Hi,

It's a group about RA, with people of all backgrounds welcome. I don't agree that Christianity is being stuffed down anyone's throat. At the most people will offer to pray for you or sign their post with blessings, which is just reflecting their background. Someone offering a prayer or blessing doesn't necessarily have to even be Christian. A lot of people use their faith as a coping mechanism for RA and a way of extending support to others regarding RA so it is relevant and even if that kind of support is not relevant for some people, we all have the right to express ourselves how we choose.

Also you are being kind of hypocritical about saying you thought we are all here to deal with the disease and not morality by posting this topic.

That is just my thoughts, I don't mean any offence. Welcome to the group.

Take care

Mazensmummy,

I was not trying to be hypocritical and I apologize if it came across that way. I do feel that this is a topic that many people on here feel very strongly about and to each their own of course. Like I said I was not trying to cause anyone stress or grief over the topic but rather trying to share MY opinion that it makes me uncomfortable sometimes. I have NO problem with others faith. I understand that it is a way to deal and to cope with the disease. I also know that for people not sharing those beliefs that the posts regarding god and such should maybe be contained to a private room....not posted on the main RA board. If I were to start posting satanic, wiccan, atheist or other such things on this board I GUARANTEE people would jump up offended. (now that is not to say that is what I belive in either so no accusations please). I am just sharing my feeling that sometimes people here DO go overboard with the GOD posts and it makes me and others uncomfortable sometimes. I love to come on and chat about RA/meds/treatments/how we are feeling and such. Like I said I just feel that there are some topics better left to private boards. Thank you for your view though. It means a lot to me that you answered and I agree that everyone has the right to cope the way they need to :)

I hope you don't get attacked and this time things don't get person! I think it's important to talk about this, especially if some people are feeling uncomfortable about it.

I'm an atheist, but a pretty apathetic one. If you want to believe it, go ahead, but it doesn't bother me too much. I don't find this group overly Christian, but maybe because I just switch off to it. If someone wants to pray for me, I'm flattered that they'd take the time to wish me their best.

Some of us use different ways to deal with this horrible disease. For some, obviously Christianity/religion is very important to help them deal/cope with this. If it helps them, then that's amazing, I wish them all the best.

But I guess it all comes down to respecting each other. Things got really heated in that last post and I hope we don't have a repeat of that.

i have not been here long bit it seems to me many members have been here for some time and it is not likely to change.personally,i believe ALL the members are wonderful and any religious references do not bother me in the least.honestly,and i do not mean this sarcastically, if it bothers you that much you might want to look for another group.i think the subject has already run its course.whatever you chose,good luck and i hope you find relief from your ra.

Because you are new, I will give you some information about DS rules. It is very clearly spelled out in the Rules of the Road which you can find under Help on the top right hand corner of this page. Here is a cut and paste which applies.

6. DailyStrength has no religious affiliation. However, we believe that religion can play an important role in helping people overcome their challenges. Members must respect other members' differing religious beliefs, and do not assume that other Members subscribe (or want to subscribe) to yours.

And also
b. Disrespect someone else's religion.

I believe this post is very disrespectful. In fact, you hardly sound like the tolerant kind of Canadian I am used to dealing with. I thought as Canadians we had respect for faith, and didn't try and shove it away, and pretend it was not needed, or unwelcome. My Canada has always included tolerance. It is the essence of being Canadian.

I have friends in this forum who are Muslim, Wiccan, atheist, Native Spiritualities, Jewish and Buddhist and we all encourage one another in our respective faiths. if it helps you get through the day, it is welcome.

I do not think that this topic needs to be revisited again. Enough people have been hurt. Including me by this post. If it was not for God, I would not be here helping people, and encouraging them in spite of my pain and suffering. Period.

Thank you Wabby for your kind and honest reply. I agree with everything you said. I do think it is something that needs to be addressed but in a non-attacking way. I am not meaning this as an attack at anyone and hope they will show me the same courtesy when replying. :)

I am not Christian, but I am spiritual. I was raised culturally Catholic, but my parents' were married in an Episcopal church.

When I was younger, I used to misinterpret people's kindly meant remarks calling me "Christian" because I have strong morals, help others, etc. Now I understand it is a complement.

When people are faced with an extreme challenge, especially when it challenges all facets of their lives, like this disease and others like it, they cling to their values. For many it is religion/faith.

For me, it is science. I believe there are answers out there for us. Science just hasn't found it yet. I want to work towards those answers.

I do believe that there is strength in positive thought.

That's just my personal opinion. FWIW

I have found a lot of support on this site. If others send prayers my way, I am grateful. True good intention shouldn't be discounted, it means there is still good in the world especially when those that offer it are faced with such adversity.

I have kept quiet during all of this uproar, because I wasn't directly involved. However, I felt I should put my $0.02 on the table.

