Ramadan Mubarak

thunderwingdoomslayer – Member

What makes something obvious wrong?

1. This is a forum that views are normally scrutinized.
2. Adults know how to deal with opinions so your suggestion is nothing new.
3. This is STW so all religious belief are questioned no exception. That is called equality for all in questioning.
4. What makes your view so new that you think your suggestion is better than others’ questioning?
5. This is a forum and forum needs some exciting responses and including your obvious comments (you do have value (but your have wrong reply) otherwise I would not be posting this reply to you)
6. It is for entertainment and I like entertaining so the more questioning the more opposing views the better – that’s called accepting all views regardless of what they are. No exception.
7. If one thinks one is right then defend that views.
8. Do Not post a topic if you afraid of being commented or think your feeling might be hurt.
9. This not the place to hide your feeling coz keyboard warriors about.

Those are the reasons when I said that there are so many wrongs in your response.

ernie_lynch – Member
When it’s posted by Chewwy.

Or the one liner reply by Ernie to Chewwy? It’s all started innit? 😆

gonzy – Member
It’s gone a bit civil here again….”Puts the ray gun back”

Well, if they ask those questions you might consider them rude so it’s natural it’s gone “civil”.

1) Your moderating behaviour on many threads certainly isn’t/wasn’t as aggressive/attentive on those as you have decided to be on this one which would either mean a change of behaviour or special treatment.

I’m trying to improve the way I do things. No bad thing, n’est-ce pas? This is my thinking:

I’m very much against censorship; my stance is that you censor nothing or you censor everything, it’s as soon as you start picking and choosing that you run in to difficulties.

This presents a moderatorial challenge for me when people are passionately “expressing opinions.” A few years back threads would get closed on spec because they looked like they might be about to turn into an argument, and I’ve challenged those calls, because we’re not the thought police and that’s not the type of forum I want to be a part of. Freedom to talk, to exchange different opinions is a big part of what makes this forum what it is IMHO.

So, that coupled with my Aspie brain trying to interpret social interactions has meant that I rely heavily on people reporting posts; this is something I’ve said time and again on the forum. Otherwise I’ll generally default to leaving a post rather than removing it. Ie, I’d rather under- than over-moderate when it’s a grey area (and believe me, E L James vastly underestimated). A point of note here is, your typical religion thread generates zero reported posts, none, nada, zilch. This one is unusual in that regard. You want heavier moderation, hit that button more.

But what I’ve come to realise is, the moderation line in the sand here isn’t around expressing contentious opinions or saying something stupid, rather it perhaps should be around thread derailment. Thread drift is fine, often it’s a good thing, it’s how conversations naturally develop. Thread disruption however is becoming a problem I think. Compare and contrast, a group of mates in the pub arguing the relative merits of different football teams and one of them starts extolling the virtues of rugby; and the same situation where someone starts going “well, football’s shit anyway, you’re all simpletons, Jimmy Savile played football you know!” Terrible example but hopefully you see where I’m coming from.

And so that was my intention earlier on in here with my harrumphing public intervention, I wanted to allow the thread to flow and drift but wanted to try and prevent it from coming off the rails completely. Otherwise the net result is that people just stop posting anything different and we end up with a forum consisting entirely of “what tyres” and “which TV” threads.

I should point out of course, my esteemed fellow Moderators are moderating posts also, I’m only speaking for myself here and not for a second suggesting it’s all Me Me Me. This isn’t any new STW policy, this post is simply me trying to be transparent about what I’m doing (and to put right any baseless accusations misunderstandings).

Call it an experiment if you like. Whether I’m able to keep it up or whether it’s even a good idea remains to be seen, I’ll probably have forgotten all about it by next week. I just thought it was worth trying.

(I hope I’ve not just derailed it with this post…!)

People are obviously finding this an interesting informative thread.
Keeping it on track seems entirely sensible.

I do love the chaotic nature of this place and our more eccentric compadres just add to that.
I don’t mind at all when repetitive, pointless threads get derailed, but it’s bloody annoying when someone genuinely has something fresh to contribute.

