Am I being deceptive?

[lightningandsnow]

I go on this other message board, which is quite small, but has a very devoted core group of posters. It's essentially for prayer requests and support. At first I thought it was non-denominational, but it seems to have a very explicit Christian bent.

I'm a Jewish Buddhist Pagan who definitely believes in the power of prayers/positive energy/vibes/whatnot. And I've never tried to give the impression that I'm Christian - I've never mentioned Jesus on any of my posts, or refered to the higher power as being a singular, male god.

Still, I haven't come out and said what my beliefs are. Another poster refered to us as her "Christian brothers and sisters", and honestly, it made me feel kind of bad.

Do you think I've misrepresented myself? And should I continue posting on there?

[Whoa_Nelly]

1. You are only deceptive by ommission

If you don't state/share your belief system, and keep posting there, then yes, you would be acting deceptively.

Meanwhile, if that board bothers you or your conscience, then leave it. You don't have to stay there, and you may eventually fond a board that meets your needs through the belief system you have. :hug:

[Quantess]

2. I don't see the harm in it, but I'm not sure.

as long as you don't mind that the others are showering you with prayers of Jesus.
But they might or they might not want prayers showered on them that aren't based on Jesus. :shrug:

[intheflow]

3. Spirit is transcendent.

I'm not Christian (usually refer to myself as a Taoist Pagan), but I went to a Christian seminary. I was actually pretty biased against Christians when I started there. But I learned that Christians are just looking for the same thing all us on different spiritual paths are--an intimate connection with whatever it is that's out there, bigger than us, beyond our understanding. Once I was able to see that, once I was able to translate Christian "code" into my wording, even if it was just in my head, it was ok. Then it was like going to a foreign country and picking up the local language. So I think it's ok to take what you get from this group and not bare your soul. The hard part is if they get show signs of fundamentalism, then it's time to run.

BTW, I had this conversation once with one of my classmates. I told her I found Christianity very exclusionary. Eery time I heard a phrase like "This we pray in Christ's name," it was like they were in this club and I was allowed to come in and hang out, but I wasn't really accepted as one of the "in" crowd because I didn't believe Jesus was a god. She was mortified! It had never occured to her that her liturgical language could make someone feel excluded--she just assumed the nature of liturgy and the message of Jesus was to be inclusionary. So the folks on this board may just be making the same assumption, that is, everyone is just like them. It doesn't sound as though you'd be comfortable "outing" yourself, but maybe in time, if much of what's on there continues to feed your spirit, you can engage some of them in this kind of conversation. I have to say, after that my friend's services concentrated more on Jesus' life than on rote liturgy. So there's hope!

[skater314159]

4. As a working chaplain...

... I work in many settings where I help individuals of all faith backgrounds and practices. I have found that whenever I work with someone, they seem to assume I am of the same faith as they are. I am personally a Episcopa-Jewish Greek Pagan (I was raised Cathli-Jew) - but I don't tell them that. It's not really important - I'm helping THEM with their issues and helping THEM find an answer that is meaningful to THEM in thier faith background, so my OWN personal beliefs and acts of devotion really don't matter. I have told individuals who I have repeated contact with, once I know that they can handle and respect my beliefs, some of what I believe... but those cases are really rare. What I believe doesn't need to be known in the situations where I am helping others.

I think you need to view this prayer group as a chaplain would... you are coming into this group to recieve and give support in a faith-based community. Most Americans are Christian... and some Christians are very conservative in thier views and can't really get where you are coming from. I understand what you are saying in your original post, and I understand why you have carefully avoided using faith-language that reveals your Jewish, Buddhist, and Pagan beliefs. This is because you (correctly, I am assuming) feel that in this particular group, to use that sort of language would exclude you and cause people to focus on your rather than on the prayers of the group as a whole. It makes sense for you to do that.

You need to ask yourself if you should change this. One answer is that you probably shouldn't, and even more importantly you can't... especially if they think Christian is the only "true" faith or that all people should come to faith in Christ. Also, would your doing this upset the dynamics of the group as a whole? Does your NOT saying anything harm the group in any way? From what you have said, I think saying something would be far worse than continuing as you are. The people probably assume that you are Christian because you sound like them from what they are reading, and you don't fit their mental concept of "pagan" or "non-Christian"... and trying to change that mental concept (if at all possible) is NOT your job. If they want or feel the need to learn about other faiths, there's the internet and public libraries.

As for the woman who called everyone her Christian brothers and sisters, it might help you to read "Children of the Gods" or "Children of the Universe" or something like that - that is what I do when I read or hear religiously exclusive language, so that it doesn't "bother" or distract me from the truth being presented. And if people on the list say something negative about other faiths, then you could take time to analyse what they said, and gently remind them that Jesus said we should treat others as we want to be treated, and to not judge others, for by the standard we use, we shall be judged.

Finally, no, I don't think that you are being deceptive. You are just protecting yourself and your beliefs - it is good to have healthy boundaries. It is also healthy for us to have and maintain contact (even if it is only online or via IM) with people with whom we do not agree 100%. It is good and healthy to have a variety of friends with a variety of views... you can learn from these people. I feel you should continue to post in the group, as long as it does not cause you any stress and helps you on your spiritual path.

If you need any further help, don't hesitate to ask!

:loveya:

:hippie:
skater314159

[applegrove]

5. If you feel deceptive I would own up. That is just me. It is too taxing

for me to misrepresent myself in any way. Up to you though. It may be you are worried about rejection. Why not go to Beliefnet and find a site that is a better fit and then invest there. Feeling guilty is not good for the soul.