Okay, this is the thread to post in if you have a suggestion for a debate that isn't already here.

Obviously, the Forbidden Forest is for the serious stuff, but we also have The Library to talk about the books and very shortly, we'll have a movie forum too, just as soon as we think up a suitably Potterized name for it

Whatever...totally up to you...this is your forum

I believe that in the Fobidden Forest, there could be either direct topics or an indirect topic. For example, the War in Iraq and Politics. There is a wide variety of nationalities on this website and many have different goverment types.

Personally, I believe that Thoughts on the War on Terrorism would be an interesting topic to get different points of views on. I have a lot of stuff that I haven't really been able to discuse with anyone, so theres an idea.

As for the Library, I think that many would like to talk about Snape, is he Good or Bad? Theres a lot of people that have different points of views on that and this place would be a very good place to have some discussion on that. And the things that you mentioned like the Horcurx's, ships...ect.

So this is Hogsmeade. Very nice.

I agree with secret that one of the first things to talk about in The Library would be which side Snape's on.

As for the forbidden forest, one of the more interesting subjects we used to have revolved around religion, but I think it would be most interesting if, instead of everyone saying what their religion is and why that's the right one (way too many sides in that debate), there was a debate about the existence of God or one discussing creationism, evolution, and intelligent design (it might be a great litmus test to see if people can discuss things civilly and rationally).

Another topic that interests me is free trade. People complain about jobs being exported to foreign countries--is there good reason to be worried about cheaper foreign labor?

I know that there are some topics that may get too heated no matter what, so, for that reason, I'll probably stay out of some debates, and I don't think it would be a bad idea if other people were able to judge themselves accurately--that is, if there's some topic you see yourself losing your cool over, it's probably best to stay out of it. These debates are for people to discuss some of the more interesting topics with a appropriate maturity.

Would the Forbidden Forest be like the regular forums where people can start their own topic? I think that maybe it should follow the same format as those where things are discussed in the books. Social, current events, economics, history, religion or things on those lines. I think thats a great idea...but maybe strict rules are needed...like people not disrespecting others...I dunno.

I love your suggestion of debating the movie adaptations traz! I know people have tons of views on that, so it should be extremely entertaining.

I also agree with the other topics suggested, though I have to say (and you'll all boo me for this by the sounds of it), but I really don't like the idea of any religious topic debates at all. I just don't see that any good could come of it because its such a fundementally flawed argument which ever side you're on. I don't like the idea of bringing the topic of religion back into the forums at all, on any level.

*pulls jacket over head in an effort to avoid rotton food flung from fellow VTMers*

Razz, I see your point. I guess a religion topic would be kind of hard to do. I see it as everyone having their own thoughts and beliefs and coming and posting them...then someone else would do the same which might be the opposite, as well as variations. How can one debate over whether they're right or wrong? So I hear you...

But everything else is debatable and maybe morally right. Where no one would want to change their religious views, people might be open to changing their views on politics, war, etc. Good call.

Ooh, some great ideas here!! The Official Trial of Severus Snape, I love that!! I'm definitely going to use that And yes, I think we need a good Horcrux debate thread too - and I loved the idea of a thread comparing Harry with other wizards in literature too - brilliant!! It's good to know that there's still a spirit of debate left about the ships too. I really pulled away from that whole thing after HBP and never wanted to hear about it again, but there does still seem to be a fairly considerable strength of opinion from the H/Hr's and they've been butting heads a lot with H/G and R/H's in veiled debate threads that have sprung up in the ships forum so I think that it would definitely do some good to have that official debate opened again. It should be easier to manage this time with restricted access to the Great Hall so hopefully all these books threads shouldn't give *quite* the same sort of trouble as the original debate threads did. Now, as for the Ginny debate... Get your fire-proofs on because man, is that girl ever gonna get a flaming from me

As for the Forbidden Forest topics, I do understand your feelings, Heather - I kind of feel the same way if I'm being honest. But that being said, I think that it is possible to talk about these things in a civilised way because Albus, QQS, Beethoven and I managed to have a pretty civilised debate about it a while ago. Granted, I did kind of throw my hands up in despair at one point, but no one took anything personally and we're still all mates As long as it's tightly monitored, and with that restricted access, I'm pretty confident that we can keep it under control. Rather than cutting off the debate for others who enjoy it, if someone does get out of hand, they'll simply by chucked out. I personally think that it does a lot of good to talk about these differences in opinion because it's the only way that we can *really* learn about other points of view which I think is extremely important if for nothing else than to force you to question your own beliefs and thoughts and open yourself more to other possibilities - certainly not to get defensive about your opinions. Sharing is the keyword, I think - not attacking and defending, you know?

