Meredith, glad your vacation is over. Things seem to be rolling along very well here at BWS. It's been quite some time since women bickered. The sad thing is that I can count on one, maybe two hands the number of times these forums became negative during the past three and a half years. I credit all of us for that good track record. Onward and upward.

Chatty,
Thanks for the idea that the term might mean making fun of someone's beliefs or of them for expressing them. That sounds like good old-fashioned rudeness to me! LOL!

Meredith, if I might ask, what defines "proselytizing" for you?

There are two very different concepts, and I'll try to delineate them as I understand the words.

"Discussion about one's faith" -- we have a lot of that here, and I see it as a positive way of trying to understand others' beliefs. Discussion is when we understand that we are all individuals who, through the course of life, have hopefully found a belief system that resonates with us, and makes us a better, more loving, person. Discussion in this sense is never judgmental. It's saying: "this is what works for me, and I'm happy you found something that works for you."

"Proselytization" says "this is what I believe. Therefore you should believe it too." And it usually continues with some kind of threat or negativity, like "if you don't follow my religion, you'll be (damned to hell/ not be a worthwhile person/ etc etc.) Proselytization looks down on other people's religious beliefs as unholy/ misguided/ wrong etc. People who proselytize think that their way is the only way for everybody, that they have the only right answers, and that if you pledge allegiance to their religion, your problems will be solved.

Discussion is wonderful. Proselytizing always makes me feel violated, like someone is trying to shove something in me that shouldn't be shoved. And yes, I ALWAYS know when that's the intention.

I agree with Anne. Too many millions of people have died in the name of "one size -- MY SIZE -- should fit all." One size never fits all.

Dotsie, it's good to be back <img border="0" title="" alt="[Smile]" src="images/icons/smile.gif" />

Meredith, I'm glad to hear your voice here again. I too was affected by what appeared to me to be a sudden and relentless onslaught of "my way or no way" postings here. There were times when I just had to pull back and not get sucked into the negativity.

I really enjoy discussing spirituality, and finding out about ALL belief systems in terms of what brings peace and fulfillment to people. I especially enjoyed the discussions with PattyAnn and Dahti, and was so disappointed when those discussions became squelched by such unrelenting proselytizing that those women's voices have been painfully silent ever since.

I love and celebrate my Christian faith. But I also love and celebrate all spirituality and heartily embrace each person's freedom to choose what to believe and what not to believe. As I've said here before and will continue to advocate, I believe that our Creator so loves us and wants so much to be an intimate part of our lives, that He/She wears many different faces and allows Him/Herself to be called by many different names...we can only meet someone face to face if the other is willing to meet us right where we are. A soaring ornate cathedral, a lowly mud hut in the middle of a desolate village, a prison cell, a refugee camp, a pile of rubble in a war-torn neighborhood, a hovel in a garbage dump, a drug-infested alleyway - surely if I can see it, God too knows that one face, one name, one color, one credo, one size cannot possibly fit all.

So beautifully said Sharon. I too believe that God loves all his creations and that is everyliving thing on this planet.

Leave it to Eagle to write such an inclusive post. You are such a lovely person. Thank you.

Thank you Meredith and Eagle Heart. Your words resonate with me, as well. It's why I brought this subject up in the first place. I truly believe that we are all one -- just different facets of a jewel. For me religion, including Christianity, is not an either-or proposition, but a both-and proposition. How can we both respect the rights of all people to hold their beliefs and have these types of discussions that can bring a spiritual awareness to the problems on this earthly plane?

Thank you for your continued wisdom and love.

I had one more thought as I shut off the computer last night.

In coaching we have a concept of attraction marketing. Basically, we spend a great deal of time working on ourselves, and less on trying to convince others to work with us. The underlying belief is that if we do the work on ourselves we are supposed to be, people will want what we have and naturally want to work with us.

Wouldn't it be wonderful if all the religions in the world got into attraction marketing? They could polish their words, their places of worship, their interactions with others, their care of the earth. The ones that did that best would attract the most people.

"You could say I'm a dreamer..."