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Non-believers, why do you post here ?


Simbi Laveau

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Why would I be offended because one have no arguments and start to attack on personal level. Im not offended. If I have time I respond to him or her. If not I ignore their insults.
When I mentioned people stomping their feet, getting offended and quitting the forum, I wasn't talking about you. I was talking about short-term users who join, tell their stories and show their pics, and leave shortly after because people don't believe them and show their photos aren't actual ghosts or UFOs.
What you want to tell that we are imagining? That we see insults while there are no insults around?
I don't want to tell you that you are imaging anything. Nothing in my post implied any such thing. You are reading far too much into what I wrote.

I was merely commenting on the fact that the only people on this thread to accuse people of using personal attacks are YOU and Simbi Laveau, despite someone else's claims that it is 'skeptics' who feel they are being personally attacked. The only other mention of personal attacks was someone who claimed that skeptics feel they are personally attacked by certain things posted by 'believers'. No evidence was produced to support that claim, but evidence has been produced to support the claim that 'believers' (like you) think they are the targets of personal attacks.

Or that we should ignore insults and do not discuss about them? Again surpression.
I never claimed nor implied that insults should be ignored nor that they shouldn't be discussed. Merely that you and others are actually and probably (as per the quotes above) accusing others of delivering "personal attacks" while someone claimed that it is 'skeptics' who claim to be the victims of 'personal attacks' despite no skeptics on this thread claiming any such thing and 'believers' making explicit claims of personal attacks. Edited by Archimedes
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No, no, no....nonononono!....i do not believe in this post!

there is no credibility to the claim that people do what you've just stated....this read is trash, brash, and i hate it

and i'm hella just kidding.... :) good post simbi, as usual! :)

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I haven identified two people on this thread who have made claims of their beliefs being "attacked" - The L and Simbi Laveau

To quote them:

[/font]

So far the evidence doesn't point to 'skeptics' feeling they are being attacked personally, it points to 'believers' feeling they are being attacked personally. That doesn't warrant well for your theory about 'skeptics' feeling they are being personally attacked. No 'skeptic' on this thread has said anything about feeling they are personally attacked. Granted thread isn't much of a sample, but still. It seems in my experience 'believers' are much more likely to get personally offended, stomp their feet and quit the forum over what they deem 'personal attacks' than any of the 'skeptics'.

ps I put 'skeptic' and 'believer' in quote marks as I don't feel they are very useful phrases, being overly narrow and easy to use tools for one beating the other over the head with as a term of insult.

edit: This forum always messes up my text formatting. Hence this edit.

do you identify yourself as being a Non-believer or Sceptic?

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So does this mean you think people are being enlightened when a person doesn't believe what they have reported?

No, and that's not what I said. If someone gives a valid explanation of what has been reported, and the person who reported it then 'feels like a fool', is that the fault of the person who gave the valid explanation? It could be.. but if so, it should be reported.

That by sharing thier experience and made to feel like a fool with mental problems

As I said earlier, if someone states their case in such an insulting fashion, REPORT it. If it is stated in a subtle or sneaky way and is unworthy of reporting, then maybe you should just move on. We are all different, not only in whether we *are* supercilious or condescending, but also in what some people will *take* as being supercilious and condescending. I'm sure I get thought of in that way on a couple of subjects here, but maybe, just maybe that could be because I know the subjects a whole lot better, and the offended parties simply don't like being wrong...

Often a person's experience is extremely treasured and close to their heart and that's fine.. Except for a simple fact - they are posting it on a discussion forum that, last time I looked, prides itself on *explaining* the unexplained - if it didn't, then it would be brim-full of ridiculous and unchallenged claims .. and be pretty much worthless...

The problem comes about when their experience or claim/belief is TOO close to their heart, so that they can't stand any form of critique - even a polite question can immediately become a personal attack in their mind. That's why there are moderators here, so if you genuinely think it's an attack on you, use the Report function. Or if you think someone is being condescending, you could politely state why, or just move on and ignore them. Frankly, if your experience or point of view is so precious it is beyond critique.. post it on a blog and block any dissenters or find a forum that specialises in such stuff.

Are you saying you think skeptics stick around for this, like this is thier higher calling or job or something?

