A couple questions about political discussions
PostPosted: Fri Nov 19, 2010 9:01 pm
So I have been wondering about something for a few months now and I'm posting it here with the hope that a mod or mods can answer these two questions for me. My first question is, since the reasons why theological discussions were outlawed are similar to the reasons political discussions are outlawed, why are we still not allowed to discuss politics? I understand that one of the reasons listed is that politics have nothing to do with CAA or Anime and obviously theology is not affected by this. However I have a hard time seeing this as the main reason why it's outlawed since there are plenty of other threads that have nothing to do with either of those topics that are allowed to be posted. The main reason to me seems to be its divisive nature and this is where I'm having some confusion. I know from studying Church History that theology has been as divisive and destructive (if not more so) then politics over topics that range from important to not so important. Even today, there is still destructive division within Church's over various theological issues including some which we have already discussed (the thread on the Garden of Eden being the biggest example). So if we can talk about something as divisive as theology and have done so in a civil manner, then why can't we talk about something as divisive as politics?
My second question is what should we do if a topic of theological discussion happens to be somewhat political. For instance, if I brought up something like Liberation Theology in any thread that comes close to the topic, I wouldn't just be asserting something theological but also something political since that entire system of thought is tied heavily to Marxist thought and is very political. I could see this being brought up as well if not by me then by somebody else since Liberation Theology has been very influential in recent history. In fact, you could say the recent push for social justice within many denominations comes from Liberation Theology. So, would discussing something like this constitute crossing the line into political discussion and if so does that mean we can't talk about it?
I should note that I'm not pushing for a change in any of CAA's rules, I'm just a little curious about these things and any answer would be appreciated.
My second question is what should we do if a topic of theological discussion happens to be somewhat political. For instance, if I brought up something like Liberation Theology in any thread that comes close to the topic, I wouldn't just be asserting something theological but also something political since that entire system of thought is tied heavily to Marxist thought and is very political. I could see this being brought up as well if not by me then by somebody else since Liberation Theology has been very influential in recent history. In fact, you could say the recent push for social justice within many denominations comes from Liberation Theology. So, would discussing something like this constitute crossing the line into political discussion and if so does that mean we can't talk about it?
I should note that I'm not pushing for a change in any of CAA's rules, I'm just a little curious about these things and any answer would be appreciated.