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Debating Forum versus Discussion Forum

Discussion Forums:

Discussion forums generally consist of a group of people who all share
a common viewpoint or interest and are simply exchanging views on that
common viewpoint or interest. These forums tend to be benign places
where views are not challenged but simply accepted and discussed. They
are more of an exchange of knowledge amongst people who typically
share a lot of beliefs in common.

Some "debate" forums are actually discussion forums because they don't
challenge or deconstruct and applying the term "debate" to them is a
misnomer.

A Discussion Forum can be used for the purpose of proselytizing,
advocating for, or presenting a belief or viewpoint with no challenges
and just friendly discussion amongst people with similar or even
diverging worldviews but where there is a commonality of interest.

Debate Forums:

Debate forums generally consist of two or more groups with
diametrically opposing views.

A true Debate Forum will consist of threads where the OP states a
belief or position on a topic relevant to the Forum.

The members with opposing views will both challenge and deconstruct
the belief for the purposes of refuting it.

Various methods can be used to accomplish this but the most common
tends to be by deconstructing the argument in order to demonstrate
it's weaknesses and fallacies.

Those members with supporting views will defend by substantiating the
belief as well as refute the challenges and deconstructions by either
demonstrating their weaknesses and fallacies or through other methods.

A Debate Forum cannot be used for the purpose of proselytizing,
advocating for, or presenting a belief or viewpoint without the
expectation that everything said is up for challenge and
deconstruction and those doing the advocating are obligated to
substantiate and refute.

Of course, people can join a debate forum and only engage in
discussion but then they really shouldn't be surprised when their
presence, agenda, or motivations are questioned or when debators are
offended and insulted by their refusal to debate or often even to
discuss their position/beliefs/claims.

Particularly since basic logic would dictate that people who have no
interest in debating don't normally join debating forums, they join
discussion groups.

AvC Debate Forum - The "Teams".

While AvC is called Atheism versus Christianity, this name is
historical and the group has evolved to include those with any and all
religious beliefs, other supernatural beliefs, and atheists with a
variety of viewpoints from materialist to supernaturalist.

So, the teams can be roughly defined as follows:

Theist "Team": Anyone with a god belief of any kind, including those
who believe that they are a god (yes we have them).

Atheist "Team": Anyone without a god belief of any kind, most of whom
are materialists and/or naturalists but also includes dualists and
those who believe in ghosts and other supernatural entities that are
not gods (yes we have those too).

Which team you are member of is determined by your answer to the
question, Do you believe in the existence of god(s)?

Debate Types.

Note that there are two types of Debates: Formal (structured) and
Informal (unstructured).

Formal Debates have some or all of the following features:

1. Referees.
2. Time Limits.
3. Alternate between Teams with members taking turns.

These kinds of debates occur on our Back Up site.

http://groups.google.ca/group/atheism-v-christianity?hl=en

A Moderator must agree to manage the Debate.
The Debate (Formal Debate thread) is restricted to two members with
opposing views, both of whom have agreed to participate.
A Peanut Gallery thread is created to allow other members to comment
on the Formal Debate.

Time limits are not imposed but the Debate is structured otherwise.

Informal Debates do not have any formal structure and the onus is on
each participant to follow the standards and guidelines of
argumentation.
This is a reasonable expectation for mature adults who are voluntary
participants in a debating forum and where such things are implicit in
the nature of the forum even if not stated.

The Main Atheism vs Christianity site engages in Informal,
unstructured Debates.

Debating Fundamentals

Continue reading by clicking on the following link:

Click on http://groups.google.com/group/atheism-vs-christianity/web/argumentat...
- or copy & paste it into your browser's address bar if that doesn't
work.