I never have, and never will understand the people who avoid subjects because they might turn into debates.
How can ANYONE who really honestly believes anything want to avoid the subject just because it might get heated?
Don’t talk about religion or politics? Are you kidding me? Aren’t those a couple of the most important things in a person’s life?
I can see avoiding those subjects when you’re meeting a client for a business lunch, when you’re meeting someone’s parents for the first time, or with perfect strangers. But if you can’t bring yourself to discuss your religion with people you consider your friends then you must not care much about your religion, and if that’s the case, then why even bother claiming it in the first place?
This extends to so many areas of life…
If you disagree with someone on a particular subject, apparently the PC thing to do is to ignore it, because heaven forbid you have a disagreement, or a debate, or *gasp* an argument. But seriously, if the subject is very important to either one of you it’s either going to keep coming up, or it’s going to become a giant elephant standing in the corner.
Have a conversation, have an argument, have a freakin knock-down-drag-out fight if you need to… but don’t just avoid the subject. If it’s not that important, then you’ll have a discussion and you’ll decide to go on disagreeing. If it is important then you’ll have a discussion, maybe even an argument or a debate, and someone might actually learn something or change their mind in the process. If you disagree strongly enough, and it’s important enough to both of you that you actually get in a fight trying to discuss it, then chances are you’re not compatible anyway. Better to find out now than 5 years down the line, right?
Here here
While societal “rules” dictate that we don’t discuss religion in politics, I’ve always felt that the rule can be broken when talking with those with whom we express our other opinions. I know that I can discuss my political/religion views with close friends because they’ll listen and talk without getting heated and angry at me.
The sad truth is, most people are so passionate about these two subjects that the arguments turn into irrational and illogical ones and therefore commonly end in personal fights. The rule is there so that doesn’t happen. I personally enjoy debating about religion and politics. I feel very strongly about both and enjoy learning about others’ viewpoints on both.
m.kent