in defending their own beliefs, usually at the expense of proving someone else to be wrong.

I'm genuinely interested, and even though I do not have religious views and have (in my view) good reasons for my objections, I have found that people who are religious, from all faiths I've encountered, are intelligent, reasonable people. My questions aren't intended to be disrespectful because I do not feel any disrespect toward people who hold religious viewpoints, whether the views be those of Christianity, Islam, Judaism, Buddhism, a Native American spiritual belief system, or what have you.

And we welcome all religious discussion carried out in a tone such as this.

 

[Black Dragon]

Because of the sensitive (and potentially explosive) nature of this subject, special guidelines have been enacted for the discussion of religion:

http://mythicscribes.com/forums/news-announcements/2101-guidelines-discussing-religion.html

I believe that this thread has exhausted its usefulness, so I am locking it. I invite you to create a new religion thread, in which these guidelines will be observed from the start.