Youtube comments of June VanDerMark (@junevandermark952).
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Many years ago, a man and his wife of the Jehovah's Witness denomination came to my door to proselytize their beliefs. I invited them in, treated them with dignity, and we discussed our own ways of believing. I was still under my own spell of religion at that time.
When the subject turned to the issue of abortion, the woman made it plain that she looked down on women for what she perceived was their heartless acts of aborting “babies.”
When I asked her if there was a woman in her presence that suffered from a botched abortion if she would help her, she answered in a haughty manner, "I don't know!!! She chose to do that, so, I just don't know!"
I then asked the question, "From your perception, what do you believe Jesus would do in that circumstance?"
She stared at me, speechless. Her husband, whose head was hung as he stared at the floor finally broke the silence. With a voice that was barely audible, he said, "I believe Jesus would help the woman."
It might not be a good idea to be too hasty about what your supposed savior “believes.”
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I suggest that you should leave your religious addictions behind, and accept your homosexuality as being normal. I am heterosexual, and always knew that because I was not attracted to my own gender, and found the thought of having a relationship with another female repulsive, that homosexuals were born different, and I accepted the differences as being normal. Religious teaching gives human animals swelled heads. After 70 years of struggling with why the flamboyant stories didn't make any sense to me, I stopped believing. Tomorrow is my 82nd birthday ... if I don't die first. Since I left all those religious fairy tales behind, to believe (as did Stephen Hawking, before he died) that the universe always existed, I feel whole, just as I am. What a relief!!!
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Many years ago, a man and his wife of the Jehovah's Witness denomination came to my door to proselytize their beliefs. I invited them in, treated them with dignity, and we discussed our own ways of believing. I was still under my own spell of religion at that time.
When the subject turned to the issue of abortion, the woman made it plain that she looked down on women for what she perceived was their heartless acts of aborting “babies.”
When I asked her if there was a woman in her presence that suffered from a botched abortion if she would help her, she answered in a haughty manner, "I don't know!!! She chose to do that, so, I just don't know!"
I then asked the question, "From your perception, what do you believe Jesus would do in that circumstance?"
She stared at me, speechless. Her husband, whose head was hung as he stared at the floor finally broke the silence. With a voice that was barely audible, he said, "I believe Jesus would help the woman."
It might not be a good idea to be too hasty about what your supposed savior “believes.”
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They are not strangers to you. These are your sisters, your cousins, your mothers, your daughters, your friends, and even your grandmas. You see them every day, in your places of worship, in your places of work, in your religious schools, and most of all, in your homes. These are the women that are having abortions. Do you still want to make abortion illegal, so that these women that you love, go back to the old clandestine methods, and die agonizing deaths at the hands of back-street butchers? You do love these women, don’t you?
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From the book … My Own Words … author … RUTH BADER GINSBURG.
Whether you are a Christian, or an Atheist … you better think hard and long, as you close one clinic after another … in the pretence that it protects “babies.”
The lives of women are at stake here, and they are the lives of your mothers, daughters, aunts, friends … and even grandmothers.
Then she made a point, nowhere addressed in the Breyer opinion, but embedded in the memories of women old enough to remember the days when abortion was illegal: “When a State severely limits access to safe and legal procedures, women in desperate circumstances may resort to unlicensed rogue practitioners, faute de mieux,I at great risk to their health and safety.”
(Later speaking with a reporter, she was blunt about the law’s purpose: “It seemed to me it was a sham to pretend this was about a woman’s health” rather than about making it harder to obtain an abortion.)
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@nbaclashofclanspro9198 What doesn't breathe on its own, is dependent on a host, and if the host doesn't want it, the host has every right to abort it.
Women and girls do not abort a fetus of nine months gestation. Most are aborted very early in the pregnancy.
And, by the way, if your sister, or your mother, or your grandmother became pregnant, and wanted a late-term abortion, would you rather she go to a back-street unqualified person, or, to a medical physician, that was trained to perform abortions?
Please answer that question .... if you DARE.
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Although this United States Supreme Court judge is now deceased, words from her book live on.
From the book … My Own Words … author … RUTH BADER GINSBURG. Whether you are a Christian, or an Atheist … you better think hard and long, as you close one clinic after another … in the pretense that it protects “babies.” The lives of women are at stake here, and they are the lives of your mothers, daughters, aunts, friends … and even grandmothers.
Then she made a point, nowhere addressed in the Breyer opinion, but embedded in the memories of women old enough to remember the days when abortion was illegal: “When a State severely limits access to safe and legal procedures, women in desperate circumstances may resort to unlicensed rogue practitioners, faute de mieux, at great risk to their health and safety.”
(Later speaking with a reporter, she was blunt about the law’s purpose: “It seemed to me it was a sham to pretend this was about a woman’s health” rather than about making it harder to obtain an abortion.)
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Having been raised in a Christian culture, I never could understand how those who believed in Jesus, would want to believe that Jesus, while preaching at followers how to love one another, would support the death penalty.
From the book … The Death Penalty: An American History … author … Stuart Banner.
In Pennsylvania, where murder had been the only capital crime for over three decades, pressure from the imperial government resulted in 1718 in the introduction of the death penalty for manslaughter, rape, highway robbery, maiming, burglary, arson, witchcraft, and sodomy. Later in the century the colony would add counterfeiting, squatting on Indian land, and prison-break to the list.
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@nbaclashofclanspro9198 Many women who claim to be against having abortions, sneak off and have abortions, and then sit in their churches, mosques, and synagogue, as though they are innocent.
When doctor Morgentaler started his illegal clinic in Montreal, Canada, 80 percent of the women that came to him for abortions were Catholic.
Do you think that their peers in the parishes were aware that they had those abortions?
Of course they would pretend, because it they didn't, people of your mentality would keep on bullying them, and referring to them as being murderers.
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Abortion is not murder. Fetuses do not breathe on their own, and what does not breathe, can't be murdered. I am 81 years of age, never had an abortion,, but I also wanted to learn why women felt such a need to have abortions. So I studied, and I studied some more, and from my opinion, that is what we need to do, because it will only work in our favor, if we are interested in learning "why."
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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 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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Thanks for honoring free speech.
From the book … Regretting Motherhood ... a study ... author ... Orna Donath
"Studies prove that after the birth of a child, fathers put in noticeably more overtime at their places of work and look for new hobbies," says author Christina Mundlos, "so that they are available as little as possible in the evenings or weekends. Of course, it's not all of them. But many of them feel how exhausting it is with a baby around, and then try to remove themselves from the situation. This is socially acceptable. But if, in contrast, the mother were to say, 'Today I'm going to yoga, tomorrow I'm going out to have a drink with my friends'--everybody would think, What is wrong with her.
Father's generally speaking, have more permission and opportunities to be the owners of their own time, whereas mothers in my study--whether they are married, divorced, or separated, and whether they work outside the home and receive a salary or work at home with no salary--stated that they were the ones to carry the entire weight of raising children, whereas the fathers had the ability to create loopholes and become absent in time and space.
For some of the mothers in my study, even when fathers did pick up an equal share of parenting and raising the children, the burden they felt simply by being a mother remained ever-present.
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@willpayne3475 There is a reason that the medical words, zygote, embryo, fetus, and baby are all different.
If women want to be pregnant, they will all use the word "baby" as reference to their joy of being pregnant. Been there ... did that ... four times.
For whatever reasons, f they don't want to be pregnant, women in despair, will even use the word "parasite," to explain the pregnancies.
You can judge their "morality" if it pleases you, and makes you feel all powerful, and maybe HOLY ... but they are still going to rid their bodies of the embyos, and fetuses, and anyone with a sense of common decency, would want those women to survive the abortions.
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Those that believe they speak for an all-powerful god, lose their ability to use common sense. Such was the case concerning the mentality of this Catholic bishop.
From the book, “ABORTION IN AMERICA,” the origins and evolution of national policy, by James C. Mohr, comes the following
In the spring of 1869 Bishop Spaulding of Baltimore released a pastoral condemnation of abortion that emanated from a council of Bishops held in his city that year. Spaulding enunciated what was generally considered to be the orthodox Catholic position on abortion for the next hundred years: “The murder of an infant before its birth is, in the sight of God and his Church, as great a crime, as would be the killing of a child after birth…. No mother is allowed, under any circumstances, to permit the death of her unborn infant, not even for the sake of preserving her own life.”
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The word Centrist implies middle of the road ... moderate ... problem solving ... etc.
In a country where people vote, the object is, the voters are either for or against certain issues, and will vote for either one party, or the other. For instance ... those who believe that abortion offends the will of a god, will be voting for the party that promises to make abortion illegal. While those who want to give women the power to make their own decisions, will vote for the party that promises to keep abortion legal.
Gun control, or the lack thereof is another major issue that divides those that vote.
I suggest that politicians in the Centrist party, by trying to please all voters, will ultimately find, that they can't please any voters.
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@saucyjk6453 Although this United States Supreme Court judge is now deceased, words from her book live on.
From the book … My Own Words … author … RUTH BADER GINSBURG. Whether you are a Christian, or an Atheist … you better think hard and long, as you close one clinic after another … in the pretense that it protects “babies.” The lives of women are at stake here, and they are the lives of your mothers, daughters, aunts, friends … and even grandmothers.
Then she made a point, nowhere addressed in the Breyer opinion, but embedded in the memories of women old enough to remember the days when abortion was illegal: “When a State severely limits access to safe and legal procedures, women in desperate circumstances may resort to unlicensed rogue practitioners, faute de mieux, at great risk to their health and safety.”
(Later speaking with a reporter, she was blunt about the law’s purpose: “It seemed to me it was a sham to pretend this was about a woman’s health” rather than about making it harder to obtain an abortion.)
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Although this United States Supreme Court judge is now deceased, words from her book live on.
From the book … My Own Words … author … RUTH BADER GINSBURG. Whether you are a Christian, or an Atheist … you better think hard and long, as you close one clinic after another … in the pretense that it protects “babies.” The lives of women are at stake here, and they are the lives of your mothers, daughters, aunts, friends … and even grandmothers.
Then she made a point, nowhere addressed in the Breyer opinion, but embedded in the memories of women old enough to remember the days when abortion was illegal: “When a State severely limits access to safe and legal procedures, women in desperate circumstances may resort to unlicensed rogue practitioners, faute de mieux, at great risk to their health and safety.”
(Later speaking with a reporter, she was blunt about the law’s purpose: “It seemed to me it was a sham to pretend this was about a woman’s health” rather than about making it harder to obtain an abortion.)
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Back when I was still confused by my own childhood muddled religious indoctrination, in 2006 I started posting on Topix forums … debating with those of many other systems of so-labeled “spiritual” beliefs.
During the debates, others kept insulting each other and me with that negative word "cult."
When I finally agreed that maybe we were all in cults and just didn't realize it because we were blinded by our own personal ideologies ... others adamantly disagreed, as they all wanted to believe that their own personal indoctrinations were based on literal truth, and that only others suffered from cultish systems of belief.
After three years of that mud-slinging banter … in 2009, at age 70, I left all stories of the existence of a creator behind, and now accept Stephen Hawking’s theory, that the universe in one form of another always existed … no creator … no plan … and that suffering of all forms of life … was … and is … natural.
I'm 84 years of age, and yes, I still worry at times about the suffering of life on earth ... but I most certainly don't worry about suffering in an afterlife ... because I now believe that it's as possible that human animals have afterlives, as it is possible that goats, or dogs or cats, or crocodiles, or mosquitoes, or viruses ... or any other forms of life ... have soul or spiritual afterlives.
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I'm a Canadian, and I suggest that no matter which party is in government in Canada, it is a far cry from dictatorship. When you complain that your “freedom” is being taken away, I suggest that you study the history of Canadian politics, as the Protestant Christian laws applied … back in the “good old days.” In pre-Confederation Canada, hundreds of criminal offences were punishable by death. Before 1859, Canada, then British North America, operated under British law. Some 230 offences, including stealing turnips and being found disguised in a forest, were punishable by death.
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When I was about ten years of age, an eight year old girl of the Catholic faith (who knew that my mother was a Protestant), approached me and said, "The priest said that Protestants go to hell," and then she smiled, as she added, "but I didn't believe him." We became the best of friends, because we didn't allow religion to come between us. That was a huge lesson for me. HUGE. Even so, it took me until age 70 to leave all religion behind, and to at last be able to feel whole, just as I am. I am now 82, and the last 12 years, free of all those dogmas, have been by far, my best. I now believe as did Stephen Hawking (before he died), that the universe always existed, no creator involved.
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When you think you are losing your freedoms, I suggest you think about how it was back when the death penalty in Canada was enforced for such crimes as picking another person’s pocket.
My note pertaining to the following … "what then was Upper Canada, is now the province of Ontario."
John Diefenbaker was the Prime Minister of Canada, and the following is from the book titled “ONE CANADA … memoirs of the right honorable John G. Diefenbaker.” ... Great-grandfather told my mother a story of life in the early 1830s which I have always found instructive. The greatest celebration of all in Upper Canada one that brought all the people together within a reasonable distance, was a public execution. He himself had been present at one. The pioneers arrived a day ahead for the festivities. With whiskey selling at less than a dollar a gallon, liquor became a source not only of exhilaration but of inspiration for the assembled, enabling them the more to enjoy the spectacle. The condemned man was a teenager whose offence had been pickpocketing. The death penalty was then imposed for some fifty or sixty offences. The law was less harsh than it had been: no longer were prisoners drawn and quartered. But the theory was that punishment must be imposed so that the criminal would understand the gravity of the sin he had committed. Also, deterrence was then the argument and still is among those who advocate capital punishment. On this occasion, the young man made a speech in the traditional style of condemned criminals in Upper Canada: he admitted his guilt and asked forgiveness. He was not restricted to a fixed length of time, since time really meant nothing. While he was making his testimony of guilt, four of the assembled pioneers found that their pockets had been picked.
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@bingounna You might find the following to be of interest … From the book … The Atheist Muslim ... author ... Ali A. Rizvi.
I was about twelve when I met my first real-life atheist. He was the new kid in school and sat next to me in class, so we quickly became friends. His family had moved to Riyadh from Sweden for his father's work. One day, as we were learning about the different religions of the world in class, I asked him what religion he was. "I don't know," he said. "You don't know?" I asked. "How could you not know what religion you are?" "I don't think I have a religion." "What about your parents? What do they believe?" "I don't know. We've never talked about it." "Are you guys Christian?" He laughed. "Oh no, definitely not." "Do your mom and dad believe in God?" "No, No God, no religion." I remember being shocked. Not just because he didn't what religion he was, or if he even had a religion, but because he was responding like he'd never even thought about it. I could tell that no one had ever asked him these questions before. It was as if they were irrelevant. If we'd been a little older, I might have asked him where he thought we all came from, or whether he'd ever wondered who created the universe. But at that point, there was one thing I was more curious about than anything else. "So does that mean you can do anything?" I asked. "What do you mean?" "Like steal, kill people, bad stuff like that?" "No." "Why? You don't believe in God." I remember him being confused by my line of questioning. And I was just as confused that he didn't understand what he was getting at. "Well, we don't do bad things because it's illegal. And you shouldn't do bad things." "What do your parents tell you so you wouldn't do bad things?" I asked. "They say, 'How would like it if someone did it to you? "I thought about our conversation a lot , for many years afterward. I started noticing my own actions very consciously, as if I'd stepped out of my body and was watching myself.
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I left my religious indoctrination at 70 years of age, because I knew that if a god existed, (because of suffering) I could no longer pretend to worship such a monster, and that if I had the power to create ... suffering would not exist at all. Image a god, with a conscience, planning on creating the following. The Grapple Tree (Harpagophytum procumbens) of South Africa produces a fearsome fruit called the “Devil’s Claw” which has been known to kill a lion. The fruit is covered in fierce hooks, which latch on to passing animals. In trying to shake the fruit off, the animal disperses the seeds but at the same time, the hooks sink deeper into the creature’s flesh. If the animal touches the fruit with its mouth, the fruit will attach itself to the animal’s jaw, inflicting great pain and preventing it from eating. Antelopes are usually the victims. From my perspective, we have two choices. We can either believe that the universe was created by an entity that designed suffering as part of its plan ... or, we can believe (as did Stephen Hawking, before he died) that the universe always existed, and will always exist ... no plan involved. I prefer the second choice.
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The first President of the United States, George Washington, under the question, Party, wrote, Unaffiliated. I suggest that Donald Trump also should have stated Unaffiliated under Party, because he didn’t have any intention whatsoever of following Republican policies. He wanted to rule supreme with a heavy hand all his own making. The writing was on the wall, when Republicans became terrified of being fired if they dared to state their own opinions that, in turn, disagreed with the opinions of "the Donald." I suggest that if he wins another four years, there won't be any laws, except the laws that Donald dictates. And the problem is, some Republicans still in office that don't want to lose their positions in government, are terrified that if by chance he were to win the next election, they would also be fired if they dared (now) to go against him. It takes brave people to stand up against such a want to be dictator.
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The word eugenics has had many different meanings. Historically, the term has referred to everything from prenatal care for mothers to forced sterilization and euthanasia.
Margaret Sanger received a bad rap from the Christians, who in turn got their information about her all wrong.
Margaret always believed that abortion was murder, and that is why she wanted to teach people through Planned Parenthood, how to use birth control. She wanted to prevent abortions and was very much against women feeling a need to choose abortions.
Martin Luther King would never have accepted the Margaret Sanger award in 1966, had Margaret been an advocate of abortion.
What Margaret meant when she said some people were not “fit” to have children, was that they were too poor, and too overwhelmed with too many children, to be able to feed and take care of the children properly. As a nurse in poverty-stricken areas, she suffered extreme emotional stress having to see overwhelmed parents and children in such wretched states of suffering from starvation and dire poverty.
When the organization of Planned Parenthood started, in part by Margaret Sanger, their perception was, that abortion was murder. But as time went by, the new members understood that women were dying in droves from botched abortions, and that if they were to save the lives of the women, they had to change their rules and include abortion as being a matter of choice.
Note in the following, Margaret did not include herself as being one of the the eugenists.
From the book … Margaret Sanger … an autobiography … "The eugenists were given their opportunity to speak at the Conference. Eugenics, which had started long before my time, had once been defined as including free love and prevention of conception.
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@willpayne3475 The subject is abortion.
I hope you read the following.
Many years ago, a man and his wife of the Jehovah's Witness denomination came to my door to proselytize their beliefs. I invited them in, treated them with dignity, and we discussed our own ways of believing. I was still under my own spell of religion at that time.
When the subject turned to the issue of abortion, the woman made it plain that she looked down on women for what she perceived was their heartless acts of aborting “babies.”
When I asked her if there was a woman in her presence that suffered from a botched abortion if she would help her, she answered in a haughty manner, "I don't know!!! She chose to do that, so, I just don't know!"
I then asked the question, "From your perception, what do you believe Jesus would do in that circumstance?"
She stared at me, speechless. Her husband, whose head was hung as he stared at the floor finally broke the silence. With a voice that was barely audible, he said, "I believe Jesus would help the woman."
It might not be a good idea to be too hasty about what your supposed savior “believes.”
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How would you like to have lived in the era before automobiles? From the book … Made in America … author … bill Bryson
The automobile may have its drawbacks, but at least it doesn’t normally attract flies or drop things you need to step around. The filth of horses was a constant problem for cities well into this century, one that we can barely imagine now. In 1900, some dedicated official in Rochester, New York, calculated that the manure produced by the city’s horses would in a year cover a one-acre square to a depth of 175 feet. Kept in often unsanitary conditions and worked hard through all weathers, horses not only drew flies but dropped like them. At the turn of the century, fifteen thousand horses a year died on the streets of New York, twelve thousand on the streets of Chicago. Sometimes their carcasses were left for days. Between the flies and the manure, and the steaming corpses, there was no mistaking that you were in a city.
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When Planned Parenthood started, one of the founders, Margaret Sanger, believed that abortion was murder. She wanted women to be able to have access to birth control, so that they would not feel the need to resort to having abortions. As time went by, those that ran Planned Parenthood, realized that even birth control methods often failed, leaving the women pregnant, against their wills. That is when it was decided at Planned Parenthood ... that individual women should make their own choices, and that abortions on demand should be available to those who choose to have them. I have never had an abortion ... but I agree that it is better that women have their abortions in clinics, where trained doctors perform them ... because when and where abortion is illegal, women that are deprived of quality care during their abortions, keep dying. Let us not pretend to be the moral judges (over and above) those who are desperate to have abortions. If it was your daughter, or your mother, or even your grandmother, having an abortion ... would you not want her to come home safe to you?
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@oscargreat Salvation?
The secret to winning over the emotions of humans, is to tell them what they want to hear. The fact is, that before Judaism, there were many other religions with favorite myths of their own. At one time Jews believed in many gods, until one group of Jews decided that if they created the one-god dogma of monotheism, every person on earth would have to join their religion if they wanted to be "saved." As history proved, that worked against their story that the Jews were God's chosen few, when along came a group of Jews, that didn’t like being controlled by the all-powerful Jewish Rabbis, and thought about how they could leave Judaism … create a theology about a son of the Jewish god, that would materialize on earth to teach the one and only truth, that only through Jesus could anyone be saved ... and that was the start of the Gnostic Christian religion, with Catholicism becoming predominant. And then, the Muslims got in the act, claiming that the one God (Allah, which is the Islamic word for God) favored only Muslims. Then the Protestants got into the act, by claiming that only they were favorites of Jesus.
And now, we have the new age groupies, with their fables of Goddess love.
What a mess.
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Those that believe they speak for an all-powerful god, lose their ability to use common sense. Such was the case concerning the mentality of this Catholic bishop.
From the book, “ABORTION IN AMERICA,” the origins and evolution of national policy, by James C. Mohr, comes the following
In the spring of 1869 Bishop Spaulding of Baltimore released a pastoral condemnation of abortion that emanated from a council of Bishops held in his city that year. Spaulding enunciated what was generally considered to be the orthodox Catholic position on abortion for the next hundred years: “The murder of an infant before its birth is, in the sight of God and his Church, as great a crime, as would be the killing of a child after birth…. No mother is allowed, under any circumstances, to permit the death of her unborn infant, not even for the sake of preserving her own life.”
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George Washington ran as an Independent, but that would not work now. And that is why Donald Trump ran as a Republican. Had he run as an Independent, he could not have pretended to be supportive of the Republican policies. As an Independent, Donald would have stood alone on his own platform. However, as soon as he became President, he commandeered the Republican party, by firing all the Republicans that did try to follow Republican policies.
The left vs right might appear as a broken system, but a broken system is a wonderful system, because the politicians in the opposing parties police each other. The alternative is to have a dictatorship, and that is what Donald Trump was (so to state) shooting for. He hoped to overthrow the Constitution, and to make his party, the Donald Trump Party.
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@saucyjk6453 No soul … no afterlife.
Just imagine the burden this poor man was under, by being certain that a god exists that was judging his “soul.” I read a story in a book that was written by a neurologist, who told of a Protestant minister, that in turn tried to end his life by gunshot, but failed ... and how when he regained consciousness, he said he was so ashamed. His words were “I couldn’t even do THAT right.”
Now from the book Suicidal: Why We Kill Ourselves … author Jesse Bering. “Unless you’ve been there yourself, you’ve no idea the balm such a thing can offer to a secretly suicidal soul who, his whole life long had been laboring under the unlikely premise that he had a soul to begin with. What a burden! Without a soul, there’s no afterlife, there’s only the theater of the now.”
And now from the book … Apostle to Apostate: The Story of the Clergy Project … authors … Catherine Dunphy, Richard Dawkins … Leaving a job in ministry is unlike any other career change. Not only are there feelings of isolation, but there are also fears about how to communicate one’s skills in ministry to another Job. Most members who had already left church work detailed a long arduous journey to find employment outside of religion. Many, if not most, of them returned to school, seeking degrees in psychology, social work, business administration, and computer science.
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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Thanks for honoring my freedom of speech.
I'm 84 years of age and I'm a Canadian who is thankful that no matter which party is in office ... to live in today's Canada.
As a Canadian ... would you rather be alive in this era ... or back in the day when Protestant Christian politicians (in Canada) enforced the death penalty for over two hundred (so called) reasons?
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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Just think … without the word Jesus, there wouldn't have been any "excuse" for the first Christians to torture and kill the Jews. Without the word Jesus, there would not have been any antisemitism.
Even had Jesus existed he would have stayed faithful to the religion of his birth, and his heritage ... which was Judaism. He would have warned those such as Christians, to stop wandering, and get back on track with pure, unadulterated Judaism, or be shunned in the present era, AND in the afterlife.
I was raised in a Protestant Christian culture, but I never did believe that had Jesus existed, he would have been unfaithful to Judaism.
I figured that the story of Jesus preaching either Catholic or Protestant dogma in order to “complete” Judaism, just had to be a lie.
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Judaism is a religion. Jews that practice the religion of Judaism can be of any color. Whoopi was correct. Antisemitism is not the same as belittling and killing others for the color of their skin. The new testament is a book of antisemitism, that was compiled by men who wanted to start a new religion foreign to, and offensive to Judaism … and the Jews. However, it is common sense, (within theology) that even had Jesus lived as a real Jewish Rabbi, he would not have preached any other doctrine than Judaism. And again (within theology) Mary would be insulted to be referred to as being a Catholic saint, as she, also, would have stayed faithful only to Judaism.
In contrast ... THIS is biblical racism … from the book ... The Arrogance of Faith, by Forrest G. Wood … Despite his best intentions, Jones, like virtually every southern clergyman, never doubted the innate inferiority of the black race.
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The teaching of “spirituality” not only separates us from each other, but tragically, it separates us from ourselves, because theologians taught and teach that the best part of our spirits are not with us, but rather, belong to the creator of the universe, and that we will be either judged as being worthy of salvation, or will have to suffer for eternity, depending on how the creator “feels” about out systems of belief, and our performances. From my perspective, we have two choices. We can either believe that the universe was created by an entity that designed extreme suffering and extreme judgment as part of its plan ... or, we can believe (as did Stephen Hawking, before he died) that the universe always existed, and will always exist ... no creator or creation involved.
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The neurosurgeon Eben Alexander, (who was raised in a Christian religious household) believed that his positive thoughts of heaven during his near-death experiences were “real” … but that his negative experiences were fantasy and hallucination. By the way, his brain had pus in it, so it was little wonder that he was hallucinating. From his book … Proof of Heaven, by Eben Alexander, M. D. come the following words … “The most interesting thing about this session of nightmares and paranoid fantasies, in retrospect, is that all of it was indeed that: a fantasy.”
And more, from the same book … Proof of Heaven, by Eben Alexander, M. D. … “I was going through something called “ICU psychosis.” It’s normal, even expected, for patients whose brains are coming back online after being inactive for a long period. I’d seen it many a time, but never from the inside. And from the inside it was very, very different indeed.”
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When I was young, I used to pay money to psychics, and they always told me that my deceased loved ones were in a good place. That story always made me feel good, until I realize that all psychics told the same story to everyone. Then I figured out that either by omission, they were lying, or that there wasn't any horrible place "to go to" in the afterlife.
We all know that if they told us our loved ones were spiritually suffering for eternity, we wouldn't want to pay more money to hear that horrible version of "spiritual truth." So … I quit giving them money, and decided to spend the money on toilet paper, because at least the toilet paper was useful.
If the dead are watching the living suffer on planet earth, wherever they are, they must also be suffering emotionally, unless of course they get pleasure out of watching the suffering.
Nonsensical stories.
