Skip to main content
PBS logo
 
 

Discussion Forums - Questions about PaperBackSwap Questions about PaperBackSwap

Topic: Forum question - Christian vs Religion

Club rule - Please, if you cannot be courteous and respectful, do not post in this forum.
  Unlock Forum posting with Annual Membership.
Generic Profile avatar
Standard Member medalFriend of PBS-Silver medal
Subject: Forum question - Christian vs Religion
Date Posted: 5/14/2008 1:58 PM ET
Member Since: 5/10/2005
Posts: 2,979
Back To Top

Why is there a Christian Book Recommendations and a Religion & Spirituality forum?

I just noticed this--I thought those were genre boards, and is Christian being seen as different than religion?  Last I knew it was a religion.  And why is it the only Recommendation board?

Just happened to notice the oddity today and was curious as to the reasoning.

 

(edited to make a clearer subject)



Last Edited on: 5/14/08 1:58 PM ET - Total times edited: 1
mahbaar avatar
Member of the Month medal
Date Posted: 5/14/2008 2:10 PM ET
Member Since: 1/8/2007
Posts: 8,139
Back To Top

Well, looking at the 4-to-1 ratio of posts in the Christian forum vs the Religion & Spirituality forum, my guess is that those who are not Christian would kind of naturally be drowned out on the forum if they were merged. Plus, there is a fairly large genre of Christian fiction that has become popular, so there may be enough there to warrant its own forum.

Pure speculation on my part. No actual knowledge is being shared here! LOL! :)

Generic Profile avatar
Member of the Month medalFriend of PBS-Silver medal
Date Posted: 5/14/2008 4:02 PM ET
Member Since: 8/9/2005
Posts: 20,024
Back To Top

Theres a thread about it down in the R&S forum if you care to go check it out. Its titled something like Do we need an athiest agnostic etc forum.

Generic Profile avatar
Date Posted: 5/14/2008 5:34 PM ET
Member Since: 1/7/2006
Posts: 110
Back To Top

Because there are other religions besides Christianity.

Generic Profile avatar
Sandra (dru) -
Friend of PBS-Gold medal
Date Posted: 5/14/2008 6:02 PM ET
Member Since: 1/20/2006
Posts: 508
Back To Top

There is a Judaism Book Recommendations also.

angelacisco avatar
Date Posted: 5/14/2008 6:17 PM ET
Member Since: 6/15/2006
Posts: 1,691
Back To Top

At my library we have a list of patrons who want to want to place all the new Christian Fiction and Christian Romances on hold for them as soon as they are ordered. 

As far as the romances are concerned, the Christian romances don't have the sex and / or language, graphic or implied, that many romances have.  I don't know if there is a market for something like Hindi romances or Ba'hai romances or Wiccan romances, for example.  There very well may be books that can be described in this way (I just don't know of any personally) but they may not be categorized in the same fashion because the genre may not be as popular.

Religion & Spirituality, in libraries, is usually reserved for non-fiction books.   Those books can range from topics like the use of animals in the Native American spiritual tradition to books about the Roman gods to meditation practices of Buddhist monks.   (These books might also fall under different categories as well.)

Here, I see the difference as fiction vs non-fiction.   

enraptured avatar
Friend of PBS-Silver medal
Date Posted: 5/16/2008 6:54 AM ET
Member Since: 5/5/2008
Posts: 515
Back To Top

I'm guessing it's probably because Christian books are a distinct genre, particularly Christian fiction. At my local bookstore, there's a Christian section and a Religion & Spirituality section; the two often have very different intended audiences.



Last Edited on: 5/16/08 6:54 AM ET - Total times edited: 1
monkfishy avatar
Date Posted: 5/17/2008 5:42 PM ET
Member Since: 8/9/2007
Posts: 5
Back To Top

I can definitely see how it could be useful to have a Religion & Spirituality forum that is separate from the Christian forum.  I have a number of books that I could post which are about religion, but are definitely not religious, much less Christian.  For example, I have The End of Faith, The God Delusion, and With God on Our Side: One Man's War Against an Evangelical Coup in America's Military.  Needless to say, none of the books I have on the topic of religion would be appropriate to list as Christian Book Recommendations.

Generic Profile avatar
Standard Member medalFriend of PBS-Silver medal
Date Posted: 5/17/2008 7:34 PM ET
Member Since: 5/10/2005
Posts: 2,979
Back To Top

It wasn't the R&S forum's existance that surprised me.  It was the other one, which seemed to me to be a subset of R&S.

But I suppose the sheer quantity of posts in CBR would be a good reason it was split off.   And that they are often considered different genres in bookstores.

Lots of good reasons--my curiousity is satisified. Thanks!