Comments by "June VanDerMark" (@junevandermark952) on "Liberty Vault"
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@SymphonicEllen Donald only cared about your vote. He didn't care one iota about YOU. If he cared about his followers, he would have wanted to PROTECT THEM from being incarcerated ... rather than encouraging them to break the law that he KNEW would cause them to be incarcerated ... and have a record ... for attacking the Capitol.
Do you think that Donald CARES about the harm he caused them? Do you think he visits them in prison, and thanks them for their support
Several of Donald Trump’s followers were incarcerated for their involvement in the January 6, 2021 attack on the U.S. Capitol.
Here are a few notable cases: John Sullivan, also known as “Jayden X,” was convicted on numerous charges, including felony obstruction of an official proceeding and civil disorder. He sought to “incite violence” and “foment anarchy” during the attack. Sullivan had different political beliefs and was perhaps the only defendant who showed up at the Capitol despite not subscribing to the goals of the protest. He received a six-year prison sentence.
A Trump supporter assaulted law enforcement officers with a Trump flag and used a giant Trump billboard as a battering ram during the Capitol riot. This individual was sentenced to 46 months in prison.
Another Trump supporter, who attacked officers while wearing a “MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN” sweatshirt, received a 12-year federal prison sentence.
In total, nearly 1,000 individuals involved in the Capitol riot have been convicted or pleaded guilty. These cases highlight the legal consequences faced by those who participated in the violent events on that day.
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@PhilipposAristotelous I was taught to believe that I had a soul that would fly away from my dead body, and up until I was 70 years of age, I believed that way. For the last 15 years however, I have believed that it's as possible that I have a soul that will fly away from my dead body ... to be either rewarded or punished ... as it is that a mosquito, or a monkey, or an elephant, or bird have souls that will away from their dead bodies to be either rewarded or punished after death of their physical bodies.
Our forbearers taught us that gods and goddesses exist ... but that didn't mean they taught us truth.
If, as children, we had been indoctrinated by the following information, rather than being taught that suffering for wicked souls exists in a supposed afterlife, we would not have any fear of suffering in a supposed afterlife ... or of death.
From the book Medicine Madams and Mounties … Stories of a Yukon Doctor * 1933-1947 … Death is the final sleep … The Indians I met were used to death and dying. They saw it daily as they slaughtered and trapped animals for their livelihood. For them everything had its time, ending in death, and they could not understand our fear of dying. “Why do white people fear death?” they often asked me. “Nobody fears the onset of the unconsciousness called sleep yet you are afraid of the final sleep, death.”
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@PhilipposAristotelous When something nasty happens to us, as Atheists, we don’t believe that it’s a god punishing us, as do those of you that suffer from those religious teachings … such as was the case in the time of the massive London fire and the plague.
From the book … The Clockwork Universe: Isaac Newton, The Royal Society, and the Birth of the Modern World: Isaac Newton, The Royal … by Edward Dolnick
The city itself lay silent and devastated. “Now nettles are growing, owls are screeching, thieves and cut-throats are lurking,” one witness cried out. “And terrible hath the voice of the Lord been, which hath been crying, yea roaring in the City, by these dreadful judgments of the Plague and Fire which he hath brought upon us.
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@jasonhopson7280 I also was raised in a Christian culture ... but I realized that had I been raised in a different culture such as an Islam culture ... or a Hindu culture ... my religious beliefs would not be Christian at all. So I quit believing in all religion.
Thankfully … now that hundreds of members of clergy of various religions are leaving their indoctrinations behind ... there is hope for everyone.
From the book ... Apostle to Apostate: The Story of the Clergy Project … authors … Catherine Dunphy, Richard Dawkins
When you are reared to think of your faith and its leaders as infallible, dissent can be an unsettling thing. This is particularly true for clergy, who have devoted their lives to the subject of faith. I therefore especially hope that this story reaches those clergy who have yet to articulate their doubts.
As they struggle through this process, I am thankful that they can look to the Clergy Project as an example of community and humanism as an example of good. As former clergy who have left churches of every denomination, synagogues, mosques, convents, monasteries, and theological institutions, we stand as examples of the reasonableness of doubt and its thoughtful conclusions. I cannot help but think that we offer a compelling voice for why science and secularism do a better job than religion and superstition of answering the so-called ultimate questions.
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@jasonhopson7280 You can't BE a morally good person and at the same time believe that you are lost in your sins ... as that doesn't even make sense.
I believe that if a god exists, I am MORE moral than the god would be.
If you or I had the ability to create a universe ... we both know ... suffering would not exist, because if it did ... we would be totally responsible.
People in religion worship this tyrant ONLY because they think he has the POWER to make them SUFFER.