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Jews, in ancient times, were the cause of antisemitism. Back when Jews and devotees of all other religions believed in many gods, there wasn't any reason to fight over the subject of salvation, because all devotees of all religions were united in the idea that they all had gods that would reward them with salvation and eternal bliss. When the Jews invented the story that there was only one god in existence, and that they were the chosen few by that one god, that was when the wars over religion began. Every religious group that followed, such as Catholics, Muslims, and Protestants lusted to be favorites of that one supposed god, as they did not, and would not believe that the one god in existence would favor only the Jews. How unfortunate, that by creating that one god dogma, the Jews brought the envy and hatred of others back to their selves, which resulted in the word antisemitism. I suggest we should all understand that it was not the modern Jews that created that one god dogma, and that they are not in any way responsible for what took place in the mentalities of those Jews that lived back in ancient times. Another tragedy is, that the one god dogma continues all these centuries later, to keep dividing devotees into right fighters over whose souls will be saved and whose souls will be shunned by that one god for eternity.
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Netanyahu knows that his own people don't want him in power, so he has to keep the war going, or he will be voted out of power.
So many lies need to be exposed.
The "Jews for Jesus" Evangelical Christians support the Jews for a very selfish reason. *Biblically, they are convinced that until the Jews go "back to their homeland of Israel" and convert to Christianity ... Jesus will not materialize to take the souls of the converted Jews and those that are already Christian ... to Christian heaven.
And how disingenuous it was of the Jews to use their own spiritual meaning of the word Israel … “The Hebrew people, past, present, and future, regarded as the chosen people of God by virtue of the covenant of Jacob” … to in turn create the State of Israel on earth by “insinuating” that they (the Jews) were “going back” to their homeland of Israel "on planet earth."
And these Evangelicals do not realize that even if Jesus had existed ... he would have stayed faithful to the religion of his birth ... which was Judaism ... and where it was said that he was born PERFECT.
Religion is filled with mythical fibs and downright lies.
Had the words Jew, Christian and Muslim not existed ... the war in the Middle East could NOT exist.
In 1948 President Harry Truman ... *when he signed the paper that supported the Jews to create their Jewish State in Palestine ... was part of that Evangelical "Jews for Jesus" movement.
And we should all realize that the "first" Christians that ran the governments … for centuries put the Jews to death as being "Christ killers" ... and .. "Money grabbers.
With all its curveballs and doubletalk … religion drives politics. It always has ... and until or unless religion dies out of because of “lack of belief” ... it always WILL be the driving force behind politics.
Question: "How many times has Jerusalem been destroyed?"
Answer: Jerusalem, the “city of peace,” has certainly known its share of sorrow and war. Since it sits at the crossroads of the ancient world and is held in high esteem by three major religions, it has been involved in wars throughout most of its 3000+ year history. When archaeologists first began excavating in the city, they were surprised to discover layer after layer of rubble, indicating that parts of Jerusalem had been destroyed at least 40 times. The layers of rubble in some places are more than 60 feet deep!
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Thanks for honoring my freedom of speech.
The following book is based on how hundreds of members of ex-Clergy are stepping down from their pulpits, to find employment far away from religion.
My guess is, being that Jordan Peterson and his religious sermons are transphobic, he would find the following information not only disagreeable … but also detestable.
From Apostle to Apostate: The Story of the Clergy Project … authors … Catherine Dunphy, Richard Dawkins ... Ninety-six percent of members did not self-report a sexual orientation, so unfortunately I have no reliable or meaningful data about the percentages of Clergy Project members who identify as straight, lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgendered, or queer. However, as will be discussed in ensuing chapters, many Clergy Project members have said that, as part of their transition away from faith, they gradually shifted from being socially conservative to socially liberal.
One of the key factors contributing to this shift relates to their changing views about sexual morality, sexual ethics, and sexual orientation, and increased awareness of and attention to universal rights for all, particularly as relates to women and LGBT individuals.
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When the law came down that there wasn't any smoking allowed in public places, one would have thought the world was going to end. Smokers were cursing the government for taking away freedom of choice. I was a smoker back then, and at first, I also was upset about the new ruling, but I finally understood the need to change the law. When seat belts became mandatory, again one would have thought the world was coming to an end, as people were screaming that the government was taking away freedom of choice. We don't always get our own way, and that is a good thing, because if we did, we would be the worst dictators ever. If the anti-vaccinators think they are treated in an unfair way, they should take their case right to the Supreme court of Canada if necessary and allow the Judges to make the decision. This is the way the system works. It does not work by blowing horns, blocking traffic and shouting, and neither should it work that way.
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Although this United States Supreme Court judge is now deceased, words from her book live on.
From the book … My Own Words … author … RUTH BADER GINSBURG. Whether you are a Christian, or an Atheist … you better think hard and long, as you close one clinic after another … in the pretense that it protects “babies.” The lives of women are at stake here, and they are the lives of your mothers, daughters, aunts, friends … and even grandmothers.
Then she made a point, nowhere addressed in the Breyer opinion, but embedded in the memories of women old enough to remember the days when abortion was illegal: “When a State severely limits access to safe and legal procedures, women in desperate circumstances may resort to unlicensed rogue practitioners, faute de mieux, at great risk to their health and safety.”
(Later speaking with a reporter, she was blunt about the law’s purpose: “It seemed to me it was a sham to pretend this was about a woman’s health” rather than about making it harder to obtain an abortion.)
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@patrickbertlein4626 Pertaining to politics, rather than Extreme Left, or Extreme Right ... the word Centrist implies middle of the road ... moderate ... as in "not going to extremes either way."
In a country where people vote, the object is, the voters are either for or against certain issues, and for that reason, will vote for either one party, or the other.
For instance ... those who believe that abortion offends the will of a god, will be voting for the party that promises to make abortion illegal. While those who want to give women the power to make their own decisions, will vote for the party that promises to keep abortion legal. When it pertains to the subject of abortion, there isn't any middle of the road.
Gun control, or the lack thereof is another touchy subject, where voters either vote for one side, or the other side on that issue.
I suggest that politicians in the Centrist party, by trying to follow the middle of the road, will ultimately leave the middle of the road; veer off either to the extreme left, or to the extreme right ... which has occurred to every group of politicians that tried to improve the old system for something new, and hopefully more agreeable to everyone.
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That there is only male and female stems from biblical interpretation, and from my perception that is archaic nonsense. If we are not transgender, we can't possibly know what a person who is transgender feels. To bully others who are not the same as us, is a very nasty habit, often carried out by people in the name of “God.”
People have surgery on all parts of their bodies without others bothering them about "morals." Yet, the moment anyone wants to change his or her sexual organs, as in transgender, many people in religion preach that a god created male and female “only.”
If you believe that a god created human bodies as he wanted them to stay, then you better not circumcise the penises of your sons. You better not have breast implants. You better not have growths removed. You better not have any type of cosmetic surgery whatsoever. You better not have treatment for diseases of any sort. After all, "God's" plan should not be messed with, lest he becomes annoyed with the tampering of the perfection he is certain he created.
Once a person starts using religion to preach what is moral, and what is immoral, that person can end up in big trouble, not only with others, but also, ultimately ... with one's own conscience.
From the book ... The Final Inequality, by L. J. Ludovici. "Morals at any given moment have always been as good, or as bad, as our imaginations credit them, for the morals (from the Latin, mores: customs) means simply customs, and they keep changing all the time in all the corners of the world."
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What sort of man, other than a want to be leader of a cult, would claim to be a savior of all humanity? The supposed savior of souls of Christians, was just the most "recent" savior-myth story. Example as follows, from the book, 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."
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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Within mythology, Christianity teaches that Jesus was born perfect to a family of Jews that were faithful only to Judaism. So, (within mythology) if Jesus was perfect before the Christian religion ever existed, why did men create the religion of Christianity, that in turn was foreign to, and offensive to, Judaism? I was born into a Christian culture, but it never made any sense to me, so I began to study religions of the world, and began to spot the inconsistencies in all of the stories. Those in every divisive religion thought that a god favored them, and not others in other religions.
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Once a person starts preaching what is moral, and what is immoral ... that person is in big trouble ... not only with others ... but more important ... with one's own conscience.
Back in history, The Catholic hierarchy believed that up until "the quickening" (41/2 months gestation,) that abortion was not murder? Those men were certain, that until movement could be "felt" there wasn't any life in the womb. If women of the Catholic faith had their abortions before 41/2 months gestation, their consciences were free of guilt, as they were certain they were being "moral." So, other than indoctrination, what is morality?
From the book ... The Final Inequality, by L. J. Ludovici. "Morals at any given moment have always been as good, or as bad, as our imaginations credit them, for the morals (from the Latin, mores: customs) means simply customs, and they keep changing all the time in all the corners of the world."
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Those in religions, that are certain that they know absolute truth, yet kill each other over who has the correct information from the gods, believe they are "critical" thinkers. This religious scientist, (which is an oxymoronic statement) Anthony Leewenhoek was certain that suffering could only occur because God had willed it to be so. From the book Microbe Hunters by Paul de Kruif … published 1926 … “Life lives on life—it is cruel, but it is God’s will,” he pondered. If a scientist is asked the question, “Do you believe that the universe was created,” and the scientist answers, “Yes,” that is not critical scientific thinking. That is “I accept as truth, whatever I was taught in my personal religion.”
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If it just happened to be true, as the scientist Stephen Hawking and other scientists theorized, that the universe always existed, then it would mean that electricity always existed.
To undermine the idea that because organisms don't have human brains, that they are not aware, is just human arrogance and ignorance.
As a species, we aren't at all special ... much less wise.
These men of ancient times, agreed with Stephen Hawking's theory ... . From the book … 2000 Years of Disbelief … author … James A. Haugt … “None of the gods has formed the world, nor has any man; it has always been.”—Empedocles (495—435 B.C.E.), Greek philosopher and statesman (Noyes) … “The universe has been made neither by gods nor by men, but it has been, and is, and will be eternally.”—Heraclitus (Noyes) ... “The nature of the universe has by no means been made through divine power, seeing how great are the flaws that mar it”—Lucretius, ibid.
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At age 81, what I find as being a need of concern, is that the younger generations find the blustery, egoism of the Donald Trump type, as being appealing, rather than being appalling. Had he won the 2020 election, by 2024, the Republican party would have become the Donald Trump party. To be fair, Donald should have run as an independent, because he didn't intend to follow any party lines at all. Reminiscences of Hitler, and all the other dictators, world over.
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From the book, “Ideas and Opinions,” by Albert Einstein, comes the following … Nobody, certainly, will deny that the idea of the existence of an omnipotent, just and omnibeneficient personal God is able to accord man solace, help, and guidance; also, by virtue of its simplicity it is accessible to the most undeveloped mind. But, on the other hand, there are decisive weaknesses attached to this idea in itself, which have been painfully felt since the beginning of history. That is, if this being is omnipotent, then every occurrence, including every thought, and every human aspiration is also His work; how is it possible to think of holding men responsible for their deeds and thoughts before such an almighty being? In giving out punishment and rewards He would to a certain extent be passing judgment on Himself. How can this be combined with the goodness and righteousness ascribed to Him?
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The term should not be "political correctness." It should be "polite correctness." The word "political" makes the "government" the focus, and the supposed culprit of all the dissention, whereas the word "polite correctness,” puts the responsibility where it belongs, which is on the individual. Should we not always be asking ourselves, "Am I being polite, or am I a big part of the problem?" It was not the government that enforced a law that the “N” word had to stop being used. It was those of the black race that rightfully complained that the "N" word was derogatory, and that they wanted people to respect them by using the term “Black.” Now, in “polite” company, people use the term “Black.” The Canadian government has never forced people to either use words, or to stop using words. As civilians, we monitor our own language. And if a citizen feels forced to use words that show respect of a certain group, then that person should take the complaint to the Supreme Court if he or she feels it is necessary, but we should not blame the leaders of the government. Concerning language, when it pertains to likes and dislikes, politicians are just ordinary citizens.
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Atheist ... "Do you know for certain that a god exists?
Theologian ... "YES I DO?
Atheist ... Do you know what the god knows?
Theologian ... "NO!. I do NOT! What God knows is beyond all human ability TO know."
Atheist ... "Then why are you pretending that you do know?"
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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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I’m a Canadian and I suggest that both Justin Trudeau and Pierre Poilievre should not be taking sides against the Palestinians … as it is not our war to fight.
Israel only became a State in 1948, when some Jews then claimed land that previously had not belonged to them.
Until 1948 ... Jews never had a homeland. The word Israel in Judaism meant … “The Hebrew people, past, present, and future, regarded as the chosen people of God by virtue of the covenant of Jacob.”
There were more than a few Jews that were against that group of Jews setting up that State of Israel ... Einstein being one of the most outspoken concerning that issue. Those Jews figured that setting up that State of Israel would cause even more animosity around the world against the Jews than already existed.
Written by a Jewish Woman, I suggest that you will find the following information of great interest.
From the book … Sipping from the Nile … My exodus from Egypt … author … Jean Naggar
“Despite that understanding that her efforts could permanently undermine the way of life she had always known, Auntie Helen, accompanied by her distinctive cane, traveled alone again and again to Suez and Ismailia after the end of the Second World War to supervise and expedite the loading of Jews emigrating to Palestine onto makeshift boats in the dead of night.
Certainly, the formation of the State of Israel changed the dynamic between Arab and Jew in the Middle East. It became a polarizing magnet, leading to huge rifts in the standing social structure, cutting through generations of tradition and peaceable interaction.
While most Jews world-wide rejoiced that Jews would at last have a homeland, those in Arab countries cast a wary eye at the chasm that was opening beside them, threatening irrevocably their safety and their way of life.
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The nasty word “evil” is an adjective.
Some of the synonyms of the word evil are … immoral, sinful, ungodly, unholy.
So, that means that the opposite meaning is … moral, sinless, godly, holy.
When you refer to other humans as being “evil,” while omitting your self as being the same … doesn’t that mean that you believe that YOU are moral, sinless, godly, holy?
Religion is but a word and a word cannot BE evil, and neither were or are the people that used and still use their religious dogmas to in turn torture and murder others.
I suggest that “we” can be very mean, nasty, manipulative, domineering, underhanded, arrogant, disgusting, untrustworthy, vicious … murderous animals, and be referred to by a lot of other choice fitting terminology … but we should not be referring to each other as being evil.
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Atheist ... "Do you know for certain that a god exists?
Theologian ... "YES I DO?
Atheist ... Do you know what the god knows?
Theologian ... "NO!. I do NOT! What God knows is beyond all human ability TO know."
Atheist ... "Then why are you pretending that you do know?"
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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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From the book … Made in America … author … bill Bryson
By this time, however, immigrants everywhere were proving the iniquity of the prejudice against them. Eastern European Jews in particular showed a model regard for education and self-improvement. By 1927, two-thirds of New York’s twenty thousand lawyers were Jewish, and thousands more had built distinguished careers as academics, musicians, playwrights, journalists, doctors, composers, entertainers—in almost every field of human endeavor not barred to them. Having faced four decades of complaints that they did not work hard enough, Jews now found themselves accused of working too hard.
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Salvation?
The secret to winning over the emotions of humans, is to tell them what they want to hear. The fact is, that before Judaism, there were many other religions with favorite myths of their own. At one time Jews believed in many gods, until one group of Jews decided that if they created the one-god dogma of monotheism, every person on earth would have to join their religion if they wanted to be "saved." As history proved, that worked against their story that the Jews were God's chosen few, when along came a group of Jews, that didn’t like being controlled by the all-powerful Jewish Rabbis, and thought about how they could leave Judaism … create a theology about a son of the Jewish god, that would materialize on earth to teach the one and only truth, that only through Jesus could anyone be saved ... and that was the start of the Gnostic Christian religion, with Catholicism becoming predominant. And then, the Muslims got in the act, claiming that the one God (Allah, which is the Islamic word for God) favored only Muslims. Then the Protestants got into the act, by claiming that only they were favorites of Jesus.
And now, we have the new age groupies, with their fables of Goddess love. What a mess.
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Pornography was and is, bad news for society.
There was a time ... not so long ago ... that pornography was considered as a man seeing a woman's bare ankle.
Therapists are now concerned that pornography is making many men who are addicted to internet sex, impotent ...unable to have erections without the help of Viagra.
Such an addiction starts out as seemingly innocent ... but as the addiction to the soft porn becomes boring, many times new types of sexual activities are needed to stimulate the erotic senses.
Crossing the boundary between soft porn (consensual-sex) to hard-porn (rough-sex) to the next step of forced sex against the wills of others, soon takes on the idea to some perpetrators ... as being essential.
The men that frequent these sites are asking for trouble, because all too soon, consensual relationships will not stimulate the erotic senses as once was the case before that addiction occurred.
Also, more women are being raped and murdered because rough-forced sex learned from hard-core pornography, is for many men, becoming more the norm. And these men that rape women do not want to be incarcerated for the rapes, so they kill the women, knowing that the women will report them.
Many serial killers started out believing that watching pornography was an innocent pastime. It was unfortunate that they couldn’t see ahead to know that the price of those thrills, was to spend the rest of their lives incarcerated, or, to have their own lives cut short by the enforcement of the death penalty.
You might think you have control over pornography … and that might be true … until one day you find that pornography controls you.
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@user-jv1cl2fs6m As did I ... I hope you will read the following to be able to understand why the first President of the United States was perceived as being a hero ... because when to put the power into the hands of the voters … he 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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I suggest that the word sodomy, is responsible for countless murders of homosexuals, and suicides of homosexuals. Anal sex throughout history, was used, and is still used by married couples, as a form of birth control. As a child, I always knew that I was attracted only to the opposite gender, and that because I was repulsed at the thought of having a relationship with a female, that those who were so inclined were born different. Having spent 70 years in religion, I am thankful that I never bought in to the story that it was a god, rather than humans, that was offended by homosexuality.
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@verucasalt2391 There is a reason that people from other countries desperately want to come to the United States, because those people "know" the meaning of dictatorship! Do what your told, or die! That is your choice.
The problem with these Trump idolizers, is that they are spoiled rotten, and always want more, rather than appreciating the system of government, where votes actually mean something.
In Russia, if a party even tries to start up to oppose Putin, every one disappears "mysteriously." Putin will be a dictator until he dies. That is his aim, and his system of government.
Governments with more than one party are messy, because they police each other, and for that, one should be VERY THANKFUL.
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Jews, in ancient times, were the cause of antisemitism. Back when Jews and devotees of all other religions believed in many gods, there wasn't any reason to fight over the subject of salvation, because all devotees of all religions were united in the idea that they all had gods that would reward them with salvation and eternal bliss. When the Jews invented the story that there was only one god in existence, and that they were the chosen few by that one god, that was when the wars over religion began. Every religious group that followed, such as Catholics, Muslims, and Protestants lusted to be favorites of that one supposed god, as they did not, and would not believe that the one god in existence would favor only the Jews. How unfortunate, that by creating that one god dogma, the Jews brought the envy and hatred of others back to their selves, which resulted in the word antisemitism. I suggest we should all understand that it was not the modern Jews that created that one god dogma, and that they are not in any way responsible for what took place in the mentalities of those Jews that lived back in ancient times. Another tragedy is, that the one god dogma continues all these centuries later, to keep dividing devotees into right fighters over whose souls will be saved and whose souls will be shunned by that one god for eternity.
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The ex-con man “Catch Me if You Can,” Frank Abagnale, says that the two signs you are being conned, is that people desperately want your money, and they want your personal information. Now, that is religion, in a nutshell. The confessional was used to find out which sins you committed, so that you would be tied to the church forever, to keep on confessing those new sins, and meanwhile, the hierarchy was bleeding you of all your hard-earned money. If the religious word “sin,” was replaced with the non-religious word “behavior,” that thought would bring you back to earth with a thud, and you would no longer believe that a god existed, that was spying on you, to judge your every thought and deed. We should be taught that we are born whole, and that, concerning how we treat others, the onus is on us.
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I'm an Atheist, and I don't feel a bit threatened by Joe Biden being Catholic. His years in government have shown that he treats others in as fair a manner as possible, regardless of whether people are Atheists, Agnostics, Catholics, Protestants, Hindus, Wiccans, Muslims, Buddhists, et cetera.
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The teaching of “spirituality” not only separates us from each other, but tragically, it separates us from ourselves, because theologians taught and teach that the best part of our spirits are not with us, but rather, belong to the creator of the universe, and that we will be either judged as being worthy of salvation, or will have to suffer for eternity, depending on how the creator “feels” about out systems of belief, and our performances. From my perspective, we have two choices. We can either believe that the universe was created by an entity that designed extreme suffering and extreme judgment as part of its plan ... or, we can believe (as did Stephen Hawking, before he died) that the universe always existed, and will always exist ... no creator or creation involved.
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Although this United States Supreme Court judge is now deceased, words from her book live on.
From the book … My Own Words … author … RUTH BADER GINSBURG. Whether you are a Christian, or an Atheist … you better think hard and long, as you close one clinic after another … in the pretense that it protects “babies.” The lives of women are at stake here, and they are the lives of your mothers, daughters, aunts, friends … and even grandmothers.
Then she made a point, nowhere addressed in the Breyer opinion, but embedded in the memories of women old enough to remember the days when abortion was illegal: “When a State severely limits access to safe and legal procedures, women in desperate circumstances may resort to unlicensed rogue practitioners, faute de mieux, at great risk to their health and safety.”
(Later speaking with a reporter, she was blunt about the law’s purpose: “It seemed to me it was a sham to pretend this was about a woman’s health” rather than about making it harder to obtain an abortion.)
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Because as does everyone, they only perceive subjects through tunnel vision, I suggest that people should be very careful about taking the words of psychiatrists and psychologists as being “gospel truth.”
It was because of biblical interpretation that homosexuals became targets of Christian theologians, and Christianized therapists.
It was legal by law in Canada, the United States and England and other countries, to put homosexuals to death as being offenders of "GOD" ... and all because Christian theologians and imitating therapists believed and stated in the affirmative that their therapy was based on literal truth.
Here’s a modern-day preacher, that gets away with his hateful words, under the guise of religious truth. Protestant preacher wants the government to put homosexuals to death https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UbSM_kxpObc
Telling others that they are evil and not at all normal … is a horrible way to “treat” people.
There shouldn’t be any doubt that it is long past time to be showing respect to those who are homosexual, transsexual, and to all other members of the LGBTQ communities, by in turn ceasing to offer therapy in the guise of morality.
If these minority groups are no longer bullied into the idea that they are immoral or sick, or worse yet, evil … I suggest that they will then HAVE the will to perceive their selves as BEING mentally and physically healthy.
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There was a reason that all right-fighting theologians taught their followers the mantra ... "keep thy faith."
From the book “Smith’s Bible Dictionary
Bible
There are at least thirty six different authors, who wrote in three continents, in many countries, in three languages, and from every possible human standpoint. Among these authors were kings, farmers, mechanics, scientific men, lawyers, generals, fishermen, ministers and priests, a tax-collector, a doctor, some rich, some poor, some city bred, some country born—thus touching all the experiences of men—extending over 1500 years.
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AI
The two words "artificial" and "intelligence" are at odds with each other, because if something just happened to be intelligent, it couldn't “be” artificial.
If humans with devious intentions program harmful information into computers, and then refuse to shut the electricity off that runs the computers, of course harm often is the result.
To say that computers cause harm, is comparable to saying that books labeled as being holy information from gods cause harm.
It is humans that “use” the computers and the words in the books for selfish reasons that causes the harm.
Nuclear weapons do not have artificial intelligence. However, if electricity is engaged because of aggressive human nature, those weapons will accomplish the job that the humans demand of them.
Whether it's a stick or a stone, or a spear, or an arrow, or a gun, or a computer, or words in books, those inanimate objects are not responsible for anything.
Artificial intelligence does not exist in inanimate objects, and humans using those objects to harm and kill other humans, leave everything in common with that word “intelligence” … to be desired.
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Happiness, to a preacher of religion, is when the sermon makes followers of the words feel holy, while believing that other poor lost souls, are still living in sin. Religion does not unite humanity. It divides humanity. I left it at age 70, am now 82, and believe that I am whole, just as I am, and that the universe always existed, no creator involved. I suggest that it is up to us, how we treat others, and that we should be taught as children, that we are born whole ... not in sin.
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If women want to be pregnant, they will all use the word "baby" as reference to their joy of being pregnant. Been there ... did that.
For whatever reasons, if they are desperate to not be pregnant, some women will even refer to what is in them as being parasites.
You can judge what you are certain is their “sin-filled lack of morality" if it pleases you, and makes you feel all powerful, and maybe even holier than thou, but they are still going to rid their bodies of the pregnancies, and anyone with a sense of common decency, would want those women to survive the abortions, and be able to go home to those who love them.
From my perception, we must keep abortion clinics with qualified doctors open … legal and available.
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It's true that Christians in the West treated people of color as being the same as other animals. Even as late as the 1940's Christian ministers were preaching that "Negroes did not have souls."
We just have to look in our own back yards for atrocities, and that will take our focus OFF the Jews and Muslims killing each other.
When Bush Sr. and Bush Jr. invaded Iraq ... Christian missionaries flocked into Iraq with the intentions of converting Muslims "TO" Christianity ... thinking they were saving those Muslims from the wrath of "God." And then they wondered why the Muslims were beyond being upset.
Ignorance is not bliss and religion makes people commit the most heinous crimes in the guise of serving one or another IMAGE of a god.
However ... there IS hope ... for those who want to SEE.
Thankfully now hundreds of ex-members of clergy are setting wonderful examples ... showing that for those who are ready ... there is a way of escaping the brain-numbing religious indoctrinations ... that do nothing other than divide humans into right-fighting animals.
From the book ... Apostle to Apostate: The Story of the Clergy Project … authors … Catherine Dunphy, Richard Dawkins … Leaving a job in ministry is unlike any other career change. Not only are there feelings of isolation, but there are also fears about how to communicate one’s skills in ministry to another Job. Most members who had already left church work detailed a long arduous journey to find employment outside of religion. Many, if not most, of them returned to school, seeking degrees in psychology, social work, business administration, and computer science.
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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Being that most of the world's people are religious, I suggest that their so-called ethics are based on what they believe the creator of the universe expects of them ... and the results were and are not at all ethical. Example as follows ...
While being certain that they were following “God’s” will, the judge-mental god depicted in the bibles gave devout readers the self-righteous right, to in turn use the words in their books to judge, shun, torture and murder others.
From the book … The Death Penalty: An American History … author … Stuart Banner. “If Moses is our lawgiver at this time,” smirked John Edwards, “Let us obey him, not in part only, but wholly, and put every sabbath breaker, blasphemer, and adulterer, to death.”
From the book ... The Final Inequality, by L. J. Ludovici. "Morals at any given moment have always been as good, or as bad, as our imaginations credit them, for the morals (from the Latin, mores: customs) means simply customs, and they keep changing all the time in all the corners of the world."
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Jordan gained many adoring followers when he lied that the Canadian government was trying to force him to use words that he didn't want to use. Here is my view of that issue. The term should not be "political correctness." It should be "polite correctness." The word "political" makes the "government" the focus, and the supposed culprit of all the dissention, whereas the word "polite correctness,” puts the responsibility where it belongs, which is on the individual. Should we not always be asking ourselves, "Am I being polite, or am I a big part of the problem?" It was not any government that enforced a law that the “N” word had to stop being used. It was those of the black race that rightfully complained that the "N" word was derogatory, and that they wanted people to respect them by using the term “Black.” Now, in “polite” company, people use the term “Black.” The Canadian government has never forced people to either use words, or to stop using words. As civilians, we monitor our own language. And if a citizen, such as Jordan Peterson feels forced to use words that show respect of a certain group, then he should take the complaint to the Supreme Court if he feels it is necessary, but he should not blame the leaders of the government. Concerning language, when it pertains to likes and dislikes, politicians are just ordinary citizens. And by the way, I am heterosexual, and I don't have any problem whatsoever showing respect for such as those who are transgender, and who have been terribly disrespected by people in religion, that, in turn, preached, and still preach, that it was a god that created only male and female.
