Christian motivational quotes
MotivationalQuotes
2010.04.27 10:48 MotivationalQuotes MotivationalQuotes
Motivation, short and simple
2015.11.30 07:02 Teamtrigma /r/Motivational Quotes
"I think the problem Digg had is that it was a company that was built to be a company, and you could feel it in the product. The way you could criticise Reddit is that we weren't a company – we were all heart and no head for a long time. So I think it'd be really hard for me and for the team to kill Reddit in that way.” Steve Huffman, aka spez, Reddit CEO. For more information about the black-out: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-65855608
2020.04.02 20:12 gogas2 MotivationalThoughts
Welcome to MotivationalThoughts
2024.05.14 07:51 StatisticianGreat514 CMV: Now that Conservatives are trashing MLK after many years of supporting him, I think it's time for them to admit that they never really liked him the first place.
Caution: Long Post
The Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. is without doubt and still is to this day one of the most influential, powerful, and iconic figures in American history due to his steadfast and nonviolent commitment in the fight for Civil Rights, Equality, and Justice during Jim Crow Segregation in the United States. The highlight of his career as an activist came in 1963 in which he delivered his famous "I Have a Dream" speech in front of Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C. in which he envisioned a nation in which his children will be judged not by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character. This resulted in the Civil Rights Act of 1964 to be passed. Even after his assassination in 1968, his legacy inspired many similar Civil Rights Movements around the world.
Today, Martin Luther King, Jr. is hailed by both sides of the American political sphere as a beacon of hope on how to fight for justice and equality for all during turbulent times. But it's the Conservatives who constantly claim that they truly support him and follow his dream, especially in modern times and they've expressed it in a rather whitewashed and partisan fashion. The most obvious being their use of his "I Have a Dream" speech by quoting the one line that has often been cherry-picked and misinterpreted quite a lot in which they judge people not by skin but by their character. The main reason they do this is to give them the appearance that they are colorblind as their way of opposing racism. And in doing so, they consistently criticize Liberals of trying to divide the country into special interest groups and promote favoritism. As a result, they always claim that Dr. King is a Republican, let alone would've been one in this era given his views, along with the fact that he was a Christian. His niece, Alveda King even emphasized it herself.
Some of the ways that Conservatives try to supposedly live up to Dr. King's "colorblind" dream is by opposing supposed "Wokeness", Critical Race Theory, and the practice of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion everywhere. They also express it by opposing Affirmative Action and the use of racial quotas when it comes to applying for schools, universities, and jobs because they believe it causes Reverse Discrimination. In terms of nonviolence, Conservatives express their disapproval of the Black Lives Matter movement. On the basis of Christianity, Conservatives believe that Dr. King supported a fixed moral code as indicated in his Letters from Birmingham Jail since he led with love and not racial hatred by changing the lives of people and not the laws itself, along with the notion of self-sufficiency. Seeing all this, it seems like Conservatives are really desperate to prove how much America has progressed in this post-racial world in order to debunk accusations that it isn't a racist country and that's why they always prop up Dr. King by claiming that they follow his dream and will continue to do so. Well.....up until now.
During this year's Martin Luther King Day, a string of prominent Conservative activists and organizations suddenly turned on him. Starting off with Charlie Kirk of the youth Conservative movement Turning Point USA, who launched a blistering anti-MLK campaign in which he supposedly dispelled the alleged myths surrounding his popularity. He accused Dr. King of being a "bad person" and that his "sainthood will cause Black voters to realize it's being used against them to suppress the individual." He even went further by stating that "we made a huge mistake when we passed the Civil Rights Act in the 1960s" accusing it as "a way to get rid of the First Amendment". A while ago, the organization marketed the Conservative image of Dr. King when they sold $55 T-Shirts with his name as well as stickers of him with the words "Let Freedom Ring". Kirk was later joined by the Daily Wire's Matt Walsh who accused him of being a "communist". In fact, he railed against Dr. King a few years ago by accusing him of being a Womanizer, Adulterer, Plagiarizer, etc. Coming after Walsh was Human Events editor, conspiracy theorist, and fellow Turning Point USA alumna Jack Posobiec, who labeled Dr. King "a God of the Left" and stating that "the real legacy of the 1960s was enshrining Racial Discrimination and Race Consciousness into the Federal Bureaucracy." And finally, a popular Conservative Twitter account called "EndWokeness" called Dr. King "a Racial Marxist" because he "did not support a Colorblind Meritocracy" after it cited his quote on Wealth Distribution. What's even worse is that even non-White Conservatives hate him. Two examples include a commentator named Vince Everett Ellison and former football player and sports columnist, Jason Whitlock. The latest editions to the lineup of Black Guilt Conservatives, they railed against Dr. King and the passing of the Civil Rights by stating that they worsened the Black community by drifting them away from God into "Democratic Dependency". They even accused him of the same crimes as Walsh did.
With the sudden change in tone and emphasis from the Right against Dr. King, you have to ask yourself why they're doing this and what caused them to believe this way. And this is not an extremist fringe of the Right that some would expect to hear from. All of these are Mainstream Right-Wing Figures who have direct lineage to the GOP, including the current presidential nominee, Donald Trump. That's as Establishment you can get. Their remarks have been criticized by a lot of people from both sides and surprisingly by some Black Conservatives. One of them was Pastor Darrell Scott, a former faith advisor of Trump, who these days, is one of a few Black Conservatives who has been calling out other Black Conservatives for tearing down their own race in order to elevate their status among others, a very notorious habit of them. He criticized Kirk for inspiring a Hitler Youth. Another was Kimberly Klacik, who in 2020, gained viral for her campaign video stating that Black Lives don't matter to Democrats when she was running for Maryland's 7th Congressional District following the death of civil rights leader, Elijah Cummings, who was the incumbent. She criticized Kirk for his remarks stating that his rhetoric will prevent Blacks from voting Republican. Even with that said, there have been instances in which Conservatives themselves have questioned the Civil Rights Act and many of them have been pretty negative. If you check out other Conservative websites and especially here on Reddit, many of their criticisms echo the same sentiments as those Pundits stating that it was unconstitutional and that in infringed on the First Amendment, particularly the Notion of Freedom of Association.
That being said, there is some silver lining to this. Now, that they exposed themselves for what they really of think Dr. King, I think it's time for them to admit that they never really liked him in the first place, let alone understood who he really was and what he really stood for. In fact, they never really liked him at all. All they did was whitewash him and cherry-pick his ideas and speech for own Partisan Agenda. Dr. King constantly talked about the notion of Black Pride and campaigned about the need for Reparations. He also supported Affirmative Action stating in 1965 that "a Society that has done something special against the Negro for hundreds of years must now do something special for the Negro. Dr. King realized that our society was created in a way that managed to disadvantage the many for the benefit the few, and that America's Racial Hierarchy was connected to its Class Hierarchy. He also had political beliefs that manifested through both Racial Reconciliation and Concrete Policy Changes that could help restructure and benefit a divided and unequal nation. This is the reason why he referred to himself as a Democratic Socialist as he wanted a "Radical Redistribution of Economic and Political Power". In fact, he argued that true Equality can only be achieved, not just through legal rights, but through an equal distribution of resources. This is evident when he said “Call it democracy, or call it democratic socialism, but there must be a better distribution of wealth within this country for all God’s children.” This is the exact vision that Vermont Independent Senator Bernie Sanders believed in. After all, he did participate in the March on Washington in 1963. In regards to Police Brutality, while Dr. King opposed violent protest, he did acknowledge that a riot is the language of the Unheard and that it came from a place of Desperation. In fact, in his "I Have a Dream" Speech, he stated that Blacks could "never be satisfied as long as the Negro is the Victim of the Unspeakable Horrors of Police Brutality." After all, he was hounded by the FBI, was called a Communist, broke the law in protest of race-based Segregation and Violence, was thrown in jail, advocated Protests and Sit-Ins, opposed White Rule of Society, and was assassinated for his Race and his views on Race. Regarding the quote about the Content of Character from said speech, Dr. King's daughter, Bernice King stated that using solely that quote diminishes the purpose of the entire speech because her father's dream and work included "eradicating Racism, not ignoring it."
If anything, this goes to show that is Dr. King were around today, he would be heavily criticized for being Woke, politically correct, a Communist, a Race Hustler, and a member of the Radical Left. And we all know that the Right hates those ideologies passionately. But here's the thing, he never considered himself a Democrat, let alone a Republican. He was an Independent as he felt that both parties are the same. And reducing his legacy to a single quote diminishes the gains that he fought for and believed in. This especially goes to a lot of Conservatives out there who claim to follow his lead using that quote because they interpret them in a way that benefits them today than how he meant them back then. For you to claim that he didn't care about Skin Color is like saying Susan B. Anthony didn't care about Gender. And to those Conservatives who now hate him, including Black, I hope you're OK with people getting treated unfairly, including your own. Who knew being seen as an Equal is a Negative in your eyes.
submitted by StatisticianGreat514 to changemyview [link] [comments]
The Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. is without doubt and still is to this day one of the most influential, powerful, and iconic figures in American history due to his steadfast and nonviolent commitment in the fight for Civil Rights, Equality, and Justice during Jim Crow Segregation in the United States. The highlight of his career as an activist came in 1963 in which he delivered his famous "I Have a Dream" speech in front of Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C. in which he envisioned a nation in which his children will be judged not by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character. This resulted in the Civil Rights Act of 1964 to be passed. Even after his assassination in 1968, his legacy inspired many similar Civil Rights Movements around the world.
Today, Martin Luther King, Jr. is hailed by both sides of the American political sphere as a beacon of hope on how to fight for justice and equality for all during turbulent times. But it's the Conservatives who constantly claim that they truly support him and follow his dream, especially in modern times and they've expressed it in a rather whitewashed and partisan fashion. The most obvious being their use of his "I Have a Dream" speech by quoting the one line that has often been cherry-picked and misinterpreted quite a lot in which they judge people not by skin but by their character. The main reason they do this is to give them the appearance that they are colorblind as their way of opposing racism. And in doing so, they consistently criticize Liberals of trying to divide the country into special interest groups and promote favoritism. As a result, they always claim that Dr. King is a Republican, let alone would've been one in this era given his views, along with the fact that he was a Christian. His niece, Alveda King even emphasized it herself.
Some of the ways that Conservatives try to supposedly live up to Dr. King's "colorblind" dream is by opposing supposed "Wokeness", Critical Race Theory, and the practice of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion everywhere. They also express it by opposing Affirmative Action and the use of racial quotas when it comes to applying for schools, universities, and jobs because they believe it causes Reverse Discrimination. In terms of nonviolence, Conservatives express their disapproval of the Black Lives Matter movement. On the basis of Christianity, Conservatives believe that Dr. King supported a fixed moral code as indicated in his Letters from Birmingham Jail since he led with love and not racial hatred by changing the lives of people and not the laws itself, along with the notion of self-sufficiency. Seeing all this, it seems like Conservatives are really desperate to prove how much America has progressed in this post-racial world in order to debunk accusations that it isn't a racist country and that's why they always prop up Dr. King by claiming that they follow his dream and will continue to do so. Well.....up until now.
