A serious question for the members of the R&S forum re: Cruel, hateful posts?

I didnt see the post, but I am so sorry to hear that!

I believe that we view ourselves as so separate and divided that we have lost our human decency!

We allow shallow, depthless things to form boundaries against love and concern for each other.

We can begin to challenge ourselves to Love and be at peace, no matter what and if we see that it is so hard...challenge ourselves with an even tougher question..."why is that?"

My heart goes out to that member and I will keep her and her family member in my prayers.

I will also pray for this forum.

Peace

I've thought about this to. There was a believer the other day that was mocking atheist people by calling April fools day their day because the guy said that a fool says in his heart that there is no God.

I didn't feel bad that he was misrepresenting the gospel as much as I felt bad that people were being degraded. I wondered if I should step in like I have done before but I wasn't sure if I should keep doing that.

I think that it would be better if these types of question were not answered but on the other hand some of the responses may have made the guy think.

You ask why this type of behavior is displayed? I would say it is either because the person is hating or they are trying to pay back evil for evil, either way it's despicable.

I don't know if there is really a solution for this or not.

Edit: I just read your example. Maybe you should post that question. I think now a days people are kicking the weak or wounded .That's ashame when people are hurting like that to have such rude comments.

As an atheist, I can say I would never do that. I might wage battle with fundies over any number of issues, but I would leave that kind of thing alone. This is an R&S site and even if soliciting prayer isn't strictly within community guidelines, I would not begrudge someone that.

Some will answer in harsh and hateful ways just because they are people filled with hate. I have found these on both sides of the fence. They're not nice people and if atheists, they make a bad name for all of us.

There might have been some who didn't believe the questioner was really in that sad position. Thay may have truly believed the person to be a troll. Correct or not, that belief would mitigate their responses.

There are also a couple of fundies around who are impersonating atheists in order to make them look bad. Hey, there are some atheists who do the same thing to the Christians, so not making any generalizations here, but I'll bet at least one of the nasty responses was from one of them.

I personally disapprove of people sneering at the hardships of others.

That is really very, very sad.

I have not been around to see this. I have not read these posts either, which I should do before commenting but I won't.

I often prefer the Athiest posts even though I am a closet deist and strangely a Pantheist.. I waffle ;-) I hope these were not attacks by Athiests. Who knows... remember those old Holly Wood movies where the white guys dressed up like Indians and attacked a non-native outpost?! Hmmmmm?!!!!!

When I have seen requests for prayers in the past I have answered them in writing and in my actual prayers. In fact, I have prayed for my online friends and neighbours... they don't know that. Shhhhh.

Over the top and below the belt behavior has come up before. Like good behavior it ebbs and tides. Sometimes the line is fuzzy though. It depends who you are and how tough your skin is I suppose.

I have been called arrogant and some other silly thing on here before. In fact, someone who was on Yahoo answers went to the trouble of finding my 360 in order to rant at me about how dreadful I am this week. Hahaha!

Oh well. He is a cowardly lion anyway. No real name, no way to contact him accept to leave a icon style note and reply on my own site.

I think it is really up to us to keep a community standard. There are the vote edits that put the offending comment out of site. I know that it is too late by then but at least it show community support for the person asking the question. If used properly and not as sensorship!!!!

In the past, complaints have been abused and I am reluctant to use that method unless it is a physical threat or pure hate propaganda.

We could shut those individuals out, make posts like this one to discuss the problem, turn our questions to discussing these isssues as you are doing but continue on in depth. This is going to happen every once in a while.

We used to have a mayor! Do we still have a village here?! Perhaps we need a commiteee.

The popularity posts from the village did kinda undermined the village spirit. It was a bit cliquie. Ahhhh. Off track.

Just draw a line between critical thinking and critisism. It is natural we will react in a volitile way once in a while... cut people some slack for that. But, this... this is a reflection of a larger problem!!!!! This is the kind of thing that tells me we really need R&S.

Peace hugs all around the circle.

