is it okay to make references to spiritual things (e.g. talk about prayer, psychics, God, reiki, etc.) in forums other than the sanctuary for spiritual support? it was my understanding by the posts in other forums that this was allowed when they pertain to the topic being discussed, but then on a recent thread in the general forum discussing religious/political talk it was said this isn't even allowed. i wanted to find out from a moderator or docjohn if spiritual talk (not religious) is allowed when it is pertinent to a thread topic in another forum. if this isn't allowed i am more than happy to comply with that and confine all spiritual talk to the sanctuary forum but i wanted clarification on the pc policy. i know many people do draw on their spirituality to enhance and help their psychological health. thanks!

[sabby]

Hey bloom3,

You may mention in other forums how the spiritual stuff has helped you, as long as it's not the main subject of your post. Mere mention of it is fine. Further discussion of spirituality should be in the Sanctuary

Thanks for asking...and please know that you are always welcome to pm a mod/admin anytime for help with anything! That's what we're here for


sabby

thanks so much sabby. you are always so helpful and kind.

[jessiepc]

Sigh. i suppose if people were unable not to fight about it, making it a forum violation to more than passingly mention spirtuality exccept in its own little ghetto may have been justified.

But. When people living with mental illness keep reporting in research studies 9as they keep doing0 that their spirituality is anywhere from helpful to the single thing they find most helpful in coping with their MI, a site like this one might as well ban mention of relationships. People quarrel endlessly about the details of those, too, but that doesn't stop them being key to hope and health, their omission from our lives dangerous and impoverishing and their absence from the discourse of those already struggling unthinkable.
Just wondering if the bathwater was so filthy that there was truly nothing for it but to toss the baby.... I used to work at beliefnet.com, and it took a bit of effort now and then to keep people civil; but the whole point of the site was to have people of different faiths bumping into each other, and the net effect was really quite benign -- more understanding, less ignorance-fueled suspicion, as the site founders had hoped.
And no, I don't have a habit of getting expelled my first day at school. This one just startled the heck out of me. (Well, also I have ADD. executive functions sleeping on watch again....)

[sabby]

Hi jessie,

I understand what you are saying, but, since PC is a mental health website and not a specific "beliefnet" kind of place, there is so much more that needs to have attention by the admin team than having to quell unrest all the time over religion/beliefs. We do have several social groups specifically for deeper discussion of religion/spirituality/beliefs that our members can join. This seems to have worked quite well for those members who wish to join with other like minded members in that realm. There are also weekly chats that are specific to discussion of religion and you will find them listed on the calendar of events.

Some time ago there was a very very difficult time on PC regarding religion discussion. It was so difficult that DocJohn had to make changes to bring the site and it's membership back on solid ground again. He did not do this without much thought and discussion with his team.

If you have further questions or concerns about this subject, a pm to DocJohn would give you the answers you are looking for.

Take good care!

sabby

[sundog]

Well said, Sabby!

[DocJohn]

I would just add, that's why we have a Spirituality forum in the first place -- to have a place to talk about how spirituality helps a person with their mental health issues.

We did have a more liberal policy at one time, but we ended up spending so much time moderating religious posts all over the forums -- because people got into arguments about religion where people hold strong beliefs -- it just didn't make sense to keep going down that road. There are dozens -- if not hundreds -- of other places online to talk about religion all day long.

We recognize the value of spirituality and religion in people's lives, but our focus really is on mental heath issues.

DocJohn