Why no subforum for the psychology and sociology of religion and atheism?

2AlphaMales?!

It seems very restrictive to have such a potent memetic field off limits from discussion completely. The psychological, sociological and economic consequences of religion are scientific and of enormous magnitude. I can understand completely that it would ruin things if fanatical atheistm and/or young earth creationism train-wrecked the majority of the forum with nonsensical arguments and mud slinging, but couldn't there be a subforum (or two) where religious (and explicitly atheistic) arguments and issues could be discussed?

k!rl

Well I'd be in favour of it, but if there ever was a volitile topic on message boards it's religion. If unpublished theories aren't allowed I doubt these kind of topics are...

micromass

Religious discussions always seem to end up in shouting and flame wars. It's a topic people feel very strongly about, but it's also a topic where it's easy to have unfounded opinions.

If everybody was able to have a mature discussion on the topic, then I'm all for it. But experience tells us it always ends up wrong.

Borek

Apart from the fact it would not fit purpose of the forum, we create new subforums to channel existing traffic, not in a hope they will attract traffic.

Ryan_m_b

I am absolutely not in favour of this. First and foremost this is a science forum, the various non-science forums are academic in their own right (history and humanities) or for casual discussion and fun. A religious forum, especially one framed in the light of "atheism vs religion" would add nothing to the site and be a stain IMO.

A bigger problem though; do you really think that such a forum would fit within the PF rules?

Evo

There are forums for religious discussion, it's faith based and not appropriate for a science forum.

2AlphaMales?!

I suppose it's good to have a forum where there's no religion. It's just there's no atheism either. Perhaps I could see the funny side...

micromass

That you think that atheism is better than religion is your personal choice. We are not a forum which chooses one religious belief over another.

2AlphaMales?!

If atheism is the absence of religion, then the whole forum is in fact atheistic. And I said there wasn't any atheism here...

Reading Reza Aslan's book on Islam, I learnt the difference between orthopraxic and orthodox religion - orthodoxy pertains to beliefs, orthopraxy pertains to behaviours. Aslan asserts that Islam is primarily an orthopraxic religion, as is Judaism, whereas Christianity is primarlily orthodox.

Perhaps discussion of the orthopraxic elements of religion could be allowed? No beliefs involved there...no faith...but it's where the real meat resides in many ways...that's where all the sociology and economics (if not some of the psychology) is anyway.

Subforum called "Orthopraxic Religion"? That'd put the cat amongst the pigeons

dlgoff

What does this say? Damn.

micromass

This question has been sufficiently answered.