Would You....?

1. 77

   kirstenblogposted 14 years ago

   Would you write a hub about a belief that you do not strongly believe yourself? Say the religious meaning of a holiday when you are not religious?
   
   If you are strongly religious say to christianity would you feel comfortable writing about belief systems that are not at all to do with the bible?
   If an atheist would you feel comfortable writing about the religious meaning of a holiday?
   
   If you feel yourself to be a spiritual person who is happy to respect the religions of others without making them your own are you happy to write something that those people will appreciate even tho its not your personal belief?

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   1. 69

      Paradise7posted 14 years agoin reply to this

      Yeah, I think so.  I admire Buddhist philosophies though am a spiritually seeking kind of a Christian.  I find a LOT of things are FASCINATING about Judaism, and the Jewish struggle to be allowed to live in peace and prosperity and not persecuted by anyone.
      
      I would write the article from a more neutral point of view, not pretending to espouse beliefs that aren't mine but presenting the positive aspects of the topic with care and respect.

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   2. 61

      h.a.borcichposted 14 years agoin reply to this

         It feels natural for me to write on what I am passionate about. Perhaps I feel empowered because I have knowledge of the material and experiences to back it up.
         To write objectively about something I do not have a connection to turns out flat to me. It is more like a writing assignment in school. Factual.
         My family is diverse and has exposed me to many cultures and faiths. My previous mil was from the Phillipines and her faith was a mix of Catholisism and voodoo. When her husband died I attended 10 eves of ritualistic prayers to support her although it was not anything I believed in. My step children live in Amersterdam, have no faith and I have to remind them the cafes here have no dope. You get the idea, there is tolerance and diversity.
         I feel confident I could write a respectable article about a faith other than my own, but I would not choose to without a strong reason to. Holly

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      prettydarkhorseposted 14 years agoin reply to this

      It is ok kirsten, you are just sharing knowledge as you are a knowledgeable writer too

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      AEvansposted 14 years agoin reply to this

      Only if I felt confident enough to do it without slandering or harming another belief or believer.

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   5. 88

      IzzyMposted 14 years agoin reply to this

      I think if you were a journalist or a magazine article writer, and your editor told you to write about something like this, not something that is morally repugnant to you, just something you're not particularly interested in, then you could do it. You can state facts, or state other people's beliefs, and personally stay out of it, if you know what I mean.
      Most news reporters reports facts, or beliefs, without any kind of personal input. I believe it could work if you put yourself in that  mindset.

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2. 0

   lynnechandlerposted 14 years ago

   I keep coming back to this trying to formulate an answer. I guess if I felt competent enough to handle the article I would write it trying to keep it all objective so that none of my own beliefs would come through.

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3. 0

   cosetteposted 14 years ago

   i actually started to write a hub like that one time but as i started typing it out it just seemed like it wasn't good hub material, but that is just me. i would say do whatever feels right for you.

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      lyricsingrayposted 14 years agoin reply to this

      I agree with Cosette and have been in the same place.  Thanks Girl

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4. 93

   habeeposted 14 years ago

   Yes - I've actually had to do this before. BUT...I couldn't write something about which I find morally repugnant. Like if some sicko publisher offered me $1,000 to write an article on how to torture an animal, I couldn't do it.

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      Paradise7posted 14 years agoin reply to this

      Yeah, that's true, too.  I find pornography to be morally repugnant and I also know, there's some money in it for SOMEBODY.  But that girl isn't me!

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5. 77

   kirstenblogposted 14 years ago

   I agree habee, there is no way I could write something I find to be morally repugnant, even if I tried it would be no good as my personal disgust would show through. In religious and political matters its a bit of a grey area (not black or white in regards to my feelings). I grew up with beliefs that I do not really hold now and can 'go back' to those old feelings and beliefs and write to them in a way that I imagine some people would like but it feels hollow somehow.....

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6. 93

   habeeposted 14 years ago

   I understand what you're saying, Kirsten. I'm a Christian, but I wouldn't have a problem writing about another religion.

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7. 61

   Mike Rogersposted 14 years ago

   I believe it's important to be intellectually honest when publishing anything online or offline.
   
   However, I think it is appropriate to write about things outside of your own direct experiences provided good research is done and your tone reflects the nature of that relationship to the material in your writing.

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8. 68

   jenblacksheepposted 14 years ago

   I could write about something I didnt believe in (religion wise) but I couldnt pretend to believe something I didnt believe.

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9. 77

   kirstenblogposted 14 years ago

   I think I have finally come to my own answer which is to not write the hub. It was giving me a major writers block, I deleted the unfinished work and suddenly I feel like writing again . For curiosities sake I was working on an easter hub and the 'selling' angle I could think of was the real meaning of easter in terms of it being a religious holiday. I believe in God and all that, was brought up christian/catholic with exposure to many sects within christianity (Lutheran, United Methodist, Catholic School etc.) and so I know the stories and all that but I really do not care for organized religion. By not writing about something that was making me uncomfortable I may just have broken my writers block!

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    A. Faurholtposted 14 years ago

    You need to have something to say about the topic, if you venture into this kind of writing. For example writing about a part of christian history that fascinates you even though you are not christian.
    
    I personally stay as much of the religious angle in my writings since I have some strong views that might offend people, and I see no reason to offend complete strangers, when there is so much else to write about. My opinion about the various religions I keep to a closed circle.

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    bojanglesk8posted 14 years ago

    If it had good ads and was likely to be clicked often, hell yes.

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    1. 93

       viryaboposted 14 years agoin reply to this

       I say AMEN to that.

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    pay2cEMposted 14 years ago

    What a great question! This is something we had to learn how to do in my college debate classes. My professor would assign us a topic and give us 2 weeks to research and formulate our argument. Then, when we came to present our argument to the class, he'd tell us that we actually have to argue the opposing view to the satisfaction of our opponent. The lesson, I think, was to try your best to understand both sides of an issue before you fully commit to any particular ideology.

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    Uninvited Writerposted 14 years ago

    I definitely could. Research is the key. In articles like that I try to keep my personal opinions out of my writing and purely rely on the research from more than one source.

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