I relate to the words of Mark Twain … GOD … a God who could make good children as easily as bad, yet preferred to make bad ones; who could have made every one of them happy, yet never made a single happy one; who made them prize their bitter life, yet stingily cut it short; who gave his angels eternal happiness unearned, yet required his other children to earn it; who gave his angels painless lives, yet cursed his other children with biting miseries and maladies of mind and body; who mouths justice, and invented hell--mouths mercy, and invented hell--mouths Golden Rules and forgiveness multiplied by seventy times seven, and invented hell; who mouths morals to other people, and has none himself; who frowns upon crimes, yet commits them all; who created man without invitation, then tries to shuffle the responsibility for man's acts upon man, instead of honorably placing it where it belongs, upon himself; and finally, with altogether divine obtuseness, invites his poor abused slave to worship him!
-No. 44, The Mysterious Stranger
Mark Twain
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@b_ks Thanks for that question ... "why?"
I'm thankful to live in Canada *now ... because unlike so many people ... that don't study history ... I realize and appreciate that the "conditions" are so much better than they were back when the law-making Protestant Christians created laws according to their own judge-mental ... personal ... biblical interpretations.
Example ... from the book … Drop Dead: A Horrible History of Hanging in Canada, author … Lorna Poplak.
Capital punishment, the execution of someone found guilty of a crime, dates back to arrival of the European explorers on our shores.
In those days, if you were condemned to death, quite a wide range of methods could be used to punish you. You could be hanged, or face a firing squad, or be burned at the stake.
Although Canada remained a collection of separate British colonies until Confederation in 1876, a Royal Proclamation in 1763 replaced the prevailing Canadian legal system with the laws of England.
By the end of the 1700s in Britain, however, the litany of crimes regarded as sufficiently horrible to warrant the death penalty had swelled to 220, including nefarious acts as keeping company with gypsies or skulking in the dark with a blackened face.
In 1828, Patrick Burgan of Saint John, New Brunswick, aged eighteen or nineteen, received the death penalty for the double offence of stealing a watch and some money from his former employer and clothing from a sailors’ boarding house.
Given the power and pre-eminence of religion in Canada at that time, your very life would have been in jeopardy if you were caught scrawling slogans on the side of a church.
You could also be hanged for stealing your neighbor’s cow, which was the fate of B. Clement of Montreal. And just in case you thought that the law protected the young as it does today, think again. Children were regarded as miniature adults and treated as such — Clement was only thirteen years old when executed.
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Thanks for honoring free speech.
If Jordan had studied religious history, he would be aware that long before the Jesus son of a god myth ... many other sons of gods myths were hallucinated in the minds of men in ancient times.
My perception is that the cavemen claimed that gods were talking to them ... but that story was not as “real to life” as future generations expected … so … as time went by … offspring of those cavemen created stories that humans were SO evil ... and SO disobedient to the gods, that the gods felt impelled to send their own sons to earth ... to in turn warn the evil humans that they MUST repent of sin TO these sons of gods ... or the gods would see to it that they would spend eternity in the "afterlife" suffering.
The supposed savior of souls of Christians, was just the most recent savior-myth story. Example as follows, and please note how Chrishna was spelled, before the Christians came up with the word Christ, and how the Hindus then changed the spelling of their supposed savior to "Krishna."
From the book … The World’s Sixteen Crucified Saviors … Christianity before Christ, by Kersey Graves … first published in 1875.
and finally these twenty Jesus Christs (accepting their character for the name) laid the foundation for the salvation of the world, and ascended back to heaven.
1. Chrishna of Hindostan.
2. Budha Sakia of India.
3. Salivahana of Bermuda
4. Zulis, or Zhule, also Osiris and Orus, of Egypt.
5. Odin of the Scandinavians.
6. Crite of Chaldea.
7. Zoroaster and Mithra of Persia.
8. Baal and Taut, “the only Begotten of God,” of Phenicia.
9. Indra of Thibet.
10. Bali of Afghanistan.
11. Jao of Nepaul.
12. Wittoa of the Bilingonese.
13. Thammuz of Syria.
14. Atys of Phrygia.
15. Xamolxis of Thrace.
16. Zoar of the Bonzes.
17. Adad of Assyria.
18. Deva Tat,aud Sammonocadam of Siam.
19. Alcides of Thebes.
20. Mikado of the Sintoos.
21. Beddru of Japan.
22. Hesus or Eros, and Bremrillah, of the Druids.
23. Thor, son of Odin, of the Gauls.
24. Cadmus of Greece.
25. Hil and Feta of the Mandaites.
26. Gentaut and Quexalcote of Mexico.
27. Universal Monarch of the Sibyls.
28. Ischy of the Island of Formosa.
29. Divine teacher of Plato.
30. Holy One of xaca.
31. Fohi and Tien of China.
32. Adonis, son of the virgin Io of Greece.
33. Ision and Quirinus of Rome.
34. Prometheus of Caucasus.
35. Mohammud, or Mahomet, of Arabia.
These have all received divine honors, have nearly all been worshiped as Gods, or sons of Gods; were mostly incarnated as Christs, Saviors, Messiahs, or Mediators; not a few of them were reputedly born of virgins; some of them filling a character almost identical with that ascribed by the Christian’s bible to Jesus Christ; many of them like him, are reported crucified; and all of them, taken together, furnish a prototype and parallel for nearly every important incident and wonder-inciting miracle, doctrine and precept recorded in the New Testament, of the Christian’s Savior. Surely, with so many Saviors the world cannot, or should not, be lost.
