I appreciate RK's work on developing our NPOV policy concerning historical context for articles such as ones on religion. For what it is worth, I think we can explain it in a simpler and more direct way. 1) NPOV often means multiple points of view. This means providing not only the points of view of different groups today, but different groups in the past. 2) Wikipedia is an encyclopedia. One important task for articles is to explain things. In the case of human beliefs and practices, explanation encompasses not only what motivates individuals who hold these beliefs and practices, but an account of how such beliefs and practices came to be and took shape.
Steve
Steven L. Rubenstein Associate Professor Department of Sociology and Anthropology Bentley Annex Ohio University Athens, Ohio 45701
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