For example:
Is praying for the wealth of the Stocks Exchange blasphemy?
Specifically names 'an American politician Perry'. This seems to detract from the question being asked.
For example:
Is praying for the wealth of the Stocks Exchange blasphemy?
Specifically names 'an American politician Perry'. This seems to detract from the question being asked.
Yes and no.
Yes, questions should avoid naming people in anything remotely resembling this context. It does not add to the quality or understanding of the question and is basically just provocative.
No, questions can name people when it is relevant to the scope of the question. Dead people are great candidates for this (Luther? Past popes? Famous people in history with an affect on Christianity) but currently living people (theologians, pastors, etc who have a specific relevance) could be named in order to improve the quality and scope of a question.
If it's relevant, include names.
If it's not, don't.
If the question is intended to attack or criticize an individual, it should not be allowed.
A current example: "Richard Dawkens. A bigot?"
Another example: "Why was Calvin such a horrible heretic?"
Clearly there's potential in that second example ("Were Calvin's doctrines considered heretical by the Roman Catholic Church?") but since the intent seems to be to attack or criticize, it should not be allowed.
The question you listed above also falls under this category.
Well, the question being asked is about a specific usage of religion in a political process. Removing 50% of the context renders the whole question meaningless.
How can you argue how the action is meant, if it can't be specified? How do people know what I'm talking about, if I don't give them information, to build their own opinion?
I can, of course, tell, what my impression was from a 3 minutes news broadcast, with 10 seconds of Mr. P. standing in a stadium, whith 30 000 persons in the audience. But then you would depend on my impression, and my information, and couldn't inform yourself independently.
And: Most or many of the visitors here are well educated people, which know although, even if I don't mention the name, whom I'm talking about, but some do not, and then, you would build a splitted community of those who know, and those who don't.
Which would be worse for the discussion, imho.
outing
wrong - I thought it meant to make something private public. Here was nothing private.
Sep 9, 2011 at 3:18