Re-evaluating Walled Garden approach

[FlyByNight]

I think that it has been brushed aside more than it has been addressed.

Do you, SeattleGal, think that "Eastern Thoughts" is a more respectful name than either "Eastern Religions" or "Eastern Philosophies"?

While I am complaining and conjecturing as you say, I'd like to address the list standard avatars provided by this website. What a weird compilation. All those pagan femme and whatever femme avatars. Why so many? Again it's weird and it's all too fishy. I'm sure this forum has a hidden agenda. Is it the agenda of Satan?

I guess we may never know.

[seattlegal]

Originally Posted by FlyByNight

I think that it has been brushed aside more than it has been addressed.

Do you, SeattleGal, think that "Eastern Thoughts" is a more respectful name than either "Eastern Religions" or "Eastern Philosophies"?

I think Eastern Thought is a more inclusive term than the other two choices you offered. Being offended by the term and carrying it around with you could become a heavy, soul-sucking burden, could it not? Why hang on to something so negative?

While I am complaining and conjecturing as you say, I'd like to address the list standard avatars provided by this website. What a weird compilation. All those pagan femme and whatever femme avatars. Why so many? Again it's weird and it's all too fishy. I'm sure this forum has a hidden agenda. Is it the agenda of Satan?

I guess we may never know.

You are entitled to your opinion.

[17th Angel]

Originally Posted by I, Brian

we had complaints about non-Christians in the Christian forum - but when we made the effort to restrict their access, not only do many mainstream Christians now rarely post there anyway, but some even pushed the very restrictions they asked for in our faces.

I think it's also fair that people here generally want to comment on faith issues *regardless* of where the faith discussions are held.

Suprise :O

What I think when I look at you site... COMPARATIVE-religion... I think I should be allowed to enter the Christian forum and "challange" "disagree" with their ways.... "oooh but it's the christians forum!!" But isn't this a site to compare faiths? Like shouldn't you be allowed to challange others ways?

Poster 1: I believe X
Poster 2: I too believe X
Poster 3: Isn't X awesome?
Poster 1: Yes it sure is!!
Poster 2: aah... X is good..
Poster 3: *nods*
Poster 4: I don't believe X I believe R.....
Poster 1: WHAT!??!?!?! SINNER!!!
Poster 2: I don't believe what he said I am going to whine to a mod.
Poster 3: Unbelievable may X have mercy on your soul....
MOD: We don't allow that sort of talk here noob!!!!
**Poster 4 banned**
Poster 1: Anyway... Yeah so X is great...
Poster 2: haha I LOVE X!!!
Poster 3: X! X! X!!!! X!!

It would be FREAKING dull if everyone agreed.. ;\

[17th Angel]

Originally Posted by FlyByNight

While I am complaining and conjecturing as you say, I'd like to address the list standard avatars provided by this website. What a weird compilation. All those pagan femme and whatever femme avatars. Why so many? Again it's weird and it's all too fishy. I'm sure this forum has a hidden agenda. Is it the agenda of Satan?

I guess we may never know.

WHAT!?! lol... Yes... We wish to eat children and sacrafice all from the Christian forum to Satan our lord master, you now know too much we'll have to remove you...... Seriously, hidden agendas? Get real ;\

I guess we will just let our wild imaginations go crazy.

[brucegdc]

Originally Posted by 17th Angel

Suprise :O

What I think when I look at you site... COMPARATIVE-religion... I think I should be allowed to enter the Christian forum and "challange" "disagree" with their ways.... "oooh but it's the christians forum!!" But isn't this a site to compare faiths? Like shouldn't you be allowed to challange others ways?

And the comparative religion sub-board is where that sort of discussion is encouraged - where folks outside a particular faith can question and challenge with some more "pushiness" for lack of a better word. Your example is one that certainly would not happen here - a statement of "I believe Y while you believe X" is hardly a challenge to the inhabitants.... what the walled garden is trying to prevent is the outsider coming in and preaching their religion at the others - "Bobism is so much better than your Bruceism because Bob is 1/2 an inch taller" and that sort of thing.

