Sabra: You're not alone dear! It's happened before. At one point or another more than one has been misunderstood, etc. Please feel free to post anytime you wish.

Dear friends:
This is an open forum and we all have the same right to share and comment freely without judging or embarrasing others.

We certainly do not expect every participant to view things exactly as we do regarding faith or any other topic we choose to discuss. Still, we should be able to expose our ideas without hurting each other . I don't think this has been the intent of any post.

And voluntary participation in the threads is one plus here!

There will always be different opinions! Maybe we can choose our words carefully and lovingly?

After all we are boomer sisters, right! And as a family we care for each other.

Let us come with an open mind, learn and grow as we share!

I do appreciate each of your responses to this thread and your willingess to share. After all, that's what we're here for!

Try this on for size ladies...

The 'resurrection' is the lifting of the spiritual energy within to a higher vibration that supercedes pain and troubles. It is meeting the spirit within.

We all contain the seed of light that is God. What is God's returns to God...what is pain vanishes in the everpresent presence of the greatest light itself...(that's physics and spiritual law) ie science. ie Pain and light live on different vibratory levels...they can't meed, in physics that would be impossible.

Theology is the emotional and logical understanding of God, when one looks at the physics of God...the elements of light, its componenet and make-up, one can sift through the theology and bits of data that are peceived differently by many and come to understand that light itself has an absence of darkness and that within us lies the kernal of light that began our ever present journey of life.

Life itself is light...and the light is love with varying matrixes of energy ie grace, love, compassion, beauty, honour, integrity, truth, all varying aspects of the light or it could be said they are all different aspects of light at an energetic level.

Resurrection is basically the resurrection of the light within to a higher vibration...

Heaven is the 'resurrection' which is infinite.

The journey is the reconnection to the light within...'the resurrection'.

Thought you ladies might enjoy playing with that...is it a truth or just a peception...only the heart knows for we are all living in different vibratory levels of energy which occur because of all the experiences we've had and how much pain colours our perceptions or opens our perceptions.

We are all on the journey toward light. Isn't it marvelous that there is no judgement within the light. Judgement only occurs because one perception differs from another.

Each layer of consciousness lives at a different vibratory level of light and therefore each level of perception houses a different vibratory speed and thus we have a world of varying opinions.

Scientifically speaking if we looked at the physics of light and saw God through that language wouldn't that be interesting! Theology has power because it can have no differing of opinions even thought it is an opinion of how one sees God.

Have fun with it ladies...don't take it too seriously for we are all love and light...the only difference is how we get there and the differing experiences we all have to learn and understand the truth of who we all are...ultimately...love.

With love
Leigha

as far as i know - no one here has actually sat down at the dining room table with God face to face and heard his views on the subject but i have to assume he would be very pleased with ALL our views -- and supporting the views of others even if they are different than our own

after all -- we're discussing HIM

and i agree Dotsie -- these forums are WONDERFUL and i learn so much from everyone's opinion

Leigha -- I have printed your post out and will sit quietly later and ponder this as it's a little too "heavy" to comprehend while my dogs are fighting over my lap

It always grieves me, and has been weighing heavy on my heart all afternoon, when any dynamic discussion on God and spirituality leaves anyone feeling hurt, especially hurt enough to leave.

I for one LOVE this forum and my sisters here precisely because of the way we are able to share and celebrate our individual beliefs and values while also celebrating the right of each and every other woman here to celebrate HER individual beliefs (or disbeliefs) and values.

Unity in diversity. We have found healing in our ability to find our unity in diversity. We share and listen with/to one another and even when there is disagreement, we know we have heard and been heard and that caring respect allows us to find a way to not only co-exist, but to thrive here.

We have found our voices and our sense of sisterhood strengthening into a powerfully healing force as we have continued to create this safe place to "just be" with each other...allowing ourselves to not be torn apart by our differences of opinions, but instead being willing to listen, hear, sometimes challenge or question for clarification and ultimately respect - NOT to accept if it doesn't fit - but still accept the freedom of the individual poster to own her tidbit of personal experience and insight as valid for her.

