And let me be very clear here -- spirituality discussions are most definitely allowed on the Spirituality forum.

Religious discussions are not allowed because when we allowed them, many of the moderators and admins spent a great deal of time trying to smooth over the hurt that was caused by some people who couldn't let others be with their own religious beliefs and felt they had to try and "convert" everyone to their belief systems. Sadly, not all religions are compatible with one another (especially when they suggest that non-believers in their particular religion need to be "converted" or otherwise suffer).

Being that we're primarily a mental health support site -- not a spiritual or religious support site -- we changed the guidelines to emphasize the spirituality component and de-emphasize the religious component. That doesn't mean you can't say, "Oh, I was raised as a Catholic but am now a Buddhist." It just means you can't have in-depth discussions about the pros and cons of the two religions.

As others have pointed out, however, we do have social groups that do not fall under this restriction, and so we have a few religiously-oriented social groups that anyone is welcomed to join and discuss religion until your heart's content. But we will not moderate any interpersonal differences that arise from such discussions, so you're on your own if you find someone who vehemently disagrees with your own religious beliefs.

DocJohn

PS - For the record, I've been accused of being a heathen, atheist, Christian-lover, satanist, and worse throughout the years because of the various religious arguments that have gone on here. I find it amusing that no matter what I say or do in this regard, nothing seems to be good enough or sufficient for some members here. Luckily, I've also received a lot of positive feedback for our policies in this regard, so I guess it all evens out in the end.