# Close the Politics and Religion forum and ban all discussions of such topics



## wilson (Nov 5, 2012)

While I don't have anything against those kinds of discussions in general, they can have a way of poisoning the mood of a forum. They are almost always contentious and can be summed up as "my side is right, your side are all idiots". 

On a forum dedicated to helping people work through emotional issues, I feel it would be better to not even entertain those kinds of discussions. People who get involved in those discussions may think negatively of the people with the opposite political/religious views, and that can affect how they relate to their advice in the marriage threads. 

There are so many other places on the internet dedicated to political/religious discussions. I feel it would be much better if people went there to have the discussions rather than do so on this forum, even if it is in a separate area. 

Sometimes politics/religion comes up as an issue in a marriage problem, and then it would be fine to allow such discussion as it pertains to the problem. But I feel TAM would be better if we didn't have threads like "Why do people believe/deny God" or "Politician Soandso is great/awful."


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## Maxwedge 413 (Apr 16, 2014)

I second the motion. On most of the forums I belong to there is a Political or Politics and Religion sub-section, and it is always the most angry and mean people and discussions. and I avoid those threads. But here on TAM it creeps into far too many threads where the OP asked nothing about religion.


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## RandomDude (Dec 18, 2010)

But it's interesting to read the opinions of others and rather entertaining at times 

Are opinions so offensive? I vote no for censorship :bounce:


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## sokillme (Jun 10, 2016)

You don't have to read them. I don't for the most part. I already know what is going to be said. I like open an honest communication about any number of things. I just don't participate much in the heated political debates because nothing new is ever really said. It's Yankee's vs Redsox just in political form. Anyway if you don't like it don't read it, you have agency, why do you need someone else to protect you from it? 

Also just because you are not religious doesn't mean religious doesn't have a huge influence in many people's lives and marriages. In threads where the title of the thread has to do with problems that include peoples religious if you know that offense you stay away. I am not going to be posting in a thread about the swinging lifestyle for instance. I am not going to have much context to speak on that. We are all adults here I for one don't want to be treated like a child because people don't like to read things that hurt their sensibilities, assuming they are just opinions they don't like. 

I am curious why does it bother you that people have different opinions then you? It's not like they have any power over you because of it.


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## Rubix Cubed (Feb 21, 2016)

I've got an idea: Don't go there if you don't agree with it. The whole "Ban it because *I* don't like it" mindset is bull****. Banning all discussion of politics and religion leaves a whole lot of ground uncovered in many threads as well, but as far as the P and R forum being banned, You must be an incredibly weak individual if you can't just ignore it. I guess weak people seek others to do the dirty work to make life easier for them.


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## Ynot (Aug 26, 2014)

Seriously, don't read them if you have such a visceral reaction to the posts. I actually find them quite enlightening in that you gain some idea of the actual person who might be posting and how they think. Despite what some here believe no element of life, including marriage, happens in a vacuum. So when you read some comment from Poster A in the "sex in marriage" subforum, it helps you understand where they might be coming from by reading a comment by them in the religion or political subforums.
Beyond that I am opposed to censorship in any form.


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## wilson (Nov 5, 2012)

Rubix Cubed said:


> You must be an incredibly weak individual if you can't just ignore it. I guess weak people seek others to do the dirty work to make life easier for them.


Ah, how quickly the personal insults and ad hominem attacks begin 

I'm fine with having opposing views, but I find that politics and religious discussions bring out the worst in people. Rarely do you see "Oh, what an interesting opposing view you have. I want to learn more." More often it's "You're so STUPID for thinking that." 

On a board like TAM where the goals is to provide guidance to work through tough issues, I think it would be better served if we didn't not have a place for members to have antagonistic discussions that aren't about marriage or relationship problems.

I do get involved in political discussions, but it's on boards that are more dedicated to politics or general news topics. I think it's counterproductive to have a politics/religion forum on forums like TAM.


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## MJJEAN (Jun 26, 2015)

Rubix Cubed said:


> I've got an idea: Don't go there if you don't agree with it. The whole "Ban it because *I* don't like it" mindset is bull****. *Banning all discussion of politics and religion leaves a whole lot of ground uncovered in many threads as well*, but as far as the P and R forum being banned, You must be an incredibly weak individual if you can't just ignore it. I guess weak people seek others to do the dirty work to make life easier for them.


Especially the threads about dysfunctional or non-existent sexual relationships stemming from religious upbringing and for those who are considering divorce, but have religious leanings. Too many threads that religion is directly impacting day to day life and decision making for the topic to be off limits.


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## ConanHub (Aug 9, 2013)

Hmph...


Mostly ignore it myself but once in a while something interesting takes place.

Sometimes it's informative.

That being said, I understand your concern.


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## Diana7 (Apr 19, 2016)

Thats why it has its own section. If people don't like it they don't need to go to that part of the site. Simple.
I have little interest in American or Canadian politics(I am British) so I don't read them.

I don't see the issue with people having strong feelings about such things. They are important topics that will bring up passion and conviction. 

Surely we don't want to be like many universities today where there is no free speech and any speaker they have must agree with the student unions PC view on things?

Also bad behaviour here isn't confined to that part of the forum.


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## uhtred (Jun 22, 2016)

The can be contentious, but why not just avoid reading them. As long as politics stays out of the main threads, I don't see the harm.