Funny you should say that.. one of the reasons I hang out here is that I have seen the damage first hand that incorrect 'theories' can do, esp. to innocent family members, partners and kids - as a simple example, Nancy Lieder convinced many people (including herself) that a huge planet would wipe us out in 1999.. She euthanased her dog for that reason, and advised others to do so. There are records of lengthy conversations with her followers saying how their children cried when they found out about what was going to happen... Should that sort of lunacy be left unchallenged? That sort of stuff hurts people, can even result in suicides. And I like to fight it.

But the other reason is that I'm simply interested in many of these subjects, and have relevant experience or training in some of them. I like to help folks understand the weird stuff that can happen, and I also like to make sure that incorrect stuff, stuff that could hurt people, isn't promoted.

Thats not to say I want you to leave

You're most kind!

but I think this thread is about understanding what the skeptics interest is.. not why we should accept the skeptics view point. I personally think skeptics should start listening a little more closely..

Well, I try to listen VERY closely, but if something's wrong or unexplainable, I'll generally say so. And I don't think this thread is so much about understanding, but generalisations - and I don't like the ones I am seeing.. I don't pre-judge believers, I judge individual cases. I think the same should apply to skeptics.

Edit: I think its the skeptics who are holding on to thier pride...

How do you measure that, exactly? Skeptics, but not 'believers'...? That's the sort of generalisation that I don't think is warranted.

And may I simply repeat the very simple advice - if you feel you are being personally attacked, REPORT THE POST. It's not difficult, and I've found the moderators here are extremely helpful and fair-minded.

{Mods - can I have my $5 now?}

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When I mentioned people stomping their feet, getting offended and quitting the forum, I wasn't talking about you. I was talking about short-term users who join, tell their stories and show their pics, and leave shortly after because people don't believe them and show their photos aren't actual ghosts or UFOs.

I don't want to tell you that you are imaging anything. Nothing in my post implied any such thing. You are reading far too much into what I wrote.

I was merely commenting on the fact that the only people on this thread to accuse people of using personal attacks are YOU and Simbi Laveau, despite someone else's claims that it is 'skeptics' who feel they are being personally attacked. The only other mention of personal attacks was someone who claimed that skeptics feel they are personally attacked by certain things posted by 'believers'. No evidence was produced to support that claim, but evidence has been produced to support the claim that 'believers' (like you) think they are the targets of personal attacks.

I never claimed nor implied that insults should be ignored nor that they shouldn't be discussed. Merely that you and others are actually and probably (as per the quotes above) accusing others of delivering "personal attacks" while someone claimed that it is 'skeptics' who claim to be the victims of 'personal attacks' despite no skeptics on this thread claiming any such thing and 'believers' making explicit claims of personal attacks.

Wow ,and yeah,im attacked a lot ,for personal stances,but I am by FAR ,not the only one attacked ,and I'm am rather tired of it ,so if I want to call out what appear to be just a bunch of egotistical bullies...I will .

As tha what most of them are .

Have you EVER ,seen me go into any sub forum here,and repeatedly pick on a certain type of individual ,where I start an antagonistic barrage againt them ?

And I do it over and over and over .

Or,do I respond on posts where I defend myself ,after being called an idiot .

Because I can post plenty of examples of the latter.

So,please post examples of me doing the former .....please do .

My point is,people who do this,do it not because they have an interest in most of this,but they get off on doing this superiority thing.

It's most always the usual suspects ,of which there are not a lot .

But they're consistant .

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Has anyone overlooked the fact that this place is a FORUM?

People of all viewpoints come here to discuss and maybe, just maybe (heaven forbid) someone might learn something.

And heaven forbid that a believer be made to think about other views and maybe think that their view might have been misplaced..same with some of us horrible, slimy and detestable skeptics.

If all a believer wants is to be surrounded by like minded people who just nod blindly and never once post an opposing view then maybe you need to find a place that does just that.

I joined a few other forums that discuss these same topics,and none of this goes on at those forums .

So I had to wonder why .

And hey,if I'm being a pain in the ass for finally pointing out the obvious of what some constituants do here ,sorrryyyyy ....

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I think I'm on Simbi's ignore list, but anyway, I'd be interested to know if she reports these attacking posts?

If not why not?

If so, does she feel the moderation here is not appropriate?