I'm with Albus really - I think that broader topics like the existence of God, creationism, intelligent design etc have wider scopes than simply discussing religions and should, hopefully, encourage thought more than defensiveness. I like that idea

Like most people, I like the idea for the library and i think they could be pretty fun. But as for the forbidden forest, I have to agree with Razz, I don't think it would be wise for us to delve into the God and religious debates. However mayrue we are, the fact still remains that people tend feel strongly towards their religion, or lack there of, and some take a different view point of others based on what their religion is; I would rather not weaken friendships here just because of an unconcious feeling someone might have towards me based on religion or vice versa. Also there is a fundamental question of "why". We debate the things in Harry potter to see if we might be able to unravel the future of whats going to happen in the books and if nothing else become more familiar with the books. However, what practical purpose would we be serving by debating the existence of God? I don't know if just seems silly to me to bring in a discussion that could cause rifts between people just for the sake of debating it. Debating just for the sake of debating doesn't seem fun or practical to me

In other words, we have more to loose than we have to gain.

How about a crime and punishment debate?

There are loads of mentions in the HP books regarding laws and what happens if you break them, but none are discussed in any great length.

This has got to be a contentious topic to begin with, but relate it to the HP universe and see what ideas people come up with. Eg - Is Azkaban better than rehabilitation, can Obliviation be a punsihment, should the capital punishment deaths (dementor kiss) be public? Lots of opinions there I think.

Of course, it is relevant to how we are going to sentence Snape when we find him guilty (Sorry, could not resist that one).

Yaaaaaa! Now those are the kind of debates I think would be fun Bajab! They are assumably controvercial in the wizarding well as well as in the real world. Makes you think whether or not the still use the "execution chamber" we learned about in OoTP

I have to agree. Those are some brilliant suggestions, bajab. Any one of those would be just down-right fascinating to discuss. I think that would be an excellent direction to take some of the debates toward. And not just crime and punishment in the HP world either. Some truly interesting debates could easily stem from various facets of wizarding life in general, I think. Though of course, the crime and punishment ones would be the most controversial in a sense, and would have some very real correlations to "real life," whatever that is.

Bottom line, I just wanted to be the second to say what a great idea that was...

Oh and possible (if silly) suggestion for a Is Harry a Horcrux? debate... (feel free to make fun of me if this sounds stupid)... Harry and Voldemort: Soul-mates? Oh, and is it just me, or shouldn't the Ships debate be like The Shipwreck. Yeah, I know, I'm just all kinds of silly tonight.

I like all the ideas here, the only problem is, not a lot of people seem to come over here. We need to pull more people over here and get them in.

I like the idea of the Severus trial. That would be a good one. I also like the idea of discussin matters like the war and all that stuff because you can get views from different parts of the world, not just the few countries involved, like my smelly one. But I think we could do these, and do it in a civilised way. So my hopes are high.

I do think any new topics should only be started by the I.S. or a prefect or moderator. We do not need the Great Hall to get mucked up with ten is Harry a Horcrux threads or five more does anyone think Harry could be the last horcrux threads. On top of that, by running all new topics through the administration, it ensures that the topics are in line with the purpose of the great hall.

I have mixed feeling on the religion issues. I can see where we could have some very good debates on the various issues surrounding religion but those are the ones mostly likely to get out of hand. Almost all aspects of religion a person takes on faith. Without anything to back up your point of debate, it could get very nasty with people resorting to personal attacks. I will have to side with Heather here and say it is best to keep religion out of bounds. I could carry on a debate about religion and keep it civil but I am not confident the general membership of the hall will be able to.

I agree with Greg on both points here: the IS (and of course mods and prefects) should have the final authority on whether a topic is open for debate. They should be seen as the authority from the get-go, having to pass all ideas through them. Allowing anyone to post a topic for debate would get out of hand as some would have to be closed, it would get mucky to find the decent debates, yadda yadda yadda.