NEVER do I ever share anything here in any remote expectation that ANYONE else ought to ever believe what I believe in. If you do, great, if you don't, I'm overjoyed that you feel the safety and freedom here to be you and that you feel strong enough in your freedom to be, that you are then able to allow me the same freedom to be me. And if I've ever come across as otherwise, then I do apologize profusely. Because my overriding concern here is that this be a safe place not just for my beliefs and my vision, but a safe place for EVERY woman who stumbles across our doorstep.

Likewise, I appreciate that nobody here shares what they share with the heavy expectation that I believe what they believe. That's love, sisters. That's healing. That's respect. That's what Dotsie envisioned, what God envisioned when He whispered that He wanted her to create a safe place for our voices to be heard. Not one voice, not one opinion, not one belief, but ALL voices of ALL women, coming together in respect and love and freedom to be safely all that each of us is and is becoming. To find common ground amidst the diversity, to find new possibilities in each other's experienced wisdom, new epiphanies in each other's insights, new growth inside of those new insights, and new creative and loving ways to express our own voices.

IMHO, THAT's who we are, and why we have found such sisterhood and family here.

Forgive me for this long and impassioned post...this has been weighing me down all afternoon and I just needed to share my little tidbit of diversity.

[ July 07, 2005, 08:54 PM: Message edited by: Eagle Heart ]

Eagle -

i feel so bad that you're being stressed by this

hmmmm how do i phrase this ----- no one here has asked anyone or wants anyone to leave - but if someone feels that they can shell it out but won't accept having it thrown back at them -- then they really haven't grasp the "sisterhood thing"

i would NEVER discuss politics or religion anywhere but here -- because here i know that some will agree with me and some will shake their heads at me and some will down right say she is off her rocker -- but i will still be accepted for my opinion and as a fellow sister

when someone comes right out and states - "as it is untrue" in response to someone's opinion or states "this is THE only way" then they are going to step on some toes -- and if they feel the forum isnt a Christian forum because one or two respond with "OUCH that hurt" -- then like i said -- perhaps we should just realize -- not EVERYONE will fit in here

please don't fret over this anymore my dear Eagle Heart -- this is a safe haven -- and anyone who has spent 5 minutes here and cant feel the love and support here and runs the first time a little fat hits the skillet -- well -- what more can i say

you keep spreading your wings sweetheart -- i, for one, am grateful for you !

I believe that any hurt that may have come from the site is from misunderstanding. Though it may be Christlike in that it is filled with love, this is not a Christian site.

Because of that love, expression of all faiths is encouraged and all opinions are respected. Because we are accepted for what we are and where we are we learn from one another.

No one wants anyone to be hurt, but our ability to express ourselves freely in a loving atmosphere is what makes this site special. Instead of eliminating our differences, we celebrate them and that is what makes us strong.

smile

[ July 07, 2005, 10:01 PM: Message edited by: smilinize ]

Thank you lionspaaw, leigha, smilinize and Eagle Heart for your love and acceptance of all the women here. Dotsie's vision has always been one of love and inclusion, not cliques and exclusion.

For anyone who is unclear on the difference between sharing and proselytizing:

SHARING is when new member SuziQ says she believes the path to salvation and nirvana is to stand on your head all day and eat ketchup. While few of us may follow her spiritual leanings, we accept that it has meaning for her, and we respect her belief system whether it's ours or not.

PROSELYTIZING is if SuziQ says we all must stand on our head and eat ketchup or we'll be damned to eternal hell (which for me would be standing on my head all day and eating ketchup )

PROSELYTIZING is also if SuziQ tells JaneDoeQ that she has the religion wrong, because JaneDoeQ eats her ketchup with a spoon and SuziQ uses a straw. To "prove" all her points, SuziQ quotes passages from the Divine Book of Standing On Your Head and Eating Ketchup.

Sharing is good; proselytizing is bad. Sharing says "This is what I believe"; proselytizing says, "This is what you should believe (or else!)" Almost everyone in this Forum understands the difference. We are here for each other in love and acceptance, not because we parrot an identical belief system, but because WE ARE HERE, all of us women trying to make our lives and the world a better place, all of us sisters in the process of BECOMING.

Love conquers all!

Meredithbead, that was awesome! Well said. Using ketchup and straws and head-standing was a brilliant way of getting the point across. It should almost be included in some kind of introduction to who we are here.

Thanks Eagle! Ya think we can enrave it on a large gold plaque? With fancy purple letters, of course.