User talk:Atheistig: Difference between revisions

Direction of the Companions of the Cave article

Hi Atheistig. I've had a quick look at that page in your sandbox. Unfortunately, it wouldn't be an appropriate article for this website. As a resource for all critics, we try to keep our articles focused on Islam and avoid commentary on other religions and their beliefs (see here and here). Thanks. --Sahabah (talk) 19:40, 29 November 2013 (PST)

Hi Sahabah,

I think the article is on topic, as it's about The companions of the cave story. I am making some connections to Christianity, as the story originates there, but I didn't think there was much commentary about the Christianity beyond what I needed for connecting the story to its origins and some scholarship around the legendary developments of the story. At least nothing more than what was in the Alexander legend and the other "parallels to Christian and Jewish scripture" articles. I'm not quite done so there's a bit im thinking to edit out and some more to add in. What part did you think violated the "no critizing" other religions" rule? —The preceding unsigned comment was added by Atheistig (talk • contribs) on 07:56, 30 November 2013

Hi. The difference between this and the Alexander legend (as far as I can gather from reading what you wrote) is that there are some Christian sects that actually believe this, and the first draft that I read also seemed to be aimed at both Christians and Muslims. We are read and linked to by both theists and non-theists (e.g. Answering-Islam.org and RichardDawkins.net), so the tone and wording of articles like this one are important. I thought I'd jump in early so you don't waste any of your time, but feel free to continue if you think the final version will be okay. --Sahabah (talk) 17:31, 30 November 2013 (PST)

Got ya. There are literally thousands of these kind of martyrdom stories in Christianity. They wax and wane in popularity over the years. While a small number of Christians might object to this one being called a myth, it would have virtually no theological impact to them. However, because this same story is found in the Qur'an, it being mythical has major repercussions for them. I'll try and keep the wording as neutral as possible around Christianity, but I also want to be accurate. I get what wikiislam is trying to be sensitive to a diverse array of readers' beliefs. I think this one is pretty minor, especially compared to the site's stance on Evolution.

Okay. Thanks for your understanding. I just want to be clear that I'll still have to read through the final version to see if it's okay to keep. If I'm unsure about it after that, then I'll ask some of the other admins for their opinions.

Yeah, our stance on Evolution can be seen as a major issue for some religious people, but it's impersonal. None of the admin are theists and we're all from different parts of the globe, so expecting us to accept not only Creationism, but also their particular brand of Creationism (Christian, Hindu and so on), is unrealistic. Sticking to scientific facts is the most natural and unifying of the choices we have, and I think the reasonable ones among them do understand that and still feel comfortable in using us. When it comes to other more specific issues, it becomes more tricky. It could be taken as personal, and it could lead to us losing a chunk of our readers. Avoiding that is very important to us. Not because we want loads of page views (although that's always good), but because it would go against our goal of becoming an "indispensable resource for all critics."

Being a non-partisan resource is what sets us apart from other sites about Islam. Not only in religious beliefs or world-views, but also in politics. We've deleted and rejected a massive amount of material (some good and some bad) due to our policies, but I think in the end it's worth it. There is nothing more infuriating than when I'm expecting to read a piece on Islam, only to be bombarded by right-wing politics (I'm sure right-wingers will probably feel the exact same way when they visit some sites). So I suppose the idea of WikiIslam is to be a breath of fresh air from all that. A site about Islam that actually is about Islam.

I'm starting to ramble now, so I'll leave it at that. Please let me know if you have any questions or need help with anything. --Sahabah (talk) 11:27, 1 December 2013 (PST)

Hey Sahabah,

I've wrapped up the article on the Seven Sleepers in my Sandbox. I've tried to keep the language fairly neutral around Christianity while focusing more of the critical commentary toward Islamic interpretations of the story. I did some research around it's acceptance today in Christian circles and it seems some Eastern Orthodox Churches (mainly Greek Orthodox) still accept this story as genuine though Roman Catholic and Protestant Churches don't. Though, as I mentioned above, I think this is a very minor theological point and I've tried to caveat the language around the historicity section to be sensitive to that fact that some Christians might think it is historical. I can tweak the article a couple of different ways if you think any sections are objectionable. Take a look and let me know. Thanks!

--Atheistig (talk) 19:31, 2 December 2013 (PST)