Angela,
As I already stated I do not have any disrespect for anyone elses beliefs or religion. I am sorry that you are still tender from the posts that got out of hand and that was not at all what I was aiming for with this one. I was truly just wishing to share my feelings and nothing else. From what you just posted I do believe that I am allowed to do that and not fear punishment or attack from others. Fact of the matter is YES I am Canadian. NO I am not christian. But that does not mean that just because I do not believe in God that I think anything but the best of those who do. I was merely stating that some topics ( I feel - purely my oppinion) are better left to private boards. It does make me feel a bit uncomfortable when some topics are aimed entirely at spirituality and if you understood the unbringing that I was given you may understand my side of this a bit better. I like you and feel that you are a very strong and valid part of this board so please do not feel attacked as that is not at all what I intended. And I am sorry if me not being religious or wanting to share in that aspect of the posts on here in any way un-canadian. I really am a nice person I was just trying to share how I am sometimes made to feel by random posts...

I've looked through your postings and I can't find any overtly religious in the threads you have posted that I would consider "cramming it down your throat" unless a saluatation of "blessings" falls in that category.

I am a christian and I have many christian friends on this site. When we post a thread or respond to a threads written by a friend and it contains religious overtones it's because we know it is accepted among us because of our common belief. If that is offensive to you, then you don't have to read that thread. There are threads here that have offended me before and I just click out of them and move on. I do not feel that the DS RA Support Group is a religious support group, but many of us take comfort in our faith - christians, budists, jews, and so on. It's only been recently that the whole support group has been in an uproar with members leaving due to posts like this one, which DS ended up deleting because of all the commotion.

I can't tell you how I cope with my RA without saying something about my faith. To me it is just as important as the medication regimen I take. That doesn't mean I'm "cramming it down your throat". Perhaps you are uncomfortable because God is trying to reach you while you are going through this time in your life. I'm sorry that you are offended by the group as a whole. This is a decent group of people who can offer great advice and good emotional support. Take from it what you can and leave the rest and give back when you can.

Thank you very much roseis rose for posting. You make a lot of sense and I agree with you very much. I am glad that you put in your 2 cents...it means a lot :)

Chelley,
Thank you for your response. You are correct...the things that I have posted in are non-religious. That is because I only post in ones that are void of the religion topic. I do not find offense in someone offering blessings or prayers. I do have trouble trying to find info and advice or even threads to read sometimes because the site is quite riddled with christianity. I was only trying to use this post to inquire whether or not this is the affiliation of the site. That is not what I thought it was when I joined. Lately though I find that every second or third post seems to be along those lines and it makes it difficult for me to have to wade through it to find the things that are relevant to me. And it is posts like the one you just made "Perhaps you are uncomfortable because God is trying to reach you while you are going through this time in your life." that I find hard to swallow sometimes. I feel like some people here are trying to convert others and while I understand that god is a big part of your life and respect that I do not wish to have it pushed on me. I am not a christian or religious in any way. I have good strong morals and standings though and believe that religion is not what makes you a good person on the inside. It is how you treat others. And I am just letting people know that sometimes the god speak can be offensive if that is not what you believe in. I was truly not trying to offend just share how I feel and where I am coming from.

Becrox, you are entitled to share how you feel
and I take your post as that. I don't think that you are trying to offend at all.You are just asking a question.
I have been on DS for almost 2 years. I certainly wouldn't be posting here if it was a religious or political site as I believe they are personal choices. However, for many people with RA, their beliefs can be a big part of their lifestyle and help in coping with RA. Remember you can choose not to read a post. I have found great support and friendship here and on the Kidney Cancer site.
Hugs

I advise everyone to take what does you well and ignore the rest. This works best .. for everyone concerned.

Hi Becrox,

I have not noticed overtly religious threads recently on this site. It was not touted as religious when I joined. I have met many people of all sorts of faiths here: Jewish, agnostic, atheist, Christian (fundamentalist to Catholic to liberal Protestant), humanist, Unitarian Universalist.....we are all trying to support each other, and for some what gets them through their day while battling this disease is their belief system.

If some are finding offense to posts that may appear to have a religious nature, perhaps the subject title can be changed to say something like : religion mentioned?? (or abbreviated)?? I was a member of an online support group a number of year ago, and if there was sensitive subject matter, there was a warning in the subject line. I don't know if that's possible or necessary here, just a thought.

It really boggles me that in the bipolar forum, someone can post 50 scriptures from the Bible, and no one objects, but here, people go ballistic if someone says, "God bless."

Let's have some peace and tolerance. Religion does not need a Trigger warning. That should be left to the groups with abuse, PTSD where people don't want to relive a trauma of sexual abuse, for example.

Unless in some way religion is a trauma, in which case, perhaps this is the wrong forum, (DS which allows religious comments) for someone to be in. Come to think of it, I've been in three other RA forums, and no one ever had a problem with people professing their faith, whatever it may be.

I guess ignore button just needs to be used more in this forum.