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@iancanty9875 When I studied Stephen Hawking's theory, that the universe in one form or another always existed, and then studied that there were those back in history such as Plato and Aristotle that believed the same, at the age of 70, that was the end of my religious indoctrination. It all made sense, that if the universe always existed, there could not have been a creator, and it also made sense to me that suffering of all forms of life, was and is, natural. I'm 83 now, and feel whole just as I am, and I realize that if I try to treat others with kindness, I will always feel better about myself. It's as simple as that.
“I regard the brain as a computer which will stop working when its components fail. There is no heaven or afterlife for broken down computers; that is a fairy story for people afraid of the dark.” Stephen Hawking
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The organization known as MENSA was founded in England in 1946 by a barrister named Roland Berrill, and Dr. Lance Ware, a scientist and lawyer.
Some people insist that it’s not possible to fail a MENSA IQ test, and that is a ridiculous conclusion, because there are those that belong to MENSA, and there are those that are not allowed entry into the organization of MENSA.
Albert Einstein’s parents were informed by his teachers in elementary school that he was having problems with learning. He was probably bored with the subjects being discussed and wanted to study only math and science, as those were indeed suited to his intense personal interests. Later he was labeled as being an intellectual genius … yet had he lived in an era before math and science existed, in the public sphere he would have been unknown.
If adults want to strive to belong to the group known as MENSA, it is their right to apply, and either be allowed to enter through the door, or to have the door to the Mensa organization slammed shut in their faces.
It is not however a good idea to subject children to that test, because if the children succeed, the idea that they are much more intelligent than others could go to their heads and result in them being insufferable bores, as are so many adults that believe they are exceptionally intelligent.
And if the children fail the test that allows them to belong to MENSA, it would be tragic for them to believe that they are nothing other than dumb losers … which in turn could result in them losing faith that they are able to succeed in any field of endeavor whatsoever.
Years ago I read a book that was written by a man whose brother was told that he had a low IQ. I don't remember the title of the book, or the exact words, but I do remember the gist of the quote by the brother who was labeled as having the low IQ, and it went as follows ... "Because of what we don't know, we are all dumb." I suggest that his statement was and is correct … and that in contrast … there should not be any doubt that the scientist and lawyer that started the organization of MENSA were certain that they were so very intelligent by what they did know, as to be fully qualified to teach others the unadulterated meaning of that word “intelligence.”
You may, or may not, appreciate the following humor on the YouTube podcast … Mike from Canmore applies to MENSA When I watched that podcast, I certainly learned something new.
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Thanks for honoring freedom of speech.
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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I am pro-choice for a common-sense reason. The people at Planned Parenthood soon realized that women that were determined to have abortions, would have them, whether or not they died during the process, and that it was common sense to never deprive them of the best care possible. If we want our mothers, grandmothers, sisters, cousins, friends, et cetera, to live after they have abortions, we will keep the clinics open to them, with qualified doctors at the ready. ... Planned Parenthood - in Their Own Words • "One sperm plus one egg = one baby." • -- Planned Parenthood/World Population pamphlet entitled "ABCs of Birth Control," 1973, page 4. "An abortion kills the life of a baby after it has begun. It is dangerous to your life and health." • -- Planned Parenthood 'Plan Your Children' pamphlet, 1963
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It's funny how that works, isn't it? Because of his father's nasty influence over Donald, I also feel sorry for Donald. I don't want him to be murdered or harmed physically in any way. However, I don't think he should get away with trying to overthrow the United States Constitution either. So, I feel that he should have to pay, as a warning to future Presidents, that THEY are not above the law. If Donald gets away with his attack on the Capitol of the United States ... what will future Presidents try to do ... in their own name? Donald is not a team player. He was not, and is not, a Republican, any more than at one time he was a Democrat. He's for Donald, and only Donald.
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So sorry for your problems, and thankfully both of you survived.
I hope that the next election will be more like the old days, before Trump mania existed.
Donald Trump was not a real Republican, any more than he was a real Democrat. He was simply a blustery, continually lying opportunist ... who would go to any lengths to be in the seat of power.
During his TV days, Donald claimed that the Emmy awards were rigged, when his show The Apprentice was beaten by The Amazing Race. So it was hardly surprising, that when he lost the Republican Caucuses in Iowa in February 2016, he said that Ted Cruz cheated, and should be disqualified.
After that, Ted Cruz became Donald's political puppet. He was afraid of what Donald would do next to ruin his career and his life. If Donald were to be elected again, it wouldn’t be long … and other "republicans" would also be Donald’s sock puppets.
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Thanks for honoring my freedom to speak.
If Ayaan is aware of the following ... she is not focused on it as being helpful in striving for that word "peace" ... because as do so many Christians ... she preaches FEAR of all Muslims. I hope she will learn that now there are many Muslims who are Atheists ... as the words in the following book explain.
From the book ... The Atheist Muslim … by the author Ali A. Rizvi.
The conventional wisdom was that Islam is a religion of peace, and it's the people distorting it that are the problem. However, to the "new atheists"--as they came to be known--it was the other way around. Islam itself was a problem; most Muslims around the world are moderate, but the author of the Quran clearly wasn't.
To me, this correlation was fast becoming obvious. If you were handed a book at birth with all the answers to everything, what incentive would you have to ask questions, especially if asking questions could land you in jail or get you killed for blasphemy?
Maryam Namazie is an Iranian-born feminist and human rights activist who started the Council of Ex-Muslims of Britain (CEMB) in 2007. CEMB members have grown from a handful when it started to thousands today, not only in Britain, but also across the rest of the world. Similar organizations have also sprung up in other countries over the last decade, including two fast-growing ones in North America: Muslimish, where liberal and questioning Muslims can interact with ex-Muslims to connect, share their stories, and discuss ideas. They enable agnostics and atheists from Muslim backgrounds to find others like themselves in their own towns and cities, and speak face-to-face with one another, either in person during regular meet-ups or via online platforms like Google Hangouts.
I have been asked countless times by my peers why I do what I do. "Who are you trying to convert? You're not going to change people's minds by attacking their beliefs." First of all, this isn't true, and almost anyone who does this kind of work will tell you that. But for now, let's set aside and bring out another smoking analogy: my goal isn't to get smokers to quit, but rather, to help prevent young people from picking up the habit in the first place.
I have actually had members of my extended family criticize my work and passionately debate me late into the night, only to wake up the next morning to an e-mail from their adolescent son, saying, "Uncle Ali, I agree with your ideas and so do my friends. Please keep doing what you do and don't tell my parents I sent you this. This has happened many times--and my fellow secularists from the Muslim world will tell you similar stories. Apart from family, I also hear every day from young people across the world who are part of Muslim families they simply can't speak to openly about this topic. As the world becomes more interconnected, children from Muslim families around the globe are becoming increasingly exposed to a plethora of new ideas at the tap of their fingers that their parents never had access to growing up. And when you do impart your ideas, they really want you to make the case. They want reasons. They want to be convinced that they're being told the truth.
Blind belief and dogma just don't have the sway they once did, and the archaic precepts of Abrahamic scriptures, even in their most liberal interpretation, simply aren't resonating in the Information Age like they did in generations past.
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@mikeschaefer2808 Are you suggesting that you are good ... and that only other people are evil?
That reminds me of the self-serving book with the title "Why do bad things happen to good people?"
I no longer believe that the universe was created. But back when I did believe in the existence of a god ... I wrote the following ... and for those who still do believe in the existence of a god ... I suggest that the words at least gives a potent message.
Do you agree?
Mirror of your Soul.
Come share the story of my life, so interesting to tell.
I am the bible in the drawer, my home is a motel.
Many people handle me and read my words it's true,
Taking what they "will" to find, while missing the real clue.
There came a man so full of pride, with all the things he'd done.
He laughed at me; threw me down and turned the T. V. on.
A woman with a child in tow, read words self-righteously,
Stating how "they" would be saved, others hell would see.
A lady of such style and class, turned my pages cold,
While stating with authority, "Negroes don’t have souls."
Then came a tender aged man, illiterate I knew,
Holding me with gentle care, such warmth I seldom knew.
Tears flowed down his wrinkled face, as my cover he kept closed,
With love he held for others, my clue he did unfold.
Yes, I'm the bible of God's word, the mirror of your soul.
You receive just what you bring to me, for you must choose your goal.
Man-made words will confuse, if confused you choose to be.
But when you know that God is love, my symbol you will see.
June VanDerMark
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@44517A Would you want to introduce your best friend as being a person who (for a living) puts other people to death?
From the book … Lord High Executioner: An Unashamed Look at Hangmen, Headsmen, and Their Kind … author … Howard Engel
If the revenge that the pro-execution group advocates is pure and proper under the law, why are executioners, in spite of this new openness about the desired ends and purposes that executions serve, still the social pariahs they were six hundred years ago. Why is it that they still hide their names? There must remain deep in the consciousness of the most rabid of the execution fanciers a shred of doubt about what they are advocating, otherwise executioners would be invited out more often, appear on more board of directors, and be invited to join in groups like Rotary, the Lions, the Elks, and the Chamber of Commerce.
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I'm a Canadian, and I'm very thankful that we no longer live under the laws of what were once imposed by the supposed god-fearing Christians.
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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@triarb5790 The evangelicals continually lobby the government to in turn try to once again make abortion illegal.
I don't know about you, but I relate to the following article.
The Abortion Monologues ... author ... Jane Cawthorne
Monologue 8
There are these ads on the buses. They say they help women like me, women who are pregnant and don't know what to do next. I didn't want to go see my doctor about it. I don't like her much and I didn't want her to know. So I called them and I told them I wanted an abortion and they said I should come into the office and see a counsellor.
This counsellor, she kept talking to me about my "other options." I thought, well okay, they're counsellors, doing what counsellor's do, trying to make sure I've thought it through. I go along with it all, try to be polite. And then I say again that I want to have an abortion and could they help me set that up. They tell me to come back in a month. I say that I don't want to wait a month. I want to do it now., and are they going to help me or not? They say okay then, they're going to show me this movie, to help me know what to expect. I'm thinking, I don’t really want to see a movie, that if I was having my appendix out I wouldn't want to see a movie of it before the fact. I'm starting to think I've got to get out of there, but then the thought of starting the whole thing over or going to my doctor I don't like or the walk in clinic doesn't thrill me either. So, against my better judgment, I stayed. I'm in this dark room with the TV and this counsellor and they show me this film of all these ripped up fetuses and these women talking about how they're so sorry they had an abortion. It's disgusting. I ran out of there so fast.
It should be illegal, what they do.
They said they were non-judgmental and confidential in the ad. (laughs.) They phoned me at my house. (Getting increasingly agitated.) What if I lived with other people? They left me messages about keeping the baby, about how families would love to adopt my baby. It was insane. I phoned them back and threatened them with a lawyer, like I even have one, told them to stop harassing me.
They said lots of single women have babies now and in time, I would find a husband. Find a husband? Welcome to 19-fucking-50.
And don't try and tell me I should have given it up for adoption. It's not my job to give a baby to some couple who can't have one of their own. Fine, if that's what I want to do, but I don't. And I won't be guilted into it. It's nine months of my life too. Good for those who want to. But don't tell me I have to.
Besides, I'd always wonder about it. I can't live like that.
I was never someone who felt strongly about abortion before. Now I practically barf when I pass those stupid religious billboards and hear people talk their pro-life bullshit. Television preachers, morons in letters to the editor, men mouthing off about murder, I've got news for you. You haven't got a fucking clue. You'll stand with your stupid posters and block my way to the clinic, call me a murderer, but what actual good are you doing for all the little babies out there already that nobody wants? Talk to me about the sanctity of human life. There are seven billion of us on the planet. Seven billion. They figure nine billion by the time I'm fifty. Let's look after the ones already here, make sure all those kids are fed, have a roof over their heads, an education, a future instead of protecting a bunch of cells. With their logic, we should be saving every drop of sperm. We should be collecting our menstrual blood and fining the discarded egg and burying it with a solemn service. It makes no sense.
We've got real problems to deal with, climate change, a planet in crisis. We are so full of our self-importance. But we're like locusts, destroying our host, shitting where we eat. One less of us can only be a good thing.
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Thanks for honoring free speech.
Had Jesus existed ... as a Jewish Rabbi ... *Rabboni ... Great Master Teacher of Judaism ... he would have been horrified that people associated him with the anti-Semitic teachings of Catholicism or Protestantism.
Thankfully … now that hundreds of members of clergy of various religions are leaving their religious indoctrinations behind ... as being nothing other than misleading information … 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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@margaretmckinnon2681 Here is my point of view about the innate character of Jordan Peterson. After reading the following ... please let me know if you disagree with me ... and on what points.
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 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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From the book … Cultural Anthropology by Selby Garretson
A result from psychology
In American culture we feel that things on the right are somehow better, more reliable, and stronger than things on the left.
To understand why we feel this way involves going into the languages and traditions of Western culture and asking about the symbolic history of ideas “right” and “left.” The word for “left’ in Latin is sinister, and the word for “right” is dexter. “Left” in our culture’s history has been associated with “evil” or “anomalous” or “dangerous”; while “right” is associated with the law (droit, the word for “law” in French, is derived from Latin dexter and “law” or “right”) In politics, “left” means “change society to new (sinister) forms, while “right” means “keep things as they are,” or “keep going straight ahead.” Even recently, parents used to give their left-handed children problems, and no end of moral misgiving over their “affliction.” They would often make them change to being right-handed, perhaps even doing harm to the psychological well-being of the child. This preference for right-handedness persists, even though it has been estimated that up to 10 percent of the people in America are naturally left-handed.
This system of logic by oppositions is by no means confined to our society or culture. It is found all over the world.
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All governments during world-wide pandemics made rules with which people did not agree. And if this pandemic was smallpox, or polio, with faces and bodies being scarred and crippled for life, the result would be that the general public would be pushing each other aside in the rush to become vaccinated. You KNOW that is true. And by the way, if you think that Justin Trudeau is a weak leader, I suggest you underestimate how his father, Pierre Trudeau, who was the Prime Minister of Canada, at one time called out the army to settle a revolt concerning unruly, angry citizens. Justin simply has not been pushed that far ... yet. I don't believe he is at all weak, but rather as did his father, he tries to allow the citizens as much freedom as possible.
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Thanks for honoring free speech.
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 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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Concerning the subject of transgender, it's unfortunate that it's up to parents what they do to alter the physical makeup of their children's bodies. or what they teach their children is moral, compared to immoral, because, not knowing what else to do, (just as do psychologists and psychiatrists, who are parents), parents are inclined to make notoriously ridiculous decisions on behalf of their children.
If the child is determined to have a sex-change operation, wouldn’t it be best to tell the child to be patient until becoming an adult, and then make the decision? Because by then, the adult will have to live with the adult’s “own” decision.
After all, children are subject to peer pressure, and other than what the child says, there isn't any way of really knowing what that child is having for an experience, because of being young and impressionable, the child may not even know.
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From the book ... … choosing children ... Genes, Disability, and Design ... author ...jonathan glover … Then there are disorders that, at the least, pose a serious risk of the child having a life not worth living. Take Lesch-Nyhan syndrome, a rare genetic disorder found only in males. The body produces too much uric acid. Consequences include impaired kidney function, blood in the urine, deposits of uric acid crystals in the urine and under the skin, kidney stones, muscle weakness, arthritis, painful swelling in the joints, difficulty in swallowing and eating, vomiting. It involves mental retardation and speech impairment. Associated with it are muscular spasms and involuntary writing, as well as violent flinging of arms and legs. There is irritability and compulsive aggression (often later regretted) towards others: kicking or head-butting them, spitting or vomiting on them. There is also compulsive self-harm: head banging, biting their own lips or fingers, poking their own eyes, or putting their fingers in the wheelchair spokes. The people who have the disorder do not want to be hurt and so are afraid of the onset of the compulsion to harm themselves.
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Written by a Jewish woman ... you might find the following perspective to be of interest …
From the book … Jean Naggar … author … Sipping from the Nile … My exodus from Egypt … author … Jean Naggar
Despite that understanding that her efforts could permanently undermine the way of life she had always known, Auntie Helen, accompanied by her distinctive cane, traveled alone again and again to Suez and Ismailia after the end of the Second World War to supervise and expedite the loading of Jews emigrating to Palestine onto makeshift boats in the dead of night.
Certainly, the formation of the State of Israel changed the dynamic between Arab and Jew in the Middle East. It became a polarizing magnet, leading to huge rifts in the standing social structure, cutting through generations of tradition and peaceable interaction. While most Jews world-wide rejoiced that Jews would at last have a homeland, those in Arab countries cast a wary eye at the chasm that was opening beside them, threatening irrevocably their safety and their way of life.
While I thought of my aunt as a fascinating person, I had no concept of the seismic shift that her activities were helping to produce in the internal psychological geography of the Arab countries, which were never again to accept their Jewish neighbors as brothers. With the creation of the State of Israel, militant Islam was granted a voice and a cause.
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Thankfully this Jewish Supreme Court Judge (now deceased) could not be intimidated by Donald Trump … as were … and ARE the Christian judges.
She knew that what does not breathe on its own … which is the case with fetuses … could not BE murdered … and that the lives of the women were/are … of the utmost importance.
From the book … My Own Words … author … RUTH BADER GINSBURG.
Whether you are a Christian, or an Atheist … you better think hard and long, as you close one clinic after another … in the pretense that it protects “babies.” The lives of women are at stake here, and they are the lives of your mothers, daughters, aunts, friends … and even grandmothers. Then she made a point, nowhere addressed in the Breyer opinion, but embedded in the memories of women old enough to remember the days when abortion was illegal: “When a State severely limits access to safe and legal procedures, women in desperate circumstances may resort to unlicensed rogue practitioners, faute de mieux, at great risk to their health and safety.” (Later speaking with a reporter, she was blunt about the law’s purpose: “It seemed to me it was a sham to pretend this was about a woman’s health” rather than about making it harder to obtain an abortion.)
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@doncharliebrown2771 Well, thanks for explaining what you believe.
What do you think about these chromosomes?
From the book … EPIGENETICS … HOW ENVIRONMENT SHAPES OUR GENES … author … RICHARD C. FRANCIS.
Here’s a puzzle, consider the case of two brothers, when each had reached the age of twenty. One of them—call him Al—was a typical male. His brother, Bo, however, was not at all typical of young males at that age. Bo looked more like a pre-adolescent male: poorly developed muscles, absolutely no facial hair, and a voice to match. Their mother was understandably worried about Bo, and soon after his twentieth birthday finally convinced him to see a doctor. Once Bo removed his clothes, the doctor immediately noticed that something was missing—his genitals. A closer inspection revealed that he did in fact have genitals but nothing like those you would expect of a twenty-year-old male. They seemed vestigial. The doctor’s diagnosis was Kallman syndrome, a disorder of sexual development. What’s puzzling is this: Al and Bo are identical twins, nature’s clones. So what happened to Bo? And why didn’t it happen to Al?
Nature's clones are far from identical, which is why the term "identical twins" has been replaced by monozygotic twins.
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@doncharliebrown2771
The supposed savior of souls of Christians, was just the most recent savior-myth story. Example as follows, from the book, 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."
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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Concerning the subject of transgender, it's unfortunate that it's up to parents what they do to alter the physical makeup of their children's bodies. or what they teach their children is moral, compared to immoral, because, not knowing what else to do, (just as do psychologists and psychiatrists, who are parents), parents are inclined to make notoriously ridiculous decisions on behalf of their children.
If the child is determined to have a sex-change operation, wouldn’t it be best to tell the child to be patient until becoming an adult, and then make the decision? Because by then, the adult will have to live with the adult’s “own” decision
After all, children are subject to peer pressure, and other than what the child says, there isn't any way of really knowing what that child is having for an experience, because of being young and impressionable, the child may not even know.
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The first President of the United States, George Washington, under the question, Party, wrote, Unaffiliated. I suggest that Donald Trump also should have stated Unaffiliated under Party, because he didn’t have any intention whatsoever of following Republican policies. He wanted to rule supreme with a heavy hand all his own making. The writing was on the wall, when Republicans became terrified of being fired if they dared to state their own opinions that, in turn, disagreed with the opinions of "the Donald." I suggest that had he won another four years, there wouldn’t have been any laws, except the laws that Donald dictated. And the problem is, some Republicans still in office that don't want to lose their positions in government, are terrified that if by chance he were to win the next election, they would also be fired if they dared (now) to go against him. It takes brave people to stand up against such a want to be dictator.
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Against the advice of many in the United States government, and well-known Jews, such as Einstein ... on his own, the then Protestant Christian President Harry Truman in 1948, signed the papers agreeing that the Jews should be allowed to create the state of Israel.
Following are his own words from the book … Plain Speaking … Harry S. Truman … author Merle Miller
“But as I started to say … it wasn’t just the Biblical part about Palestine that interested me. The whole history of that area of the world is just about the most complicated and most interesting of any area, anywhere, and I have always made a very careful study of it. There has always been trouble there, always been wars from the time of Darius the Great and Rameses on, and the pity of it is that the whole area is just waiting to be developed. And the Arabs have just never seemed to take any interest in developing it. I have always thought that the Jews would, and of course, they have. But what has happened is only the beginning of what could happen, because potentially that is the richest area of the world.”
And following are more of Harry’s words from the same book … which points him out to have been quite a dictator. … “And I said that some of the experts, the career fellas in the State Department, thought that they ought to make policy but that as long as I was President, I’d see to it that I made policy. Their job was to carry it out, and if there were some who didn’t like it, they could resign anytime they felt like it.”
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Those Catholic members of clergy (in that era) believed that in order to save the souls of the Natives, it was their duty to God, to convert the Natives to Catholicism, and that converting the children, was the best place to start. Religion is what caused the problem to exist in the first place. It's known as "Missionary" work, and many devotees of divisive religions suffered, and many still suffer, the same mentality of, "God wants us to give others the good news of his truth." All the groups that believe they know the one and only truth, are still on "missions" to convert each other, or die trying. How sad, that only human animals suffer from such outdated thought processes. If we believed (as did the scientist Stephen Hawking, before he died,) that the universe always existed, we would then conclude, that the universe never was created. That mentality would do away with urges to indoctrinate others to one's own personal version of spiritual truth. Humans would still harm and kill each other, but no more would they be motivated do it, in the name of serving a holy god.
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I suggest that a lot of women feel the same way this woman felt, when “put on the spot” by the judges of “morality.”
From the book The Abortion Monologues ... author ... Jane Cawthorne
Monologue 8
There are these ads on the buses. They say they help women like me, women who are pregnant and don't know what to do next. I didn't want to go see my doctor about it. I don't like her much and I didn't want her to know. So I called them and I told them I wanted an abortion and they said I should come into the office and see a counsellor.
This counsellor, she kept talking to me about my "other options." I thought, well okay, they're counsellors, doing what counsellor's do, trying to make sure I've thought it through. I go along with it all, try to be polite. And then I say again that I want to have an abortion and could they help me set that up. They tell me to come back in a month. I say that I don't want to wait a month. I want to do it now., and are they going to help me or not? They say okay then, they're going to show me this movie, to help me know what to expect. I'm thinking, I don’t really want to see a movie, that if I was having my appendix out I wouldn't want to see a movie of it before the fact. I'm starting to think I've got to get out of there, but then the thought of starting the whole thing over or going to my doctor I don't like or the walk in clinic doesn't thrill me either. So, against my better judgment, I stayed. I'm in this dark room with the TV and this counsellor and they show me this film of all these ripped up fetuses and these women talking about how they're so sorry they had an abortion. It's disgusting. I ran out of there so fast.
It should be illegal, what they do.
They said they were non-judgmental and confidential in the ad. (laughs.) They phoned me at my house. (Getting increasingly agitated.) What if I lived with other people? They left me messages about keeping the baby, about how families would love to adopt my baby. It was insane. I phoned them back and threatened them with a lawyer, like I even have one, told them to stop harassing me.
They said lots of single women have babies now and in time, I would find a husband. Find a husband? Welcome to 19-fucking-50.
And don't try and tell me I should have given it up for adoption. It's not my job to give a baby to some couple who can't have one of their own. Fine, if that's what I want to do, but I don't. And I won't be guilted into it. It's nine months of my life too. Good for those who want to. But don't tell me I have to.
Besides, I'd always wonder about it. I can't live like that.
I was never someone who felt strongly about abortion before. Now I practically barf when I pass those stupid religious billboards and hear people talk their pro-life bullshit. Television preachers, morons in letters to the editor, men mouthing off about murder, I've got news for you. You haven't got a fucking clue. You'll stand with your stupid posters and block my way to the clinic, call me a murderer, but what actual good are you doing for all the little babies out there already that nobody wants? Talk to me about the sanctity of human life. There are seven billion of us on the planet. Seven billion. They figure nine billion by the time I'm fifty. Let's look after the ones already here, make sure all those kids are fed, have a roof over their heads, an education, a future instead of protecting a bunch of cells. With their logic, we should be saving every drop of sperm. We should be collecting our menstrual blood and fining the discarded egg and burying it with a solemn service. It makes no sense.
We've got real problems to deal with, climate change, a planet in crisis. We are so full of our self-importance. But we're like locusts, destroying our host, shitting where we eat. One less of us can only be a good thing.
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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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Thank you for honoring freedom of speech by not deleting my opinion.
It is not Justin Trudeau, or the Liberal government that is causing trouble for the rogue psychologist Jordan Peterson.
It is the governing board of psychologists that understand that Jordan does not play by any rules but his own, and that he is giving his own personal wonky versions of psychology, mixed with his religion and his personal version of anti-left politics to his millions of devotees, as he makes his big money from the Conservative Christians.
Another issue that is very worrisome, of which psychologists are aware, is that if a psychologist takes his or her own life … (which happens on occasion) it has an extremely traumatic effect on those that were taking mental counsel from that psychologist.
Jordan is not at all well. By his own admission, when someone dares to disagree with him, he has a hot temper, and he does and says whatever in the moment satiates that anger. That is the sign of someone with very low self esteem, and a frail ego.
I hope for the sake of his family and his devout followers that if he takes (what might be) the inevitable fall from fame … Jordan will be able to take it in stride … and say … “That’s the way it goes. You win some. You lose some.” But having listened to so many of his YouTube podcasts I doubt that he will take defeat in any sort of honorable fashion.
If his license as a professor of psychology is revoked and he keeps blaming the Trudeau government for trying to take away his freedom of speech … it’s anybody’s guess what type of unruly demonstrations could follow?
With all his sermons about Jesus … that in turn ring hollow … I suggest that as occurred with Donald Trump … Jordan Peterson certainly would not encourage his demonstrators to keep any semblance of peace.
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Thank you for honoring my freedom of speech.
Those who are different have a very difficult time trying to fit into a world of religious people that teach that it was a god that created only male and female.
If those who changed their sex organs to suit their personalities have operations to go back to how their physical bodies were before the operations ... if they were not content with their bodies then, why are they going to be content with their bodies now?
They might say they are happy when they reverse the process, but only they know the truth of the matter.
A lot of times, people try to be what is expected of them to be, by those that put a lot of emotional pressure on them.
Note the religious input in the following article from Human Life International, about those who say they want to transition back to their original state, before they had their transgender operations … “Regardless of the numbers, regret is real—and the numbers don’t really matter to those affected by a decision that they now regret and who feel misled by either doctors or families.
What they know is that they are hurting.
And as stewards of our brothers and sisters in Christ, it is our job to treat them with empathy, understanding, and compassion. It is our job to help them see the inherent dignity in themselves. And in both love and charity, it is our job to assist them as they seek help in moving forward.”
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If (for instance) children were locked in a room from birth, and not taught any language, they would create their own language among each other. Without religious teachers to persuade them that a soul, and a spirit, and a judge-mental god, and an afterlife exists, they would live and die as do other animals ... plain, and simple. I prefer to believe as did Stephen Hawking, before he died, that the universe always existed, no creator involved.
