I have quite a lot to do today, so I'm going to add my two cents to this thread, and then move on.
LHW please muzzle this child.
While I appreciate the vote of confidence that I COULD do such a thing, it's not really my style. However, what I'm about to say will be fairly in-depth, and hopefully everyone will be able to walk away with something.
The problem with debates is that very few people actually know
how to debate. Most of the time, people let their emotions get the better of them, and, usually, at that point, the debate is lost / over, and it basically turns into a name calling match. Regardless of who "throws the first punch," very few people are able to walk away without tossing out a final jab. The wisest debaters I've known have simply refused to respond. There's a lesson there, folks.
Me, I hate debating...with a passion. However, I'll do it, if I think the need is justified, and I think it
can remain a debate. My friend Ryan (
aka Eez at CFoT) absolutely LOVES to debate. And, he's very good at it. He's also a "card carrying" atheist. In the past, though, we've had some VERY lengthy debates on the existence of God. We were good friends before this, and became better friends afterward. Why? Because we tried not to let our personal feelings get in the way. If either one of us thought the other was getting a little miffed, we'd point it out, and each back down a little. We also refused to let it spill over into other threads, or the chats we'd normally have. Again, more lessons for some folks to learn.
There are also some general rules which apply to on-line debating, and very few people follow them. Here's a short list, just off the top of my head:
Never debate anything, with anyone, when it's not your native language. This should be a no-brainer, yet it's often ignored. Unless you have a FULL, 100% understanding of a language, its slang, and all its nuances, let someone else handle the debate. Why? Because whether you intend to or not, you'll make mistakes in trying to get your point across. It's a fact.
Never carry your emotions into other threads outside of the debate. Getting offended, miffed, hurt, whatever, in a debate thread is one thing. Taking pot-shots at someone
outside of that thread is childish and immature. When you do that, you lose whatever creditability you've tried to establish in your debate. Once you do this, no one will take you seriously.
Always, and I mean ALWAYS, do your best to use proper capitalization, punctuation, and grammar. Leave the l33t stuff and "u r soo coolz" garbage somewhere else. Unless you're at a board which is designed around that stuff, all you're doing is 1) making yourself look stupid, and 2) insulting the intelligence of whomever it is you're trying to talk to. Spelling errors will happen, as will improper punctuation...however, it'll be overlooked if you at least look like you're making the effort to seem intelligent and respectful.
Know who you're debating, and respect where they're at. In this I mean two things. First, if you've "been around the block" a few times, and the biggest concern of the person you're debating is their acne, or what they got on their history exam, understand that they aren't going to be very "suave." Nor do they have the life experiences that you do to understand some things as you do. Likewise, if you're a young kid, respect that fact that "the old farts" have been through a lot more things than you have, and are trying to share that knowledge with you.
Finally,
Don't be rude. It sounds simple enough, yet is often very difficult to do in a debate. Respect the person you're debating with, and you shouldn't have a problem with this.
Now, there are two more things I wish to cover, and them I'm done.
First, this is, always has been, and always will be, a
CHRISTIAN Graphics Board. Why? Simple: the people that run it
are Christians. If you can't grasp this, and respect this fact, then look for another board where you'll be more comfortable at. If you're Muslim, Jewish, Agnostic, whatever, and you don't want to deal with Christians, then look for a graphics board run by someone of your faith. If you can't find one, make one yourself.
While other religions are more than welcome here, people that come here and blatantly attack people because of what they believe, or try forcing others into believing what they believe, are not. Sadly, intolerance is still a gap between religions that few are willing to cross.
Lastly,
this is NOT a Debate Forum!! With all due respect, if you want to debate the existence of God, for whatever reason(s), you should really go find a board that has dedicated forums to debating such things: this board simply doesn't have them.
This doesn't mean that you can't ask questions. Seeking answers to questions is quite different than debating something. Here's an example:
"Why do you believe in God?"Is quite different than:
"God isn't real."If you can't see that, then you have some growing up to do.
Aretha Franklin said it best: "R-E-S-P-E-C-T." It's all about respect, my friends. Respect the board; respect the members; and above all else, respect yourself enough to let your words represent the person you want to be known as.
God Bless!
- Rich