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I don't doubt there are those that just ridicule from the outset, i've bumped into a few myself, but that just falls under what I said when I said "how they'll filter out other views to hold onto their own". There are forums (as you said) that deal with a particular mindset or belief, but as this isn't one of those then you need those that counter any claim made. I'd also have to point out that I have bumped into just as many believers who refuse to act reasonably in a debate - for example, if a claim is made regarding something that affects us all, say medicine, or the environment for example, and someone with a great deal of knowledge posts on that topic countering the claim, or debunking the claim, then it's in the interest of the topic and all those reading it to see that information.

The psychology of dismissing just for the sake of it is the same as the psychology of refusing to debate with sceptical views, in so much as it's protecting a mindset to the point of stubbornness.

Another side that i've seen is that I think occasionally people post personal beliefs that they hold dear, and expect only like minded people to post on it, whereas in reality they would have been better off putting it in a blog if they wanted to avoid any resistance to their thoughts. :)

Hey,if people don't adhere to my belief system ,thats fine ,but say a few people who believe in demons,are discussing demons,or UFOs...or the megalodon .

And if people don't believe it post ,it doesnt exist ,and theres no proof.

Ok ,thats their opinion ,if the three people who do believe it want to discuss it ,why must they take it private , to discuss it without a barrage of naysayers,when it has been pointed out ,this is a forum.

Why dont the people who dont believe ,just let it go .

It's why I stop posting on some threads . I can only explain my viewpoint so many times ,before its just redundant to just keep repeating myself to someone who doesnt understand what Im trying to convey .ok,they say im wrong,ive explained it three times.

No point in reiterating again.

Right ?

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Hey,if people don't adhere to my belief system ,thats fine ,but say a few people who believe in demons,are discussing demons,or UFOs...or the megalodon .

And if people don't believe it post ,it doesnt exist ,and theres no proof.

Ok ,thats their opinion ,if the three people who do believe it want to discuss it ,why must they take it private , to discuss it without a barrage of naysayers,when it has been pointed out ,this is a forum.

Why dont the people who dont believe ,just let it go .

It's why I stop posting on some threads . I can only explain my viewpoint so many times ,before its just redundant to just keep repeating myself to someone who doesnt understand what Im trying to convey .ok,they say im wrong,ive explained it three times.

No point in reiterating again.

Right ?

Of course, if you think you have answered a point enough times, then just move onto posts that you do like, no one has to answer posts that they don't want too....but, that won't mean your subsequent posts won't be countered, since an open forum allows any input from people who find any particular angle of what is being discussed interesting..

However, I do think a way an initial post is worded can help in some circumstances, for example if someone wants to talk about a specific part of a religion for example, and wants to discuss that aspect with people who know about it, then someone coming on and yelling "prove god exists first" could be seen as thread derailment, since the topic isn't about whether god exists, the subject assumes that from the outset, hence being a specific religious question. It's when someone comes out and makes a bold statement in their post or question "i've been abducted by aliens, and the government knows the truth" (for example)....well you're not going to get people who think the same just posting on there, you've made a claim, it will no doubt be tested by many on here...

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Funny you should say that.. one of the reasons I hang out here is that I have seen the damage first hand that incorrect 'theories' can do, esp. to innocent family members, partners and kids - as a simple example, Nancy Lieder convinced many people (including herself) that a huge planet would wipe us out in 1999.. She euthanased her dog for that reason, and advised others to do so. There are records of lengthy conversations with her followers saying how their children cried when they found out about what was going to happen... Should that sort of lunacy be left unchallenged? That sort of stuff hurts people, can even result in suicides. And I like to fight it.

^ That.

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Yes there is no dot in that case. But there are plenty where we already have a whole picture.

Also I would like that you answer other part of my previous post. Such as do you made plans? What is alternative to conspiracy?

In fact I think you dont understand what conspiracy is. It isnt that some reptilians, aliens find in some somkey room and create evil plans.

Conspiracy , simply, meand secret agenda. Secret plan.

So I dont get it which part dont you get.

Is it that powerfull elite do plans? Or that powerfull elite didnt introduce plan to you therefore plan doesnt exist? Meaning its secret to you.

Edit: Even when I give you example of prooven conspiracy you will say :Oh that was then. So please answer me when humans stop being ploters and become love and caring for eachothers?

Personally Im very sad that I didnt find time for UM conspiracy sub forum and UM paranormal sub forum.

Well, powerful people do plan things all the time, however don't you think these people would do a better job so they wouldn't be discovered? I mean if you're smart enough to plan all the things that are supposed to be part of elaborate conspiracies, don't you think you could have covered up all the so called "tell tale" evidence that gets left behind for all us regular people to find?