One of the things I've liked most about this board is that most of the time the discussion has been kept civil and the preaching kept low. There are occasional outbreaks but they are pretty rare.

... Bruce

[path_of_one]

I like the walled-garden approach overall.

What I've found is that you are not "kicked out," so to speak of a forum if you are not mainstream, so long as you are respectful. It doesn't mean you can't disagree with others (I think I've more than proven that in my posts), but the walled garden approach does mean that you have to be accepting of other folks' interpretations of that religion. You can defend your position, but you avoid going on the attack.

I like that. I don't think it's boring at all. I know we have lots of lively discussions in the Christianity forum and we have very diverse views. We do not sit around going "Christianity's great!" "Ooo, yes, it is!" There are tons (I daresay unlimited) topics and issues in Christianity to discuss that have always been points of confusion, contention, or just multi-facets and I find that I learn a lot from the variety of views discussed.

The walled garden approach does not, if implemented correctly (which to my experience it has been) preclude people who have a genuine interest in other religions from posting in other sections. But it does make it clear that such posting is to be respectful and for questioning to promote understanding, not arguing or preaching at people. Personally, without it (from what I've seen elsewhere), you degenerate into one huge board of debate and argument and proselytizing, which serves to do nothing but get people ruffled up and defensive. Then, what is the point? You can't learn anything and positive communication is ended.

With a walled garden approach, this is avoided for the most part.

Having studied religion in a secular and comparative context for years now, I would argue that comparative does not mean religious debate. It means providing a means by which people can learn about all the world's religions and compare them- finding the similarities and differences, and theorizing about why they're there. It's a place where we can ask for more information from members of X and Y religion.

And I think we have plenty of opportunities on this forum for interfaith dialogue along debate-ish lines- comparative forum, the politics and society forum, universe and science, etc. etc. often have lively debates from different faith perspectives. Not to mention Belief and Spirituality, which is open to all.

I think it is a good thing to provide the fora that are present- it allows those who wish to simply fellowship and discuss more detailed issues in one religion to have a "home" and those who are all over the place (like myself) to also have a "home."

And, for the record, I see no problem with "Eastern Thoughts." You can't say "Eastern Religions" accurately, since Confucianism, for example, is not a religion. And I would hesitate to say "Eastern Philosophies" to describe Shinto. I guess you could say "Eastern Religions and Philosophies" or "Eastern Traditions," but really, unless you're getting a large number of complaints *from that board* I think it is a nit-picky issue.

[FlyByNight]

"Eastern Traditions" is a way better title than "Eastern Thoughts".

Anyhoo, for what it is worth I am completely boycotting the whole of the Comparative-Religion forums until they change the title of the "Eastern Thoughts" forum to something more respectful of my culture.

Good luck with whatever it is you are trying to accomplish here.

[sara[h]ng]

Originally Posted by FlyByNight

"Eastern Traditions" is a way better title than "Eastern Thoughts".

Anyhoo, for what it is worth I am completely boycotting the whole of the Comparative-Religion forums until they change the title of the "Eastern Thoughts" forum to something more respectful of my culture.

Good luck with whatever it is you are trying to accomplish here.

I've kind of been fighting saying something about this, but I'm 22 and that means that sometimes my immature urges win over what I know is right...

Please do boycott this site. And kindly take your other persona with you. Brian's IP sleuthing is above what you can defend against.

[sjr]

The walled garden approach…lets see, besides the fact that your corn is blocking the sunlight for my carrots and they seem to be dying because of it …and even though it’s a communal garden… “you” need to put up a fence because this is “my” garden and that’s “yours” . Lets forget the fact that the “weeds” are a problem for all of us and I’ll blame it on the fact that you’re not weeding you’re side of the fence . On top of all that you’re sprinkler is watering my garden when it doesn’t need it and killing my tomatoes (and causing more weeds to appear) . Wouldn’t it be easier to find out what’s the same about our gardens than what’s different .

