EDIT: Thank you for your comments. Just to forestall any more of this type of misunderstanding, I am talking SPECIFICALLY about responses to other people's posts. NOT about what you post on your own page. All I'm asking is that you think before telling someone to turn to Jesus if you have no indication that the OP is Christian.
Hello all you lovely people. I have a request that I really, truly do not mean to offend with, but I mean it very sincerely. Please, before you comment on someone's post telling them to turn to God or Jesus, think about how the person will react. Do they mention belonging to a religion in their post? Are they clearly Christian or are they of a religion that has been historically persecuted by Christians? You might be telling a Jewish person to turn to Jesus, the figure Jews have been accused for centuries of killing,
You don't necessarily know someone's spiritual history. Some people have encountered trauma in the church. Some people (like me) turned away from the church but will still have nightmares about hell for the rest of their lives. Some people, of course, will welcome your comment and that is wonderful. But you won't know that in advance.
Any Christian-leaning comments I've received were obviously well-intentioned and I appreciate the kindness. I just ask that you please consider that not everyone thinks like you and believes like you. I have no problem whatsoever with someone saying, "If you are spiritual, you can try praying." That at least acknowledges that I might not be.
And for the love of Gaia please do not take this as an invitation to proselytize. I know many extremely kind and good Christians including my parents, I was not traumatized by the church, I don't need to be convinced. It's just not for me.
Thank you.
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Purrsona
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I think this is a very respectful request, so thank you! I for one will respect this.
I agree with you completely. Many members don't seem to be aware that this site is for everyone regardless of culture, religion, beliefs, or non believers. You can't assume that everyone is a believer or if they are follow your particular faith. Telling others to believe in god and he will help you can at best irritate, and at worst trigger them and I am sure no one wants to do that.
Thank you for this! I actually struggle with spiritual OCD, and people trying to get me to convert to a certain belief system when I post stuff about it is NOT what I need!
Yes I agree. HU and admin have said it's fine to say you are a believer and what helps you. It's not when it's urging others to believe saying that god or Allah etc. will save you if you believe, or telling you that only a belief in the Lord can help you. There's more about if you click on 'see all' on the pinned posts.
What you say is already widely known and long understood here. Occasionally posters crop up trying to use this forum to promote their own brand of religion (ie evangelising)and these are soon shown the door.
But be sure of one thing, Purrsona, spirituality and even religion are not taboo subjects here and if someone has found belief in God helpful to their respite or recovery from anxiety disorder they are perfectly free by the rules of this forum to mention it.
The mention of the G word is not banned here and if people find it a trigger word then they must learn to be more tolerant and just scroll past such posts.
I am not trying to get anyone banned. I mentioned this as a request. I am asking for you to be considerate of other people's beliefs when you reply to them. If you find spirituality helpful, you're free to mention it. But I've seen plenty of posts where someone responded to a non-religious issue with a long Christian screed. That is honestly quite rude.
Sadly christianity makes it's way into everything especially as of late in America. This country's main founding fathers George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, John Adams, Thomas Paine and Ben Franklin were not Christians and went out of their way to keep god out of the constitution. The main pillars that this country was built on were taken from the philosophies of Thomas Paine, who was anti-Christian. When on his deathbed he always made sure to have a friend around to ensure that someone could confirm that he did not become a Christian before his death. So many people were making up lies about him converting to christianity before the end. They did the same to George Washington. Anyways, nowadays it seems you have to be a Christian in order to run for president. It's scary. Church and state are seperate for very good reasons. Rant over lol
I totally agree, but I respect people's rights to believe what they believe. Some Christians in particular seem to get offended by other people not sharing their beliefs, is all.
???? I am not talking about your posts. I am talking in general about people responding to other people's posts, including mine. I don't think I've ever read anything you've written apart from these comments. I'm asking for common courtesy. If you're offended by this thread, you don't have to read it.
It’s all mumbo jumbo but good for people to have faith in stuff if they find comfort from it I get that ......some people think it’s good luck to be shat on by a seagull but personally I don’t think it is .....each to there own ....live and let live ....🙏
Hey if faith helps you get through another day because you have nothing else then I'm all for it. But hopefully once you get real medical help your mind will clear up and look at things with more reasoning. That's just my own personal thoughts. No need to crucify me.
God bless everyone I’m going to bed ....hail forum I love everyone your all beautiful people goodnight 😂
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I'm curious as to what this is supposed to mean? This happened because someone disagrees with her logic?
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No I was just saying everybody gets all excited in these types of conversations. It wasnt directed at anybody.
I'm not an athiest. I just dont waste my time or energy on things that dont exist. God has been nothing but a roadblock for me and my healing process. Yes it was just a rant. I already agree with Purrsonas post I was just adding some of my frustration into the conversation to see if anyone wanted to talk about it.
I presume that you're talking to Minecraft, but I'm happy to answer for my own part. Becoming an atheist was a huge breakthrough in my mental health. I spent years unable to reconcile what I observed about the world with what I was taught, I was terrified that my Jewish family members and atheist and Hindu friends would go to hell, I was scared of hell and quite possibly even more put off by the idea of heaven (who wants to live forever? I don't), I didn't understand how a benevolent deity could possibly consign a weak mortal to an afterlife of torment that lasted literally forever.
When I just let go of all that, I felt so much better. Now I have great friends of all different religions, or none and I don't feel duty-bound to convert them. I can try to help other people who've had traumatic experiences with homophobic churches. I don't have people constantly telling me I have to submit wholly to some kind of male-presenting creator god. I am about 1000% happier.
Religion was hijacked many centuries ago by those in power to control the people. Do what your bishop/prince/ruler says or you'll go to hell. But as you've reasoned, how could a God of forgiveness and mercy send offenders to the eternal agony of the flames. There is no hell or if there is we're already living in it.
The same is true of the holy books that have been rewritten and respun to serve the purposes of rulers and prelates again and again.
As Jesus said recently to one of those people who return from near death experiences: "You have your Bible but it is not completely correct. And it is not complete. But it is what you have and you must make what you will of it."
Religion has much to answer for, not least the sexual abuse and the psychiatric trauma this has caused the victims. But all this is the fault of humans - not of God or Jesus or Mohammed.
The purpose of life is the evolution to higher forms. Not only biologically as Darwin described but in our spirit what religious people call the soul. We arrive with a certain set of faults and virtues, our task is to maximise the virtues and minimise the faults before we pass on. Unfortunately we mainly learn lessons through hardship hence anxiety disorder. Then we move on to repeat the process. We have passed this way before, we will pass this way again. Do not let anything I have said here influence you in your decision to be an atheist, I would not want that. But you described how religion has been a negative influence in your life and I responded to that.
I had better shut up before I can be accused of evangelism or have Minecraft calling me the know it all of the forum again.
And no, I am not offended by people speaking about God. I am offended by people telling me to turn to God. Please re-read my post if you don't believe me. No further comment on my part.
Sharing ones beliefs is not conversion. Just so you're aware. Not once in the fifteen profiles I've had, had someone ever tried to convert me. I've never been asked to say a prayer or have my soul saved from eternal damnation. So I don't know who you're specifically speaking on, but either way, I haven't seen anyone being converted on here.
An in their defense, did it ever cross your mind that maybe God had helped them, and they just wanted to share that with you? Not everyone is out to shove God in your face, some people on here have strong beliefs, yes, but they also could be, in their own way, trying to help. I'm sure people don't wake up in the morning, pour their cup of coffee, then sit down at the computer and go ahhhhhh what a beautiful day, now let me find some atheists to push my beliefs on..
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