;j
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. 
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:
- The thread is placed where it would end up whether we had the “witnessing goes in GD only” rule, or not.
- 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.
- 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.
SkipMagic is not a pinhead.
He is a douche.
Get it right.
I thought he was just twee?
Yes, but a twee douche or a twee pinhead? These are important questions, you know.
He is all three, of course.
Bless ye
Skippy the Douche
Skippy the Pinhead
Skippy the Twee
Dopes without end, amen
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.
To some people, witnessing IS a debate.
I think we can handle it.
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.
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
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.
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.