Religion and Ethics Forum
General Category => General Discussion => Topic started by: Rhiannon on September 27, 2018, 10:47:56 AM
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This is a post that I've been thinking about making over the past few days...even as I sit here typing the opening lines I'm not sure if I'll hit 'post' or not. But whatever.
I'm not sure how many years I've been posting here for now, but one thing that struct me recently is that posters change, and that is a reason why this place works. People's views shift, maybe just subtly, maybe not; their lives change. There's always something new to learn.
The world has changed. We blink in incomprehension at Trump just as we do at Brexit. That change brings a need for new understanding, new ideas.
Sometimes it can feel like Groundhog Day, but then something will open up that I find myself thinking about and pondering - it is enriching, actually, to pick over ideas and events with posters here. We are blessed with some great writers and some great personalities. And I didn't have the first clue how to make an argument coherently til I started debating on here. Feel free to say that I still haven't, but honestly, I've learned so much. And I've laughed a load too. And cried on occasion.
There are posters I like, posters I miss, posters I think of as friends. I'm glad that this mad little outpost of the interweb thingie is still going.
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I have a similar view: have learned a massive amount here and encountered some interesting people, some of whom have become personal friends that I can't now imagine not knowing.
It feels like a kind of private members club where the familiarity is oddly reassuring, and though there is repetition I wouldn't get the chance to talk about some of this stuff were it not for here. It also has an addictive aspect.
No idea why this places survives - but for a long as it does I can't imagine not being part of it.
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This is a post that I've been thinking about making over the past few days...even as I sit here typing the opening lines I'm not sure if I'll hit 'post' or not. But whatever.
I'm not sure how many years I've been posting here for now, but one thing that struct me recently is that posters change, and that is a reason why this place works. People's views shift, maybe just subtly, maybe not; their lives change. There's always something new to learn.
The world has changed. We blink in incomprehension at Trump just as we do at Brexit. That change brings a need for new understanding, new ideas.
Sometimes it can feel like Groundhog Day, but then something will open up that I find myself thinking about and pondering - it is enriching, actually, to pick over ideas and events with posters here. We are blessed with some great writers and some great personalities. And I didn't have the first clue how to make an argument coherently til I started debating on here. Feel free to say that I still haven't, but honestly, I've learned so much. And I've laughed a load too. And cried on occasion.
There are posters I like, posters I miss, posters I think of as friends. I'm glad that this mad little outpost of the interweb thingie is still going.
Nicely said Rhi, there's nothing fake about you, we need more Rhiannons in the world ;)
<looks for hug smiley>
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Rhi,
If the opportunity arose I'd buy you a nice cream scone and a pot of tea for that (English breakfast, Darjeeling, Earl Grey, you choose) ;)
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There is something about this forum which always draws me back again, however many times I am determined to leave for good.
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I do belong to another forum, but that is more of a penfriend site and the robust debates that we have here are not encouraged. On that site, debates tend to end with members "blocking" each other, here we start and end debates as friends.
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You lovely people you. :D
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I agree with Rhi. I have learned a lot on R&E and posts I have read have sometimes influenced or refined my stance on certain issues by giving me access to other people's knowledge, experiences and views.
I recently joined a local FB debate forum, which I think I post on about as often as I post on here. The difference is that debates are rarely ongoing, so there is a short window of opportunity to engage in a debate on a particular issue, hence I have only taken part in a handful. The debate is often robust and contentious, as it often is on here, and adds a different dimension when you can see people's photos and some aspects of their personal lives, and you know they live in your local area, so you could run into them on the road or engage their services if they are tradespeople.
I like R&E, one because I have grown to like the people, and also because you can go away and come back many weeks later and still have the opportunity to engage in the same debate, or a variation on it. And it is quite easy to read back through old threads and come away with a changed perspective or view from the one you previously had in the debate.
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Well said,Rhiannon. Sometimes it does seem like Groundhog Day but even in that film the main character was transformed by the experiences.
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I echo the above sentiments. It is like meeting a group of friends every day. We are lucky that we have this space so that there was continuity from BBC, via NGL returns, to here.
I have belonged to the same four message boards since I started on the internet. They are all quite different. I don't know how I would have filled quite a lot of my time if they had not existed.
I've learnt a lot of science, or rather neater and more precise expressions and descriptions of it, plus philosophy, but I avoid using the language of philosophy because I have never studied it.
