[WikiEN-l] cancelation of the deletion review of the satanism userbox

Thu Jun 1 13:41:47 UTC 2006

Peter Ansell wrote:
> On 6/1/06, Steve Summit <scs at eskimo.com> wrote:
>> ...On the one hand, I agree, all "I am a whatever-tian" boxes
>> should either stand together or fall together.  Personally,
>> I don't care if you proclaim yourself to be a Christian or a
>> Satanist or a Democrat or a Republican or a vegetarian or
>> a Martian or a pedophile or a Nazi...
>>
>> But.  On the other hand:
>>
>> If you honestly believe, in this society, that there is no
>> difference between saying "I am a Christian" and "I am a
>> Satanist", you are either being wilfully ignorant, or disruptive
>> to make a point.  And it's exactly this sort of wilfulness,
>> disruption, and point-making that gives rise to big problems
>> with those seemingly silly, unimportant userboxes.
>
> So we can promote things only if they are not divisive and
> inflammatory in American English Christian culture?

Did you even read any of my "On the one hand" paragraph?

> Because saying that you are a christian will be extremely
> inflammatory in some parts.

Indeed, and I apologize for my ill-advised use of the somewhat
vague and admittedly parochial term "this society".  (But on the
other hand, this *is* the mailing list for the English Wikipedia.)

> Your point of view is no better than any other point of view.
> Stop revealing your biases in such a tangible way.

Do please explain what my bias is here.

> Also, calling someone disruptive because they dont hold your point of
> view is poor form.

Oh, please.  I did not say it was disruptive because
MacGyverMagic doesn't hold my point of view.  I said it's
disruptive because it's a simple *fact*.  There are people who
will become upset if you wave the statement "I am a satanist"
in their face.  (But yes, yes, it's equally true that there are
people who will become upset if you wave the statement "I am a
Christian" in their face.)