Should HubPages split into Religious and secular categories?

1. 83

   Tom Cornettposted 14 years ago

   There seems to be a lot of name calling and vile innuendos between Christian and secular hubbers. Discussions between Athiests and Christians get nasty often.  Some people can't seem to be civil and they leave rude comments.
      It is fine to disagree, be critical and stand by your opinion.  It is not fine to verbally stomp on someones beliefs or disbelief's.  At least, that is what I believe.

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      RedElfposted 14 years agoin reply to this

      Well said. It would be a shame to squelch free discussion simply because a few are badly behaved. We learn so much through the exchange of ideas and learning about each others values and viewpoints.

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   2. 0

      nazishnasimposted 14 years agoin reply to this

      Very well said Tom, whenever you click hubtivity all you get is one after another post of somebody posting something in the 'religion' forum. It's so annoying. I think if it's possible then HP mgt should send everyone one question to answer: Which Religious category do you belong to:
      
      1. Religious
      2. Not so Religious
      3. Atheist
      
      Based upon the answer choices,people should be divided into three categories as stated above (i.e. religios type). Thereby three forums under religion heading should be created , and based upon your religious belief you would only be able to visit a forum for 'your kinda people'. If somebody disobeys then the repurcussion should be termination of his/her account.

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         earnestshubposted 14 years agoin reply to this

         Then we could break them down further by home ownership or what church they attend.

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            nazishnasimposted 14 years agoin reply to this

            LOL, hahhahahhaha ... yer too funny!

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      2. 88

         Paragliderposted 14 years agoin reply to this

         You need to add:
         
         4. None of the above
         
         to include irreligious free thinkers.

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      3. 88

         Marisa Wrightposted 14 years agoin reply to this

         I couldn't disagree more.  LIke I said before, if you want a cosy religious forum where you can smugly "debate" with other people who agree with you, there are plenty of purely religious sites where you can do just that.
         
         HubPages is a secular site which attracts a wide variety of viewpoints.  You can't start excluding some Hubbers from some areas of the site.  The Religion forums are for people to discuss religion from all points of view. not just for religious people.

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            nazishnasimposted 14 years agoin reply to this

            To each his own Marisa! Also, do you have a better idea of stopping people from hurling slurs at each other? If so let's sit up and discuss ... *sits to listen*

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            1. 88

               Marisa Wrightposted 14 years agoin reply to this

               There is a very simple way.  The main thing that has to happen is that fundamentalists need to be sympathetic to the fact they are posting on a secular site, and that many opinions and faiths are represented here.   
               
               It's therefore not appropriate for a believer of any religion to post a thread declaring that only their faith is the true faith, or a particular dogma is the only truth. 
               
               So fundamentalists need to stop preaching on the forums, and atheists - and everyone else - need to ignore them when they do, so the offending threads die.  Unfortunately there are a couple of people who enjoy baiting the fundamentalists too much.

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                  earnestshubposted 14 years agoin reply to this

                  That would be me among others!

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                  nazishnasimposted 14 years agoin reply to this

                  See, now that's the problem how would you 'Enforce' the sympathy!? How would ya make them be sympathetic? *shakes head*

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                  1. 84

                     earnestshubposted 14 years agoin reply to this

                     It can be hard to feel sympathy when someone pre-supposes their god or religion on you in the form of a question.

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                        nazishnasimposted 14 years agoin reply to this

                        *yawns ... stretches* ... time for me to leave! LOL.
                        
                        *waves "good bye everyone!"*

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   3. 0

      sandra rinckposted 14 years agoin reply to this

      I don't think it would make a big difference.  Christian ethics would insist that they have the right to speak on a secular forum and ergo.
      
      Like wise with the same amount of understanding an atheist would go to a religious forum and insist that they have the same rights to speak as they do.
      
      Really, on hp it seems like something to do to pass the time away.  Prolly the increase in evangelical christian preaching on the religious forums is due to the current economy.
      
      They are thinking that this is the end while others are at home with their loved ones boinking.  I don't know why this occurs really but from what I read and understand about that time... hard times bring people closer together.
      
      I would expect see another boom in by next year.  But I could be wrong. 

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         onthewritesideposted 14 years agoin reply to this

         yep you're right...when people don't have the money to go out and enjoy themselves, they are forced to stay home and boink....LOL

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2. 73

   AEvansposted 14 years ago

   Tom I believe that as well and could not agree with you more.

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   1. 83

      Tom Cornettposted 14 years agoin reply to this

      Thanks.... rudeness is simply not necessary.

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3. 63

   kmackey32posted 14 years ago

   Yes!!!! I am soo sick of the dumb shit. Take it someplace else. lol

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4. 63

   Mishaposted 14 years ago

   So, how are you going to handle it? Prohibit religionists to visit secular part and vise versa? Hardly practical

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      Tom Cornettposted 14 years agoin reply to this

      Christians don't go to strip clubs...strippers don't go to churches.

