Ever wonder why some people take such an stance against religion? Could it be that they didn't like their parents forcing them to church on beautiful sunday mornings? The "no quotations" rule came from a desire to stop forum spamming. I've used quotations and have not been penalized, but when your only form of argument is: Then I can see the benefit in limiting quotations.
Yeah, but on the flipside, you've got plenty of people whose only form of argument is: YEAH BUT IF U BELIEVE IN GOD U R MENTALLY ILL WHO TEH FUCK WOULD BELIEVE IN GOD ONLY IDIOTS BOLOLOLOLOL and they're largely getting off scot free. At least when someone quotes scripture - or any other text - you've got some kind of foothold to discuss, knowing that they at least take the subject at hand seriously enough to read about it. Yes, it is annoying when someone refuses to argue anything outside the Bible, but tbh there's usually a Bible quote you can use right back at them. My great-grandmother was apparently something of a scourge of the Jehovah's Witnesses, as a woman who'd read the Bible from cover to cover more times than she could probably remember by the end. She'd have them begging her to leave them alone!
I have the feeling that several of the posters aren't operating in good faith. They aren't trying to put forward reasoned arguments. They're out to bash Christians. One in particular uses a standard series of ploys amounting to "heads I win, tales you lose". He may be using the Forums to perfect arguments for a public forum in which he's become invloved. It's a chapter out of "Games People Play", and it is constantly being recycled. If anyone calls him on it, the standard move is to accuse them of crying or whining. There's also the patronizing move: Sonny, we wiser elders are only doing this for your own good. (I think the Inquisitors used a variant of that one, too). Another favorite is simply to deny ever having said something that was said, and if all else fails, to play the "rules" card. The double standard is obvious, but what can you do? I've decided to try not to play.
Yeah, kind of a side issue, but it's amazing how douchey some of the older posters are on HipForums. I guess they only ever said "with age comes experience"; no-one ever said you'd learn, grow or become a better person from that experience.
Its pretty simple. Bait you in with a loaded question. Bash the poster instead of addressing the message. Classic tactics used by many in the media. You can have a valid list of arguments a mile long, so to counter, they will try to make you look foolish or attack yours or a groups character. Don't worry, like i stated, it is an EXTREME FRINGE you are dealing with.
So yeah, shock revelation: FedUpAmerican is an actual moderator! How the fuck does something like that happen? Basically this means he can spam the forum with impunity and people don't even have the option to put him on Ignore. Seriously, it's a really fucking sad state of affairs when you have to have a separate subforum to the Christian forum specifically set up so that people can discuss the religion, rather than worship that arrogant retard's ego 24/7 or leave. It makes me angry that so many seem to measure rationality purely on religion or lack of. These assholes do everything they accuse your religion of doing, and very often it's stuff the religion hasn't done for decades, centuries... it beggars belief, seriously.
If someone was really concerned about Christianity and thought strongly against it, they wouldnt spout their views on a vastly anti christian website. Take some of these people for what they are, i wouldn't let it bother me at all.
Yeah, I'm still kind of keen to get him de-modded though. The situation here really is pathetic; Christians are bearing the brunt of all the anti-religious - rather than just anti-Christian - sentiment from people who are absolved of any expectation to know anything about the religion they're slating by this insane rule about Bible quoting. I mean, that's bad enough, but then you have an utter moron spamming the place and you can't stick him on Ignore. Pretty much any thread the guy gets hold of becomes virtually unreadable, and I'll admit, it's very hard to just let his crap slide. I know that it's tragic that people troll, and I don't take them seriously, but I'm sure casual posters are put off by it. We're used to it, but someone who has a genuine interest in contributing is unlikely to stay around while that douchebag carries on spewing his crap all over the forum. He's basically killing the forum for anyone who doesn't just want to agree with him non-stop and troll others, and I have a problem with that. I'd turn the other cheek but he'd see it as a victory.
Dude, the only thing he's "perfecting" is selective reading. Not that I imagine the public forum as being much smarter that the average strip of wallpaper, but it's the insincerity that's so hard to stomach - the idea that every single thread is a potential "trap" and that for no apparent reason the other person has to navigate a totally alien realm of communication where nothing should ever be inferred from what is said (unless it should be, in which case it better be or else we are all stupid).
I honestly can agrugue both sides an i am an athesist(lil drunk sorry for the spelling) but ppl should be allowed their coping mechanisms. Do I think everyone should be w/o religion no but should I abosolutley. (yeah drank too much tonight)
Yeah, and to be honest, it's kinda lame to be told that Christians constantly try to push their religion on others. Who's doing that here? No-one. Who's constantly trying to push their "cure" for the "mindvirus" here? Answers on a postcard.
^^ exactly, he uses the same tactics as the ones he loathes. I early respond to the threads here. My advice, never respond to his baited questions, post in the sanctuary, and he will be no bother. He is JUST like Rush Limbaugh. I find it pathetic and ironic.
Thing is, I'm not a Christian, and I'd like to discuss the subject with people who aren't Christians. I don't know if he's actually barred from posting in here or something - hard to imagine him resisting the urge otherwise - but it's really lame if the only way to have a coherent debate is to set up a forum that he's explicitly not allowed into. True. It's like he's trying to be as "cool" as FedUp but hasn't really got the hang of saying as little as possible in each post.
I kinda figured he would be. Are they definitely not the same person? I've been thinking about this mindvirus, and... it's no different from invoking God, is it? Every time he claims someone has a mindvirus or is delusional or in denial, it's no different from a Christian saying "God says you're wrong, so you're wrong". Except that, funnily enough, I've yet to see a Christian do that in the forum, because they're generally smarter.
I think the same way, but it seems the ones against the "closed minded christian virus" can't see the forrest for the trees. I perosnally find it hilarious and it shows you the caliber of those people.
They talk about "reality" as well... they're rooted in a really outdated "Enlightenment" way of thinking that pretty much ignores all developments in philosophy since the 40s. They don't see how they invoke "reality" the way others invoke gods, claiming some special wisdom of the way things are which those who oppose them are naturally too "delusional" and "in denial" of to comprehend. It's how I imagine the earliest religions started, with a few people adamantly insisting that the way they see things is special and refusing to explain why to anyone who argues. And it's an old time religion; few virtues, many many sins.
