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Originally Posted by photon

So people can discuss politics, the Flames, photography, movies, or any other topic, but anything related to religion is beyond discussion?

I hardly think people are taking any opportunity, it's not like the OT forum is flooded with threads on the subject.

No one forces you to read the thread, if you don't like it, move on to something else.

Ah, quite the contrary. I have no quarrel with the discussion of religion or tenets of belief, and do not wish to censor any topic of discussion from the board (I have lurked/participated on the board for such a long time because it generally has a high level of quality content).

My issue is solely the fact that some posters deliberately denigrate people of belief via the use of specious arguments. If I were to post a thread every time a Jew (or substitute any other cultural/ethnic affiliation of your choice) made a mistake, committed a crime, or did something 'dumb,' I suspect my welcome here would be short lived (and rightly so!).

Originally Posted by photon

So, either ignore it, or engage and show the arguments to be such. No one is immune from having poor arguments, everyone should be open to having their positions tested and improved or disproved.

Sitting back and complaining about it though doesn't contribute anything.

I do admit that my comment was light on content (didn't want to put too much into the thread if it was about to die anyways).

Originally Posted by Thor

My definition? I've already repeatedly said I have no problem with religious families bringing their children up religious, but if they remove their children from society and don't expose them to the real world I think that's a real case for abuse.

A child should be brought up in an environment where they can be exposed to ideas, ideologies and beliefs outside their own parents. How else could we live in a world without hatred and intolerance??

Here we have a poster who is advocating the removal of rights (being convicted for abuse will do that) for an individual based upon that individual indoctrinating his family on a belief system the poster rejects.

Unless Thor has discovered the 'un'-holy grail and can finally prove to everyone that there is in fact no god, I would contend that ultimately his belief system (even if it has far more grounding in rational thought) has no more basis for legal rights than a theistic one, and therefore would be disingenuous for him to petition to reduce the rights of others.