[KathyM]

Sky

Please don't be upset. I wanted to post this to you before the thread was pulled. I tried to leave a PM, but couldn't do that either. I'm posting it out in the open because I feel bad that you took our words personally and became upset. We were just talking.

No one was criticizing God or the sacredness of the Bible. Coral was referring to the "book" aspect of the Bible. Do you only see and hear God in your book? No. He's everywhere. Better yet, God AND your Bible are in your heart. That is YOUR truth - which is infallible.

I'm sorry if my words upset you.

((((((((((Sky)))))))))

[Fuzzybear]

((((((((((( Sky ))))))))))

[SeptemberMorn]

[nowheretorun]

Sky

(((((((((sky)))))))))))))))

[(JD)]

I surely must tell you how much I have been strengthened by this thread here.

I have recently been told that I am meanspirited, and a bigot, and some other words that mean I'm arrogant and uncaring. I've reread all of my posts of the last 2 weeks and can't find anything that would lead people to assume that, much more tell me so. I am not angry or upset with them, and guess I have failed in my praying for them.

I am very appreciative of those who have taken the time to know me...and to realize that I want only good for all, and have often said that no one is better than another... we are all on paths, some of us ahead of others, but just like a 3rd grader is not less than a ninth grader, we are all at different levels in our lives.

[SeptemberMorn]

[coralproper]

(((( SKY )))) .... as you know in the past we had much communication, thru public forum and pm.......... think about it, remeber your slave comment in a thread, then you pm'd and said you wish I had the courage to respond ????? you were totaly wrong and were of base IMO go back and read it ...... or some of your other pm's to me, I am just forthright, I can take it ..... and dish it out ....but others may not have that strength

I have 2 little girls 3 and 5 and sometime it may look like I am on the forum since I don't disconnect .... but really I may have had to stop in the middle of typing to do something for or with them .... but you judged my level of courage within the hour ....... not only was I typing up a responce (but got side tracked) as well as was taking the time to reread the whole bible chapter before responding to see where you were coming from , but you were wrong about your comment IMO, as I pointed out in that thread (IMO)

I don't think you are mean spirited, but I think you need to lighten up a little on some of us, your methods IMO may be a little strong to some

you make alot of double standard type demands (in so many words) on how people should act or be and get very defencive when people don't follow the suit you feel they should,
IMO ...... please don't take this the wrong way but it is how I feel

We can build from here, I do see ALOT of good you do here as well, and you are VERY smart, I like that, but come on ..... we all have room for improvment ... and if more than one are saying the same thing maybe there is a LITTLE truth to it

I do like you ALOT ... so again please don't take this the wrong way, but feel like you have been very agressive in a almost attacking mode on me, though I can take it and actually welcome it, others may not take it as well ....but if you can't see it

God Bless

Kind Regards

Eddie

[coralproper]

BTW all, I never got to read a word of what was said in my deleted thread so am a little in the dark here

I see that the only people aloud to get support here are christans and those receptive to thinking and believing like them

heck, I consider myself christan, but know making that statement here opens the door for attack on my belief in that, since most probably wont consider my train of thought acceptable to standard christan veiws

[coralproper]

</font><blockquote><div id="quote"><font class="small">Quote:</font>
KathyM said:
Sky

No one was criticizing God or the sacredness of the Bible. Coral was referring to the "book" aspect of the Bible.

</div></font></blockquote><font class="post">

I was just looking for company (support) from the many I know visit here but are afraid to talk about how they feel ......... why is it ok for a "FEW" christains here to say that people that don't believe like them (in so many words) are wrong and dismiss their core belief systems or lack of them......... but its not ok for some to talk about the bible unless it follows to the (T) with a "few" who I feel think they have a monoply on this forum

edit to add this: that last question was not a question but a statment.....since I already KNOW

no one needs to point out how easily triggered a "FEW" are here again ......... I get it

but this is what is going on here IMO ....... people like me have to learn to walk on egg shells first, if we want support (company) in this forum

[nothemama8]

getting back on topic
Sky you are well known for your intelligence, you have a deep faith in your God, you are opinionated, these are all things that took time to evolve, this did not happen over night, heck if ya look at this it's a good share of us, you just got here first
I do not see the sideppl complain about because God, the Higher Spirit, etc. has given me an open-mind,

[coralproper]

sorry if I got off topic..... but to my suprise it seemed that the topic in some way had to do with me, ....... or atleast I had something to do with how this thread ended up here, as well