During this year's Martin Luther King Day, a string of prominent Conservative activists and organizations suddenly turned on him. Starting off with Charlie Kirk of the youth Conservative movement Turning Point USA, who launched a blistering anti-MLK campaign in which he supposedly dispelled the alleged myths surrounding his popularity. He accused Dr. King of being a "bad person" and that his "sainthood will cause Black voters to realize it's being used against them to suppress the individual." He even went further by stating that "we made a huge mistake when we passed the Civil Rights Act in the 1960s" accusing it as "a way to get rid of the First Amendment". A while ago, the organization marketed the Conservative image of Dr. King when they sold $55 T-Shirts with his name as well as stickers of him with the words "Let Freedom Ring". Kirk was later joined by the Daily Wire's Matt Walsh who accused him of being a "communist". In fact, he railed against Dr. King a few years ago by accusing him of being a Womanizer, Adulterer, Plagiarizer, etc. Coming after Walsh was Human Events editor, conspiracy theorist, and fellow Turning Point USA alumna Jack Posobiec, who labeled Dr. King "a God of the Left" and stating that "the real legacy of the 1960s was enshrining Racial Discrimination and Race Consciousness into the Federal Bureaucracy." And finally, a popular Conservative Twitter account called "EndWokeness" called Dr. King "a Racial Marxist" because he "did not support a Colorblind Meritocracy" after it cited his quote on Wealth Distribution. What's even worse is that even non-White Conservatives hate him. Two examples include a commentator named Vince Everett Ellison and former football player and sports columnist, Jason Whitlock. The latest editions to the lineup of Black Guilt Conservatives, they railed against Dr. King and the passing of the Civil Rights by stating that they worsened the Black community by drifting them away from God into "Democratic Dependency". They even accused him of the same crimes as Walsh did.
With the sudden change in tone and emphasis from the Right against Dr. King, you have to ask yourself why they're doing this and what caused them to believe this way. And this is not an extremist fringe of the Right that some would expect to hear from. All of these are Mainstream Right-Wing Figures who have direct lineage to the GOP, including the current presidential nominee, Donald Trump. That's as Establishment you can get. Their remarks have been criticized by a lot of people from both sides and surprisingly by some Black Conservatives. One of them was Pastor Darrell Scott, a former faith advisor of Trump, who these days, is one of a few Black Conservatives who has been calling out other Black Conservatives for tearing down their own race in order to elevate their status among others, a very notorious habit of them. He criticized Kirk for inspiring a Hitler Youth. Another was Kimberly Klacik, who in 2020, gained viral for her campaign video stating that Black Lives don't matter to Democrats when she was running for Maryland's 7th Congressional District following the death of civil rights leader, Elijah Cummings, who was the incumbent. She criticized Kirk for his remarks stating that his rhetoric will prevent Blacks from voting Republican. Even with that said, there have been instances in which Conservatives themselves have questioned the Civil Rights Act and many of them have been pretty negative. If you check out other Conservative websites and especially here on Reddit, many of their criticisms echo the same sentiments as those Pundits stating that it was unconstitutional and that in infringed on the First Amendment, particularly the Notion of Freedom of Association.
That being said, there is some silver lining to this. Now, that they exposed themselves for what they really of think Dr. King, I think it's time for them to admit that they never really liked him in the first place, let alone understood who he really was and what he really stood for. In fact, they never really liked him at all. All they did was whitewash him and cherry-pick his ideas and speech for own Partisan Agenda. Dr. King constantly talked about the notion of Black Pride and campaigned about the need for Reparations. He also supported Affirmative Action stating in 1965 that "a Society that has done something special against the Negro for hundreds of years must now do something special for the Negro. Dr. King realized that our society was created in a way that managed to disadvantage the many for the benefit the few, and that America's Racial Hierarchy was connected to its Class Hierarchy. He also had political beliefs that manifested through both Racial Reconciliation and Concrete Policy Changes that could help restructure and benefit a divided and unequal nation. This is the reason why he referred to himself as a Democratic Socialist as he wanted a "Radical Redistribution of Economic and Political Power". In fact, he argued that true Equality can only be achieved, not just through legal rights, but through an equal distribution of resources. This is evident when he said “Call it democracy, or call it democratic socialism, but there must be a better distribution of wealth within this country for all God’s children.” This is the exact vision that Vermont Independent Senator Bernie Sanders believed in. After all, he did participate in the March on Washington in 1963. In regards to Police Brutality, while Dr. King opposed violent protest, he did acknowledge that a riot is the language of the Unheard and that it came from a place of Desperation. In fact, in his "I Have a Dream" Speech, he stated that Blacks could "never be satisfied as long as the Negro is the Victim of the Unspeakable Horrors of Police Brutality." After all, he was hounded by the FBI, was called a Communist, broke the law in protest of race-based Segregation and Violence, was thrown in jail, advocated Protests and Sit-Ins, opposed White Rule of Society, and was assassinated for his Race and his views on Race. Regarding the quote about the Content of Character from said speech, Dr. King's daughter, Bernice King stated that using solely that quote diminishes the purpose of the entire speech because her father's dream and work included "eradicating Racism, not ignoring it."
If anything, this goes to show that is Dr. King were around today, he would be heavily criticized for being Woke, politically correct, a Communist, a Race Hustler, and a member of the Radical Left. And we all know that the Right hates those ideologies passionately. But here's the thing, he never considered himself a Democrat, let alone a Republican. He was an Independent as he felt that both parties are the same. And reducing his legacy to a single quote diminishes the gains that he fought for and believed in. This especially goes to a lot of Conservatives out there who claim to follow his lead using that quote because they interpret them in a way that benefits them today than how he meant them back then. For you to claim that he didn't care about Skin Color is like saying Susan B. Anthony didn't care about Gender. And to those Conservatives who now hate him, including Black, I hope you're OK with people getting treated unfairly, including your own. Who knew being seen as an Equal is a Negative in your eyes.
2024.05.14 07:41 Web_Wanderer12 My first (maybe) hijab-related question in this subreddit
I knew, I knew. Ran out of ideas, isn't? Calling you guys as bunch of hypocrite, stupidos are only gonna made me fooling myself. It's not like I have anything to show to defend this ''fashion'' practices from you guys.
But you know what's funny, the fact that you all were busy drowning in hatred toward hijab while totally forgot that ISLAM IS NOT THE ONLY GODDAMN RELIGION/CULTURE THAT PROMOTES WEARING HEADWEARS AMONG FEMALES IN THIS WORLD!! HOW ABOUT THE SOMALIAN CULTURE BEFORE ISLAM ARRIVES, HOW ABOUT CHRISTIANS, HOW THE PARTS OF WORLD THAT WE DIDN'T KNOW WHO SOMEHOW PRACTICE THE SAME THING WHILE HAVE NOTHING TO DO WITH ISLAM?
No need to tell me about the dark origin of hijab back then. Yeah I knew hijab only exist to separated non-slave woman and slave woman back in the old days yet they still being harrassed by some stupid Sahabas of the misogynist, pedo warlord Muhammad that you all hoped can see his grave alongside with the entire Kaabah been burnt down one day, right?
Still, nothing lasts forever, right? I mean, if you guys despised the headwear so much, why don't you tried to change its motive into something new. only for fashion, not for what it supposed to be in the past?
You guys maybe asking, why this mofos even tried to protect this oppressing outfit? Is he a fetish? Is he a disgusting man? Yes. I am a lowly human being. and very not in a good way. And like I said, there's nothing in my pocket that can be used to describe any slightest positivity of hijab in front of you people.
Despite that. i can't help but disappointed towards people in this subreddit, Just like when Harley Quinn been discriminated by people around her after she tried so hard to change to a better person, you exMuslims felt like HIJAB must be stuck with Islam. Mohammad and all those heinous act done by ISIS, Iranian government etc in the "VILLIANS" label while not even gave any second chances for it to change into something better. WHY?
Anyway, sorry if I behave like a jerk without totally trying to fully understand the painful experience that must been faced through by you guys before made a decision to find your own freedom, turning you into better individuals nowadays.
submitted by Web_Wanderer12 to exmuslim [link] [comments]
But you know what's funny, the fact that you all were busy drowning in hatred toward hijab while totally forgot that ISLAM IS NOT THE ONLY GODDAMN RELIGION/CULTURE THAT PROMOTES WEARING HEADWEARS AMONG FEMALES IN THIS WORLD!! HOW ABOUT THE SOMALIAN CULTURE BEFORE ISLAM ARRIVES, HOW ABOUT CHRISTIANS, HOW THE PARTS OF WORLD THAT WE DIDN'T KNOW WHO SOMEHOW PRACTICE THE SAME THING WHILE HAVE NOTHING TO DO WITH ISLAM?
No need to tell me about the dark origin of hijab back then. Yeah I knew hijab only exist to separated non-slave woman and slave woman back in the old days yet they still being harrassed by some stupid Sahabas of the misogynist, pedo warlord Muhammad that you all hoped can see his grave alongside with the entire Kaabah been burnt down one day, right?
Still, nothing lasts forever, right? I mean, if you guys despised the headwear so much, why don't you tried to change its motive into something new. only for fashion, not for what it supposed to be in the past?
You guys maybe asking, why this mofos even tried to protect this oppressing outfit? Is he a fetish? Is he a disgusting man? Yes. I am a lowly human being. and very not in a good way. And like I said, there's nothing in my pocket that can be used to describe any slightest positivity of hijab in front of you people.
Despite that. i can't help but disappointed towards people in this subreddit, Just like when Harley Quinn been discriminated by people around her after she tried so hard to change to a better person, you exMuslims felt like HIJAB must be stuck with Islam. Mohammad and all those heinous act done by ISIS, Iranian government etc in the "VILLIANS" label while not even gave any second chances for it to change into something better. WHY?
Anyway, sorry if I behave like a jerk without totally trying to fully understand the painful experience that must been faced through by you guys before made a decision to find your own freedom, turning you into better individuals nowadays.
2024.05.14 07:02 godsyouforum What Is Goal Setting Quotes? How Quotes Help Us To Achieve Goals
Goal setting quotes are a powerful way to inspire and motivate people to achieve their goals.These quotes serve a reminder of the importance of goal setting in achieving goals. Goal setting is very important for personal growth and development . Goal setting is very important because everyone needs a way and purpose in life to fulfill their goals .Goal setting allows us to focus on our goal and increase the chance of success.
There are many goal setting quotes those help us to achieve our goals :-- Our all dreams come true if we have courage to track them.
Goals allow you to control the direction of life change and set in your favor.
The path of success is to take action not reaction.
Every thousand miles start with a single step.
Goal setting quotes encourage individuals to believe in the beauty of dreams. We need to maintain a positive mindset to achieve success and become a dream achiever.
submitted by godsyouforum to god [link] [comments]
There are many goal setting quotes those help us to achieve our goals :-- Our all dreams come true if we have courage to track them.
