Not quoting 3-4 peoples posts but just recapping and making a point:
By the nature of politics and religion, the opinions are inherently forced onto others, which is in itself a large part of the problem. And also correctly stated, nothing good ever seems to come out of it, and almost always the results are VERY negative. Any polarizing topics will do that. I consider religion a personal topic, just like the brand of tampons some of you *****es use...we all know you stuff your hole, but we don't want to see/hear about it. Most religions advocate prostituting themselves onto others...to get recruits. Just like politics.
I personally find it very annoying and would choose not to see it in the forum, but I "let it go" for a variety of reasons, and am content with how the forum is handled. I'm not a fan of purely banning topics (yes it can be stimulating, fun, informative, but must be tightly controlled or it takes a life of it's own), and I absolutely abhor deletions (with some extreme exceptions or clearly and prominently displayed and easily understood rules of engagement).
Let peeps spew some crap, <perhaps> but absolutely keep it out of the main forums.
And yes Iri "The Pimp" has a good sig.