Facebook user's argument with atheist(s) leads to Facebook ban for 24 hours; My thoughts on it
Given below are my comments on Facebook post, https://www.facebook.com/kpuvirajan/posts/10207571543440031, dated Feb. 15th 2016:
[Note FB stands for Facebook.]
[In response to post, "24 hr ban by FB just expired...lol!"]
I (Ravi S. Iyer) wrote:
24 hr ban by FB of what and/or on whom?
---
[In response to comment response, "FB banned me for 24 hrs bcause it deemed my comment when arguing with atheists offensive. ..."]
I wrote:
I see. Hmm. Well, I think the point about animals and impregnation would have been deemed offensive by Facebook moderator(s). .... Let me share my experience with arguments with Prof. Vasant Natarajan of Indian Institute of Science, who not only is an atheist but promotes it (at least was promoting it then) via articles published in The Hindu (a mainstream South Indian newspaper). Now, I found this guy, who is Ph.D. in Physics from MIT, USA, to have a superiority complex. I tried to be polite in my arguments with him but he got a research scholar working under him to respond to me, instead. And this guy (research scholar) called me a moron! I protested to Prof. Natarajan (all via emails). He said that he agreed with his research student!
I got very upset at that as I felt that Indian Institute of Science is funded by Indian tax payer money (including mine), and that this Professor was setting a very bad example by using the facilities of Indian Institute of Science to not only promote atheism via influencing young research scholars of his, but also either turning a blind eye to, or worse, encouraging, his research scholar student to refer to Indians who argue against him (Prof. Natarajan) as moron(s)!
I complained by email to the Director of Indian Institute of Science. I did not get a response. But I did note that future articles in The Hindu by Prof. Natarajan were not so aggressive about promoting atheism (in fact, I don't recall seeing other articles by him on atheism, after that).
The point is that many of these atheist debaters are smart and consider themselves to be intellectually superior to theists, who they view as people who need a "crutch" of belief in God to survive. They also know how far they can go with their insults. E.g. calling somebody a moron would not lead to Facebook banning somebody. Theists, especially people used to nice conversation, get upset and return back in kind but, as they may not know the exact line which moderators like Facebook moderators use to decide something as inappropriate, sometimes in their response they (theists) cross the moderator's line.
It took me awhile to figure out The Hindu website comments moderator's inappropriate boundary-line, as some of my comments in the comment exchange related to atheism that I had with others, in response to articles like those authored by Prof. Natarajan, would not get published!
This blog post of mine, Science Fanaticism and Anti-Religion Fanaticism displayed in Post Theistic Society Article, https://ravisiyer.blogspot.com/2013/09/science-fanaticism-and-anti-religion.html, dated Sept-Oct. 2013, has the link of Prof. Vasant Natarajan's The Hindu article calling for a "post-theistic" society, the rebuttals to it that were published a few days later in The Hindu (printed newspaper), and my comments on it. You may want to have a look at it.
All the best in your engagements with atheists. Do keep your cool though, brother. It is not worth getting all worked up with their stubborn and illogical arguements, and then getting banned on FB.
----
[I got a response, "Tqvm sir." Tqvm stands for Thank you very much.]
---
I wrote:
I must also add that some atheists or non-theists are very decent and polite persons, even if they are very passionate about their views (non-theist can be understood to clearly mean not a theist i.e. not a believer in God but not necessarily convinced/sure that there is no God; atheist can be understood as non-theist and/or as somebody who is convinced/sure that there is no God). I have had extended conversations on belief in God as well as religion with one such USA based scientist (non-theist), which benefited me, and I think also benefited him, as we understood each other's point of view better, without it putting any strain on our email friendship. In case you want to have a look at an example of this polite and beneficial conversation, here's a document titled, Conversation on 'secular parenting' & religion between USA scientist & Indian technologist, which originated out of an email conversation between the USA scientist and me, https://iami1.files.wordpress.com/2015/02/conversation-on-secular-parenting-and-religion-between-usa-scientist-and-indian-technologist2.pdf.