Goals allow you to control the direction of life change and set in your favor.
The path of success is to take action not reaction.
Every thousand miles start with a single step.
Goal setting quotes encourage individuals to believe in the beauty of dreams. We need to maintain a positive mindset to achieve success and become a dream achiever.
2024.05.14 06:19 Thatgayblazerchick Is this considered emotional abuse???
So I have been debating with myself on whether or not my mom was emotionally abusive (she was never physical) when I was younger. We have never gotten along or had a deep understanding relationship, she never listen to me, we’d always fight, she’d put me against my dad and family, she felt like a stranger all my life (starting at about 7). More specific examples from when I was 14 - 15 she cheated on my dad (they never had a good relationship, divorced my dad, married the guy, got pregnant with said guy, aborted it, she had always been extremely conservative Christian so that was unexpected, and then blamed me for 3/4 of everything. Not exact quotes but she said things like “it’s some of dad’s fault but you didn’t love me enough to make me stay” “I don’t care that I’m the parent you should have begged and cried for me to change my actions but you let me do everything not that I would have listened anyway” and then swore me to secrecy for years. I’m 19 btw. My dad was too scared of her to stand against her and my brother was too young to fully understand. Since then she has divorced the other guy, remarried my dad and has been pretty uneventful. I refuse to say anything more than superficial stuff and try to avoid her and not make her mad. I hate that she is nicer to me lately cause I’m still mad but feel like all that pain was invalided and I don’t have enough of an excuse to try to move out sooner. Is that emotional abuse and trauma and is it enough to cause mental health issues? (I struggle often a lot)
I’d love any thoughts
submitted by Thatgayblazerchick to mentalhealth [link] [comments]
I’d love any thoughts
2024.05.14 06:00 Faulkner_Fan Am I Missing Something?
People often talk about what a master manipulator Ed Kemper is. Yet when I see interviews of him, I see someone who is deeply insecure and anxious without much of a filter. There are two interviews where he seemed to be in control of the message: the 1983 KCRA interview about the Blind Project, and the 1984 interview that was part of Murder: No Apparent Motive. Otherwise, he is all over the place in both print and video interviews, rambling on and saying things that upset him when they are quoted later. That’s doesn’t seem to be the approach of a skilled manipulator, at least of the media. What am I missing?
submitted by Faulkner_Fan to EdmundKemper [link] [comments]
2024.05.14 05:46 Training-Start-3058 Motivation quotes
 | submitted by Training-Start-3058 to Salvation_ [link] [comments] |
2024.05.14 04:45 ZookeepergameWeak635 Letter of gratitude
Hey I know we talk to each other all the time but this is so much more than the talks we have everyday, this is my way to say how grateful I am for the motivation and support that I’ve received from you through life and school itself.
Since I moved to the U.S I have moved to a lot of states before finding the stability I found when I moved to Hartford. The first time I got to Hartford I was with the expectation of enjoying it the least knowing that probably in any time longer I was probably moving again. It was post- covid so school in person was optional, when I started school I only had to go there for only a month because we moved really late in the school year. You were the only person who I knew, the only person who supported me when I got told that my credits wouldn’t work for me to be in 11th grade so I got lowered. You were so happy about it, we were gonna graduate together but you knew I wasn’t so happy because my biggest goal was to graduate. School sophomore year and I got to know your friends. My whole summer I wished for school to start so I could see that “friend” I made, but I suppose summer made me forget you had a life before I came to it. My second year of high school and the worst decisions of my whole life. “The people you surround yourself with are excellent mirrors for who you are” I don’t really know who said that but i’m pretty sure he didn’t lie with that quote. My sophomore year was surrounded with bad friends and a lot of skipping class and disrespecting teachers just because “school wasn’t that important in sophomore year”, you made my Bulkeley school years important. At the middle of the year you were there reminding me my purpose and that after finishing something another thing always started. There’s no more way of saying how thankful I am for you being my friend, for you showing me how to look better to myself. You gave me power to get to try things I was really scared to try before and even cheered me while doing those things. You made a group of friends who were comfortable with themselves and with each other and that is the most valuable thing to me. You made me feel like I was gonna stay forever with you all, and it didn’t happen. I knew that good things don’t last very long but I was never ready to let go of any of y’all. I’m so grateful I got to know y’all, Kharla, Martin, Jeremy, Zari, Jennifer, Natalie, and to me the most important, You. Thank you so much Dani for being the person who gives me motivation to be who I am right now. There’s no one else that I would dedicate a letter of gratitude to than to you. Thank You
submitted by ZookeepergameWeak635 to u/ZookeepergameWeak635 [link] [comments]
Since I moved to the U.S I have moved to a lot of states before finding the stability I found when I moved to Hartford. The first time I got to Hartford I was with the expectation of enjoying it the least knowing that probably in any time longer I was probably moving again. It was post- covid so school in person was optional, when I started school I only had to go there for only a month because we moved really late in the school year. You were the only person who I knew, the only person who supported me when I got told that my credits wouldn’t work for me to be in 11th grade so I got lowered. You were so happy about it, we were gonna graduate together but you knew I wasn’t so happy because my biggest goal was to graduate. School sophomore year and I got to know your friends. My whole summer I wished for school to start so I could see that “friend” I made, but I suppose summer made me forget you had a life before I came to it. My second year of high school and the worst decisions of my whole life. “The people you surround yourself with are excellent mirrors for who you are” I don’t really know who said that but i’m pretty sure he didn’t lie with that quote. My sophomore year was surrounded with bad friends and a lot of skipping class and disrespecting teachers just because “school wasn’t that important in sophomore year”, you made my Bulkeley school years important. At the middle of the year you were there reminding me my purpose and that after finishing something another thing always started. There’s no more way of saying how thankful I am for you being my friend, for you showing me how to look better to myself. You gave me power to get to try things I was really scared to try before and even cheered me while doing those things. You made a group of friends who were comfortable with themselves and with each other and that is the most valuable thing to me. You made me feel like I was gonna stay forever with you all, and it didn’t happen. I knew that good things don’t last very long but I was never ready to let go of any of y’all. I’m so grateful I got to know y’all, Kharla, Martin, Jeremy, Zari, Jennifer, Natalie, and to me the most important, You. Thank you so much Dani for being the person who gives me motivation to be who I am right now. There’s no one else that I would dedicate a letter of gratitude to than to you. Thank You
2024.05.14 04:17 Undercooked-IceCream I don’t feel like I want to be Christian anymore
I believe God exists and everything in the Bible is true. Reality doesn’t seem to make sense if God isn’t real and if the Bible isn’t true.
But I’m not sure if I want to keep following it. Yes, I’m aware I’m literally risking eternity in hell.
But I. Am. Tired.
Tired of the silence I get trying to speak to God. Tired of the Word just staring at me and telling there’s hope when I have been depressed for four years and still consider suicide now and then. Tired of trying to fight sin and sinful thoughts almost every second and it feels like my brain is splitting in two.
I have no motivation to go to church except to find a wife and even that I’m giving up hope on. I don’t feel joyful about the Good News.
I’m beyond grateful for everything God has done for me but it feels like He does then just to do them when all I really want is this great friendship other Christians claim to have with God. That’s all I want. Something to fill the void in my chest that I can sometimes physically feel where my heart is.
I’m tired of even being angry at God for not filling the void the way He promises and does for other people. I’ve tried to fight my flesh and brain for so long and I just want to be done.
I don’t want to go to church or read the Bible or have anything to do with it unless He calls me. I’m not sure if God even wants me at this point.
If He calls me back, then I’ll come back. Until then, I’m taking a break.
submitted by Undercooked-IceCream to TrueChristian [link] [comments]
But I’m not sure if I want to keep following it. Yes, I’m aware I’m literally risking eternity in hell.
But I. Am. Tired.
Tired of the silence I get trying to speak to God. Tired of the Word just staring at me and telling there’s hope when I have been depressed for four years and still consider suicide now and then. Tired of trying to fight sin and sinful thoughts almost every second and it feels like my brain is splitting in two.
I have no motivation to go to church except to find a wife and even that I’m giving up hope on. I don’t feel joyful about the Good News.
I’m beyond grateful for everything God has done for me but it feels like He does then just to do them when all I really want is this great friendship other Christians claim to have with God. That’s all I want. Something to fill the void in my chest that I can sometimes physically feel where my heart is.
I’m tired of even being angry at God for not filling the void the way He promises and does for other people. I’ve tried to fight my flesh and brain for so long and I just want to be done.
I don’t want to go to church or read the Bible or have anything to do with it unless He calls me. I’m not sure if God even wants me at this point.
If He calls me back, then I’ll come back. Until then, I’m taking a break.
2024.05.14 04:17 ShoShowerBeans Season 2 of TWITS: A Steampunk Distraction is now available
 | Cyril Chippington-Smythe (Michael Urie), eligible bachelor and the world's richest man is living a life of ease, attended by his resourceful steam-powered valet Bentley (Dakin Matthews). When the toothy Alice Witherspoon (Helen Cespedes) invades his breakfast room determined to marry him whether he will or no, Bentley concocts a scheme to transfer her affections to Cyril's freeloading cousin- the hapless Binky (Christian Borle), Alas, Alice has ulterior motives that may lead to the destruction of civilization. Whose plot will emerge victorious? submitted by ShoShowerBeans to audiodrama [link] [comments] Visit bpn.fm/twits to find your way to listen, or go direct to Apple or Spotify. https://preview.redd.it/dhwct6a9xa0d1.jpg?width=3000&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=5289eeefcd6af1699c5bf88da2c3f9995efe0d86 |
2024.05.14 04:16 Sea_Target_8215 Motivational quotes
 | Success is never permanent, and failure is never final. submitted by Sea_Target_8215 to Salvation_ [link] [comments] |
2024.05.14 04:04 catboyitchi Not sure what to do
Hi im 15 and i discovered Santa Muerte last year. I was drawn to her and i kept on thinking about her. Maybe it’s because of my own ideologies where I want the best for people and don’t want to see, my own people especially, struggle that I was intrigued by how Santita would help people and give them hope to continue with their lives. Also because I’m not in the best place myself mentally, I thought of her as someone I could talk to. I know people use her for even the bad (as said by my parents, they told me they respect her and I alr know the stigma she has around her) and that’s what made me not become a devotee until around August. So with my parents having different views on her, I was unsure how to really go on because I did feel like she would listen. Also scared because I thought my mom would be incredibly angry with me. Then it turned more than some interest at that point. I knew that putting my faith, trust and care for her wouldn’t disappear but that feeling of having my mother find out was something I didn’t want to happen. So I bought a statue of Santita from a devotee online and I would hide her whenever I would go to school. I eventually did a ritual to invoke her in her statue and I’ve felt her presence since. When I would come back from school I would put her on my bookshelf with my crystals; I gave her water, tea, a candle and fruit sometimes. I’ve drawn her art, I would light some sage, cleanse her with it, and meditate with her. I felt a genuine connection. I think about her daily even when I fail to talk to her. I feel guilty when I don’t pray for days. I dont have the motivation to do anything at times and sometimes I generally don’t feel right doing school work or even doing a hobby when I can be doing this or that. Over the year it has gotten worse esp because of an overload of school, my job, and me being “too sensitive” as a problem in my household (resulting in my mental health declining). I’ve hidden her for long periods of times and have left hidden in my utility cart covered with a piece of paper since my mom wouldn’t notice. I’ve given her my apologies and each time I felt as if she understood but I can tell lately she’s not happy with how I’m treating her, hiding her and not taking her out, not making an effort. I don’t believe she’s angry at me but rather upset. And I understand why. When my mom caught her in my room, we argued. She told me it wasn’t good for me and talked about god (when I don’t really believe in him) is the only one I should putting my love in. She also brought up narcos and all that just like my father did. I don’t like how she has this prejudice against her but I fail to speak up for her. I feel as if I failed to even try to reach an actual understanding of Santita to my parents. But now I have a dilemma. My dad suggests to give her to a church, and actually has been asking around how to do so. And my mom says as long as I take care of Santita I can keep her :( and I really care about her I do. I don’t want her gone and I just want to make it up to her. A thing that stood out to me was my dad saying I should wait until I’m older. And I understand given my age I may not know everything obviously but I am willing to learn. Also because I guess that’s one way that they’ll let me continue being a devotee (they don’t know I’m a devotee, I’ve lied to why she was in my room and I feel terrible about it. I feel like I haven’t shown Santita my love of her and it just feels as if I’m not even loyal by lying) So I need a second opinion. Should I wait until I’m older? I don’t want to just leave her and boom she’s not apart of my life anymore until I’m a few years older because I would actually feel I don’t even know how to describe it. And how would giving her away work ???? I’m not even Christian or catholic so what will giving her to a church do ??? I don’t want them to do anything with her. I’m hoping my parents just let her be and let me take care of her. So should I wait ???? Am I actually just so blinded by what I *think* our connection is or what ??? Should I wait until I’m more mature ?????? I’m honestly just overthinking I need advice please.
