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Post by lovehound on Sept 26, 2005 18:54:18 GMT -5
Hi I'm new....getting my bearings....
Feeling uncertain.
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Post by Saphira on Sept 26, 2005 19:03:13 GMT -5
Welcome! i'm Saphie! Don't feel uncertain at all...this is a great site full of great people!  |
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Post by Saphira on Sept 26, 2005 19:03:29 GMT -5
Well my real name is Saphira but I prefer Saphie
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Post by Dred on Sept 27, 2005 12:12:05 GMT -5
Welcome to the forum. Please don't let things feel overwhelming here. If you have questions, feel free to contact me. I'll be more than happy to help you out. Best wishes. My real name isn't Dred.  |
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Post by pink3elephant on Sept 28, 2005 22:51:59 GMT -5
Welcome!
dont be shy. . . and btw. .just in case you didnt figure it out. . . my names not pink elephant. .
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Post by Child of Immanuel on Oct 7, 2005 16:09:51 GMT -5
Hey! Welcome welcome and have fun!
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Post by lovehound on Oct 24, 2005 19:38:48 GMT -5
I'm back again. I took a break.
I suppose I should be honest about why I felt uncertain about being here. It's because I'm not Christian and I see a lot of Christian people here and a lot of Christian posts. It's easy enough to avoid reading the Bible verse thread that I found, but what's NOT easy is figuring out how open about MY faith I should be and whether or not threads about MY religion would be welcome on this board, as it is a very important part of my life and identity.
You see, I am (very literally) a Heathen. This isn't meant as a joke. This doesn't mean that I am a complete indulgent hedonist. "Hedonist" and "heathen" are completely different words, but for some reason whenever I say "I'm a Heathen" people giggle and act like I'm the kind of person who drinks to excess and is very promiscuous. This isn't the case.
The word Heathen indicates that I walk with the old Gods of Northern Europe. You know the ones - Odin, Thor, Tyr, Freyr and Freyja, Frigga (my patron deity), Loki, etc. I also attend a Unitarian Universalist church and I am very involved with the pagan networking group there.
The official rules of the board do say that people's religions will be respected. But what is the CULTURE like on this board? Culture brings with it unarticulated assumptions and expectations, and as I mentioned earlier, I'm wondering if, given the number of Christian posts I see here, someone like me will be welcome here and me being open about my faith will be welcome here.
See, I figure if anyone else can be open about their faith, I should be that free as well.
Perhaps I should state here that I do not want to be preached at. I do not want anyone inviting me to accept Christ as Lord & Savior. I don't want anyone telling me I will be going to hell. I don't want anyone telling me I am a sinner. I want no attempts to convert me.
If I wish to be a Christian, I'll handle that on my own.
But I don't think I can BE a Christian, because I have certain beliefs that seem to clash highly with Christian teachings.
So....there it is. Now everyone knows why I felt uncomfortable.
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Post by twyrch on Oct 24, 2005 20:01:32 GMT -5
LoveHound, welcome back to the forum! It is true that there are many Christians on this board, but even among the Christians, we are a diverse group ranging from Protestant, Catholic and LDS (Mormon). You are correct about the rules, that a person's religion will be respected. Just remember that this is a two way street.
If you do not wish to be preached to, converted or witnessed to (etc..) and people do not respect your wishes, be sure to bring it up to a moderator and the situation will be dealt with. The only thing we wish to avoid is a flame war over religion, but that doesn't mean discussion of religion is prohibited either.
I look forward to speaking with you more and learning more about you. You seem to be a very interesting and diverse person. A few of us, myself included, have studied many religions including the pagan religion on Wicca and the pagan spritual path of Druidry. That's not to say we subscribe wholly to their ideals, but I believe something of worth can be gleaned from each religion.
Now, that being said... Have fun and happy posting!!!
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Post by DanTheMan on Oct 25, 2005 10:03:47 GMT -5
Welcome, Lovehound.
I am a Christian, I certainly won't deny that. Obviously, our beliefs and view are very different. I still welcome you and look forward to your postings. I would appreciate you sharing your views on the Lawhead books, and any other threads. Thank you for sharing some of your beliefs with us, and I encourage you to return often.
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Post by lovehound on Oct 25, 2005 20:16:41 GMT -5
I hope I CAN post something here about the books, but since I have no access to certain areas of the board, I don't know WHERE I'm supposed to talk about the books. I'm reading the Song of Albion series now; I'm on book 3, "Endless Knot." I find it amazing.
I don't think I'm going to be able to get enough posts to get a password to the other sections of the board. I don't see many places where I CAN post or feel ok posting.
I'm not doing very well at this, am I? *sigh*
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Post by Tegid on Oct 25, 2005 20:28:41 GMT -5
Hi, lovehound! As another friend of Jesus, I want to echo what [red]DanTheMan[/red] and [yellow]twyrch[/yellow] say in welcoming you here and inviting your thoughts on Lawhead's writings. I'm sure that, as you read the posts in many threads, you'll find a wide variety of viewpoints, and an atmosphere in which those views can be discussed in thoughtful ways.
In the middle of the main page, you'll find a section titled "Stephen Lawhead" with two folders called "SRL Book Themes and Questions" and "Wild Speculation." These would be the chief areas to find places to talk about the Albion series and any other of his books. I'd be very interested in hearing what drew you to them, and what you thought about them and any other Lawhead books you've read.
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Post by Margim on Nov 2, 2005 20:57:50 GMT -5
I'll just add to the general 'Don't worry about the Christianness of some of the thread topics on this board' vibe going on here. In many ways, most of us will disagree on something. I'm sure if a heated theological discussion got going, I'd prorbably disagree (despite being Christian) with many others here myself... yet in my few months here, I've certainly had no issues at all. (Although I'd love a good creation v evolution debate - anyone?? ) |
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Post by chrystalized on Nov 3, 2005 1:37:33 GMT -5
when I first joined the forum I was uncertain, people tend not to like me. But the people here are awesome they have a great respect for everyone. plus some are down right whacky.
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Post by dgan on Nov 3, 2005 6:49:46 GMT -5
  I have no idea what you're talking about.....
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Post by Dred on Nov 3, 2005 13:57:10 GMT -5
I think that everyone will find others willing to listen to different points of view on a wide range of topics. Now this isn't to say that everyone here is going to believe the same thing. Far from it in fact. The fact that we have a diverse group of people should actually benefit all who are interested in learning more about different points of view.
Like twyrch said, if problems arise with flaming, the mods/admin need to be notified so we can deal with the situation. Everyone is welcome here but certain rules must be adhered to. Behaving yourselves is part of the fun.
The threads that you need a certain post count for are Faerie Fire and Piccadilly Square. The Cairn is for the mods/admin and the House area is for those in respective houses.
Those are pretty much the only secure areas. You can gain access to some of them as time spent here will help you find out.
Look around and if you have any questions about anything at all, please let me know. I'll be more than happy to help you out.
As for whacky people...I must agree with dgan. Whacky is as whacky does.
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Twyrch /|\
