Reply #220: What I've learned in the past 24 hours (since I innocently posted this thread) ... (please read #3) [View All]

[gauguin57]

Here's what I learned after posting what I assure everyone was meant to be the most innocuous post in the world ... merely stating that, because I pray for the president, I'm praying more these days because of the threatening climate created by the teabaggers and their hate and their guns:

1) You post something. A sh*tstorm comes down on your head. You realize the editing period for the OP is over, so you post a few more times, giving more information about yourself that proves the purpose of your post was "x" not "y" (in my case ... I simply meant to say, hey, if you pray, or if you believe in sending out positive energy on behalf of this president, maybe you could redouble your efforts because things are BAD out there, people.). You post that, of course you write letters and make phone calls and volunteer for the local Democratic party. You just happen to pray for the president in addition to that. You post that you're not a Christian, Muslim or Jew -- that you don't go to church -- that you're not a member of any organized religion. You just believe in god, and pray as part of that belief.

You don't claim any special relationship, or influence, with any given deity. You make it clear you're posting out of concern for the president and our country, not for the purpose of calling attention to yourself or your faith. You say nothing about religion whatsoever (in case some folks don't realize it ... prayer doesn't have to have anything to do with "religion" per se; I consider myself a person of faith, but not "religious"). You believe the tenents of any given organized religion should be divorced from laws and politics (which has nothing at all to do with wishing the president well on a spiritual level, which is all you're really doing when you're praying for him).

BUT ...

2) People either don't read the additional posts or they choose to ignore them so they can continue to make false assumptions about you and hurl nasty, NASTY, REALLYREALLYNASTY insults. At you and those who support you.

3) THE BEST THING I WAS REMINDED OF: There are always great people in the liberal/progressive movement who believe that everyone who wants to inform, discuss, debate in the realm of Democratic/progressive/liberal politics is welcome here. Today, I'm feeling like the atheists and agnostics who encouraged me to do what feels right to me, as long as it's positive, are the heart and soul of the Democratic party and the progressive movement. You guys (and the believers who encouraged me, as well), rock. Those of you who disagree with me, and made your position known without being nasty or insulting ... you also rock.

4) I have learned to try to be more sensitive, myself, about other people's differences. For example, I've been known to slam the hierarchy of the Catholic church (in large part because of they way they treat women). I'm a woman who grew up in that church, and have my issues. I try to make it clear that I'm not insulting individual Catholics or their faith ... just the patriarchy that will not allow change (or women in leadership). HOWEVER: I'm going to watch myself in the future, because I can feel what cruel words about one's faith can do. I'll be more cognizant if I'm being nasty in my posts in the future.

A POSTSCRIPT: I don't think I have ever posted anything that had to do with my private faith, except to offer prayers to other DUers who have lost loved ones. Which, I've noticed, a lot of people do here without having their heads taken off. I was moved to post what I did because I was struck by how frightened I am becoming because of all the teabagger hate -- the guns being carried to presidential events -- the fomenting of murderous hate against Barack Obama by the right-wing media clowns. I posted in the "presidential" forum because my post was about the president's safety ... not about religion/theology.

I am done posting on my original thread. Every time I've posted, the vitriol seems to get stunningly worse. An innocent thread bred other threads of intolerance.
I had the purest of intentions, and I didn't mean to open a gaping wound that demonstrates, in microcosm, just how much we've been at each other's throats in this place. Can't we disagree without tearing each other down? I've been on this board a long time, and I depend on you people to help me stay informed (I see articles here I miss in my other reading), and to debate with me in a civil way so we can come to some understanding and work on this country's problems together.

Despite how bad I've felt over the last 24 hours ... I love you guys.

Please let the thread die so we can save our strength for the work ahead.