My thoughts and prayers also go out to EVERYBODY who has been effected by this. I'm sure I'll offend somebody by leaving them off of (or putting them onto) this list, but for the record, when I say Everybody, that includes the friends and family of those killed, the friends and family of the killers, the people who live with enough hate in their hearts to pull the triggers, the people who nurture the hate in their hearts because of these acts, the children who grow up in a world of hate and violence, the governments that have to try to stop all of the violence, the governments who think violence will somehow stop any of it, the soldiers who are fighting in these battles, their families, all who have been killed in every country, and every group that is torn apart or wounded by the ripple effects of it all, including KickAS.
There are thousands of members in KickAS, people from all countries, religions, and backgrounds. There is no way to never offend anybody. This group is open to all of us, whether we believe in God or not, whether we support our country's politics or not. It is meant to be a SUPPORT group, although I must say I rarely see much support around here lately. Mostly it's a lot of prayer-bashing, doctor-trashing, nay-saying. It's sad, really. What must the newcomers think?
As far as the rules go, I believe it starts with "conducting ourselves in a respectful manner". Once somebody blows that one, it all falls apart. Then all of a sudden it's an attack on religious and political beliefs, and who wounded who first. What happened to "Consideration for the opinions, religions, nationalities and political views of all other members"?
Everybody wants to be heard, but nobody seems to think they should be considerate of others when they post. Yes, we are free to speak our minds here. But being disrespectful will always bring a bad result. Within a group of friends, a simple "cool it" is a friendly way of letting someone you care about know that they may be stepping over the line a bit. Censorship is when what was originally said is simply marked over or deleted (like with profanity).
That being said, there was nothing wrong with the oringinal post that started this thread. The cool thing, that I think many people missed, is that the first post, which voiced compassion toward those who are having to live under threat, was followed by another which agreed. The first gave "thoughts and prayers" while the second was "with you in spirit". Two Kats, with different beliefs, in agreement on the idea, which is compassion for those suffering. Peace, without judgement.
There was no need to start taking offense because the word prayer was used. Just like there was no need to take offense at the "Non-prayer" sentiment. There was no attack on, or suppression of anybody's beliefs, until it was made to be so, through disrespect. The key here is to respect each other no matter whether you agree or not.
As far as discussing religion in another forum, trust me we do. But everyone has a right to be here and express their opinions, compassion, and beliefs. We don't have to agree about them, but we all need to tolerate one another. It's not a fight until somebody makes it one.
Isn't there a way that the white lighters, fairy dusters, huggers, and prayers can all just agree to disagree and get over it?
