Honest question. Is this site a religious site?

hmmmmmm yumy yum yum

OP: Are you Saved?

There is a brilliant bisuit website here

Righto!

I found some great cheap shortbread in Asda which were about 28p and THEY ARE ALL-BUTTER!!!!!

OMG A biscuits section would be GREAT!

Grrr. I'm not supposed to be posting at the moment. Not at all. But my fingers just fight their way onto the keyboards when I read UQD on prayer. I'm an atheist too, and I don't know much about prayer, but even I know that it's not just the equivalent of slipping the surgeon a tenner to make sure he does a better job of setting your dc's broken leg than the other children's.

Sheesh, UQD, of course you can't see the emperor's new clothes if you keep your eyes shut. You attack such a facile version of religion that I honestly can't see why you think it is worth wasting your time discussing it.

I think "always" is something of an exaggeration. I post maybe about 5% of the time there. The vast majority of my contributions are to TV, Dadsnet, Parenting or Education, or general chat.

What's even odder, UQD, is that you are always to be found on there...

sorry, above should say "(nothing in itself wrong with that)"

But if one takes the attitude to prayer, as I do, that it's simply mumbling words to make you feel better (nothing in itself with that) then there is nothing to "understand" as such. It's like the Emperor's New Clothes.

I haven't really followed the Rev business.

I do find it odd that there is a separate Philosophy/religion/spirituality section, when it's quite likely that more people would be interested in biscuits, and there isn't a separate Biscuits section. But each to their own...

Mumsnet is its own religion. You can consult it on any aspect of how to live your life, confess your sins in AIBU and be doled out penances and absolution.

The overtly religious threads on the philosophy/religion/spirituality topic are just a side show.

well obviously you do misunderstand if you're wanting to compare "recovery" times

I think people on this forum are more inclined than ones on other parenting forums to discuss religion/philosophy/etc. But I don't think the proportions of Christians/other faiths/atheists/dont-know-dont-cares are any different than you'd get in any cross-section of Britain.

They're also more inclined than most to discuss chicken-keeping! But it's really just that there are so many posters on this site that smallish groups of people could be found on almost any issue, chatting away at great length.

I know the whole rev business lately has brought this to the fore, but unless you choose to go into the Religion/etc topic you won't see much sign of people's beliefs. Apart from the faith schools issue, which always stirs things up!

I don't misunderstand it - I just don't believe it.

It's interesting how a new poster has perceived this site to be more "religious" than average. I think they might have a point.

now UD - there's where you misunderstand what prayer is all about

(and no I'm not getting into a debate about it on here, I'm supposed to be moving house this weekend though you wouldn't think it seeing the state of my house at the moment

I'm quite interested in the prayer threads, specifically in any follow-up detailing how effective they have been and comparing the recovery rates of ill people prayed for with those not prayed for. Oddly, this never seems forthcoming

a lot of prayer threads??

is there - I have seen the odd one or two specifically asking for prayers, but only the one "big" thread that once it's full a new one is started and the full one disappears into the murky depths of the archives.

And we don't just pray on it, we talk about all sorts of stuff

Maybe so Siriusmew? Though the religion section is busy anyway I'm thinking.

When first I clicked on MN I did notice how very British (and mostly Guardian (and DM) reading, pinot swigging middle class) it was! And also I DID notice that it was more religious than other sites I'd been to -there are lots of prayer threads etc.

I'm one of the buddhists on here, and am not from the UK, so naturally my eye would be drawn to things I find unusual in my RL.

I now read the Guardian (and skim the DM ) and swig pinot, so that is a conversion of sorts, no?

Are you worried about being converted or something?
If so, I would definitely eschew the bumsex threads. Not half what it's erm... cracked up to be.

I think this OP has come about because of the recent Rev debacle.

I would say, if there are a large amount of christian posts, that is because there are either a large amount of christians wanting to post, or that there are a few christians who have a lot to say !!!

Nothing wrong with christians posting is there? I know for a fact that there are people from other religions, and people from no religions here, all with views, opinions, support and advice to give.

Plenty of humanists, atheists and agnostics on here - all pretty vocal, you'll find.

But it is unusual in that it's the only forum of any sort I've seen with a dedicated "Philosophy, Religion and Spirituality" section. An awful lot of woo is talked in there. Don't go in if you value your sanity.

Various other groups are disproportionately represented here, e.g. private school users and cupcakers.

I'd say in this respect (though not necessarily in all others), Mumsnet gives a fairly accurate representation of the general population.

The difference is, that this being the internet many people find it easier to be open about their beliefs, and there are more serious conversations going on than you'd have in everyday life.

I have friends in RL who probably don't know that I'm a Christian, not because I'm ashamed of it and trying to hide it, but because our level of communication tends to be about everyday things, the things we know we have in common (the weather, the local community, the school). I'm not the kind of person who accosts people at bus stops to tell them I'm a Christian.

I'm with cmot.

This is the place I have seen the most humanists ever - we just don't feel the need to shout about it that much