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My first impression of Donald Trump ... long before he became President ... was that he was a very dishonest business man ... who was bailed out of trouble ... more than a few times ... by his father.
If Donald Trump happens to win the next election … his first plan would be to demolish the United States Constitution … and make all laws into the laws according to Donald Trump.
The first President George Washington (to put the power into the hands of the voters) … GAVE UP HIS CHANCE to be voted in again as President.
George Washington was an honorable man in the sense of making certain that Presidents were not allowed to stay in office their whole lives, because had that occurred, Presidents would probably all have been uncontrol able, unapproachable dictators, prone to handing off the Presidency to their heirs … making the United States a complete dictatorship.
From the book … Washington: The Indispensable Man … author … James Thomas Flexner
“During the election, however, Washington adhered to his highest principles. The stakes, he felt, were much higher than any partisanship, so high that risks would have to be taken concerning what would happen after the hand was played. He saw the election as a potential demonstration to all the world that republican institutions were, in their purity, viable.
He was, indeed, personally establishing a precedent that extended the Constitution. Despite much discussion of the issue, that document had not limited the number of terms a President could serve. The establishment of the Vice Presidency permitted succession in the monarchical manner: the President, again and again re-elected if he pleased the people, would be, on his death, succeeded by his preestablished heir. Even Jefferson, during his period of closeness with Washington, had been content with the thought that the first President would serve out his lifetime. But Washington wished the succession to be determined, in an absolutely republican manner, by the ballot box. This would be the culmination of his own career, his final gift to the world.
Perhaps it was Washington’s realization of his own tremendous power that made him feel that if he intervened in an election he would prevent the people from making their own choice. In any case, he adhered to the resolution he had made when lesser offices were in the balance that he would play absolutely no role in the election. He had no intention of being publicly identified with either the Republicans or the Federalists. Although he believed that Jefferson had betrayed him personally and might well betray the nation of France, the old hero made absolutely no move to block Jefferson’s road to the Presidency.
The Federalist candidate, John Adams, won, but, owing to a confusion in the Federalist vote for Vice President, Jefferson came into that office. Washington made no recorded comment.
The precedent Washington established, that a President should retire after two terms, held until it was breached by Franklin Delano Roosevelt. It was then formally written into the Constitution.”
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Thanks for honoring freedom of speech.
In the first place ... Jordan was "seeking" fame for all the wrong reasons.
My guess is that when Jordan recently created the podcast The Monster of Self-Guilt: “The Devil is Always in the Details” … it was his own conscience crying out to be relieved of its heavy burden, as his conscience is fully aware that he earned his millions of dollars by being deceptive.
#1 Jordan made the choice to play party politics as a Conservative … which lead him to state that the Liberal Prime Minister of Canada Justin Trudeau was trying to take freedom of speech away from Canadians … when the truth was and is … that it was The Board of Psychologists in Ontario, Canada, that were receiving complaints from irate citizens concerning Jordan’s misuse of his license as a psychologist to in turn play party politics ... and make other false statements on social media.
#2 Jordan went on social media to preach his (either Catholic or Protestant) Christian religion … which was another misuse of his license as a Professor of Psychology.
#3 As a heterosexual … Jordan chose to preach that there isn’t any such condition as “being” transgender. And he did that under the guise of psychology … rather than admitting, “This is my personal opinion, based on my interpretation of the Christian Bible.”
#4 Jordan claimed that he was being forced to use words that respected those who (say) they are transgender … when the truth is … he didn’t have to say those words at all. His statement was that he would not be “forced” to say those words … which is much different than taking “away” freedom of speech. He wanted his followers on social media to believe that someone from the Canadian government was going to approach him and say, “You HAVE to say those pronouns, or we are going to throw you in jail.”
#5 Had Jordan created a disclaimer on every podcast … that his opinions were personal on all subjects … and did not represent his training as a psychologist … he would not have had any reason to even go to court … much less be retrained as a psychologist. And his conscience would not be creating havoc in his own mentality … which should be plain to all … by his following words from his more recent podcast.
“The Monster of Self-Guilt: “The Devil is Always in the Details” … “Yeah well, one of the things you learn if you are a clinician and you have any sense, is, also, is also why you don’t offer people advice. But I don’t know what the hell you should do. Like maybe you and I could figure it out together with some really careful thought, but I can’t … most people are in situations that are sufficiently complex, so that I can’t … casual advice is just not helpful. I mean there is a real arrogance in that. The same arrogance as judgement, like.”
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If Donald Trump happens to win the next election … his first plan would be to demolish the United States Constitution … and make all laws into the laws according to Donald Trump.
