Thanks everyone, I appreciate the warm welcome.

Hi Nickole!

These ladies are awesome and Dotsie is the Queen of nice. You'll love it here. It's nothing like other forums. When you show up here, it's like walking into your friend's kitchen to chat with your friends around the table.

Glad you're here.

Hi Nikole - I'm a little late chiming in with a WELCOME but WELCOME!! This is a really warm and friendly (and helpful) group of women here and we're happy to have you join in.

Welcome Nikole!
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Chatty wrote:
"we are Christians for the most part"

And do the rest of us not count? Are we somehow "less than" because we are "different from"? Or is it really that important to divide people into "us" and "them", draw lines in the sand and create little cliques?

Heck no. Of course everyone counts. I'm a Christian and I welcome all. I think that's the beauty of this site. We continually learn from one another.

Meredith, thanks for letting me clarify that.

Hi all
I think that it doesn't matter what tradition anyone is from. The most important thing is that everyone from everywhere should count, though sadly it appears that many don't seem to in this world. In an ideal world (my ideal world anyway) there would be no different religions, especially man-made and man-led and and maybe then we could all live in real love. However, the world isn't like that and I guess it's a part of life. As Dotsie says, we can all learn from each other and that has to be a good thing. Anyway, if we all lead good lives and believe in a higher power, we will probably all meet again in the next life, if it exists, no matter whether we are Christian, Muslim, Buddhis, Hindu, Sikh or of any other tradition........

Meredithhead I missed this comment somehow until now. When I said "we were all Christians here." I was commenting on what Nikole said about being a single Christian. I was not terying to say anything about Christians or non-Christians, my od girl does everything have to be a point of contention? When I was being brought up Catholic they called themselves Christians, now I am born again and they call themselves Christians. I have friends and family that attend no particular Church and their belief in their God makes them feel they are Christians so YOU tell me who's right and who isn't. I personally believe that you are a Christian or not no matter what denomination you are. Christianity is far more than the Church you attend. It is an attitude, the way you treat others, both people and animals. I do not now nor have I ever looked down on anyone because of their faith or lack of same. I am surprised by your comment and hope you know me better after this post....

Hi Nickole!

Welcome. I can't find your website, but would love to see it, too.

You'll find many friends here.

Di

[ November 12, 2004, 03:41 PM: Message edited by: Dian ]

Chatty, I am definitely not a Christian. When you group people according to labels, you divide them. I know many kind and loving pagans, but would you be happy if I said "We are all Pagans here..." Probably not, although I could draw up a 10-page list with similarities... Saying that you are Christian is fine; saying that "most of us are" creates an us/them dichotomy, where you set up "most of us" as the preferred group.

You said "so YOU tell me who's right and who isn't." I actually don't care. I'm not particularly interested in internal religious labeling wars.

You also said, "my od girl does everything have to be a point of contention?" SINCE YOU ASKED: in this Forum, I've let 90% of the intolerant comments slide (and NO, intolerant does not mean "different views than mine; it means INTOLERANT --which would also include "intentionally divisive") because I don't need to comment 24/7 and I believe in letting women speak for themself. Periodically though, I open my mouth and call things as I see them. Is this your definition of "point of contention?"

I believe in "viva la diversity" of opinions here, and will not stand by and watch people define their belief system as the norms of this group. We are all equally valuable here: Christians and non-Christians, liberals and conservatives. We should not be creating dichotomous cliques but rather working together to find our common ground. Inclusive, not exclusive. Us, not us vs. them. Holy, not holier-than-thou.

Wow, talk about making a mountain out of a molehill....Guess you're convinced to believe my comment was more than what it was meant to be. I am probably the worst Christian in here, and now I use the word with caution. I do phone sex for a living, I attend church probably for the wrong reasons and left the Catholic faith because I remarried after my divorce and could no longer receive the sacraments and that ticked me off. It took me years (20) where I went to NO church but did believe in God. I never discuss religion, I don't know enough of what to or who to believe anyway. You dear lady took a simple out of context remark, meant to welcome someone calling herself a single Christian and blew it all out of proportion. I personally don't give a hoot if you are a Christian, Budda, Agnostic or whatever it makes you happy to be or not to be. I am just me, an honest person, nothing more and nothing less....