Minor Observation

Q

(Q)

Encephaloid Martini
Valued Senior Member
Hello All!

I've been 'lurking' here for a little while and have made a minor observation. And it leads me to ask a question. Of course, i don't want to offend anyone, but sometimes that's not as easy as it may seem. And i think this question may offend. Sorry in advance.

After crunching a few numbers from this and other science related forums, i've noticed a very high ratio of non-science related posts. In fact, there's almost a whopping 2.5 - 3:1 ratio, with religion taking a very high percentage. Other science forums generally run closer to a 1:1 ratio.

Why is that? Is this ratio similar to other science forums you may frequent? :confused:

Again, I'm not trying to offend. Just a minor observation.
 
a possible answer

we have gathered here a very large community.. Each has different views. Some may look at the theory of big bang from a religious perspective and some may from a scientifical.
We enjoy talking and if there is not smth very exciting in other themes we talk about smth other. Why to go to different forums to do that. Many of us here have become friends. So we stick together and enjoy talking about everything tht feeds our mind.

Disclaimer. This is only my opinion. If someone doesen't agree or disagree with me, he is welcome to post it at any time he finds connvenient.:)
 
Hmmm, (Q) ...

Maybe because we have a wider range of interests and there are forums
catering to every area one might be interested in?

Guess those who end up here have a social/science mindset ;)

Take care, and welcome to Sciforums.
 
Thank you for the warm welcome!

I tend to agree that there is quite a diversity of interests and views and that there is a very large community here (close to 4000 strong). And that most have probably been here for a time and have developed good friendships.

But I can't help but notice the number of religious posts. Even if you added up all the posts in the 'Science' forum, they still don't add up to the 'Religion' board.

I have nothing against ones religion. That is of a personal nature with each induvidual and should not be contested.

But perhaps sciforums.com should be categorized as a religious board with science as an aside. It may have begun as a science board but has now drifted.

No offence. Especially to the admins.
 
(Q) ...

I realized a long time ago it is far more difficult to 'discuss' science - You either
Know what you're talking about (at least some of the time) or you get shot
down quick like. Other areas are far more forgiving.

And lets face it, a hot discussion where neither looses 'face' can be fun at times.

Take care. ;)
 
it how you say"driffted" not so long ago and may as easyely as it did drift back to science. so I think there is no need to change it to religforums.com, I think tht me and a lot of others will then go away. It is our identity sciforums.com .


Disclaimer: see above
 
No, I wouldn't suggest something so radical as to change the name to religforums.com. That very well may drive some away.

But I was, for a better term 'recruited' by someone here posting in another science forum. I did not actively go out and seek this forum. It was linked from another site.

At first I read the science boards and found some great reading, in fact some of the best I've seen (you know who you are). After that, i started to use the 'read latest posts' feature. That's when I noticed the huge amount of religious material. It was (is) overwhelming.

From a newbies perspective, it certainly appears that religion is the number one topic here. But perhaps you're right avatar, it may just drift back to science. However...

a rose is a rose is...
 
Another point is that events drive posts. The Political threads have experienced an immense interest during the time of the WTC and terrorist war events.

Some of the Sciences are not so much in the news; often requiring dedicated searching to nose out those advances. Other Science sites deny access if you are not in that group due to information protection.

Religion is much in the lives of everyday citizens across the world. Most dedicate at least 1 day a week to this activity in some form or another. These boards reflect real life in what moves people. Occasionally in the religion forums you find the preachers and laymen who believe that spreading the word is a requirement and they practice that. But it is not truly a religion board.

It is the diversity of topics that drives the board. New members supply a steady flow of ideas and questions. This has to be one of the most "civil" boards on the net. It is rare that you find the heated argument and even more rare that you find mudslinging. It has been remarked on time and again. As such it holds attraction to lots of the members and draws ever more into the community. The new are encouraged to contribute. They are not ostracized because they just arrived on the scene, as many other boards seem to practice. These things are rare here and usually frowned upon by the members themselves. No enforcement is required; no guidance is needed.

Welcome to Sciforums, (Q). Thanks for the observation.
 
(Q) ...

"a rose is a rose is ... " and Sciforums is, IMHO, sweeter than many.

Take care ;)
 
Hey (Q), welcome at Sciforums.:)

Don't you think it is fun at the Religion Forum? All the different meanings of the members and the discussions there?

We have a few great members who post there.

Did you meet our 'beloved' Tony already? Well, he is the 'greatest'. :p

The Science Forum is pretty good here at Sciforums. You can post every theory you have and make a nice discussion about it.
And you can learn a lot of it also.

Sciforums is a wonderful community to hang around. Just post a little. You will see for yourself.;)

Different personalities with different opinions, but all welcome...
 
Thank you once again for all the welcomes. Your candor and patience are appreciated.:)
 
(Q),

Welcome to Sciforums.

I think Chagur alluded to this earier, but I believe that the reason you see so many posts on religion is that you cannot "prove" someone wrong on a religious point, you can only discuss it, while in science discussions, the proof tends to be quite factual and distinct(but even then you may see discussions about that proof):D

This may be why there are soooo many more discussion threads on religion.
 
seekeroftruth,

Perhaps it's just me. I come to science forums to read and discuss science, theories, observations, empirical proof, facts. I don't mind the odd bit of religious discussion. Some scientists have a very firm belief in their religion. They wrestle with what is truth and what is fact continuously. So its interesting to hear their side of that conumdrum. But there's a limit.