The first President George Washington (to put the power into the hands of the voters) … GAVE UP HIS CHANCE to be voted in again as President.
George Washington was an honorable man in the sense of making certain that Presidents were not allowed to stay in office their whole lives, because had that occurred, Presidents would probably all have been uncontrol able, unapproachable dictators, prone to handing off the Presidency to their heirs … making the United States a complete dictatorship.
From the book … Washington: The Indispensable Man … author … James Thomas Flexner
“During the election, however, Washington adhered to his highest principles. The stakes, he felt, were much higher than any partisanship, so high that risks would have to be taken concerning what would happen after the hand was played. He saw the election as a potential demonstration to all the world that republican institutions were, in their purity, viable.
He was, indeed, personally establishing a precedent that extended the Constitution. Despite much discussion of the issue, that document had not limited the number of terms a President could serve. The establishment of the Vice Presidency permitted succession in the monarchical manner: the President, again and again re-elected if he pleased the people, would be, on his death, succeeded by his preestablished heir. Even Jefferson, during his period of closeness with Washington, had been content with the thought that the first President would serve out his lifetime. But Washington wished the succession to be determined, in an absolutely republican manner, by the ballot box. This would be the culmination of his own career, his final gift to the world.
Perhaps it was Washington’s realization of his own tremendous power that made him feel that if he intervened in an election he would prevent the people from making their own choice. In any case, he adhered to the resolution he had made when lesser offices were in the balance that he would play absolutely no role in the election. He had no intention of being publicly identified with either the Republicans or the Federalists. Although he believed that Jefferson had betrayed him personally and might well betray the nation of France, the old hero made absolutely no move to block Jefferson’s road to the Presidency.
The Federalist candidate, John Adams, won, but, owing to a confusion in the Federalist vote for Vice President, Jefferson came into that office. Washington made no recorded comment.
The precedent Washington established, that a President should retire after two terms, held until it was breached by Franklin Delano Roosevelt. It was then formally written into the Constitution.”
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@yyy-875 When he wrote the following words … Mark Twain had it figured out that all religion was man-made.
GOD … a God who could make good children as easily as bad, yet preferred to make bad ones; who could have made every one of them happy, yet never made a single happy one; who made them prize their bitter life, yet stingily cut it short; who gave his angels eternal happiness unearned, yet required his other children to earn it; who gave his angels painless lives, yet cursed his other children with biting miseries and maladies of mind and body; who mouths justice, and invented hell--mouths mercy, and invented hell--mouths Golden Rules and forgiveness multiplied by seventy times seven, and invented hell; who mouths morals to other people, and has none himself; who frowns upon crimes, yet commits them all; who created man without invitation, then tries to shuffle the responsibility for man's acts upon man, instead of honorably placing it where it belongs, upon himself; and finally, with altogether divine obtuseness, invites his poor abused slave to worship him!
-No. 44, The Mysterious Stranger
Mark Twain
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@BillRalens Thankfully … now that hundreds of members of clergy are leaving religion behind ... there is hope for everyone.
From the book ... Apostle to Apostate: The Story of the Clergy Project … authors … Catherine Dunphy, Richard Dawkins
When you are reared to think of your faith and its leaders as infallible, dissent can be an unsettling thing. This is particularly true for clergy, who have devoted their lives to the subject of faith. I therefore especially hope that this story reaches those clergy who have yet to articulate their doubts.
As they struggle through this process, I am thankful that they can look to the Clergy Project as an example of community and humanism as an example of good. As former clergy who have left churches of every denomination, synagogues, mosques, convents, monasteries, and theological institutions, we stand as examples of the reasonableness of doubt and its thoughtful conclusions. I cannot help but think that we offer a compelling voice for why science and secularism do a better job than religion and superstition of answering the so-called ultimate questions.
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@KD400_ My perception is that the cavemen claimed that gods were talking to them ... but that story was not as “real to life” as future generations expected … so … as time went by … they created stories that humans were SO evil ... and SO disobedient to the gods, that the gods felt impelled to send their own sons to earth ... to in turn warn the evil humans that they MUST repent of sin TO these sons of gods ... or spend eternity in the "afterlife" suffering.
The supposed savior of souls of Christians, was just the most recent savior-myth story. Example as follows, and please note how Chrishna was spelled, before the Christians came up with the word Christ, and how the Hindus then changed the spelling of their supposed savior to "Krishna."
From the book … The World’s Sixteen Crucified Saviors … Christianity before Christ, by Kersey Graves … first published in 1875.
and finally these twenty Jesus Christs (accepting their character for the name) laid the foundation for the salvation of the world, and ascended back to heaven.