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## Adelais (Oct 23, 2013)

Count me in for keeping those forums. :woohoo:

Do you not like opposing opinions? As long as someone is respectful, I like to read why they think the way they do. 

I dislike ultracrepidarian vitriolic :loser: posters who rarely add useful information to the discussion, but who swoop in only to insult people and/or their beliefs.

"Insults are the last resort of the weak-minded when they feel powerless." Russ Johnson 

The "ignore" feature makes the most annoying offenders disappear from my computer screen. :grin2: 

The report button also comes in handy sometimes if you think someone has gone too far. >


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## EleGirl (Dec 3, 2011)

No, we are not going to close the Politics and Religion forum.

Some of our members love that section. 

If you don't like that forum, just ignore it.


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## arbitrator (Feb 13, 2012)

EleGirl said:


> No, we are not going to close the Politics and Religion forum.
> 
> Some of our members love that section.
> 
> If you don't like that forum, just ignore that forum.


*Bless your heart, Ele! Keep fighting for us!*


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## EllisRedding (Apr 10, 2015)

Lol, it is buried in the Off Topic section for a reason, so it doesn't get lumped in with some of the more traditional marriage/relationship topics. Also, politics/religion can be a contentious issue in someone's relationship, so basically if that is an issue, they should take it to another forum?

Waiting for a request to close the Social Spot next b/c we don't need no stinkin MEMEs


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## SunCMars (Feb 29, 2016)

arbitrator said:


> *Bless your heart, Ele! Keep fighting for us!*


Hey!

Dos dudes fwom texass ar dumwiddys!

Unlike the oh, so cultured folks from the great state of Ohio.


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## Rubix Cubed (Feb 21, 2016)

Araucaria said:


> I dislike *ultracrepidarian* vitriolic :loser: posters who rarely add useful information to the discussion, but who swoop in only to insult people and/or their beliefs.
> 
> "Insults are the last resort of the weak-minded when they feel powerless." Russ Johnson


 You get 100 points for the use of ultracrepidarian.
I actually had to look it up, so if I use that word now would that make me ultracrepidarian since I never used it before and had no clue what it meant?
"Ultracrepidarian" is even fun to say. Almost as much fun to say as "Danny Bonaduce".


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## NextTimeAround (Dec 15, 2011)

Yes, keep the P& R section. I like to know how other people think.


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## In2thewoods (Jan 25, 2017)

Media can be so angry, but so many of you guys are great! 
It's been months since I posted, but it's often really encouraging to hear from open minds and the deep thoughts of others on TAM. Isn't that the point of a "forum"-- to talk about hard-to-talk-about things? We've all heard enough from politicized talking heads on TV and read enough acid-filled comment sections. We the people, intelligent people with valid experiences that form our beliefs, need to have a safe place (ugh, though I hate the term) to have disagreements. Isn't that life? Heck, isn't that marriage? You're not always going to agree, so you better learn how to be adults and disagree civilly. I know heated discussions don't always feel "safe"; I've had too many unsafe discussions with my DH. But we're RE-LEARNING our discussion habits, our knee-jerk biases and triggers, and continuing to grow up. Life is not always safe or comfortable, and to remove any source of conflict removes individuality and possibility of growth. I suggest that if verbal conflict expressed in an online forum really upsets you, don't read it. Or, skim it, find 1 or 2 posters that seem trustworthy, and cautiously enter discussion with just them to build up your tolerance to healthy conflict. Well-thought-out opinions shared in truth and love (with a generous helping of kindness) make society stronger, not weaker. What does lack of meaningful conversation do to a marriage? -- it builds isolation, resentment, stagnation of growth, and eventually brokenness. If WE can't be models of self- moderated healthy discourse, we leave it to the brainiacs on YouTube -- or worse (gasp)-- the government. I do not want to be silenced by a PC culture, but I will hold myself to a high standard of genuiness, kindness, and logic while I speak my mind. From what I read here, there's allot of genuine, kind, and logical people that I would like to continue to hear from.


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## Not (Jun 12, 2017)

This isn’t meant to be rude or insulting but if you can’t take the heat stay out of the kitchen. Seriously. Why visit those forums if you don’t like them?


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## Middle of Everything (Feb 19, 2012)

SunCMars said:


> Hey!
> 
> Dos dudes fwom texass ar dumwiddys!
> 
> Unlike the oh, so cultured folks from the great state of Ohio.


No Texas and Ohio both suck. Go Big Red.


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## Middle of Everything (Feb 19, 2012)

What about sexual topics some find offensive? Open relationships, pornography, sexual toys etc. Should we not be able to discuss these?

I avoid MOST political and/or religious discussions. Occasionally I'll dabble in them. Simple. If you arent mature enough to not handle these things being discussed how can one be married or in a successful relationship anyway?


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## EllisRedding (Apr 10, 2015)

Middle of Everything said:


> What about sexual topics some find offensive? Open relationships, pornography, sexual toys etc. Should we not be able to discuss these?
> 
> I avoid MOST political and/or religious discussions. Occasionally I'll dabble in them. Simple. If you arent mature enough to not handle these things being discussed how can one be married or in a successful relationship anyway?


I think OP wants TAM closed lol


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## Amplexor (Feb 13, 2008)




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