When there is a question on Yahoo Answers in the Religion and Spirituality Category?

Question

Does it matter if the asker is

male or female

black white asian middle eastern

catholic prodestant jewish sunni muslim shia muslim weak agnostic strong agnostic weak atheist strong atheist pagan wiccan budhist hindu shinto

heterosexual bisexual homosexual

tall short fat skinny blue eyes brown eyes

evolutionist or creationist

married or single
----

Jim Darwin is a charachter. The person behind Jim Darwin is a man named Sean. Sean is six feet tall, dark hair blue eyes, glasses, weak agnostic, evolutionist, white male, married with a child.

If I were to invent a charachter that was a female and ask the same questions, or a Christian creationist, or a middle eastern muslim,

would I get the same responses to my questions?

Answer 1

Probably not from me I am quite familiar with you. I know you enjoy controversy and are intelligent enough not to brag about it. You do read the subject material too. If you post as some one else I could not assume the same things to be true.

Answer 2

Sadly, probably not. People react according to their biases, and certain descriptions trigger their responses. If you'd said that you were a short, fat black, strong atheist homosexual wiccan, you might as well head toward the bomb shelter and stay there until the fall-out was over.

Unfortunately, it's the nature of some human beings to fear and hate those that are not like them.

The lady behind Wolfeblayde is Dee. Dee is 5'5'", silver hair, green eyes, Scots-Chinese-Native American female, strong Christian, married for 30 years, no children.

Answer 3

Nope, Your all ghosts to me. Albeit ghosts that I find amusing but still ghosts. Yahoo is a cyber Ouija board to me, a modern day magic eight ball, I am reluctant to take any particular thing I read here too seriously and rather suspect that I'm not alone in this valuation of the quality of information regardless of the supposed source. The font may be pretty or horrific but the water is still flowed from the same aquifer.

Answer 4

I think it does matter how you portray yourself. If you are an atheist asking why christians thing God is great, the answers will vary greatly from the same question asked by a professed Christian.

I think you found that out yesterday, when Morpheus started bashing Atheists, including Jim Darwin -wink-

Answer 5

The disproportionate number of folks who use this forum for the purpose of attacking or ridiculing (overtly or covertly) religions and spirituality in general. And the number of folks who keep reacting to their efforts, which perpetuates the situation by making it worth doing. It's two sided. If no one took the bait it wouldn't be worth "baiting" on this site. It's makes what used to be an interesting site, pretty boring these days.

Answer 6

I think there is some bias-especially for "regulars" that already understand certain "religious stances" of certain other avatars.

When I see your avatar, I can expect a thought provoker.

If your avatar is a "yahoo" one, I think it is human nature to make assumptions and judgements. That's a survival mechanism from evolution-haha.

If your "nickname" reflects your "religious stance" that adds an even deeper judgement from those that are inclined to be judgemental.

On some level, I believe we are all judgemental.

I am a short, skinny, grey-eyed, be-spectacled, naturally redheaded single-mom lightworker that is eclectic in her spirituality and considers herself a spiritual alchemist. Oh, and I'm an evolutionist, too.

That should throw some people off, eh?

Answer 7

No, you wouldn't, because different motivations are assumed with different demographic profiles. Doesn't mean the assumptions are right, but there you are. Some of the religious-sounding questions are ambiguous as to whether or no they are sincere; and it is based not only on the name of the avatar, but the avatar picture, as well as information revealed by the asker in other questions and answers, that answerers interpret the level of sincerity, bias, intelligence, etc associated with the question.
If you suddenly started asking questions that sounded sincerely religious, no one would believe you. nor would they believe you if you suddenly started posting misogynistic posts.
Etc.

Answer 8

I think the answer would only differ if it is asked by someone who is evolutionist or creationist. Basically, because the questions are usually different.....if a evolutionist asks a question about creation, the one who believes in creation is going to try and convince the evolutionist why they believe in creation....then vise versa for the creationist asking a question about evolution.

Size, shape, color, gender or sexual preference should not have any bearing on the answer.

I think most people on here look somewhat like their avatar....thankfully, you don't....ha!ha!

Answer 9

I honestly don't pay attention to icons all that much, unless it's relevent to the question itself.

I would hope people understand that avatars are characters. The real Kallan is 5'10", brown hair with blonde highlights, green eyes, only wears glasses to drive, strong pagan with pantheistic influence, white female, mom of five, grandmother of two.

I think your personality comes out through the characters, so if you were to change your character, I think we'd eventually see you in the questions :)

Answer 10

OF course you wouldn't get the same responses. As a Muslim myself, many of the questions I ask get negative responses, but if I see a similar question asked later by someone else, it gets positive feedback.

The person behind Salahuldin Asadullah is a guy named Lou. I'm 5'7"dark hair, brown eyes, devout Muslim, and currently in a relationship. Nice to meet you Sean.

Edit: As further evidence, note the "thumbs-downs" this answer is receiving.