1. Chrishna of Hindostan.
2. Budha Sakia of India.
3. Salivahana of Bermuda
4. Zulis, or Zhule, also Osiris and Orus, of Egypt.
5. Odin of the Scandinavians.
6. Crite of Chaldea.
7. Zoroaster and Mithra of Persia.
8. Baal and Taut, “the only Begotten of God,” of Phenicia.
9. Indra of Thibet.
10. Bali of Afghanistan.
11. Jao of Nepaul.
12. Wittoa of the Bilingonese.
13. Thammuz of Syria.
14. Atys of Phrygia.
15. Xamolxis of Thrace.
16. Zoar of the Bonzes.
17. Adad of Assyria.
18. Deva Tat,aud Sammonocadam of Siam.
19. Alcides of Thebes.
20. Mikado of the Sintoos.
21. Beddru of Japan.
22. Hesus or Eros, and Bremrillah, of the Druids.
23. Thor, son of Odin, of the Gauls.
24. Cadmus of Greece.
25. Hil and Feta of the Mandaites.
26. Gentaut and Quexalcote of Mexico.
27. Universal Monarch of the Sibyls.
28. Ischy of the Island of Formosa.
29. Divine teacher of Plato.
30. Holy One of xaca.
31. Fohi and Tien of China.
32. Adonis, son of the virgin Io of Greece.
33. Ision and Quirinus of Rome.
34. Prometheus of Caucasus.
35. Mohammud, or Mahomet, of Arabia.
These have all received divine honors, have nearly all been worshiped as Gods, or sons of Gods; were mostly incarnated as Christs, Saviors, Messiahs, or Mediators; not a few of them were reputedly born of virgins; some of them filling a character almost identical with that ascribed by the Christian’s bible to Jesus Christ; many of them like him, are reported crucified; and all of them, taken together, furnish a prototype and parallel for nearly every important incident and wonder-inciting miracle, doctrine and precept recorded in the New Testament, of the Christian’s Savior. Surely, with so many Saviors the world cannot, or should not, be lost.
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All we needed on Planet earth was the start of yet another cult.
Transhumanism (H+ or h+) is the philosophical belief that mankind should evolve beyond his current physical and mental limitations through science and technology. Some crynocists, futurists, and anti-aging gurus are among its activists. Among its adherents is the well-known gay billionaire and PayPal co-founder Peter Thiel, who spoke in support of Donald Trump at the 2016 Republican National Convention.
The largest Transhumanism Church (its symbol a fiery phoenix) was founded by Bill Faloon and Saul Kent in Hollywood, FL. It is called the, Church of Perpetual Life. Though this so-called "church" has a congregation, a minister, and numerous other activities, its worship is not centered upon God, but how to defeat pain, suffering, and even death through science and technology. In 2014 the church sent out an invitation to join them in a ritual called the Remembrance of the Resurrectables. This was a ceremony to celebrate those who had decided to have their bodies cryogenically preserved after their death, in hopes that science and technology will continue to evolve and some day allow them to be resurrected.
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Thanks for honoring freedom of speech.
Gender "equality?"
Jordan doesn't even believe that the words transgender ... or intersex (old word ... hermaphrodite) ... or the word asexual ... or ... the word homosexual ... should exist ... much less have these people treated with equal rights to heterosexuals.
It all stems from Jordan's interpretation of words in either his Catholic or Protestant bible ... of a god existing that created only male and female.
I was born heterosexual. However, had I been born “different” … I would have been so fortunate to have had Neil deGrasse Tyson on my side of the debate.
From the book Starry Messenger … Cosmic Perspectives on Civilization … author Neil deGrasse Tyson … As you might suspect among branches of scientific inquiry, those most susceptible to human bias are fields that study and judge the appearance, conduct, and habits of other humans. Topping the list, find psychology, sociology, and especially anthropology. If they are to establish and preserve their integrity, these fields must engage extra levels of peer review and disclosure, with the express purpose of spotting bias.
One day, we may discover or otherwise affirm no discrete categories at all, as the multidimensional gender universe unfolds along a continuum, like the colors contained in sunlight. This will significantly dilute the power of homophobic and transphobic bigots to declare that they are somehow separate and distinct from other members of their own species.
Many people, who defend our cherished freedoms as citizens of the US, will argue against mandated masks, helmet laws, gun laws, seatbelts, and anything else that constricts a person from living the way they want. Odd that many of these same people will maintain or seek laws to restrict another person’s free expression of their gender identity.
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If Donald Trump happens to win the next election … his first plan would be to demolish the United States Constitution … and make all laws into the laws according to Donald Trump.
The first President George Washington (to put the power into the hands of the voters) … GAVE UP HIS CHANCE to be voted in again as President.
George Washington was an honorable man in the sense of making certain that Presidents were not allowed to stay in office their whole lives, because had that occurred, Presidents would probably all have been uncontrol able, unapproachable dictators, prone to handing off the Presidency to their heirs … making the United States a complete dictatorship.
From the book … Washington: The Indispensable Man … author … James Thomas Flexner
“During the election, however, Washington adhered to his highest principles. The stakes, he felt, were much higher than any partisanship, so high that risks would have to be taken concerning what would happen after the hand was played. He saw the election as a potential demonstration to all the world that republican institutions were, in their purity, viable.
