do you think rm has a good news forum? or, do you think there's work that needs to be done?

just from a lurking standpoint, there's work to be done. i get in here and it appears to be one-sided for the most part. of course, i could post more and make a difference, but i don't have the energy and it seems pretty futile when i try to sort through the overwhelmingly secular/modernist/leftist type posts. it's not that this is all there is to a forum, but to a lurker like me, it's a bit daunting.

i do get a lot of info and links from here, though. so that's good. and your sam harris'ng all over the place really has prompted me to explore and deepen my own faith, so that's good.

on a whole i give this forum a 6 out of 10.

I think there are some good posts here. I also think that there are some people who feel the need to sabotage every thread.* Instead of allowing the discussion to revolve around the topic at hand, they insert themselves into the thread...raise their good ol' American flags...and say "look at me, look at me."

It's frustrating to read 3 pages of solid discussion...only to get to page 4 and see that one person has chanaged the entire thread into a narrow-minded campaign of self-promotion. Quite frankly it pisses me off. Instead of talking and debating about the real issues, people are forced to respond to completely ridiculous, and at times insane, comments. Why don't we just stop. This board would be much better if these "comments" were just skipped over and ignored. The discussion would continue and the board would be a better place.

It's the same thing every time and it leads to no original thought...only lengthy posts and destroyed threads that boil down to nothing more than the same person trying to say..."I think I'm smarter than you...na na na na na na."

Let's try to end this...please.

*I'm sure you'll see an example of what I'm talking about below.

Lack of diversity is the most serious problem, and by that I don't just mean women and minorities.

I support our white troops.

Thank you for that. Well done.

hardly any conservatives?

I support the war but don't support the troops.

We sorely need an outspoken Marxist.

i lurk here lots
some good information, i actually get a lot of my news from here

i will very rarely post in here though

Not enough.

I skim through here sometimes.

I don't really comment much because it's my experience that most ppl posting in a news & debate are looking for arguments.
I'm not looking for arguments. I get enough of that in traffic.

Plus, I'm not really smart enough to contribute very much here anyways. You are all entirely too intelligent for me.

here's an example of the type of news & debate thread that I've been purposely avoiding for obvious reasons:

"our universe is so rad"

Give it a chance, I actually enjoy that one.

Nope. I refuse. Anytime I tangle with the universe, I walk away feeling corn-holed. And that happens when it's just the universe. I shudder to think what could happen to me if I tangle with the "rad" universe.

That's awesome.

I like it here. There are some posters who always seem to make it into a totally lame attack/talking points fest, but there are some really smart people as well. Plus I'm really into new ways of looking at things (both receiving and contributing those) so it's pretty cool sometimes.

I hate it, for the most part.

But i always end up coming back.

Exactly. As cumbersome arguing and debating on a forum is, I think it better sculpts and refines my own ideas.

Indeed. I like the really different kinds of political types too. The libertarian economists always crack me up.

bump to the top.