(December 12, 2018 at 11:45 am)Whateverist Wrote:(December 12, 2018 at 8:37 am)A Theist Wrote: Which would sound least confrontational to you, "Atheism is stupid", or, "I think atheism is wrong, and here's why". Which of those two terms will encourage you to engage in an actual conversation where you bring your facts and evidence into a discussion to prove your argument, and, which is more likely to cause you to be combative and to encourage you to be involved in a shit flinging contest. I agree with DodosAreDead on this. It's a loophole that will end up in back and forth personal attacks rather than having actual discussions. Having a separate civility thread where members could sign up to have uninterrupted conversations was much less confusing than trying to figure out what rule you may be breaking with these new changes.
I agree with you. What I'm picking up on very clearly is that there is still a strong vibe that the forum as a whole and as exemplified by the comments of the mod team hold derision and name calling very near and dear. I don't give a damn about debate, discussion is what I go to forums for and it is pretty tough to carry on when so many are chomping at the bit to toss the shit. I have no trouble with any choice of vocabulary and I can also be provoked to name calling, but it is never something I aim for or celebrate.
Again, I would stress that this is the first of many changes. We thought that by doing them one by one we would be able to get feedback on each individually. I disagree entirely that we hold derision and name calling very near and dear.