Well, I understand both sides. At other forums I visit, Religion threads get locked 99% of the time, not because they aren't allowed, but because 99% of the time, they DO turn into flame wars.
All of those subjects are touchy, and I do understand why they banned them, however, like you said it does take away from intelligent discussion. There truely is nothing like a good political discussion or anything else overly thought provoking on a message board.
However, though, while on PGC, I will respect those rules.
--penguincube