Thanks.

Cougar – Moderator

But what I’ve come to realise is, the moderation line in the sand here isn’t around expressing contentious opinions or saying something stupid, rather it perhaps should be around thread derailment. Thread drift is fine, often it’s a good thing, it’s how conversations naturally develop. Thread disruption however is becoming a problem I think.

At the risk of thread derailing, absolutely this. It’s not becoming a problem, it’s been a big issue here for a long time. Derailment is vandalism essentially.

(OTOH I’m on another forum that’s run by on-topic fascists, there’s a balance…)

I do love the chaotic nature of this place and our more eccentric compadres just add to that.
I don’t mind at all when repetitive, pointless threads get derailed, but it’s bloody annoying when someone genuinely has something fresh to contribute.

Yeah, that’s a good way of putting it actually.

Cougar – Moderator
A point of note here is, your typical religion thread generates zero reported posts, none, nada, zilch. This one is unusual in that regard. You want heavier moderation, hit that button more.

There you got a problem.

Basic reason is simple ALL religious belief Must be scrutinised but why is there inconsistency from posters is something I always want to understand.

My assumptions:

1. Intolerance views from both sides.

2. Someone obviously trying to prevent someone from voicing their opinions.

3. Someone is “protecting” someone unnecessarily.

4. Inconsistency with own thinking i.e. some religions can be scrutinised while some can be considered sensitive so “cannot” be questioned.

5. If one Abrahamic faith is scrutinised shouldn’t ALL of them be scrutinised as well? (you lot like to mock Christian belief do you not so why the cowering now?)

Good explanation Cougar and my reply to you has a mixture of both responding to you and to others, kind of general so not really aiming at you … just the way I talk.

you lot like to mock Christian belief do you not so why the cowering now?

I don’t mock Christians, I married one.
I am an atheist, but also, to some extent, a Buddhist. I don’t believe in or agree with most religions. However, I am not the centre of the universe, it doesn’t really matter what my opinion is. I have options when talking to others about their faith, I can listen to their perspective, learn about their understanding of the world, offer different perspectives and, through mutual understanding, challenge areas I feel warrant challenging, broadening my understanding and, hopefully, making me a better person. Another option is to cherry pick words and vague concepts, add a load of my own prejudice and criticise without attempt to understand or contextualise what it is I am criticising, this does nothing but satisfy and feed the internal causes of my own low self esteem. My third option is to realise I have nothing of value to add and shut up.
You are right, you have every right to voice your opinion on a public forum, but that gives me the freedom to call an arsehole an arsehole, so don’t cry when I call you an arsehole.

ALL religious belief Must be scrutinised

You are not scrutinising, don’t give yourself so much credit.

fin25 – Member

I am referring to the general atmosphere in other threads on STW when the Christianity as religion is mentioned.

Perhaps “mock” is too strong a word to use but if that is not you then it is not you. I am just making general reference.

You are not scrutinising, don’t give yourself so much credit

I haven’t even started yet coz I am scrutinising the actions of some posters for being inconsistent.

I don’t mock Christians, I married one.

Do I need to know that? I don’t think it is relevant. Besides, it is obvious is it not that you should not mock your wife? I mean she would not even marry you if that mock her is it not?

I am an atheist, but also, to some extent, a Buddhist

Yes, many people claim to be what they are but it is the inconsistency that I am trying to understand.

However, I am not the centre of the universe, it doesn’t really matter what my opinion is.

Nope, you just contradicted yourself with your action (reply).

You are right, you have every right to voice your opinion on a public forum, but that gives me the freedom to call an arsehole an arsehole, so don’t cry when I call you an arsehole.

Absolutely. We are all open to scrutiny with no exception.

