# Suggestion: Remove Witnessing as Defaulted GD **URL:** \ **Category:** About This Message Board\ **Created:** [June 11, 2006, 2:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/suggestion-remove-witnessing-as-defaulted-gd/360269 "2006-06-11T02:48:30Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 13\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![AncientHumanoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ancienthumanoid/32/278_2.png) [@AncientHumanoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AncientHumanoid)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2006, 1:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/suggestion-remove-witnessing-as-defaulted-gd/360269/21 "2006-06-12T13:31:58Z")
;j ---
**Author:** ![JustAnotherGeek](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/58f4c7/32.png) [@JustAnotherGeek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JustAnotherGeek)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2006, 1:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/suggestion-remove-witnessing-as-defaulted-gd/360269/22 "2006-06-12T13:42:39Z")
> [@E-Sabbath](#): > > I oppose. Witnessing is a Great Debate, the greatest and most critical there is. Ditto. Witnessing being restricted to GD makes sense to me. The tone I get in GD is one of scholarly discussions. Not to say that scholarly discussion can’t get enflamed, but at least there is usually a certain level of polite behavior involved. Since religious debates are inherently personal, I think it behoves the mods to restrict said debates to a forum where people at least _try_ to be civil. Although, thinking about it, I could see **Inigo** start up a “All Bow Down to Me, for My God is \_\_\_\_\_” thread over in MPSIMS. I wish I could see the look on his face when a mod decides to move it to GD. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![UncleBeer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/977dab/32.png) [@UncleBeer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UncleBeer)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2006, 4:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/suggestion-remove-witnessing-as-defaulted-gd/360269/23 "2006-06-12T16:32:10Z")
> [@Sage Rat](#): > > Not really. If the person felt that there was anything to be debated, he would put it in GD. Otherwise he just wants to preach. Except a thread like that would never be left in that state. The membership here being what it is, such a thread is **always** gonna become a debate. Requiring that such OP’s be placed in GD yields several desirable outcomes: 1. The thread is placed where it would end up whether we had the “witnessing goes in GD only” rule, or not. 2. Newbies (and many of the hardcore witnessing threads are posted by newbies) will be able to find their thread since it’ll be in its original location. One of the most often asked questions by newbies is “Where’d my thread go?” when the thing gets moved. 3. Consistency. We’ve always done that and continuing to do so makes sense from that standpoint in order to keep threads of similar types in one location. Only a _very compelling_ reason for doing something different would suffice to overthrow such a lengthy (and useful) tradition. ---
**Author:** ![Cervaise](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cervaise/32/16693_2.png) [@Cervaise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cervaise)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2006, 6:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/suggestion-remove-witnessing-as-defaulted-gd/360269/24 "2006-06-12T18:44:20Z")
> [@NoClueBoy](#): > > Skippy the Pinhead: “Too deep for MPSIMS! Moving it to GD.” **SkipMagic** is **not** a pinhead. He is a douche. Get it right. ---
**Author:** ![Kat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/b19c9b/32.png) [@Kat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kat)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2006, 10:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/suggestion-remove-witnessing-as-defaulted-gd/360269/25 "2006-06-12T22:47:35Z")
I thought he was just twee? ---
**Author:** ![Dunderman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ecb155/32.png) [@Dunderman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dunderman)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2006, 12:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/suggestion-remove-witnessing-as-defaulted-gd/360269/26 "2006-06-13T00:24:05Z")
> [@Kat](#): > > I thought he was just twee? Yes, but a twee douche or a twee pinhead? These are important questions, you know. ---
**Author:** ![AncientHumanoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ancienthumanoid/32/278_2.png) [@AncientHumanoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AncientHumanoid)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2006, 12:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/suggestion-remove-witnessing-as-defaulted-gd/360269/27 "2006-06-13T00:54:24Z")
He is all three, of course. Bless ye Skippy the Douche Skippy the Pinhead Skippy the Twee Dopes without end, amen ---
**Author:** ![Winston\_Smith](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e95f7d/32.png) [@Winston\_Smith](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Winston_Smith)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2006, 4:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/suggestion-remove-witnessing-as-defaulted-gd/360269/28 "2006-06-13T16:49:18Z")
I think “Witnessing” threads should go instantly to The Pit. It would make for a much more entertaining message board. At least to me, it would. ---
**Author:** ![Musicat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/musicat/32/20189_2.png) [@Musicat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Musicat)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2006, 12:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/suggestion-remove-witnessing-as-defaulted-gd/360269/29 "2006-06-14T00:57:10Z")
> [@Sage Rat](#): > > Simply, I think that the Debates forum should be reserved for debates. To some people, witnessing IS a debate. I think we can handle it. ---
**Author:** ![Harmonious\_Discord](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/74df32/32.png) [@Harmonious\_Discord](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Harmonious_Discord)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2006, 6:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/suggestion-remove-witnessing-as-defaulted-gd/360269/30 "2006-06-14T06:02:58Z")
The witnessing is in GD because most of us were very sick of seeing it put into so many of the threads all the time in every forum. A dicussion on zebra would lead to somebody bringing up something on theology. The topics that most are a sick of listening to that nobody can agree on have been thrown into Great Debates so they can argue away on points of opinion. This adds in politics also. I don’t go to Great Debates for anything, because it’s the subjects that am so sick of. ---
**Author:** ![Voyager](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/voyager/32/133_2.png) [@Voyager](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Voyager)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2006, 5:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/suggestion-remove-witnessing-as-defaulted-gd/360269/31 "2006-06-15T17:23:35Z")
Another vote for keeping it the way it is. The only time it would stay elsewhere is if all replies were of the “preach it brother” variety - and how often is that going to happen? If a poster doesn’t want a debate, they can rent a hall. It also allows guest-witness threads to get moved before forum inappropriate debate breaks out. There is no God but Cecil and the Mods are his prophets ---
**Author:** ![Lemur866](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lemur866/32/434_2.png) [@Lemur866](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lemur866)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2006, 7:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/suggestion-remove-witnessing-as-defaulted-gd/360269/32 "2006-06-15T19:49:47Z")
Of course religious threads belong in GD. You know that any time anyone purported to have some personal experience with the ineffable, somebody’s gonna come along and say, “No, you didn’t, you’re either lying or delusional.” Then it is a debate. This is GUARANTEED to happen. If you’ve got a religious point to make but don’t want to debate the detractors, then you have no obligation to do so, even in GD. If you only wanna witness to likeminded people, then join a message board dedicated to your particular creed. If you don’t want to have your religious beliefs dissected here on the SDMB, then shut up about them. ---
**Author:** ![Kozmik](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/8dc957/32.png) [@Kozmik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kozmik)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2006, 6:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/suggestion-remove-witnessing-as-defaulted-gd/360269/33 "2006-06-30T18:04:51Z")
I always thought the inclusion of witnessing on the list of GD topics was meant to be facetious. I never expected anyone to _actually_ start a witnessing crusade. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/suggestion-remove-witnessing-as-defaulted-gd/360269.md?page=1)