Is the Religion board contrary to the purpose of Yahoo! Answers?

Question

From what I can tell, people come to the Religion and Spirituality section with the intent not of seeking to discover new knowledge but to promote and advertise a specific position (be it a given religion, an Atheistic stance or a position of non-confrontation).

Is this generally the case, and if so, isn't there an argument to be made for the immediate closure of the board?

The point, October, is that the religious board seems to implicitly lend itself to a field on which no actual questioning will be done. Yahoo! Answers is supposedly trying to collate a place where individuals looking for information will be able to find it based on other peoples' questioning and answering. In R/S, the questions are all charged and the answers all subjective by the very nature of Religion. It's a topic on which no definitive answers can be given and no genuine answers are ever sought, which is why I question its value on a site like this.

Sit-fu, qwerty p. This isn't about the validity of religions in general; this is about the validity of having religions as a section of a directory of answered questions.

Answer 1

I think that if there is at least one objective question and answer in the Forum it is a worthwhile venue. I have learned how to scan past the usual vapid suspects' commentaries.

While on the subject, 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

Contrary to what you say (there's a surprise!), I as a Christian (similar as far as Yahoo is concerned or life in general to being a Conservative, an Atheist or any other community one belongs to in life) look at the Religion and Spirituality questions with interest (as one does if one is particularly interested in a subject) but also look at all other sections. The following applies to all boards on Yahoo: I find a question that interests me, that challenges my thinking and then search for an answer, whether that be searching the web or my heart or even my small general knowledge. I might not agree with the question, I might not have an answer ultimately but I am constantly learning from other peoples answers. You could argue the same point in any forum - for example humour - some like some crude jokes others word play. Should this section be taken off just because you get a fairly standard response depending on the character or personality of the person answering? I don't think so. And lastly, why, if it bothers you about the Religion board - do you look in it? I suspect like me, just on the off chance there is an original answer and sometimes, just sometimes, there is. So leave it alone please.

Answer 3

They come here to speak their minds in the form or questions or answers.

So it is in keeping.

It is, however a liberal forum and subject to points of view and not always HARD and fast answers as some other boards gets.

However Yahoo also has the Immigration and Politics boards and those aren't much different.

Answer 4

I even have study distinctive questions that inquire approximately something from an earnest viewpoint. this is in elementary terms a area to the folk that well-known that board that look merchandising besides the fact that they suspect in, which they have a suited to do, with the help of how, besides the fact that in case you do in comparison to or rejoice with it. this is the subject with a board as comprimising as faith. some people don't comprehend the objective, or do merely no longer care. I even have stopped traveling that board for inner maximum motives. merely forget approximately concerning the promoters, or if it bothers you, stop going to it.

Answer 5

I have seen, answered and written several questions on the R&S site that were honest questions seeking honest answers. It is a lot of the people on this site that like do nothing more then muddy the waters, and then sling the mud at everyone else that should be banned.

Answer 6

On those terms you would have to close all the boards. How many questions on the politics or gay boards are not simply meant to promote a point of view?

Answer 7

It may come as a shock to you, but YA isn't a university or anything. If there was something half decent on the telly, none of us would be here.

Answer 8

But this board is fun!
and then we'll all move to the Political Section

Answer 9

political and religeous sections are always in turmoil in every forum everywhere ... many sites will not keep those sections because of that reason ...

Answer 10

Haha, maybe it's gone overboard here and there.

Yeah, I agree.