PLEASE READ: Cafe Esprit Guidelines

[MosaicMinds]

Welcome to Cafe Esprit!

On this forum we strive to provide a safe place to discuss issues regarding spiritual beliefs and experiences. It is the only forum at Mosaic Minds where such discussions are permitted. We recognize that spiritual and religious matters can be especially sensitive ones, and so we have some special guidelines for CE.

Possibly triggering topics:

It's never possible to know every community member's triggers and avoid them all. However, some of the topics that might be especially sensitive here include, but are not limited to: religious and ritual abuse; d*m*nic possession/ex*rcism; detailed descriptions of religious rituals (whether or not they are tied to abuse issues); attempts to proselytize or convert other community members.

Rating posts:

Please consider other readers' feelings when choosing a rating. For example, you might have a wonderful experience during a particular religious event and want to post about it using a "happy" icon. The description of that service or ritual, however, might be a huge trigger for someone else. Therefore, when choosing your rating icon, please try to consider the effect your post might have on the reader rather than your own feelings about the content.

Use content warnings and the spoiler in your message if you are unsure about the effect the content might have on the reader.

Titles of posts:

When choosing the title of your message, please avoid potentially triggering terms, particularly, words like: names of services or rituals; terms referring to d*m*ns; terms related to ritual abuse; s*xual terms; swear words.

If your post is about S*t*n*sm, please *always* use the 'red S' icon, even though we realize that S*t*n*sm is not synonymous with SRA.

Respecting different beliefs:

People of many different faiths, as well as people with no "faith" or belief system at all, are welcome at CE. It's vital that we all treat one another and our different beliefs with respect.

Proselytizing and "witnessing" are not permitted on this or any of the Mosaic Minds forums.

One person's simple "testimony of faith" can be another person's "attempt to convert." The difference is frequently in our choice of language. Often, simply prefacing a statement with "I believe" makes a world of difference in how the message comes across. So, too, does taking a non-defensive stance in sharing one's beliefs and experiences.