Are Yahoo Answers and Atheist Nexus biased against theists?

I hope that this thread owing to its topic is not deleted because this site is about conspiracy.

Anyway, if it is deleted then I am philosophical about it.


I have the hobby of joining atheist forums or not exactly atheist forums (but where atheists flock to) and I do meet with bias from such forums or something similar like a forum, for example, the Wikipedia (but this encyclopedia is subject to everyone's edits and the most stubborn win) and the Yahoo Answers service.

Pardon me, but that is my impression and in some instances I do have very solid experiences from my own part and to my chagrin if nothing else.

In just within 24 hours time I met with biased treatment from two such services in the web, I refer to the Yahoo Answers and the Atheist Nexus.

First the Yahoo Answers.

Some months back I have had my questions at least one which was almost instantly deleted, and I suspect it is because of the trend in that question and its elaboration being an exposition of the flaws in atheists' arguments against God.

Then yesterday and earlier it happened again, not once but twice.

I submitted a question and its elaboration about the proof from evidence of God's existence and it got deleted right away, but I was able to save the contribution before it got deleted.

Then yesterday by way of curiosity as I found out that there is a section where Yahoo Answers also accepts questions about Yahoo Answers itself, I submitted the question why that earlier question was deleted, that question came out and I was following up with additional edits, then suddenly the screen returned that message that Yahoo Answers was not available for the time being, etc.

So I sent them a message to ask them or to suggest to them to review their deletion policy.

No, I have not gone to my email inbox to find out whether they answered my suggestion, but on previous occasions I have learned that all such correspondence ended with silence from their part in the end.

Now, about Atheist Nexus.

I also submit questions to Ask the Atheists, but I am not happy that they don't give people a chance to submit follow-up comments.

However I noticed that there is an associated Atheist Nexus which is a forum, and there is a sign-up link.

So I signed up successfully and got my membership activated, only then at this point I had to still fill up some questionnaire, so I stated that I am a theist.

Down the questionnaire it turns out that this forum is exclusively for atheists only, and anyone not atheist or nontheist will be taken out, i.e., banned immediately and no explanation whatsoever.

So, I cancelled the webpage questionnaire, even though I thought I was being truly honest to state that I am a theist, but in joining I just want to find out what are atheists about and up to.

Anyway, I sent them also a email using the contact link to tell them to put on top their webpages in big conspicuous words: "No theists allowed here," so that people will not be investing time and labor to sign up and then to come to the notice that they will be banned right away without explanation once it has become known that they are theists.

About forums which are not intentionally atheist meaning founded and operated to advance the cause of atheists, I have come across members who tell me that in such forums atheists would succeed to land themselves in positions of admins or mods, so that they can control the forum to their own desires.


What do posters say here in this Abovetopsecret forum, you have also such an impression in regard to Yahoo Answers and also Atheist Nexus?

If this thread gets deleted I can only be philosophical.

I am still a member of a non-explicitly atheist forum and had a post deleted completely and without explanation, because (my impression) it had a trend toward explaining how atheists' attitudes are not rational, and no amount of request for that post to be restored, with the founder and owner of the forum could get me anywhere, at least that notice be given for the deletion and why, no not even that; so my conclusion was then that the person who deleted that post was pretty powerful with the owner/founder of the forum -- that forum is a very popular one on paranormal phenomena.


Well, if this thread is deleted and without notice and explanation, I cannot be otherwise than just keep philosophical.



Pachomius

I posted a question saying I was looking for an SMS messenger than was easy to use, and was actually reliable, unlike yahoo's that never works. It got deleted without explanation too.

I doubt yahoo has a pro-theist bias, but is just too lose with "attack questions".

You were probably "Attacking athiest beliefs", as I was "Attacking yahoo services", and how any similar atheist thread would be "Attacking theist beliefs". You don't know how many atheist-type threads were deleted too, or how many theism questions got through.

I'd recommend watching you're wording. "Athiests are wrong because theory X doesn't explain phenomenon Y", even if not said directly, making something sound remotely like that is bad. "How does Theory X account for phenomenon Y, or does Y discount X?(no mention of any beliefs)" is much more constructive sounding.

I don't know much about Atheist Nexus though.

In regard to Yahoo Answers, it could be that the deletion work is being done by robots and also other works, which we don't know about.

