To everyone?

Question

Do you feel Y!A has been a good medium to dispel stereotypes of your beliefs or lack of beliefs?

Has anyone here has his/her views changed for the better because of something he/she read on Y!A?

Answer 1

I just come in here briefly for a laugh!?!?

God, what dimwits you see here!?!?

Fun of it all is that before I came in here I used to have some respect for Moslems, because I'd met some very well educated Arabs, before. We'd had many a discussion about their Faith and they were quite well mannered and did not fly off the handle when I spoke about Mohammad's personal life. In fact, they'd just calmly accept it as a fact and say that it was a cultural difference and something of the backward times, which had changed now and was still changing.

The ones I see here are [a] ill educated and can't form sentences properly; [b] either ignorant or lying about Mohammad's personal life and [c] very abusive and fly off the handle very easily when their "Faith" is questioned.

I've only met a very few Muslims here who are worth knowing and we get on fine, even though we agree to disagree.

Cheers!!!!!

Answer 2

This is a very interesting place. I have told others about it and warned them as well. There are some deep thinkers on here that ask very thought provoking questions. It sometimes makes me exam my beliefs. Sometimes that is good, sometimes not. Those not firm in their faith probably should not come here. I have learned a lot about Islam and the Hindu which I did not know before. And I learned what a troll is. Never knew about them before either. This form is a wee bit addictive and I must really try to stay away, and yet here I am again.
Cheers.

PS. I got sucked in here by a question from Depak Chopra. I stayed thinking that is was a serious place to teach people about the Christian religion and about spiritual matters. Now I find that half the people who answer don't know what they are talking about and are basically the blind leading the blind. It is especially true in other sections where I have asked a question and no one can really help me with my car or my computer. So I agree with the fellow above, I wonder why Yahoo keeps this open, it is advertised as a Q&A form and is really only a discussion group.

Answer 3

If anything, it's only strengthened the stereotypes for me.

Pagans/Wiccans seem open minded and pleasant.
Buddhists come across as enlightened and thoughtful
Jews hardly bother anyone and come up with some interesting insights into holy scriptures of all theAbahamic Faiths. Yet never push it on anyome.
Satanists are intelligent yet reserved. Crushing when they have to be in response to idiocy.
Atheists are sarcastic and frustrated, but keep up the sense of humour most of the time.
Muslims alternately are defending themselves against Xians and attacking Xians.
Xians....Well. I could write a book about them. But I wouldn't have a lot of nice things to say about them as a whole.

I realize that people will be more likely to say things online, and in anonymity, that they would never say IRL.

Xians I've met IRL have rarely been as rude or as hatefilled as the ones on here. I have Xian friends, of course. But now I wonder if the ones I meet really think these things that are said on Y! R&S but don't say them for fear of getting their asses kicked.

Answer 4

I have very mixed emotions about this board. First of all, there are too many intolerant people on this board. To make matters worse are the trolls who pose as a different religion to make that religion look bad. (when you hear someone being really nasty and posing as a Christian and they are being very extreme, those are almost always trolls).

But I've also found that I can learn things not only from other religions but from people of my own faith.

I have learned why Muslim women wear a hajib
I've learned some things about wiccan and paganism
ive also learned about other religions as well.

If people could stop being nasty to one another, this would be a very nice place to visit. But I sure would not want to live here!!

Answer 5

My views have changed a great deal. For the better? I'm not sure.
I have a much darker view of religion and even darker view of government. Ideologies and flippant attitudes have made me wonder why yahoo started this in the first place. Where is the educational value in mud slinging and hatred?

Answer 6

I feel the R&S forum to be the most hostile site towards Christianity of all the sites on yahoo. I only keep coming back because I get the occassional chance to really help somebody through a private email conversation, or encourage a fellow believer in the faith. Sometimes I need the encouragement myself, also, and they've always been there for me, and I'm grateful for the love I've been shown from my Brothers and Sisters in Christ!
xx

EDIT:

I just wanted to add that I've also become dear friends with some of you who are NOT Christians, and I want to thank you as well for your love and support!
xx

Answer 7

Not really. My views are my own and although I am extremely interested in other opinions, nothing I have read here has made an impact on my life. If only to prove to me one more time that nobody is safe from morons and narrow minded eejits. Cheers!

Answer 8

Since I have been here I have learnt a lot about other Religions, I am Catholic and I have also learnt that a quite a lot of people here do not like the Catholic Church but that has made me become more closer to the Church than before and closer to God

God Bless You

Answer 9

Yahoo answers has been very comical to me LOL

This aint no place for beliefs or stereotypes.
Its more like a place to vent. Its hilarious

Answer 10

My views have changed for the better because of people I have met on here, does that count?