Anti-Religious Trolling On Mumsnet

I agree with the Op. All too often threads on the religion and philosophy board are 'trolled'. Why is it acceptable for people to jump into these threads throwing around insults and belittling people's beliefs? I've seen it many times, no matter what the subject of the thread is whether it's looking for a new religion, a problem at church or needing some comfort. It's wrong

There seems so much religious hatred in this country it's ridiculous. Even on a cultural level people seem to have an insane hate and think they have the right to ridicule others.

Those who say it's no different than people 'pushing' beliefs on you, how do you figure that? People share what they believe because they believe it helps others, because actually religion does do that. Belittling people's faith, on the other hand, is just taking the pee out of someone. Where is the good intention in that?

Where does all the hatred of religion come from? Especially that of Christian faith given we ARE a Christian country and whether you like it or not it is part of our culture and therefore important whether you believe in God or not.

I find it most bizarre, the way things are. People with 'old fashioned' views and morals are deemed as oppressed, sad individuals and fair game to be mocked.

Just why?

I think it's reasonable to expect to be able to have a discussion without it being derailed.

I don't go onto the camping board and say 'why do you all go camping, I hate it' or the doghouse 'why do you all have dogs, they smell' etc.

As the OP says, the people who derail don't ever seem to start their own threads with a view to a debate which would be the sensible thing to do. Which is what leads me to believe that their intentions are disingenuous. Particularly when it seems to be the same posters trawling the board.

Fuckyducky , yes, and we're both saying that is wrong aren't we?

Lottie that's got to be an exaggeration! EVERY thread?

I still disagree that the thread title of the Good Friday thread was particularly 'click baity', but even if it was once clicked on and deemed to be a subject on which you have no interest or an intense dislike why bother posting? Surely the 'live and let live' mantra would apply and you just leave others who are interested to chat amongst themselves?

I totally agree that religious belief or any other belief should be subject to challenge, debate and, sometimes, ridicule but there is a time and a place and I don't believe that that particular thread was it.

Also, I too despise the kind of 'Christian' who would make the comments ohfuckaducky and others have had made to them, people who do that are, imo, not fit to be called Christian.

I did explain to you on the thread it wasn't a religious thing that made me communicate poorly. I explained I am on the autistic spectrum at the time. I tried to fix the thread title, move the thread and I got so flustered I asked it be deleted. It wasn't what I intended.

It was nice to hear about others lighting candles and sitting quietly on the beach with dogs. The random cup of tea, eating a hot crosd bun, waiting for come dine with me comments were funny because they were unexpected.

My immediate thought was a minute's silence for the Brussels tragedy and I scuttled off to BBC news to check.

No, not fragile just sick and tired of every thread being vandalised.

Everyone is capable of trolling - mumsnet doesn't give guarantees that some posters are not trolls. We could all be. Trolling is when you're posting with some sort of agenda. Or you're not being honest about the real reason you're posting. It's not just limited to people who make up stories.

"I think that maybe a solution to this would be for MN to hide the religion topic as they had to do with the SN section some years ago. That way people can opt into it if they want to."

Bloody hell- really? Are believers really that fragile????

I see why you say that Bertrand, as in public forum and all. But you dont sit at a cafe table having a chat when someone comes over to say you are all wrong. Informal conversations are one thing, public policy discussions are another. It's just a matter of having a place where people can chat, otherwise what's the point of a chat board?

I think that maybe a solution to this would be for MN to hide the religion topic as they had to do with the SN section some years ago. That way people can opt into it if they want to.

Ohfuckaducky you could try 'construct' or putting whatever religious term in quotation marks - this would be less emotive language.

I'm with you ducky maybe deity would be a happy medium, what do you think.

I said I used to go to church before that Fuckidy.

Are you really sorry as you told MNHQ, because you don't seem so to me?

"But I do think someone who privately believes, uses it to inform their opinions on life death, even morality, should be left alone. "

I agree.

It's rather different if they post it on a public forum, though..........

I want to point out I didn't say those things Fuckidy is saying.

I tried to sort out the thread title etc.

"In one extreme case outside of the Prayer Thread – if I’m allowed to mention a particular thread – a poster came on very upset, feeling like she didn’t want to carry on living and was looking for comfort and support from Christians. An atheist jumped in saying something like, ‘You do know God doesn’t exist, don’t you?’"

But you say yourself that is an extreme case. That person was an arsehole, regardless of what they believe. I have to say I rather resent being put in the same box as that person.

Nobody is saying that people can't have debates about things they disagree with. In that case start your own thread about it! Don't vandalise one where someone is asking for advice on different churches and try to change the original topic that was posted about. It's bloody rude.