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- In my opinion and observation only -
In a way I think that no religious person will feel truly welcome or understood outside of their own community. This is partially because of the nature of religion and faith - we call adherents "believers in" or "followers of" a religion and not "convinced by" or "open to". If you are of a particular faith, the facts of your spirituality are really only the tip of the iceberg. If, on the other hand you are an outside observer, a religion is really just a collection of facts and practices - lacking the intensely personal aspects that make up faith. From that perspective, I don't know why I'd ever expect Christians to feel understood and appreciated in a Christian sort of way by non-believers. And people who are misunderstood often feel unwelcomed.
I think we've got an interesting cross-section of people here at TFP, including some people who are just not open to religions in general. This is in stark contrast to American culture (sorry non-Americans - I love you but you are outnumbered), where Christianity may not be a state religion, but enjoys a certain de facto authenticity. So I guess it is a strange thing to have a lot of people who consider something so personal as Christian faith to be nothing more than just another idea among many. It must be especially strange when the world around you treats your ethos as deserving some automatic respect... I don't think that this a wholely hostile environment to faithful people, but neither is it automatically accepting. I sincerely hope that doesn't translate to a feeling of unwelcome...
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Cogito ergo spud -- I think, therefore I yam
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