Membership of a religious congregation (which I accept is not the same as having religious beliefs) has been falling steadily in the US for decades and is now, for the first time, a minority of the population.Very sad to see that this was necessary. I very much appreciate the mods' hard work in cleaning the thread up and reopening it rather than just closing it down as with the previous thread, though.Thank you!
To be fair, many of us are probably a bit, well, gun-shy about such things because many of the interactions we as people with non-conventional or non-existent religious beliefs have with people of the more conventional religious beliefs in regards to our beliefs are negative. But I do always try to see the best possible intentions in people with things like that, so I'd like to think that those sad reactions are more innocent than my past experiences have indicated they could be.
I am not the board creator, of course, so I don't know what their intentions were for the thread, but I'd also like to think anyone is welcome as long as religion isn't thrown around and we aren't interrogated or poked at about it.
I had an owl swoop at my car a couple nights in a row when coming home late a year and so ago. I think I helped it spot food with my headlights? Nearly gave me a heart attack the first time though, all I saw was a giant shadow coming at me.
My big differences for me at least are
Membership of a religious congregation (which I accept is not the same as having religious beliefs) has been falling steadily in the US for decades and is now, for the first time, a minority of the population.
https://www.npr.org/2021/03/30/9826...ng-to-a-religious-congregation-new-poll-shows
Religious affiliation remains the case for the majority of the population (overwhelmingly Christian), even if people don’t belong to a congregation, but non-affiliation which is closer to not being religious is very much on the rise (now nearly a third of the population) particularly among younger people.
https://www.pewresearch.org/religio...us-composition-has-changed-in-recent-decades/
This all brings the US closer to Europe in terms of the percent of the population who are non-believers.
I post all this because I am someone to whom facts matter, and because those who are not religious no longer need to be apologetic and think of themselves as a strange minority.
I assume this thread is not intended to exclude those with religious beliefs, but rather to be a space where discussion can happen free from any religious overtones.
As such the title would ideally be changed to clarify that it is the chat that is not religious rather than the folk chatting.
Now to make myself even more unpopular, I personally find the so-called supernatural to be much like religion, just without a lot of the organized trappings.
I will now bow out and do my chicken chores and understand if I am not particularly welcome to return!
The absolute hate some people have too 'in the name of religion's astonishing too. Again, I know not all, I could probably be safe when I say most, people are like that, but again, it's something I've experienced and it just drives me away. I can't understand how you could so truly hate someone just because they don't follow the same belief as you.
I have a friend that was learning about Wiccan. Or maybe Pagan. I can't remember which one exactlyMy daughter is non binary, my step daughter is gay, I'm ish Pagan/Wiccan...my mother in law lives with us and is heavily Catholic (when it serves her best) our house is fun
I say ish cause I don't follow any "code" I'm more earthly spiritual. Or as my husband calls me a tree loving hippie
my house forever smells of sage or Nag Champa. Tell them to read Drawing Down the moon if they haven't it's a good place to start
