Forum Layout Updates & Debate Motions

[Tiberius]

Hey all,

As you have probably noticed, a few days ago we shifted a load of forums around. The previous forum layout was good for a while, but the forum was moving in a new direction, and there were no good places to put new forums that we might need in the future. So, we've created a new forum layout that we think will serve us better in the future.

Firstly, the "Site Specific" section is pretty much the same, but the old "Site News" section is now just "Announcements".

Secondly, we got rid of the "Member's Area" and replaced it with a general "Community" area. This area is for forums relating to the people in the community in some way. For instance, the "Introductions" forum is there (with the Convert's Corner as a subforum), but so are the Atheism, Religion, and Philosophy forums, since those three forums more than any others are for talking about what we believe and why.

Thirdly, it seems that the second most popular thing to discuss other than atheism/religion is science, and so far, we've only had one general forum for doing that. Not anymore! Now we have an entire section dedicated to science. The old science forum is now "General Science", for when you want to talk about topics related to non-specific areas of science. Two new forums are for topics about the "Life Sciences" and "Physical Sciences" respectively, so we can keep topics about evolution separate from all the wonderful photos of the universe that people post. Mathematics is now a separate forum again, and we have a new forum for discussing Technology & Computing (because a few people *really* wanted it).

Finally, we have shoved the rest of the forums into one big "Discussion" category, to which we will add any forums not dedicated to atheism or science.

So enjoy the new forums, hopefully it'll be the last shift around for a while!

Debate Motions

We have decided to be a bit more proactive with the Debate Forum, since it is in a state of disuse. So, if you want to see any debates, please suggest motions in this thread. If people want to debate for or against a motion suggested, make yourself known!

Also, remember to send your questions to Shell B for the next installment of "Get to know your staff!"

[Shinylight]

I have some suggestions, I also found a website with many topics.

Should Euthanasia be legal?

Should abortion be legal?

Is capital punishment ever justified?

Should ID be taught in school?

Is human cloning acceptable?

Should parents be forced to take equal maternity and paternity leave?

There's a large list here: List of debate topics (Moral and Religious), there are other debate themes on the website.

Tell me if the suggestions are a load of rubbish, but be kind

[theVOID]

I'm opting out of all social debates, I simply don't find debating them interesting.

I will debate moral philosophical and religious positions, and time they come up i'm keen.

[Shell B]

I don't want to embarrass myself by trying to have a formal debate. However, I will if the topic is right and I get sucked into it.

I would like to see a debate about Holocaust Revisionism. If we have/get a revisionist around here, I would be willing to debate that topic.

[theVOID]

That's the thing huh shell? Half the time the debates won't be of interest, and I'm not going to research a position with the sole bias of defending it

[Shell B]

Oh, I definitely don't want to cook up an opinion on something just to argue it. I do think we could make it interesting, if we put up a list of possible debates, put them in a thread, and let people name which ones they would be willing to debate. I think people would eventually pair up naturally. Then, they could message admin and tell them they want to start a debate and off they go. That way, nobody has to debate just to get it going.

[Ryft]

I have been, and continue to be, available for any debates on arguments for atheism, including but not limited to the Problem of Evil.