Help Requested *God Bless*

[quest4christ]

Hello, I am a Lutheran conducting an "online religion" project for my religion class at my local university.

The only way I am able to complete this project is if I have responses from people on online forums like yourselves. I also hope to get some personal answers through my research

If you would like to help me, please respond the questions I have created below. It would be phenomenal if you could answer all five of the questions, but even answering one of the questions would greatly help my research.

Thank you very much

[FONT=&quot]1. How, if at all, has participating in this forum changed the way you go about asking religious questions, having religious conversations, or interacting “religiously” with others in general while you are offline?
[/FONT]


[FONT=&quot]2. Do you feel a need to approach religious topics in real life
[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]conversations because you have this forum where you can instantly get responses from countless people?
[/FONT]


[FONT=&quot]3. This might be a difficult question to answer truthfully. Please PM me if you feel uncomfortable answering it in an open forum; your results will be kept confidential[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]: Do you feel that you act or present yourself in a different way in this online community compared to when you interact with people when you are offline? [/FONT]

[FONT=&quot]4. How has your offline life changed the way you act or present yourself on this website? [/FONT]

[FONT=&quot]5. Does this website contribute to the “compartmentalization” of religion for you? (the separation of various aspects of your life). In other words, does being a part of this website serve as your only religious outlet, or does it further facilitate the integration of religion in your day-to-day life? [/FONT]



[FONT=&quot]Have a blessed day!
[/FONT]

 

[AngelusSax]

1. How, if at all, has participating in this forum changed the way you go about asking religious questions, having religious conversations, or interacting “religiously” with others in general while you are offline?

I find I am more civil than I used to be, and more tolerant of others even in disagreement.

2. Do you feel a need to approach religious topics in real life

[FONT=&quot]conversations because you have this forum where you can instantly get responses from countless people? [/FONT]

I love talking religious topics in real life. The responses tend to be different than what is offered on here. For one, a bit more tame! Also, the voice inflexion one gets IRL greatly helps avoid misunderstandings.

3. This might be a difficult question to answer truthfully. Please PM me if you feel uncomfortable answering it in an open forum; your results will be kept confidential
[FONT=&quot]: Do you feel that you act or present yourself in a different way in this online community compared to when you interact with people when you are offline? [/FONT]

In a way, I guess I do. I'm a bit more open about my faults IRL than on here, as strangely enough, the people I know and have to see, I feel less judged by than by some (not all or even most or even half) of the people on here and other similar online forums.

4. How has your offline life changed the way you act or present yourself on this website?

It does help me remember that other people have offline lives that bad things sometimes happen in, so when arguments get overly heated on here, it may be someone is having a bad day, or week, or month, and it's just boiling over, so I try not to take things too personally... but I don't always succeed in my trying.

5. Does this website contribute to the “compartmentalization” of religion for you? (the separation of various aspects of your life). In other words, does being a part of this website serve as your only religious outlet, or does it further facilitate the integration of religion in your day-to-day life?

I have definitely gone the way of integration. I've learned more about my own beliefs, and therefore I can apply that knowledge to my day-to-day life.

Hope this helps!

 

[AngCath]

1. How, if at all, has participating in this forum changed the way you go about asking religious questions, having religious conversations, or interacting “religiously” with others in general while you are offline?

I do not think that my online forum participation has particularly changed the way I interact "religiously" with people in person. I would say that the chief way it has changed my interactions is that I have access to answers from Christians from different denominations and locations than where I am. I suppose, in short, it has provided some degree of increased context.

2. Do you feel a need to approach religious topics in real life conversations because you have this forum where you can instantly get responses from countless people?

I asked people religious questions before my membership here and continue to today. I have no sense that it has increased or decreased all that much.


3. This might be a difficult question to answer truthfully. Please PM me if you feel uncomfortable answering it in an open forum; your results will be kept confidential: Do you feel that you act or present yourself in a different way in this online community compared to when you interact with people when you are offline?

It is my hope that I present myself appropriate to this setting: polite, non-combative, and focused on sharing of information/fellowship. It is just as much my hope that I am polite and fellowship oriented in the real world as well. If anything, I think I am more sensitive to the rules of polite behavior on CF because on a forum it is difficult to detect tone and it is potentially easier to act brazenly while anonymous.

4. How has your offline life changed the way you act or present yourself on this website?

Not sure, honestly. I am a fairly private person all around and don't tend to talk much about my personal/family life with people I don't know well.

5. Does this website contribute to the “compartmentalization” of religion for you? (the separation of various aspects of your life). In other words, does being a part of this website serve as your only religious outlet, or does it further facilitate the integration of religion in your day-to-day life?