As far as religion, I think it's interesting to debate, but it's also hard to debate withough keeping personal attacks (even attacks on different religions are seen as personal attacks), and general conversion tactics. I know it's interesting to debate the "why" you belive what you believe, but I think that this would get a bit hairy.

I like the ideas as far as crime and punishment in real world and potter world. I like the trial of Snape . . . I'd be interested in seeing one on Snape/Lily (only because I ardently disagree), I think a debate involving other literary wizards would be good (Gandalf vs. Dumbledore, Voldemort VS. Sauron, Harry vs. who-ever-that-character-is-in-the-Paolini-books, Aslan (yeah, I know he's a talking lion) vs. Dumbledore, and even White Witch vs. Voldemort.

I think it might be interesting to debate the powerfulness/usefulness of certain spells (fidelus charm, priori incantatem, avada kedavra even) and potions (felix felicis, polyjuice).

Wow, even the question of whether religion even should be debated here is controversial. I figured I'd put in more of an official stance on that issue for myself, since everyone else is. I wouldn't be crestfallen if it were decided that it was not going to be discussed, but I also think that it is in the realm of possibility for that sort of topic to work. I think it would absolutly have to be watched especially closely to make sure that everyone who posts there stays within the rules and keeps from taking anything out of hand, but considering the way this whole thing is set up, I think it's do-able, just so long as the Inquisitorial Squad keeps on top of things well enough. Perhaps with any sort of religion thread, the rules should be especially emphasized to try to keep everyone and everything from blowing up.

But that's just what I think. Like I said: not gonna be terribly upset if it's decided not to do a religion topic of any sort either.

By the by, did I tell you how much I like the name "Dueling Club" for this? Wonderful. Now, I kinda want to have a midnight duel.

You guys are a wealth of ideas!

So we're looking at debating some of the moral issues of the somewhat 'primitive' society of the magic folk, along with the integrity of the confines of the wizarding world Jk has set up. Just brilliant! This is sounding like it going to be loads of fun!

I'm glad there are people who agree about the religious debate. Maybe we should compromise? I suggest we don't open a religious thread to begin with and give the forums a chance to get up and running for a while. Maybe then we can gage whether its a good idea or not. One of the things that bothers me is that, as people have said, religion is such a powerful subject that people will take things personally, and I'm not just refering to the debators, we have to keep in mind that the forum is open to view by everyone once its up and running. It just seems like we'd be way in over our heads with something like that. We are a Harry Potter site after all.

This kinda goes with the topic starting. I think that when someone enters the debate for the first time, they should state what side they're on. I have seen that most have done that anyway but just for those who jump in the water for the first time state what side they are on before going to their arguement.

I too believe that all topics should be started by Mod, prefects, I.S. members. If someone does have a topic idea, they can just send a PM to one of them.

I agree with the topics going through the IS, mods, or prefects. Hey, and get this...the debate of whether we should allow religion to be debated is being debated......who knew! You can already tell that theres going to be a lot of debating on that. But I don't get how one can debate religion...unless theres separate threads for each religion...or major religion by population...but then the ones left out would be upset...but thats why the IS, mods, and prefects are here

I'm saying this because a Christian might not have the same beliefs and/or rituals a Hindu might have. So it would turn into a thread where people might list their beliefs and others may or may not comment on them. Then it will repeat with the next guy/girl, until everyone has posted their beliefs...then what? Maybe I'm just thinking about this too hard or the wrong way

Oh well, I guess it's high time I jumped in here. In regards to the religion debate, I think we can simplify it somewhat. I do not think debating one religion agianst another is an idea that will be productive. I mean how can we? You will have people discussing their personal and profound theories on their very life and I don't see how that can lead to anything but arguments and ill will.

You will have person A say, "It is immoral to (fill in the blank here) because my selected Dogma says so." Well, the rebuttal will more than likely be, from person B, "I do not believe in your Dogma, so therefore it is not immoral on my end" and so on and so forth.

I think it would be interesting and more friendly, if we debated this topic from a different angle. Perhaps, what do we have in common? Or perhaps, debating a way for the world as a whole to learn to accept our differences. How can we really be a global community when their are so many different religions swirling around? That way, we can keep it a theoretical debate.

We could keep it vague and broad in nature to begin with. Then, we could expnd the debate to other ares. We wold all beable to join in and be afriad of what might happen if...

That's my suggestion.

For everyone who is afraid of debating "religion" because there are too many and people are too attached to their own religion, please see my original post. For your convenience, I'll quote it.

