Discussion Forums

[Jazzy]

What makes a forum good for you?

What needs of yours should the forum meet?

 

[Lamb]

Some of the forums I go on will give me information that I'm looking for, and that's mostly for my health. Then there are others that have friendly people that aren't making fun of others, and those I will keep visiting.

 

[Josiah]

1. Topics I find interesting and helpful.
2. Participants that are respectful and helpful.
3. Few and intuitive rules, evangelically applied, but unnecessary (because of #2 above)


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[Albion]

What makes a forum good for you?

What needs of yours should the forum meet?

IMO, people come here to Christianity Haven in order to see and perhaps participate in discussions about religious matters. What a surprise, huh?

Nevertheless, there have gotten to be fewer religious issues being debated nowadays. Instead, there are plenty of questions, etc. about the members' daily lives and likes and so on.

I realize that when there are only a few religious subjects being discussed, something has to fill the gap and, also, that some of these other topics can be fun. Still, I wish Christianity Haven would once again mainly be about discussing Christianity.

I've tried to launch such discussions myself, but my topics always fall flat. I'm hoping that other members who do have the ability will step up.

 

[Messy3]

IMO, people come here to Christianity Haven in order to see and perhaps participate in discussions about religious matters. What a surprise, huh?

Nevertheless, there have gotten to be fewer religious issues being debated nowadays. Instead, there are plenty of questions, etc. about the members' daily lives and likes and so on.

I realize that when there are only a few religious subjects being discussed, something has to fill the gap and, also, that some of these other topics can be fun. Still, I wish Christianity Haven would once again mainly be about discussing Christianity.

I've tried to launch such discussions myself, but my topics always fall flat. I'm hoping that other members who do have the ability will step up.

But that's what MoreCoffee said a while ago. We agree too much. So if each takes some extreme stance we can have discussions. I'm just tired of discussing stuff. Years ago I would do ping pong with an atheist about evolution versus YEC or GAP. He'd post a link from some evolution site and I'd post a creation link back. Lol so stupid.

 

[Albion]

But that's what MoreCoffee said a while ago. We agree too much. So if each takes some extreme stance we can have discussions.

Well, I do agree with that point about it being easy to "discuss" when some unorthodox poster puts up some ridiculous personal religious theory and everyone else here who is a conventional Christian speaks against it.

That isn't the best kind of religious discussion, though. And I don't regret that we have not had as much of that as we did a while ago.

Still, we aren't having very many theological topics of any kind at the moment, and it would be nice if we did. There are indeed topics that interest Christians of different denominations and are worth comparing the different views...without it being an unproductive battle.

I'm just tired of discussing stuff. Years ago I would do ping pong with an atheist about evolution versus YEC or GAP. He'd post a link from some evolution site and I'd post a creation link back. Lol so stupid.

 

[tango]

IMO, people come here to Christianity Haven in order to see and perhaps participate in discussions about religious matters. What a surprise, huh?

Nevertheless, there have gotten to be fewer religious issues being debated nowadays. Instead, there are plenty of questions, etc. about the members' daily lives and likes and so on.

I realize that when there are only a few religious subjects being discussed, something has to fill the gap and, also, that some of these other topics can be fun. Still, I wish Christianity Haven would once again mainly be about discussing Christianity.

I've tried to launch such discussions myself, but my topics always fall flat. I'm hoping that other members who do have the ability will step up.

In fairness when there are only a few people who join in the discussions they rapidly become repetitive. We get to a point where we know where people stand on most issues, so discussions end up going round in the same circles as the previous discussion.

 

[Albion]

In fairness when there are only a few people who join in the discussions they rapidly become repetitive. We get to a point where we know where people stand on most issues, so discussions end up going round in the same circles as the previous discussion.

Hmm. Well, that can happen with most topics, I would suppose. And if the various contributors do not bother to explain WHY their view is what it is, and why it is backed up by Scripture or Tradition or whatever that person values, then it probably will stagnate.

That being the case, I hope that members will consider authoring and participating in more religion-oriented discussions AND give more thought to providing more than just a "this is what I think, and anyone who disagrees is stupid/heretical/unChristian/etc."

And I should add that not every religious topic has to be about a famous doctrinal dispute. There is plenty of value in posing questions that sample the thinking of others about church music, why the church should or should not adopt political stands, whether a large or small congregation is better and for what reason, and many more of this type.

 

[Josiah]

Still, we aren't having very many theological topics of any kind at the moment, and it would be nice if we did.

@Albion
@tango


I too wish we had more religious, theological and biblical discussions.


For ME, well.... I have a TON of threads up at CH that I've started over the past 8 years, on nearly every topic about which I have a theological interest and/or some knowledge on which to base my position. A LOT of them. SOME of those got discussed, albeit in many cases years ago, mostly by posters no longer here. SOME never got anywhere, they were evidently of no interest to the community ( I understand). I'm kind of out of topics.... unless I just bump something from years ago. Or someone else digs deep into old threads and responds - giving it new life.

There are indeed topics that interest Christians of different denominations and are worth comparing the different views...without it being an unproductive battle.

I think PART of the issue is what we mean by "unproductive." To ME, the issue is did I learn something. I acknowledge that MOST aren't going to change their mind about anything (and I got to admit, personally I've become noticeable less malleable with age, LOL). And that's okay. But I like to get challenged ... I like to hear other "takes" on things... and (most important) to understand WHY there's another take. And (I admit) I like it when I'M understood and I work hard to accomplish that. But I have no agenda to change anyone's position.

I have only one regret about CH. And that's a lack of diversity among knowledgeable, articulate posters. Too few Catholic and Orthodox posters, for example. Oh well, what is, is.


A very blessed Christmas!


- Josiah


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[tango]

It's good to get alternative viewpoints - if people express a viewpoint clearly and answer respectful questions sensibly I figure I can learn why people with other viewpoints think the way they do even if I don't agree with them. Hopefully they'll learn something from me too, even if they don't agree with me.

The problem is that so many people revert to a collection of ways to avoid discusing the merits or otherwise of someone's actual position because it's easier to attack something that's kinda-sorta-close to their position. Not only does it render the discussion unproductive but also makes people less likely to even attempt to discuss going forward.

In an extreme case, what was the final straw for me on another forum, was when I posted something that was essentially "list of reasons, which is why I believe X is false" and someone replied with "I don't know how you can possibly think X is true because...." - it's not like some fine nuance was lost in translation, they saw my clear conclusion and "countered" the exact opposite stance.