GG, thanks for bringing this to a new thread. It is worth discussing and we needed to let the other thread go back to its original topic. What KD said is what I have been hoping to convey also. It is because in this forum we are talking about deeply held feelings that we need to be so careful not to step on someone else's feelings. Cats are just what I choose as an example, of course.

Suppose someone posted about how much religion has meant in their life. Someone else comes along and feels they have been hurt by rigid religious teachings that they grew up having imposed on them by overly strict parents. The one who has been hurt should not post to the original poster about all the negative effects that religion has, but they could start their own thread and talk about their experiences. Both need to be supportive of each other, and not go into each others' threads and openly disagree with the others' beliefs and experiences. Back to the cat example, you could start a thread about your cat allergy, and I think it would be fine as long as you own that it is your allergy. It wouldn't be threatening to say "I never really saw the benefits of having cats, as my allergy keeps me from enjoying them." But it would be a problem if you said "Cats are really horrible animals that make people miserable." Everyone's experience is what it is. I guess what we really need is to own our experience and our feelings, while allowing others room for their own different experience. We would also expect the member who feels blessed by their religious experiences to respect the feelings of the one who was hurt, and not tell that person that they will be condemned for their unbelief, or anything else that invalidates that person's experience.

There is so much potential for hurt when we get into these subjects. There is also a lot of potential for good, and there is a need for a place to talk about spiritual matters, whether it is to request spiritual support, or to share light and blessings, or to ask questions when one isn't sure, or to discuss hurts and try to make sense of things. We all need to remember that not everyone feels the same, and not pick at or discount someone else's feelings or beliefs. Instead of saying "I disagree with your beliefs" we can keep our statements positive, start a new thread, and say 'My experience is ..." or "I believe this." I guess what it really comes down to is "I statements," that, and leaving a thread or a subject alone if what you think, feel, or believe would take away from it instead of adding to it.