......or is that a conspiracy as well?

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do you identify yourself as being a Non-believer or Sceptic?

A non-believer in what?

'Believer' and 'non-believer' don't mean anything in themselves out of context. Is a devout Catholic who denies the existence of ET visiting Earth and believes ghosts don't exist a 'believer' or a 'non-believer'? In the context of the ghosts and hauntings forum here he would be called a 'non-believer' or a 'skeptic' whereas on a Christian forum he would be a 'believer' (or a depraved immoral Satanist on some fundy forums).

Yes, I do call myself a skeptic, but the word as thrown around on this forum regularly means something else that what I mean by it which is why I generally avoid using it on UM, where it is commonly used to mean 'close-minded cynic'.

Edited by Archimedes
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Have you EVER ,seen me go into any sub forum here,and repeatedly pick on a certain type of individual ,where I start an antagonistic barrage againt them ?
No.
And I do it over and over and over .

Or,do I respond on posts where I defend myself ,after being called an idiot .

Because I can post plenty of examples of the latter.

So,please post examples of me doing the former .....please do .

Why would I post examples of you doing that? I never accused you of anything. There isn't a single post by me accusing you of bullying behaviour on the forum, so why are you asking me to post examples of it? WTF, did you even read my post?
My point is,people who do this,do it not because they have an interest in most of this,but they get off on doing this superiority thing.

It's most always the usual suspects ,of which there are not a lot .

But they're consistant .

In which case you need to make your point clearer. Your opening post asked why 'non-believers' use these forums, when in fact it seems that you want to know why certain 'non-believers' "the usual suspects, of which there are not a lot" who you see as bullying nay-sayers use these forums. That is an entirely different question and it does you no favours when you equivocate between the two.

In fact, I agree with you that there is some unpleasant behaviour by people on these forums. The 'Photoshop!' kneejerk reaction by people who clearly don't know anything about digital imaging gets my goat. Which is why I do my best to try and correct these kind of misunderstandings so people mightn't jump to conclusions 'it's a flying saucer!' or 'it's been Photoshopped!' when a scaled-down noisy out-of-focus heavily JPEG'd photo of a bird flying is presented.

But try not to generalise between 'non-believers' and 'certain non-believers of which there are not a lot' whose behaviour you don't like. You don't like it when the generalisation goes the other way, do you?

Edited by Archimedes
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I have plenty of reasons to be on here.

Sylvia Brown's book, titled something like: "Everything You Need To Know About The Paranormal", had to have been the worst thing I ever read(about 5 years ago).

My cousin recommended it and was a big fan.

We used to hang out at the local overpriced coffee shop on Friday nights, laugh, tell stories and have these long drawn out discussions about art, creativity, dreams and our deeply held beliefs.

Often it became a kind of polite debate with the unspoken rule of respect serving as moderator.

I soon got my own PC and was able to go down the list of things in Sylvia's book to get some perspective other than her own (not one source of reference in her book).

Our meetings ended once his Mom ( my Aunt) was diagnosed with Alzheimer's and Dementia (she passed away last October), then my Mom was diagnosed with the same thing (she is a handful).

I joined here for the dreams forum as I'm interested in how the mind works.

I find these forums a usefull outlet for expression.

I identify with the skeptic POV.

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I think we should try to identify beliefs and root them out, and have only opinions. Beliefs are things we think are true subconsciously; our opinions should all be up in at a conscious level.

Personally I am very much skeptical of almost everything I see claimed here, most especially the alien and religious stuff, and of course all the political conspiracies.

To me the one thing where I tend to part from "science" is the origin and nature of mind, but I have found it impossible to discuss it on this or any other board -- the materialist (or physicalist) viewpoint seem utterly unable to comprehend that there is even a problem. I put the word "science" in ticks in the previous sentence because the science I have read on the subject is much more open on the subject.

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You contradict yourself.

You say you are fool -meaning you dont believe in UFOs. Then that there are UFOs.

UFO doesnt mean ET.

When I first read your original post, it seemed that you were implying that UFOs are ET. I responded to that, perhaps incorrect assumption on my part, and then halfway through posting decided I should clarify. I apologize for the contradiction.

My official position is that :

1) there are unidentified flying objects, which are to date either hoaxes, or otherwise explainable phenomenon.