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         Maddie Ruudposted 14 years agoin reply to this

         Um, neither of those is true.

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         1. 83

            Tom Cornettposted 14 years agoin reply to this

            Should have put...real Christians?

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            1. 73

               Maddie Ruudposted 14 years agoin reply to this

               "Real" according to you.  Bet they think they're "real" Christians.  And really, who's to say?  Besides God, of course, but I don't think s/he posts on HubPages.

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               1. 83

                  Tom Cornettposted 14 years agoin reply to this

                  Well said Maddie....if I had said anything at all...something wrong would have been pointed out....wrong by opinion of course.  People who have to be right...argue with everything.

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                  Temperance Mposted 14 years agoin reply to this

                  Interesting tidbit to add - about half of the women I counseled while working at a battered women's shelter were "christian" minister's wives....
                  
                  so if violence at home is what these preachers are doing, who is really really the real christian?  My experience has been it is always the largest bigot in the room.

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      2. 88

         Paragliderposted 14 years agoin reply to this

         While I know that you were just making your point off the cuff, it does strike me as strange how often Christians reach straight for sex when they want a handy 'sin' to feel superior about. Isn't prurience a sin too? (The type characterised by the mote & beam analogy).

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      3. 61

         onthewritesideposted 14 years agoin reply to this

         HA!  I beg to differ....on both counts

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5. 63

   kmackey32posted 14 years ago

   I bet Christians go to strip clubs they sneeek there. lol

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      Tom Cornettposted 14 years agoin reply to this

      Oh yes...then preach the strippers into hell. 

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         kmackey32posted 14 years agoin reply to this

         HAHA. lmao

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6. 61

   Reena Daruwallaposted 14 years ago

   I find some of the discussions (if they can loosely be termed as such) that ensue to be fascinating. Amazing and fascinating. It would be a shame to put a stop to that

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      Leta Sposted 14 years agoin reply to this

      That's because, Reena, you choose your argument and what to talk about.  The smart way to do it, if you can.
      
      In regards to religion--very hard to have a valid dialogue--but I see you have been in on a few.

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         Reena Daruwallaposted 14 years agoin reply to this

         They do say faith begins where logic stops, so yes it is difficult to have a rational discussion when people feel that their dearly held beliefs are being questioned.
         
         As for me being in on the arguments; well I cant help it, I used to be a lawyer and am a Parsee. QED. I cannot help airing  my opinions and trying to convince others even though I know it wont change a single other opinion LOL

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7. 64

   Lisa HWposted 14 years ago

   Being rude/hostile isn't good, of course, but then there's the thing that some people see "rude" as anything that questions or tries to point out that their beliefs are wrong.  Then, too, there's the problem that some people (from less restrictive or no religion) may try to be polite to someone of a more restrictive one, but are going to sound insulting if they say, "I think following your guru-man (or whoever/whatever) doesn't allow you freedom of independent thinking."  That person could simply refrain from that comment, but that would hinder his freedom to express his views.  I almost think people just need to realize if they're going to participate in religious discussions they need a thick skin.
   
   I know of a religious forum that divides everyone up into their own religions and non-religions.  The same site has a politics forum and breaks that into Conservatives, Liberals, etc.  So they've built little "clubs" that "all agree" under each category.  It's ridiculous.

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8. 88

   Marisa Wrightposted 14 years ago

   First of all, the forums are just a place for Hubbers to socialize, get help and discuss various subjects.  It's perfectly possible to participate in HubPages and never go near the forums at all.
   
   I agree that some atheists can be rude and sarcastic.  However some of the Christian posters are very closed-minded, and incapable of understanding or participating in logical argument. That's why the atheists start getting so frustrated - because the religious posters make no attempt to respond intelligently and just say "I'm right because I believe I'm right". Frustration leads to anger and anger leads to rudeness.
   
   You'll notice it is usually the fundamentalists who open new threads making strong religious statements, then they complain because the atheists get annoyed at their refusal to debate coherently.  If the fundamentalists only want to discuss their ideas with like-minded people, then there are plenty of religious forums where they can do that.  If they choose to debate on HubPages, then they must accept that Hubbers are a cross-section of the community and therefore they must be prepared to debate with people of other viewpoints. 
   
   Personally I just ignore the religious threads, there's plenty of other places to participate.

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9. 60

   tksenseiposted 14 years ago

   There are some people ('person' in particular) who do NOTHING but visit every and any thread having anything to do with religion just to say "Religion is stupid! You can't think for yourself!" over and over and over and over and ...well, you get the idea.