I don't believe so. I am also a blogger who writes almost exclusively on Christianity, part of a small group/book study with my church, on a church committee, and almost always reading a theological book. Again, these kinds of things were true before I joined CF just as now. CF has provided further context for these things in that I have learned the opinions and theological positions of Lutherans in other synods, Christian in other denominations, as well as Christians from other parts of this country and the world. Also, it is fun to get to know new people.

 

[doulos_tou_kuriou]

[FONT=&quot]1. How, if at all, has participating in this forum changed the way you go about asking religious questions, having religious conversations, or interacting “religiously” with others in general while you are offline?
[/FONT]


[FONT=&quot]2. Do you feel a need to approach religious topics in real life
[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]conversations because you have this forum where you can instantly get responses from countless people?
[/FONT]


[FONT=&quot]3. This might be a difficult question to answer truthfully. Please PM me if you feel uncomfortable answering it in an open forum; your results will be kept confidential[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]: Do you feel that you act or present yourself in a different way in this online community compared to when you interact with people when you are offline? [/FONT]

[FONT=&quot]4. How has your offline life changed the way you act or present yourself on this website? [/FONT]

[FONT=&quot]5. Does this website contribute to the “compartmentalization” of religion for you? (the separation of various aspects of your life). In other words, does being a part of this website serve as your only religious outlet, or does it further facilitate the integration of religion in your day-to-day life? [/FONT]



[FONT=&quot]Have a blessed day!
[/FONT]

Very interesting, I'd be interested in seeing the end results of your research. But on to your request:
1) 1. How, if at all, has participating in this forum changed the way you go about asking religious questions, having religious conversations, or interacting “religiously” with others in general while you are offline?

I have seen this forum as a great resource for my daily life. It has helped me through writing, discussing, elaborating theology found better ways to express it verbally. When a bunch of Lutherans get together and all give essentially the same answer to a single question for example, but say it in different ways, you can see the myriad of possible ways to describe something.
This forum has also reminded me of the importance of common ground, that is, typically here we discuss issues of faith in light of our confessions and scripture, and what a difference it makes to address the discussions this way rather than without a set common ground, I'm not sure if that has changed the way I actually discuss with others, or just reveals to me some of the issues in that I have faced in conversations outside of this forum where that ground is lost.

2. Do you feel a need to approach religious topics in real life conversations because you have this forum where you can instantly get responses from countless people?

I'm not sure if I get this question. Do you mean by "real life conversations" the ones I have in here with other real people (as opposed to approaching the topic say academically) or do you mean conversations with people in person, face-to-face? Once I get an answer I'll try to answer this one.

3. Do you feel that you act or present yourself in a different way in this online community compared to when you interact with people when you are offline?

Yes, I think I do a bit. For one, I think there is a different authority dynamic that happens inside the chat room. Which means while some come with more knowledge than others, everyone comes vested with the same authority.
I think it is easy to get more emotional even sometimes combatant with people's replies 1) because their responses are public for everyone to see, 2) with the lack of the non-verbals you essentially have to read a lot into the passion or purpose behind posts sometimes. However, you also have time to cool down, and give thoughtful responses, which also affects the way I present. So behind screen sometimes-I take things really different than some may imagine or intend, but on screen I also usually have time to create a thoughtful and more-let's just say Christian response.
The other difference is the veil of mystery. The realization of how little I know of the people here and how little they know of me. Some are more public than others about their lives, but the bottom line is there is still a greater shroud of who these people I share with are and I am sure who I am to them.

4. How has your offline life changed the way you act or present yourself on this website?
Greatly: first off, the demands of my offline life directly affect my investment in my online life. As one shifts so must the other. Second, issues that are huge for me offline I have a greater passion about discussing online. But simply put, as my faith develops and grows, as I do this daily walk of baptism-regularly dying to sin and rising to new life, that changes me, and I inevitably act and present myself differently here. Also I would note that when a topic is being addressed greatly in my offline life, I feel less of an inclination or desire to enter into it in my online life.

5. Does this website contribute to the “compartmentalization” of religion for you? (the separation of various aspects of your life). In other words, does being a part of this website serve as your only religious outlet, or does it further facilitate the integration of religion in your day-to-day life?

A little of both. I think sometimes I use this place as a place for my faith to retreat, refresh, and happen away from day-to-day life. But sometimes it also pushes me out into my day-to-day life. Helps me find clarity and focus, renew a passion and so forth for living. It's not an either or for me, but both and.

 

[quest4christ]

Thank you so so much for replying!

To anyone reading this message: even answering one of my questions would greatly help my research

Have a wonderful day!


Sincerely,

-q4c