2) the universe is too big to not have other life forms

3)I don't believe that we have been visited by any of them, ever - yet.

I do apologize for the confusing nature of my post. I should have edited more correctly. Thanks!

Edited by orangepeaceful79
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Only fool doesnt believe in UFOs.

I'm in a state of complete shock here because you couldn't be more cryptic even if you tried.

It's not the type of thing I was expecting when logging in after a hard day of errands and keeping a beady eye on the dogs.

Is this your way of questioning my belef system or lack off.

You can still believe in UFO's and not fully take it all in.

Please put my mind at rest and answer this properly.

Because it feels like you are calling me a fool.

I didn't expect that statement you quoted to be nitpicked in this way.

It depends on you whether or not I keep my cool.

Edited by Medium Brown
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I'm in a state of complete shock here because you couldn't be more cryptic even if you tried.

It's not the type of thing I was expecting when logging in after a hard day of errands and keeping a beady eye on the dogs.

Is this your way of questioning my belef system or lack off.

You can still believe in UFO's and not fully take it all in.

Please put my mind at rest and answer this properly.

Because it feels like you are calling me a fool.

I didn't expect that statement you quoted to be nitpicked in this way.

It depends on you whether or not I keep my cool.

I completely agree. but chose not to answer such a foolish reply. But glad you did cos it really is a ridiculous thing to say. :tu:

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I completely agree. but chose not to answer such a foolish reply. But glad you did cos it really is a ridiculous thing to say. :tu:

It did come out of the blue.

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A non-believer in what?

'Believer' and 'non-believer' don't mean anything in themselves out of context. Is a devout Catholic who denies the existence of ET visiting Earth and believes ghosts don't exist a 'believer' or a 'non-believer'? In the context of the ghosts and hauntings forum here he would be called a 'non-believer' or a 'skeptic' whereas on a Christian forum he would be a 'believer' (or a depraved immoral Satanist on some fundy forums).

Yes, I do call myself a skeptic, but the word as thrown around on this forum regularly means something else that what I mean by it which is why I generally avoid using it on UM, where it is commonly used to mean 'close-minded cynic'.

A-typical skeptic/realist response..

You may be right that Skeptics to not always feel that they are being personally attacked when someone elses thought's or posts are out there.. I know I've been wrong about scpetics before.. But when one identifies one's self as "Skeptic" it becomes their mission to attack any beliefs that do not fit into their world view.. Hense "Why Sceptics post here"

Oh, and like it or not, the phrase "Close-minded" Applies whole heartedly to anyone who identifies ones-self as being a Skeptic, A true believer, or born again fanatic because once someone indentifies themselves with/as something their perspective becomes attached to & seen from that one-eyed lense..

I'm sure there is a point where healthy sceptisism becomes unhealthy.. It occurs to me, there is an equal measure of both on this site.

Note: There's a lot of healthy skeptics on this site that I respect... And some that I dont..

Edited by Professor T
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A-typical skeptic/realist response..

Boy, this post has started well. I thought I was being reasonable about this and your opening line is "A typical skeptic/realist response"? I can't see this discussion going much further.
You may be right that Skeptics to not always feel that they are being personally attacked when someone elses thought's or posts are out there.. I know I've been wrong about scpetics before.. But when one identifies one's self as "Skeptic" it becomes their mission to attack any beliefs that do not fit into their world view.. Hense "Why Sceptics post here"
Exactly the reason I am loath to use the word 'skeptic' on these forums. It's a word used by some people to bash others over the head with. A label with negative connotations just like the word 'believer' is used by some as a by-word for empty-headed belief in all sorts of woo.

They are not particularly helpful terms to use as a general description especially on a forum with very divided opinions like this one, even though they have their uses.

Oh, and like it or not, the phrase "Close-minded" Applies whole heartedly to anyone who identifies ones-self as being a Skeptic
No, it simply doesn't. As used by those who self-identify as a skeptic, it is a description of how they approach claims. It is a word I use to describe how I think when someone presents me with a supposed picture of a UFO, an alien pyramid, ghost, etc. Considering the amount of nonsense that gets touted as these things, combined with sheer number of proven fakes and hoaxes, how can you not look at them with a skeptical approach? Even the ghost believers on these forums regularly maintain a skeptical attitude to such things when they are presented with them, even if they don't use the word "skeptic".