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   1. 60

      Eric Graudinsposted 14 years agoin reply to this

      you've been here 2 months.
      Over 1400 forum posts.
      Average more than 20 per day.
      
      Hmmmm.
      Pots and kettles ???

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         tksenseiposted 14 years agoin reply to this

         Um, what is the pot and what is the kettle there?

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         Quilligrapherposted 14 years agoin reply to this

         Good point, Eric.  Once again you have manangd to say the most using the fewest words.
         Q.

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10. 74

    Inspirepubposted 14 years ago

    Hubpages IS split into Religious and secular categories - Religion has its very own forum, and nobody is required to read it if they don't want to.
    
    The secular section is further divided into areas like Politics, Entertainment, and so on.
    
    Personally, I never go near the Politics forum, because I find political arguments to be generally tedious and polarised, and often lacking in intellectual rigor.
    
    While the same can be said for the threads in the Religion forum, my genuine interest in the subject matter allows me to tolerate the nature of the "debate" better, so I hang around and participate.
    
    Jenny
    
    P.S. I think the new site format has brought the Religion forum to the attention of people who never used to browse to it, because threads come up in the general feed, and have provocative titles. I am not entirely sure this is a good thing, and I would actually support taking the Religion forum threads off the general forum feed. Let people seek it out if they are genuinely interested.

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       Marisa Wrightposted 14 years agoin reply to this

       I agree Jenny, I hate the new format for the Forum.  I can't put my finger on why, but I find it harder to keep track of topics that interest me, and am more conscious of silly topics that I probably didn't even notice before.

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11. 81

    SweetiePieposted 14 years ago

    You know I am a Christian and I have never once been offended by comments atheists make on the forums.  However, I am not a go to church every Sunday type, so maybe that is why.
    
    If you come on Hubpages expecting to preach your faith do not be surprised if people that do not share your believes say so. On the same token I think some people are a little hard on the preachers, but I think the religious and non-religious hubbers enjoy this back and forth.  If either group were severly adverse to these interactions then these arguments would cease to exist.
    
    When I was a college student most people would avoid the missionaries that came on campus to pass out literature, and by the end of the day some were apologizing for even speaking to people.  However, these groups understand from the start not everyone is going to be receptive to their message.
    
    Also, I have known plenty of people who claim to be Christian that often frequent strip clubs and porn sites, and many other people that are non-religious that have little interest in those topics.

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12. 85

    Elena.posted 14 years ago

    I think it's been said before, but I find it worth repeating: The forums are already split, and nobody forces anybody else to visit either...

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13. 61

    DennisBarkerposted 14 years ago

    Personally I'd rather know who the fundermentalist idiots are (on all sides) so that I can avoid contact with them.
    
    The easiest way to deal with the conflict, is to know who is causing it and ally yourself with everybody else and don't get sucked into an acrimonious slanging match with an idiot.

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14. 0

    Nelle Hoxieposted 14 years ago

    I would love to have an ignore button that would let me choose which forums I follow.

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       sandra rinckposted 14 years agoin reply to this

       You should make a suggestion in the suggestions forum.

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15. 57

    yoshi97posted 14 years ago

    So, should we categorize ourselves be belief?
    
    Why not! Worked well in Yogoslavia, right? Well, no, a lot of Serbs and Croatians were killed over that.
    
    It works in Israel! Well, no, not there either. For you see, Israelis and Palestinians die there almost on a daily basis.
    
    Moral of the story? Division doesn't solve issues ... people trying to live among each other and understand each other resolves issues.
    
    Like it or not, we're all stuck on this blue marble together and the sooner we all learn to get along, the better our odds become of surviving another millenium.
    
    This isn't caveman times when Ug might hit Krulg with mighty his club and kill him, reducing the Earth's population by one. This is a time when we possess weaponry capable of killing millions at the press of a button.
    
    If we are to survive as a species then we need to accept our differences, as continued hate only leads us closer to our own destruction. And no ... I don't see the world ending tomorrow or next week, but there will come a time somewhere down the road where we will resolve our differences or annihilate one another. My hope is that the good side of humanity wins out, leaving the ugliness in the past with us.
    
    For you see, as it takes but one man to feel hatred for the world and start a cult to bring it to its knees (Adolph Hitler - World War II), it also takes one man to see hope, and lift the world back onto its feet (Mahatmas Gandhi).
    
    No, the answer is not segregation ... it's learning not to be threatened by the differing views of others and learning that ... while your view might work best for you that doesn't make it the view that all others must share.
    
    We all look different for a reason ... we're all individuals, and we were all born with the inalienable right to our own appearance, our own thoughts, our own passions  ... and yes, our own beliefs.
    
    The door to the left leads to consuming hatred and the door to the right leads to acceptance and harmony.
    
    As for me? I chose to step through the door on the right ... and allow you to make your own choice for yourselves.

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