[Note FB stands for Facebook.]
[In response to post, "24 hr ban by FB just expired...lol!"]
I (Ravi S. Iyer) wrote:
24 hr ban by FB of what and/or on whom?
---
[In response to comment response, "FB banned me for 24 hrs bcause it deemed my comment when arguing with atheists offensive. ..."]
I wrote:
I see. Hmm. Well, I think the point about animals and impregnation would have been deemed offensive by Facebook moderator(s). .... Let me share my experience with arguments with Prof. Vasant Natarajan of Indian Institute of Science, who not only is an atheist but promotes it (at least was promoting it then) via articles published in The Hindu (a mainstream South Indian newspaper). Now, I found this guy, who is Ph.D. in Physics from MIT, USA, to have a superiority complex. I tried to be polite in my arguments with him but he got a research scholar working under him to respond to me, instead. And this guy (research scholar) called me a moron! I protested to Prof. Natarajan (all via emails). He said that he agreed with his research student!
I got very upset at that as I felt that Indian Institute of Science is funded by Indian tax payer money (including mine), and that this Professor was setting a very bad example by using the facilities of Indian Institute of Science to not only promote atheism via influencing young research scholars of his, but also either turning a blind eye to, or worse, encouraging, his research scholar student to refer to Indians who argue against him (Prof. Natarajan) as moron(s)!
I complained by email to the Director of Indian Institute of Science. I did not get a response. But I did note that future articles in The Hindu by Prof. Natarajan were not so aggressive about promoting atheism (in fact, I don't recall seeing other articles by him on atheism, after that).
The point is that many of these atheist debaters are smart and consider themselves to be intellectually superior to theists, who they view as people who need a "crutch" of belief in God to survive. They also know how far they can go with their insults. E.g. calling somebody a moron would not lead to Facebook banning somebody. Theists, especially people used to nice conversation, get upset and return back in kind but, as they may not know the exact line which moderators like Facebook moderators use to decide something as inappropriate, sometimes in their response they (theists) cross the moderator's line.
It took me awhile to figure out The Hindu website comments moderator's inappropriate boundary-line, as some of my comments in the comment exchange related to atheism that I had with others, in response to articles like those authored by Prof. Natarajan, would not get published!
This blog post of mine, Science Fanaticism and Anti-Religion Fanaticism displayed in Post Theistic Society Article, https://ravisiyer.blogspot.com/2013/09/science-fanaticism-and-anti-religion.html, dated Sept-Oct. 2013, has the link of Prof. Vasant Natarajan's The Hindu article calling for a "post-theistic" society, the rebuttals to it that were published a few days later in The Hindu (printed newspaper), and my comments on it. You may want to have a look at it.
All the best in your engagements with atheists. Do keep your cool though, brother. It is not worth getting all worked up with their stubborn and illogical arguements, and then getting banned on FB.
----
[I got a response, "Tqvm sir." Tqvm stands for Thank you very much.]
---
I wrote:
I must also add that some atheists or non-theists are very decent and polite persons, even if they are very passionate about their views (non-theist can be understood to clearly mean not a theist i.e. not a believer in God but not necessarily convinced/sure that there is no God; atheist can be understood as non-theist and/or as somebody who is convinced/sure that there is no God). I have had extended conversations on belief in God as well as religion with one such USA based scientist (non-theist), which benefited me, and I think also benefited him, as we understood each other's point of view better, without it putting any strain on our email friendship. In case you want to have a look at an example of this polite and beneficial conversation, here's a document titled, Conversation on 'secular parenting' & religion between USA scientist & Indian technologist, which originated out of an email conversation between the USA scientist and me, https://iami1.files.wordpress.com/2015/02/conversation-on-secular-parenting-and-religion-between-usa-scientist-and-indian-technologist2.pdf.
Comments
Post a Comment