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I have posted on here since the old BBC forum days, although rather intermittently. I have learned a great deal from others on here, and am always struck by the warmth that underlies many of the posts, even when people have very different views. I have learnt a lot on here about all sorts of things, but perhaps I have learnt most about myself, and how to treat people. I have also been lucky to meet at least 3 posters(all of whom are no longer posting) and I have valued their friendship considerably. So, thank you, R&E and all those who have made this forum possible and welcoming.
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I like it, well I wouldn't post if i didn't. I've learned quite a bit, look things up that generally I wouldn't even think of. Overall very good indeed & I particularly like the cross section of posters. Before I joined I looked at a couple & none were like this, either too religious or virtually empty.
Nicely said Rhi, there's nothing fake about you, we need more Rhiannons in the world ;)
<looks for hug smiley>
Agree. Btw torridon you can do this ((R)).
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Ah, cool one. Thanks Robbie ;)
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There is something about this forum which always draws me back again, however many times I am determined to leave for good.
Talking of which, might I suggest that next time you just stop posting, instead of making a big thing of your departure? It's so much less embarrassing when you come back!
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Talking of which, might I suggest that next time you just stop posting, instead of making a big thing of your departure? It's so much less embarrassing when you come back!
Less embarrassing for whom, you? ;D ;D ;D
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Less embarrassing for whom, you? ;D ;D ;D
No, you! I don't give a gnat's gnadger!
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What's a gnat's gnadger?
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No, you! I don't give a gnat's gnadger!
Don't tell porkies, you obviously do, otherwise you wouldn't bother to comment, now would you?
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What's a gnat's gnadger?
In an effort to find out for myself I googled and found this:- Gonz gewl, gnad'ger Herr
From the Marriage of Figaro. We learn new things all the time on R&E.
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https://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=nadgers
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You don't say.
I thought that was 'nads' short for gonads.
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Talking of which, might I suggest that next time you just stop posting, instead of making a big thing of your departure? It's so much less embarrassing when you come back!
Why are you so pompous and bad tempered? I am interested in what ever views you may have - just like everyone else's (including Sparky's) - but not if they are delivered in such an antipathetic manner.
I have known (in a cyberspace kind of way) Floo/LR since the BBC days and I consider that her presence here enriches this board. I don't agree with her on lots of occasions but I don't let that turn me into her enemy. She so often provides a viewpoint that is fresh and uncomplicated. She may not be right some of the time but she is herself, she is unique, she is a fellow human being who has experienced much and is - at heart - a worthwhile individual.
If you really have problems in accepting Little Roses then I suggest you find someone to talk to about it.
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Excuse me, people, this is a group hug thread. Or at the very least, a group ok-I-grudgingly-admire-some-people-here thread.
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I think we are much safer on R&E than we would be on Facebook, I have just seen this report.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-45686890
Up to 50 million FB accounts have been subjected to a cyber attack. I am so glad I ditched mine a while back.
Thanks HH for your kind remarks. :)
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Definitely LR. It has frequently been said to me that I could set up FB to be private & all that but there are constant reports in the media of people whose facebook accounts have been hacked & of stalking. Don't think anyone would bother to stalk me frankly but still it doesn't appeal. Gabriella was saying the discussions on there don't amount to much (or something like).
It's good on here really.
(HH steveh picks on LR because he can't do it with the big boys)
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Why are you so pompous and bad tempered? I am interested in what ever views you may have - just like everyone else's (including Sparky's) - but not if they are delivered in such an antipathetic manner.
I have known (in a cyberspace kind of way) Floo/LR since the BBC days and I consider that her presence here enriches this board. I don't agree with her on lots of occasions but I don't let that turn me into her enemy. She so often provides a viewpoint that is fresh and uncomplicated. She may not be right some of the time but she is herself, she is unique, she is a fellow human being who has experienced much and is - at heart - a worthwhile individual.
If you really have problems in accepting Little Roses then I suggest you find someone to talk to about it.
I was simply offering some advice. Where's the bad temper?
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I must confess to being a hopeless Facebook addict. I'm in too many special-interest groups, including one I started and moderate, to leave now.
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I started some 15 years back jousting with the BBC, it was a bit like trying to run in treacle, they have loosened up now compared to when I first campaigned about the BBC's many ways of suppering the attempts of any non-religious people being able to be heard on an equal basis with the religious on air, they're not there yet the BBC but it's a lot better now than it was.
This jousting with the BBC, where I'd like to think I may of had some limited effect and at the same time while jousting with them I joined in on the BBC's version of an R&E, these forums soon become an addiction.
I've tried several forums this one seems to be the most civilised one I've come across, I really can't say there's any particular posters that I don't like to read or hear from.
