McCulloch wrote:
Let's try to be considerate. Unless you really feel that you have something new to add, it might be best to avoid being beyond the fourth skeptical responder to a believer's specific post.
Tired of the Nonsense wrote:
The tragedy of this board is that all of the really interesting fire-breathing theists end up getting banned in the name of "civility."
It is a sad thing that anyone would consider only the fire-breathing extremists to be the only ones on the other side why can be considered interesting.
Tired of the Nonsense wrote:
And then the rest of the non-theists pile on the few theists who have the guts to post anything at all. Religion is an emotional subject for theists. Banning them in the name of civility is unsatisfying for both sides. We need a forum on this board where the rules of engagement are more relaxed and passion is not only allowed but encouraged. Within reasonable limits of course. Pointless name calling and f-bombs don't advance anyone's cause. But freedom to say what is felt would be a tremendous improvement.
I believe that we do provide those limits. Banning only happens when the offenses are continued, deliberate or quite offensive. Usually the offenders are given a chance to shape up, a probation period.
Freedom to say what is felt is a tricky issue. It, to me, revolves around not just what you say but how it is said. Here are examples, "I couldn’t find the idiots guide to Judaism, so I guess we will have to use you as a reference."; "Your pathetic attempt at debate has not gone unnoticed."; "You have made if perfectly clear that you and all of your relatives all decended from uncle benny. "; "You are adding nothing productive/constructive to this thread, and I would appreciate it if you stopped posting nonsense." ; "his long list of bile rants and excuses."; "There is really no point in debating with ****ing idiots."; "It seems like a bunch of fucking BULLSHIT if you ask me." These are not just expressions of someone's feelings, but rather uncivil and personal attacks. The person who made this statement did eventually get banned, for repeating this kind of remark. It is a loss to the forum, in that this debater did have some things to offer.
But the admins and mods do feel that we must protect the forum from descending into the pointless name calling and one sided debate that many of the forums on (or against) religion frequently become.