He was, indeed, personally establishing a precedent that extended the Constitution. Despite much discussion of the issue, that document had not limited the number of terms a President could serve. The establishment of the Vice Presidency permitted succession in the monarchical manner: the President, again and again re-elected if he pleased the people, would be, on his death, succeeded by his preestablished heir. Even Jefferson, during his period of closeness with Washington, had been content with the thought that the first President would serve out his lifetime. But Washington wished the succession to be determined, in an absolutely republican manner, by the ballot box. This would be the culmination of his own career, his final gift to the world.
Perhaps it was Washington’s realization of his own tremendous power that made him feel that if he intervened in an election he would prevent the people from making their own choice. In any case, he adhered to the resolution he had made when lesser offices were in the balance that he would play absolutely no role in the election. He had no intention of being publicly identified with either the Republicans or the Federalists. Although he believed that Jefferson had betrayed him personally and might well betray the nation of France, the old hero made absolutely no move to block Jefferson’s road to the Presidency.
The Federalist candidate, John Adams, won, but, owing to a confusion in the Federalist vote for Vice President, Jefferson came into that office. Washington made no recorded comment.
The precedent Washington established, that a President should retire after two terms, held until it was breached by Franklin Delano Roosevelt. It was then formally written into the Constitution.”
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In Jewish "mythology" ... which existed long before Christian mythology ... the characters were Adam and Lilith ... not ... Adam and Eve.
And to say that preachers of religion (who didn’t have any science in their vocabularies) were confused … would be a vast understatement.
The archaic idea of whether Adam had a belly button originated with the devout Christian Protestant Philip Henry Gosse … in his book published in 1857, by the title “Omphalos.” His book was a poor seller … but the gossip spread and became infectious … as the Omphalos Hypothesis became a very big deal to theologians, that in turn would come from miles around to gather and discuss the subject … never being able to decide whether “God” created Adam with or without a belly button.
More information on the Omphalos hypothesis comes from the book … The Madman’s Library: The Strangest Books, Manuscripts and Other Literary Curiosities from History … author … Edward Brooke-Hitching … “A devout Christian, Gosse’s central hypothesis is that the conflict between the ancient age of the Earth proposed by geologists of the Victorian era, and the much more recent creation date given in the Bible, could be resolved with a simple explanation he called the Omphalos (Greek for ‘navel’) hypothesis. The argument goes like this: the first human, Adam, must have had a navel (as we inherited ours from him), despite the fact that he didn’t need one as God created him. So God must have given him the feature to create the appearance of human ancestry. Thus, the seemingly ancient fossil record might also be evidence of God’s creation, put there by Him to again create a sense of endless history, and test our faith. The book sold poorly, the critical reception best represented by the reaction of the Westminster Review, which described Godde’s theory as “too monstrous for belief’.”
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@MG42Cull I prefer Mark Twain’s description of a god … that is ... if a god were to exist ... which I don't believe is true.
GOD … a God who could make good children as easily as bad, yet preferred to make bad ones; who could have made every one of them happy, yet never made a single happy one; who made them prize their bitter life, yet stingily cut it short; who gave his angels eternal happiness unearned, yet required his other children to earn it; who gave his angels painless lives, yet cursed his other children with biting miseries and maladies of mind and body; who mouths justice, and invented hell--mouths mercy, and invented hell--mouths Golden Rules and forgiveness multiplied by seventy times seven, and invented hell; who mouths morals to other people, and has none himself; who frowns upon crimes, yet commits them all; who created man without invitation, then tries to shuffle the responsibility for man's acts upon man, instead of honorably placing it where it belongs, upon himself; and finally, with altogether divine obtuseness, invites his poor abused slave to worship him!
-No. 44, The Mysterious Stranger
Mark Twain
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@MG42Cull I hope the day will come when people realize that ALL religion was and is ... myth ... as have these ex-members of clergy.
From the book ... Apostle to Apostate: The Story of the Clergy Project … authors … Catherine Dunphy, Richard Dawkins “The word that leaps off the page in this quote is Mary Daly’s use of the word “myth.” Reading her book in conjunction with exegetical analysis of the Old and New Testaments cemented the reality that I had ignored: this “holy book” was a fabrication, a cultural narrative that only truly reflected the mores and values of the people who wrote it. As such, it is a wholly inadequate resource for humanity in the twenty-first century. Once that realization sunk in, I acknowledged that I was architect of this thing or idea that I called God.
As former clergy who have left churches of every denomination, synagogues, mosques, convents, monasteries, and theological institutions, we stand as examples of the reasonableness of doubt and its thoughtful conclusions. I cannot help but think that we offer a compelling voice for why science and secularism do a better job than religion and superstition of answering the so-called ultimate questions.”
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Thanks for honoring freedom of speech.
The first President George Washington (to put the power into the hands of the voters) … GAVE UP HIS CHANCE to be voted in again as President.