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While being certain that they were following “God’s” will, the judge-mental god depicted in the bibles gave devout readers the self-righteous right, to in turn use the words in their books to judge, shun, torture and murder others.
From the book … The Death Penalty: An American History … author … Stuart Banner. “If Moses is our lawgiver at this time,” smirked John Edwards, “Let us obey him, not in part only, but wholly, and put every sabbath breaker, blasphemer, and adulterer, to death.”
If the god of the bible was depicted as a god of pure and unconditional love … what purpose would that book serve for the self-righteous ones, who used and still use the words in those books, to in turn judge, shun, torture and murder others?
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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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We can be thankful right now for the two-party system ... but if Donald Trump wins the next election, there will be only one party, and it will be the party of Donald Trump ... period. Anyone who would dare to disagree with Donald, would be disposable.
During his TV days, Donald claimed that the Emmy awards were rigged, when his show The Apprentice was beaten by The Amazing Race. So it was hardly surprising, that when he lost the Republican Caucuses in Iowa in February 2016, he said that Ted Cruz cheated, and should be disqualified.
After that, Ted Cruz became Donald's political puppet. He was afraid of what Donald would do next to ruin his career and his life.
If Donald were to be voted in again, it wouldn’t be long and other Republicans would also be Donald’s sock puppets … and have to do everything Donald's way.
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Jews, in ancient times, were the cause of antisemitism. Back when Jews and devotees of all other religions believed in many gods, there wasn't any reason to fight over the subject of salvation, because all devotees of all religions were united in the idea that they all had gods that would reward them with salvation and eternal bliss. When the Jews invented the story that there was only one god in existence, and that they were the chosen few by that one god, that was when the wars over religion began. Every religious group that followed, such as Catholics, Muslims, and Protestants lusted to be favorites of that one supposed god, as they did not, and would not believe that the one god in existence would favor only the Jews. How unfortunate, that by creating that one god dogma, the Jews brought the envy and hatred of others back to their selves, which resulted in the word antisemitism. I suggest we should all understand that it was not the modern Jews that created that one god dogma, and that they are not in any way responsible for what took place in the mentalities of those Jews that lived back in ancient times. Another tragedy is, that the one god dogma continues all these centuries later, to keep dividing devotees into right fighters over whose souls will be saved and whose souls will be shunned by that one god for eternity.
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The following is invaluable historical information.
Because of the selfish-centered nature of humans, politics is often divisive and very ugly.
But we can be very thankful that George Washington ... the first President of the United States was such a good and 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 dictatorship.
George was also the only President to run for office as an Independent.
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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@MohammedSaeed-u3s And according to fear-filled man-created mythology ... Lucifer sinned "while" he was in heaven. So that would mean that if your soul arrives in heaven, and it thinks just one thought that upsets the judge-mental god ... your soul could also end up in hell with the soul of poor old Lucifer.
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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@HerveMendell My perception is that the earliest of theologians claimed that gods were talking to them ... but that story was not as effective as the theologians expected. So 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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@juliaclothier My perception is that the earliest of theologians claimed that gods were talking to them ... but that story was not as effective as the theologians expected. So 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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Thanks for honoring freedom of speech.
To the perception of believers … what a difference one word can make.
Just imagine, if the term “near death experiences,” had been “near death hallucinations,” what a difference it would have made to those reading the words.
And just imagine, concerning the subject of psychedelics, if rather than “mind manifesting,” … the term had been “mind hallucinating” … what a difference it would have made to those reading the words.
One fellow was praising someone who tuned him in to the value of using psychedelics, as being his “healer.” When I asked him if he considered all drug pushers to be healers … he didn’t respond.
From the book … How to Change Your Mind. What the New Science of Psychedelics teaches Us About Consciousness, Dying, Addictions, Depression, and Transcendence. Author, Michael Pollan. Published 2018
Despite the 1960 trappings, the term “psychedelic,” coined in 1956, is etymologically accurate. Drawn from the Greek, it means simply “mind manifesting,” which is precisely what these extraordinary molecules hold the power to do.
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Even had Jesus lived as a real person, rather than a character in a book, he never would have started a religion foreign to Judaism ... but rather, he would have been faithful only to Judaism. That is just common sense. Jews in the early days were polytheists (worshiping many gods.) Some Jews were certain that if they could start a monotheistic religion, all people of earth would have to come to them to be saved, as they preached that they were the one God's chosen few. It didn't work of course, as monotheism invited competition, and along came the first Gnostic Christians (Catholics being among them) who begged to differ with the Jews. Then along came the Muslims ... who begged to differ with the Jews and the early Gnostic Christians. Then along came the Protestants ... who begged to differ with the Jews, the Catholics, and the Muslims ... making the Abrahamic religions a total mess, as was and is all religious mythology ... created by men.
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If you are adamant to idolize the myths in your own personal religion, you probably won't be able to relate to the following information ... From the book … The Spark of Life: Electricity in the Human Body … author … Frances Ashcroft
Who Am I?
Precisely what consciousness is has occupied philosophers and neuroscientists for centuries and we still lack a definitive understanding. Yet it is something that each of us is so familiar with and that we all experience. “I think’, said René Descartes back in the fifteenth century, ‘therefore I am’. But what, exactly, am ‘I’?
In Descartes’s view, the mind and body were separate entities. But the profound changes in our personalities produced by drugs, disease and brain damage provide the case – our minds are the product of our brains.
Despite our very powerful sense of self, neuroscience reveals we are no more than the integrated electrical activity of our brain cells. Uncomfortable as it may seem, there is no separate entity, no soul, and nothing that lives on after death – a fact that catapults science into direct conflict with many religions.
Descartes, who argued that mind and brain are entirely separate entities, placed the human soul in the pineal gland. It was here, he said, that the material brain in some magical and mysterious way communicates with the mind and with the immaterial soul. I don’t know what he would have said if he could have seen my patients looking at their own brains on a video monitor, as some of them do when I operate under local anaesthetic.
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No soul … no afterlife.
Just image the burden this poor man was under, by being certain that a god exists that was judging his “soul.” I read a story in a book that was written by a neurologist, who told of a Protestant minister, that in turn tried to end his life by gunshot, but failed ... and how when he regained consciousness, he said he was so ashamed. His words were “I couldn’t even do THAT right.”
Now from the book Suicidal: Why We Kill Ourselves … author Jesse Bering. “Unless you’ve been there yourself, you’ve no idea the balm such a thing can offer to a secretly suicidal soul who, his whole life long had been laboring under the unlikely premise that he had a soul to begin with. What a burden! Without a soul, there’s no afterlife, there’s only the theater of the now.”
And now ... "hope" from the book … Apostle to Apostate: The Story of the Clergy Project … authors … Catherine Dunphy, Richard Dawkins … Leaving a job in ministry is unlike any other career change. Not only are there feelings of isolation, but there are also fears about how to communicate one’s skills in ministry to another Job. Most members who had already left church work detailed a long arduous journey to find employment outside of religion. Many, if not most, of them returned to school, seeking degrees in psychology, social work, business administration, and computer science.
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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Thanks for honoring my freedom of speech.
The habit of banning books is once again on the rise, as is the push to stop the banning of books.
When books were first published, people that were offended by the content in the books insisted that those books be banned. And that lust to ban books has continued to this day.
Once a group of moral-minded people are organized to ban books, if they don’t target certain books to be banned, the group itself would have to be dis-banned. So, to stay organized, they must keep on at least “trying” to ban books, even when they don’t succeed.
Those that congregate in groups and believe they are aligned to pure and godlike morality, seem to feel a desperate need to impose their moral standards concerning the content of books in public schools and public libraries on other citizens that are perceived by them as being “immoral.”
Theologians taught that sex for any other reason than procreation was perceived as sinful by God, and those theologians and members of their congregations were certain that any books promoting sex as being enjoyable and good for mental and physical health … were evil. And it seems that in this era many from the morality committees still agree with the theology of those up-tight pulpit-pounding old-time theologians.
Those in religions that were and are eager to belittle other people’s religious books as being blasphemous lies, are aghast at the idea that anyone would want to ban their own personal religious books, that they in turn deem as being nothing but the truth … straight from the creator of the universe.
At the exact opposite end of those highly moral opinions are those people seeming to believe that no matter how shocking the stories and pictures in books are to others, books should never be banned.
Some of these open-minded people even seem to believe that because hard-core pornography (and that includes child pornography) is available on the Internet, that it might just as well be allowed on shelves in public libraries and on shelves at super-markets, making it plain that from their points of view, concerning books, the word banning itself should be banned.
As time goes by … those with the mentality of “Ban those books now” … vs … those with the mentality of “Don’t ban any books ever” … will no-doubt keep on annoying each other. And maybe to keep even sort of a happy medium … both sides are necessary to keep annoying each other … while one side pushes, and the other side pushes back.
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@huanquocmanh416 Not only the shroud is fake, but Jesus was fake, meant to start a new religion, offensive to and foreign to Judaism.
The supposed savior of souls of Christians, was just the most recent savior-myth story. Example as follows, from the book, 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."
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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Gnostic Christians believed that if they could (within theology) create a son of Jehovah, they would overshadow the Jews, whose story it was that they were Jehovah's chosen few. Religion always was based on "Out with the old story, and in with the new story." From the book, “The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire,” by Edward Gibbon, (Coyright 1963, by Frank C. Bourne … comes the following ... The Gnostics blended with the faith of Christ many sublime but obscure tenets, which they derived from oriental philosophy, and even from the religion of Zoroaster, concerning the eternity of matter, the existence of the two principles, and the mysterious hierarchy of the invisible world. As soon as they launched out into the vast abyss, they delivered themselves to the guidance of disordered imagination; and as the paths of error are various and infinite, the Gnostics were imperceptibly divided into more than fifty particular sects, of whom the most celebrated appear to have been the Basilidians, the Valentinians, the Marcionites, and, in a still later period, the Manichaeaens.
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Thank you for honoring my freedom of speech.
Piers is Catholic and who knows whether Jordan is Catholic or Protestant? But it really doesn't matter because both Catholics and Protestants are deluded.
Had Jesus existed ... he would not only have been a Jew by ethnicity. He would have been a RELIGIOUS Jew ... who would have preached only Judaism.
It was the first Christians that preached that Jesus was born PERFECT to a family of Jews that stayed faithful to Judaism.
So if later in his life Jesus decided to preach any other doctrine THAN Judaism ... that would make him IMperfect.
You can't "have it" both ways Christians.
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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Jews, in ancient times, were the cause of antisemitism. Back when Jews and devotees of all other religions believed in many gods, there wasn't any reason to fight over the subject of salvation, because all devotees of all religions were united in the idea that they all had gods that would reward them with salvation and eternal bliss. When the Jews invented the story that there was only one god in existence, and that they were the chosen few by that one god, that was when the wars over religion began. Every religious group that followed, such as Catholics, Muslims, and Protestants lusted to be favorites of that one supposed god, as they did not, and would not believe that the one god in existence would favor only the Jews. How unfortunate, that by creating that one god dogma, the Jews brought the envy and hatred of others back to their selves, which resulted in the word antisemitism. I suggest we should all understand that it was not the modern Jews that created that one god dogma, and that they are not in any way responsible for what took place in the mentalities of those Jews that lived back in ancient times. Another tragedy is, that the one god dogma continues all these centuries later, to keep dividing devotees into right fighters over whose souls will be saved and whose souls will be shunned by that one god for eternity.
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Well ... I wonder if this teacher learned anything about that term IQ?
From the book Uncle John’s Slightly Irregular Bathroom Reader by Bathroom Reader’s Institute …
UNCLE JOHN’S “CREATIVE TEACHING AWARDS
If schools handed out degrees for dumb, these teachers would have earned a Ph.D.
SUBJECT: Motivational Speaking
WINNER: Steven Rivers, a 7th-grade teacher in New York State
CREATIVE APPROACH: Mr. Rivers, a teacher for more than 30 years, routinely called his seventh graders “dumb” and “retards” when they misbehaved or answered questions incorrectly, and repeatedly singled out one particular student as a “failure” who “would never do anything in life.” But why stop at words? In one incident he grabbed a student by the neck for giving the wrong answer to a math question.
REACTION: After a 17-month investigation, state officials found Rivers guilty of “conduct unbecoming a teacher, administering corporal punishment, and insubordination.” He was put on unpaid leave for half a year.
UPDATE: The local school board appealed the state’s decision—They wanted River’s fired. But at last report, he was planning to return to the classroom. “I’m looking forward to being back on the job,” he told reporters.
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Donald Trump not only professes to be Republican, but also to be a man of God.
While being certain that they were following “God’s” will, the judge-mental god depicted in the bibles gave devout readers the self-righteous right, to in turn use the words in their books to judge, shun, torture and murder others.
From the book … The Death Penalty: An American History … author … Stuart Banner. “If Moses is our lawgiver at this time,” smirked John Edwards, “Let us obey him, not in part only, but wholly, and put every sabbath breaker, blasphemer, and adulterer, to death.”
If the god of the bible was depicted as a god of pure and unconditional love … what purpose would that book serve for the self-righteous ones, who used and still use the words in those books, to in turn judge, shun, torture and murder others?
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Jordan makes his big money from those on the right ... so it follows that he won't say a good word about any Prime minister on the left.
I'm Canadian, and no matter which party is in office, I'm very thankful that we no longer live under the laws of what were once the supposed god-fearing Christians.
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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Donald Trump professes to be a Republican, and also a devout man of God, but I don't believe either story.
While being certain that they were following “God’s” will, the judge-mental god depicted in the bibles gave devout readers the self-righteous right, to in turn use the words in their books to judge, shun, torture and murder others.
From the book … The Death Penalty: An American History … author … Stuart Banner. “If Moses is our lawgiver at this time,” smirked John Edwards, “Let us obey him, not in part only, but wholly, and put every sabbath breaker, blasphemer, and adulterer, to death.”
If the god of the bible was depicted as a god of pure and unconditional love … what purpose would that book serve for the self-righteous ones, who used and still use the words in those books, to in turn judge, shun, torture and murder others?
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From the book … Uncle John’s Bathroom Reader: History Lists.
EARLY YEARS
Medieval people lost body parts and limbs to syphilis, battle, and everyday accidents. Italian Physician Gaspare Tagliacozzi was taken with the idea that syphilitics, who commonly lost noses to the disease, might overcome the disfigurement through surgery. Tagliacozzi experimented unsuccessfully with moving skin to the face from other parts of his patients’ bodies. Finally he hit on the idea of moving the skin slowly by attaching the arm to the face until the new blood supply was established. Although patients had to endure the indignity of having their arms strapped to their faces for two to three weeks, it worked. Tagliacozzi wrote a book on repairing facial features and he was a hero …for a time. After his death in 1599, the Italian church accused him of practicing magic, but he was acquitted.
It’s surprising that later physicians didn’t heed the advice and work of Tagliacozzi in their zeal to enhance the appearance of their patients. Instead of adapting and perfecting his work, doctors used ivory, tree sap, celluloid, metal, animal skin, cartilage, and paraffin to repair human bodies, all to no avail and sometimes to the detriment and death of their patients. During World War 1, physicians trturned to Tagliacozzi’s methods to repair devastating war wounds. Because of the skin-grafting skills and knowledge that doctors gained during this time, it was a short step from repairing wartime wounds to ridding people of their wrinkles.
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Concerning the subject of politics, people that badmouth either the left or the right, seem to think that when they see it, they can spot the truth. Added to that problem, is that the news media outlets, “You tube podcasters,” such as this one … to make certain the ratings stay high, keep fueling the political fire between left and right, to the point where many of us probably can’t differentiate between left or right. Somewhere there must be a middle “line” on which to focus, if only we could find it during the frenzy. I don’t know about you, but I relate to the following quote, “We are all hallucinating all the time, including right now. It’s just that when we agree about our hallucinations, we call that reality.” Author, Anil Seth, neuroscientist.
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Unless you can't handle truth, please do not delete this post.
Whoopi was right ...
Imagine THIS for anti-Semitic insult. Pope Francis had the outright nerve to "visit" Israel, and preach his Catholicism at the Jews. It was in plain sight for all people of the whole world to see, and not one comment of anti-Semitism did I read in newspapers, or hear on the news. How do you think the pope would have felt if a Jewish rabbi had come in to his Catholic church to preach Judaism? By the way, I was indoctrinated in a Protestant culture, and it took me 70 years until I spotted so many lies, I had to leave all religion behind to try to save what was left of my own sanity. I'm 82 years of age now, and for the last 12 years, freed from those lies, I feel whole, just as I am.
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Concerning the subject of transgender, it's unfortunate that it's up to parents what they do to alter the physical makeup of their children's bodies. or what they teach their children is moral, compared to immoral, because, not knowing what else to do, (just as do psychologists and psychiatrists, who are parents), parents are inclined to make notoriously ridiculous decisions on behalf of their children.
If the child is determined to have a sex-change operation, wouldn’t it be best to tell the child to be patient until becoming an adult, and then make the decision? Because by then, the adult will have to live with the adult’s “own” decision.
After all, children are subject to peer pressure, and other than what the child says, there isn't any way of really knowing what that child is having for an experience, because of being young and impressionable, the child may not even know.
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@kristijanpavlovic8605 Belief in the existence of a god, is being religious, so you don't fool anyone by pretending that you not religious.
You not only believe in a god, but you also believe that you know every thought OF the god, which is absolute egoism.
Within theology, we can't BE equal in worth to a god, if most souls suffer for eternity in an afterlife. You are simply double-talking.
And again [within theology] ,,, if Lucifer sinned against the god while in heaven, then sin is allowed in heaven, so why bother being entranced with the thought of bliss in heaven.
Religion is all man-created stories, and you fell for the ones that flatter your ego. Own up to it, or not. It's your choice.
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Finally ... we get a Jew that tells the history as it actually happened. Much respect for Gabor Maté.
Written by a Jewish Woman, I suggest that you will find the following information of great interest.
From the book … Sipping from the Nile … My exodus from Egypt … author … Jean Naggar
“Despite that understanding that her efforts could permanently undermine the way of life she had always known, Auntie Helen, accompanied by her distinctive cane, traveled alone again and again to Suez and Ismailia after the end of the Second World War to supervise and expedite the loading of Jews emigrating to Palestine onto makeshift boats in the dead of night.
Certainly, the formation of the State of Israel changed the dynamic between Arab and Jew in the Middle East. It became a polarizing magnet, leading to huge rifts in the standing social structure, cutting through generations of tradition and peaceable interaction.
While most Jews world-wide rejoiced that Jews would at last have a homeland, those in Arab countries cast a wary eye at the chasm that was opening beside them, threatening irrevocably their safety and their way of life.
While I thought of my aunt as a fascinating person, I had no concept of the seismic shift that her activities were helping to produce in the internal psychological geography of the Arab countries, which were never again to accept their Jewish neighbors as brothers.
With the creation of the State of Israel, militant Islam was granted a voice and a cause.”
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Thanks for honoring freedom of speech.
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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The term should not be "political correctness." It should be "polite correctness." The word "political" makes the "government" the focus, and the supposed culprit of all the dissention, whereas the word "polite correctness,” puts the responsibility where it belongs, which is on the individual. Should we not always be asking ourselves, "Am I being polite, or am I a big part of the problem?" It was not the government that enforced a law that the “N” word had to stop being used. It was those of the black race that rightfully complained that that was derogatory, and they wanted people to respect them by using the term “Black race.” Now, in “polite” company, people use the term “Black race.” The government has never forced people to either use words, or to stop using words. As civilians, we monitor our own language. And if a citizen feels forced to use words that show respect of a certain group, then that person should take the complaint to the Supreme Court if he or she feels it is necessary, but we should not blame the leaders of the government. Concerning language, when it pertains to likes and dislikes, they are just ordinary citizens.
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The first President of the United States, George Washington, under the question, Party, wrote, Unaffiliated. I suggest that Donald Trump also should have stated Unaffiliated under Party, because he didn’t have any intention whatsoever of following Republican policies. He wanted to rule supreme with a heavy hand all his own making. The writing was on the wall, when Republicans became terrified of being fired if they dared to state their own opinions that, in turn, disagreed with the opinions of "the Donald." I suggest that had he won another four years, there wouldn’t have been any laws, except the laws that Donald dictated. And the problem is, some Republicans still in office that don't want to lose their positions in government, are terrified that if by chance he were to win the next election, they would also be fired if they dared (now) to go against him. It takes brave people to stand up against such a want to be dictator.
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I know many, many people who had their up-to-date vaccines for Covid, and not one died when they contacted Covid … and … they were all able to stay at home … without clogging up the hospitals.
One woman I know personally, is very obese, on oxygen, and has poor health. She had all her up-to-date vaccine shots, and when she ended up with covid, she never even went to the hospital, was unwell for a couple days … but she survived. She's back baking her favorite deserts.
Only one man at age 90 that I know personally (who had all his up-to-date vaccines) ended up in the hospital over two nights ... was able to go home and is still up and about.
Vaccines WORK.
This United States policeman was fired from his job for refusing to take the vaccine. He was complaining all over news media about being fired, but later died from Covid, leaving behind a wife and four children. I suggest that it was a tragedy, that for refusing to take the vaccine … he probably caused his own death. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yf-G6TUv3ck
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I suggest that if the majority of people were left-handed, the right would be perceived as being "sinister."
From the book … Cultural Anthropology by Selby Garretson
A result from psychology
In American culture we feel that things on the right are somehow better, more reliable, and stronger than things on the left.
To understand why we feel this way involves going into the languages and traditions of Western culture and asking about the symbolic history of ideas “right” and “left.” The word for “left’ in Latin is sinister, and the word for “right” is dexter. “Left” in our culture’s history has been associated with “evil” or “anomalous” or “dangerous”; while “right” is associated with the law (droit, the word for “law” in French, is derived from Latin dexter and “law” or “right”) In politics, “left” means “change society to new (sinister) forms, while “right” means “keep things as they are,” or “keep going straight ahead.” Even recently, parents used to give their left-handed children problems, and no end of moral misgiving over their “affliction.” They would often make them change to being right-handed, perhaps even doing harm to the psychological well-being of the child. This preference for right-handedness persists, even though it has been estimated that up to 10 percent of the people in America are naturally left-handed.
This system of logic by oppositions is by no means confined to our society or culture. It is found all over the world.
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Thankfully this Jewish Supreme Court Judge (now deceased) could not be intimidated by Donald Trump … as were … and ARE the Christian judges.
She knew that what does not breathe on its own … which is the case with fetuses … could not BE murdered … and that the lives of the women were/are … of the utmost importance.
From the book … My Own Words … author … RUTH BADER GINSBURG.
Whether you are a Christian, or an Atheist … you better think hard and long, as you close one clinic after another … in the pretense that it protects “babies.” The lives of women are at stake here, and they are the lives of your mothers, daughters, aunts, friends … and even grandmothers. Then she made a point, nowhere addressed in the Breyer opinion, but embedded in the memories of women old enough to remember the days when abortion was illegal: “When a State severely limits access to safe and legal procedures, women in desperate circumstances may resort to unlicensed rogue practitioners, faute de mieux, at great risk to their health and safety.” (Later speaking with a reporter, she was blunt about the law’s purpose: “It seemed to me it was a sham to pretend this was about a woman’s health” rather than about making it harder to obtain an abortion.)
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The first President of the United States, George Washington, under the question, Party, wrote, Unaffiliated. I suggest that Donald Trump also should have stated Unaffiliated under Party, because he didn’t have any intention whatsoever, of following Republican policies. He wanted to rule supreme with a heavy hand all his own making. The writing was on the wall, when Republicans became terrified of being fired if they dared to state their own opinions that, in turn, disagreed with the opinions of "the Donald." I suggest that had he won another four years, there wouldn’t have been any laws, except the laws that Donald dictated. And the problem is, some Republicans still in office that don't want to lose their jobs, are terrified that if by chance he were to win the next election, they would also be fired if they dared (now) to go against him. It takes brave people to stand up against such a want to be dictator.
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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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@sopanmcfadden276 If the universe always existed, that would explain that consciousness did not start because of a conscious creator, but rather consciousness always existed, because the universe always existed.
Having been taught religion, I also was heavily indoctrinated to believe that a god was responsible for all life.
I left religion at age 70, after all those years of always asking question about why nothing I was taught ever made sense to me.
I'm 83 now, and believe that when I die, thought will be no more.
Peace ... at last.
Until then, I know that if I want to be content, I have to try my best to be as kind to others, as circumstances allow.
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@TacTicVa4a On our own we are not at all "intelligent." Example ... If there hadn't been any math in Einstein's day, who, today would even know his name? He was only able to use math, because through the eons of time, others kept learning from those before them ... bit by bit.
Yes, I do believe that we evolved from an ape-like species, and that if we had evolved with either hooves, or paws, neither science, nor religion would exist.
And if we go extinct, and the planet is not completely destroyed concerning forms of life ... those forms of life on earth, won't miss us. And they will keep suffering ... which is nature's way.
Much ado about nothing ... Shakespeare
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@theinquisitor7191 Back when I was still confused by my own childhood muddled religious indoctrination, in 2006 I started posting on Topix forums … debating with those of many other systems of so-labeled “spiritual” beliefs.
During the debates, others kept insulting each other and me with that negative word "cult."
When I finally agreed that maybe we were all in cults and just didn't realize it because we were blinded by our own personal ideologies ... others adamantly disagreed, as they all wanted to believe that their own personal indoctrinations were based on literal truth, and that only others suffered from cultish systems of belief.
After three years of that mud-slinging banter … in 2009, at age 70, I left all stories of the existence of a creator behind, and now accept Stephen Hawking’s theory, that the universe in one form of another always existed … no creator … no plan … and that suffering of all forms of life … was … and is … natural.
I'm 84 years of age, and yes, I still worry about the suffering of life on earth ... but I most certainly don't worry about suffering in an afterlife ... because I now believe that it's as possible that human animals have afterlives, as it is possible that goats, or dogs or cats, or crocodiles, or mosquitoes, or viruses ... or any other forms of life ... have soul or spiritual afterlives.
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@AtamMardes One of my long-time friends is a Christian.
All that concerns her, is that she feels good in church about being told that her soul will be safe with Jesus in the afterlife.
She doesn't ask questions about what she was taught, because she doesn't want to rock her boat of emotional comfort.
That is WHY religion continues to exist.
However ... there is hope of religion being exposed as being nothing other than man-created myth.
Thankfully now hundreds of ex-members of clergy are setting wonderful examples ... showing that through The Clergy Project ... for those who are ready ... there is a way of escaping the brain-numbing religious indoctrinations.
From Apostle to Apostate: The Story of the Clergy Project … authors … Catherine Dunphy, Richard Dawkins … Leaving a job in ministry is unlike any other career change. Not only are there feelings of isolation, but there are also fears about how to communicate one’s skills in ministry to another Job. Most members who had already left church work detailed a long arduous journey to find employment outside of religion. Many, if not most, of them returned to school, seeking degrees in psychology, social work, business administration, and computer science.
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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@LukeCrawford-sv4bk I suggest that all religion is nothing other than man-created mythology.
And I am not alone regarding that opinion.
Thankfully now hundreds of ex-members of clergy are setting wonderful examples ... showing that for those who are ready ... there is a way of escaping the brain-numbing religious indoctrinations.
From Apostle to Apostate: The Story of the Clergy Project … authors … Catherine Dunphy, Richard Dawkins … Leaving a job in ministry is unlike any other career change. Not only are there feelings of isolation, but there are also fears about how to communicate one’s skills in ministry to another Job. Most members who had already left church work detailed a long arduous journey to find employment outside of religion. Many, if not most, of them returned to school, seeking degrees in psychology, social work, business administration, and computer science.
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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@LukeCrawford-sv4bk Of course the believe system of Christianity is real.