submitted by catboyitchi to SantaMuerte [link] [comments]
2024.05.14 03:56 Anico191 Non denominational
Hey all! I’m feeling called to orthodoxy. I’ve listened to quite a few lectures on why orthodoxy is the true church, and many of these messages have hit home with me for a variety of reasons.
Can anyone recommend some good YouTube videos on why non denominational Christianity may not be the right approach?
Non denominational churches are all over and incredibly popular via live streaming online. No doubt some of these churches and church goers love Jesus. But many of these churches feel more like a Tony Robbins motivation talk, and often preach the prosperity Bible.
I’d love some well articulated videos of the ‘issues’ with non denominational churches.
Thanks!
submitted by Anico191 to OrthodoxChristianity [link] [comments]
Can anyone recommend some good YouTube videos on why non denominational Christianity may not be the right approach?
Non denominational churches are all over and incredibly popular via live streaming online. No doubt some of these churches and church goers love Jesus. But many of these churches feel more like a Tony Robbins motivation talk, and often preach the prosperity Bible.
I’d love some well articulated videos of the ‘issues’ with non denominational churches.
Thanks!
2024.05.14 02:55 onedeagmcgee [Cyberpunk RED] [18+] [ERP Allowed] [LGBTQ+] [Async] A tale of self-destruction. Looking for one singular player.
Hello people! I'm planning to run a long-term campaign using the setting of Night City to tell a story of crime, sin, struggle, violence, and most of all, to explore the true dream that is Night City, of how people navigate the underworld of the city and eventually fall into their worst impulses...
The game itself will take place within the mid 2040s, the standard time period for the Cyberpunk RED system.
This game will employ very, very dark topics. Be prepared for that if you wish to apply. Of course, I shall do it with the gravity that each of these topics deserve, but be prepared for violence, abuse, drugs, mental illness, etc.
I'm looking for one player to come along me and fill out the missing spot in our group for this dark journey within Night City! Preferably, I want players who either support LGBTQ+ or who are part of it, however, I don't put too much importance on this aspect, so long as you're a good person that knows how to accept another's differences.
As for the main story and what it shall be about... It shall be about how the characters within the story deal with their unfulfilled lives with a life of crime and excitement! Whatever motivation one may have, everyone has something in common: they're all a slave to something. Whether that be pride, family, obligation, money, power... It's up to you to choose. As the characters sink further into the underworld, the stakes will ramp up, and generally, the game will revolve around planning operations, dealing with the authorities, and making sure that the crimes they commit don't land them in jail, which means a lot of time will be spent on alibis, the law, and CLEANING.
What I'm looking for in a player:
Friendly OOC, as well as an ability to work together well with others and to sort out OOC problems outside of the game.
Strong and literate writer with a passion for story and character development.
Preferably within an American time zone, however, not necessary.
Able to post at least once per day, preferably more.
Able to play out character flaws and be okay with darker topics within the game.
People who really enjoy the more mundane side of crime at times, i.e. cleaning, money laundering, facilitating, and general meetings that concern the basis of jobs or professional relationships.
The ability to use the erotic elements of the campaign to explore a character's darker impulses or to further character relationships/development.
Players who are able to use schemes and intelligent decision making to a certain extent to handle their daily problems or enemies.
If you've made it this far, make sure to put the quote, "Let's go bowling!" somewhere within the application.
The NSFW elements: This will not be a necessary part of the game; however, it is preferable if the players involved are okay with participating. Of course, this won't be a main part of the game, only taking about maybe 20 or 10 percent of the total content, maybe even less depending on how things shake out. It's a thing I enjoy having within my games, and it can be a powerful story-telling tool or just plain fun.
Overall: This game will be dark, fast, violent, and most importantly, it will revolve around the darker nature of humanity. I'm looking for flawed characters, I'm looking for people who can really lean into those flaws and have a character who continually loses themself within the criminal world. This game will most likely not have a happy ending, however, it will be satisfactory.
Apply here: https://forms.gle/yTnPBxpDZLbdkPmm9
So long as the form is open, I will be accepting responses. I will contact those who I have chosen once I found the right party.
submitted by onedeagmcgee to pbp [link] [comments]
The game itself will take place within the mid 2040s, the standard time period for the Cyberpunk RED system.
This game will employ very, very dark topics. Be prepared for that if you wish to apply. Of course, I shall do it with the gravity that each of these topics deserve, but be prepared for violence, abuse, drugs, mental illness, etc.
I'm looking for one player to come along me and fill out the missing spot in our group for this dark journey within Night City! Preferably, I want players who either support LGBTQ+ or who are part of it, however, I don't put too much importance on this aspect, so long as you're a good person that knows how to accept another's differences.
As for the main story and what it shall be about... It shall be about how the characters within the story deal with their unfulfilled lives with a life of crime and excitement! Whatever motivation one may have, everyone has something in common: they're all a slave to something. Whether that be pride, family, obligation, money, power... It's up to you to choose. As the characters sink further into the underworld, the stakes will ramp up, and generally, the game will revolve around planning operations, dealing with the authorities, and making sure that the crimes they commit don't land them in jail, which means a lot of time will be spent on alibis, the law, and CLEANING.
What I'm looking for in a player:
Friendly OOC, as well as an ability to work together well with others and to sort out OOC problems outside of the game.
Strong and literate writer with a passion for story and character development.
Preferably within an American time zone, however, not necessary.
Able to post at least once per day, preferably more.
Able to play out character flaws and be okay with darker topics within the game.
People who really enjoy the more mundane side of crime at times, i.e. cleaning, money laundering, facilitating, and general meetings that concern the basis of jobs or professional relationships.
The ability to use the erotic elements of the campaign to explore a character's darker impulses or to further character relationships/development.
Players who are able to use schemes and intelligent decision making to a certain extent to handle their daily problems or enemies.
If you've made it this far, make sure to put the quote, "Let's go bowling!" somewhere within the application.
The NSFW elements: This will not be a necessary part of the game; however, it is preferable if the players involved are okay with participating. Of course, this won't be a main part of the game, only taking about maybe 20 or 10 percent of the total content, maybe even less depending on how things shake out. It's a thing I enjoy having within my games, and it can be a powerful story-telling tool or just plain fun.
Overall: This game will be dark, fast, violent, and most importantly, it will revolve around the darker nature of humanity. I'm looking for flawed characters, I'm looking for people who can really lean into those flaws and have a character who continually loses themself within the criminal world. This game will most likely not have a happy ending, however, it will be satisfactory.
Apply here: https://forms.gle/yTnPBxpDZLbdkPmm9
So long as the form is open, I will be accepting responses. I will contact those who I have chosen once I found the right party.
2024.05.14 02:06 QBaseX Implicit messaging: Do you teach what you say you teach?
Humans are messy and complicated, and our motivations and biases are messy and complicated, and frequently unknown or poorly understood even by ourselves. And we teach values far more by our actions and attitudes than by our words directly.
An example might be the idea that it's acceptable for young men to have casual sex, but not for young women. I doubt that many Christians would explicitly say this. I'll be told that it's not a Christian belief. Indeed, many people who show very clearly by their actions that they believe this would deny it, even to themselves. I pick this example because it's a well known one with a long history. When Jack Worthing asks, in Oscar Wilde's comic masterpiece The Importance of Being Earnest, "Why should there be one law for men, and another for women?" the audience is doubtless expected to see it as a cliché (and this from a play first staged in 1895). The fact that our society has a long history of this hypocrisy is well known, and a subject for jokes. It's still true. (I suspect, actually, that it may now be a little less true than it was.) This kind of thing is a message that children will quickly absorb and learn, even though no one has explicitly taught it to them.
Recently, there was a bit of a discussion here about an artwork which included the text "God loves you, but not enough to save you". Some people (who apparently don't understand art at all) seemed to think that this was the message of the art. Of course it wasn't. The art was a response to that message, a pushback against it. Is that message Christian? Well, yes. It is. Whatever the theology may be, whatever Christians may profess to believe, may even believe they believe, this is a message that far too many of them clearly express to LGBT youth.
My title is a reference to Do You Think What You Think You Think?, a fascinating little book about logic, philosophy, psychology, and cognitive biases.
submitted by QBaseX to Christianity [link] [comments]
An example might be the idea that it's acceptable for young men to have casual sex, but not for young women. I doubt that many Christians would explicitly say this. I'll be told that it's not a Christian belief. Indeed, many people who show very clearly by their actions that they believe this would deny it, even to themselves. I pick this example because it's a well known one with a long history. When Jack Worthing asks, in Oscar Wilde's comic masterpiece The Importance of Being Earnest, "Why should there be one law for men, and another for women?" the audience is doubtless expected to see it as a cliché (and this from a play first staged in 1895). The fact that our society has a long history of this hypocrisy is well known, and a subject for jokes. It's still true. (I suspect, actually, that it may now be a little less true than it was.) This kind of thing is a message that children will quickly absorb and learn, even though no one has explicitly taught it to them.
