Ship of Fools originally developed with the aim of helping Christians to be self-critical and honest about the failings of Christianity, the challenges of its practice and their own foolishness - believing honesty could only strengthen faith.

The Ship of Fools forums facilitate the discussion of theological, political and ethical issues through this lens - as well as supporting spaces for fellowship and play that strengthen the bonds of our community. The Ship of Fools community subsequently grew to embrace people regardless of belief who were interested in discussing everything under the sun on a site that developed from this Christian ethos. It has a strong emphasis on community and support as well as discussion, a practical outflowing of the Christian fellowship aspect of its original remit.

As a result, Ship of Fools has developed distinctive moderation policies over the years to further our legitimate interest of trying to avoid the common problems of religious discussion forums, where minority voices are easily drowned out or bullied. Our discussion forums are now a separate entity to the Ship of Fools Magazine that they grew from, but they remain a place for engaging and equitable discussion about matters of faith and community.

The Ship of Fools forums inherit the concept of Christian unrest from the original magazine. This remains an important part of our identity for many of us, and the multiplicity of understandings of unrest both reflect our own journeys and inform our discussions. It is part of what makes the Ship of Fools Forums unique, open to respectful discussion of views and opinions that might not be possible in other Christian venues. For those in positions of relative privilege and comfort in their faith, Christian unrest should be unsettling. For those in unprivileged and marginalised positions and finding the views of some Christians offensive, Christian unrest should provide a place of acceptance.

This discussion forum is operated by Frolicking Leviathan Ltd, under licence from the Ship of Fools Ltd, who own and run the Ship of Fools webzine.