First, let me preface this by saying that this thread is not about bashing beliefs with which I don't agree. More importantly, I do not condone personally attacking members, regardless of what their beliefs are.
This thread is about the growing concern of censorship on this forum whenever members express incredulity towards religious, mystical, and/or pseudoscientific beliefs.
Nearly any thread related to these subjects inevitably gets locked, and even if it doesn't, we're all expected to treat such topics with the same level of consideration that we would issues concerning minorities and oppressed classes, which is just absurd to me. These beliefs are not intrinsic properties of the nature of the people who hold them, so I don't see why they need to be treated with such high regard or sensitivity; people actively choose to hold these beliefs. If people have the freedom to believe and express whatever they want to believe and express, I don't see why people who find said beliefs ridiculous shouldn't be able to express such sentiments without fear of getting banned or threads getting locked, so long as people aren't being personally attacked for what they believe.
Another issue I have is with the notion that most religious, pseudoscientific, and superstitious beliefs are ultimately harmless. While you might be able to point to a specific example of a person holding an irrational belief as harmless, the underlying attitudes and thought processes that lead one to hold such beliefs are what can be considered potentially dangerous. While it's easy to criticize a person for being anti-vaxx, we have to understand that such a position doesn't emerge in a vacuum, and is a result of the lack of a mechanism that can filter out the biases that might predispose one to hold such a position.
In short, in a largely scientifically and informationally illiterate world, I think it's important to allow people to express their opinions about beliefs that promote a way of thinking that might ultimately be to society's detriment.
I am interested to hear from more era members on this issue, and whether or not you feel that a clear delineation can be made on what we can and cannot say regarding these types of beliefs.
This thread is about the growing concern of censorship on this forum whenever members express incredulity towards religious, mystical, and/or pseudoscientific beliefs.
Nearly any thread related to these subjects inevitably gets locked, and even if it doesn't, we're all expected to treat such topics with the same level of consideration that we would issues concerning minorities and oppressed classes, which is just absurd to me. These beliefs are not intrinsic properties of the nature of the people who hold them, so I don't see why they need to be treated with such high regard or sensitivity; people actively choose to hold these beliefs. If people have the freedom to believe and express whatever they want to believe and express, I don't see why people who find said beliefs ridiculous shouldn't be able to express such sentiments without fear of getting banned or threads getting locked, so long as people aren't being personally attacked for what they believe.
Another issue I have is with the notion that most religious, pseudoscientific, and superstitious beliefs are ultimately harmless. While you might be able to point to a specific example of a person holding an irrational belief as harmless, the underlying attitudes and thought processes that lead one to hold such beliefs are what can be considered potentially dangerous. While it's easy to criticize a person for being anti-vaxx, we have to understand that such a position doesn't emerge in a vacuum, and is a result of the lack of a mechanism that can filter out the biases that might predispose one to hold such a position.
In short, in a largely scientifically and informationally illiterate world, I think it's important to allow people to express their opinions about beliefs that promote a way of thinking that might ultimately be to society's detriment.
I am interested to hear from more era members on this issue, and whether or not you feel that a clear delineation can be made on what we can and cannot say regarding these types of beliefs.