Recently, there was a bit of a discussion here about an artwork which included the text "God loves you, but not enough to save you". Some people (who apparently don't understand art at all) seemed to think that this was the message of the art. Of course it wasn't. The art was a response to that message, a pushback against it. Is that message Christian? Well, yes. It is. Whatever the theology may be, whatever Christians may profess to believe, may even believe they believe, this is a message that far too many of them clearly express to LGBT youth.
My title is a reference to Do You Think What You Think You Think?, a fascinating little book about logic, philosophy, psychology, and cognitive biases.
2024.05.14 01:54 Anarcho-Communalist giving up on the bible
I was thinking most people dont even read the full bible and there are even a few saints that have never even read the bible. I read a lot of it when I was younger and a lot of it doesnt line up with my beliefs on god. Which had me thinking do we really need the bible to be christian. Like I go to church, I've read a lot of works by christian mystics that resonate more. I was thinking I could maybe use the bible for reference when its being quoted by other sources. But yeah I was thinking I could be free of a lot of religious trauma if I could just give the bible up and dive deeper into my own spiritual path. I guess im not really asking for permission but wondered if this resonated with anyone else.
submitted by Anarcho-Communalist to GayChristians [link] [comments]
2024.05.14 01:08 ictinc Using this subreddit
Thank you for joining us on this journey toward healing. We look forward to getting to know you and supporting you along the way.
Rules 1. Be kind and respectful: We're all here to support each other, so please treat fellow members with empathy and compassion. 2. Maintain confidentiality: Respect the privacy of others by refraining from sharing personal details outside the subreddit. 3. Keep it constructive: Offer supportive feedback and avoid judgment or criticism. 4. No solicitation: This subreddit is a space for genuine connection and support, so please refrain from promoting products or services.
Post flair: - Introductions: For members to introduce themselves to the community. - Support Request: For those seeking support and guidance through a difficult time. - Advice Needed: When members are looking for advice or suggestions from the community. - Success Story: Celebrating moments of progress and healing. - Resource Sharing: For sharing helpful articles, books, or other resources related to healing from heartbreak. - Reflections: For sharing personal insights or reflections on the healing journey. - Discussion: Engage in open discussions about various aspects of healing and recovery. - Inspiration: Share inspirational quotes, stories, or messages to uplift and motivate others. - Community Event: Announcements for group activities, virtual meetups, or support sessions. - Feedback: For providing feedback or suggestions to improve the subreddit experience.
submitted by ictinc to HealingX [link] [comments]
Rules 1. Be kind and respectful: We're all here to support each other, so please treat fellow members with empathy and compassion. 2. Maintain confidentiality: Respect the privacy of others by refraining from sharing personal details outside the subreddit. 3. Keep it constructive: Offer supportive feedback and avoid judgment or criticism. 4. No solicitation: This subreddit is a space for genuine connection and support, so please refrain from promoting products or services.
Post flair: - Introductions: For members to introduce themselves to the community. - Support Request: For those seeking support and guidance through a difficult time. - Advice Needed: When members are looking for advice or suggestions from the community. - Success Story: Celebrating moments of progress and healing. - Resource Sharing: For sharing helpful articles, books, or other resources related to healing from heartbreak. - Reflections: For sharing personal insights or reflections on the healing journey. - Discussion: Engage in open discussions about various aspects of healing and recovery. - Inspiration: Share inspirational quotes, stories, or messages to uplift and motivate others. - Community Event: Announcements for group activities, virtual meetups, or support sessions. - Feedback: For providing feedback or suggestions to improve the subreddit experience.
2024.05.14 00:23 Alice-Lapine My Husband Helped Me Exit QAnon in 2020. Here’s His Advice.
(Also posted in QAnonCasualties)
The first critical question to answer for yourself is: ‘How important is this relationship to me?’ If this is a relationship that you feel strongly you want to save, then you can do that. It will require putting some of your own beliefs aside—at least for the time being—so you don’t spend precious energy arguing about things you clearly disagree about.
Patience is key. This may be a phase, and this may be long term—even a forever shift. You just can’t know. I was advised to contemplate this two ways:
One: Think of this akin to something far less contentious, like a nonreligious person finding Jesus and becoming a Born Again Christian or embracing some other evangelical belief system. Once converted, the world is different for them. They see reality through a different lens, and no matter how hard you try you will NOT shift their view. So don’t even try. You have to accept that this is their view, and no amount of logic, science, pleasing, or anything else will change their mind.
Two: The second way of thinking about this is as an illness or an injury. Some would say falling down this rabbit hole is similar to a psychotic break. Taking that view, how would you show up for your fiancé if he broke his leg or had a head injury? Show up the same. Be loving. Be caring. Stay close so he doesn’t hurt himself or others, and be his protector to the extent he will allow it. Encourage him to be reflective enough not to make decisions or take actions that can have significant negative consequences while he is in an alternative reality or ungrounded state.
Next, if you want to work this through, here are some keywords that may become your gospel: patience, curiosity, balance, love, and support.
Curiosity: This was a hard one for me, but I signed on to it and did my best. Essentially, put your mind in a place of childlike curiosity. I had to constantly remind myself that no one really knows the objective truth. No one has enough information to be absolutely sure of their position. Therefore, can you leave room in your mind for the potential that what you have come to believe may not be so? If you can hold that and then listen to your beloved with curiosity, that will go a long way. I would also make an agreement with him—that he should not be seeking to change your views just as you commit not to try and change his. You will simply agree to share information with each other, but not debate.
Balance: I suspect your fiancé is deep in the rabbit hole and for him there is little else to focus on. It is almost a compulsive disorder. It is designed to be addictive. I suggest working hard to get him to focus on being present in life with you, focusing on aspects of being alive that are happening here and now. What do you enjoy doing together? What projects are important? What activities that have nothing to do with being online are essential to your well-being and enjoyment of life?
The discussion of beliefs and time spent ‘doing research’ needs to be limited to maybe one to two hours a day. Encourage him to stay aware of how his time spent scrolling online is taking away from his life, including connection with you, family, career productivity, etc. See if you can motivate and inspire him to strike a balance. That needs to be his commitment; to maintain balance and well-being in his own life, and to give energy and attention to nurturing your relationship together. Again, your work is to meet him with curiosity—to accept where he is at, rather than reacting to and judging him.
Love: Focus on your love and your dreams for your future. Remind him why the two of you have chosen each other. All of that still exists. It has been overshadowed by Q, but it is still there, and the balance will hopefully bring him back to remembering.
In the end, I needed to accept that my beloved might never come back to her old self. I needed to see if I could find a way for life to be good even if that was the case. I gave myself six months to see if we could find our way through, but I did not tell her. In that time, I needed to prove to myself that life with her could still be good. During that time, I fervently hoped she would return to the Alicia I remembered. I feel fortunate beyond words that she ‘came around’ almost exactly six months after she went down the rabbit hole. However, if she hadn’t, we had still worked out a way to be together. But life is much better with her back out of the rabbit hole.
Support: Find a network of people to support you. This will be very hard on you. And you want to show up as best you can—and so you need to have people you can turn to for strength, compassion, empathy, and the occasional shoulder to cry on. Find people who care about both of you, who will not judge him for his new beliefs but can have some understanding for the fact that this trap has pulled hundreds of thousands of people into it. Many good-hearted, intelligent people with the best of intentions have unwittingly slid down the rabbit hole, and once you are in, no one on the outside can save you. You have to get yourself out. Best to find support people who can have compassion for both of you, as judgment will likely drive him further away.
Friends, family, and my therapist were all important to our success, and I am indebted to their patience with me.
submitted by Alice-Lapine to ReQovery [link] [comments]
The first critical question to answer for yourself is: ‘How important is this relationship to me?’ If this is a relationship that you feel strongly you want to save, then you can do that. It will require putting some of your own beliefs aside—at least for the time being—so you don’t spend precious energy arguing about things you clearly disagree about.
Patience is key. This may be a phase, and this may be long term—even a forever shift. You just can’t know. I was advised to contemplate this two ways:
One: Think of this akin to something far less contentious, like a nonreligious person finding Jesus and becoming a Born Again Christian or embracing some other evangelical belief system. Once converted, the world is different for them. They see reality through a different lens, and no matter how hard you try you will NOT shift their view. So don’t even try. You have to accept that this is their view, and no amount of logic, science, pleasing, or anything else will change their mind.
Two: The second way of thinking about this is as an illness or an injury. Some would say falling down this rabbit hole is similar to a psychotic break. Taking that view, how would you show up for your fiancé if he broke his leg or had a head injury? Show up the same. Be loving. Be caring. Stay close so he doesn’t hurt himself or others, and be his protector to the extent he will allow it. Encourage him to be reflective enough not to make decisions or take actions that can have significant negative consequences while he is in an alternative reality or ungrounded state.
Next, if you want to work this through, here are some keywords that may become your gospel: patience, curiosity, balance, love, and support.
Curiosity: This was a hard one for me, but I signed on to it and did my best. Essentially, put your mind in a place of childlike curiosity. I had to constantly remind myself that no one really knows the objective truth. No one has enough information to be absolutely sure of their position. Therefore, can you leave room in your mind for the potential that what you have come to believe may not be so? If you can hold that and then listen to your beloved with curiosity, that will go a long way. I would also make an agreement with him—that he should not be seeking to change your views just as you commit not to try and change his. You will simply agree to share information with each other, but not debate.
Balance: I suspect your fiancé is deep in the rabbit hole and for him there is little else to focus on. It is almost a compulsive disorder. It is designed to be addictive. I suggest working hard to get him to focus on being present in life with you, focusing on aspects of being alive that are happening here and now. What do you enjoy doing together? What projects are important? What activities that have nothing to do with being online are essential to your well-being and enjoyment of life?
The discussion of beliefs and time spent ‘doing research’ needs to be limited to maybe one to two hours a day. Encourage him to stay aware of how his time spent scrolling online is taking away from his life, including connection with you, family, career productivity, etc. See if you can motivate and inspire him to strike a balance. That needs to be his commitment; to maintain balance and well-being in his own life, and to give energy and attention to nurturing your relationship together. Again, your work is to meet him with curiosity—to accept where he is at, rather than reacting to and judging him.
Love: Focus on your love and your dreams for your future. Remind him why the two of you have chosen each other. All of that still exists. It has been overshadowed by Q, but it is still there, and the balance will hopefully bring him back to remembering.
In the end, I needed to accept that my beloved might never come back to her old self. I needed to see if I could find a way for life to be good even if that was the case. I gave myself six months to see if we could find our way through, but I did not tell her. In that time, I needed to prove to myself that life with her could still be good. During that time, I fervently hoped she would return to the Alicia I remembered. I feel fortunate beyond words that she ‘came around’ almost exactly six months after she went down the rabbit hole. However, if she hadn’t, we had still worked out a way to be together. But life is much better with her back out of the rabbit hole.