The fact that many "skeptics" on the Internet are close-minded nay-sayers says no more about them as a group than the fact that many "believers" on the Internet are credulous and empty-headed says anything about UFO believers or ghost believers as a whole. I know people on another forum who call themselves "skeptics" but believe they've discovered an alien base on Google Mars, been visited by the ghost of their grandmother, etc. and there are "believers" here who can see through a lot of the BS that gets thrown around on many forums here. Let's try not to generalise.

And you're not helping in any way by asking me to provide you with a label to describe myself so you can take that label and use it, instead of what I actually say and do, to form a judgment. That's close minded. "Oh, you call yourself an X, that means I can form a judgment of you based upon that one-word description".

A true believer, or born again fanatic because once someone indentifies themselves with/as something their perspective becomes attached to & seen from that one-eyed lense.
Do you refuse to use any labels whatsoever to describe your worldview? Does the same thing apply to people who identify themselves as Christian or Buddhist or conservative or American or socialist, etc. I find it hard to accept that anyone who identifies with something is automatically a "true believer" or "born again fanatic".
I'm sure there is a point where healthy sceptisism becomes unhealthy.. It occurs to me, there is an equal measure of both on this site.
But 'healthy skepticism' becomes a type of 'true believer' or 'born again fanatic' if they identify themselves as being a 'healthy skeptic', only others can use the term skeptic to describe them? They can't describe themselves as such? Odd idea that.
Note: There's a lot of healthy skeptics on this site that I respect... And some that I dont..
If they describe themselves as healthy "skeptics", would that make them close-minded and true believers? Edited by Archimedes
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I was just reading this thread , http://www.unexplain...howtopic=242661 ,and it makes one ponder ,WHY .

The title of this forum ,is UNEXPLAINED MYSTERIES ,and each sub forum has a very definative title as well.

Why,if you do not believe in anything unexplained ,occult ,mysterious or conspiracy ,why do any of the non believers post and come to this forum then .

Why don't you all post in a forum for people who think people who are believers , are just all delusional .

And I'm not trying to start flame wars ,but it begs the question ,are people who post in forum for things they do NOT believe in ,only posting to creat trouble ,belittle others ,or be a troll ....

If you're a non believer ,what do you get out of a forum for unexplained mysteries ?

Your question can be answered with a simple description of a " Open Forum ".......That is what UM is, and if it is not to your liking, then you are free to find other options that may make you happy.

A Open Forum ( this one ) :

The term “open forum” can refer to several things, depending on who is speaking and what the context is. All of these meanings, however, imply the open exchange of ideas and information, usually to better the common good. The word “forum” comes directly from the Latin. In Roman times, the forum was an open marketplace where people could make purchases, have discussions with other citizens, and try to reach agreement on matters of public interest. Some of these meanings have carried through to the modern day.

In a loose sense, an open forum is any space in which people may exchange information and ideas. In the United States, for example, most government owned public property is an open forum. In that forum, citizens can protest, hold meetings, and exercise other first amendment rights. Some typical examples of open forums include sidewalks, parks, streets, publicly held buildings, and spaces set aside specifically for the purpose.

The term is also used to refer to a specific meeting or event. In this instance, an open forum is intended to be a venue in which people can gather to find out about a specific issue, reach a resolution on a controversial subject, or interact with members of their communities. Often, officials and representatives are present at an open forum to answer questions from the public, facilitate the discussion, and provide information which people may find valuable or useful.

The idea of the open forum is very important to many democratic nations, since it allows citizens an opportunity to speak out about things which concern them. An open forum also allows residents to have influence in their communities, by giving them a vote in major community decisions. Depending on the nation, an open forum may offer citizens an opportunity to vote on proposed development, allocate community funds, or participate in their communities in other ways.

Although an open forum is intended to be a space in which free speech is exercised, there are restraints. People are expected to behave politely, although they are welcome to disagree with each other. Violent words or actions are not condoned in an open forum, and a forum must also be held at a reasonable hour. If citizens intend to exercise public rights by marching or holding a demonstration, they must apply for permits, just as a group of individuals holding an open forum in a municipal building must do. As a general rule, the open forum must be open to everyone, regardless as to race, gender, creed, or economic status.

