"No preachiness" reminder for commenters

Ah, how soon they forget. Some preachy-prone commenters on this blog have been asking, "Dude, where's my comment?"

Unpublished, guy or gal. Guess you've forgotten my post of a few months ago about a new commenting policy.

Starting today, I'm going to be less accepting of publishing comments that include a lot of preachy religious dogma.

Some people have been using comments on my "churchless" posts as an opportunity to share their irrelevant (to the post) religious beliefs. 

They might make a passing brief reference to something I said in the post, then launch into a lengthy description of how great this-or-that religious belief system is.

From now on, I'd like those commenters to do the reverse: use your personal critical/logical thinking skills to make some cogent observations about the content of the post, with maybe a brief reference to their religious beliefs.

I mean, it's fine to say "I'm a Christian" or "I'm a follower of Sant Mat."

But this is a freaking churchless blog! I don't want to publish comments filled with Christian or Sant Mat dogma. There's plenty of other blogs and web sites where religious true believers can share that stuff.

For example, I just wrote about the mystery of existence. Comment away on this post if you want.

But say something about the freaking mystery of existence -- not something like, "God created everything" or "Just meditate at the eye center and you'll know."

I look upon blogging as much more of a conversation, than as a free speech forum. If a group of people is talking about some topic, it is discourteous and disruptive to burst into the conversation by saying something completely irrelevant.

Though this happens on the Internet all the time, I don't want it to happen here.

Sharing fresh, creative ideas is great. Just make them at least somewhat relevant to the topic at hand -- what's been written about in a blog post.

Comments

[x]

This is a good policy, Brian, and my preachiness detector is at your service to assist in its enforcement.

[schnitzel eater]

Priest Brian
And ministrant x.

..now x go bwoy and bake us some chapaties

[Brian Hines]

Hey, I'm no priest. Just a retired guy who has a couple of blogs, and likes to keep comment discussions on them productive.

You've got a weird idea of what being a "priest" is. Since I was Catholic for a while as a kid, I know the difference between a real priest and someone secular like me.

Maybe you think that anyone who has some rules is a "priest." If so, I guess you believe basketball and football referees are priests.

[schnitzel eater]

Or your IQ cannot process any joke anymore..but yeah in your case I am all that what you said.

[preachiness detector xyz]

"Just a retired guy who has a couple of blogs, and likes to keep comment discussions on them productive"

nah you failed satsangi who likes to preach

[Brian Hines]

Thanks. I love compliments. Appreciate your support of me and this blog.

[777]

Deleting comments , , , , next use the ideas in new posts
That's called a plagiarist

777

[Appreciative Reader]

my preachiness detector is at your service to assist in its enforcement

Why?

[Appreciative Reader]

Okay, perhaps that single-word comment/question of mine looks brusque as well as somewhat rude. I don’t mean it as a put-down, at all, nor a challenge or anything like that. I’m actually curious. I’d love to know your answer, if you’d care to talk about it.

Why do you think that is a worthwhile way for you to spend your time?

Again, I’m passing no value judgment here. Your time is yours, to do with as you please. I’m just asking for your honest and considered answer, is all. If you wouldn’t mind a spot of introspection, and wouldn’t mind sharing this with us here.

I’ve come across many atheists (come across them online, I mean : none of my real-world atheist friends and acquaintances are anywhere near as outspoken or combative when talking to people who don’t share their non-beliefs) who are very sure that there is nothing in all this supernatural/supranormal/paranormal business (or at least, so little possibility of there being anything as to make, in practice, no real difference). And yet they often spend a great deal of time and energy reading about, discussing and debating this topic. A topic that is, to them, a barren dead end (or so they say).

As (apparent) representative on here of such folk, x : Why do you think that is?