My eldest son will be 9 in September. Last year we let I’m fast on a few days…but nothing more than half a day on the weekends just so he would get used to it. This year he’s been super excited about wanting to fast again but seeing as the fasting duration would be longer we were reluctant to let him fast.
He did a half day on Friday where he “fasted” for the rest of Friday after school. He managed it well. So we let him begin the fast with us yesterday and decided he could do a half day but he wanted to carry on. We said we’d play it by ear so if he started to wilt we’d stop him and make him eat…but I was genuinely surprised and astonished that he managed the full 19 hours and he didn’t seem to be affected too much by it.
But he won’t be doing another full day anytime soon. He wants to do another full day tomorrow but that’s not happening…not even a half day. We might let him do a half day next weekend but we’ll see how he feels next week.
Today was surprisingly easy for me and the wife…drove to Birmingham to see my father in law who’s been in hospital for the last month after suffering a stroke. Got back with plenty of time to go and break our fast with my nephew and his family.
The drive there and back was a welcome distraction and helped pass some of the time.

Weighed myself this morning and the first 4 days of fasting has resulted in a 2lb weight gain!!

very eloquently put fin25

very eloquently put fin25

+1

Well I thought fin25’s post was a bit confusing and rather ironic. He is an Atheist Buddhist, who doesn’t think of himself as the centre of the world while telling others how they should behave and mocking the way other people choose to confront something they find very offensive. Implying people who aren’t as sensible as him should shut up, and for good measure adds; if he thinks you are acting like an arsehole don’t get upset when he calls you an arsehole.

Now just have a think about that for a moment.. Isn’t that what people are doing on the other side of the fence?

A 2lb weight gain in 4 days 😯 I can’t help thinking that a few at the mosque might have questioning eyes when they see you have put on a stone next week 😆

Try THIS[/url] or something like it

yunki – Member
very eloquently put fin25

There is a skill in praising what should be praised and what should Not be praised.
You are not making that distinction.

gonzy – Member

very eloquently put fin25

+1 [/quote]

As above plus perhaps you should also add a “thank you” to fin25 for trying to defend other posters or this thread. (may include you but you need to ask him)

theocb – Member
Well I thought fin25’s post was a bit confusing and rather ironic.

I think he is still trying to find his true self. Cheers for the follow up explanation.

gonzy – Member
Weighed myself this morning and the first 4 days of fasting has resulted in a 2lb weight gain!!

Two possibilities:
1. You weighed yourself too soon after the meal as they are still in your system.
2. Your body is trying to stock the food in preparation for starvation.

Two possibilities:
1. You weighed yourself too soon after the meal as they are still in your system.
2. Your body is trying to stock the food in preparation for starvation.

Maybe I should have been a bit more specific for you…I ate at 2am. Woke up at 10am so the food had 8 hours to digest….I also went for an all mighty dump before weighing myself.

Theocb- the weight gain isn’t just down to eating unhealthy foods…we’ve been eating as healthily as possible..lots of salads and grilled foods and as much fruit as possible….i think the main reason for the weight gain is due to eating and then sleeping without letting the food digest properly

For all those who are going to try fasting tomorrow…it’s time to start loading up. Proteins are good and so are carbs….you want to eat foods which will break down gradually over the day and release the energy slowly so that you don’t fade. Make sure you get your fluids in too. 1 glass every hour should be enough.
Depending on where you are located…sunrise will be at around 4.30,am….but you’ll need to check online for the exact time for your location. So after that time no eating or drinking until sunset.
I’d like to see you commenting on here so everyone can see how you’re all getting on with it.
Good luck folks!!

Ooooh – it’s that fasting day. Here goes…

Rachel (already missing breakfast)

Okay, I’ve decided this is really hard – its only 0930 and I really, really, want a latte…

Okay, I’ve decided this is really hard – its only 0930 and I really, really, want a latte…

dont give up…you may have already hit your personal wall…but you can do this

Main difficulty so far is knowing what to do with myself – I’m used to working in a local coffee shop in the mornings so can’t go there. Had to go to the library to get out of the house. Surrounded by crumblies…

Rachel

Well I thought fin25’s post was a bit confusing and rather ironic. He is an Atheist Buddhist, who doesn’t think of himself as the centre of the world while telling others how they should behave and mocking the way other people choose to confront something they find very offensive. Implying people who aren’t as sensible as him should shut up, and for good measure adds; if he thinks you are acting like an arsehole don’t get upset when he calls you an arsehole.

