Why do people answer questions directed at others?

Question

This is a very mixed forum full of people of different beliefs. If I want to learn about other faiths or beliefs and I ask a question to learn how can I? If I ask about Muslims or Hindus I will get all kinds of folks telling me to go to their church. If I ask about atheists I am going to get told they have no morals. If I ask about Christians I am going to get told they are stupid. If i ask a Catholic question , fundamentalists invariably try to tell the Catholics what they should believe or say Catholics pray to statues etc. Isn't it rather disrespectful to not let people speak for themselves? How can we ever understand new things this way?

daisymae, i am not asking why people ask questions. I wonder what gives any of us the right to speak for someone else or their beliefs. I sincerely want to learn about other people and that is frequently impossible here. to the guy who says the points are not the point , i agree

manna eater, what???

thank most of you for being respectful and understanding.

When the questions are worded as attacks examples Atheist why do have no morals? Muslims why are you terrorists? Christians why are you stupid? Then i do think it is good for others to point out that attacks are counterproductive

Some of the attacks aren't even veiled.

Tribble, is this directed at you? only if you are behaving in that disrespectful manner

Answer 1

I have a hypothesis that I am testing using this Forum for a conference paper I am writing.

It is based upon two observations, not yet validated:

1. That questions marked, “Christians/Believers Only” (or equivalent) will be heavily responded to by Non-Believers.

2. That questions marked, “Atheists/Non-Believers Only” (or equivalent) will not be heavily responded to by Christians.

The test involves counting the number of respondents in both categories to determine, using a statistical chi-square test, which of the observations is correct.

To date, after observing the responses so entitled above for three months the number of responses by atheists/non-believers to questions that clearly indicate that the question is for believers has outnumbered the second observation above by about 4 to 1.

In a subsequent study I intend to categorize the content of responses for both observations based upon the following labels: baiting, cogent, flippant, hate-mongering, informative, proselytizing, and reasoned.

The assumed conclusions I hope to draw from the content analysis are not fully formed as yet. But some that I am noodling over include:

1. That non-believers are not confident of their non-belief; and generally do not ignore questions explicitly targeting believers.

2. That believers are confident of their beliefs and generally ignore questions explicitly targeting non-believers.

3. That believers and non-believers are overly zealous and will evangelize their beliefs, without being invited to do so, with a less than substantive understanding of the issues under discussion.

4. That non-believers are more negatively vocal in their responses to questions targeting believers versus offering cogent and reasoned rationales in their responses.

5. That believers are more negatively vocal in their responses to questions targeting believers outside their own belief systems, versus offering cogent and reasoned rationales in their responses.

6. That believers and non-believers ignore their presuppositions when offering reasoned responses, hence they are “talking past one another” instead of establishing a common epistemological framework for discussion.

Again, a statistical test will be used to determine the validity of these assumptions.

Stay tuned.

Answer 2

Since you didn't direct this question to anyone in particular I will try and answer.

Yes this is a mixed forum and this is a forum if you want to learn that you must take what is intelligent, laugh at what is obtuse and invariably evidently born of lack of "the know'".

You will get answers and views from all walks of life, everything remains however your choice, your choice to read the answers or not.

Anytime someone tells you that what you believe is wrong is not being a good person, for how do we all know what is the right way to worship, those of us who believe in Jesus pray as he taught us, but that is not to say that when you are deliberating a problem and you come to a decision that your moral values do not come into play, they do. Your sub conscience, and conscience is what drives your belief, you either believe the world was created for you and it owes you or that we are all created equal and we must help one another in this sometimes not so friendly environment all the while trying to survive without hurting others, and praying that one day the world will be at piece.

Answer 3

Why do you want to narrow your field of reference?

Anyway, if I didn't answer any question I felt I had a valid answer for, I'd hardly answer any here, as I'm not Christian, Muslim, atheist, Wiccan or Buddhist (nor anything else you could really put a label on...go on, try it, I dare you!) Does that mean I should remain silent? I think not, sir!

However, if it is an opinion you want from a member of a specific group, then that's what you should say, unless it is just to back up your already firmly-held belief. So many of the "directed" questions are just veiled attacks (thinly veiled, at that) so it's difficult not to jump in and have a say. But this goes to quality of answers (and questions) which is something we none of us have any control over.

Answer 4

Occasionally, I will answer a question that's not specifically directed at me because I think there needs to be a counterbalance in the answers. For example:

If someone asks a "question" like, "Atheists, don't you think it's time we start feeding Christians to the lions again?", I'm not going to let a slur against my religious beliefs go unchallenged.

But for the most part, I tend to answer those questions which are aimed at my specific areas of interest. Those are the ones that fall within my scope of knowledge, and I feel that I can give a good, well thought-out reply.

Answer 5

I answer questions directed at specific religions because I know a little bit about many religions. I usually try to give answers from either the mainstream perspective within that religion, or from multiple perspectives when there is no clear consensus.

I hate it when people put the "For Christians" or "For Muslims" tag on questions, because it assumes that no one else could possibly know anything about the subject. Such is not the case. I'm agnostic, and I can answer most questions about Christianity more accurately and informatively than many Christians, and do so without being sarcastic or rude.

I understand what you're saying; you have an honest question, and jackasses are answering your questions with irrelevant or hateful replies. There's nothing for it. Just ignore them and look for the people who are giving genuine answers.

Answer 6

It is mainly because of the immpractical notion people have that their opinion is more justified than others. As for myself, I refrain from answering questions directed at others unless 1) I find it demeaning and want to reply, or 2) if even though the question is not directed at me, I have something to say that I feel might "shed some light" on the subject. Other than that, I see your point.

Answer 7

this will happen when a chain of people get started t take this site seriously and respectfully and not a place for venting and lashing out their frustration..also this can happen when some people stop criticizing for the sake of criticizing or trying to prove they know better and become too finicky for their own good ....we should respect each others faith and be more open minded and willing to learn about other religion and the willing to teach your faith to other , so people can understand each other better not to criticize each other , and at the end of the day if you look at all religions existing they have a lot of similarity in there ethics and principals and all aim for the good of the people..we need to start to love each other ..peace..

Answer 8

You're absolutely right. Unfortunately some people are very disrespectful towards others and their beliefs or lack thereof. Until people can learn to respect one another then this will continue to happen.

Answer 9

I ask direct questions because (1) I want to know what they believe rather quickly (I can always read a book on the subject), and (2) I really want to know what their answer will be.

These questions are not always attacks. They are probing questions. So if it offends will sorry. I do try to ask serious, legit ones and not foolish ones.

Answer 10

People are under the delusion that these "points" actually account for something. So, they go around and answer as many questions as they can in an attempt to become the "Top Answerer". Does anybody actually want to be the "Top Answerer"? That's kind of sad in my opinion.