But that doesn't mean that Jesus existed as a real person.
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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If you choose to give your child an IQ test … you might be setting that child up for a lifetime of failure.
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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When you think you are losing your freedoms, I suggest you think about how it was back when the death penalty in Canada was enforced for such crimes as picking another person’s pocket.
My note pertaining to the following … "what then was Upper Canada, is now the province of Ontario."
John Diefenbaker was the Prime Minister of Canada, and the following is from the book titled “ONE CANADA … memoirs of the right honorable John G. Diefenbaker.” ... Great-grandfather told my mother a story of life in the early 1830s which I have always found instructive. The greatest celebration of all in Upper Canada one that brought all the people together within a reasonable distance, was a public execution. He himself had been present at one. The pioneers arrived a day ahead for the festivities. With whiskey selling at less than a dollar a gallon, liquor became a source not only of exhilaration but of inspiration for the assembled, enabling them the more to enjoy the spectacle. The condemned man was a teenager whose offence had been pickpocketing. The death penalty was then imposed for some fifty or sixty offences. The law was less harsh than it had been: no longer were prisoners drawn and quartered. But the theory was that punishment must be imposed so that the criminal would understand the gravity of the sin he had committed. Also, deterrence was then the argument and still is among those who advocate capital punishment. On this occasion, the young man made a speech in the traditional style of condemned criminals in Upper Canada: he admitted his guilt and asked forgiveness. He was not restricted to a fixed length of time, since time really meant nothing. While he was making his testimony of guilt, four of the assembled pioneers found that their pockets had been picked.
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It's improbable that people will ever wake up to the fact that religion itself WAS AND IS causing devotees to fight and kill each other ... over POSSESSION of (*ordinary land) … that the different factions were taught and believed was their own personal HOMELAND ... and ... HOLYLAND … donated to them by a god.
Thankfully only human animals suffer from such blatant ignorance.
From the book … Empires of the Word … A Language History of the World … author Nicholas Ostler
This was the final incandescence of Mesopotamian power, under the last great emperor of Babylon, Nebuchadrezzar II. He died in 562 BC. Twenty-five years earlier, even as he had been conquering Jerusalem, and deporting its Jews, others were beginning a process of political consolidation that would erase the greatness of Babylon.
Perhaps the dream of the Babylonians scattered and disorganized was a comforting exercise in wish fulfilment for the sixth-century Jews who had been shattered and driven from their homeland by the Babylonian emperor Nebuchadrezzar II.
Question: "How many times has Jerusalem been destroyed?"
Answer: Jerusalem, the “city of peace,” has certainly known its share of sorrow and war. Since it sits at the crossroads of the ancient world and is held in high esteem by three major religions, it has been involved in wars throughout most of its 3000+ year history. When archaeologists first began excavating in the city, they were surprised to discover layer after layer of rubble, indicating that parts of Jerusalem had been destroyed at least 40 times. The layers of rubble in some places are more than 60 feet deep!
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Thanks for honoring free speech.
If emotional and physical suffering did not exist ... we could not BE messed up.
Religion teaches the anti-scientific dogma that we suffer because we sinned against a god.
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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When we feel that the laws are unfair, we would do well, to study Canadian history.
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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Those who are psychologists should not be out in the public sphere, preaching their personalized religion as being truth from a god, or from anywhere else.
I listened to the other television preacher Phil McGraw, saying in an interview on television, that he is PROUD to be a Christian.
If as a child, you thought you were transgender ... which psychologist would YOU hope your parents would choose as their advisers? Phil McGraw is transgender friendly supportive of their journeys, and Jordan Peterson is the exact opposite. In January Jordan claimed on “The Joe Rogan Experience” podcast that being transgender is a result of a “social contagion” and similar to “satanic ritual abuse,” and suggested that acceptance of the trans community is a sign that “civilization’s collapsing.”
You can't trust a psychologist to KNOW what is right or wrong for your personal journey?
Just last week I learned of a case where two parents that didn't agree, took their two children to a family session for psychological counseling. After the session, the husband (father of the children) went home and hung himself.
I suggest that you do NOT trust psychologists to guide your life, as they are just ordinary people, with ordinary opinions ... who do not even agree with each other's "counsel."
Add religion to THAT mix ... and you will have REAL problems.
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Thanks for honoring freedom of speech.
How disingenuous it was of the Jews to use their own spiritual meaning of the word Israel … “The Hebrew people, past, present, and future, regarded as the chosen people of God by virtue of the covenant of Jacob” … to in turn create the State of Israel on earth by “insinuating” that they (the Jews) were “going back” to their homeland.
The “homeland” to which they referred to as being Palestine … was never previously owned by any Jews.
After the second World War, no country wanted the Jews, so they were "foisted off" by the thousands on the Palestinians where they then created their "State."
Albert Einstein and other Jews were adamantly against those Jews that were determined to create the State of Israel.
How ironic it is that the term “Land Day” now exists as a reminder of what occurred and is still occurring on the blood-soaked land … labeled as being holy.
LAND DAY Scholarship on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict recognized Land Day as a pivotal event in the struggle over land and in the relationship of Arab citizens to the Israeli state and body politic. It is significant in that it was the first time since 1948 that Arabs in Israel organized a response to Israeli policies as a Palestinian national collective. An important annual day of commemoration in the Palestinian political calendar ever since, it is marked not only by Arab citizens of Israel, but also by Palestinians all over the world.
And written by a Jewish Woman, I suggest that you will find the following information of great interest.
From the book … Sipping from the Nile … My exodus from Egypt … author … Jean Naggar “Despite that understanding that her efforts could permanently undermine the way of life she had always known, Auntie Helen, accompanied by her distinctive cane, traveled alone again and again to Suez and Ismailia after the end of the Second World War to supervise and expedite the loading of Jews emigrating to Palestine onto makeshift boats in the dead of night.
Certainly, the formation of the State of Israel changed the dynamic between Arab and Jew in the Middle East. It became a polarizing magnet, leading to huge rifts in the standing social structure, cutting through generations of tradition and peaceable interaction.
While most Jews world-wide rejoiced that Jews would at last have a homeland, those in Arab countries cast a wary eye at the chasm that was opening beside them, threatening irrevocably their safety and their way of life.
While I thought of my aunt as a fascinating person, I had no concept of the seismic shift that her activities were helping to produce in the internal psychological geography of the Arab countries, which were never again to accept their Jewish neighbors as brothers. With the creation of the State of Israel, militant Islam was granted a voice and a cause.”
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There isn’t any doubt that the word "consciousness" baffles most humans, and that is because most of us were indoctrinated from childhood on, to trust in the man-created theology that life (either wonderful, as in eternal bliss … or horrible, as in eternal suffering) “of the self” goes on in a spiritual dimension for eternity. If we were taught from childhood, that it is cells that create material bodies, and that when the cells in bodies of animals, including human animals, die, new vibrant cells, keep the process of life on earth ongoing … we wouldn’t have that urgent need to believe that the self is all important. However, that would be the end of theology … and religion, as we know, is “big business.”
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Would you rather have lived back in the following era?
Having been raised in a Christian culture, I never could understand how those who made the laws, and who believed in Jesus, would be able to believe that Jesus, while preaching at followers how to love and forgive one another, would support the death penalty.
From the book … The Death Penalty: An American History … author … Stuart Banner.
In Pennsylvania, where murder had been the only capital crime for over three decades, pressure from the imperial government resulted in 1718 in the introduction of the death penalty for manslaughter, rape, highway robbery, maiming, burglary, arson, witchcraft, and sodomy. Later in the century the colony would add counterfeiting, squatting on Indian land, and prison-break to the list.
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@JHeb_ 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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Another problem that arose in the Middle East, was when Donald Trump in 2018 (probably at the urging of his Jewish son-in law Jarod Kushner … other Jews … and Christians) chose to move the embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem … which pleased the Jews and Evangelical Christians … but in turn infuriated the Muslim Palestinians … who regard East Jerusalem as a future Palestinian State.
Most everything the Jews, Muslims and Christians have done in the Middle East …“have” escalated the irritation among the three right-fighting religions of Judaism … Christianity … and Islam.
Holy mission … and Holy land … it is NOT.
If the haughty words … Judaism, Islam and Christianity were removed from the language ... all that would be left is naked human animals ... of no significant importance whatsoever … except to their naked selves.
There is hope ... however … as there are now hundreds of ex members of clergy that have joined The Clergy Project, to find employment elsewhere.
From the book ... Apostle to Apostate: The Story of the Clergy Project … authors … Catherine Dunphy, Richard Dawkins 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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@sr.mental5876 Do you feel that you make a qualified judge when it pertains to others, or your self, considering that if you were born in that person's body, you would be thinking and doing exactly what that other person is thinking and doing.
Canadian Quotations, edited by John Robert Colombo … Published 2006
Violence
A man is more than the worst thing he has ever done.
Sentence from the seven-page, handwritten suicide note left by Ralph Hadley, the postal worker who stalked and then murdered his estranged wife and himself, sparing their 11-month-old son, 20 June 2000, Pickering Ont., in Renee Huang, “Fatal Attractions” The Globe and Mail, 23 June 2000.
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@CHAOTIC GOOD The supposed savior of souls of Christians, was just the most recent savior-myth story. Example as follows, from the book, 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."
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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The first President of the United States, George Washington, under the question, Party, wrote, Unaffiliated. I suggest that Donald Trump also should have stated Unaffiliated under Party, because he didn’t have any intention whatsoever, of following Republican policies. He wanted to rule supreme with a heavy hand all his own making. The writing was on the wall, when Republicans became terrified of being fired if they dared to state their own opinions that, in turn, disagreed with the opinions of "the Donald." I suggest that had he won another four years, there wouldn’t have been any laws, except the laws that Donald dictated. And the problem is, some Republicans still in office that don't want to lose their jobs, are terrified that if by chance he were to win the next election, they would also be fired if they dared (now) to go against him. It takes brave people to stand up against such a want to be dictator.
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A messy government is where there is more than one party allowed. The politicians police each other, and bicker back and forth to try to win elections. What a wonderful system. In a dictatorship, there is one man that rules, and you follow his "advise," or meet a swift end to your lives. Do not KNOCK the government in the United States. It is good, BECAUSE it is messy. Of course it's not perfect. The politicians have to try to appease a whole lot of spoiled people, who all want only their own personal laws to dictate the lives of others. I live in Canada, and no matter which party is in power, I am thankful every day for the treatment I receive, and by the way ... I live in a trailer, in a trailer park. When you want too much, you might end up with someone in power such as Donald Trump, who, with his slick tongue will promise you anything ... just to get your votes ... and then WATCH OUT.
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Christianity was and is based on antisemitism, as Christians were taught that Jews killed Jesus, and that Jews were moneychangers, and that Jesus threw the Jews “out of the Temple.” And that Jesus wanted the Jews brought to him “to be slayed.”
I suggest that the word Jesus was made-up and used by the early Christians, to start a new religion, foreign to, and meant to do away with Judaism.
Had Jesus been real, rather than a fictitious character in a book, meant to start a new religion, he would have supported the Jews and Judaism, and the words “Christ” and “Christian” would not exist.
The only way Christians would ever accept Jews, is if the Jews converted to Christianity … and that is the aim of the Christians to this day, as they were and are taught in childhood, that they must convert the Jews to Christianity before Jesus will materialize on earth again.
All religion is nothing other than fairy tales, passed down to new generations … in the guise of truth.
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After much physical and emotional suffering, when my daughter committed suicide, I was at peace with the idea that she would never have to suffer again. You might think that I was a wicked atheist, but in fact at the time, I was very religious, saturated with the idea that a Divine God existed, that in the afterlife, would never choose to harm a soul. Years later, at age 70, I became an Atheist, and for the last 11 years I still believe there isn't any suffering in an afterlife ... because I no longer believe in an afterlife. I am now inclined to believe Stephen Hawking’s No Boundary Proposal, which does away with the idea that the universe was created, and where he stated before he died, “I still believe the universe has a beginning in real time, at the big bang. But there’s another kind of time, imaginary time, at right angles to real time, in which the universe has no beginning or end.”—Stephen Hawking Black Holes and Baby Universes.
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Many people that suffer from transphobia, maintain that they are trying to protect children from this "phase." However, the fact is, that people who are transphobic, do not support adults to make their own decisions either.
Maybe someday, this 3 percent of the world's population will receive the respect that as heterosexuals we demand for our selves.
I'm heterosexual and an Atheist, yet I found the following book very interesting, as it helped me to understand the suffering of those who are transgender and are often perceived as unacceptable by those who look down on them.
In the quest to feel normal, at height 6 ft. 3 inches, this person as an adult took hormones and changed genitals from male to female.
The fact that "Laurie" was treated in such a respectful manner means we have come a long way, albeit that we still have a long way to go.
From the book … God Doesn’t Make Mistakes: Confessions of a Transgender Christian … author … Laurie Suzanne Scott
Step one was to get a new driver’s license. All I needed was a letter from my doctor stating that I was being treated for gender dysphoria and as a result was living full time prior to having surgery in a year. I walked into the DMV with my letter and when I got to the counter, said I needed a new driver’s license and handed the letter to the clerk. She read it and said, “Okay, fill this out then go to that window over there and they’ll take care of you.
I filled out the form, handed it to the person at the window, they typed some things into their computer and said, “Go stand over there and I’ll take your picture.” And just like that, I had a new license with my name Laurie Suzanne Scott, sex-Female.
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@madallas_mons Those who are trying to create "peace" on earth, are the ones of which to be the most wary.
We are warring creatures, and the divisive nature of religion makes that plain to see.
For instance, not only did Catholics and Protestants fight and kill each other, in the name of Jesus ... but Protestants also fought and killed each other, in the name of Jesus, as they preached at the same time, that Jesus materialized on earth to teach us how to love one another.
Humans are such a sick joke, with those stories of peace on earth ... good will toward men.
I don't expect there to ever be peace on earth, and then, I'm never disappointed.
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Thank you for allowing my freedom of speech.
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 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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The neurosurgeon Eben Alexander, (who was raised in a religious household) believed that his positive thoughts of heaven during his near-death experiences were “real” … but that his negative experiences were fantasy and hallucination. By the way, his brain had puss in it, so it was little wonder that he was hallucinating. From his book … Proof of Heaven, by Eben Alexander, M. D. come the following words … “The most interesting thing about this session of nightmares and paranoid fantasies, in retrospect, is that all of it was indeed that: a fantasy.” And more, from the same book … Proof of Heaven, by Eben Alexander, M. D. … “I was going through something called “ICU psychosis.” It’s normal, even expected, for patients whose brains are coming back online after being inactive for a long period. I’d seen it many a time, but never from the inside. And from the inside it was very, very different indeed.”
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Thanks for honoring free speech
Jordan seems to be blind to the fact that Islam as a religion branched off of Christianity and that the Muslims learned how to be brutal FROM the Christians.
Popes AND Protestant ministers (depending on words in their bibles) ordained the murder of those they labeled as being heretics ... as innocent citizens were put to death in the United States AND Canada ... century after century.
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.
"More than two hundred death penalties are gone from the law books, but the texts that authorized them remain. "Bible Teaching and Religious Practice," Europe and Elsewhere" Mark Twain
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Another problem that arose in the Middle East, was when Donald Trump in 2018 (probably at the urging of his Jewish son-in law Jarod Kushner … other Jews … and Christians) chose to move the embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem … which pleased the Jews and Evangelical Christians … but in turn infuriated the Muslim Palestinians … who regard East Jerusalem as a future Palestinian State.
Most everything the Jews, Muslims and Christians have done in the Middle East …“have” escalated the irritation among the three right-fighting religions of Judaism … Christianity … and Islam.
Holy mission … and Holy land … it is NOT.
If the haughty words … Judaism, Islam and Christianity were removed from the language ... all that would be left is naked human animals ... of no significant importance whatsoever … except to their naked selves.
There is hope ... however … as there are now hundreds of ex members of clergy that have joined The Clergy Project, to find employment elsewhere.
From the book ... Apostle to Apostate: The Story of the Clergy Project … authors … Catherine Dunphy, Richard Dawkins 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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I'm heterosexual and comfortable in my body. That doesn't mean that others feel the same about their bodies. If as adults they feel that they would be happier to change their sexual organs, that is their right, but from my perspective, they still won't fit anywhere in a society that believes there is only male and female. After all ... who is going to marry them, knowing that they changed their sexual organs? Who is going to be comfortable even having sex with them, knowing they changed their sexual organs from one gender to the opposite gender? In a world where so many people were taught "and believe" that a god created male and female ONLY ... it is almost impossible for those who are different to be accepted as "normal" ... or ... "moral."
Following is but one example ... Note the religious input in the following article from Human Life International, about those who say they want to transition back to their original state, before they had their transgender operations … “Regardless of the numbers, regret is real—and the numbers don’t really matter to those affected by a decision that they now regret and who feel misled by either doctors or families.
What they know is that they are hurting.
And as stewards of our brothers and sisters in Christ, it is our job to treat them with empathy, understanding, and compassion. It is our job to help them see the inherent dignity in themselves. And in both love and charity, it is our job to assist them as they seek help in moving forward.”
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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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@firstlast-u1g I often copy and paste other people's opinions ... as that is how I learn new ideas.
For instance ... Until I read the following information, I never knew that so many men had a hand in writing the bible, and that it takes a far stretch of imagination to believe that a god was giving all of them messages concerning what to write.
From the book “Smith’s Bible Dictionary.
Bible
There are at least thirty six different authors, who wrote in three continents, in many countries, in three languages, and from every possible human standpoint. Among these authors were kings, farmers, mechanics, scientific men, lawyers, generals, fishermen, ministers and priests, a tax-collector, a doctor, some rich, some poor, some city bred, some country born—thus touching all the experiences of men—extending over 1500 years.
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@firstlast-u1g Well thank you for your responses, and being that back when I did believe in the existence of a god, I wrote the following about the bible ... I would appreciate your opinion concerning the content.
Mirror of your Soul.
Come share the story of my life, so interesting to tell.
I am the bible in the drawer, my home is a motel.
Many people handle me and read my words it's true,
Taking what they "will" to find, while missing the real clue.
There came a man so full of pride, with all the things he'd done.
He laughed at me; threw me down and turned the T. V. on.
A woman with a child in tow, read words self-righteously,
Stating how "they" would be saved, others hell would see.
A lady of such style and class, turned my pages cold,
While stating with authority, "Negroes don’t have souls."
Then came a tender aged man, illiterate I knew,
Holding me with gentle care, such warmth I seldom knew.
Tears flowed down his wrinkled face, as my cover he kept closed,
With love he held for others, my clue he did unfold.
Yes, I'm the bible of God's word, the mirror of your soul.
You receive just what you bring to me, for you must choose your goal.
Man-made words will confuse, if confused you choose to be.
But when you know that God is love, my symbol you will see.
June VanDerMark,
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@saucyjk6453 Would you label these members of clergy as being moral ... or immoral?
From the book ... Life's Work: A Moral Argument for Choice ... author ... Dr. Willie Parker
Ethical Abortion Care
An estimated 450,000 women called on the Clergy Consultation Service for help in the six years before Roe--and the coalition, which started with twenty-one members, grew to two thousand. Activism by Moody's group helped propel New York's legislature to legalize abortion in 1970, the first state in the nation to do so.
Emboldened by its success, the Clergy Consultation Service then began to help women from other states travel to New York to obtain safe and legal abortions, and then, breaking with medical establishment, these same clerics proposed the model for the first abortion clinic. Believing that women's privacy and autonomy would be better served if they could get their abortion care in a freestanding clinic instead of in a hospital. Moody's group worked with a doctor committed to providing "low cost, quality care, humane treatment and a willingness to serve the poor" in a freestanding place. Women's Services, on Manhattan's Upper East Side, was the first abortion clinic in the country.
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@jannieschluter9670 My perception is that the earliest of theologians claimed that gods were talking to them ... but that story was not as effective as the theologians expected. So 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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@jannieschluter9670 The term Kingdom Hall is simply another word for church.
Other than because of egoism ... why would you WANT to believe that a god exists that would favor those in your group special ... while he shuns those in other groups as being evil?
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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What a difference one word can make.
Just imagine, if the term “near death experiences,” had been “near death hallucinations,” what a difference it would have made to those reading the words.
And just imagine, concerning the subject of psychedelics, if rather than “mind manifesting,” … the term had been “mind hallucinating” … what a difference it would make to those reading the words.
From the book … How to Change Your Mind. What the New Science of Psychedelics teaches Us About Consciousness, Dying, Addictions, Depression, and Transcendence. Author, Michael Pollan. Published 2018 ... Despite the 1960 trappings, the term “psychedelic,” coined in 1956, is etymologically accurate. Drawn from the Greek, it means simply “mind manifesting,” which is precisely what these extraordinary molecules hold the power to do.
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It's improbable that people will ever wake up to the fact that religion itself WAS AND IS causing devotees to fight and kill each other ... over POSSESSION of (*ordinary land) … that the different factions were taught and believed was their own personal HOMELAND ... and ... HOLYLAND … donated to them by a god.
Thankfully only human animals suffer from such blatant ignorance.
From the book … Empires of the Word … A Language History of the World … author Nicholas Ostler
This was the final incandescence of Mesopotamian power, under the last great emperor of Babylon, Nebuchadrezzar II. He died in 562 BC. Twenty-five years earlier, even as he had been conquering Jerusalem, and deporting its Jews, others were beginning a process of political consolidation that would erase the greatness of Babylon.
Perhaps the dream of the Babylonians scattered and disorganized was a comforting exercise in wish fulfilment for the sixth-century Jews who had been shattered and driven from their homeland by the Babylonian emperor Nebuchadrezzar II.
Question: "How many times has Jerusalem been destroyed?"
Answer: Jerusalem, the “city of peace,” has certainly known its share of sorrow and war. Since it sits at the crossroads of the ancient world and is held in high esteem by three major religions, it has been involved in wars throughout most of its 3000+ year history. When archaeologists first began excavating in the city, they were surprised to discover layer after layer of rubble, indicating that parts of Jerusalem had been destroyed at least 40 times. The layers of rubble in some places are more than 60 feet deep!
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Another problem that arose in the Middle East, was when Donald Trump in 2018 (probably at the urging of his Jewish son-in law Jarod Kushner … other Jews … and Christians) chose to move the embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem … which pleased the Jews and Evangelical Christians … but in turn infuriated the Muslim Palestinians … who regard East Jerusalem as a future Palestinian State.
Most everything the Jews, Muslims and Christians have done in the Middle East …“have” escalated the irritation among the three right-fighting religions of Judaism … Christianity … and Islam.
Holy mission … and Holy land … it is NOT.
If the haughty words … Judaism, Islam and Christianity were removed from the language ... all that would be left is naked human animals ... of no significant importance whatsoever … except to their naked selves.
There is hope ... however … as there are now hundreds of ex members of clergy that have joined The Clergy Project, to find employment elsewhere.
From the book ... Apostle to Apostate: The Story of the Clergy Project … authors … Catherine Dunphy, Richard Dawkins 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.
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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Unless you can't handle truth, please do not delete this post.
Whoopi was right ...
Imagine THIS for anti-Semitic insult. Pope Francis had the outright nerve to "visit" Israel, and preach his Catholicism at the Jews. It was in plain sight for all people of the whole world to see, and not one comment of anti-Semitism did I read in newspapers, or hear on the news. How do you think the pope would have felt if a Jewish rabbi had come in to his Catholic church to preach Judaism? By the way, I was indoctrinated in a Protestant culture, and it took me 70 years until I spotted so many lies, I had to leave all religion behind to try to save what was left of my own sanity. I'm 82 years of age now, and for the last 12 years, freed from those lies, I feel whole, just as I am.
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@Beecher's Hope When I was still under the spell of religion, I could never believe that other souls would go to a bad place in a hereafter, where those souls would suffer for eternity, while my soul would be rewarded with eternal bliss. At age 70, I left religion behind, and now believe that I am whole, just as I am, and that the universe always existed ... no creator involved. That was the belief of Stephen Hawking before he died, and I copied his system of belief. Since I became an Atheist, my behavior is neither better, nor worse, than when I was steeped in religious confusion.
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Because of the selfish nature of humans, politics is ugly ... but we can be very thankful that George Washington ... the first President of the United States was such a good and honorable man in the sense of making sure Presidents were not allowed to stay in office their whole lives ... because if that had occurred, Presidents would probably all have been uncontrol able ... unapproachable dictators.
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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@Zripas I was born heterosexual. However, had I been born transgender … rather than Jordan Peterson … I would have been so fortunate to have had Neil deGrasse Tyson for a father.
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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@gardenjoy5223 If Jordan was a Muslim or a Hindu ... or ... a Liberal ... would you be thinking he was BRILLIANT?
You only approve of what he preaches ... because it was what you already believed ... before you ever heard him speak.
If Jordan gets away with becoming a multi-millionaire by USING his license as a psychologist to counsel millions of people on his media sites ... then all other psychologists and psychiatrists should also have the same privilege as Jordan … because why would they want to sit in their offices, counseling one or two or five people at a time for a pittance, when they can do as Jordan did by going on social media and become mega-famous … and … mega-wealthy?
And as citizens, we should be wary of the fact that therapists don't even come close to agreeing with each other’s type of “counsel.”
Jordan insists on preaching from his Christian bible. So, that would give Muslim psychologist “the right” to use their licenses to preach Islam on social media … and Wiccan Psychologists to preach Wicca on social media … et cetera.
Don't you think that we are in a big enough mess already?
Bill Maher, sitting with Doctor Phil on Club Random said … “I’ve always thought shrinks were the craziest people in the world. Is that wrong?”
Doctor Phil’s response … “Well, I saw a study a long time ago that said most, and I don’t know if it was bullsh*t or what, but it said that an awful lot of people go into psychology originally because they are all screwed up and they think if they study it, they’ll figure it out and get better.”
Bill’s response … “Right… that’s interesting.”
And Doctor Phil continued … “And I saw a follow up that said, ‘Did it work?’ And it said, ‘not even almost.’”
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In the runaway # 1 British Bestseller, “Eats, Shoots & Leaves,” the subject of the book is about the importance of correct punctuation in the English language. The author, Lynne Truss, did extensive study into the history of punctuation. Lynne mixes humor with serious assessments of history and some of the following is from her book.
“Of course, if Hebrew or any of the ancient languages had included punctuation (in the case of Hebrew, a few vowels might have been nice as well), two thousand years of scriptural exegesis (my note- exegesis-analysis of texts) need never have occurred, and a lot of clever, dandruffy people could definitely have spent more time in the fresh air. But there was no punctuation in those ancient texts and that’s all there is to it. For a considerable period in Latin transcriptions there were no gaps between words either, if you can credit such madness. Texts from that benighted classical period- just capital letters in big square blocks- look to modern eyes like those word-search puzzles that you stare at for twenty minutes or so, and then (with a delighted cry) suddenly spot the word “PAPERNAPKIN” spelled diagonally and backwards. However, the scriptio continua system (as it was called) had its defenders at the time. One fifth-century recluse called Cassian argued that if a text was slow to offer up its meaning, this encouraged not only meditation but the glorification of God- the heart lifting in praise, obviously, at the moment when the word “PAPERNAPKIN” suddenly floated to the surface, like a synaptic miracle.”
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Against the will of those in his cabinet, Harry (who was Christian, and believed that the Jews would have to go to their “homeland” before the second coming of Jesus) was the President of the United States that in turn signed the papers to agree with the creation of the Jewish State of Israel in 1948.
From the book “Plain Speaking” … Harry S. Truman … by Merle Miller
“But as I started to say … it wasn’t just the Biblical part about Palestine that interested me. The whole history of that area of the world is just about the most complicated and most interesting of any area, anywhere, and I have always made a very careful study of it. There has always been trouble there, always been wars from the time of Darius the Great and Rameses on, and the pity of it is that the whole area is just waiting to be developed. And the Arabs have just never seemed to take any interest in developing it. I have always thought that the Jews would, and of course, they have. But what has happened is only the beginning of what could happen, because potentially that is the richest area of the world.