These robots could be programmed to delete and do other acts on cue words which stir them to delete, etc., following their pre-programmed routines.

I think that is the fact, for I have seen questions not deleted but from all considerations should be (my impression again), including the likes of considerations of which you make mention.

On this account I believe Yahoo owes it to their users to put in a disclaimer, similar to the disclaimer set forth by Google Chrome for its dictionary, namely:

The usage examples, images and web definitions on this page were selected automatically by a computer program. They do not necessarily reflect the views of Google Inc. or its employees.

Why would yahoo employ robots?

Why else but because Yahoo saves money, and money saved is money earned, profit increased.

Or there are volunteers from atheists who manage to get into positions in Yahoo Answers, which endow them with power to delete and get away with it, and also to be in positions to screen emails and stop them from getting to higher authorities, if these emails are complaints against arbitrary deletions biased against theists or other groups of users.

My own suspicion only, of course.



Pachomius

I’m not sure about yahoo but atheist forums do tend to get lots of theist posts that are ether drive by postings of some typical religious bs or theist post some (for them killer knock down argument) but which has been posted on atheist forums about a gazillion times before and which the atheists are sick of the sight of (because the argument has been answered/dismissed as religious non-sense and not because it really is a killer knock down argument - trust me on this)

My advice is look around the atheist forum there usually is some area for the theist’s to post their stuff

Next make sure your argument really is a killer knock down argument and not just another rehash of Pascal’s wager or something equally as dopy/silly/over used

Make sure you understand your argument – atheist’s love a good discussion but they will give you the bums rush if you’re just some scripture quoting air head thinking he’s going to smite the un-godly with some passage from genesis


Tell you what, why not give you question a test run here in the off topic section faith section

If we knew what your questions were then we could help you with wording it in a why that likely wont get deleted.


Posted Via ATS Mobile: m.abovetopsecret.com

Yahoo answers is biased against logic and reality. I thought people only read it for humour and jokes from peoples' idiotic questions?


And yes, obviously ATHEIST Nexus is going to be biased against theists.

reply to post by Pachomius


Man created god if you think that is wrong I can show evidence !

Religion like Politics is a job creation scheme for its officials!!!!!

Its about power over the underclass below them!

If you are researching questions and using Answer sites you have a bigger problem than having your questions deleted.

Try doing actual research and come up with it yourself.

Do your own research. If you feel something is bias; check multiple sources. Yahoo answers isn't exactly the place for expanding your philosophical knowledge or experience.

You're wise to be skeptical of the imminent bias on wikipedia; but again - you can always research if you find claims or articles to be bias. Even if you don't find them bias....just be sure.

Besides, i once saw a Yahoo question asking:

How can you make that reverse "b"?

Perhaps you should leave the atheists to their forums where they obviously congregate to be as far from theists as possible.

Every single atheist vs theist argument has been done to death, nothing you come up with will ever be anything more than a rehash of a previous series of assumptions, faulty logic, and low-mindedness. The whole my god v your god crap is better left in the history books with the crusades, inquisitions and all the other bs people used religion to justify. When people stop using religion to justify their hate we may one day civil conversations about the theological but until then faith will ever remain a sore spot on humanity's ass.

reply to post by eNumbra


I completely disagree, the argument is always valid; especially in an age of opportunism - where people will take advantage of people's fears, of people's wishes and of people's money.

Even now we are repeating Epicurean arguments and even the philosophy of Socrates (and Plato); but they are still relevant and still worthy of repeating for those who could potentially fall victim to such modern cults as Scientology.

Especially when people are being subjected to Evangelical childhoods; there needs to be another voice that they can hear; instead of people remaining quiet, and letting people be subjected to narrow-minded worldviews.

Originally posted by ExistentialNightmare.

Besides, i once saw a Yahoo question asking:

How can you make that reverse "b"?

That wasn't a serious question, someone once asked that either on 4chan or in some chat session on irc; but I've seen it on an old bash.org posting. The question has become something of a meme used to troll people who take those sites too seriously.

reply to post by Pachomius


My question is why are you posting a question on Yahoo Answers if you were ready to provide an answer? That seems like a misuse of the service and the reason it would be deleted.

And an organisation that has the word "Atheist" in it's title is probably on the side of Atheists, that's common sense.