Support: Find a network of people to support you. This will be very hard on you. And you want to show up as best you can—and so you need to have people you can turn to for strength, compassion, empathy, and the occasional shoulder to cry on. Find people who care about both of you, who will not judge him for his new beliefs but can have some understanding for the fact that this trap has pulled hundreds of thousands of people into it. Many good-hearted, intelligent people with the best of intentions have unwittingly slid down the rabbit hole, and once you are in, no one on the outside can save you. You have to get yourself out. Best to find support people who can have compassion for both of you, as judgment will likely drive him further away.
Friends, family, and my therapist were all important to our success, and I am indebted to their patience with me.
2024.05.14 00:21 Alice-Lapine My Husband Helped Me Exit QAnon in 2020. Here’s His Advice
(This is also a snippet from the book I will be publishing soon about my whole QAnon experience from falling in to getting out to the process of recovery.)
From my husband -
The first critical question to answer for yourself is: ‘How important is this relationship to me?’ If this is a relationship that you feel strongly you want to save, then you can do that. It will require putting some of your own beliefs aside—at least for the time being—so you don’t spend precious energy arguing about things you clearly disagree about.
Patience is key. This may be a phase, and this may be long term—even a forever shift. You just can’t know. I was advised to contemplate this two ways:
One: Think of this akin to something far less contentious, like a nonreligious person finding Jesus and becoming a Born Again Christian or embracing some other evangelical belief system. Once converted, the world is different for them. They see reality through a different lens, and no matter how hard you try you will NOT shift their view. So don’t even try. You have to accept that this is their view, and no amount of logic, science, pleasing, or anything else will change their mind.
Two: The second way of thinking about this is as an illness or an injury. Some would say falling down this rabbit hole is similar to a psychotic break. Taking that view, how would you show up for your fiancé if he broke his leg or had a head injury? Show up the same. Be loving. Be caring. Stay close so he doesn’t hurt himself or others, and be his protector to the extent he will allow it. Encourage him to be reflective enough not to make decisions or take actions that can have significant negative consequences while he is in an alternative reality or ungrounded state.
Next, if you want to work this through, here are some keywords that may become your gospel: patience, curiosity, balance, love, and support.
Curiosity: This was a hard one for me, but I signed on to it and did my best. Essentially, put your mind in a place of childlike curiosity. I had to constantly remind myself that no one really knows the objective truth. No one has enough information to be absolutely sure of their position. Therefore, can you leave room in your mind for the potential that what you have come to believe may not be so? If you can hold that and then listen to your beloved with curiosity, that will go a long way. I would also make an agreement with him—that he should not be seeking to change your views just as you commit not to try and change his. You will simply agree to share information with each other, but not debate.
Balance: I suspect your fiancé is deep in the rabbit hole and for him there is little else to focus on. It is almost a compulsive disorder. It is designed to be addictive. I suggest working hard to get him to focus on being present in life with you, focusing on aspects of being alive that are happening here and now. What do you enjoy doing together? What projects are important? What activities that have nothing to do with being online are essential to your well-being and enjoyment of life?
The discussion of beliefs and time spent ‘doing research’ needs to be limited to maybe one to two hours a day. Encourage him to stay aware of how his time spent scrolling online is taking away from his life, including connection with you, family, career productivity, etc. See if you can motivate and inspire him to strike a balance. That needs to be his commitment; to maintain balance and well-being in his own life, and to give energy and attention to nurturing your relationship together. Again, your work is to meet him with curiosity—to accept where he is at, rather than reacting to and judging him.
Love: Focus on your love and your dreams for your future. Remind him why the two of you have chosen each other. All of that still exists. It has been overshadowed by Q, but it is still there, and the balance will hopefully bring him back to remembering.
In the end, I needed to accept that my beloved might never come back to her old self. I needed to see if I could find a way for life to be good even if that was the case. I gave myself six months to see if we could find our way through, but I did not tell her. In that time, I needed to prove to myself that life with her could still be good. During that time, I fervently hoped she would return to the Alicia I remembered. I feel fortunate beyond words that she ‘came around’ almost exactly six months after she went down the rabbit hole. However, if she hadn’t, we had still worked out a way to be together. But life is much better with her back out of the rabbit hole.
Support: Find a network of people to support you. This will be very hard on you. And you want to show up as best you can—and so you need to have people you can turn to for strength, compassion, empathy, and the occasional shoulder to cry on. Find people who care about both of you, who will not judge him for his new beliefs but can have some understanding for the fact that this trap has pulled hundreds of thousands of people into it. Many good-hearted, intelligent people with the best of intentions have unwittingly slid down the rabbit hole, and once you are in, no one on the outside can save you. You have to get yourself out. Best to find support people who can have compassion for both of you, as judgment will likely drive him further away.
Friends, family, and my therapist were all important to our success, and I am indebted to their patience with me.
submitted by Alice-Lapine to QAnonCasualties [link] [comments]
From my husband -
The first critical question to answer for yourself is: ‘How important is this relationship to me?’ If this is a relationship that you feel strongly you want to save, then you can do that. It will require putting some of your own beliefs aside—at least for the time being—so you don’t spend precious energy arguing about things you clearly disagree about.
Patience is key. This may be a phase, and this may be long term—even a forever shift. You just can’t know. I was advised to contemplate this two ways:
One: Think of this akin to something far less contentious, like a nonreligious person finding Jesus and becoming a Born Again Christian or embracing some other evangelical belief system. Once converted, the world is different for them. They see reality through a different lens, and no matter how hard you try you will NOT shift their view. So don’t even try. You have to accept that this is their view, and no amount of logic, science, pleasing, or anything else will change their mind.
Two: The second way of thinking about this is as an illness or an injury. Some would say falling down this rabbit hole is similar to a psychotic break. Taking that view, how would you show up for your fiancé if he broke his leg or had a head injury? Show up the same. Be loving. Be caring. Stay close so he doesn’t hurt himself or others, and be his protector to the extent he will allow it. Encourage him to be reflective enough not to make decisions or take actions that can have significant negative consequences while he is in an alternative reality or ungrounded state.
Next, if you want to work this through, here are some keywords that may become your gospel: patience, curiosity, balance, love, and support.
Curiosity: This was a hard one for me, but I signed on to it and did my best. Essentially, put your mind in a place of childlike curiosity. I had to constantly remind myself that no one really knows the objective truth. No one has enough information to be absolutely sure of their position. Therefore, can you leave room in your mind for the potential that what you have come to believe may not be so? If you can hold that and then listen to your beloved with curiosity, that will go a long way. I would also make an agreement with him—that he should not be seeking to change your views just as you commit not to try and change his. You will simply agree to share information with each other, but not debate.
Balance: I suspect your fiancé is deep in the rabbit hole and for him there is little else to focus on. It is almost a compulsive disorder. It is designed to be addictive. I suggest working hard to get him to focus on being present in life with you, focusing on aspects of being alive that are happening here and now. What do you enjoy doing together? What projects are important? What activities that have nothing to do with being online are essential to your well-being and enjoyment of life?
The discussion of beliefs and time spent ‘doing research’ needs to be limited to maybe one to two hours a day. Encourage him to stay aware of how his time spent scrolling online is taking away from his life, including connection with you, family, career productivity, etc. See if you can motivate and inspire him to strike a balance. That needs to be his commitment; to maintain balance and well-being in his own life, and to give energy and attention to nurturing your relationship together. Again, your work is to meet him with curiosity—to accept where he is at, rather than reacting to and judging him.
Love: Focus on your love and your dreams for your future. Remind him why the two of you have chosen each other. All of that still exists. It has been overshadowed by Q, but it is still there, and the balance will hopefully bring him back to remembering.
In the end, I needed to accept that my beloved might never come back to her old self. I needed to see if I could find a way for life to be good even if that was the case. I gave myself six months to see if we could find our way through, but I did not tell her. In that time, I needed to prove to myself that life with her could still be good. During that time, I fervently hoped she would return to the Alicia I remembered. I feel fortunate beyond words that she ‘came around’ almost exactly six months after she went down the rabbit hole. However, if she hadn’t, we had still worked out a way to be together. But life is much better with her back out of the rabbit hole.
Support: Find a network of people to support you. This will be very hard on you. And you want to show up as best you can—and so you need to have people you can turn to for strength, compassion, empathy, and the occasional shoulder to cry on. Find people who care about both of you, who will not judge him for his new beliefs but can have some understanding for the fact that this trap has pulled hundreds of thousands of people into it. Many good-hearted, intelligent people with the best of intentions have unwittingly slid down the rabbit hole, and once you are in, no one on the outside can save you. You have to get yourself out. Best to find support people who can have compassion for both of you, as judgment will likely drive him further away.
Friends, family, and my therapist were all important to our success, and I am indebted to their patience with me.
2024.05.14 00:19 Agreeable_Salad7448 Apostle Paul vs Prophet Muhammad
DISCLAIMER: This respectful and civil debate is oriented towards muslims. For the sake of the moderators time and also the readers I will only list 5 problems I've found. But don't worry I have 20 more to post if this post has more traffic!
According to the Quran, Jesus was a prophet of Islam, his followers were Muslims and the gospel is the inspired preserved authoritative word of Allah. But when we go to our earliest records, we find Jesus claiming to be the Divine Son of God who would die on the cross for sins and rise from the dead. Jesus followers proclaimed him as their Risen Lord, the gospel that Christians have been reading for nearly 2,000 years tells us that "Anyone who claims to be a prophet, rejects Jesus death, resurrection and deity is a false prophet and an antichrist" - 1 John 2:22, a verse to remember.
Problem 1. Earlier Records for Paul's Life than for Muhammad's Life - Our records of Paul's life are much earlier than our records of Muhammad's life. And here I don't just mean that Paul came centuries before Muhammad and so we have earlier sources for Paul's life, I mean that when we talk about the teachings and deeds of Paul the biographical sources we use are much closer to the events they report than the biographical sources we use when we talk about the teachings and deeds of Muhammad. Our earliest biographical sources on Paul were written during the lifetime of Paul. The book of Acts for example was written in the early 60s before Paul was martyred, and it was written by a traveling companion of Paul who was an eyewitness to many of the details he reports. We also have numerous letters written by Paul himself. Our earliest detailed biographical source on Muhammad is the sirah (biographical literature), especially the work of Ibn Ishaq (d. 768) which was written more than a century after Muhammad's death. And we don't even have what Ibn Ishaq actually wrote. We have an Abridged version that was sanitized by a later scholar and we shouldn't forget that many Muslims don't trust Ibn Ishaq. When Muslims quote stories about Muhammad, they're usually getting their information from sources like Sahih Al-Bukhari and Sahih Muslim, which were written two centuries after the time of Muhammad.