Only thing I'm not particularly keen on is, as I see it, the over use of the old Anglo Saxon expletives, but having said that things have changed over my 76 years here and although I don't like it, it does seem to be the norm these days but not here.
Regards to all, ippy
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The BBC was the very first forum on which I ever posted in the late 90s. I think the fact that R&E is still going, when a number of the replacement forums have closed, or are on their way out, show this forum still has something to offer people. :)
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I first went online at home in 2004. My first forum was Premier, which was infested with swivel-eyed fundy nutcases and eventually closed. I then followed some of the saner members to a succession of other short-lived forums, ending up at St Thads, which has now been going for quite a while, but only has about four active members now. At some stage, someone recommended this place, so I joined here as well.
Somewhere along the way, I encountered a nutty woman called Tangnefedd. I wonder what happened to her.
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I first went online at home in 2004. My first forum was Premier, which was infested with swivel-eyed fundy nutcases and eventually closed. I then followed some of the saner members to a succession of other short-lived forums, ending up at St Thads, which has now been going for quite a while, but only has about four active members now. At some stage, someone recommended this place, so I joined here as well.
Somewhere along the way, I encountered a nutty woman called Tangnefedd. I wonder what happened to her.
Steve what is your problem with me? Does making a b*tchy comment at my expense make your day worthwhile?
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Steve what is your problem with me? Does making a b*tchy comment at my expense make your day worthwhile?
Oh, for heaven'ssake, lighten up! It was a friendly joke!
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Excuse me, people, this is a group hug thread. Or at the very least, a group ok-I-grudgingly-admire-some-people-here thread.
hmm.. {{ :) ;) :D >:( :) :( 8) :) :'( :-\ }}
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I realise that it is quite difficult to register on R&E in order to discourage the spammers who infest forums, but I wonder if it is putting people off becoming members?
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I realise that it is quite difficult to register on R&E in order to discourage the spammers who infest forums, but I wonder if it is putting people off becoming members?
It's not that difficult. Every day bots manage it. There is no reason to think that it's keeping any number of people away.
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It's not that difficult. Every day bots manage it. There is no reason to think that it's keeping any number of people away.
I concur. One change that could perhaps be made would be to allow us to post photographs?
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It's not that difficult. Every day bots manage it. There is no reason to think that it's keeping any number of people away.
Then why is it no one has become a member since I re-joined the forum, or for a while before that?
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Then why is it no one has become a member since I re-joined the forum, or for a while before that?
We've had numbers of bots and spam members doing it. We reject them based on various criteria. You can see the numbers in the stats section.
Message boards such as this are and have been a dying part of the net for sometime.
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Then why is it no one has become a member since I re-joined the forum, or for a while before that?
Everyone that wants to become a member has already joined.
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Everyone in the entire world.
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Maybe the regular posters should try to come up with ideas to make the forum irresistible, so encouraging new members to sign up.
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Maybe the regular posters should try to come up with ideas to make the forum irresistible, so encouraging new members to sign up.
If it became irresistible I suspect many of the current members would disappear off. Membership of message boards is dying, it's essentially very old technology. (As an aside to HWB, there isn't an easy way to allow photos, and not sure that a major upgrade is that useful.)
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I think a refresh every now and then is good - new topics for example - but I take NS's point that changing it to appeal to the many would change it.
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Everyone in the entire world.
No, only Europe ;)(at the moment, maybe not after next year....)
Seriously would be good to have some more from overseas. We have sririam from India and a scandinavian someone whose name I can't remember right now but no Americans or Aussies. Other than that I think the forum is fine as it is.
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Keith's American.
Ad-O lives in Finland but he's a Londoner. :)
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Hey lets keep it cool
https://youtu.be/kjxSCAalsBE
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Why don't we start a related R&E group on Facebook? I know other forums that have done that.
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Why don't we start a related R&E group on Facebook? I know other forums that have done that.
OK but if I show my face I expect others to do the same.
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There did use to be one.
The problem with FB groups is that eventually people give up on the message boards and stick to FB instead.
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FB isn't for me I'm afraid.
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Nor me. Never joined.
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I use FB a lot but I wouldn't use it in conjunction with here - it's a different box. It's also one that is only marginally shinier than this one. It's like the youth wing of the Tory party, not everyone has a free bus pass.
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I say we meander on as we have done for these last few years: and the last one to leave, whenever that is, should turn out the lights.
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I think that Shaker turned out the lights for NGL
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Agree with others about facebook.