George Washington was an honorable man in the sense of making certain that Presidents were not allowed to stay in office their whole lives, because had that occurred, Presidents would probably all have been uncontrol able, unapproachable dictators, prone to handing off the Presidency to their heirs … making the United States a complete dictatorship.
From the book … Washington: The Indispensable Man … author … James Thomas Flexner
“During the election, however, Washington adhered to his highest principles. The stakes, he felt, were much higher than any partisanship, so high that risks would have to be taken concerning what would happen after the hand was played. He saw the election as a potential demonstration to all the world that republican institutions were, in their purity, viable.
He was, indeed, personally establishing a precedent that extended the Constitution. Despite much discussion of the issue, that document had not limited the number of terms a President could serve. The establishment of the Vice Presidency permitted succession in the monarchical manner: the President, again and again re-elected if he pleased the people, would be, on his death, succeeded by his preestablished heir. Even Jefferson, during his period of closeness with Washington, had been content with the thought that the first President would serve out his lifetime. But Washington wished the succession to be determined, in an absolutely republican manner, by the ballot box. This would be the culmination of his own career, his final gift to the world.
Perhaps it was Washington’s realization of his own tremendous power that made him feel that if he intervened in an election he would prevent the people from making their own choice. In any case, he adhered to the resolution he had made when lesser offices were in the balance that he would play absolutely no role in the election. He had no intention of being publicly identified with either the Republicans or the Federalists. Although he believed that Jefferson had betrayed him personally and might well betray the nation of France, the old hero made absolutely no move to block Jefferson’s road to the Presidency.
The Federalist candidate, John Adams, won, but, owing to a confusion in the Federalist vote for Vice President, Jefferson came into that office. Washington made no recorded comment.
The precedent Washington established, that a President should retire after two terms, held until it was breached by Franklin Delano Roosevelt. It was then formally written into the Constitution.”
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Thanks for honoring free speech.
Many religious groups wanted their own personal religion to run "the" world political organization. But the fact was... they were so divisive ... all they could do was fight and kill each other to try to gain control ... always while USING the name of "God" as their "weapon."
Example:
From the book … Guide for Living … Pope Pius XII … Selected Addresses and Letters of His Holiness
World Government
Address to members of the Universal Movement for World Federation, April 6, 1951:
Your movement gentlemen, aims at bringing into being an effective political world organization. Nothing is more in line with the traditional doctrine of the Church nor more adapted to her teaching regarding just and unjust war, particularly at the present juncture.
Another example ... from the book … The Papal Conspiracy Exposed, and Protestantism Defended,” by Rev. Edward Beecher, published in 1855. At this time we aim; because it is our firm conviction that we, as a Protestant nation, have received our principles from God, and that he has assigned to us the sublime mission and the glorious destiny of making them universal.
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Thanks for honoring freedom of speech.
Any person that believes in the existence of a devil IS a Satanist.
Many years ago, I was approached by a very frightened elderly Christian, who believed in the existence of the devil. He confided in me that the night before, dark entities had hovered over him while he was in bed. When I asked him if he believed in God he was shocked and assured me that indeed he absolutely did believe in God. Then I suggested that if instead of worrying about a devil, he gave his complete focus to God that the devil could not have any power over him. I saw him some time later, and he was smiling when he told me that the dark entities were all gone.
I am now an Atheist but being that I was under the spell of religion for 70 years of my life, I was certain I knew what would cure him of his fear.
I never believed in a devil, or demons when I was still under the spell of religion, so I was never in fear of such things as dark entities.
I'm almost 85 now, and the last 15 years, being free of all religious myths, left me feeling whole, just as I am, with the belief that the universe and electricity always existed ... no creator involved … no plan involved … and that suffering of all forms of life, is natural.
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Thanks for honoring freedom of speech.
What politicians say in a campaign doesn't have to be what they really believe is true. They are there to try to follow the will of the voters ... and that is impossible when the voters don't agree with each other.
And then there is the issue of the politicians wanting to be the ones that DO win ... so thy are in a position where they are fully aware that they must read the "moods" of the voters that have the most voting power.
Such was and IS the case with the touchy subject of abortion
.
Donald’ Trump's statements. October 1999: 'I am very pro-choice'
February 2011: 'I am pro-life'
February 2016: Says he'll defund Planned Parenthood — while also praising the group
March 2016: 'Some form of punishment' for women who seek abortions
October 2016: Trump vows to overturn Roe v. Wade
June 2022: 'God made the decision' to overturn Roe v. Wade
November 2022: Republican midterm losses
December 2022: McConnell blames Trump January 2023:
Trump blames abortion for the midterm losses
September 2023: Trump makes vague promises about an abortion compromise
John McCain played the same type of politics as did Donald Trump when he needed the votes from the evangelicals.
From the program on Television titled "Jesus Politics" ...In 1999, a year before his first speech for the White House, John McCain told the San Francisco Chronicle that he did not see a need in the near future to overturn Roe v Wade.
He repeated his position on CNN. John McCain verbatim … "We all know, and it's obvious, that if we repeal Roe v Wade, tomorrow, thousands of young women will be performing illegal and dangerous operations."