“But getting back to what you were asking about, that morning I saw Rabbi Wise. It was late in the morning, and I remember, he said, ‘Mr. President, I’m not sure if you’re aware of the reasons underlying the wish of the Jewish people for a homeland.’
“He was just as polite as he possibly could be, but I’ve told you in those days nobody seemed to think I was aware of anything. I said I knew all about the history of the Jews."
“But I said as far as I was concerned, the United States would do all that it could to help the Jews set up a homeland. I didn’t tell him that I’d already had a communication from some of the ‘striped pants’ boys warning me … in effect telling me to watch my step, that I didn’t really understand what was going on over there and that I ought to leave it to the experts.
I told him I knew all about experts. I said that an expert was a fella who was afraid to learn anything new because then he wouldn’t be an expert anymore."
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@chlomyster8526 I hope this bit of history gives you a laugh, to lighten your mood.
A BRIEF HISTORY OF THE WORST WAYS TO CURE EVERYTHING ... authors ... Lydia Kang MD and Nate Pedersen.
QUACKERY
The epidemic reached such epic levels during the second half of the nineteenth century that Dr. Russell Trall, a hydrotherapist, made the bold declaration that 75 percent of women in the United States suffered from hysteria. The cure? A "pelvic massage" of enough vigor to eventually induce a "hysterical paroxysm." The Victorians were masters at the pseudonym. Indeed, according to some historians, women were prescribed genital massages--conducted by their male doctors (!)--to induce orgasm.
Now, you'd think that this might be part of some sort of large-scale mass delusion with a Freudian wet dream of sexual undertones. But here's the kicker: Physicians didn't think there was anything sexual about their "pelvic massages." In fact, they were kind of annoyed at having to do them at all. Doctors complained that the correct technique was time consuming to learn and was time consuming to boot. Some exhausted physicians reported a pelvic massage took about an hour to successfully perform and led to cases of "wrist-ache."
Lest we pity our poor Victoriian doctors, laboriously massaging the genitals of their female patients, an important invention was about to come to their rescue: the electromechanical vibrator.
This device was no joke. Weighing in at forty pounds, it was powered by a wet cell battery and came with an assortment of little add-ons called "vibratodes." Invented by Dr. Joseph Mortimer Granville in the late nineteenth century, the vibrators were a hit with doctors because they reduced the time needed to obtain orgasm from an hour to about five minutes.
Little did the physicians know, however, that they were cutting themselves out of the picture. As soon as vibrators became even remotely portable, a burgeoning kitchen industry in the manufacture and sale of household vibrators sprang onto a fertile market. Soon, the modern woman of the early twentieth century could order a personal vibrator for a few dollars from the Sears catalog. It certainly beat paying your doctor to get you off, and it wasn't long before physicians stopped offering pelvic massages..
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@luciassaint683 I hope this bit of history gives you a laugh, to lighten your mood.
A BRIEF HISTORY OF THE WORST WAYS TO CURE EVERYTHING ... authors ... Lydia Kang MD and Nate Pedersen.
QUACKERY
The epidemic reached such epic levels during the second half of the nineteenth century that Dr. Russell Trall, a hydrotherapist, made the bold declaration that 75 percent of women in the United States suffered from hysteria. The cure? A "pelvic massage" of enough vigor to eventually induce a "hysterical paroxysm." The Victorians were masters at the pseudonym. Indeed, according to some historians, women were prescribed genital massages--conducted by their male doctors (!)--to induce orgasm.
Now, you'd think that this might be part of some sort of large-scale mass delusion with a Freudian wet dream of sexual undertones. But here's the kicker: Physicians didn't think there was anything sexual about their "pelvic massages." In fact, they were kind of annoyed at having to do them at all. Doctors complained that the correct technique was time consuming to learn and was time consuming to boot. Some exhausted physicians reported a pelvic massage took about an hour to successfully perform and led to cases of "wrist-ache."
Lest we pity our poor Victoriian doctors, laboriously massaging the genitals of their female patients, an important invention was about to come to their rescue: the electromechanical vibrator.
This device was no joke. Weighing in at forty pounds, it was powered by a wet cell battery and came with an assortment of little add-ons called "vibratodes." Invented by Dr. Joseph Mortimer Granville in the late nineteenth century, the vibrators were a hit with doctors because they reduced the time needed to obtain orgasm from an hour to about five minutes.
Little did the physicians know, however, that they were cutting themselves out of the picture. As soon as vibrators became even remotely portable, a burgeoning kitchen industry in the manufacture and sale of household vibrators sprang onto a fertile market. Soon, the modern woman of the early twentieth century could order a personal vibrator for a few dollars from the Sears catalog. It certainly beat paying your doctor to get you off, and it wasn't long before physicians stopped offering pelvic massages..
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Thanks for honoring free speech.
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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@AmericanBrain From the book, “Ideas and Opinions,” by Albert Einstein, comes the following
Nobody, certainly, will deny that the idea of the existence of an omnipotent, just and omnibeneficient personal God is able to accord man solace, help, and guidance; also, by virtue of its simplicity it is accessible to the most undeveloped mind. But, on the other hand, there are decisive weaknesses attached to this idea in itself, which have been painfully felt since the beginning of history. That is, if this being is omnipotent, then every occurrence, including every thought, and every human aspiration is also His work; how is it possible to think of holding men responsible for their deeds and thoughts before such an almighty being? In giving out punishment and rewards He would to a certain extent be passing judgment on Himself. How can this be combined with the goodness and righteousness ascribed to Him?
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@AmericanBrain I became inspired at 70 years of age, when I no longer believed in the existence of a creator of the universe, but rather believed that the universe always existed, and that suffering of all forms of life was not part of any plan. It was then that I was able to feel I had done all the homework necessary that allowed me peace at last, in the feeling of being whole, just as I am. I am now 81 years of age, and I hope you will ponder on the following as an example of how indoctrination works in human brains. If, (for instance) children were locked in a room from birth, and not taught any language, they would create their own language among each other. Without religious teachers to persuade them that a soul, and a spirit, and a judge-mental god, and a heaven or a hell exists, they would live and die as do other animals. They would have only indoctrinated each other ... plain, and simple.
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@AmericanBrain There isn’t any doubt that the word "consciousness" baffles most humans, and that is because most of us were indoctrinated from childhood on, to trust in the man-created theology that life (either wonderful, as in eternal bliss … or horrible, as in eternal suffering) “of the self” goes on in a spiritual dimension for eternity. If we were taught from childhood, that it is cells that create material bodies, and that when the cells in bodies of animals, including human animals, die, new vibrant cells, keep the process of life on earth ongoing … we wouldn’t have that urgent need to believe that the self is all important. However, that would be the end of theology … and religion, as we know, is “big business.”
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Written by a Jewish Woman, I suggest that you might find the following information of great interest.
From the book … Sipping from the Nile … My exodus from Egypt … author … Jean Naggar
Despite that understanding that her efforts could permanently undermine the way of life she had always known, Auntie Helen, accompanied by her distinctive cane, traveled alone again and again to Suez and Ismailia after the end of the Second World War to supervise and expedite the loading of Jews emigrating to Palestine onto makeshift boats in the dead of night.
Certainly, the formation of the State of Israel changed the dynamic between Arab and Jew in the Middle East. It became a polarizing magnet, leading to huge rifts in the standing social structure, cutting through generations of tradition and peaceable interaction.
While most Jews world-wide rejoiced that Jews would at last have a homeland, those in Arab countries cast a wary eye at the chasm that was opening beside them, threatening irrevocably their safety and their way of life.
While I thought of my aunt as a fascinating person, I had no concept of the seismic shift that her activities were helping to produce in the internal psychological geography of the Arab countries, which were never again to accept their Jewish neighbors as brothers.
With the creation of the State of Israel, militant Islam was granted a voice and a cause.
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If Dr. Raymond Moody, rather than using the term near death experiences, had used the term near death hallucinations ... just imagine the difference. That story of, "I died, and went to hell," or "I died and went to heaven," was and is, all based on human imagination. Medical scientists now have new insight, and are not re-lying on those ancient myths. From Prime television, on the program Science of Death, came the following words (verbatim). "Hours, even days, after the official death of their owner, stem cells, protected deep within the brain are still alive. Even after a week after death has been pronounced, they possess the power to heal disease in a living person."
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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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@LostintheTwilightZone
A fetus-worshiper is one that glorifies the image of purity of the fetus, but knows that a living baby is a lot of hard work, worry, expense, and frustration.
So, while the fetus is in the womb, the fetus-worshiper worships the ground that the fetus does not yet walk upon.
But when the fetus exits the womb, and becomes a full-fledged baby, the fetus-worshiper is nowhere to be found, because he/she is off worshiping more fetuses that do not affect the earthly comforts of the fetus-worshipper.
And meanwhile, the fetus-worshiper credits him/herself from the egotistical attitude that the on-going job of bad-mouthing women that have abortions, is WELL DONE!
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The supposed savior of souls of Christians, was just the most recent savior-myth story. Example as follows, from the book, 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."
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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As the human population keeps on increasing, that results in more air, water, and land pollution.
As humans keep reproducing at a faster rate than humans are dying, common sense tells us that we are polluting more, rather than less.
Pollution is a fact of life, and unless there is a major catastrophe, such as a nuclear war ... we will keep polluting, because that is just how much all of us enjoy our personal comforts.
It’s not fair to blame the manufacturers of the products, because if we weren’t buying … they could not be selling.
So ... let us not point fingers at others … or expect governments to clean up the impossible messes that all of us keep on creating.
What we destroy might ultimately destroy us … and that is only fair.
Meanwhile, we should keep our fingers pointing at ourselves … where they belong.
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Most ex-Presidents walk away, and allow the new President to do his job. Donald simply will not show respect for the institution itself. When Donald ran for office of the President, he should have run as an independent, because he is not a team player, and didn't have any intention of showing respect whatsoever for Republican policies, or for other Republicans. He started immediately firing any Republican that disagreed with him, and his new wanna-be dictatorship. His supporters don't understand that he didn't care about them personally. He just needed them for their votes. Also, it's been said that Donald Trump did not start a war when he was President, and that is true, but the real terror is, he did try to start a civil war, and because he won't stop, he is still very much a danger in that regard. And I suggest that if he were to win the civil war, he would then start wars with other countries. Such power seekers always want more power.
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Thank you for allowing my freedom of speech
I suggest that real Republicans would never try to overthrow the government as did Donald Trump.
It was when Donald created his own party within the Republican Party that he started firing every Republican that disagreed with him.
He was at one time a supposed Democrat, and had he won office then, he would no doubt have tried to overthrow the government, just as he did as a pseudo-Republican.
It's not about party politics. It's about Donald Trump, who wanted to become a political dictator, as is Vladimir Putin ... one of Donald's idols.
After the way he behaved by trying to overthrow the government ... if Donald is allowed to run for President AGAIN ... and he WINS ... there won't be any democracy left in the United States.
There will be the dictatorship of Donald Trump ... PERIOD.
And the voters who put him there ... will then find out that Donald cares only about his self and his own personal family ... which is exactly what those voters that support him will deserve.
Those of you who wanted Donald Trump to overthrow the government, wanted to be the ones to also overthrow the government, so that you could dictate to others the new set of rules.
Don't deny it ... because that is what you were, and are, thinking. You liked his bombastic style, simply because that would be your style … if only you had the power.
Again … I reiterate … a REAL Republican, would NEVER try to overthrow the very government that the Republican SWORE to protect when first taking office.
NOT A CHANCE.
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Because of respect for free speech, thank you for not deleting my post.
If those who changed their sex organs to suit their personalities have operations to go back to how their physical bodies were before the operations ... if they were not content with their bodies then, why are they going to be content with their bodies now?
They might say they are happy when they reverse the process, but only they know the truth of the matter.
A lot of times, people try to be what is expected of them to be, by those that put a lot of emotional pressure on them.
Note the religious input in the following article from Human Life International, about those who say they want to transition back to their original state, before they had their transgender operations … “Regardless of the numbers, regret is real—and the numbers don’t really matter to those affected by a decision that they now regret and who feel misled by either doctors or families.
What they know is that they are hurting.
And as stewards of our brothers and sisters in Christ, it is our job to treat them with empathy, understanding, and compassion. It is our job to help them see the inherent dignity in themselves. And in both love and charity, it is our job to assist them as they seek help in moving forward.”
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Thanks for honoring free speech.
Those who are psychologists should not be out in the public sphere, playing party politics … and preaching their personalized religion as being truth from a god, or from anywhere else.
I listened to the other television preacher Phil McGraw, saying in an interview on television, that he is PROUD to be a Christian.
If as a child, you thought you were transgender ... which psychologist would YOU hope your parents would choose as their advisers?
Phil McGraw is transgender friendly supportive of their journeys, and Jordan Peterson is the exact opposite. In January Jordan claimed on “The Joe Rogan Experience” podcast that being transgender is a result of a “social contagion” and similar to “satanic ritual abuse,” and suggested that acceptance of the trans community is a sign that “civilization’s collapsing.”
You can't trust a psychologist to KNOW what is right or wrong for your personal journey?
A short while back, I learned of a case where two parents that didn't agree, took their two children to a family session for psychological counseling.
After the session, the husband (father of the children) went home and hung himself.
I suggest that you do NOT trust psychologists to guide your life, as they are just ordinary people, with ordinary opinions ... who do not even agree with each other's "counsel."
Add religion to THAT mix ... and you will have REAL problems.
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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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Thanks for honoring free speech.
It's improbable that people will ever wake up to the fact that religion itself WAS AND IS causing devotees to fight and kill each other ... over POSSESSION of (*ordinary land) … that the different factions were taught and believed was their own personal HOMELAND ... and ... HOLYLAND … donated to them by a god.
Thankfully only human animals suffer from such blatant ignorance.
From the book … Empires of the Word … A Language History of the World … author Nicholas Ostler
This was the final incandescence of Mesopotamian power, under the last great emperor of Babylon, Nebuchadrezzar II. He died in 562 BC. Twenty-five years earlier, even as he had been conquering Jerusalem, and deporting its Jews, others were beginning a process of political consolidation that would erase the greatness of Babylon.
Perhaps the dream of the Babylonians scattered and disorganized was a comforting exercise in wish fulfilment for the sixth-century Jews who had been shattered and driven from their homeland by the Babylonian emperor Nebuchadrezzar II.
Question: "How many times has Jerusalem been destroyed?"
Answer: Jerusalem, the “city of peace,” has certainly known its share of sorrow and war. Since it sits at the crossroads of the ancient world and is held in high esteem by three major religions, it has been involved in wars throughout most of its 3000+ year history. When archaeologists first began excavating in the city, they were surprised to discover layer after layer of rubble, indicating that parts of Jerusalem had been destroyed at least 40 times. The layers of rubble in some places are more than 60 feet deep!
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I wonder if Jordan ... as a teenager ... "cleaned his own room?"
And I wonder, in all the years as a married man, if he cleaned his own bedroom, or whether he left that whole humdrum job up to his wife Tammy?
And my guess is, now that he's a man of wealth, he no longer cleans his own room either. Especially those fancy hotel rooms he rents on his tours at hundreds of dollars a night.
And by the way, on his podcast interview with Bill Maher (random house) … Jordan admitted that on tour Tammy wanted her own room.
I'm amazed that Jordan can still hoodwink so many people into believing that if they follow his advice, their lives will be so much better.
He sells words ... that's all. And if people fall for his words ... he becomes more and more wealthy by continuing to sell his words.
I never did buy his words, nor did I ever want to buy him a "cup of coffee" in exchange for his words.
Just imagine, if millions of his followers sent in even 3 dollars to buy him a coffee, how much money he raked in on THAT scam?
I suggest that Jordan is not any better behaved than any other person … albeit he puts on those “airs.”
And don't forget that he made and makes his fortune by promoting all things Conservative "Christian."
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Another problem that arose in the Middle East, was when Donald Trump in 2018 (probably at the urging of his Jewish son-in law Jarod Kushner … other Jews … and Christians) chose to move the embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem … which pleased the Jews and Evangelical Christians … but in turn infuriated the Muslim Palestinians … who regard East Jerusalem as a future Palestinian State.
Most everything the Jews, Muslims and Christians have done in the Middle East …“have” escalated the irritation among the three right-fighting religions of Judaism … Christianity … and Islam.
Holy mission … and Holy land … it is NOT.
If the haughty words … Judaism, Islam and Christianity were removed from the language ... all that would be left is naked human animals ... of no significant importance whatsoever … except to their naked selves.
There is hope ... however … as there are now hundreds of ex members of clergy that have joined The Clergy Project, to find employment elsewhere.
From the book ... Apostle to Apostate: The Story of the Clergy Project … authors … Catherine Dunphy, Richard Dawkins 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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Concerning the subject of transgender, it's unfortunate that it's up to parents what they do to alter the physical makeup of their children's bodies. or what they teach their children is moral, compared to immoral, because, not knowing what else to do, (just as do psychologists and psychiatrists, who are parents), parents are inclined to make notoriously ridiculous decisions on behalf of their children.
If the child is determined to have a sex-change operation, wouldn’t it be best to tell the child to be patient until becoming an adult, and then make the decision? Because by then, the adult will have to live with the adult’s “own” decision
After all, children are subject to peer pressure, and other than what the child says, there isn't any way of really knowing what that child is having for an experience, because of being young and impressionable, the child may not even know.
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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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@elmarieking9590 Preachers of religion teach us that our supposed souls will either be rewarded, or punished in a supposed hereafter. I spent 70 years in that tangled web of lies. In three days, if I am still alive, I will be 82 years of age, and the last 12 years have been my best, as I now believe that I am whole, just as I am, and that the universe never was created, but rather always existed ... no creator involved, and that suffering, because of the will of all creatures to survive, is "natural."
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@elmarieking9590 Theologians need fear in order to gain followers. From my perception, there never was a soul, or a spirit in any human animal, but rather, that was a made-up story to frighten people. Many believed that if they did not follow the spiritual rules, this god was going to punish souls ... for eternity. It's those mythical stories that overwhelmed human imagination, and caused so many followers of the myths such terror, as to commit suicide, when they believed that their souls were so very evil, that the god would never want them in heaven. One can't have terror of the god, and trust in the goodness of a god at the same time, as that is not possible.
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@elmarieking9590 If a god existed, it would be the most prolific abortionist EVER, as women are miscarrying fetuses continually ... women who want to stay pregnant ... but can't. Fetuses, are not babies, albeit that theologians want women to feel that they are evil when they have abortions. Fetuses do not breathe on their own. Babies do breathe on their own, and that is why women that have abortions are not killing babies. Your sermons about what Jesus wants and does not want, are simply that ... sermons. If you had been born a Muslim, or a Buddhist, your religious sermons would be about Muhammad, or Buddha. It's all indoctrination. Much ado about nothings, and thankfully over which human animals are the only animals that suffer from such overuse of imaginations ... gone wild.
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@Islamicones1
Although this United States Supreme Court judge is now deceased, words from her book live on.
From the book … My Own Words … author … RUTH BADER GINSBURG. Whether you are a Christian, or an Atheist … you better think hard and long, as you close one clinic after another … in the pretense that it protects “babies.” The lives of women are at stake here, and they are the lives of your mothers, daughters, aunts, friends … and even grandmothers.
Then she made a point, nowhere addressed in the Breyer opinion, but embedded in the memories of women old enough to remember the days when abortion was illegal: “When a State severely limits access to safe and legal procedures, women in desperate circumstances may resort to unlicensed rogue practitioners, faute de mieux, at great risk to their health and safety.”
(Later speaking with a reporter, she was blunt about the law’s purpose: “It seemed to me it was a sham to pretend this was about a woman’s health” rather than about making it harder to obtain an abortion.)
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The Christian religion from the get-go, was based on antisemitism. The story told by the first "Gnostic" Christians, was that the Jews were liars, and that the Gnostic Christians were telling the truth straight from "God."
The secret to winning over the emotions of humans, is to tell them what they want to hear. The fact is, that before Judaism, there were many other religions with favorite salvation myths of their own. At one time Jews believed in many gods, until one group of Jews decided that if they created the one-god dogma of monotheism, every person on earth would have to join their religion if they wanted to be "saved." As history proved, that worked against their story that the Jews were God's chosen few, when along came a group of Jews, that didn’t like being controlled by the all-powerful Jewish Rabbis, and thought about how they could leave Judaism … create a theology about a son of the Jewish god, that would materialize on earth to teach the one and only truth, that only through Jesus could anyone be saved ... and that was the start of the Gnostic Christian religion, with Catholicism becoming predominant. And then, the Muslims got in the act, claiming that the one God (Allah, which is the Islamic word for God) favored only Muslims. Then the Protestants got into the act, by claiming that only they were favorites of Jesus. And now, we have the new age groupies, with their fables of Goddess love.
I suggest that there never was a creator in existence, but rather, the stories were all a result of human imagination gone wild.
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From the book … My Own Words … author … RUTH BADER GINSBURG .Whether you are a Christian, or an Atheist … you better think hard and long, as you close one clinic after another … in the pretense that it protects “babies.” The lives of women are at stake here, and they are the lives of your mothers, daughters, aunts, friends … and even grandmothers. Then she made a point, nowhere addressed in the Breyer opinion, but embedded in the memories of women old enough to remember the days when abortion was illegal: “When a State severely limits access to safe and legal procedures, women in desperate circumstances may resort to unlicensed rogue practitioners, faute de mieux,I at great risk to their health and safety.” (Later speaking with a reporter, she was blunt about the law’s purpose: “It seemed to me it was a sham to pretend this was about a woman’s health” rather than about making it harder to obtain an abortion.)
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Thanks for honoring freedom of speech by not deleting my post.
I was born heterosexual. However, had I been born transgender, I would have been so lucky to have had the scientist Neil deGrasse Tyson as a father.
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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It's a pity that Greta's parents didn't sit her down years ago, and say... "Honey, the truth is we are ALL polluters, so we should not be trying to only hold other people accountable."
As the human population keeps on increasing, that results in more air, water, and land pollution.
As humans keep reproducing at a faster rate than humans are dying, common sense tells us that we are polluting more, rather than less.
Pollution is a fact of life, and unless there is a major catastrophe, such as a nuclear war ... we will keep polluting, because that is just how much all of us enjoy our personal comforts.
It’s not fair to blame the manufacturers of the products, because if we weren’t buying … they could not be selling. And of course, the manufacturers take their business to countries where the environmental laws are lax. We all look after number one first and foremost.
So ... let us not point fingers at others … or expect governments to clean up the impossible messes that all of us keep on creating.
What we destroy might ultimately destroy us … and that is only fair.
Meanwhile, we should keep our fingers pointing at ourselves … where they belong.
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Some religions teach that a god exists that puts new manufactured souls in each human zygote. Other religions that teach reincarnation, teach that the soul is very old, and has travelled the universe, in many human bodies on earth, and other spiritual dimensions to learn how to pay off nasty karmic debts. Some new age Wiccans believe that souls don't enter the material body of babies until after the babies are born, and that the souls do so by their own choice. At age 70, when I left religion, I no longer believed in the existence of souls or spirits, or in the existence of a god that manufactures souls. I am now 82 years of age, and believe as did Stephen Hawking before he died, that the universe always existed ... no creator involved. What do you believe?
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Devotees of most religions refer to consciousness as being a soul that flies away either to be rewarded with eternal bliss; to suffer harsh judgment from a god for eternity, or, to reincarnate back and forth between earth and other dimensions, until all the nasty karmic debts are paid in full.
I suggest that when brain cells are all dead in any animal, including human animals, the energy goes elsewhere, maybe to cells that grow a new plant, or to the wind that blows ashes away after cremation, and that as a species that just happened to evolve with fingers, rather than paws, or hooves, we aren't at all special.
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Donald simply will not show respect for the constitution itself. When Donald ran for office of the President, he should have run as an independent, because he is not a team player, and didn't have any intention of showing respect whatsoever for Republican policies, or for other Republicans. He started immediately firing any Republican that disagreed with him, and his new wanna-be dictatorship. His voting supporters don't understand, that he didn't care about them personally. He just needed them for their votes. Also, it's been said that Donald Trump did not start a war when he was President, and that is true, but the real terror is, he did try to start a civil war, and because he won't stop, he is still very much a danger in that regard. And I suggest that if he were to win the civil war, he would then start wars with other countries. Such power seekers always want more power. The writing was on the wall, when Republicans became terrified of being fired if they dared to state their own opinions that disagreed with the opinions of "the Donald."
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The word Centrist implies middle of the road ... moderate ... problem solving ... etc.
In a country where people vote, the object is, the voters are either for or against certain issues, and will vote for either one party, or the other. For instance ... those who believe that abortion offends the will of a god, will be voting for the party that promises to make abortion illegal. While those who want to give women the power to make their own decisions, will vote for the party that promises to keep abortion legal.
Gun control, or the lack thereof is another major issue that divides those that vote.
I suggest that politicians in the Centrist party, by trying to please all voters, will ultimately find, that they can't please any voters.
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As have others, please do not delete my freedom of speech.
If Donald Trump happens to win the next election … his first plan would be to demolish the United States Constitution.
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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Thank you for respecting my freedom of speech, by not deleting this post.
People that are vaccinated, have the advantage of being able to survive the virus. Many elderly people that are not vaccinated, will catch the virus, and will not survive. The immune systems of those in weakened conditions, are not healthy, as are the immune systems of those who are young.
So, to be considerate of the elderly, and those even younger that have poor immune systems, if you take the vaccination, that will give a better chance of survival.
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I suggest that most of the people who became so adamant in the attitude, "No government is going to dictate to me that I have to be vaccinated," were already understandably frustrated and angry at the overwhelming difficulties that must be endured in ever day lives. As one very angry senior citizen, who was suffering from the aches and pains of old age stated many years ago, and not even about any subject in particular, "I just want to kick, but I don't know where!" When people refuse to cooperate with each other, no matter which party is in power, the government is not to blame. And by the way, if you think that Justin Trudeau is a weak leader, I suggest you underestimate how his father, Pierre Trudeau, who was the Prime Minister of Canada, at one time called out the army to settle a revolt concerning unruly, angry citizens. Justin simply has not been pushed that far ... yet. I don't believe he is at all weak, but rather as did his father, he tries to allow the citizens as much freedom as possible.
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The person in the following story was going to be put to death for stealing.
From the book … Lord High Executioner: An Unashamed Look at Hangmen, Headsmen, and Their Kind … author … Howard Engel
Canada
A few years later, when Jacques Daigre, the third official hangman in New France died in Quebec, there was no one to replace him. For the authorities, the timing of Jacques Daigre’s death, in March 1680, was unfortunate, for there were several felons lying in prison waiting for their last look at the sun. The timing was happier for Jean Rattier, one of these condemned felons. He was asked whether he wished to continue in prison until an executioner had been chosen who would then usher him into eternity, or would he like to save his neck and take up the job himself. Naturally, he jumped at this second chance.
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Within the many circles of theology ... if you are not faithful to Judaism, then don't expect Jesus to be faithful to you. From all mythological accounts, Jesus was a Jewish Rabbi ... Rabboni ... Great teacher of Judaism. I suggest that you don't try to change the "subject." Also, (within theology) if Jesus was born perfect as a baby Jew, to parents that practiced only Judaism, one can’t improve on “perfection.” I believe that Jesus was a fictitious character, "used" in the new testament, to in turn, start a new religion, foreign to, and offensive to ... Judaism.
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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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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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@james9836 YES. When abortion was illegal, countless women died, that otherwise could have been saved, had the doors in (for instance) Catholic and Protestant run hospitals, been open to them. If it was your mother, aunt, cousin, sister, or even your grandmother ... would you not want her to survive her abortion, and come home to you, to give you more lovings, rather than going to a cold grave?