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I think that Shaker turned out the lights for NGL
No plans are afoot to turn off the lights here though, as long as there are enough of us to enjoy a chat - so as long as we have at least two addicts we're in business :)
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It'll just be me and you, G.
Unless you decide to let me out of the cupboard.
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It'll just be me and you, G.
Unless you decide to let me out of the cupboard.
I'm afraid I've lost the keys!
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I'm afraid I've lost the keys!
Which leaves me with the staff's supply of single malt...
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Which leaves me with the staff's supply of single malt...
No one ever notices me in the corner clinging to the bottle (and that's the way I like it)
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Which leaves me with the staff's supply of single malt...
However, we have the extra-long straws I pinched from the 'Slushy' drinks that my grandkids once had.
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No one ever notices me in the corner clinging to the bottle (and that's the way I like it)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OM7zRfHG0no
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author=Rhiannon link=topic=16181.msg749653#msg749653 date=1538246838]
There did use to be one.
The problem with FB groups is that eventually people give up on the message boards and stick to FB instead.
]
And that is why I would be strongly against a Face Book group - I simply cannot manage Face book. My software enables me to click on the site and cursor around, but it is fiendishly difficult and I'm not prepared to spend any time learning.
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Lovely OP Rhiannon
I feel the same. I stopped coming here regulalry partly because I became fatigued by the repetition of some discussions, but also because I found the time commitment to properly engage quite difficult.
I was around back on the BBC boards... maybe 13 years ago now?. That's when I started. Like you I feel I've learned a lot about how to make a proper argument and my mind has certainly been changed on more than one occcasion.
I pop my head in occasionally, to see how things are doing, and its still worth it. Most recently because Nearly Sane tipped us off to some fab youtube vidoes about philosophy by Bryan Magee. They have turned into a proper dive into philosophy for me over the last few months... and all becuase of this forum.
I wish I could spend more time here in some ways, but I simply can't manage it.
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Glad to hear you enjoyed the Magee programmes and continued on, Samuel. If you haven't found them then would thoroughly recommend Philosophy Bites
http://www.philosophybites.com
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In another 300 or so posts, we will pass 750,000 posts on here since we started. If we take a quick average we on posts we are averaging about 80 words a post which works out at around 60M words!!!!
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I wish I could spend more time here in some ways, but I simply can't manage it.
Stay off the Xbox then?
:)
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This is a post that I've been thinking about making over the past few days...even as I sit here typing the opening lines I'm not sure if I'll hit 'post' or not. But whatever.
I'm not sure how many years I've been posting here for now, but one thing that struct me recently is that posters change, and that is a reason why this place works. People's views shift, maybe just subtly, maybe not; their lives change. There's always something new to learn.
The world has changed. We blink in incomprehension at Trump just as we do at Brexit. That change brings a need for new understanding, new ideas.
Sometimes it can feel like Groundhog Day, but then something will open up that I find myself thinking about and pondering - it is enriching, actually, to pick over ideas and events with posters here. We are blessed with some great writers and some great personalities. And I didn't have the first clue how to make an argument coherently til I started debating on here. Feel free to say that I still haven't, but honestly, I've learned so much. And I've laughed a load too. And cried on occasion.
There are posters I like, posters I miss, posters I think of as friends. I'm glad that this mad little outpost of the interweb thingie is still going.
Before we get carried away in a frenzy of self satisfaction maybe another perception could be reflected on namely that this forum is for the comfort, succour, entertainment and yes, sport of antitheists and that any camaraderie, bearing in mind the experience of at least three posters and former posters on here, is really the camaraderie of the hunt and prehunt. Sherry anyone.
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Now there's a man in need of a hug. Come on, Vlad, you know you want to...
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Before we get carried away in a frenzy of self satisfaction maybe another perception could be reflected on namely that this forum is for the comfort, succour, entertainment and yes, sport of antitheists and that any camaraderie, bearing in mind the experience of at least three posters and former posters on here, is really the camaraderie of the hunt and prehunt. Sherry anyone.
Maybe, just maybe you should heed the advice of a wise poster?
No, I'm off now now......
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I have been sickened by three of the other forums on which I have been posting. A couple of them were for the over 50s, where many of the posters were racist in the extreme, and kept on about how proud they were to be white and English, and migrants should be kicked out, especially if they aren't white. >:( I have left them and will not return, not that I would be welcome if I did, my parting posts ensured that would be the case.
R&E is the best forum on which I have posted, even though I have flounced off from time to time. In order that I don't do so again, I have handcuffed myself to it and thrown away the key. ;D ;D
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Moderator: See update to 'Clarification regarding confrontational posting' thread on Mod & Admin.