Open discussion of the Christian Why We're Here thread

[vulcanlogician]

I, for one, really appreciate the theists' presence here. They really round out the place. I mean, AF.org would almost feel incomplete without them. So I am interested in the discussion of what motivates them to hang out on an atheist forum in the first place. So far, I think the posts have done much to show "the human element" involved-- that some theists aren't so much "called" to convert the nonbelievers so much as they are individual humans motivated by human concerns: to understand the other side, to correct widely-held misunderstandings, or to engage others in debate. These are the kind of things that motivate anyone to join any forum.

Since I am participating in the debate as moderator, I don't want to parse through the statements of the participants here, as I otherwise would, but I did want to drop in and say that I think the Christian-only debate is a good thing, and it reflects very well on AF.org that we would have such a thing.

A few months ago, I joined several Christian forums... and you know what I found to be common practice? Many Christian forums limit nonbelievers to posting in specified areas while allowing "believers" (which really just means people who make a claim about their beliefs) to post anywhere they wish on the forum. Atheists can read the posts in these sections, but they can't respond. And oftentimes, these "Christian-only" sections constitute around 90% of the forum. I found it frustrating to dip into these forbidden areas and read unbridled Trump worship and bigotry against homosexuals without even being able to chime in with my two cents. One Christian-only section of a forum was even headed with a warning: "claims that a homosexual lifestyle is healthy will not be tolerated," even from a Christian who wants to argue the position. I understand that these places are often trying to create a place of refuge, where believers can go to support one another--not necessarily wanting to be engaged in debate at every corner, but as my Trump worship observation suggests, it often results in an echo chamber. It might be motivated by good intentions, but it ends up being a space in which certain beliefs go unchallenged.

We should take pride in the fact that, at AF.org, we are not such cowards. We allow anyone to post anywhere on the forum, regardless if they belong to our in-group. We are not afraid to have our beliefs called into question, and it's pretty much a given that if any of us (atheist or otherwise) makes an outrageous claim, it will be run through the rigors of skepticism.

Not only do we allow anyone to post anywhere (which ought to be the case on any forum), but we have taken special care to ensure that a minority voice is not lost in the deluge of general opinion. For that reason, I think this Christian-only debate is a good thing. It shows that we at AF.org not only welcome a Christian position, but we are also unafraid of taking measures to ensure that it is clarified, so that everybody hears it.

Those cowards at Trump Worship Incorporated could never allow such a thing. It would mean the undoing of their entire institution. To even get close to what we have done, they would have to first allow atheists to post anywhere on the forum, and then they would have to create a special place wherein atheists could clarify their position so that everyone could hear it, without resistance from the majority opinion. The cowards can't do it. It's just not in them. But it is in us. We are not afraid to allow all sides of a debate equal representation and will even take special measures to ensure that it is so. That's why I think the Christian-only debate on AF.org is a good thing.