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@cbinaiea Now that Donald has won the presidency, he can stop "grooming" the Evangelicals ... because he no longer needs their massive voting power that lifted him once again to the prestigious office of President.
And those Evangelists should all realize that even if Jesus had existed ... as a real Jewish Rabbi ... he would have preached only Judaism as his one and only FAITH ... leaving Christians of all sorts OUT of his "picture."
From the book … The Faith of Donald J. Trump: A spiritual Biography … authors David Brody, Scott Lamb.
In 2012, Trump called White and told her he was thinking of running for president. There was a time of prayer as he pondered the decision. Of course, he didn’t run then, but he called again in 2015 and told her, “’I really believe the Lord is speaking to me, that maybe I’m supposed to run for President. ’I asked him, ‘As my friend, what can I do for you?’ He asked for me to bring some pastors in to him and I did.”
Time and again, White and various pastors have surrounded Trump and placed their hands on his shoulders as prayers were spoken. It was also during this season in Trump’s life that he began to make new friends from within evangelicalism.
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From the book, “Ideas and Opinions,” by Albert Einstein, comes the following …
Nobody, certainly, will deny that the idea of the existence of an omnipotent, just and omnibeneficient personal God is able to accord man solace, help, and guidance; also, by virtue of its simplicity it is accessible to the most undeveloped mind. But, on the other hand, there are decisive weaknesses attached to this idea in itself, which have been painfully felt since the beginning of history. That is, if this being is omnipotent, then every occurrence, including every thought, and every human aspiration is also His work; how is it possible to think of holding men responsible for their deeds and thoughts before such an almighty being? In giving out punishment and rewards He would to a certain extent be passing judgment on Himself. How can this be combined with the goodness and righteousness ascribed to Him?
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Maybe the person that committed the murder, wrote the ransom note previous to the murder, and made it appear as being ridiculous in its intentions, on purpose, in "order" to put the focus on her parents. I never believed that the parents, nor their son, had any part in her murder.
The following words (verbatim) came from John Ramsey on the program, The View. “I had a very seasoned chief of police tell me that there’s nothing more dangerous in this country than a police department that makes up its mind.”
I suggest that had the Ramseys been poor, rather than wealthy, the general public might have judged on the side of innocence. Many people hate those with money, because they are envious that it is not they who are wealthy.
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Until 1948 ... Jews never had a homeland. The word Israel in Judaism meant … “The Hebrew people, past, present, and future, regarded as the chosen people of God by virtue of the covenant of Jacob.”
There were more than a few Jews that were against that group of Jews setting up that State of Israel ... Einstein being one of the most outspoken concerning that issue. Those Jews figured that setting up that State of Israel would cause even more animosity around the world against the Jews than already existed.
Written by a Jewish Woman, I suggest that you will find the following information of great interest.
From the book … Sipping from the Nile … My exodus from Egypt … author … Jean Naggar
“Despite that understanding that her efforts could permanently undermine the way of life she had always known, Auntie Helen, accompanied by her distinctive cane, traveled alone again and again to Suez and Ismailia after the end of the Second World War to supervise and expedite the loading of Jews emigrating to Palestine onto makeshift boats in the dead of night.
Certainly, the formation of the State of Israel changed the dynamic between Arab and Jew in the Middle East. It became a polarizing magnet, leading to huge rifts in the standing social structure, cutting through generations of tradition and peaceable interaction.
While most Jews world-wide rejoiced that Jews would at last have a homeland, those in Arab countries cast a wary eye at the chasm that was opening beside them, threatening irrevocably their safety and their way of life.
While I thought of my aunt as a fascinating person, I had no concept of the seismic shift that her activities were helping to produce in the internal psychological geography of the Arab countries, which were never again to accept their Jewish neighbors as brothers.
With the creation of the State of Israel, militant Islam was granted a voice and a cause.”
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Judaism is a religion. Jews that practice the religion of Judaism can be of any color. Whoopi was correct. Antisemitism is not the same as belittling and killing others for the color of their skin. The new testament is a book of antisemitism, that was compiled by men who wanted to start a new religion foreign to, and offensive to Judaism … and the Jews. However, it is common sense, (within theology) that even had Jesus lived as a real Jewish Rabbi, he would not have preached any other doctrine than Judaism. And again (within theology) Mary would be insulted to be referred to as being a Catholic saint, as she, also, would have stayed faithful only to Judaism.
In contrast ... THIS is biblical racism … from the book ... The Arrogance of Faith, by Forrest G. Wood … Despite his best intentions, Jones, like virtually every southern clergyman, never doubted the innate inferiority of the black race.
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Thanks for honoring freedom of speech.
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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I was raised in a Christian culture, and from my perspective, had Jesus lived, he would have been a rebel against any religion other than what he preached, which would have made him just another leader of a new cult, with a following of new cultists.
Any man that preaches that he was sent to earth by a god to save all humanity from sin, ought not to be idolized ... not worshiped ... not believed. ... but rather empathized with, as being needy of attention, and very childlike concerning his behavior.
From the book … The Arrogance of Faith, by Forrest G. Wood ... "Besides, if Christianity is for everyone, why was it not from the beginning revealed to everyone?"
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@genep9327 By the way, I'm a Canadian, so I don't vote in the United States.
With me, it's not a matter of party, it's a matter of policy.
For instance, I would vote for whichever party wanted to keep abortion legal.
Although this United States Supreme Court judge is now deceased, words from her book live on.
From the book … My Own Words … author … RUTH BADER GINSBURG.
Whether you are a Christian, or an Atheist … you better think hard and long, as you close one clinic after another … in the pretense that it protects “babies.” The lives of women are at stake here, and they are the lives of your mothers, daughters, aunts, friends … and even grandmothers.
Then she made a point, nowhere addressed in the Breyer opinion, but embedded in the memories of women old enough to remember the days when abortion was illegal: “When a State severely limits access to safe and legal procedures, women in desperate circumstances may resort to unlicensed rogue practitioners, faute de mieux, at great risk to their health and safety.”
(Later speaking with a reporter, she was blunt about the law’s purpose: “It seemed to me it was a sham to pretend this was about a woman’s health” rather than about making it harder to obtain an abortion.)
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Christianity was and is based on antisemitism, as Christians were taught that Jews killed Jesus, and that Jews were moneychangers, and that Jesus threw the Jews “out of the Temple.” And that Jesus wanted the Jews brought to him “to be slayed.”
I suggest that the word Jesus was made-up and used by the early Christians, to start a new religion, foreign to, and meant to do away with Judaism.
Had Jesus been real, rather than a fictitious character in a book, meant to start a new religion, he would have supported the Jews and Judaism, and the words “Christ” and “Christian” would not exist.
The only way Christians would ever accept Jews, is if the Jews converted to Christianity … and that is the aim of the Christians to this day, as they were and are taught in childhood, that they must convert the Jews to Christianity before Jesus will materialize on earth again.
All religion is nothing other than fairy tales, passed down to new generations … in the guise of truth.
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During the second world war ... Jews that were trying to escape Hitler's "Final Solution Mandate" ... were not welcome in most countries ... so those Jews were foisted off on the Palestinians by the thousands. And for their own earthly protection ... those Jews created the State of Israel "inside" of Palestine.
That was Zionism.
Anti-Semitism is to be against the Jewish "religion." Some Jews that are Atheists “are” anti-Semitic. And most certainly Christianity and Islam are anti-Semitic religions.
Christian "missionaries" are not in Israel for any other reason than to convert the Jews to Christianity, so that (from their opinions) Jesus will once again make his appearance ... to take them ALL "home" to Christian heaven. Those Christian missionaries belong to "The Jews for Jesus" movement.
Misplaced hatred against the Jews started with the ridiculous stories in the Christian bible that the Jews killed Jesus and that the Jews were money-grabbers and that Jesus wanted the Jews brought to him to be slayed.
Had Jesus lived ... he would have stayed faithful only TO Judaism. Jewish Rabbis do not vouch for Catholicism ... or ... for Protestantism.
Religion has been the cause of massive amounts of torture and death ... and hopefully one day soon ... as more and more members of clergy (there are now hundreds) shed the myths to find jobs away from religion ... it gives hope that others will follow the lead.
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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Thank you for respecting my freedom of speech, by not deleting this post.
People that are vaccinated, have the advantage of being able to survive the virus. Many elderly people that are not vaccinated, will catch the virus, and will not survive. The immune systems of those in weakened conditions, are not healthy, as are the immune systems of those who are young.
So, to be considerate of the elderly, and those even younger that have poor immune systems, if you take the vaccination, that will give a better chance of survival.
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@l.w.paradis2108 Who am I to decide if you are male or female? We have a whole spectrum of this expression. Author … Neil deGrasse Tyson.
From the book … EPIGENETICS … HOW ENVIRONMENT SHAPES OUR GENES … author … RICHARD C. FRANCIS.
Here’s a puzzle, consider the case of two brothers, when each had reached the age of twenty. One of them—call him Al—was a typical male. His brother, Bo, however, was not at all typical of young males at that age. Bo looked more like a pre-adolescent male: poorly developed muscles, absolutely no facial hair, and a voice to match. Their mother was understandably worried about Bo, and soon after his twentieth birthday finally convinced him to see a doctor. Once Bo removed his clothes, the doctor immediately noticed that something was missing—his genitals. A closer inspection revealed that he did in fact have genitals but nothing like those you would expect of a twenty-year-old male. They seemed vestigial. The doctor’s diagnosis was Kallman syndrome, a disorder of sexual development. What’s puzzling is this: Al and Bo are identical twins, nature’s clones. So what happened to Bo? And why didn’t it happen to Al?
Nature's clones are far from identical, which is why the term "identical twins" has been replaced by monozygotic twins.
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@Christopher.M.Hughes029 We have two choices.
We can believe that the universe was Created by an all-powerful "thinking" god ... which is religion.
Or we can believe as did the scientist Stephen Hawking before he died, that in one form or another, the universe always existed ... no creator ... no plan ... and that suffering of all forms of life always was, and is, natural.
I choose the scientific version, which is known as "The No-Boundary Proposal."
And from the book … 2000 Years of Disbelief … author … James A. Haugt … “None of the gods has formed the world, nor has any man; it has always been.”—Empedocles (495—435 B.C.E.), Greek philosopher and statesman (Noyes) … “The universe has been made neither by gods nor by men, but it has been, and is, and will be eternally.”—Heraclitus (Noyes) ... “The nature of the universe has by no means been made through divine power, seeing how great are the flaws that mar it”—Lucretius, ibid.
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@kalisiradua2045 I suggest that if children tell their parents that they ARE transgender, the parents should not tell them they are wrong, but rather should encourage them to wait until they are adult before have any hormone therapy, or any operations, because as adults they are then responsible for their own choices.
That way, the children know that the parents are not belittling them in any way, but want to make sure that they (as parents) are doing it right.
As a parent, I suggest you don't want to make the following mistake with your child.
From the book … The Transsexual Scientist … author … Dana Brevan
I was literally deep in the closet by age 5. From my parents answers I concluded that there was something wrong with me because I wanted to be a girl. I started to keep it a secret from my parents, my classmates, my cousins, my teachers and everyone else. I was trying to comply with my duties as a male and this was reinforced by the fear of being sent to a mental hospital.
About this time I first saw Milton Berle in drag on television. I was embarrassed to watch him in front of my parents. People were laughing at his attempts to caricature being a woman and I did not want to be laughed at in that way.
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The Jews kept "flooding" into Palestine to colonize the land that belonged TO the Palestinians. The Jews didn't have any RIGHT to set up a Jewish State within Palestine. The Palestinians have every right to be angry.
You can refer to Hamas as terrorists ... but the truth is ... they believe they are defenders of their own land.
Well-known Jews (such as Albert Einstein) were against that Jewish “invasion” on Palestinian-owned land, to in turn create a State of Israel.
The Jews were the INVADERS. The Palestinians were NOT.
Compared to when the Christian Puritans colonized America and stole the land away from the Native Indians ... the takeover in Palestine is relatively new ... so the wounds raw ... and they will NEVER BE healed ... just as the wounds of the Native Indians (indigenous peoples) in America have not healed ... even after centuries of time has passed since the "illegal colonization."
From the book … ENEMIES and NEIGHBORS … ARABS and JEWS IN PALISTINE and ISRAEL 1917 – 2017 … author … IAN BLACK Balfour told Curzon in 1919, in the same vein, that ‘Zionism, be it right or wrong, good or bad, is rooted in age-long traditions, in present needs, in future hopes, of far profounder import than the desires and prejudices of the 700,000 Arabs who now inhabit the ancient land.’ This brutally candid display of partiality, ‘dripping with Olympian disdain’, in the words of a leading Palestinian historian, would still arouse Arab anger a turbulent century later.
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For those members of clergy that are still preaching, but are now non-believers, and have been for some time, there is help at The Clergy Project. These people are ex-members of clergy and can help you to find a new way of life.
As have so many members of clergy in the past that faced the same dilemma and did not have others in which they felt they could confide, please do not do anything drastic. You are not alone.
For members of clergy to come out as non-believers is extremely difficult, because those who do, will lose their only means of income, often they will lose their families, and those they thought were their friends. Chances are, they will be on their own.
After being a non-believer for approximately five years, while still preaching as though he was a devout believer, ex-pastor Mike Aus came out with his confession on National television. He now has support from members of The Clergy Project.
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If Jordan gets away with becoming a multi-millionaire by USING his license as a psychologist to counsel millions of people on his media sites ... then all other psychologists and psychiatrists should also have the same privilege as Jordan … because why would they want to sit in their offices, counseling one or two or five people at a time for a pittance, when they can do as Jordan did by going on social media and become mega-famous … and … mega-wealthy?
And as citizens, we should be wary of the fact that therapists don't even come close to agreeing with each other’s type of “counsel.”
Jordan insists on preaching from his Christian bible. So, that would give Muslim psychologist “the right” to use their licenses to preach Islam on social media … and Wiccan Psychologists to preach Wicca on social media … et cetera.
Don't you think that we are in a big enough mess already?
Bill Maher, sitting with Doctor Phil on Club Random said … “I’ve always thought shrinks were the craziest people in the world. Is that wrong?”
Doctor Phil’s response … “Well, I saw a study a long time ago that said most, and I don’t know if it was bullsh*t or what, but it said that an awful lot of people go into psychology originally because they are all screwed up and they think if they study it, they’ll figure it out and get better.”
Bill’s response … “Right… that’s interesting.”
And Doctor Phil continued … “And I saw a follow up that said, ‘Did it work?’ And it said, ‘not even almost.’”
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In honor of freedom of speech, thank you for not deleting this post.
I want to have the same attitude about life, as does Neil deGrasse Tyson.
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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@scout2469 "Let thy will be done," doesn't mean to pray to a god to fix anything ... unless of course he WANTS to intervene.
It just means "I won't try to pretend what god wills for me ... or for others."
I'm an Atheist now, so I don't believe the scribes were taking messages from gods "in the first place" ... but I do believe they were all imaging what a god would say ... IF the god existed.
Example ... from the book TALK TALK
TALK
By Jay Ingram … an investigation into the mystery of speech …
If it sounds all too bizarre, take Jaynes’s favorite example, Homer’s Iliad. This epic poem comes down to us, Jaynes argues, from pre-conscious or bicameral times. He claims that there are almost no examples in the Iliad of anyone acting on his own free will, or making decisions of any kind that aren’t dictated by the gods. They never sit down and decide what to do. When Agamemnon steals Achilles’ mistress, a god warns Achilles not to retaliate. Gods start the quarrels that cause the war, gods plan the strategy, a god leads the armies into battle, a god whispers to Helen, gods do everything. When Achilles reminds Agamemnon that he has stolen his mistress, Agamemnon replies, “Not I was the cause of the act, but Zeus …” The Iliad is only one example: there are many others that can be interpreted as showing that people at that time needed their own auditory hallucinations to act.
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@kalburgy2114 I don't believe Jesus was anything other than myth. But if you believe is real ... which religion do you believe he would support as being his one and only truth ... Judaism ... Catholicism ... or Protestantism?
At 70 years of age, I became an Atheist. I'm 84 now.
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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@studio28music97 Your words were "I didn't mention others. We should strive to fight against evil wherever we may encounter it. Within or outside of ourselves."
And my suggestion to you is ... that you should never believe you see EVIL in others ... OR ... in yourself ... because that type of thinking drove many people to commit murder and suicide.
If you think of yourself as being in the same boat as others because of having problems ... that removes the religious word EVIL out of your thoughts.
The word EVIL was created by ancient men that were convinced that an EVIL DEVIL was REAL and was trying to LEAD THEM and others INTO TEMPTATION!
Religion never was ... and is NOT ... good.
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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@kalburgy2114 Within twisted theology ... if Jesus believed that he was not good ... why trust him ... or worship him? The double-talk of religion, drove many humans to insanity and to suicide.
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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@scout2469 For theologians to teach devotees that prayers will be “answered” … leads to great disappointments.
And why would the devotees in the following story not WANT the soul of the child to go to heaven … if they believe that heaven is a desired place TO go?
From the book … Does This Mean You'll See Me Naked?: Field Notes from a Funeral Director ... author Robert Webster
Never have I seen the holidays more prominent than in the case of a minister's seven-year-old daughter. She was afflicted with erythroblastosis and finally succumbed, outliving her doctor's predictions by three years. She died in late November. This charismatic minister and several of his flock waited for me to arrive at the hospital to take his child to the funeral home. I placed her little body in the vehicle, and the entire group returned to their cars to follow me. The pastor-led mourners even accompanied me into the preparation room and assisted me in placing the girl on the table.
My waiting employer and I soon learned that the assembled congregation planned to keep vigil while we embalmed the body. As soon as the doors closed, they began chanting, wailing, and saying desperate heart-felt prayers--and they continued for hours. I wept as I worked, hearing this heartbroken clergy, his wife, and his friends pleading with God to please bring their little girl back to life. Of course, it was not to be, and even I felt a little cheated on their behalf that God did not answer prayers so genuinely offered.
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The term should not be "political correctness." It should be "polite correctness." The word "political" makes the "government" the focus, and the supposed culprit of all the dissention, whereas the word "polite correctness,” puts the responsibility where it belongs, which is on the individual. Should we not always be asking ourselves, "Am I being polite, or am I a big part of the problem?" It was not the government that enforced a law that the “N” word had to stop being used. It was those of the black race that rightfully complained that the “N” word was derogatory, and that they wanted people to respect them by using the term “Black.” Now, in “polite” company, people use the term “Black.” The Canadian government has never forced people to either use words, or to stop using words. As civilians, we monitor our own language. And if a citizen such as Jordan Peterson feels forced to use words that show respect of a certain group, then that person should take the complaint to the Supreme Court if he or she feels it is necessary, but we should not blame the leaders of the government. Concerning language, when it pertains to likes and dislikes, politicians are just ordinary citizens.
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@kevin-g1w Donald only cares about your vote. He doesn'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.
Just as Donald didn't care about those who got in trouble for supporting his will to attack the very government that he promised to protect and honor when he became President ... Donald will not take responsibility for his own nasty behavior now.
Donald could protect his angry followers from their own anger ... by admitting that HE was wrong ... and that his own behavior is the reason he has a guilty verdict in the court. But he WON'T ... because he doesn't CARE how much his idolizing followers are suffering for being incarcerated … some of them for years.
It's ALL about "THE DONALD."
What a selfish man.
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@joelandsharonoas7315 I became tired of theologians of all religions pulling the wool over their follower's eyes, and so I decided to do something about it by exposing the lies.
Atheist ... "Do you know for certain that a god exists?
Theologian ... "YES I DO?
Atheist ... Do you know what the god knows?
Theologian ... "NO!. I do NOT! What God knows is beyond all human ability TO know."
Atheist ... "Then why are you pretending that you do know?"
************************
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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@joelandsharonoas7315 Thankfully … now that hundreds of members of clergy of various religious “persuasions” 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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Written by a Jewish woman ... you might find the following perspective to be of interest …
From the book … Jean Naggar … author … Sipping from the Nile … My exodus from Egypt … author … Jean Naggar
Despite that understanding that her efforts could permanently undermine the way of life she had always known, Auntie Helen, accompanied by her distinctive cane, traveled alone again and again to Suez and Ismailia after the end of the Second World War to supervise and expedite the loading of Jews emigrating to Palestine onto makeshift boats in the dead of night.
Certainly, the formation of the State of Israel changed the dynamic between Arab and Jew in the Middle East. It became a polarizing magnet, leading to huge rifts in the standing social structure, cutting through generations of tradition and peaceable interaction. While most Jews world-wide rejoiced that Jews would at last have a homeland, those in Arab countries cast a wary eye at the chasm that was opening beside them, threatening irrevocably their safety and their way of life.
While I thought of my aunt as a fascinating person, I had no concept of the seismic shift that her activities were helping to produce in the internal psychological geography of the Arab countries, which were never again to accept their Jewish neighbors as brothers. With the creation of the State of Israel, militant Islam was granted a voice and a cause.
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Jordan wants the "herd" to follow him ... no matter what he goes on about.
I'm a Canadian, and no matter which party is in office, I'm thankful to live in Canada. And I believe the politicians do the best for the unruly, complaining citizens as they possibly can, under very trying circumstances.
For those who don’t approve of the laws that now exist in Canada, I suggest that you study history, when the Protestant Christian politicians, based on their own biblical interpretations, made hanging the laws of the land for over two hundred offenses, such as stealing a turnip, or picking someone’s pocket, or for not respecting the supposed Sabbath, or committing sodomy, etc.
From the book … Drop Dead: A Horrible History of Hanging in Canada … author … Lorna Poplak.
On January 19, 1649, a young girl of fifteen or sixteen was found guilty of theft and hanged in the town of Quebec. This was purported to be the first execution in Canada.
More than two hundred death penalties are gone from the law books, but the texts that authorized them remain. "Bible Teaching and Religious Practice," Europe and Elsewhere
Mark Twain
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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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I wonder what “law” Donald will dictate AT women that they must obey … during THIS presidency?
And I suggest you keep in mind that up until he ran for office of the presidency ... Donald was pro-choice for women who wanted abortions.
It seems that con-veniently ... *what Jesus expected of women ... was not on Donald's mind ... until he NEEDED that massive voting power of the Evangelicals.
From the book … To Offer Compassion: A history of the Clergy ... a History of the Consultation Service on Abortion ... author Doris Andrea Dirks ... and ... Patricia A. Relf
During the 2016 election cycle, calls to overturn Roe v. Wade continued. As a candidate in the Republican primaries, Donald J. Trump went so far as to say that if abortion were recriminalized, "there has to be some form of punishment" for women who have abortions, a position so extreme that even antiabortion groups such as Right to Life disavowed it. He quickly modified his stance to call only for punishment for the person performing the abortion, saying "Women punish themselves."
From the book … To Offer Compassion: A history of the Clergy ... a History of the Consultation Service on Abortion ... author Doris Andrea Dirks ... and ... Patricia A. Relf
During the 2016 election cycle, calls to overturn Roe v. Wade continued. As a candidate in the Republican primaries, Donald J. Trump went so far as to say that if abortion were recriminalized, "there has to be some form of punishment" for women who have abortions, a position so extreme that even antiabortion groups such as Right to Life disavowed it. He quickly modified his stance to call only for punishment for the person performing the abortion, saying "Women punish themselves."
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Concerning the subject of politics, people that badmouth either the left or the right, seem to think that when they see it, they can spot the truth. Added to that problem, is that the news media outlets, to make certain their ratings stay high, keep fueling the political fire between left and right, to the point where many of us probably can’t differentiate between the words left or right. Somewhere there must be a middle “line” on which to focus, if only we could find it during the frenzy. I don’t know about you, but I relate to the following quote, “We are all hallucinating all the time, including right now. It’s just that when we agree about our hallucinations, we call that reality.” Author, Anil Seth, neuroscientist.
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What do you refer to as being weak?
Donald Trump as President, more than a few times threatened North Korea's leader, but it was all puff and pomp, and the leader of North Korea laughed at him, and kept on performing the same behavior.
If every country went to war so they wouldn't appear as being weak, then when all the other countries ganged up on them and their bravado, they would soon "be" weak.
And now with nuclear war being the threat, by so many leaders of countries, bravado needs to be played down, or, all literal hell will break loose.
“I do not know with what weapons World War III will be fought, but World War IV will be fought with sticks and stones.” – Albert Einstein.
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Whether you believe you are left or right, for those who don’t approve of the laws that now exist in Canada, I suggest that you study history, when the Protestant Christian politicians, based on their own biblical interpretations, made hanging the laws of the land for over two hundred offenses, such as stealing a turnip, or picking someone’s pocket, or for not respecting the supposed Sabbath, or committing sodomy, etc.
From the book … Drop Dead: A Horrible History of Hanging in Canada … author … Lorna Poplak.
On January 19, 1649, a young girl of fifteen or sixteen was found guilty of theft and hanged in the town of Quebec. This was purported to be the first execution in Canada.
More than two hundred death penalties are gone from the law books, but the texts that authorized them remain. "Bible Teaching and Religious Practice," Europe and Elsewhere
Mark Twain
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@the8u9
Bullies ... in the name of Jesus.
From the book "Drop Dead: A Horrible History of Hanging in Canada," by 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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@thereisnonegoodbutgodjohn363 Thankfully now hundreds of ex-members of clergy are setting wonderful examples ... showing that for those who are ready ... there is a way of escaping the brain-numbing religious indoctrinations.
From Apostle to Apostate: The Story of the Clergy Project … authors … Catherine Dunphy, Richard Dawkins … Leaving a job in ministry is unlike any other career change. Not only are there feelings of isolation, but there are also fears about how to communicate one’s skills in ministry to another Job. Most members who had already left church work detailed a long arduous journey to find employment outside of religion. Many, if not most, of them returned to school, seeking degrees in psychology, social work, business administration, and computer science.
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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@thereisnonegoodbutgodjohn363
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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@thereisnonegoodbutgodjohn363
Now I understand why there are hundreds of ex members of clergy that have joined The Clergy Project, to find employment elsewhere.
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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@thereisnonegoodbutgodjohn363
Religions galore ... were and are ... created out of myth.
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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Would you rather be alive in this era ... with no death penalty ... or back in the day when Protestant Christian politicians (in Canada) enforced the death penalty for over two hundred (so called) reasons?
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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Having been raised in a Christian culture, I never could understand how those who believed in Jesus, would want to believe that Jesus, while preaching at followers how to love one another, would support the death penalty.
From the book … The Death Penalty: An American History … author … Stuart Banner.
In Pennsylvania, where murder had been the only capital crime for over three decades, pressure from the imperial government resulted in 1718 in the introduction of the death penalty for manslaughter, rape, highway robbery, maiming, burglary, arson, witchcraft, and sodomy. Later in the century the colony would add counterfeiting, squatting on Indian land, and prison-break to the list.
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@airfoilengine3799 Did you notice that Donald Trump didn't claim voter fraud in the States where he WON the majority of votes?
The first President of the United States, George Washington, under the question, Party, wrote, Unaffiliated.
I suggest that Donald Trump also should have stated Unaffiliated under Party, because he didn’t have any intention whatsoever of following Republican policies. He wanted to rule supreme with a heavy hand all his own making.
The writing was on the wall, when Republicans became terrified of being fired if they dared to state their own opinions that, in turn, disagreed with the opinions of "the Donald."
I suggest that had he won another four years, there wouldn’t have been any laws, except the laws that Donald dictated. And the problem is, some Republicans still in office that don't want to lose their positions in government, are terrified that if by chance he were to win the next election, they would also be fired if they dared (now) to go against him.
It takes brave people to stand up against such a want to be dictator.
