Also, “Prayers for the unbelieving?” wasn’t about religion, it was about ettiquette.
Bear in mind, Ace, that the reason those were at the top was evidently that someone found them interesting.
Note also that of those threads you listen in the top 10, we have one thread debating the merits of Jack Chick theology, which meets on of zev’s guidelines, one that’s not a debate about religion per se but rather about how people acquire religion (which is needless to say another matter entirely), one that is about what it would take to kill religion, and several I haven’t bothered reading and hence can’t comment on. In other words, some of these aren’t debates like “does God exist,” but debates about aspects of the behavior of the religious. I agree that the former debates are rather silly, but there is plenty of room for rational discussion with regards to the latter.
(on preview… darn it, zev, you keep on saying the same thing I would have said were I eloquent enough to say it, and before I do!)
– Ace
Apparently. No.
I’m not at all sure this is newsworthy. We’ve always gone through periods of many religious discussions in GD. And they slack off for a while, and something else takes their place. Next week it might be Palestine/Israel threads again; I got pretty fucking sick of those a while back. Or another rash of Libertarian/Objectivism threads. Or sex. Or homeopathy. Or whatever.
It’s just like the weather–ignore it for a while, it’ll change.
Or, you know, you could start up a non-religious GD thread on something you would actually like to discuss.
There is nothing anyone can do about the topics up for discussion in any given forum. Even the mods are reduced to begging, pleading and-- in a few cases-- threatening the teeming millions in an effort to steer thread topics. People post what people want.
That being said-- there is a difference between a debate and witnessing. I’m with Ace. At least 4 of the threads he mentioned fall squarely into the witnessing camp. I find witnessing threads annoying in the extreme. So, know what I do? I don’t open them.
O.K., sometimes I open them because it’s hard to tell if there is a real debate going on or not. Once I discern what type of thread it is, I can treat it accordingly. It would make it so much more easier of, like Ace suggested, witnessing had it’s own forum. But really, is it worth a whole 'nother forum? Just let them go by. Start your own really interesting thread. Visit Cafe Society and learn some Friends trivia. Or not. Whatever liquid gets your seagoing vessel bouyant.
quote:
For your convenience, he suggests the following debate topics.
“Is the Godhead Circumcised?”
Well? Is it?
I dunno Beagle, maybe I’m just reading between the lines better. Looks like a lot of agreement, but said better.
Y’know, I had no idea what was meant by “witnessing.” To be honest, I thought it meant supporting facts with anecdotes. Like “I saw an SUV blocking my field of vision today, they do so suck.” I try to stay far away from those threads, as they annoy me to peices, especially, as El_Kabong said, that one guy who shuts down the debate and denies everything.
Hair pulling, that. Here I try to post in GD, and Neurotik doesn’t even notice!
I’m glad that you find them useful zev, in the same way I’m glad people can make sculpture out of clay. I still won’t be throwing blobs of clay up on my walls. 
I noticed it, I’m just tired of all those invading Iraq threads. Why are there so many of them? 
So, Ace, you opened a thread about religion to complain that there are too many threads about religion?
Regards,
Shodan
I’m not a believer and I find the subject fascinating and addictive. But that’s me. The boards were getting a bit “fluffy” a few weeks back, and I didn’t like that much at all (although I can post pointless drivel with the best of 'em).
It’s the biggest question around, and even though it will never be answered, the back-and-forth of it is great mental exercise!
Goddamn right. It’s about time for a spate of gun control threads.
[Mr Bill voice on] ooooooooooooooohhhh
noooooooooooooooooooooooo
[Mr. Bill voice off]
I think we need a bunch of debates about Star Wars vs. Star Trek.
Of course, we’d probably all end up hating each other. And those sissy Trekkies would all go crying to Cecil.
Here’s a great topic for you, Ace: If I’m Shot and Killed by a Gun Owner While ‘Tagging’ His SUV, Will I Go to Heaven?
Close, but no cigar. The correct topic title is:
I found faith in Bush on Iraq, and I hope you can too!
Ace - I totally got your OP. I am bored to shit with all the God threads. (Except the “Muslems” one - that was special ;)).
However I guess it is an endless and irresolvable topic that people are always going to want to debate, boring the rest of us into salty, desperate tears in the process.
You can’t prove He’s there, guys! It’s a matter of FAITH!
You can’t prove He’s NOT there guys! It’s a matter of FAITH!
Ah, bliss. I feel so understood! So, Istara you coming to the NYDopefest? I’m not sure I can make the UAEDopefest this year. 
Guin, you only go crying when you lose. As SW is, by every rational, factual and believable measurement, vastly inferior to ST, I doubt we’d be crying at all. I understand your confusion, however, you are a SW geek and thus by definition socially maladjusted and emotionally crippled.
There’s a lameness hierarchy of geekdom? Yikes!