Problem 1.1. But it gets worse... The main reason for composing works like Sahih Al-Bukhari and Sahih Muslim was that Muslims were composing so many false stories about Muhammad, people didn't know what to believe. Scholars like Bukari decided that they needed to collect stories they thought were accurate in order to distinguish them from the ever increasing supply of false narrations. Now if Muslims during the time of Bukhari were inventing stories about Muhammad, what about the generation before that, and the generation before that..? And the generation before that? Two centuries is a lot of time to make things up, that's why it's always good to have sources written within the lifetime of the person you want to know about or at least within the lifetimes of the eyewitnesses. When we learn about Paul we learn about him through first generation eyewitness accounts. When we learn about Muhammad, we learn about him through late sources written by people who didn't know him, whose parents didn't know him and whose grandparents didn't know him. People who were fishing for historical facts in a sea of fabrication and deception. A few years ago the crumbling historical foundations for the life of Muhammad led the Islamic scholar Muhammad Sven Kalisch to conclude that Muhammad probably never existed. I don't agree with Dr Kalisch's conclusion about Muhammad's existence, but when even Muslim Scholars are starting to recognize how difficult it's become to take Muslim sources seriously our confidence in the historical Muhammad vanishes.
Problem 2. Paul Was a brillian scholar; Muhammad Was Not - The Apostle Paul was a brilliant scholar who defended his views in Athens, the intellectual capital of the ancient world, and in other major cities. He had discussions with the Stoic and Epicurian philosophers of his day and he could quote their sources to them. Even Anthony Flu, one of the 20th Century's most impressive critics of Christianity, said that the Apostle Paul possessed a first class philosophical mind. Muhammad by contrast was an illiterate 7th Century Caravan Trader. Now being an illiterate 7th Century Caravan Trader doesn't make you wrong, just as being a brilliant scholar doesn't make you right. But when we're dealing with claims about history and theology and various other topics having some sort of education helps. Not having an education leaves you open to obviously false revelations because you don't know enough to recognize them as false. This is why we find Muhammad telling his followers that Dhul-Qarnain traveled so far west he found the place where the sun sets, and that stars are missile that Allah uses to shoot demons, and that semen is formed between the backbone and the ribs. These are exactly the sort of absurdities we would expect from someone who has no clue what he's talking about, and who therefore has no clue whether his revelations line up with reality.
Problem 3. Paul knew the Old Testament; Muhammad Did Not - The Apostle Paul was a Pharisee who studied under Rabban Gamaliel II, one of the greatest Jewish rabbis of the first century. Paul knew the Old Testament inside and out which is why he quotes the Old Testament so frequently in his writings. This is important because Jesus claimed to fulfill a variety of Old Testament prophecies and you can't really examine this claim if you don't know what the Old Testament says. Muhammad was almost completely ignorant of the Old Testament because his knowledge of the Jewish scriptures was limited to what he heard in conversations. Not surprisingly despite Muhammad's numerous interactions with Jews in Arabia the Quran contains very few quotations from the Old Testament. Due to his ignorance of the scriptures Muhammad couldn't tell the difference between stories that were in the Torah and therefore divine revelation and stories from later Jewish writings and commentaries some of which were so late and so obviously fabricated they weren't far beyond the level of bedtime stories. Imagine how amusing it must be for someone who specializes in Jewish literature, to read the Quran and find so many fables being presented to Muslims as Revelation. Cain being taught how to bury the dead by a raven (al-Ma`idah (The Table, The Table Spread) 5:31), Solomon listening to a speech by an ant (Surah An-Naml - 15-25). But Muhammad just didn't know enough to distinguish scripture from non-scripture. Muhammad's ignorance of the Old Testament is also noteworthy because, like Jesus, he claimed to fulfill Old Testament prophecies. If Muhammad had been more knowledgeable of the Torah, he would have known that he couldn't possibly be a prophet for numerous reasons. For instance:
Problem 3.1 Muslim sources report that Muhammad once delivered what are now called "The Satanic Verses" to his followers. These verses promoted prayers to three pagan goddesses, Al-Lat and Al-'Uzza and Manat (Surah 53:19-20). Muhammad bowed down in honor of these polytheistic verses and his followers bowed down with him. But a little later Gabriel confronted Muhammad about his sin, Muhammad confessed in the history of AT-TABARI 6:111. So Muhammad admitted that he delivered a revelation that didn't really come from God. Why is this important? Well in Deuteronomy 18:20 "God declares but a prophet who presumes to speak in my name anything I have not commanded or a prophet who speaks in the name of other gods is to be put to death".
Problem 3.2 Muslims claim that they respect Moses, but if Muhammad had delivered "The Satanic Verses" during the time of Moses, Moses would have ordered the people to pick up stones and stone him to death as the most obvious false prophet in history. Muhammad didn't realize this due to his lack of familiarity with the Jewish scriptures.
Problem 4. Paul Was a Contemporary of Jesus Muhammad was not - The apostle Paul was a contemporary of Jesus and he spent much of his time in first century Israel, this put Paul in a perfect position to gain accurate historical information about Jesus. If you want reliable information about a person it's pretty helpful being a member of the person's own generation. And Paul was right there. Muhammad was born more than half a millennium after Jesus death in a completely different country. Since he couldn't read, apart from Divine Revelation his knowledge of Jesus was limited to whatever stories were popular in 7th Century Arabia. This is why when we read the Quran we find so many stories about Jesus that are known to be forgeries. Mary giving birth under a palm tree Surah Maryam - 16-26, Jesus preaching when he was still a baby Surat Maryam [19:29-34], Jesus giving life to clay birds Surah Al-Ma'idah - 110. We know where these stories come from, and they don't come from the first century.
Problem 5. Paul Spoke the Relevant Lanugaes Muhammad Didn't - The Apostle Paul was fluent in Hebrew Aramaic and Greek. All of the languages necessary for understanding the Old Testament, the claims of Jesus and the earliest Christian writings. Muhammad couldn't speak any of the relevant languages so any attempt to understand the Old Testament, the claims of Jesus, or the earliest Christian writings would have required the help of interpreters. I normally wouldn't bring this up as a problem, but since Muslims are obsessed with reading the Quran in the original Arabic, we can only assume that the writings of Moses, the teachings of Jesus and the writings of Jesus followers can only be understood in the original languages. Paul could do that, Muhammad couldn't. Muhammad's ignorance of the original languages leads to further problems: For example the Quran refers to the book revealed through, Jesus as the "Injil", but the Arabic word Injil is ultimately derived from the Greek word "Evangelion" meaning good news. So according to the Quran the book, revealed through Jesus was written in Greek, this makes absolutely no sense if Jesus was only sent to his fellow Jews as Islam claims, but it makes perfect sense if Jesus message was for the rest of the world as well since Greek was the international language of the time. Interestingly the New Testament gospels were written in Greek, exactly what we would expect given the quran's use of the term Injil, but quite unexpected given Muhammad's notion of Jesus life and mission, not to mention Muhammad's conviction that Revelations can't be translated. Quite hypocritical indeed.
submitted by Agreeable_Salad7448 to DebateReligion [link] [comments]
According to the Quran, Jesus was a prophet of Islam, his followers were Muslims and the gospel is the inspired preserved authoritative word of Allah. But when we go to our earliest records, we find Jesus claiming to be the Divine Son of God who would die on the cross for sins and rise from the dead. Jesus followers proclaimed him as their Risen Lord, the gospel that Christians have been reading for nearly 2,000 years tells us that "Anyone who claims to be a prophet, rejects Jesus death, resurrection and deity is a false prophet and an antichrist" - 1 John 2:22, a verse to remember.
Problem 1. Earlier Records for Paul's Life than for Muhammad's Life - Our records of Paul's life are much earlier than our records of Muhammad's life. And here I don't just mean that Paul came centuries before Muhammad and so we have earlier sources for Paul's life, I mean that when we talk about the teachings and deeds of Paul the biographical sources we use are much closer to the events they report than the biographical sources we use when we talk about the teachings and deeds of Muhammad. Our earliest biographical sources on Paul were written during the lifetime of Paul. The book of Acts for example was written in the early 60s before Paul was martyred, and it was written by a traveling companion of Paul who was an eyewitness to many of the details he reports. We also have numerous letters written by Paul himself. Our earliest detailed biographical source on Muhammad is the sirah (biographical literature), especially the work of Ibn Ishaq (d. 768) which was written more than a century after Muhammad's death. And we don't even have what Ibn Ishaq actually wrote. We have an Abridged version that was sanitized by a later scholar and we shouldn't forget that many Muslims don't trust Ibn Ishaq. When Muslims quote stories about Muhammad, they're usually getting their information from sources like Sahih Al-Bukhari and Sahih Muslim, which were written two centuries after the time of Muhammad.
Problem 1.1. But it gets worse... The main reason for composing works like Sahih Al-Bukhari and Sahih Muslim was that Muslims were composing so many false stories about Muhammad, people didn't know what to believe. Scholars like Bukari decided that they needed to collect stories they thought were accurate in order to distinguish them from the ever increasing supply of false narrations. Now if Muslims during the time of Bukhari were inventing stories about Muhammad, what about the generation before that, and the generation before that..? And the generation before that? Two centuries is a lot of time to make things up, that's why it's always good to have sources written within the lifetime of the person you want to know about or at least within the lifetimes of the eyewitnesses. When we learn about Paul we learn about him through first generation eyewitness accounts. When we learn about Muhammad, we learn about him through late sources written by people who didn't know him, whose parents didn't know him and whose grandparents didn't know him. People who were fishing for historical facts in a sea of fabrication and deception. A few years ago the crumbling historical foundations for the life of Muhammad led the Islamic scholar Muhammad Sven Kalisch to conclude that Muhammad probably never existed. I don't agree with Dr Kalisch's conclusion about Muhammad's existence, but when even Muslim Scholars are starting to recognize how difficult it's become to take Muslim sources seriously our confidence in the historical Muhammad vanishes.
Problem 2. Paul Was a brillian scholar; Muhammad Was Not - The Apostle Paul was a brilliant scholar who defended his views in Athens, the intellectual capital of the ancient world, and in other major cities. He had discussions with the Stoic and Epicurian philosophers of his day and he could quote their sources to them. Even Anthony Flu, one of the 20th Century's most impressive critics of Christianity, said that the Apostle Paul possessed a first class philosophical mind. Muhammad by contrast was an illiterate 7th Century Caravan Trader. Now being an illiterate 7th Century Caravan Trader doesn't make you wrong, just as being a brilliant scholar doesn't make you right. But when we're dealing with claims about history and theology and various other topics having some sort of education helps. Not having an education leaves you open to obviously false revelations because you don't know enough to recognize them as false. This is why we find Muhammad telling his followers that Dhul-Qarnain traveled so far west he found the place where the sun sets, and that stars are missile that Allah uses to shoot demons, and that semen is formed between the backbone and the ribs. These are exactly the sort of absurdities we would expect from someone who has no clue what he's talking about, and who therefore has no clue whether his revelations line up with reality.