Originally posted by ExistentialNightmare
reply to post by eNumbra

 

I completely disagree, the argument is always valid; especially in an age of opportunism - where people will take advantage of people's fears, of people's wishes and of people's money.

Even now we are repeating Epicurean arguments and even the philosophy of Socrates (and Plato); but they are still relevant and still worthy of repeating for those who could potentially fall victim to such modern cults as Scientology.

Especially when people are being subjected to Evangelical childhoods; there needs to be another voice that they can hear; instead of people remaining quiet, and letting people be subjected to narrow-minded worldviews.

edit on 11-7-2011 by ExistentialNightmare because: (no reason given)

closed minded people arguing with closed minded people doesn't do anything but start wars.

The arguments are not nor are they ever valid and rarely have I ever seen anything said by either side in a theists v atheists thread that would make me want to be more like either group of poeple.

(warning harsh opinion follows: not directed at anyone here)
I feel those that ARGUE over religion to be the lamest of fools. Every belief system is inherently the same with some slight differences in the details and it remains the largest divide the world knows. All to answer a question nobody can by definition know the answer to.

reply to post by eNumbra


Atheism is a lack of belief; Atheism makes no positive claims alone; That's up to individual atheists.

Agnostic Atheism is an open minded position that states there currently isn't sufficient evidence to warrant a belief in a deity. Should the evidence be provided; an atheist who values truth should be willing to renounce his or her atheism.

That's open minded. I disagree with your "close-minded vs close-minded" statement.

Of course there are individual Atheists that declare there is no God; but they have no evidence for this claim either.

The burden of proof is on the person making the positive claim. The argumentum ad ignorantiam is fallacious; I can't prove unicorns don't exist; but does that mean they nessasarily exist?

reply to post by ExistentialNightmare

Originally posted by ExistentialNightmare
reply to post by eNumbra

 

Atheism is a lack of belief; Atheism makes no positive claims alone; That's up to individual atheists.

Agnostic Atheism is an open minded position that states there currently isn't sufficient evidence to warrant a belief in a deity. Should the evidence be provided; an atheist who values truth should be willing to renounce his or her atheism.

Agnosticism and Atheism are two different things. I wonder if that's a point in the OPs original posts ( arguments ) in Yahoo and for A Nex.... ? As far as burden of proof... there is no required proof for a logical fallacy. Atheism doesn't include an Axiom such as "I don't know" ( which Agnosticism does )....

and Atheism is in no way a "lack" of belief... it is in a fact "A Belief", granted by virtue of the use of will... which is another topic indeed!!!!

reply to post by Serafine


Agnosticism/Gnosticism - What you know (or don't know)
Theism/Atheism - What you believe (or don't believe)

Agnostic Theism i.e. "I believe there is a God"
Gnostic Theism - i.e. "There is a God!"

Agnostic Atheism - i.e. "I believe there is no God"
Gnostic Atheism - i.e "God (or a specific God) does not exist"

What you're referring to is Possibilianism

I understand Carl Sagans comments regarding Agnosticism ("absence of evidence is not evidence of absense")

But does that mean unicorns or spagettis monsters should be believed to be true because we can't prove it not to be true?

Man created god(s) and the EVIDENCE is shown all round the planet you dont have to try hard to find it or see it if you really think about it.

If you seek serious answers, especially when it comes to religion, Yahoo Answers is not the place :/ It's basically a feeding ground for trolls. As for the Religion & Spirituality Section, I wouldn't really say its biased. Any question can get deleted. I asked more 'atheistic' questions and they got deleted right away. There are no human moderators on the site, apparently, it's up to the users to report questions and answers.

And what do you get when the majority of users are bored teenagers who keep posting stuff about penises? You do the math.

AtheistNexus is the only Atheist website I've been on that excludes Theists specifically, personally. The reason they do that is because the website isn't for debate, it's just a hang-out for Atheists. If you want an atmosphere almost identical to AtheistNexus, but that allows Theists, sign up to ThinkAtheist.com. It has the same layout, only black, same features, with a more active member-base (that is, discussions are posted in far more often, and people tend to be a bit more tolerant, even if you DO get a bit of crap here and there, everyone tends to be willing to discuss with the knowledge theists do post there).

I've debated with a few Theists there, so the atmosphere should be alright for you.

Hope that helps.