[nothemama8]

but isn't the true purpose of this forum, SUPPORT not finding hurtful faults, it seems IMHO some see a clique, there are NONE, just ppl who know each other abit longer

[coralproper]

as I told someone else....isn't that a double edged statement ........ why are only christians entitled to that support every time someone trys to talk about something a few dont like the thread gets locked or deleted due to a few christians uproars.... almost every time

believe you me, that was all very nice and constructive critisism (IMO support) compared to being told " I wish you had the courage to respond to my reply " ....... when I was in the middle of the reply

she said she did not see what was being said, I was just trying to help her remember a just 1, that I feel was valid ...you/she don't have to agree .... but I felt like the victim , once again I can take it though

I agree that she has FAR MORE good qualitys ...... but no one is perfect ...... and to JUDGE my level of courage was just a mistake (i think) ... that I forgave her for

since she has such a goood heart

[KathyM]

Coral is still on topic. It was his thread that was pulled and, like me, he didn't get a chance to explain himself. Worse yet, he didn't get to read those of us who responded to his thread with our input. He's obviously trying to made amends, and I think that's admirable.

I think the reason he might see a clique is because he never sees other Christians being told to take it elsewhere, stay on topic, or have their threads removed for being disruptive. It really stings when that happens.

[coralproper]

I actually feel victimized by the policy also, since what happens is contrary to what it says , IMO

though, I feel like they have the right to do with the site as they please, if I don't like it I don't have to be here

I want to be here though, so I am gonna just learn to accept what I feel are double standards ..... and move on ..... and have better cognizance of the those who are so easily triggered here

something about myself, I can work on

[nowheretorun]

corl, imo you are doing self work, identifying factors that for you, and possibly others, that are real and matter in your healing process..

imo, from i have seen, you have done the utmost to be balanced...

no one likes criticism it seems, but often, when we have the steegnth to do so, we can learn about ourselves and others and the world we live in...

imho, we have had our heads buried in sand too long and the price has been very high for all of us..

so, self examination (as you are doing) imo is very helpful to us all, and i for one, appreciate your self-honesty and sincere effort to express some very touchy and sensitive subjects...

i think it is correct, as others have stated, to always be supportive a t PC... it is challenging when frictions arise, and, again, imho, you are trying your best to help many here...

Sky is strong in her faith it appears to me... i do not wish to discuss her personality in public as she may not be present to defend herself... so, rather than naming names... what if we only examined issues?

this is not meant to 'correct' anyone ... only my two.... i pray this thread also will not be deleted... i need some healing personally, and i hoped this forum would contribute to that....

again, i oppose personal attacks, but, learning is a good thing for us all...

((((((((Sky)))))))

[coralproper]

I agree ... and I hope all I said is not taken the wrong way, I in no way mean to attack anyone , but was only responding as honestly and gently as I know how

Sky is tough (in a good way) and and I feel we have had enough communication/relationship, through forum and pm, that I would never want to hurt her feelings and actually look up to her " high intelligence " and dedication to her beliefs

[spiritual_emergency]

<blockquote>
coralproper: I see that the only people aloud to get support here are christans and those receptive to thinking and believing like them

heck, I consider myself christan, but know making that statement here opens the door for attack on my belief in that, since most probably wont consider my train of thought acceptable to standard christan veiws

... I was just looking for company (support) from the many I know visit here but are afraid to talk about how they feel .........

I recall when you first arrived on this site coralproper, that you noted you came from a background that was predominantly Christian. Within that environment, you'd often felt judged, condemned, and not heard. Part of the benefit in your arrival here seems to have been your exposure to others who did not judge and condemn you and allowed you the opportunity to begin sorting through some of your own thoughts about your relationship to Divinity. I can see where this would be very valuable to you. To draw a comparison...

I've also seen some people arrive here who had utterly terrible childhoods. In spite of the fact that mommies and daddies are supposed to be good people who love their children, they didn't get those kind of mommies and daddies. It is tremendously validating and healing for such individuals to connect with others who can identify with their experience and give them the space to explore it. Not all parents are loving parents even if we might all agree that they should be.

However, some people are very sensitive to that subject being openly discussed. It might trigger some sensitivity they have about their own parenting style or history -- they might take it personally and protest that the discussion is taking place at all. If that discussion is shut down however, what does it do to the individual who was learning, perhaps for the first time, that maybe they weren't horribly flawed, maybe they were going to be okay as a human being, that maybe the truth as it had been presented to them wasn't the truth at all?