Well, I guess the main thing I take issue with is that a thread debating something as intense as the existence of God seems a bit inapropriate when you think about the fact that Harry Potter is a children's book and naturally there will be many children on the site who (as someone pointed out earlier) will be able to view the thread.

I think it would be better if the Forbidden forest debates atleast had some degree of relevence to the Harry Potter world, or could somehow be tied in. I can't remember who it was that had the idea of debating the death penelty in relation to what it is or who it is percieved in the Harry Potter world (or something to that effect), but I thought that was a really cool idea.

I guess after thinking about it for a few days I would be ok if some religious topics were to come in. The I.S. would need to carefully review any topic proposed that was religious in nature. I do not want to see any debate start up that pits one religion vs another. It will lead to nothing but trouble.

One religious topic I would like to see debated is very hot here in the US. Right now all across the US, local and state jurisdictions are debating whether to teach intelligent design along with the theory of evolution. A topic like that I think would create a very good debate and does have big effect on a large portion of VTM membership who are still in school.

Well, I haven't changed my opinion on the matter, but I see some of you are very keen on debating religious topics. I still think we're not really taking into account that there will be undoubtably thoughts and opinions expressed that are offensive to some, it comes with the territory. But I'll leave the final say to Louise as she's had far more experience with these forums than I. TBH, I wasn't really worried about the debators getting out of hand, as I've said, I just don't want some sort of backlash from parents or members. My points been made, so I'll wash my hands of this one and hope for the best possible outcome which ever the choice.

This is really interesting...a debate about what to debate about... Therein lies the very crux of the human condition...but before I get too philiosophical...

The religion debate...mmm...I have my concerns, I'll admit it. I've seen the way these things go before and I can completely see where Razz is coming from, and Nimbus (formerly Solorund) and all the others who worry about where this might lead.

However, this forum is meant to be a little above the regular arguments where, I hope, the debators will all respect each other enough to know where to draw the line. I agree with Sam that to debate about religions in general is pointless because everyone has their own viewpoints and it's never going to go anywhere.

What I think it much more debatable, and much more current and more global in nature, is the issue of intelligent design, creationism and science. That doesn't expressly touch on anyone's religion and comes more from an argument about the nature of God, how it conflicts or compliments science and so on. That's not necessarily going to lead to huge arguments. I personally wouldn't have looked at Morsmordre's thread which, let's just say had its ups and downs I'd have looked more at this one which was, I think, pretty good all in all. Until I became totally frustrated and ran for the hills with my skirt in my hands... At least I knew when it was time to take a step back though and that's what I would expect from anyone involved in any kind of debate like that - to know when it's time to step away for a while.

Anyway, the crux of the matter is this - I don't want to outlaw any threads in this area of the forums because that defeats its purpose. However, debates must also be reasonable - and simply debating 'religion' is not reasonable. With a particular topic in mind, like creationism, I think it's workable and I'm prepared to give it a go so long as the IS are willing to take care of it.

Other than that...what other topics did you guys want? I'll try and summarise then everyone can yay or nay...

Forbidden Forest
The War in Iraq/War on Terrorism (same topic or split?)
Free Trade
Crime and Punishment (How it differs between HP/real world?)

Library
The mysterious RAB
Literary wizards - best, worst, why...
Usefulness of spells/potions

Any others? Changes to the ones I've listed?

Could we have a British Politics debate, or is that to insular? On Harry Potter front, could we have a debate about which is the best book, provided that there is sensible and logical reasoning behind each point? I would also like to see a possible balloon debate taking place, although this might come across some potential difficulties, but it would be really really fun.

Also could we have a Film debate set up centreing around the Oscars and BAFTA results, which come in this evening!

Mmm...I'm not sure that we can really debate about which is the best book because they all have their relative merits and are all important in their own way. Having said that, I can see how some of the conversations could go...why Harry was so angry in OotP, what happened to Harry, Hermione and Ron's characters in HBP () and so on, so yes...I think it's workable. Anyone else for this?

Erm...balloon debate? You'll have to excuse my ignorance What's that exactly? I'm presuming it's nothing to do with the helium-filled kind....

We do need a film debating forum though, yes...I think that could be interesting. The only suggestion that I came up with though for the name was 'Muggle Studies', but I'm not fussed on using it because I've seen it on a few other sites too and I don't really want to pinch ideas. Anyone think of anything? As soon as I get some ideas for a name, I'll set the forum up...

