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Original poster

The Christian Mumsnetters Board

38 replies

hasanyoneseenmykeys · 02/01/2025 11:57

The Christian Mumsnetters board is relatively new, and has been created primarily for Christian mumsnetters to discuss things and ask each other questions.

About half of threads on this board contain numerous comments from people who are clearly not Christian, either calling into question Christian beliefs, making irrelevant comments or saying things which are actively offensive to Christians.

There is a place for this kind of discussion, and this place is the Philosophy/Religion board. Many of the Christian mumsnetters are also active on this board and will be interested in this kind of debate, in its place. But the constant onslaught of disrespectful or irrelevant comments on the Christian Mumsnetters board is unnecessary, and is making the board irrelevant.

We have the FWR Sex and Gender board for debate, and a separate board for LGBT parents. It would be unacceptable for a load of people from the FWR board to come over to the LGBT parents board and start criticizing people's choices on there. Or for people to start going on the Home Education board and criticise those parents choices. Or on the foreign travel board and start posting that using air travel is unethical. There are a range of different beliefs on MN, and for the most part people are respectful of the boards created for different purposes, but for some reason not on the Christian Mumsnetters board.

Is there a way of giving people a warning system or blocking them from this board if they keep doing this? Also for MNHQ to recognise that a statement like "God is imaginary" or "Jesus didn't really exist" might be okay in most areas of Mumsnet but on the board which has been created specifically for people who believe that God and Jesus do exist it is really disrespectful. In the same way that a comment like "I think it's wrong to transition children" might be acceptable as part of debate on FWR but not so much on the LGBT parents board. Aside from the issue of being offensive, it's annoying when about a third of the thread is posters who are not addressing the OP but just dismissing religion in general.

A few weeks ago there was a thread where the OP asked for a biblical/Christian perspective on an issue in her life. Loads of replies were either advice from a clearly non-Christian perspective, or "why do you want a Christian perspective, what's wrong with other perspectives" or just generally "religion is made-up nonsense".

Please could something be done to ensure that this board is used for the purpose it was set up?

OP posts:
U53rName · 02/01/2025 18:03

LetsNCagain · 02/01/2025 17:59

I think the pp you're quoting is agreeing with/supporting you.

And I agree too. I think some (not all) atheist comments on mn are so loudly aggressive, they're trying to convince themselves almost. I've seen it before and now avoid all threads on those topics.

Show quote history

Thanks. Just multitasking atm! 🤦‍♀️ Agree with you,@NotOneOfTheInCrowd . 👍

NotOneOfTheInCrowd · 02/01/2025 18:01

Your sentence says everything there.

You obviously have zero idea of what the FWR board is about. Most if not all, fully support the LGB in their fight for equality and rights, as well as safeguarding children. LGB? Yep. T? Absolutely not. FWR is one of the most transphobic spaces on the internet, and while there is some valid discussion to be had, the OP is absolutely correct in that a parent posting about their trans child on the LGBt board is at risk of being highjacked by radical feminists who feel that the trans debate overshadows everything else. In fact I’ve seen posts from feminists on other boards where a child has come out as trans suggesting that the parents are under no obligation to accept this.

So I think you’re being somewhat disingenuous about the FWR board’s attitude towards inclusion on every level, when you know full well that it’s not.

LetsNCagain · 02/01/2025 17:59

U53rName · 02/01/2025 17:55

Probably because Christian Mumsnetters are there to get a Christian point of view on something from other Christians, not to be attacked/have to defend themselves. Same for those on the Jewish Mumsnetters board and on the Muslim Mumsnetters board. If you want to question theology, take it to the theology board, rather than attacking Christians/Jews/Muslims on their boards.

Show quote history

I think the pp you're quoting is agreeing with/supporting you.

And I agree too. I think some (not all) atheist comments on mn are so loudly aggressive, they're trying to convince themselves almost. I've seen it before and now avoid all threads on those topics.

U53rName · 02/01/2025 17:55

NotOneOfTheInCrowd · 02/01/2025 13:02

I will preface this by saying that I am an atheist, :-) but, I think that the question needs to be asked of these people… what is it that they’re so afraid of that they feel the need to wade in on a specific discussion in order to derail it round to their point of view.