Problem 3. Paul knew the Old Testament; Muhammad Did Not - The Apostle Paul was a Pharisee who studied under Rabban Gamaliel II, one of the greatest Jewish rabbis of the first century. Paul knew the Old Testament inside and out which is why he quotes the Old Testament so frequently in his writings. This is important because Jesus claimed to fulfill a variety of Old Testament prophecies and you can't really examine this claim if you don't know what the Old Testament says. Muhammad was almost completely ignorant of the Old Testament because his knowledge of the Jewish scriptures was limited to what he heard in conversations. Not surprisingly despite Muhammad's numerous interactions with Jews in Arabia the Quran contains very few quotations from the Old Testament. Due to his ignorance of the scriptures Muhammad couldn't tell the difference between stories that were in the Torah and therefore divine revelation and stories from later Jewish writings and commentaries some of which were so late and so obviously fabricated they weren't far beyond the level of bedtime stories. Imagine how amusing it must be for someone who specializes in Jewish literature, to read the Quran and find so many fables being presented to Muslims as Revelation. Cain being taught how to bury the dead by a raven (al-Ma`idah (The Table, The Table Spread) 5:31), Solomon listening to a speech by an ant (Surah An-Naml - 15-25). But Muhammad just didn't know enough to distinguish scripture from non-scripture. Muhammad's ignorance of the Old Testament is also noteworthy because, like Jesus, he claimed to fulfill Old Testament prophecies. If Muhammad had been more knowledgeable of the Torah, he would have known that he couldn't possibly be a prophet for numerous reasons. For instance:
Problem 3.1 Muslim sources report that Muhammad once delivered what are now called "The Satanic Verses" to his followers. These verses promoted prayers to three pagan goddesses, Al-Lat and Al-'Uzza and Manat (Surah 53:19-20). Muhammad bowed down in honor of these polytheistic verses and his followers bowed down with him. But a little later Gabriel confronted Muhammad about his sin, Muhammad confessed in the history of AT-TABARI 6:111. So Muhammad admitted that he delivered a revelation that didn't really come from God. Why is this important? Well in Deuteronomy 18:20 "God declares but a prophet who presumes to speak in my name anything I have not commanded or a prophet who speaks in the name of other gods is to be put to death".
Problem 3.2 Muslims claim that they respect Moses, but if Muhammad had delivered "The Satanic Verses" during the time of Moses, Moses would have ordered the people to pick up stones and stone him to death as the most obvious false prophet in history. Muhammad didn't realize this due to his lack of familiarity with the Jewish scriptures.
Problem 4. Paul Was a Contemporary of Jesus Muhammad was not - The apostle Paul was a contemporary of Jesus and he spent much of his time in first century Israel, this put Paul in a perfect position to gain accurate historical information about Jesus. If you want reliable information about a person it's pretty helpful being a member of the person's own generation. And Paul was right there. Muhammad was born more than half a millennium after Jesus death in a completely different country. Since he couldn't read, apart from Divine Revelation his knowledge of Jesus was limited to whatever stories were popular in 7th Century Arabia. This is why when we read the Quran we find so many stories about Jesus that are known to be forgeries. Mary giving birth under a palm tree Surah Maryam - 16-26, Jesus preaching when he was still a baby Surat Maryam [19:29-34], Jesus giving life to clay birds Surah Al-Ma'idah - 110. We know where these stories come from, and they don't come from the first century.
Problem 5. Paul Spoke the Relevant Lanugaes Muhammad Didn't - The Apostle Paul was fluent in Hebrew Aramaic and Greek. All of the languages necessary for understanding the Old Testament, the claims of Jesus and the earliest Christian writings. Muhammad couldn't speak any of the relevant languages so any attempt to understand the Old Testament, the claims of Jesus, or the earliest Christian writings would have required the help of interpreters. I normally wouldn't bring this up as a problem, but since Muslims are obsessed with reading the Quran in the original Arabic, we can only assume that the writings of Moses, the teachings of Jesus and the writings of Jesus followers can only be understood in the original languages. Paul could do that, Muhammad couldn't. Muhammad's ignorance of the original languages leads to further problems: For example the Quran refers to the book revealed through, Jesus as the "Injil", but the Arabic word Injil is ultimately derived from the Greek word "Evangelion" meaning good news. So according to the Quran the book, revealed through Jesus was written in Greek, this makes absolutely no sense if Jesus was only sent to his fellow Jews as Islam claims, but it makes perfect sense if Jesus message was for the rest of the world as well since Greek was the international language of the time. Interestingly the New Testament gospels were written in Greek, exactly what we would expect given the quran's use of the term Injil, but quite unexpected given Muhammad's notion of Jesus life and mission, not to mention Muhammad's conviction that Revelations can't be translated. Quite hypocritical indeed.
2024.05.14 00:07 Empty_Situation_5009 My friend rejects this sign from God. What should I do?
I am currently living in my friend's house due to a situation that occurred a year ago. As I lived with my friend I came to find out that they were a false Christian (I'm a Christians as well). My friend does not live by God's wisdom. In the past they have disrespected me twice in a way that goes against the Golden Rule of the Bible, “Do unto others what you want others do to you (Matt. 7).” I have confronted them about their sinful behavior multiple times but they still refuse to confess their sin (They refuse to admit that what they did to me was sin according to God's command). Their pride irritates me, and it only irritates me more that they truly believe they love and obey God. “If we say, ‘We have fellowship with him,’ and yet we walk in darkness, we are lying and are not practicing the truth (1Jhn. 1:6).” I have prayed to God about this and he has been working in a way I did not see coming!
My friend and I go to the same church, I attend a bible study session before church. After bible study I was requested to be an usher at the church by an elder (this isn't my first time ushering in the church, I basically stand at one of the entrances handing out pamphlets). I accepted his request. During the service Psalm 84:10 was quoted, specifically parts of the verse reads, “I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God than dwell in the tents of wickedness.” This is my first time hearing this verse so I didn't think much of it. After service me and my friend got into another argument (we argue occasionally). And during the argument they said to me that they can help me find another place to live (this isn't the first time they offered). And then eventually it suddenly hit me that God was showing me something. I approached my friend with how this is not a coincidence and that this is a sign from God. They rejected the sign by saying, “My house is not wicked.”
My friend still refuses to acknowledge their sins and does not believe in the sign. I know I can't force my friend to repent (change their mind), but it frustrates me how this person continues their foolish and disrespectful behavior. I have no choice but to tolerate them because I'm living in their house. Can anyone give me any tips or Bible verses as to how I can deal with my friend better? Thank you and God bless.
submitted by Empty_Situation_5009 to Christianity [link] [comments]
My friend and I go to the same church, I attend a bible study session before church. After bible study I was requested to be an usher at the church by an elder (this isn't my first time ushering in the church, I basically stand at one of the entrances handing out pamphlets). I accepted his request. During the service Psalm 84:10 was quoted, specifically parts of the verse reads, “I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God than dwell in the tents of wickedness.” This is my first time hearing this verse so I didn't think much of it. After service me and my friend got into another argument (we argue occasionally). And during the argument they said to me that they can help me find another place to live (this isn't the first time they offered). And then eventually it suddenly hit me that God was showing me something. I approached my friend with how this is not a coincidence and that this is a sign from God. They rejected the sign by saying, “My house is not wicked.”
My friend still refuses to acknowledge their sins and does not believe in the sign. I know I can't force my friend to repent (change their mind), but it frustrates me how this person continues their foolish and disrespectful behavior. I have no choice but to tolerate them because I'm living in their house. Can anyone give me any tips or Bible verses as to how I can deal with my friend better? Thank you and God bless.
2024.05.14 00:03 Ur_Anemone The Sleazy Rise and Humiliating Fall of Ashley Madison
 | The 2015 hacking of adulterous dating website Ashley Madison was a crime, and yet precious few felt sorry for those who were impacted by this offense, be they the company’s CEO and his employees or the 37 million users who were outed as cheaters. Ashley Madison: Sex, Lies & Scandal, a three-part Netflix docuseries from directors Zoe Hutton and Gagan Rehill, focuses on a couple of sob stories—including a popular Christian vlogging couple caught in the cheating crossfire—which detail the fallout from this headline-making incident, all in an effort to put a human face on a tawdry scandal. No matter the tears and critiques dispensed by those individuals, however, there’s little here to lose sleep over—unless, of course, your profile was in one of the two infamous data dumps… submitted by Ur_Anemone to afterAWDTSG [link] [comments] Orchestrated by a collective that called itself The Impact Team, the hackers announced that if Ashley Madison didn’t shut down within 30 days, they’d release the personal information of all 37 million account holders. Thrust into turmoil, Biderman and his panicked companions hired Swedish cybersecurity experts Joel Eriksson and André Catry to track down who was behind this breach. Alas, they came up with nothing, and on August 18, the floodgates opened. While Catry initially suspected that Biderman might have had something to do with the hack (because the site believed that all publicity is good publicity), a second hack that contained all of Biderman’s personal and professional emails put that idea to rest. More than just revealing him to be an adulterer, this information exposed the wide-scale fraud being perpetrated by Ashley Madison, whose pledges of cybersecurity excellence (look at all those award badges on the homepage!) were a lie, and whose female users were largely fake accounts either manned by company employees or by bots. In other words, most men were paying through the nose and risking their marriages, reputations, and careers to chat with non-existent women. All in all, it was about as big a losing proposition as one could imagine. Much of this has been reported ad nauseam during the past decade, so Ashley Madison: Sex, Lies & Scandal adds a human element by portraying individuals who were affected by the hack. The lion’s share of that attention goes to Sam and Nia Rader, a Texas couple whose seemingly perfect life as Christian vloggers was upended by the revelation that Sam had spent time on Ashley Madison. Sam and Nia’s story is told through lots of confessional interviews and their online videos, with Sam contending that he was motivated by a lack of self-esteem (and a longing for first-love excitement) rather than sex. Yet like so much of what’s said in this docuseries, his comments must be taken with a giant grain of salt, especially since he implies that, even aside from Ashley Madison, he strayed from the marital path for years and continually lied about it to his spouse. Despite Sam’s anguished recitation of his missteps, Ashley Madison: Sex, Lies & Scandal fails to make him sympathetic. Similarly, its attempts to paint the media and public’s gleeful fascination with the hack—and the cheaters who were being shamed—as unseemly and cruel are largely unsuccessful. Even when it concentrates on Christi, whose seminary-teacher husband committed suicide because of the data dump, the docuseries doesn’t get far in making viewers feel bad for taking “self-righteous” delight in seeing louts grapple with the consequences of their risky actions. In the end, the blame for these ruined lives and fortunes falls squarely on those who willingly chose to do what they did, knowing full well the obvious potential costs. As a result, Hutton and Rehill’s non-fiction investigation is most notable for simply shining a light on the lengths people will go to indulge their selfish desires—a notion borne out by the fact that Sam and Nia are still together, as well as by Ashley Madison’s continued operation. |
2024.05.14 00:00 starsandstrudel Motivation Monday 👊
Happy Monday! Share your favorite motivational quotes, personal success stories or reasons to keep pushing forward!
submitted by starsandstrudel to Re_entryRenegades [link] [comments]