Promises, promises...

It has been awhile since I've lurked in other HP sites, forgive me if another fansite uses the same Potterized title for a similar discussion. Perhaps the Astronomy Tower? Or what about the Three Broomsticks? I think both places sort of relate to movie discussion area; the astronomy tower is of course the highest point of the castle where wizards gaze in wonder at the stars. The three broomsticks because it is hub for the common magic person to talk about pop-culture and current events.
This is the definition I found for balloon debate, Louise:

Ooh, I like the one about Dark Magic. That could be very interesting. It sounds like "the restricted section." Too bad we wouldn't need a name for that.

My name is unoriginal as far as the films go . . .."Moving Pictures." Sigh, I know.

Though the balloon debate sounds fun, I think it might stir up harsh feelings . . . of course, if everyone knows what it's about and agrees that they won't be up set if they're thrown over . . .it could work. What would that particular one be about?

As far as the books; I don't know if I like the idea of debating which book is better. I can see discussing some elements within the books (and some that span through the books) kind of like what Louise mentioned . . . but as far as trying to defend which book is better than the others: It just doesn't seem within the spirit of VTM to me. (Now the films, on the other hand. . .)

I'd like to see some discussion on Dumbledore's character in the books. I know that there are a few different types of threads on him, but I think it'd be interesting to see if people view him as "harry's protector and mentor" or as "a manipulator of situations." Perhaps nobody cares that much about Dumbledore's motives . . .

wow! i like tuitus's idea of what is considered dark magic and what`s not..


but my idea for the forbidden forest, is the hot US debate topic.

ABORTION

i don`t know whether it`s something in other countries.. but it is here.

in what circumstances would it be right? wrong? why is it wrong for people to make a girl go through the birth if it`s her choice.. would it be better to be an adopted child, and live a confusing life, or to just be put out of a lot when you don`t know what`s going on.

that sort of thing.

Good idea phoenix.

What about an issue known as sustainable development? Its not hot, and probably not a lot of people know about it, what it is, how it affects everyone, etc.

I guess I'd have to tell what it is...the term sustainable development is meeting the resource needs of the present while not compromising the needs of the future.

-It could include peoples ideas to sustain ourselves
-global warming
-recycling materials and vacant lands
-what countries are doing for sustainabe development
-whats harmful to the environment

Basically to help spread the word on what it means and what the average person can do. I mean, scientists and environmental engineers, and others can have all their meetings they want on the current state of national and global environments, but if they just talk about it amongst themselves......then nothings gonna get done! It starts with us!

nice one! crsdba.

how`s about alternative systems of energy..

which ones are better? like wind or waves or nuclear! wow.. i`m just coming up with a lot of great ideas.. haha.

debate on politics..whooo.

I like x phoenix lament x idea of debating abortion. It's good topic, and it's very broad.

Here's my ideas:

Suicide/Euthanasia

Should people have the right to decide whether they want to live or die? I don't necessarily want the topic to focus on or the other, unless you want them to be separate discussion? Because I'm not simply interested in the right do of someone who is critically ill or no longer capable of taking care of themselves. But also, like teenage suicide. Whether or not it's morally right?

I'm asking about this because I know it was locked when people tried creating a thread on this in the other off topic area before. Could it be suitable for here?

Animal Rights/PETA

When does it go too far? Should animals have rights? What they should they be? What constitutes actual animal cruelty?

These are all of my suggestions for now.

Hello people!! Oooh my FIRST ever post in the Great Hall!! *jumps about excitedly*

Yes, I second the notion of having an Animal Rights discussion thread. It's a topic I've become recently quite passionate about I *was* gonna bring it up as a suggestion but looks like Midnight beat me to it hehehe.

I think the animal rights debate could definitely be good. I'm not sure how many people would actually be for cruel and tortureous treatment of domestic and commercial animals, but we could have a good discussion on it nonetheless. The abortion topic is also a semi-hot button issue in the US so I think that could make for a good debate if people mind their manners. So I say yes on both of those.

The film debate name? 'Elektricity?' (or however arrthur weasely says it ) I don't know, bit of a pants name. but i do agree, that a film debate..... oooh.... I love films...