In 2008, in the South Carolina primaries, the senator said something quite different … John McCain verbatim ... "I do not support Roe v Wade. It should be overturned."
As voters "not in office" ... we are the armchair politicians. We will vote for them ... and they can do the work required to lead a government ... but if they don't follow our personal commands ... that old idiom comes to mind ... "They can't win for losing."
Dalton Kemp … Political advisor, on the Fifth Estate interview, January 1996, stated the following… “What I learned about power is that there isn’t any. You don’t have the power to make the world in your image. You just have the power to make the best deal you can make, and get out of town alive, and that’s as far as it goes. It’s all a mirage.”
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Thank you for honoring free speech.
In 2020, when Donald Trump encouraged his angry renegades to attack the very Capitol that as President Donald vowed to Protect … he undid all the centuries of peaceful and considerate behavior put forth by previous men … when they were leaving the office of President.
Donald’s self-serving … erratic … spoiled behavior was the exact opposite of the very first President George Washington … whose heroic behavior “caused the loss of his chance at becoming the President again.”
From the book … Washington: The Indispensable Man … author … James Thomas Flexner
“During the election, however, Washington adhered to his highest principles. The stakes, he felt, were much higher than any partisanship, so high that risks would have to be taken concerning what would happen after the hand was played. He saw the election as a potential demonstration to all the world that republican institutions were, in their purity, viable.
He was, indeed, personally establishing a precedent that extended the Constitution. Despite much discussion of the issue, that document had not limited the number of terms a President could serve. The establishment of the Vice Presidency permitted succession in the monarchical manner: the President, again and again re-elected if he pleased the people, would be, on his death, succeeded by his preestablished heir. Even Jefferson, during his period of closeness with Washington, had been content with the thought that the first President would serve out his lifetime. But Washington wished the succession to be determined, in an absolutely republican manner, by the ballot box. This would be the culmination of his own career, his final gift to the world.
Perhaps it was Washington’s realization of his own tremendous power that made him feel that if he intervened in an election he would prevent the people from making their own choice. In any case, he adhered to the resolution he had made when lesser offices were in the balance that he would play absolutely no role in the election. He had no intention of being publicly identified with either the Republicans or the Federalists. Although he believed that Jefferson had betrayed him personally and might well betray the nation of France, the old hero made absolutely no move to block Jefferson’s road to the Presidency.
The Federalist candidate, John Adams, won, but, owing to a confusion in the Federalist vote for Vice President, Jefferson came into that office. Washington made no recorded comment.
The precedent Washington established, that a President should retire after two terms, held until it was breached by Franklin Delano Roosevelt. It was then formally written into the Constitution.”
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The following advise might be helpful to those who feel depressed.
Carol Dweck taught at Columbia University and the University of Illinois, and at the time this book was published was the Lewis and Virginia Eaton Professor of Psychology at Stanford University.
From the book … 50 Psychology Classics Second Edition: Your shortcut to the most important ideas on the mind, personality, and human nature … author … Tom Butler-Bowden Published May 30, 2017
“Yet fixed mindset people will sometimes allow a single test, such as for IQ, to define them for the rest of their lives. Those with growth mindsets see that as ridiculous.”
In a study she made of university students, Dweck found that those with fixed mindsets had higher levels of depression. After Judging themselves harshly, they stopped attending classes and doing their work, and ceased looking after themselves. Depressed students with a growth mindset reacted the opposite way: the more depressed they were, the greater the effort they made to climb out of it, keeping up their classes and social life despite how they felt. Again, for the growth minded, effort is seen as the key to progress.
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@4uRicki All religion was created because of FEAR ... not TRUST.
If people had trust that a god would not punish them ... there wouldn't BE any religion ... and theologians promoted that TRICK of the TRADE. "You give me your money ... and I will tell you that your soul is SAVED."
It was that teaching that God is judgmental that keeps devotees in these cults ... begging and praying and groveling to this supposed god for forgiveness of sin.
I used to believe in the existence of a creator ... but not any more. And I am far from being alone.
Thankfully … now that hundreds of members of clergy of various religions are leaving their indoctrinations behind ... there is hope for everyone.
From the book ... Apostle to Apostate: The Story of the Clergy Project … authors … Catherine Dunphy, Richard Dawkins
When you are reared to think of your faith and its leaders as infallible, dissent can be an unsettling thing. This is particularly true for clergy, who have devoted their lives to the subject of faith. I therefore especially hope that this story reaches those clergy who have yet to articulate their doubts.
As they struggle through this process, I am thankful that they can look to the Clergy Project as an example of community and humanism as an example of good. As former clergy who have left churches of every denomination, synagogues, mosques, convents, monasteries, and theological institutions, we stand as examples of the reasonableness of doubt and its thoughtful conclusions. I cannot help but think that we offer a compelling voice for why science and secularism do a better job than religion and superstition of answering the so-called ultimate questions.
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