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Does anyone else notice how when someone begins discussing the topic of religion that people become quite rude and sometimes defensive? I mean if you read through some of the topics here you see that clashing view points lead to arrogance and long drawn out debates where both people forget that the other is a human being. I am not saying debates are wrong,nor are clashing view points but I mean come on we are all people here each with our own faults. I admit I get angry and rude about religion also so I am not trying to say I am better. But remember that behind that avatar and behind that computer screen there is a real human one with feelings that can easily be hurt. So take a deep breath and state your point in nice clear terms so that the world can be a slightly better place.

I get quite agressive and potentially nasty when my views clash with another's depending on the nature of the clash and my intially thoughts on the other's view.

This isn't because I forget the person behind the avi is a person, its because I remember it. I know a lot of people are turned off by intense fighting and they shut down and stick to their guns, but often, even if it won't be admitted in that forum, people come to new conclusions when something is violently attacked and backed up information. I know that if people hadn't been on me, I wouldn't be standing here with the opinions I have. I wouldn't know how to defend what I feel the way I do. I wouldn't have really gotten to see others ideas and feelings at the level I've seen and absorbed them now.

Forcing people to back up their views through questioning can only lead to a positive outcome for both people. Yes, attacks can be loaded and people can get hurt, but come on its a forum. Its not like I'm physcially in anyone's face. I'm a bunch of pixels with typed words, that more often than not have imagined hostility in them.

I'm not offended when people get in my face, I usually like it. It either forces me to conceed of back it up.

People get irksome when you question or even blatantly deny the "truths" that they base their perception of reality and entire life on? Who'da thunk it?

I get aggravated when people are completley off the point regading something that I've known since childhood. Like if someone would say that they pray to a bunch of gods, (to name a few random) Zeus, Ra and Oden, I start twitching because they don't have anything to do with each other. Also, if someone would claim to have Oden as main diety, and then go on about the kindness and mercy of him, I can easily explode, since the very nature of Oden is more or less the opposite, and I've known this since I was a small kid. Quite frankly, I don't really care what religion people have, as long as they know what religion it really is and don't get agressive towards others because of it.

It's not fluffy of you at all. It's how you want to handle that. In real life it would unlikily for me to flat out challenge people the way I would here. I'd be much more likely to ask a lot of questions that might lead the person to what I wanted them to think, and it is probably more effective. But I need to be able to see a person to judge that. Its not so here, so no reason to be subtle.

And 2+2=4 is only true in some systems, but that's a math joke so don't worry about it so much ^_^

Its all good. 2+2=4 is true in our most common math system, but others do disagree. A friend of mine explained it like the difference between American money and hours (two apparently simple math systems) 60 cents isn't worth a dollar, but 60 minutes is worth an hour. How much of the basic unit equals a whole is different. So while the fractions one would use to find out how much 360 cents is in dollars is different than the fractions used to find out 360 minutes is an hour. Usually the language and context would make it clear to those less mathmatically inclined and no one need worry about systems.

Meh math theory isn't really my thing though either. And while I get, sort of, the basic example of different systems, I couldn't begin to tell you which system 2+2=/=4. I know there's one where 2+2=22, just couldn't tell you which or explain it. ^_^

I don't mind debates but I hate when I give irrefutable evidence and people still try to deny my point/fact. Like, one time I was arguing with someone who kept telling everyone that it was impossible to follow a different god and goddess, say Isis and Zeus and still be Wiccan. (Lets say I said I followed those two. This person kept telling me that unless you followed the Lord and Lady strictly you wern't Wiccan.) Even though I GAVE her proof from one of Valiente's books that clearly stated that there was NO SUCH RULE (no one from this guild). As I'm sure most if not all of you know, Valiente was sort of the co-founder of Wicca. I'm pretty sure Valiente knew more about the religion than this person did wink I told her the book, page number, paragraph and lines. She still wouldn't accept the fact. But I hate when I give something that detailed yet people refuse to believe that they're wrong.

I REALLY hate the people who ramble on about the othbound part of Wicca and that if you have been initiated you know NOTHING about Wicca, as this perosn did, and yet they don't even know some of the most common things. I'm all for the oaths and getting initiated properly and all but when people go on about it, saying how much better it makes them and then they don't even know some of the most basic things, especially when proven wrong, it just gets on my nerves.