I asked a month ago, about getting serious answers on serious questions and my first two answers were very silly and funny, I changed the question to fit the silly answers. Anonymous did have a valid point, why do we regulars answer 99.99% question with silly, off the wall, nonsense, no sense answers? Also, people newcomers will ask Bible questions and questions about their beliefs or how to become a Christian and so forth and get a bunch of very very long anti-GOD sermons all which has nothing to do with their questions? What's up with us, including myself now giving nearly all silly answers to any questions? When I first came you could get 99.99% answers to serious questions. 

Got me some people get serious about religion

I do not answer religious or political questions at all. But if a serious question is asked, most all of the time I will answer it to the best of my knowledge and as serious as I can. Nonsense questions generally get nonsense or comic answers When you delve into religion and politics ? Any answer is fair game. All people believe in different things and you will get many different answers. I try my best to delete nonsense questions before they are answered but I'm not here 24 hours a day. I see many good answers here and some very serious and knowledgeable ones also. I think you're hitting it a little hard here as there are so many different types of people from all over who will answer what they believe is the truth.

Because after years of answering questions ... Some of us have come to the conclusion that there ARE such things as "stupid questions".  So we will give them stupid (or funny) answers.

But I still see the vast majority of answers being serious.

Nor do I see many "anti-god sermons".  If somebody asks a question about religion and "what to believe" then the answers are naturally going to include some from people who do not believe in a deity.  That is a valid answer.  It is also valid to include WHY that person thinks it's a valid choice.  >  Maybe the problem has more to do with those who tell someone what to believe, but don't provide reasons why outside of their own religious texts.

If there is a serious answer to give, I will usually try to give it.

I avoid religious and political questions, generally speaking, since they will always be a matter of personal belief, rather than reason.

If someone asks a silly question, or a question that has "make a joke out of this" written all over it, it's just possible that my "less than serious side" will jump in and say something.

<serious>And to be serious for once. We used to get questions on history, maths, computer software engineering, astronomy, chemistry, evolution at one time, and such questions probably made up a high percentage of what appeared in here.

Of course, we also got a lot of Justin Bieber questions too, and we even had an informal award (The Ray Ottewell Award) for those questions that started with "Ok so there's this guy/girl...."

I think the answers these days probably reflect the questions, and the age and background of the main contributors.

I'm not suggesting that things were better or worse in the past (although things could be VERY bad-tempered in the past).

</serious>

Like most I try an avoid political and religious issues here. They are the two most volatile issues in my opinion. I don't think I have ever seen a thread pertaining to one of those subjects ever reach a conclusion. Unfortunately this site is not the most ideal site to discuss or enage others on those subjects. There are sites out there that are specifically geared for such debates and discussions. Most of us here try and help those seeking answers to the world's woes. But we also like to take the edge off. We know for the most part who we can kid and who we shouldn't. But a newbie is just that, a newbie. Perhaps we should give them a warning that their feelings may be hurt in the beginning till they get to know us all. Oh well that is my rant for today. I am off to do great and wonderous things.

Dear JNicka,

I don't really have an answer; I have only been on the site regularly since June so have not seen a lot of the history here.

But I will think about your question...Blurt is a remarkable online community and I would do what I can to help make it even better.

I try to give serious answers to serious questions. And even though the answer is serious, sometimes a little levity will bring something that seems huge to someone into prospective.

I try to answer with compassion on the religious ones. Political ones, I am more cautious about answering.

Some questions though, may try to sound serious, but have a certain odor of troll to them. Those will get the answer they deserve.

I Think I'm still "relatively" new here, but from what I've observed most users have a friendly relationship and many are here to have a good time. This atmosphere has led the questions with a fun theme to have many answers and serious questions to have few,if any.

I'm not saying there is anything wrong with this,because every website functions in its own way.

As for the second part of the question,people have different religious views,we can all agree to disagree, I've seen people make negative comments about specific religions when the question was about something else, but it doesn't matter everyone are entitled to say what they think and it would be great if everyone uses this friendly environment to learn even more,

One of my friends once said that "watching Didge trying to be serious is like watching a dog trying to stand on its hind legs". It just ain't natural, Jan.

All of us come on here to have fun and to pass some time with good friends -- and that friendship is very real, even though we may be only cyber friends. So, naturally, humour gets a very high priority.

When a question needs a serious answer I try to provide one but, once again, the dog is trying to stand on its hind legs.

Blurtit is a community that enjoys humor. 

Occasionally we post humorous answers to questions for the sake of other long-time members.  Expect to find it here at any time. 

Fortunately you will most likely also get advice that you can use.   

From Wikipedia:

"Humour (or humor in American English) is the tendency of particular cognitive experiences to provoke laughter and provide amusement.

People of all ages and cultures respond to humour. Most people are able to experience humour—be amused, smile or laugh at something funny—and thus are considered to have a sense of humour. The hypothetical person lacking a sense of humour would likely find the behaviour inducing it to be inexplicable, strange, or even irrational. Though ultimately decided by personal taste, the extent to which a person finds something humorous depends on a host of variables, including geographical location, culture, maturity, level of education, intelligence and context."

I tend to answer seriously about questions that are relative to my field or are things in life I have direct experience with (lately that would be colleges).

I do tend to rant on religious topics, because I am a bit "Too passionate" when it comes to that. I will try to label them as "my opinion" either at the beginning or the end. I am still working on my Delivery and I do feel that EVERYONE has a right to contribute to answering a question in as much as I feel EVERYONE's right to their opinion is observed. Lately I have been trying to stay within my thread or at least a follower's thread that I feel they may be getting "Ganged Up" on . . . It is difficult for me, but I am trying.

While there may be others for whom the following applies, and those who have made similar points already, I only speak for myself here:

I make a point of seeking out the serious questions, the larger philosophical questions. I, for one, welcome them and wish there were more of them. I defy anyone to show where I've failed to address serious questions in a serious manner. I won't address "anonymous" posts, poor grammar, or outright nonsense at all. Some levity is useful (and desirable), as Tom wisely noted, because people respond positively to humor, but on the whole, I take exception to this claim.  

When we have questions of religion, the same rules should apply as any other question: answer as you feel is appropriate. Most such questions you'll find are seeking an opinion, anyway. I think it's incumbent upon anyone asking questions here to expect opinions that they might not like or expect; just as it is incumbent upon any who respond to be aware that challenges to those comments may arise. It's in our nature, and for good reason. I would point out that we didn't advance to this point intellectually as a species because everyone always agreed with each other. Nor could we.

I fully concur some decorum should be observed, a subjective state at best, but let's not stifle passion in the name of some dubious ideal of PC. I've found we can trust the judgment of our esteemed moderators. We're all adults here, if there is "something on" that isn't our cup of tea, we are free to change the channel.