Question for Believers, Agnostics, and Atheists alike: Do you feel that we can discuss things without insults?

Question

Isn't it possible to have discussions and ask questions without being rude, abussive and crass?

I want to add that this is something that ALL of us believers, and non believers alike. Not only Christians, Muslims, nor Atheists.

Answer 1

Debra. The answer is NO. They can't and won't.
They are not here to seek salvation. I have read to many answers in the past, they are here to CHANGE you. !!!!

Everyone in life can discuss anything and keep it kosher, until when? The person that has NO answer, then reverts to cussing, slander, demeaning, insults, character assassination. This is their way, of a self proclaimed "win".

Here is why:

The Privilege Corrupted Romans 1:18-23
A person cannot deny the Lord and still live successfully. Mankind was created to acknowledge God and share a relationship with Him. When someone chooses to ignore the truth of His existence or His sovereignty, he or she begins a downward slide.. It’s a choice which ends with a hardened heart and eternal separation from a loving Father.
God gives everyone the capacity to understand Him and the free will to choose whether to pursue that knowledge. The truth of His existence is revealed in nature and written into every person’s conscience. However, many people ignore reality because it interferes with their preferred lifestyle. Instead, they chase false philosophies, which are usually mixed with just enough truth to make them believable to the inexperienced.
Any “truth” crafted by man is foolishness. A mind that has rejected the fact of a sovereign Lord cannot see its error. It has slipped from intelligence—an inherent knowledge of God — to willful ignorance. In this state, even when all evidence points to the truth, a person can still convince him- or herself that the opposite is right.
All the denial and atheistic arguments in the world will not change what is real. Jehovah is God. Jesus Christ is His Son. God created you to love, obey, and honor Him. If you resist the truth, you choose a life of darkness and willful ignorance. The choice is yours to make.
God invites you to see if He is better than all that the world has to offer. Psalm 34:8 challenges us to “taste and see that the Lord is good.”

.Most of them can't even answer your simple question without calling names.

End of Story.
.

Answer 2

It's possible, but usually less fun. Here's one major problem: Person A (on either side) makes statement X, which is completely stupid. Person B makes note of the stupidity. It then becomes a sticky situation. Person B never would have said "That was stupid" if Person A would not have said something stupid. So should we tolerate stupidity in order to avoid hurting feelings? I assure you stupidity has no place in rational debate or intelligent discussion.

I think we should be smart enough to tell the difference between actual insults and basic observations. Perhaps then we can weed out the weak ones and save the real discussion for people trying to accomplish something other than trolling or bullying.

Answer 3

If your religion states that denying god makes you a sinner (aka - wrongdoer) then wouldn't that infer a bias against non-believers to begin with?

The spread of Christianity was a primary factor in colonial expansion, and was forced upon much of the world via the wholesale oppression/slaughter of entire civilizations that would not accept the "word of Jesus" (can you say Inquisition... witch hunts?) Christians already have a legacy of bloodshed on their hands, so why should we be surprised if they are rude, abusive and crass? A Christian sees any non-believer as a thief trying to convince them of the merits of stealing.

I've never heard of any atheists or agnostics organizations that recruit members by any means other than presenting logical facts. Atheists and agnostics, for the most part, are ostracized and ridiculed by mainstream society.

Which side do you think will bring more hatred to the table?

Answer 4

It's certainly possible.

But for that to happen, it would depend on people on all sides asking questions that are not pretty much answering themselves, or so injected with bias and one's own opinion. This is what causes much of the hostility and insulting that goes on. If I ask a question that pretty much reveals a bias on my part and appears judgemental of a wide swath of the population, then it is only right that I get that sort of behavior returned in kind. When we ask questions in a manner that supposes we already know the answer, that isn't a dialogue. That pretty much leads to two sides hurling insults without truly listening. And really, that's probably what's going to happen. There isn't anything much more dangerous than a person who truly BELIEVES. And by "believes," I mean believes in anything, or nothing. When one is so fervently convinced one is right (and so many at this forum are), it tends to that person not being open to anything else. But I'm rambling...

Answer 5

I believe that everyone is entitled to their opinion on different matters, religion (or lack there of) included. If an honest question is being asked (without stereotypes, anger, ridicule, or abrasiveness) than an honest answer is expected. Adults who work in a professional environment now how to deal with people of different opinions. Take this attitude to your personal life, and personal discussions, and you will have no problems.

Answer 6

I never intentionally insult anyone, but I do try to tell the truth. Sometimes, a frank statement can sting a bit and maybe seem to be an insult. Like, for example, I just answered a girl's question about Jehovah's Witnesses, in which I presented my personal experiences with them. These were not really pleasant, but were not stated to insult them at all, but just to explain my viewpoint. To a JW though, I could imagine them sounding insulting. Actually, I bear them no grudge, but could not honestly recommend that anyone study with them.

Answer 7

No. You said we. That would mean all of us. When you feel so strongly over an issue, and others oppose it so strongly, and there is such a big deal made about it, plus it would suck to be wrong, people get offensive. The best defense is a good offense. So people try to defend their beliefs. Christians and atheists clash because Christians try to look less ridiculous if everything they feel is wrong. Where if atheist were wrong, it would not be too bad. So, no I think some people will always get offensive. Because if everyone is nice about it, and one person is immature, and gets offensive, the rest get defensive. When an issue that effects people allot becomes political and is forced on you, people have to get defensive.

Answer 8

While being gratuitously insulting is just boring and stupid (there, I just insulted a group of people), I don't think myself that debate needs to be conducted according to certain rules of decorum. I have encountered some extremely insulting questions and answerers to my own questions and I am perfectly happy to repay in kind. What I think is more important, however, is that we exercise the kind of courtesy that discourages this sort of so-called "debate". I am always careful to praise what I think are good answers and usually do in Best Answers I choose, whatever point of view the answerer represents. However, if someone insults me or shows less respect for my right to believe what I believe than I do for theirs, it isn't in me to turn around and say, "You are perfectly entitled to hold that view of me and I respect you for it." Because it wouldn't be true.

Answer 9

That's going vary.

You're going to always get there is No God from the Atheists.

You're going to get Islam is the final word and Jesus is a prophet not God from the Muslim

You're going to get "I don't believe in Sky Daddy" from a lots of people.

I've never seen any posts here that don't include those things and the 14 year old punkers will really let you have it.

Answer 10

Most of the time.

I had to be insulting on one (or two)of your questions today, because you went off the deep end. Distorting reality and history and redefining words of the english language to strengthen your already weak and dying point was a form of abuse, that you heaped on others.