I mean if someone is that certain that there is no God, then surely that’s all that matters? What’s it to them if other people believe that there is?

Probably because Christian Mumsnetters are there to get a Christian point of view on something from other Christians, not to be attacked/have to defend themselves. Same for those on the Jewish Mumsnetters board and on the Muslim Mumsnetters board. If you want to question theology, take it to the theology board, rather than attacking Christians/Jews/Muslims on their boards.

INeedAnotherName · 02/01/2025 17:49

While I support you in having a place to discuss your values without hate spilling over into it, I do take great exception to your inflammatory comment.

It would be unacceptable for a load of people from the FWR board to come over to the LGBT parents board and start criticizing people's choices on there

You obviously have zero idea of what the FWR board is about. Most if not all, fully support the LGB in their fight for equality and rights, as well as safeguarding children.

Fatloss · 02/01/2025 17:44

Agree
@NotOneOfTheInCrowd You raise a good point about why someone would bother - nothing better to do or maybe AI? Trying to challenge derails the thread on a specific question. The thread then becomes posters trying to end the derail/ signpost to Philosophy and Religion board while others try to answer the actual question from a Christian perspective. It just makes you want to move away from the board altogether. I usually don’t try to combat as it feels like rising to bait but it can be a pile on.

I expect very robust discussion on the Philosophy and Religion board and other parts of MN and go there knowing I may be told I believe in a sky fairy and God doesn’t exist.
i have used this board when feeling fragile to ask for or if I can offer prayer and discuss things im not then in a frame of mind to deal with such comments. I do realise this is the internet and there is only so much MN can do.

shellyleppard · 02/01/2025 13:21

@hasanyoneseenmykeys thank you for the explanation. I hope it gets sorted soon

Original poster
hasanyoneseenmykeys · 02/01/2025 13:20

shellyleppard · 02/01/2025 12:57

Has anyone reported the problem to mnhq??? They are normally pretty good at taking fake posts down. Sorry you are having such a hard time with this. I'm not a religious person but I think everyone should be able to have their beliefs and not get harassed for it.
🙏🫂❤️

I think MNHQ have been a bit slow to react. The issue is that comment which would not be offensive on some boards are offensive on other boards. I think MNHQ are judging the comments simply on their merits without considering the context that someone has come into a space which was not created for them and where almost everyone in the space will disagree with them and likely be offended. Plus the fact that the actual issues people are posting about can't be addressed because of all the goady or offensive posts.

It's like the difference between standing on a street corner and shouting "Jesus isn't real", or walking into a church and shouting it. I really hope MNHQ can moderate these comments with that in mind.

OP posts:
NotOneOfTheInCrowd · 02/01/2025 13:02

I will preface this by saying that I am an atheist, :-) but, I think that the question needs to be asked of these people… what is it that they’re so afraid of that they feel the need to wade in on a specific discussion in order to derail it round to their point of view.

I mean if someone is that certain that there is no God, then surely that’s all that matters? What’s it to them if other people believe that there is?

shellyleppard · 02/01/2025 12:57

Has anyone reported the problem to mnhq??? They are normally pretty good at taking fake posts down. Sorry you are having such a hard time with this. I'm not a religious person but I think everyone should be able to have their beliefs and not get harassed for it.
🙏🫂❤️

AlteredStater · 02/01/2025 12:54

Yes I agree wholeheartedly with this. If people want to debate whether God/Jesus exists they can do it elsewhere, there's no need for that on the Christian board. It shouldn't feel like a battle zone, but it has done this morning.

Thegreatestoftheseislove · 02/01/2025 12:41

@hasanyoneseenmykeys I Completely agree too. I think I must have been composing my own request at the time you were posting 😀. I hope @MNHQ hear us. 🙏

OrlandoFurious · 02/01/2025 12:04

Completely agree, op. My understanding is that the Christian board was set up partly because every thread on Religion/Philosophy on which Christians discussed their faith would end up getting derailed by this sort of thing, so it’s a shame that the same thing is now happening on there. (Faod I’m not saying people shouldn’t debate the existence of God or criticise Christianity or any other faith, only that it makes the board unworkable if it’s almost every thread).