0

I really don't know if this question belongs on this meta or stack exchange meta or Area 51. Suggestions appreciated.

Anyways!

I know that we can't handle the truth and we don't give pastoral advice on Christianity.SE. It just doesn't fit the model of this site, and I understand that. But I wonder, where else on Stack Exchange can we discuss the things of Christianity that everyone wants to talk about but can't on Christianity.SE because our defined model?

Would this require a whole new SE site? A spin off of this one? Plenty of other sites seem to do just fine with subjective advice questions--the answer is voted based on its helpfulness to the user and answer quality.

Like these:

Do you guys see a problem with something like ChristianAdvice.SE or ChristianLiving.SE? Clearly there'd be initial overlap to take care of.

The reason I ask is because Christianity.SE's guidelines can be very frustrating. We close/hold some really, REALLY good questions (relating to truth, is X a sin, etc...) because they can't be answered definitively. And it's true, they can't--but where can we have a site where non-definitive but good questions about Christianity are welcomed?

1
  • 1
    Subjective questions are actually not out of the scope of this site. I think you've conflated two different issues. A certain subset of subjective questions can be dealt with here the same as they are anywhere on the SE network. There is a subset of subjective question types (which happen to be popular with Christians) with are not only off topic here but would be on any site on the network. And for good reason: they just don't produce constructive results in an QnA format.
    – Caleb
    Aug 28, 2014 at 17:51

2 Answers 2

Reset to default
5

Other users have tried "Christian Advice" sites and similar, but they never materialized. The history on this site is that we wanted to avoid arguments and drumming out the quieter voices of the less known Christian denominations with unorthodox views. See:

Christianity.SE vs. Survivor

On SE, I don't think there is a site were you can give any moral issue and expect a generic Christian response.

You can, however, always go to the chat rooms. Many of us are happy to discuss things there, but you should always be wary taking advice from strangers over the internet, for a number of self-evident reasons.

1
  • 2
    I had a thought that a "Life advice" might materialize, but you must also allow non-Christian questions and responses. A more general "Ethics" might materialize too, where questions can be framed "Christian Ethics." I would actually join and participate in that one.
    – user3961
    Aug 28, 2014 at 16:25
4

I don't believe there is any place within the SE network to ask these questions at the moment.

Some questions would naturally fit on other sites, but without a Christian flavor. Parenting, comes to mind as an obvious example.

Our official answer on advice questions has always been "Ask your pastor or a trusted Christian counselor." And I think that is good advice. That doesn't mean there couldn't be room for a SE site related to Christian advice of some sort (Christian counseling?).

As for "truth" questions, the best place to ask these questions depends on your goals. If your goal is simply to learn what your church teaches on an issue, ask your church in the context of a bible study, or consult with your pastor.

If you're interested in exploring new theological concepts in the vast world of theological concepts, then the best place is somewhere between a Bible study/discussion group, and publishing a theological dissertation for other theologians to discuss and rebut.

1
  • 1
    What if I just want a well supported and formulated answer regardless of the source? Isn't that what Stack Exchange is all about in the first place? A "wrong" yet well presented and supported answer is voted up and a "right" yet poorly supported answer is voted down. Isn't that how they do it on the other religious stack sites?
    – LCIII
    Aug 28, 2014 at 17:53

You must log in to answer this question.

Not the answer you're looking for? Browse other questions tagged .