religion

As far as I know Julie - there is no religion attached to the POE site.  It is just a really caring community that sends messages of encouragement, hope and care to any of the members needing special thoughts.  Some of the members send prayers, others send supportive thoughts or messages, whatever they personally feel is appropriate.

When my husband was critically ill I received messages from so many members of POE, which really sustained me during the crisis.  I have no idea whether it is just knowing that so many people would take the time and trouble to think of you, say a prayer for you, or just send supportive messages from all over the world, or Divine intervention, but against all odds my husband did recover.

I for one am very grateful that I found a site where the members really care about each other in a genuine way.

Very well put CathyML - and Julie just to confirm, there is no single religion attached to the POE site and/or it's members (neither do we ask them) all of whom have their own opinions and thoughts, along with a caring attitude to fellow members. That's what makes POE such an interesting family website to visit, along with everything else it has going for it.

Spend an hour or two looking around the site Julie, book your hotel accommodation through POE (cheaper than going direct) read about the 'Brits' and our History but most of all look at the wonderful Pictures of England that the members provide for our enjoyment and/or purchase for that matter!

Join in here in the forum whenever you can.

Hi Julie:  Good question.  Because people usually class things as either religious or non-religious, anybody not familiar with the site might just assume that it's a "religious" site because we post threads asking prayer for our members' needs.  But I think we are people of all faiths, little faith, lots of faith or no faith.  In fact two years ago we had a member who was an atheist and we had a lovely and spirited discussion about God, the Bible, religion, etc., that went on for a couple of months, all the while with respect for one another's beliefs.  I really enjoyed it, but since faith for most people is very personal, most people don't like to discuss it and that's OK.

I, like you, am a Christian, Roman Catholic to be exact, and I love the Lord and try and keep Jesus Christ front and center in my daily life, although I often fail miserably at that.  But I have nothing but respect for people of other faiths and no faith.  If you follow the commands of Jesus, than you can't treat others in any other way.  To be judgmental about other's beliefs or lack thereof, is diametrically opposed to what Jesus taught.  That is why "religion" has been and continues to be such a negative force in the world, and actually drives people away from God.  We need to walk the talk, so to speak.  Religion is only the tool, and any tool misused can be useless and destructive.  Jesus established a church, and that is ALL Christians, regardless of denomination, also known as the Body of Christ.  God doesn't have religions, or denominations.  They are the barriers that we humans erect when we want power and believe that only "we" are right.

This site is terrific because unlike other sites, our discussions are respectful for the most part, although we've had our moments, and there is truly a caring atmosphere.  Since, like Cathy said, we are all over the world, we can't necessarily help one another in any practical way, but we can always pray and/or send our best wishes to one another.  And we really have no clue as to how powerful our prayers can be.

The RC church has a lot of issues, but I think their theology (what they believe about God and Jesus, not their rules and regulations, lol) is spot on.  But if I lived over there, I'd probably want to belong to C of E just so I could worship in one of those fabulous, ancient stone churches or cathedrals that are in every town and village.  It's nice to hear that a person your age is still interested in the faith.   Keep coming around and thanks for asking the question.  It's a great one.