Miss tery, Slydevl, and VOR -- what are your intentions in this forum?

>>'Irrelevant' is in the eye of the beholder, IMO. And so what if the questions are irrelevant? Does that hurt anyone? If anyone feels a question isn't worth answering, don't answer it. If said question is 'used against' someone, that's when I'll step in.


Agreed, there's a subjectivity to irrelevance. But it's not constructive, IMO. I don't find worth in a forum overall having to bend backwards to answer questions intended to be "unanswerable."

I think once you get to "used against", you're on to "too late", IMO. Of course, the only remedy is the would-be attacker having good intentions, and that's not in your hands.



>>Why? This isn't a Christian board, or even a Christian forum. Why shouldn't there be a better representation of all beliefs here?

I agree. But that's not what's at hand. When I basically said "you just want to have some numbers on your side" so that she can feel more at ease about sniping, her response was basically "so what?"

I'd feel better about it if she were doing it to get more viewpoints. It's not, from her own words. It's that she doesn't want to keep getting ganged up on when she trolls.

Certainly, in theory I'd agree. I may be easier to judge, but I also haven't seen any "new leaf" or "clean slate" in action with this



>>I stand by my belief that an exchange of different ideas is a good mechanism to get people to examine both their own beliefs and keep their minds open to other possibilities. No one is being forced to respond.


I don't think people will want to respond if they're simply being chased. That's not discourse, that's running around in circles with one on the attack and the other on the defensive. No one gets anything from that, anymore than two old members sitting there rehashing old fights.
Just my opinion.



>>I don't either, and that's precisely what I'm trying to keep from happening. The success of this forum is based on a high comfort level across the board.


I'm seeing uncomfortability. I'm somewhat uncomfortable, more since things broke down than when it was jsut a couple people openly trolling. I don't think it's your job exclusively to furnish that comfort level, but I also know that if people are uncomfortable they will let you know.

 

I can't disagree, but it looks as though it's over. Last night MT deleted all her threads (except the "Religion" thread, which I locked). I don't think she'll be participating again anytime soon.

I still think it's unfortunate the way it turned out, but so be it. Onward and upward. It's in the past now -- I'd just as soon be done with it and move on having learned some important lessons.

 

I would say that it was unfortuneate if she had been trying to participate and add to the discussion. Posting, "your a dummy becaue you believe in God" and "can God go really fast" is not contributing, IMO.

 

I could add a whole more than that if I wanted, but I figured that 1 was enough to get the point across.

 

Unfortunately, I think she got what she wanted.
I've often tried to get her into actual talk about beliefs - not attack - which I would've welcomed and I know she would've had "an upper hand" in, since I'm neither a strong Christian compared to those more willing to take a stand (or more versed with better answers) nor as willing to argue over a basic opinion such as belief in the realm of right/wrong (may need suspension of disbelief on that one - but this isn't football).

if she wants to discourse then I'm sure we'd all appreciate that. But I think the forum as a whole kinda lurched at the idea of facing a Christian v/s Atheist "holy war" not unlike NOTD faces daily.

 

I think we've about analyzed this to death. It's time to move on.