No more religion bashing allowed on DU?

[stopbush]

Looks like the new rules will be tightened up to disallow religion bashing.

There goes the party.

[Manifestor_of_Light]

1. Dayum.

Every time somebody goes on about what a nice guy Jesus was, I just cut 'n' paste stuff from www.skepticsannotatedbible.com


Real easy. Shooting fish in a barrel.

And they are horrified. "Oh NOOOO! Jesus was NOT a nice guy???"

:wtf:

[lazarus]

2. that rule, actually

hasn't changed a bit. You can't attack someone for being a Christian or a Muslim or an atheist. Just be civil, and it'll be okay. Remember not to attack people personally and you'll be fine.

:hi:

[laconicsax]

3. Of course there are certain posters who will 'overlook' the entirety of that rule.

You know, the part that includes non believers as a protected group.

It's fun to alert on a ton of stuff! :grr:

[lazarus]

5. alert away

we prefer that to cleaning up both sides of an ad hom exchange.

:hi:

[realisticphish]

6. I think this is a problem

well, not a PROBLEM, but an issue. We, as atheists, skeptics, or whatever, have thick skins. We've been through the gauntlet a brazillion times, and we're used to letting things roll off our backs, for the most part. I wonder if we aren't more likely to roll our eyes and move on than alert. I know I can't remember the last time I alerted something.


Oh, and while I'm here, mod question (If hot tub rules allow you to tell me). Do you keep track of who alerts on what? Like, if poster A has a history of alerting on anything poster B says, do you tend to ignore them? No one I'm thinking of in particular, just general curiosity.

[lazarus]

7. it's mostly institutional memory

I'm sure admin has access to that stuff, but as mods we just notice trends. We never discount alerts, though, no matter who they come from. We just take them as they come and evaluate each on its merits.

From a non-mod viewpoint, I agree that skeptics/atheists tend not to get bent out of shape at attacks. More alerts are actually good (back on the mod viewpoint suddenly). There's no way we can read every post in every thread on DU, there just aren't enough of us. So we rely on alerts to a great extent. Please, everyone, alert whenever you see a rules violation. I've been a mod off and on since 2002, and can't remember anyone getting nuked for alerting.

[realisticphish]

8. When I alert

its usually for personal attacks on someone else; I'm not usually wading into the fray, but rather just reading stuff.

One problem is the length of the rules (as discussed at length in The Thread). Many members think TLDR and don't find out about anything until they're being banned for it. Then suddenly its all a conspiracy. Not that I think there's a way to do it without a lot of rules and NOT have conspiracy theories, but it makes it hard, I'm sure.

[lazarus]

10. actually

the rules can be boiled down to "Be civil to each other." Everything else is just window dressing covering specifics. So if y'all see someone not acting in a civil manner, hit alert.

Soon, whenever you hit alert a drop down menu will be available to help you pick which rule is being violated. That should help a great deal.

[awoke_in_2003]

24. "usually for personal attacks on someone else"

same here, I am an atheist living in the babble belt- my skin is thick.

[laconicsax]

4. No, just reaffirmed.

We can still point out the stupidity, double standards, and absolutely evil stuff theists do, just so long as it isn't an ad hom or broad brush and trust that the mods understand the difference between attacking an idea and attacking a group of people...just like before.

[Deep13]

9. I don't mind that as long as legitimate criticism is allowed.

:hide:

[realisticphish]

11. fuck you, you moronic bastard

:D

[lazarus]

12. nice post, Hitler

:hide:

[realisticphish]

13. ah HA I always knew you were a tool of the international bankers!

:D I finally got to use it...

[EvolveOrConvolve]

16. Damn, who had 12 in this week's Godwin pool?

Was it you, lazarus? You cheating bastard. :)

[lazarus]

17. I didn't enter

I would be tempted to use my fascist powers as moderator to rig the pool.

:evilgrin:

[awoke_in_2003]

25. up yours, Pol Pot...

:hi:

[Deep13]

14. It's unfortunate that you were born of unmarried parents and...

...that you suffer from a lack of mental acuity. For this reason, I have contempt for you.

Now doesn't that sound better?

:evilgrin:

[realisticphish]

15. do you bite your thumb at me sir???

*adjusts monocle*

[awoke_in_2003]

26. I wish the DUzies were still around. nt

[realisticphish]

28. we should start our own award

"Heresy of the Week" perhaps

[Name removed]

18. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

19. They came for the gays? The progressives? Who, the mods?

I'm sorry, but you're in the wrong forum. This is the skeptics group. Not the paranoia group.

[realisticphish]

20. I've heard

of some "gay purge," a while ago, but I don't know anything about what they mean. I don't venture into the shitfests often

[Name removed]

22. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[realisticphish]

23. that's what I assumed nt

[awoke_in_2003]

27. I was a mod at the time...

it wasn't a "gay purge', it was a purge of people with a record of being abusive. Nuking people isn't as easy as some think, especially when the member has some time here. Sometimes the admins are even brought into the discussion.

[libodem]

21. My dad

was an intellectual and an atheist. When I was about ten, I thought I'd make him proud and made some off-handed ignorant remark mocking religion. He rudely awakened me with an unpleasantly stern lecture about respecting other people's beliefs and that behaving in a sac-religious way was unbecoming. Oops, my bad. He was a great teacher.

I think it's okay to state your point of view as long as it's respectful even if you disagree with the other person.

I happen to think the non-believers have an edge on reality, however.