I don't answer prayer requests, because I don't pray. And I think they are in fact considered chatting and in violation of Community Guidelines. BUT that is no excuse for offering cruel or mocking answers instead of prayers.

My own theory of what causes people to behave like that has undergone changes in the two years I have been on this site. There for awhile, it seemed the trolls were Google loyalists who wanted to ruin Yahoo. But then Google gave up on a question-and-answer program, so that should have eliminated the trolls. It didn't. I don't think it even reduced them all that much.

Then I figure maybe they were "testing the limits" the way adolescents do with their parents' rules. While we were in Beta, that had a certain utility value. And Yahoo has tweaked the Community Guidelines and the reporting system as a result.

Unfortunately, the only thing we can do is report those that are over the top. Many people brag that they never report, but I consider that irresponsible. If you care about this program and want it to continue, you need to take your share of the responsibility and report flagrant violations. On the borderline ones, start your answer with "Well, this is technically a violation, but . . ." and help a person learn how to use the system better.

I don't want to brag, but my award for "Community Leadership" from Yahoo suggests that I must be someone who understands how to build a good community.

Regular visitors will know about the diversity here, but someone clicking on a question that's on view outside of this section might not realises where it is until they're actually here, then they'll wonder why it's in this category. It's an understandable reaction, but it does get irritating doesn't it? I know this is for LGBT related questions only, but they'd be so boring wouldn't they? A change is as good as a rest, and all that.

#1= I am sorry that people did this. I did not see this post. mocking a sickness indicates some kind of anger, or mabye immature sadness I feel.#2= I dont really know what can be done. I would perfer folks would get a thicker skin where it applies to statements of faith. ( not the request for prayer!- That should never be mocked) I would not put these statements on "report" as often as they seem to go. Just scroll right past the junk statements and go in peace. My prayers however will be offered to the member who has loved one suffering cancer & to all who have requested special intentions.

I am more than just a little disgusted with a few of the responses here. I guess I'm naive maybe even stupid.

But I'll take dumb and naive over heartless any day.

In real life, I'm sorry to say, I would go out of my way to avoid those certain people.

How to improve, KYchick, I'm afraid, will be herding cats. It seems there will always be that heartless person who feels its their duty to report and/or tear down.

There are quite a number of us here who do not "ram anything down" anyone's throats out of respect for what a person believes or doesn't.

Perhaps it is time for us handful to assume a certain lettering (i.e. VT) to distinguish us from those who do ram down people's throats.

I don't know.

I remain disillusioned.

I don't understand the behaviour and mind set either.

I see Giovanni managed to provide an excellent example of EXACTLY what you were talking about.

I have to agree with others - such low self esteem, such loathing for others around them, such self loathing, so much hatred of humanity in general.

Face it, forums like this have become more than just places to gain information - they have become extensions of our lives. True friendships are made, relationships are made, trust is found and given. As such, it becomes a place where people can go for support and love - usually unconditional. People like Giovanni don't understand that type of structure, but many of the rest of us do.

What to do? Wish I had an answer. But I know I'm not letting the a$$ hats run me out.

Batgirl - my sympathies - my mom in law died of breast cancer matasticized into bone and brain cancer. You need to talk about it, PM me any time.

My daughter had a metabolism problem, as a nasty side effect of surviving Reye's Syndrome.

She was so tormented and ridiculed in school, from kindergarten forward, that it broke my heart.

It is the same people who ridicule here..They just never grew up.

The more they can ridicule another, for any reason at all, the more superior it makes them feel..

These people have so very little self esteem, that they are clutching at anything to make themselves feel worthy of the air that they breath.

Their nastiness is in direct proportion to the way they feel about themselves.

They ridiculed Our Saviour, as He was on the cross..Nothing has changed in human nature.

All great spiritual leaders have been insulted, and they did not retaliate, as that is not the way of greatness.

I pray for their forgiveness, as they are playing with fire (literally)

I believe that Shakespeare's quote is applicable here:

"The lady doth protest too much, methinks."

You asked for solutions?

Pray for them. They are opening their broken hearts to us.