My Sole Responsibility

I've heard that a few of our Stampin' Up! demonstrators have expressed some concern that I mention religion on my blog and the blog is linked to the Stampin' Up! site and sometimes mentioned in Stampin' Up! material. I'm not sure if people are offended by my mention of religion, or if they're concerned that I'm mixing personal thoughts and feelings with professional, but I thought this was a subject worth bringing up.
I want to make it very clear that this blog is my personal blog, and I am solely responsible for the content of the blog. Stampin' Up! doesn't endorse my blog or any contents on the blog. While some companies do have "official" blogs, soshelli.com is not an official Stampin' Up! blog at all. It's all mine--good or bad!
I hope it's mostly good. If I've offended anyone by mentioning religion, I'm sorry--that is not my intention at all! My religion is at the heart of everything I am. It's what has made me who I am. I can't imagine sharing anything personal without my beliefs and values being brought up fairly frequently because they are so much a part of me. I've tried to be careful about what I've said; I think I've only mentioned the name of the church I belong to once. Most of the time I talk about my church and my beliefs in general.
I don't want people to feel like I'm preaching or teaching or promoting any specific religion or belief. But if I felt like I couldn't mention general thoughts and feelings about what is such a huge part of me and my life, I don't think I could share much.
I hope that clears up my intent behind talking about things of a religious or spiritual nature. I hope most of you aren't bothered when I mention religion. In fact, one of the things I value when I meet demonstrators is our conversations about our shared faith in God.
I also respect diversity and the fact that some of you may be uncomfortable when I mention religion. It won't bother me at all if you choose not to read those postings, or even choose to ignore my blog altogether. I learned long ago that we can't please everyone all of the time, and that diversity is what adds spice to life!
Reader Comments (180)
I work in the Human Resources field and have to constantly think about how others will intrepet my comments. My HR training has taught me to censor myself on topics like religion and politics, and then I go to church and hear encouragement to teach my co-workers (and others) about Jesus. Very conflicting messages!
As an SU! demo, I have heard from others about your religion and that it plays an important part of your life. As a part of the SU! family, I've seen that you walk the walk when it comes to morals and ethics. Personally, I find it reassuring to know that a company I'm affiliated with has an owner who believes in a higher power and acts accordingly.
I'm enjoying reading your blog and learning more about you. Your life includes not just SU! but also your family, your friends, your hobbies and your religion.
Thanks for this post responding to the people who were concerned about you expressing your religion. More importantly, thanks for standing up for your beliefs!
Thanks,
Renee' Stabila
Sharon
Suzanne
Thank you for sharing not only the business side of Stampin' Up! with us on this blog, but also your personal life!! It's great to get to know you in a more personal way. Your faith, your religion, makes you who you are. Your blog is PERSONAL and I, for one, am glad that you are chosing to make it your own and not a corporate "script". Please keep blogging in your genuine way!!!
Love ya!
Keep up the good work.
Keep on keeping on -- your blog is wonderful.
blessings,
SMB
Organized religions or the basic belief in a higher power is our right. So I say Shelli stay american and practice your faith as you please it is your right.
To make a long story short, I would not be who I am today without SU! and you are the reason SU! is what it is today.
I could go on and on, but the other posts have conveyed my message too...and oh my, what a large amount of readers you have supporting you. :-)
Please don't change a thing about what you write about on YOUR blog. Your blog is refreshing and from the heart. Thank you for sharing your life with all of us.
So many of us have commented about how graceful you are. I don’t think there’s a better word to describe you! I too, enjoy reading your blog because I picture you talking to me. I love the small personal touches on your blog- like your including your (secret) family recipes! I recently purchased a book (Where Women Create), just to see what your craft room looks like! I am always impressed by how classy, personal, admirable of a human you are.
Since the blog is a wonderful family journal and inside look, I think it would be quite interesting if you continue your blog the way it is. Ironically, I am neither a religious person nor a spiritual person. For those that know me, I jokingly describe myself as a “recovering catholic”. (I don’t particularly agree with much of the catholic faith.) As a counselor, I work with clients that have many different faiths and have a respect and interest in learning about others, including their faith. There are so many assumptions and assertions made about faith, mostly out of honest lack of knowledge.
I remember a post you left about your family getting “sealed”. It was something foreign to me. You attempted to explain it, but it still seemed confusing. I investigated this a little to get some explanation/knowledge on this. I think it would be nice for you to add on a sentence or 2 of explanation in posts where others, [those who do not follow your faith] may not know anything about the topic. For the other demo’s reading this, I’m not saying you would post to encourage others to join your faith, but subtle explanations so others can understand you better. Just to know where you’re coming from. Others may have the same faith, but we don’t all have the same experiences. We see things in different ways, through our own eyes.
I see that many of the other demo’s visit your blog to learn more about you. I personally love the little insights about you- From your trips, to silly things, to family photos, to project ideas and most importantly your family! You usually share about your family at SU events, so why would this be any different? I like knowing what’s going on with your father getting better. Shanna’s mission work- And the joy you shared with us when little Phoebe was born! It’s the simple things in life that make you a pleasant person, a human who we like to hear from. I hope we can continue seeing what has already been personally established on your blog!
-Heather Wind, Fairfield, OH