The Sucide/euthinasia debate sounds like it could cause some great debates. But it might bring the worse out of people. I know there are some people of the forums who have depression, and may be suidcidal, so that might cause some problems. But as long as people keep their manners (which if you're here you already can ) it should be cool.

Animal rights is a good one. I think everyone agrees that animals should have rights, but there are limits that people set themselves. comsmetics, medicine, for clothing, or eating, or think that pets should be banned and let all animals run free. (I don't know any one personally who thinks this, or heard any one, but you never know) Could we also expand it so it talked about Zoos? whether they're cruel or good breeding programes?

the only idea i could think of for a debate was Sexism/dicrimination Do you think that man and woman are equal, do you have an experience of discrimination in work or school etc? Do you think it's ok to discriminate against certain people, thinking it may be dangerous for them or others in a certain work/learning place. Or what about 'Positive discrimintaion' do you think Affermative Action is discriminating etc...

Ok, I'll shut up now...

Hmm...abortion. Well, I won't say not to debate it, but I know that I won't be participating in that one. Both sides on that one have created insulting terms for the other side that get used so frequently that it would be hard not to let one slip thinking it was acceptable to use.

Discrimination/Affirmative Action/Racism would be interesting (I promise not to be intentionally inflammatory )

Animal rights might be a good one, though I might not participate in that one (sorry, Ash--I just don't think I have your passion on that). I guess I could add some perspective as someone with some affiliation with the pharmaceutical industry.

Albus I think you have touched on what I have been trying to work out on an abortion thread. If the topic is phrased Abortion Yes or No?, it will be very polarizing. We will end up with a thread that looks like the front of an abortion clinic. Both sides will just be shouting at each other and no debate will happen.

If an abortion thread is started it needs to be phrased to cover what I call the grey areas. This would cover topics like RU-486 and the morning after pill, parental notification or consent for minors, spousal notifcation or consent, mid to late term abortions, various procedures like partial birth abortion, etc.... Most people I believe have a very strong belief on abortion and is not likely to be swayed in a straight yes or no debate but I think there is enough other issues surrounding abortion than we could have a good debate.

This topic above all others will be the one most likely to have problems. I would like to see some input from Louise and some of the other moderators who have alot more experience than me.

I like the idea of debating animal cruelty, I'm all for it! Just kidding animal lovers. A debate topic covering animals and their rights in society would be good. We could also bring in discussions of groups like PETA and do they hurt or help their cause. (For the record I think PETA's antics hurt their cause)

Animal rights might be a good one, though I might not participate in that one (sorry, Ash--I just don't think I have your passion on that).

LOL that's okay, Sam This world would be a very boring place if we all shared the same views and stuff, don't you reckon?! Just so you know, I'm not some rabid animal rights activist or anything (like I concur with gaburdette, PETA does go overboard in their antics). I just feel very strongly about the fur industry in particular, because I think that's just plain cruel and heartless Animals may be "just animals" but they have feelings too. As in, they can feel pain.

*ahem* Okay, I'd better stop there...save it for when the actual thread comes up hehee

Ooooh, racism and discrimination. I think that'd be a good one. I can certainly relate to that being a bit of a minority here in NZ

I do not think your topic of sustainable development is bad just a little narrow. I think a general topic of enviromental issues is a good idea and can cover sustainable development as well as the major eviromental topics. I think there would be enough there plus almost daily news stories to keep the topic hot. Also, I would get a chance to have a go at groups like ELF and Greenpeace.

Why don't you go ahead and write up an intro description and post the topic in the Forbidden Forest. I'll make sure I bring my chainsaw to level the Forbidden Forest while we debate the enviroment.

Now, what about Racism? Since discrimination is a form of racism it can be included in it. Abortion, as I said before, may need to be its own thread...separate from suicide and euthanasia. So three threads. What does everyone have to say about that?

And I agree, it may have a lot of problems....so we'll have to see what the mods think first.

How about "the magic lantern" for the film debate? Magic lanterns were the forerunners for projected image entertainment, and I like that it happens to contain the word "magic".

As for debate ideas...

Religion? Maybe it's true that religious debates are a recipe for flame wars, but religion is very much at the heart of many issues that are debatable here (abortion, terrorism, the banning of fantasy books, evolution versus intelligent design or versus Genesis, and so on).
One could wonder whether it is not religion so much that should be debated as the validity of the organisations that channel the human need for a spiritual life alonside the material one.

