Anti-Religious Trolling On Mumsnet

For a member of my family, belief in gid has been incredibly damaging.

Since when do people belittle those without faith? That's a new one on me. Do they pop up and go 'hahaha you idiot'? No,thought not.

There may be the odd one or two who will do the going to hell speech but they are certainly in the minority and often avoided by those who are religious too!

"People who tell others they're going to hell are no better than those who feel they have the power to 'stop' other people's beliefs."

I don't think I have the power to stop other people's beliefs.

It is in no way damaging to believe in God. However, it is potentially incredibly dangerous and stupid to ignore potential mental health issues, insisting they are something else.

The thread you quoted was a really bad thread to use in your argument, purely because anyone with sense would be considered about the child's mental health and the parents lack of interest in it.

Completely different thing to wading onto religious threads and telling people they're crazy. This is a child with potential issues that would not be helped by ignorance and a giant dose of 'woo'

People who tell others they're going to hell are no better than those who feel they have the power to 'stop' other people's beliefs.

And I understand that the people who knock on my door are doing so because they feel that they are doing me a favour, that they want me to be saved.
Well maybe I think that I'm doing the religious a favour by stopping their misguided faith in a deity.

"Why is it acceptable for people to jump into these threads throwing around insults and belittling people's beliefs?"

It isn't. People get roundly told off for doing that.

Why is it acceptable for people to jump into these threads throwing around insults and belittling people's beliefs?

I quite agree. Why is it acceptable for people to knock on my front door and tell me that I'm wrong? Why is it acceptable for people to stand in the street insulting my atheism, belittling my belief that there is no God. Why can they tell me that I'm going to hell but if I say that you are wrong then l am being rude and not respecting your belief?

I would never dream of going on a 'faith based' thread and throwing insults around but please be aware that I for me the Christian God occupies the same space in my belief system as Zeus and Odin.

My opinion about that thread is neither here nor there. There are always going to be threads that people don't agree with. Some people think it's extremely damaging to believe in God.

"Well trying to railroad an opinion onto someone who isn't going to change their mind is pointless and arrogant."

They might change their mind. I posted a childhood experience of my own on that thread that if the OP had an even slightly open mind would have caused her to stop and think. But she didn't. Not even for her second. Because it was most definitely a ghost child. No other possible explanation. None. Which is pretty bloody arrogant in my book.

Anyway.

Well trying to railroad an opinion onto someone who isn't going to change their mind is pointless and arrogant.

No actually it's not. And it has happened before.

If you think a child is really at risk then what else would you do?

And even if it could be reported, telling a frightened child that she is being haunted by a ghost child and holding an exorcism is not really a matter for social services. Sadly.

I don't see why. I've seen it suggested before if someone is concerned about a child's welfare.

"As I say if you are really that concerned about a child then contact social services."

And as I said before that is a ridiculous sentence.

But I'm not talking about one thread. I used that thread as an example because the OP repeatedly said 'I accept that some people won't believe me but could you please not derail the thread' amd everyone ignored her.

As I say if you are really that concerned about a child then contact social services.

I repeat. On the thread you linked to there was a child who was was potentially at risk/likely to be more frightened. I am not going to leave that unchallenged.

Starting another thread saying "ooh, isn't it awful!" would not have been helpful.

Even if you start a completely non woo thread like 'talk to me about different styles of worship' you will get people saying 'why on earth do you believe in God'

I didn't say nobody was allowed to question anything, I said that there is no need to vandalise someone else's thread when you could quite easily start your own entitled 'Further to the X thread, I think people should look at rational explanations, discuss'. When I say you I mean generic you btw. But people don't do that as the OP has also observed.

Which can only lead to the rather irritating conclusion that some people want to shut down discussions about religion or anything they don't believe in and drive conversations about these things off MN.

"don't have any cause - what are you talking about? If you're concerned about a child's welfare then contact social services."

I meant your cause of nobody being allowed to question anything anyone says in the name of belief.

And your last sentence is clearly ridiculous.

OTOH - I feel that obviously there have been cases where trolls have started threads about the paranormal which have been proven to have been made up. One that springs to mind is the ghost at the mill where someone was working. I think IIRC that was made up? These threads obviously don't help either.

In the thread I linked to, the OP eventually disappeared and I can see why.

Well if you enjoy having a discussion about it or a debate then good for you. Start your own thread - don't vandalise someone else's. There is no reason for it.

I don't have any cause - what are you talking about? If you're concerned about a child's welfare then contact social services.