Welcome to the Saints' Discussion Forums.
These forums are for discussion the Faith and everyday life, and especially learning about and talking about the saints whom we love so much and who love us so much.
It is hoped you will find peace, fun and joy here, as well as moving more deeply into your Faith so that we may have the Passion and sorrow of Christ in our hearts and bear our crosses well daily.
These forums have been created to be an alternative to the more contentious, argumentative, and griping forums so often found throughout the net.
The emphasis is upon friendliness, peace, and joy and mutual support.
Everyone who posts on these forums is called upon to respond to others in a manner fitting the Golden Rule: Do unto others as you would have done unto your own self, and even beyond this.
If you feel the need to post otherwise, there are other forums from which this forum is a refugee hospital that you may return to. Moderation will be engaged in as is necessary to ensure that there is a genuine spirit of love of neighbor in our posts. Do not put on a false smile! Genuinely work up a true spirit of love, of care, for your neighbor, and you will profit immensely. Think of your neighbor as a visit from Christ.
Try to be a saint.
So here follow some principles and rules of the road.
And these are meant seriously, so please pay attention to them.
Before you post, if you feel as if you are unleashing darkness upon the earth, a gripe, a flame, a put down, a crushing argument that will give you victory -- Don't! It does not matter if you actually have the right belief or truth or not, this is not the spirit in which to proceed to deliver it.
Stop, pray, and think about how to communicate differently, in a spirit of love.
Hold back, and if someone has a view you differ with, approach that person from the viewpoint of a friend, who genuinely cares rather than a debater who is trying to prove a point which in the end, if true, will always be so and does not need so much an investment as to discard any love. Think more of what will move the person you are speaking to, to understand and walk in your own shoes, rather than focusing only on the abstract of the discussion.
Do not expect people to agree with you immediately even if you do this, but leave it up to God and give them time to digest and think over what you have said, rather than feel they have to defend their beliefs to the last man because of some emotional investment in them. We must be detached if we are to find the truth, and our emotions and the emotions we stir up in delivering that truth can be a barrier to this.
At times people will express beliefs that require a firm response. Be firm without being harsh.
So, these forums are not places for debates, arguments, griping, etc. They are for courteous discussions.
Non-Catholics are welcome, but cautioned not to try to prove points contrary to the teachings of the Church or seek to acquire converts. This is a haven for Catholic discussion and sharing, not apologetics, there are other places you may do this on the Internet. Please feel free to join in talking about daily life and introduce yourself!
If you have a question about the faith and you would honestly like to learn more, feel free to ask it here, and the people here will do their best to respond to the extent they know how. Simply do not do it in a spirit of challenge, but one of learning about what others believe and why they believe it. Open yourself to the knowledge that both you and your neighbor genuinely desire the truth, and ask in that spirit, and answers can be given about what the Church teaches.
I would like to ask something of all the members on this forum. If you feel you are constantly posting about troubles, problems, sorrows.. if at any length this is only what you post about.. do something different.. require of yourself to use the smilies.. and to post good and happy news, and to see something of light in every darkness. I as your forum administrator not only ask, I even insist upon it.. make an effort to post more happily, and you will find more happiness.
'Where there is no love, put love, and you will find love.'
St. John of the Cross
Truly God is everywhere in all the troubles and joys of our lives, though in different ways. And wherever God is, there is a reason for happiness.
Saints' Discussion Forums
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