One thing though -- if a debate is too general, it will become bloated as more and more asides are sprouting into their own subdiscussion.

The difference between a discussion and a debate is that the latter works toward a conclusion in which one argument (or series of arguments) wins over a set of opposing arguments, and that at some time the debate is over. Now unless someone is prepared to play the role of arbiter and/or judge, it would be safer to call it a discussion rather than a debate ... (*ducks*)

Yes, you're probably right, Bumblebee - most of the threads in the Forbidden Forest are more discussions than debates really. Actually, almost all of the issues here are discussions...I think it's probably a lot safer to call them that Has less of a negative connotation, I guess.

Ooh, I don't know about the abortion thread. The last one got very heated and the arguments got kind of boring when you had the religious people on one side, saying it's murder etc and the people who've been affected by it getting very offended and angry for various reasons, then the arguments just got circular - you're going to hell for taking life, but what if it's a product of rape, it's still life, what about my rights, you don't have any rights - who speaks out for the babies, they're not babies they're bundles of cells....etc etc..... I'm not really sure if it's something that can be debated - it's a personal thing, but as usual, majority rules so if you guys really want it, then I guess we can see how it goes. Take a look at the old thread, see the types of things that came up and see how maybe you can build it. The old thread is here. I'll apologise in advance for my tetchiness in there, but honestly, you'd have to understand that I was just about ready to tear my hair out in there. Hopefully, the people in the Duelling Club are capable of being more civil to each other than some of the people were in there, so it's up to you guys

I've had a PM suggestion for a homosexuality/homophobia thread too, I don't know how everyone feels about that. Again, up to you.

About the racism thread - yes, I think that's a good idea A couple of people seem to want it, it's very relevant now so yeah, I don't see why not

Suicide and euthanasia...mmm....probably one of the slightly less inflammatory issues we could discuss. I don't really have any objections to that. The only thing I'd be worried about it someone being personally touched by it, but that's true of almost every discussion here so I don't think that's a cause to stop it if everyone really wants it. It should be an interesting discussion and they seemed to go okay when they were running on the main forums, so...yeah...we'll give it a shot and see how it goes.

Tuitus suggested a 'What could be considered Dark Magic' thread too - I kind of liked that idea. It could be linked in with real life too - for example, if someone came up with a curse like Sectumsempra, would it be considered Dark Magic if it was used in self defence...if someone owns a shotgun, is it okay to blast away at an intruder in your home or is any kind of violence not on, even in self defence, that kind of thing... a few people seemed to like that so I think we'll give that a go too.

BTW - I really like 'The Magic Lantern'!! I liked Tuitus' suggestion of 'The Three Broomsticks' too though...made me think of intellectual discussions taking place in some old pub in Oxford, around a fireplace with a nice pint of Guinness or a glass of JD... So which one we going with, guys?

Okay, Louise mentioned Guinness in a pub, so I'm sold on "The Three Broomsticks!" (Sorry, Bumblebee, I liked your idea up until the beer. Unless you're offering popcorn in "The Magic Lantern," ooh.) I do like thinking of it as an Oxford chat, too.

I can see the abortion issue getting circular, even amongst more civilized discussions. People are generally firm in their stance on that for one reason or another. I'm not sure if it would be worth the space.

Discrimination is big-but can we keep it in general (like including race, gender, gender-preferences all in the discrimination topic?) Unless it's already done and made! Then, well, nevermind!

Hello, all! I'm new, and thought I would introduce myself, add my two cents, etc. My name is Carmine, which, conveniently enough, is also my username. Since I'm in the suggestion thread, might I suggest that we have an introduction thread? That way, new members can post a little about themselves, and maybe a little bit of basic information, and learn about the people with whom they will be discussing/debating.

I'm tending towards staying out of the 'Forbidden Forest' thread, at least certain topics, where I know I'll probably have rather, er, forceful opinions. I would very much like to participate in a discrimination thread, though. (I agree with passerby that it should be kept in general, though perhaps if one topic was to get particularly involved, a separate thread could be made.) I'd also like to see an animal rights thread.

One Harry Potter-related topic I would love to discuss is Voldemort's psychology: What are some of the attributing factors that led him to become what he is? Was he born that way, or is he a product of his world?

I really like the idea of a "what constitutes Dark Magic" thread, too, as previously suggested.

Nice to meet you all!