[InLove]

Hi sjr.

I once saw an episode of Dharma and Greg where there was a community garden, and it happened just as you described. The pesticides were of particular concern.

Anyway, I do enjoy finding commonalities between different gardens of thought. I also celebrate some of the differences. I joined CR to learn, and I learn in both situations. I just don't appreciate deception, especially when it is employed in order to run ramshackle through and trample the seedlings of understanding, which I think is what happened here recently.

InPeace,
InLove

[Francis king]

well, being new too, I can say that the walled garden approach reminds me to be mindful of what I say where... I have been deliberately inflammatory here once, mentioning hitler invented the great slogan work shall set u free... I then apologised... they had been flippant, and my retort, although to me equally as flippant, was to them, poor form...sometimes things get lost in translation...

I like to be able to read about other faiths, and maybe participate if I feel the desire to, even if I do sometimes try to be funny and it goes awry... on the flip side, some ppl take things way too seriously, and I have felt that if u do not toe the partyline of a specific board u are attacked subtly and pushed out of the nest... but I suppose that's the way of the world...

yeah, theres a few minor skirmishes here and there, apart from that the place seems neat and tidy, the ppl are usually intelligent and friendly, and if some ppl want to sit on their own side of the wall and not bother with the others then that's fair enough...

[I, Brian]

Originally Posted by FlyByNight

"
Anyhoo, for what it is worth I am completely boycotting the whole of the Comparative-Religion forums

9 posts to date and all you've achieved is a multiple personal attacks, and insults to forum staff.

I have therefore aided your boycott by suspending your account.

Anymore silliness and it's simply the IP that get's blocked from the site. I don't have time for forum trolls.


path of one - I think the key principle of the Walled Garden was simply to be mindful of other's opinions, even when in disagreement. I have no intention of abandoning that first principle - it's pretty essential to CR.

I think my unease with the Walled Garden is that it developed it's own distinction. Instead of saying "Please take your shows off before entering the temple", it became "Troublemakers get lost" - leaving some poor souls wondering whether even asking questions was troublemaking.

[Paladin]

As long as there are positionalities there will be boundaries to protect them. I often wonder to myself just what is being protected, a universal truth or a cherished opinion? Be that as it may I still find it untoward to enter a community for no other reason than to cause dissent and division, and as long as there are those whose intent is less than pure a walled garden is necessary. If a community rejects ideas beyond its usual thrust and scope who really cares? Only individuals will advance and in so doing uplift the whole, and those whose spiritual curiosity leads them forward will move outside their previous boundaries in search of their hearts desire. Personally I find no reason to bring enlightenment to any other group, it is as irrational as blaming a tree for being a tree, or to be dissapointed that a stone is a stone.

Peace
Mark

[China Cat Sunflower]

Originally Posted by Paladin

Personally I find no reason to bring enlightenment to any other group, it is as irrational as blaming a tree for being a tree, or to be dissapointed that a stone is a stone.

I was just thinking about that today. You know, I was born in Pakistan, and I went to first grade in Japan, and graduated eighth grade in Kenya. I've travelled in Europe. I understand about getting along and enjoying different cultures. I like to go cheap and avoid the tourist traps. The internet is different. I don't feel compelled to take of my shoes on the web. I'm an entity here. I'm a commodity here. I try to be a person here, but I'm aware of the distance between who I really am and the stuff I write.

Chris

[Dor]

Originally Posted by I, Brian

I think my unease with the Walled Garden is that it developed it's own distinction. Instead of saying "Please take your shows off before entering the temple", it became "Troublemakers get lost" - leaving some poor souls wondering whether even asking questions was troublemaking.

People show real fast if they are seriously asking or causing trouble.
Let everyone post everything anywhere but let people in that forum call a spade a spade.