Clarification on Positive and Negative Experiences within the Context of Therapeutic and Helpful Support
There seems to be some confusion around the purpose of the community and expressions of how religion and spirituality have helped or not helped. I imagine most people involved in religion or spirituality have had positive experiences and negative experiences. Most things with us humans tend to exist on a spectrum where some level of good or bad experiences are involved for all of us. That said, the purpose of this community is for people of faith, spirituality, and religion to support one another. Towards that end, we are going to ask that negative experiences and critical posts or comments on faith be posted in a new section titled “Negative Experiences and Criticisms” and not posted in the threads. We are doing this because we do not think it'll serve the therapeutic goal of the community to have criticisms and negative experiences woven in throughout all of the posts. We do, however, think this information is important and that it should be captured in one dedicated space. This will also make it easier to mod.
Another way of thinking about this might be music. Music can be therapeutic. People have positive and negative experiences with certain types of music. One person might be a metal head. If someone else is in the metal head section saying hey I think metal is kind of annoying, loud, evil etc. then it'll take away from metalheads comparing notes and trying to help each other in a positive way.
Zooming back more broadly, across all communities, each community provides a therapeutic and helpful space. That is the north star of each community. All members and listeners get to pick and choose which communities to use. They do not have to use any that they do not find helpful. The purpose of the faith, religion and spirituality community is the same as the other communities - to provide a therapeutic and helpful space.
@GlenM
Thank you for shining light on this greatly needed topic. 💛
It's so important for everyone to remember that we can have different experiences, opinions, thoughts, beliefs, ideologies, perceptions etc and that still doesn't allow any of us to demean or look down upon the other.
It's okay to disagree, express how you feel/ share your thoughts on things or have a different opinion on something, but it's not okay to be unsupportive or show behaviours of targeting, trolling, bullying, demeaning, emotionally-abusing and attacking anyone in the process.
Bottom line, we are still part of a community where people reach out for emotional comfort and supportive company, it's still a place where every other person is fighting their battles and trying to hold on as best as they can, your one word has the potential to encourage them to keep at it or to feel shattered all over again~ if you cannot say/ do something nice for someone, it's best to say nothing at all.
While being kind may demand an effort, and might be a little work sometimes, it's no art to practice humanity, for you were born as one, and it is the greatest of all binding source, that *does* hold us all together, I feel!
To practicing humanity (which for me means to acknowledge and respect the other individual as a hooman too, who might have different beliefs as yourself but still is a significant part of the same world) above all! 💛
Big ups to everyone trying their hardest to foster a supportive and compassionate environment here, you are so so so incredibly appreciated and I hope the universe blesses you with truck lots of kindness and love too, because hey, spoiler alert? you do deserve it! 💛
@Sunisshiningandsoareyou thank you for being a continuous stream of encouragement!
@GlenM Much appreciated!💗
@GlenM
I understand now. Equal but separate.
@Gettingbettertoday You called it.
...guess this forum is the only place where the old "separate but equal" clause once upheld by the Supreme Court is still valid.
@GlenM A wonderful way to put it! We all have things that help us and comfort us that might not do the same for others. As a devote metalhead lol I don't hold it against anyone who doesn't like that kind of music. The same goes for religion. If prayer and God or Allah or Buddha gives you peace and comfort I think that's wonderful and adverse religious experiences shouldn't be a reason or excuse to take that from them
@GlenM
Thank you for posting this Glen! It’s great to remind the community of what kind of support is here for them no matter what.
Quick question, correct me if I'm wrong. I remember I said something in the welcoming post about my past experiences when I was first introduced to a religion and was not treated fairly nor received guidance. Would further talk about this be considered as "Negative Experiences and Criticisms"?
@Jaeteuk
Hello there Jaeteuk! Hope you are fine 😊
If you need to keep on having support then this new section is useful to it! The idea isn't to label what you need to share nor your request of support in a negative way, it's something to better structure the community so that everyone can have their space where to join and be supported. We can see it like... a room in a house! Some are useful for specific activities but they are all still part of the same house and once we leave the doors open, people in there communicate and feel part of the same membership. An open door means ''I see you, I want to listen to you and support you when you need me''. It's not the space that helps feeling ''at home'', it's how people in there interact. To have the needed support in a specific section will allow you to feel welcomed giving you the sensation of being in your comfort zone. I really wish it will be possible to do that 💙@GlenM
A guiding thought could be the degree of rational assessment - feeling better maybe of temporary help, being able to learn how to cope with reality on a more permanet basis maybe the better longer term desirable result ... if I may say so - lol
I think, objective critical analysis and intellectual honesty is seldom really negative during most open minded dialogs ...
@GlenM I have faced this kind of questioning in some of my posts and it dawned on me that most of people's trouble is with the term religion and generalizing all religions as the same which they cannot be with all the diversity in religions.
So I am inclines to talk about Faith rather than religion. Faith includes even a personal faith that is not part of any organized religion.
I agree that having a section for people of like minds is a good way to try so everyone gets to see common ground with some of their peers.
@soulsings
In all honesty, to some degree, all religious faiths are based on irrational myths invented by humans and should be seen as traditional rituals with super natural powers being given deities out side the raume of modern psychology ... it's highly questionable they provide much help to get a better grasp on reality or a better understanding of the social condition men finds himself today. :)
@RedStar01 I hear you. There are many stories and they cannot all be taken literally as true by some people.
What I look for is the common ground of kindness and compassion that most religions advocate and taking care of those in need. No matter what you call this it is a desirable result.