No one can have our answers for us because no one else has our particular questions. We should all be free to discover our own relationship with truth as we define truth to be. We should all be free to seek out the company and support of others who can assist us in that process. And we should all remember that God does not need to be defended. When we speak on God's behalf, we are more often defending our own very human vulnerabilities and desires. Religion is a human construction; Divinity is not.

I would hope you can continue your explorations here coralproper, with those individuals you recognize as helpful and supportive to you. If you cannot however, you are still free to develop your own relationship to God, Higher Power, Divinity, Allah, the Absolute, the Tao, the All, the Creator, the Divine Architect or whatever other name fits best for you. No one can ever take that from you.

Best of luck to you in your journeys.

[salukigirl]

i felt that it was deleted because of an attack on me. everyone else was stating 'god is infallibe' and 'the bible has absolute truths'. I tried to state that all those were opinions and when you try to push opinion off as fact, thats dogma. just because whoever believes that god is infallibe, doesnt mean i have to. and the OP was about opinions. so i stated my opinion in sheer facts with no bashing or threatening etc... then was told i was flat out wrong for my opinion because it wasnt the opinion of the rest. someone can be dedicated to their beliefs and still have the deceny to not come right out and say "YOURE WRONG! GOD IS INFALLIBLE!". a simple "thats your opinion and i respect that" would have been sufficient. so saying that there is no judging here doesnt fly with me because there obviously is. if i was being respected, that never would have happened. i didnt sit there, picking out individuals and their opinions and why they were wrong. but mine was picked out and proded through like it was lower than everyone elses opinions.

in another forum i was in, i was actually kicked off for believing in evolution. someone asked a question and the answer had to do with evolution which they didn't like. (it was a pets forum so its not like it was supposed to be religious). and i was attacked and eventually kicked off for it. so this really irks me because it has happened before. and if i can sit back, watch people talk about things that seem totally alien to me, and never call them wrong - they should be able to do that also. it felt like i was arguing with my 13 year old niece.

im not trying to insult either, even though it will probably be taken that way. just trying to figure out the double standard. this forum is also about support for people with lack of religion. people trying to find their place in life with something other than "God". so when people who are non-believers are shunned like that, it makes it very hard to ask for advice or support.

[coralproper]

thank you for that ,spiritualemergency ...... it was a great discovery for me I thought ...... but just as I started to get comfortable..... I learned there probably is no place for people like me here in public forum, I am however grateful to meet the few I have met .... and would love to have had the oppertunity to meet more ....

but I don't think I am really welcome here in a christain dominated forum, but hey, I am not welcome in my christain dominated community either (the church) with my apparently damaged mind, so this comes at no suprise to me

[coralproper]

saluk, thank you for sharing that

[spiritual_emergency]

<blockquote>
coralproper: hey, I am not welcome in my christain dominated community either (the church) with my apparently damaged mind, so this comes at no suprise to me

I am sorry to hear that you've felt shunned, unaccepted and not welcome here coralproper. salukigirl has clearly felt the same way at times. I feel confident that many people, including some who may not feel comfortable speaking openly, are equally discomforted by your statements but I'm glad you shared them. Just because something makes us feel uncomfortable or is painful to us, doesn't mean it shouldn't be said. Sometimes, what isn't allowed to be said is in fact, that which most needs to be spoken.

Sometimes, we're doing something harmful when we think we're doing something helpful. I can think back to times in my own life when I've done this and that carries a bit of a sting too. When I look back, I can see things from a different perspective. I wish I could go back and change those things but what's done is done. All I can do now is learn from it. And learning is often a very ungraceful and clumsy process.

[spiritual_emergency]

<blockquote>
salukigirl: this forum is also about support for people with lack of religion. people trying to find their place in life with something other than "God". so when people who are non-believers are shunned like that, it makes it very hard to ask for advice or support.

Ideally, we would all respect each other but idealisms and reality don't always mix well. I'm not terribly active outside of the schizophrenia topic but I've noticed, for example, that there is a men's support forum and a woman's support forum. Maybe it would be helpful to develop a forum for those who are exploring different forms of faith and another for those who are exploring aetheism or identify as agnostic. It's not an ideal solution but it would carve out a bit of respected space for those whose beliefs don't fall within the mainstream.