To be fair, it's no coincidence that you or I slotted into the forum neatly, and it's no coincidence that people who happen to have hostile beliefs, disrespectful beliefs, or just plain silly beliefs, don't find themselves quite as welcome. That's just the way of the world.
Everyone here had the same posting rights when they joined. We all start with a clean slate and can share as much or as little about ourselves as we choose to. And once we do choose to share ourselves, our thoughts, our ideas, our opinions, our judgements - once we put words out there into the world - people will pick up on them and react in their own special way. That's what we're here for.
It’s impossible to disagree with you. But I can’t help but agree also with Harakaat, and with what Chris said earlier:
… The question of how to treat new Christian members is similar to one I've pondered when reading intros and other posts from new members that express other faith based beliefs: reincarnation, homoeopathy, afterlives, etc. I'd go with Ishina's usual uncompromising stance on bullshit for most situations, but for intro's it may be best to focus on the greetings, empathy and goodwill and save the clash of ideas for dedicated threads. This is particularly true for new members who seem to be in a vulnerable place, be that mentally, familiarly or however else. Winning the argument and killing poorly explored irrational beliefs is great, but probably for the best not to repel people before they've settled in.
I too have a feeling that a few members, who could definitely benefit from our influence and support, are frightened away at too early a stage. For these members in particular, would it not pay to be a little more sensitive, and to give them time to settle in and possibly feel more part of our group? By backing off a bit in the intros, and by not posing leading questions that could possibly lead to arguments, we would be helping in our bid to make CEMB a support network for a wider group of people, including those that do still hold a minority of archaic or unusual opinions.
Who knows, by hanging around here for a little longer, these new members may end up developing richer perspectives? Better still, they may end up being helped through possibly difficult periods of their lives, by perhaps being made to feel a little less isolated?
Topic: Why no Christians?