And as you say, "you cannot prove someone wrong on a religious point, you can only discuss it." Frankly, I don't see the point of discussing it at all. Each individual has their own belief. And that is that. It's interesting to hear what that belief may entail, but discussing it ad nauseum is moot. And from what I've seen, it usually turns from a discussion into a flamewar. Almost always.:D
 
But don't try to deny that it is not fun my son
For thee shall burn in flames enternal
So says the lord.
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oh my god, I turn into another fundie, opleeeeeeez noooooooo
:D:D:D:D:D:D
 
Q
I think science and religion are very closely related. Historically religion fought against the advance of science because both were stated to hold the truth and were not always in agreement. Science is theoretically based on proof and Religion typically based on faith or belief.

Personally I think they are siblings that people need to think more about how to integrate the two. Socially they both inform our perspective on the world. They address similar issues like where the universe and humans came from.

In the past much of the inanimate world was personified to make it intelligible and a kind of social perspective was applied to the world. Science has steadily been replacing that and in my view it is sad that it seems sometimes to objectify the human part. What I liked about this site is that it seems to consist of people who have a foot on each side and struggle with integrating to often conflicting world views intelligently.

Then again I've only been visiting the site for a few weeks. So this is just my (most likely warped) perspective. In that vein I think an awful lot of science is based on belief. Hypotheses are only belief -> so science is guided by belief. Thomas Kuhn, the popa of science historians, has many interesting examples of scientists accepting theories that were incorrect, yet useful as a stepping stone to the next layer of truth.

Only math really involves proof. Science just has theories, evidence, assumptions, and lots of fun gizmos. Very little proof ... lots of evidence and conjecture.

Religion has another kind of truth that is equally important, but much more abstract. If science and religion disagree I personally feel that science is often more accurate at the level of details, but religion more accurate at the level of wisdom. Not including jackass bible thumpers and the like who have there own perspective which is pretty divorced from the original.

my 2 cents. Maybe $2.
 
scilosopher,

We should be careful not to confuse fact with truth. Fact is to truth as observation is to belief, imo. There is no room for truth in science, only fact.

Yes, religion did fight against the advance of science. That was simply a power/money struggle. They knew that if the masses were to become knowledgeable about the world, their power would diminish.

Religion precludes science therefore they cannot be integrated.
 
Ok maybe I shouldn't have said truth. There is less fact in most science than you seem to believe. Almost everything is approximate. Even raw data as it has measurement error.

I'm not so convinced that anything in society is simple ... though I'm sure the mower/poney thing was part of it, I'm quite sure there was more to it than that.

Many religions don't preclude science at all. Just as science changes as we learn more about the world why don't you think religion can grow. Every important religious leader I can think of put forward there own ideas that advanced man's understanding of what had been said in the past.
 
The funny thing is that the real godbelievers are using a computer to express their (fanatic) beliefs.

That is rather peculiar though, for a computer is based on scientific inventions. How the hell does that stroke with their beliefs in the holy bible?

And so you can go on in the Religion Forum.

Religion is Opium for the people - Marx.

Every sheep follows the herd.;)
 
um, well, eh, hmmm....

I dunnno. Maybe it's because (as mentioned before) we are such a diverse community....maybe the other forums are more specific---here you have the "free thoughts" and anything goes. I find that more appealing because speaking for myself, I think about A LOT of things (maybe too much sometimes) about stuff that isn't really relevant to anything as far as I can tell---so maybe if I share it with other people they can think about it, tell me their views and I may learn something new or see things from a different angle.

Having a well-rounded forum attracts different people and different points of views and communication among these different groups (okay, civilized posts, rather) can help us better understand eachother and where we are coming from. Understanding can lead to acceptance and acceptance can lead to a more peaceful "world." I think people that come to this forum (okay, maybe not everyone) are intelligent people who "come here seeking knowledge"---and these people aren't your typical "nerds" (no offense!) so to speak....they are well-rounded individuals who ponder on things---they aren't satisfied with your typical yes or no or black/white answers...they are interested in gray areas and are open-minded enough to at least look at other possible explanations for observations they make.

It's more of a semi-formal forum, in my humble opinion.....more formal forums may not attract so many people because people might be too afraid of looking like a complete fool for voicing out their non-scientific ideas or thoughts....other forums can be very limiting in the kind of posts they make and therefore frustrate people "no you can't talk about that here because it's a science forum only." If you get to know people from different angles, you can understand where they are coming from when they answer other more science related posts. yeah?:D

Like I said, I dunno...:confused:
 
Ana,

Great post! However, I don't buy it. What you're infering imo is that people are actively searching for a message board, and wind up finding this one and immediately start thinking, "Here's a science forum. Great! Now I can talk about non-scientific ideas and thoughts without looking like a fool. Oh look! There's a HUGE religious section. I think I may have found a home."

Should I therefore be searching religious forums to find " the keepers of the GOO?";)

<i>It's more of a semi-formal forum, in my humble opinion</i>

In that case, I'll remove my hat and tails.:D
 
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