Depends on the working model of the Group organization. If there is nothing in its 'charter' against what she is doing, you have no choice but to leave ... or believe.

I am sorry that the group is no longer meeting your needs.

I am assuming that the group you are talking about meets in real life as opposed to on-line stuff like DS.

I concur with you. I feel that it is wrong to take a very basic premise of a group and just change it without getting approval from the group itself. So taking a secular group and adding religion to it is just as wrong (IMHO) as taking an existing religious based group and removing religion from it.

There is a lot to be said for 'majority rules'.

Can you contact the previous moderator? Perhaps he/she can point you to another group that is more like the one you had. Maybe this person has already formed a non religious based PTSD group that you could join.

Have you talked to other group members? Perhaps you are not the only one who is upset. If there are enough of you who think that way then perhaps you can vote this moderator out and find a new one.

Finally have you considered forming a User Group here on DS with the foundation that you like? If you want some help with that let me know and I will try to help you. (That is a CL thing!)

Gentle hugs

I M A CHRISTIAN AND I DONT REALLY KNOW WHAT 2 SUGGEST.
GBU
D
;-O

Oh geez.. that is SO ridiculous. People like that piss me off too. Support groups should not be turned religious. Nobody's life gets better by prayer. What do people do when their kid is sick and dying? They pray. What happens? Their child dies.

I'm not sure why this women thinks that praying helps. Maybe you can challenge her and lead with examples?
Also.. if there is anyone that oversees her, maybe try reporting her to them.

Honestly I believe that if there is a God he doesn't give a shit about us.. because.. well... just look at the world! lol.

I'm so sorry you are going through that nonsense.

I do believe that God helps us, but we have to be careful for what we ask for. I could ask God to bring my father back; likewise for my mother, sister, grand parents, etc.

But that won't happen.

I do ask God to help me accept what has happened. That is something that I get help for.

I'm one of the last people to tell somebody to "pray for what you want and if you are good enough you will get it". I agree with you, that is pure crap; it is crap in all 3 dimensions.

Most of the problems that plague humankind are self induced, IMHO. Too many leaders are more interested in controlling others than in making life better for everybody.

But that is another soap box I don't want to climb up onto today.

I don't think he helps us. You could ask for nothing your whole life and then ask for help during a tragedy and he will ignore you. I know that a lot of people fall for the placebo effect with religion, but the placebo effect doesn't work for a lot of people. They say if you ask for "strength" for example.. he will give it to you.. when really you are just believing it. It is the same for when doctors give patients placebo antidepressants and they are all of the sudden "better".

And anyway, for someone who doesn't believe in any god anyway this is irrelevant and unhelpful. He needs real help. So, there's really no point in even discussing it here.

No one should force their beliefs on anyone but when it comes to anything painful in the life experience many go towards to religion due to positivity and faith that believing God, or whatever one would choose too brings. Religion isn't all about depending on God, even in the bible itself states God helps those that help themselves. When it comes to other beliefs I just try to as objective as possible as everyone has their reasons and no one person thinks the same. I'm spiritual I believe in God, but not in ways one would probably guess and it makes sense to me in that way because I lived through, seen it with my own eyes etc. It may sound stupid to some one else but who is anyone to judge? It's more not just about believing in a deity, it's about believing in a better day, hope, not just that God will do this and that heck it's about believing in oneself. I can see why some turn atheist in this world, horrible things happen, horrible people but it isn't about things being all life butterflies and flowers, it's about making the best out of everything good, bad and in between, heck we're here. Why wouldn't believe in something good can happen when it can? Good things happen, so does bad but that's life. It's illogical in itself to think that everyone is gonna perfect or not have flaws in it. It's not what you're given, it what you do with it. Sorry for the rant but I also wanted to say that you could probably suggest things to talk about to the moderator, just try to non offensive way and suggest to make it more so about experiences because no support should be strictly about religion, unless it says so. The internet is a good place also, but you can find somewhere where it would be fitting for you if you keep trying, maybe here?
Sincerely
Torrance.

I am sorry to hear your support group no longer is how it was. I truly hope things can be resolved

I cannot tell you how many times people have prayed for me and Jack all has happened. Maybe my faith isn't strong enough, or god heals on his time or god heals only what we need or maybe he is busy...yes, that's it!

I think it's very wrong to bring religion into a support group as there are many religions and many unbelievers, surely the aim of the group should be to help with the problem and how to deal with it, if a deity helps you that's brilliant but if you don't believe then it's a waste of time.....don't want to upset anyone but i assume it was a christian religion, what if a jewish guy has this disorder????

I'm pretty sure that Satanism has now been declared a religion. As such, to stop you from expressing your Satanist beliefs would be against your right to freedom of religion.

How badly do you want to get rid of this woman? :D :D :D

i can see ware that can be a big problem not just because this woman belives in God but because she is taking much needed time up with talking about God and getting you to pray or talking about praying when you can be talking about real issues that need to come out ..........honesty ...with respect ..is the only thing I see that you can do ....I don't think that you need to tell her or everyone else that it is offensive to you .......that would be taken as lack of respect ...but .you can sugest that ..they take ...extra time after or befor the meating if they want to pray ....that you .simply are not a believer ......and .come to these meatings because you need ..to ..in ...what these meating were made for ...youse your words because I don't know anything about your group ......so you would know better how to say it .....so you could try that .....being honest ...but respectfull ...if you have to go over her head ....but ...as a last result ....so there would be no hard feelings ......but if it is as you say ..you need to do somthing ..you can't keep these feelings inside .......that .is the only thing I can think of ....take care ...

@WanderingVet

I really hope that I misunderstood what you said. First of all, maybe I wasn't very clear but this group is (was) a "secular" support group as I prefer them. The charter of the group is very clear and has no mention of religious activities.
But what I'm really stingy about is what you said:
"If there is nothing in its "charter" against what she is doing, you have NO CHOICE but to leave... or believe".
What exactly do you mean by that?

I agree Gehenna.. that wasn't right what was said. You aren't forced to believe anything... and you don't have to leave just because of one person's beliefs there.