On 02/03/07, David Goodman dgoodmanny@gmail.com wrote:
I think readers will understand that an article about a particular religion will be primarily about the religion as seen in its own lights. If I am reading an article about a religion, and it says what the fate of the righteous will be, I know perfectly well that I am talking about what that religion thinks it will be.
Well, when I'm reading a Stargate article about Sokar the master of the universe, I too understand that it's just telling me what the show's story is about. However, that WikiProject is constantly dogged by having to state everything factually - "In episode 13, Sokar took over the universe - a plot arc unpopular with fans [1]." etc etc.
The point here is NPOV, and religions apply to NPOV most of all. "If the pilgrim dies before entering Mecca, their soul is sent into limbo, where Allah will judge them by the purity of their soul and their lifetime devotion to Islam and the words of Muhammad" is just simply NOT TRUE from the position of any religion other than Islam. This line is thus completely POV.
So what I'm saying is that any guideline articles about factual perspectives (relevent to writing about fiction) should also apply to religions, and should say so. Either that, or all articles (tv shows as well as religions) should be allowed to make do with disclaimer templates.