😀

Notice how I managed to accidentally illicit a threat of violence from the OP as well, I mean, it’s just too easy to pull religious types into behaving in a manner that they are often charged with – but invariably deny. At the same time, they will bleat continually about being oppressed or insulted.

My work here is done, I think I’ve proven my point.

Notice how I managed to accidentally illicit a threat of violence from the OP as well

did you? where?

That fist above ^

I’ve proven my point.

LoL 😀

did you? where?

“Say that to my face” – implies the potential use of violence.

🙂

or you are just short and should stand on a chair.

Rachel

There’s no point interacting with the troll, they’ve already decided to be objectionable in this thread so the best that we can do is ignore them and report it to the mods.

“Say that to my face” – implies the potential use of violence.

typical…you take a small section of what i said to try and pull it out of context and on top of that you change the words….just so it fits in with your distorted agenda

just to clarify and dispel your lies this is exactly what i did say:

say what you like tom…if it makes you feel a little bit bigger
i doubt you’d have the balls to say the stuff you type face to face…so keep hiding behind your keyboard

and this is why i said it:

Like bencooper said it’s a statement that people can be much bigger dicks when they have the anonymity of a username on a forum, than they’d ever dare to be in a face-to-face conversation.

threat of violence….dont give yourself that much credit sunshine….you’re not worth the energy

There’s no point interacting with the troll, they’ve already decided to be objectionable in this thread so the best that we can do is ignore them and report it to the mods.

I didn’t resort to ad-hom first guys 🙂

Did I break any rules in this thread? No. Although I think some of you might have done. 🙂

Toodles. I flounces now.

everyone – Member
There’s no point interacting with the troll, they’ve already decided to be objectionable in this thread so the best that we can do is ignore them and report it to the mods.

Troll is Not Tom.

Others’ inconsistency is obvious innit.

When things are so obvious it becomes a bit foolish to think otherwise.

Why treat one different from another?

That is what I want to know …

Right – it’s lunchtime. What do I do with myself???

Rachel

“”Say that to my face” – implies the potential use of violence.”

No it doesn’t. It implies that you might be more ‘courageous’ from behind a keyboard, when saying something you know full well to be offensive, than face-to-face in a ‘real world’ situation. Very common. It’s easier to insult someone from a position of anonymity.

Well done Gonzy. Don’t know how you can keep it up, I really don’t. Takes a massive amount of self-control (which is the point, surely?). As for Cougar’s doubts about the health benefits; all the Muslims I know who fast say they definitely feel healthier by the end of Ramadan. Many do actually look healthier too. So maybe it really does have benefits that ‘science’ can’t understand.

Toodles. I flounces now.

I bet you don’t!

For me, this thread was not about religion, it was about gonzy and his experience. Some folks went on to ask for details, which required him to explain aspects of his religion but it was always about his fasting, not his beliefs. As such, i think it should have been excused the usual anti-religion anger or arguments.

But as a aside, and going back a few pages,

European imperialists set out to distant shores in the hope of obtaining new knowledge along with new territories.

This is just laughable! Empire was about learning? really? 😀

For Tom_W1987:

http://www.grammar-monster.com/easily_confused/elicit_illicit.htm

Now that Tom has apparently flounced back under his bridge, can we get back on topic rather than fuelling the fire please?

I’m more than happy for you to take this, ahem, “debate” to its own thread if you want to carry on.

Right – it’s lunchtime. What do I do with myself???

Rachel

how about some trolling on STW? 😆

but seriously how is it going? you’re the only one who seems to have confirmed they’re fasting.

I’ve nothing to add, except that I’m enjoying reading the accounts of all those fasting – I know there’s a lot more to it than mere observance, so I wish you all success.

I’m sure that Eid will be very welcome!

How’s it going?

S L O W L Y . . .

😆

Oh – and I’m suddenly VERY aware of my caffeine addiction…

Rachel