Can We Get A Christian vs. Atheist Forum?

Seriously.

It doesn’t matter who starts the thread or what it’s about, if it’s in the Conspiracies in Religions forum, the Religion, Faith, and Theology forum, or the Origins and Creationism forum, the thread will quickly devolve into a pissing contest between Christians (or others of Abrahamic persuasion) and Atheists. It could be a thread about Taoist non-duality, and by page two it will feature deliberate derailment by either Christians or Atheists (more often than not both), and from there they just argue amongst themselves with no regard for the opening context whatsoever.

Can we get these kids a safe playpen to roughhouse around in so the adults can talk about something else once in a while? They can have their fruitless debates with all the unbounded enthusiasm we’ve come to expect from sociopathic ideologues, and the rest of us just might be able to learn something from one another.

I know I sound a bit crass, but it may not be such a bad idea. After all, Christians and Atheists don’t seem very interested in debating the finer points of their religions with anyone else but each other anyway. A Buddhist could wander into the forum and the Christian says something about Ghandi (wrong religion I know, that’s my point), and the Atheist just dismisses Buddhism entirely as a non-religion because they know nothing about it and don’t want to/can’t deal with it. And then just back to bashing Christianity…

…but basically I’d like to isolate their incessant baiting and bickering in a place where I know it’s safe and can therefore ignore it entirely. It’s getting really old, and the rate at which they’re thread-spamming the forums from both sides make it difficult for more diverse topics to get any exposure for longer than a few hours.

So let’s just give them a little padded room in which to bash each other’s heads in over and over again whilst everyone else remains blissfully ignorant of the whole affair. I know the ATS motto, but in this instance I think an exception is warranted. ATS itself recently made a big stink about the level of civility in the religion forums, but it seems to me that the vitriol has only gotten worse.

If anything, we can do it for the sake of "diversity". Every once in a while it'd be nice to read/talk about some other religions without a thread hijacking.

Good in theory, but it will be yet ANOTHER place to bicker. Each side has its wackadodles who just cant get along. EVER. However.. Id love to see a real moderated atheist versus creationist fight.. ahh I mean, debate. Just 2 members, in a thread, mod on nodoze and redbull, bareknuckles.. timed.

reply to post by NthOther


Your position has merit.

I'm neither a theist or an atheist (don't argue with me pls.. I'm liminal..
I can have seemingly contradictory views simultaneously by the boat load)...
and I enjoy discussing the history of religion.. all religions really...
but yes, it always devolves into an atheist / Christian deathmatch,
and I've been guilty in the past of something like that too..

I'd love to have a nuanced discussion about Buddhism or Taoism for
example, with a subject matter expert which I'm not.. but it's
functionally impossible to do this on ATS.

Kevin

...If you want to stick around and clean up after the bloody aftermath that will have no positive discussion that either solved or formed any understanding or any form of remote promotion of any tolerance or education in it's wake to show for it.

After all, Christians and Atheists don’t seem very interested in debating the finer points of their religions with anyone else but each other anyway.

I'm not defending atheism, but that statement seems a bit one sided... how about debating the finer points of living without a religion?... I know it is hard for religious persons to conceive of the idea that it is possible to be a good person without religion but the old "atheism IS a religion" bs just don't track...

Minor point: philosophically at least, Buddhism is atheistic.

Major point: atheism is not a religion.

reply to post by NthOther


As Christians we are ordered by the Great Commission to spread the Gospel of Jesus Christ. However, I will not
argue these points with people because nothing good comes from it from either side. I would love however to talk about
my beliefs in a forum of civility and mutual respect. We are commanded to 'love the sinner', or individual person; and hate
the sin, or the persons actions. So, I guess i just talked myself into doing this at some point, but like i said earlier, i will not
take part in character defamation or slander.

May God bless you and keep you, and cause His face to shine upon you.

reply to post by NthOther


A separate forum isn't the answer but I don't really have a better one. My biggest annoyance is when somebody will jump on a religious thread (usually Christian-based) and give the obligatory one-liner something along the lines of "it doesn't matter, it's all a fairy tale". What the hell?! Unless the thread is about whether or not it's a fairy tale, participants need to suspend disbelief for a second.

It would be like jumping onto a UFO thread saying there are no such things as UFOs. We get people doubting stories on there and people who will debunk a video but they are at least operating under the premise that it's possible. Why can't we just follow that rule with religious threads?

Another irk-worthy response is from the Christians themselves when they use the bible to respond to the annoying posts mentioned above. C'mon, guys... do you think you are going to convert an atheist by quoting the book they actively disbelieve?

All-in-all, though, I'd prefer dealing with those types of posts rather than quarantining them off into another forum.

coastlinekid

After all, Christians and Atheists don’t seem very interested in debating the finer points of their religions with anyone else but each other anyway.

I'm not defending atheism, but that statement seems a bit one sided... how about debating the finer points of living without a religion?... I know it is hard for religious persons to conceive of the idea that it is possible to be a good person without religion but the old "atheism IS a religion" bs just don't track...

If atheism is not a religion, why are so many atheists posting in the religious sections, discussing atheism?

(ps - I know it's not a religion but I think many atheist treat it as one)

Gryphon66
Minor point: philosophically at least, Buddhism is atheistic.

Major point: atheism is not a religion.

Funny thing though... for not being religious, they spend a LOT of time in the religious threads.

reply to post by Advantage


"when you gaze long into an abyss the abyss also gazes into you"

- Nietzsche

LOL

Good point.

Cuervo
reply to post by NthOther

 

A separate forum isn't the answer but I don't really have a better one. My biggest annoyance is when somebody will jump on a religious thread (usually Christian-based) and give the obligatory one-liner something along the lines of "it doesn't matter, it's all a fairy tale". What the hell?! Unless the thread is about whether or not it's a fairy tale, participants need to suspend disbelief for a second.

It would be like jumping onto a UFO thread saying there are no such things as UFOs. We get people doubting stories on there and people who will debunk a video but they are at least operating under the premise that it's possible. Why can't we just follow that rule with religious threads?

Another irk-worthy response is from the Christians themselves when they use the bible to respond to the annoying posts mentioned above. C'mon, guys... do you think you are going to convert an atheist by quoting the book they actively disbelieve?

All-in-all, though, I'd prefer dealing with those types of posts rather than quarantining them off into another forum.

This . . . this sooo many freakin times!

Really wish there was a solution as the threads that manage to get around to discussing the finer points really stand out. I know I have learned things by disagreeing with Cuervo here who was actually up for discourse.

Sorry OP but expecting people to be civil sounds like a ludicrous idea and giving them a place to duke it out will only make them stronger.

-FBB

no