If you want a forum that is one sided ( closed forum ), and does not allow discussion from opposing views, then maybe you would enjoy forums like this :

The goal of 'Believers Only' is to have a wonderful learning experience together, undisturbed by the so called 'debunkers', non-believers or undercover disinformation agents.

http://humansarefree.forumcreativ.com/

( You will see forums such as above have little activity )

I would like to follow up this question with one of my own :

Why do people that do not want opposing views on a forum / topic participate in a open forum?

To me, this is like going to a Steak House, and demanding a vegetarian menu.

You seem to be active here quite a bit, so something about a open forum keeps you coming back, versus a forum such as the one I linked.

.

Edited by Sakari
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Problems I have with so called sceptics on UM is this.

When we debate and you give arguments. Lets say 5 of them. They shake your one argument of five, and rest of four are intact. Yet so called sceptic start to cheers like he debunks your whole theory. And others joined him. Others so called sceptics. Then they start to teasing you because they debunk you one of five arguments.

Whats even worst in that debunkery post it is often (about 85% cases) hidden insult. As they want to make you insulted. They posts are full of agression.

As I said in one of my previous post radicalism at it best

Now all that above is wrong on so many levels. First of all its wrong because kills conversation. Personally only way to deal with it its ignoring insults, teasing and agression. Ignoring surpression of idea. Its wrong in the first place because so called sceptics ignore rest of 4 arguments. Because they debunk you one argument they in almost every situation will try to dicredit you as person and in that way discredit yours rest of 4 arguments. Its wrong because its against forum rules. Its wrong because of their lack of knowledge they will often try to make personal attack. And whats again wrong others will press like button. Its like in school. When bully teasing nerds and others with no opinon will smile or keep quite. And we all know that being silent is sign of aprovement. I see those so called sceptics as insecure persons. Because if they were not insecure they would feel comfortable discussing your dilema, questions amd ideas. Yet those so called sceptics wait to cut down conversation to discredit you and say: Next!

Ofcourse I could say many names of persons who doesnt act like that. And they are real sceptic. I remember when I admit my ignorance about astronomy how MID ( RIP ) felt comfortable in conversation. When you discuss about ancient Egypt with member Kmt_Sesh you will find he is comfortable in talking about your idea. No matter that he doesnt agree with you. He show no fear. He show patience. He teach you. He gave counter arguments. And most importantly he isnt malicious so you dont feel bad to ask him another thing.

There are sceptics and sceptics on UM.

Hey,if people don't adhere to my belief system ,thats fine ,but say a few people who believe in demons,are discussing demons,or UFOs...or the megalodon .

And if people don't believe it post ,it doesnt exist ,and theres no proof.

Ok ,thats their opinion ,if the three people who do believe it want to discuss it ,why must they take it private , to discuss it without a barrage of naysayers,when it has been pointed out ,this is a forum.

Why dont the people who dont believe ,just let it go .

It's why I stop posting on some threads . I can only explain my viewpoint so many times ,before its just redundant to just keep repeating myself to someone who doesnt understand what Im trying to convey .ok,they say im wrong,ive explained it three times.

No point in reiterating again.

Right ?

Simbi and L, if you get posters with heavy bias tones towards your posts or throw rimshot insults at you through your posts, just use the ignore function. It's the best thing you can do for yourself. There's no need to quit posting in certain sections or stress over it, just use the ignore function and continue posting to those who respond to you with courtesy. Believe it or not, I've been told by those of the opposing side of whatever the subject is about, does this as well. Once you put them on your ignore list and they see that your not responding to their posts, they'll quit quoting your posts and eventually leave you alone. I mean, if your not gonna respond to them and they see that, what the hell is the point in them continuing on with you. They might as well put you on their ignore list and save themselves from wasting their time.

There are always a few Thought Nazis on every forum, that doesn't mean of course that some of those who disagree with you are that way. Usually the ones, who or not heavily bias towards you opinions, debate with you for a while and finally just agree to disagree. The ones who don't, keep hammering on you with occasional rimshot insults and won't let up. You just got to figure out who they are and use the ignore function. Best thing I've seen on any forum was the ignore function. It really does help. ;)

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So you'd rather that believers would just all hug and agree with each other? Where's the fun in that? Do you realize how childish that sounds?

I discuss unexplained things for three reasons.

1: I'm interested and want the truth.

2: I get a nice laugh at some o the more hilarious and crazy posts. (Gotta put a smile on my face, right?)

3: Because I can.

Also, even the stanchest of believers are skeptics or down right non-believers of something, you don't get off that easily.

Edited by Sean93
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