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AI
The two words "artificial" and "intelligence" are at odds with each other, because if something just happened to be intelligent, it couldn't “be” artificial.
If humans with devious intentions program harmful information into computers, and then refuse to shut the electricity off that runs the computers, of course harm often is the result.
To say that computers cause harm, is comparable to saying that books labeled as being holy information from gods cause harm.
It is humans that “use” the computers and the words in the books for selfish reasons that causes the harm.
Nuclear weapons do not have artificial intelligence. However, if electricity is engaged because of aggressive human nature, those weapons will accomplish the job that the humans demand of them.
Whether it's a stick or a stone, or a spear, or an arrow, or a gun, or a computer, or words in books, those inanimate objects are not responsible for anything.
Artificial intelligence does not exist in inanimate objects, and humans using those objects to harm and kill other humans, leave everything in common with that word “intelligence” … to be desired.
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@jenex5608 If you study history, you will see how men messed with words in the so-called holy books … in “order” to suit their own interests.
From the book "The History Of Christianity ... The Church from the Reformation to the Present, Volume 2, by Clyde L. Manschreck ... comes the following.
The Millenary Petition, 1603
This petition, supposedly representing a thousand Puritans, was presented to James I on his way to London. He granted a conference the following year, authorized a new version of the scriptures, and made a few concessions, but he insisted on conformity to the Prayer Book, which was only slightly changed.(Gee and Hardy, Documents Illustrative of English Church History. Cf. Fuller, Church History of Britain
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I suggest that if the majority of people were left-handed, the right would be perceived as being "sinister."
From the book … Cultural Anthropology by Selby Garretson
A result from psychology
In American culture we feel that things on the right are somehow better, more reliable, and stronger than things on the left.
To understand why we feel this way involves going into the languages and traditions of Western culture and asking about the symbolic history of ideas “right” and “left.” The word for “left’ in Latin is sinister, and the word for “right” is dexter. “Left” in our culture’s history has been associated with “evil” or “anomalous” or “dangerous”; while “right” is associated with the law (droit, the word for “law” in French, is derived from Latin dexter and “law” or “right”) In politics, “left” means “change society to new (sinister) forms, while “right” means “keep things as they are,” or “keep going straight ahead.” Even recently, parents used to give their left-handed children problems, and no end of moral misgiving over their “affliction.” They would often make them change to being right-handed, perhaps even doing harm to the psychological well-being of the child. This preference for right-handedness persists, even though it has been estimated that up to 10 percent of the people in America are naturally left-handed.
This system of logic by oppositions is by no means confined to our society or culture. It is found all over the world.
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Many people don't realize that Margaret Sanger, who helped start Planned Parenthood, believed that abortion was murder, and that is why she wanted birth control to be made legal.
This was Planned Parenthood in the early days ... Planned Parenthood - in Their Own Words • "One sperm plus one egg = one baby." • -- Planned Parenthood/World Population pamphlet entitled "ABCs of Birth Control," 1973, page 4. "An abortion kills the life of a baby after it has begun. It is dangerous to your life and health." • -- Planned Parenthood 'Plan Your Children' pamphlet, 1963
Ultimately, those at Planned Parenthood soon realized that law, or no law, women were dying from botched abortions, and that is why they eventually decided that abortion by qualified doctors and pro-choice for women, was the only way to go.
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@soumyadipgoswami1721 I don't know about you, but 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!
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If those who changed their sex organs to suit their personalities have operations to go back to how their physical bodies were before the operations ... if they were not content with their bodies then, why are they going to be content with their bodies now?
They might say they are happy when they reverse the process, but only they know the truth of the matter.
A lot of times, people try to be what is expected of them to be, by those that put a lot of emotional pressure on them.
Note the religious input in the following article from Human Life International, about those who say they want to transition back to their original state, before they had their transgender operations … “Regardless of the numbers, regret is real—and the numbers don’t really matter to those affected by a decision that they now regret and who feel misled by either doctors or families.
What they know is that they are hurting.
And as stewards of our brothers and sisters in Christ, it is our job to treat them with empathy, understanding, and compassion. It is our job to help them see the inherent dignity in themselves. And in both love and charity, it is our job to assist them as they seek help in moving forward
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I don't know about you, but I relate to the following ...The Abortion Monologues ... author ... Jane Cawthorne
Monologue 8
There are these ads on the buses. They say they help women like me, women who are pregnant and don't know what to do next. I didn't want to go see my doctor about it. I don't like her much and I didn't want her to know. So I called them and I told them I wanted an abortion and they said I should come into the office and see a counsellor.
This counsellor, she kept talking to me about my "other options." I thought, well okay, they're counsellors, doing what counsellor's do, trying to make sure I've thought it through. I go along with it all, try to be polite. And then I say again that I want to have an abortion and could they help me set that up. They tell me to come back in a month. I say that I don't want to wait a month. I want to do it now., and are they going to help me or not? They say okay then, they're going to show me this movie, to help me know what to expect. I'm thinking, I don’t really want to see a movie, that if I was having my appendix out I wouldn't want to see a movie of it before the fact. I'm starting to think I've got to get out of there, but then the thought of starting the whole thing over or going to my doctor I don't like or the walk in clinic doesn't thrill me either. So, against my better judgment, I stayed. I'm in this dark room with the TV and this counsellor and they show me this film of all these ripped up fetuses and these women talking about how they're so sorry they had an abortion. It's disgusting. I ran out of there so fast.
It should be illegal, what they do.
They said they were non-judgmental and confidential in the ad. (laughs.) They phoned me at my house. (Getting increasingly agitated.) What if I lived with other people? They left me messages about keeping the baby, about how families would love to adopt my baby. It was insane. I phoned them back and threatened them with a lawyer, like I even have one, told them to stop harassing me.
They said lots of single women have babies now and in time, I would find a husband. Find a husband? Welcome to 19-fucking-50.
And don't try and tell me I should have given it up for adoption. It's not my job to give a baby to some couple who can't have one of their own. Fine, if that's what I want to do, but I don't. And I won't be guilted into it. It's nine months of my life too. Good for those who want to. But don't tell me I have to.
Besides, I'd always wonder about it. I can't live like that.
I was never someone who felt strongly about abortion before. Now I practically barf when I pass those stupid religious billboards and hear people talk their pro-life bullshit. Television preachers, morons in letters to the editor, men mouthing off about murder, I've got news for you. You haven't got a fucking clue. You'll stand with your stupid posters and block my way to the clinic, call me a murderer, but what actual good are you doing for all the little babies out there already that nobody wants? Talk to me about the sanctity of human life. There are seven billion of us on the planet. Seven billion. They figure nine billion by the time I'm fifty. Let's look after the ones already here, make sure all those kids are fed, have a roof over their heads, an education, a future instead of protecting a bunch of cells. With their logic, we should be saving every drop of sperm. We should be collecting our menstrual blood and fining the discarded egg and burying it with a solemn service. It makes no sense.
We've got real problems to deal with, climate change, a planet in crisis. We are so full of our self-importance. But we're like locusts, destroying our host, shitting where we eat. One less of us can only be a good thing.
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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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Thank you for honoring my freedom of speech.
If those who changed their sex organs to suit their personalities have operations to go back to how their physical bodies were before the operations ... if they were not content with their bodies then, why are they going to be content with their bodies now?
They might say they are happy when they reverse the process, but only they know the truth of the matter.
A lot of times, people try to be what is expected of them to be, by those that put a lot of emotional pressure on them.
Note the religious input in the following article from Human Life International, about those who say they want to transition back to their original state, before they had their transgender operations … “Regardless of the numbers, regret is real—and the numbers don’t really matter to those affected by a decision that they now regret and who feel misled by either doctors or families.
What they know is that they are hurting.
And as stewards of our brothers and sisters in Christ, it is our job to treat them with empathy, understanding, and compassion. It is our job to help them see the inherent dignity in themselves. And in both love and charity, it is our job to assist them as they seek help in moving forward.”
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Because human nature is ugly, the history of religion is also ugly. Example: From the book, Eunuchs for the Kingdom of Heaven … Uta Ranke-Heinemann
In his sermons against unchastity that he gave at the French court John Gerson (d. 1429) even invoked a decree of the Christian Emperor Vanentinian from the year 390 that punished homosexuality with burning at the stake (Codex Theodosianus 9, 7, 6). Gerson equates every action that thwarts the fertility of marital sex with homosexuality. He attacks the “inventive indecencies of sinners” in marriage. Such deeds “often deserve death my fire, and are worse than if they had been committed with women who were not the sinners’ wives. May a person have intercourse at all, if he prevents the fruit of marriage from being conceived? I say that such is often a sin that deserves the flames … Every imaginable conduct that hinders the union of a man and woman from producing issue must be condemned”(Sermon against Unchastity, 2nd Sunday in Advent, Works, vol. III, 916).
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From the book … My Own Words … author … RUTH BADER GINSBURG .Whether you are a Christian, or an Atheist … you better think hard and long, as you close one clinic after another … in the pretense that it protects “babies.” The lives of women are at stake here, and they are the lives of your mothers, daughters, aunts, friends … and even grandmothers. Then she made a point, nowhere addressed in the Breyer opinion, but embedded in the memories of women old enough to remember the days when abortion was illegal: “When a State severely limits access to safe and legal procedures, women in desperate circumstances may resort to unlicensed rogue practitioners, faute de mieux,I at great risk to their health and safety.” (Later speaking with a reporter, she was blunt about the law’s purpose: “It seemed to me it was a sham to pretend this was about a woman’s health” rather than about making it harder to obtain an abortion.)
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This fellow is a "supporter" of Donald Trump, and is not in the least bit sorry for any of his thoughts or behavior.
There shouldn’t be any question that Donald Trump rules OVER the Supreme Court judges of the United States … and that in his second term in office … ALL new laws in the United States … will be DICTATED BY Donald Trump … TO Donald Trump’s advantage.
From the book … Nine Black Robes: Inside the Supreme Court’s Drive to the Right and It’s Historic Consequences … author … Joan Biskupic.
When lower-court judges ruled against him or his policies, he suggested he had only to reach the Supreme Court to prevail. He understood that his approach to Supreme Court appointments mattered to the public. “The Supreme Court was one of the main reasons I got elected President,” Trump tweeted midway through his term.
At the time, and throughout his first full year, Trump was unconcerned with sending the “wrong message.” He mocked norms. Unlike some leaders in the legal arena, and many law professors, none of the Supreme Court justices referred in public to Trump’s provocations. They said nothing when Trump attacked Judge Curiel as “a Mexican” who could not be fair, or when he denounced Judge Robart and others who ruled in the travel ban cases. Perhaps it was difficult then to imagine how Trump’s words and deeds would affect public regard for the rule of law. He was so unlike any other American president. He was never chastened, never regretful. And in his first year, there seemed no penalty for what he said or did.
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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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From the book … Hallucinations … author … Oliver Sacks
Hallucinatory experiences, whatever their cause, generate a world of imaginary beings and abodes—heaven, hell, fairyland. Such myths and beliefs are designed to clarify and reassure and, at the same time, to frighten and warn. We make narratives for a nocturnal experience which is common, real and physiologically based.
When traditional figures—devils, witches, or hags—are no longer believed in, new ones—aliens, visitations from “a previous life”—take their place. Hallucinations, beyond any other waking experience, can excite, bewilder, terrify, or inspire, leading to the fokelore and the myths (sublime, horrible, creative, and playful) which perhaps no individual and no culture can wholly dispense with.
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@Gamehighlight2023 From the book … ALL that REMAINS, A RENOWNED SCIENTIST ON DEATH, MORALITY, AND SOLVING CRIMES, author SUE BLACK.
We have all heard stories of near-death experiences, portrayed as mystical events involving floating, out of body sensations, bright lights and tunnel visions of previous episodes in the person’s life and a feeling of calm. They tease us with the possibility that we can know what death will be like perhaps even if we can defy it. Science has alternative explanations. All of the phenomena reported can occur normally if the right biochemical conditions or neurological stimuli exist to impact on brain activity. Stimulation of the temporo-parietal junction on the right side of the brain will generate a sense of floating and out-of-body levitation. Vivid imagery, false memory and the replaying of real scenes from the past can be induced by fluctuating levels of the neurotransmitter dopamine, which interacts with the hypothalamus, amygdala and hippocampus. Depletion of oxygen and increased levels of carbon dioxide can cause the visual hallucination of bright light and tunnel vision, as well as a feeling of euphoria and peace.
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@alishanoel6358
This might give you new insight.
For those members of clergy that are still preaching, but are now non-believers, and have been for some time, there is help at The Clergy Project. These people are ex-members of clergy and can help you to find a new way of life.
As have so many members of clergy in the past that faced the same dilemma and did not have others in which they felt they could confide, please do not do anything drastic.
For members of clergy to come out as non-believers, is extremely difficult, because those of you who do, might lose your only means of income, often you will lose your families, and those you thought were your friends. You will be shunned.
After being a non-believer for approximately five years, while still preaching, ex-pastor Mike Aus came out with his admittance on National television. If you go to YouTube Mike Aus A Pastor’s Journey to Atheism Humanists of Houston, you will hear his responses to the many questions asked by those in the audience.
As will you, if you come out as non-believers, he had and has support from members of The Clergy Project.
Although it might seem that you are alone … as you will learn … you are far from being alone.
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Thanks for honoring freedom of speech.
Here is a Jew that understands the plight of the Palestinians. I suggest you listen to him as he well-known ... is soft-spoken … and very genuine.
Gabor Maté’s interview on Piers Morgan https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ph9XF39yjgU&t=513s
And written by a Jewish Woman, I suggest that you will find the following information to be of great interest.
From the book … Sipping from the Nile … My exodus from Egypt … author … Jean Naggar … “Despite that understanding that her efforts could permanently undermine the way of life she had always known, Auntie Helen, accompanied by her distinctive cane, traveled alone again and again to Suez and Ismailia after the end of the Second World War to supervise and expedite the loading of Jews emigrating to Palestine onto makeshift boats in the dead of night.
Certainly, the formation of the State of Israel changed the dynamic between Arab and Jew in the Middle East. It became a polarizing magnet, leading to huge rifts in the standing social structure, cutting through generations of tradition and peaceable interaction.
While most Jews world-wide rejoiced that Jews would at last have a homeland, those in Arab countries cast a wary eye at the chasm that was opening beside them, threatening irrevocably their safety and their way of life.
While I thought of my aunt as a fascinating person, I had no concept of the seismic shift that her activities were helping to produce in the internal psychological geography of the Arab countries, which were never again to accept their Jewish neighbors as brothers. With the creation of the State of Israel, militant Islam was granted a voice and a cause.”
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I am Canadian, and I suggest that in Europe, just as in Canada and the United States and other countries ... you have been misinformed about the issue of the Canadian government being dictatorial.
That rumor was started by Jordan Peterson, over Bill C-16, which in turn was meant to protect those such as transsexuals from verbal harassment.
Jordan is anti-transsexual, and he preaches that only males or females exists.
Because as does everyone, they only perceive subjects through tunnel vision, people should be very careful about taking the words of psychiatrists and psychologists as being “gospel truth.”
It was because of biblical interpretation that homosexuals became targets of Christianized therapists.
Homosexuals were put to death in Europe, Canada and the United States as being EVIL offenders of "GOD" ... and all because Christian therapists believed and stated in the affirmative that their therapy was based on literal truth.
Telling others that they are evil and not at all normal … is a horrible way to “treat” people … never mind the issue of charging the big bucks for such off the wall, misleading information.
There shouldn’t be any doubt that it is long past time to be showing respect to those who are homosexual, transsexual, and to all other members of the LGBTQ communities, by ceasing to offer therapy in the guise of teaching morality.
If they are no longer bullied into the idea that they are immoral or sick, or worse yet, evil … I suggest that they will then HAVE the will to perceive their selves as BEING mentally and physically healthy.
“I act as if God exists, and I’m terrified he might.” ~ Jordan Peterson
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I’m a Canadian and I suggest that both Justin Trudeau and Pierre Poilievre should not be taking sides against the Palestinians, as it is not our war to fight.
Israel only became a State in 1948, when some Jews then claimed land that previously had belonged to the different factions.
Until 1948 ... Jews never had a homeland. The word Israel in Judaism meant … “The Hebrew people, past, present, and future, regarded as the chosen people of God by virtue of the covenant of Jacob.”
There were more than a few Jews that were against that group of Jews setting up the State of Israel ... Einstein being one of the most outspoken concerning that issue. Those Jews figured that setting up that State of Israel would cause even more animosity around the world against the Jews than already existed.
Written by a Jewish Woman, I suggest that you will find the following information of great interest.
From the book … Sipping from the Nile … My exodus from Egypt … author … Jean Naggar
Despite that understanding that her efforts could permanently undermine the way of life she had always known, Auntie Helen, accompanied by her distinctive cane, traveled alone again and again to Suez and Ismailia after the end of the Second World War to supervise and expedite the loading of Jews emigrating to Palestine onto makeshift boats in the dead of night.
Certainly, the formation of the State of Israel changed the dynamic between Arab and Jew in the Middle East. It became a polarizing magnet, leading to huge rifts in the standing social structure, cutting through generations of tradition and peaceable interaction.
While most Jews world-wide rejoiced that Jews would at last have a homeland, those in Arab countries cast a wary eye at the chasm that was opening beside them, threatening irrevocably their safety and their way of life.
While I thought of my aunt as a fascinating person, I had no concept of the seismic shift that her activities were helping to produce in the internal psychological geography of the Arab countries, which were never again to accept their Jewish neighbors as brothers.
With the creation of the State of Israel, militant Islam was granted a voice and a cause.
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In the name of serving the commandments of a holy god, people in religion committed the following insane behavior. Read it, and weep … or not! It’s your choice.
From the book … Homosexuals and the Death Penalty in Colonial
America
Page 280
In the case of other capital crimes the New Haven code generally followed the style of the 1641 Body of Liberties. The sodomy statute, however, represented In the case of other capital crimes the New Haven code generally followed the style of the 1641 Body of Liberties. The sodomy statute, however, represented a unique and startling departure from New England tradition. The death penalty was extended to cover lesbianism, heterosexual anal intercourse, and even, in certain circumstances, masturbation: a unique and startling departure from New England tradition.
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Thanks for honoring my freedom of speech.
Even Jordan knows that he is a fraud.
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 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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Written by a Jewish Woman, I suggest that you will find the following information of great interest.
From the book … Sipping from the Nile … My exodus from Egypt … author … Jean Naggar
“Despite that understanding that her efforts could permanently undermine the way of life she had always known, Auntie Helen, accompanied by her distinctive cane, traveled alone again and again to Suez and Ismailia after the end of the Second World War to supervise and expedite the loading of Jews emigrating to Palestine onto makeshift boats in the dead of night.
Certainly, the formation of the State of Israel changed the dynamic between Arab and Jew in the Middle East. It became a polarizing magnet, leading to huge rifts in the standing social structure, cutting through generations of tradition and peaceable interaction.
While most Jews world-wide rejoiced that Jews would at last have a homeland, those in Arab countries cast a wary eye at the chasm that was opening beside them, threatening irrevocably their safety and their way of life.
While I thought of my aunt as a fascinating person, I had no concept of the seismic shift that her activities were helping to produce in the internal psychological geography of the Arab countries, which were never again to accept their Jewish neighbors as brothers.
With the creation of the State of Israel, militant Islam was granted a voice and a cause.”
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I'm 82 years of age, and I'm also a Canadian. No matter which party is in power, I support the decisions made my the leaders, because this is the best country in the world for freedoms. Back in the 19th century, there were 230 death penalties in the law in Canada, which came from British rule of Protestant Christian interpretation of the KJV bible. Imagine being put to death for stealing a turnip.
In Canada, the individual provinces controlled the laws concerning mask mandates, trying to encourage people to become vaccinated, etc. Justin Trudeau allowed the demonstration to continue, until the behavior of the demonstrators became illegal ... blocking highways, bringing firearms to the rallies, etc. Then ... Justin did what any Prime Minister would do. He cracked down on the abusers of the law. You can smear Justin's name to get your high media ratings, but I see right through you.
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Thank you for honoring free speech, by not deleting my post.
Jordan Peterson rose to fame on his credentials as a psychologist. The fact that he has such influence on YouTube and other venues … and puts down those who are transgender, is dangerous to those people.
Jordan preaches his Christian religion under his banner as a psychologist and preaches that only male and female exist.
He rose to fame on the misinformation that the Canadian government is banning his speech, which is not at all true, as Bill C-16 is meant to protect those of the LGBTQ community from bullying tactics. The bill was created so that THEY could take bullies to court if THEY so desire.
If Jordan had not used his label as a psychologist to preach his personal version of religion, and his personal views on politics, and on the transgender issue … he would be totally unknown in the public sphere.
Christian (psychologists) pulled, and pull off the same stunt against homosexuals, by preaching that the bible says homosexuals are evil and that a god says they should be put to death. It's time to stop this type of psychological hatred ... preached in the guise of love.
At one time in Canada, Christian lawmakers put into law, that homosexuals must be put to death.
If you want to hear and see a bible “user” (in this modern era) preach hate in the guise of Jesus’ love, I suggest you listen to and watch the following Protestant preacher on YouTube … https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UbSM_kxpObc
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Because as does everyone, they only perceive subjects through tunnel vision, I suggest that people should be very careful about taking the words of psychiatrists and psychologists as being “gospel truth.”
It was because of biblical interpretation that homosexuals became targets of Christian theologians, and Christianized therapists.
It was legal by law in Canada, the United States and England and other countries, to put homosexuals to death as being offenders of "GOD" ... and all because Christian theologians and imitating therapists believed and stated in the affirmative that their therapy was based on literal truth.
Here’s a modern-day preacher, that gets away with his hateful words, under the guise of religious truth. Protestant preacher wants the government to put homosexuals to death https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UbSM_kxpObc
Telling others that they are evil and not at all normal … is a horrible way to “treat” people.
There shouldn’t be any doubt that it is long past time to be showing respect to those who are homosexual, transsexual, and to all other members of the LGBTQ communities, by in turn ceasing to offer therapy in the guise of morality.
If these minority groups are no longer bullied into the idea that they are immoral or sick, or worse yet, evil … I suggest that they will then HAVE the will to perceive their selves as BEING mentally and physically healthy.
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When I still believed in the existence of a god, I was assured by others (of the same mentality) that I was a "deep thinker." However, when I became a non-believer concerning the existence of a god ... those same people referred to me as being a fool ... crazy ... insane ... and other derogatory unmentionables.
In thought and deed ... we are very fickle beasts.
There are now hundreds of ex members of clergy that have joined The Clergy Project, to find employment elsewhere.
From Apostle to Apostate: The Story of the Clergy Project … authors … Catherine Dunphy, Richard Dawkins
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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@michelangelo4701 Following are gentle words ... from a gentle man.
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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@humanbeing4841 I prefer to believe that following way.
Gentle words … from a gentle man.
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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@jasintosamora5599 The supposed savior of souls of Christians, was just the most recent son of a god or gods 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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@jasintosamora5599 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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Devotees of religion refer to consciousness as being a soul that flies away either to be rewarded with eternal bliss, or to suffer harsh judgment from a god for eternity, or to reincarnate back and forth between earth and other dimensions, until all the nasty karmic debts are paid in full … presumably to the supposed god.
I suggest it’s as possible that humans will be aware after death, as it will be possible that alligators, or bears, or snakes, or mosquitoes will be aware after death, and that if as a species, we had evolved with paws or hooves, neither science nor religion would exist.
Much ado about nothing … William Shakespeare.
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After reading her book "Infidel" it is easy to understand that after the terrible things that happened to her in childhood, and as an adult, Ayaan is very bitter towards Islam.
But there are many ways of perceiving ... and to balance out Ayaan's bitterness I suggest we should pay attention to the words of this Jewish woman, who has a different point of view concerning problems in the Middle East.
From the book … Sipping from the Nile … My exodus from Egypt … author … Jean Naggar
“Despite that understanding that her efforts could permanently undermine the way of life she had always known, Auntie Helen, accompanied by her distinctive cane, traveled alone again and again to Suez and Ismailia after the end of the Second World War to supervise and expedite the loading of Jews emigrating to Palestine onto makeshift boats in the dead of night.
Certainly, the formation of the State of Israel changed the dynamic between Arab and Jew in the Middle East. It became a polarizing magnet, leading to huge rifts in the standing social structure, cutting through generations of tradition and peaceable interaction.
While most Jews world-wide rejoiced that Jews would at last have a homeland, those in Arab countries cast a wary eye at the chasm that was opening beside them, threatening irrevocably their safety and their way of life.
While I thought of my aunt as a fascinating person, I had no concept of the seismic shift that her activities were helping to produce in the internal psychological geography of the Arab countries, which were never again to accept their Jewish neighbors as brothers.
With the creation of the State of Israel, militant Islam was granted a voice and a cause.”
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Most theologians teach that the “mind” of God, is beyond all human understanding. However, that is just before they start insinuating that they do understand exactly what “God” is thinking. I suggest that egoism is the nature of the human beast.
>>>
In the second page of the King James version of the bible the words read as follows …
THE BIBLE
THIS BOOK REVEALS THE MIND OF GOD, the state of man, the way of salvation, the doom of sinners, and the happiness of believers.
ITS DOCTRINES ARE HOLY, its precepts are binding, its histories are true, and its decisions are immutable.
READ IT AND BE WISE, believe it to be safe, and practice it to be holy. It contains light to direct you, food to support you, and comfort to cheer you.
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@ranro7371 When it pertains to that ongoing war ... they are all terrorists.
Even Jews hate other Jews.
And survival of the fittest usually wins over care of others. Example: Jews hate the word Nazi ... yet during the war ... to save their own lives ... some Jews were willing to pretend that they WERE Nazis.
Are you aware that Jews in ancient history were polytheists ... with belief in the existence of many gods?
Are you aware that because of monotheism started by some Jews ... that Jews took each other to "earthly" court ... to "try" to prove who the real religious Jews were compared to the fake religious Jews?
Are you aware of how many Jews in Israel live in poverty?
Jews are just ordinary people ... self-serving ... confused by religion and life in general ... which is enough to confuse anyone.
And when it pertains to religion, even nonsense will seem to make sense. Example … from the book, “A History of God,” by Karen Armstrong ... "Yet it is also true that even in Auschwitz some Jews continued to study the Talmud and observe the traditional festivals, not because they hoped that God would rescue them but because it made sense. There is a story that one day in Auschwitz, a group of Jews put God on trial. They charged him with cruelty and betrayal. Like Job, they found no consolation in the usual answers to the problem of evil and suffering in the midst of this current obscenity. They could find no excuse for God, no extenuating circumstances, so they found him guilty and, presumably, worthy of death. The Rabbi pronounced the verdict. Then he looked up and said that the trial was over: it was time for the evening prayers."
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There is always more to learn … From the book … EPIGENETICS … HOW ENVIRONMENT SHAPES OUR GENES … author … RICHARD C. FRANCIS.
Here’s a puzzle, consider the case of two brothers, when each had reached the age of twenty. One of them—call him Al—was a typical male. His brother, Bo, however, was not at all typical of young males at that age. Bo looked more like a pre-adolescent male: poorly developed muscles, absolutely no facial hair, and a voice to match. Their mother was understandably worried about Bo, and soon after his twentieth birthday finally convinced him to see a doctor. Once Bo removed his clothes, the doctor immediately noticed that something was missing—his genitals. A closer inspection revealed that he did in fact have genitals but nothing like those you would expect of a twenty-year-old male. They seemed vestigial. The doctor’s diagnosis was Kallman syndrome, a disorder of sexual development. What’s puzzling is this: Al and Bo are identical twins, nature’s clones. So what happened to Bo? And why didn’t it happen to Al?
It is Possible but highly unlikely that Bo’s DNA mutated after the fertilized egg split, in which case the twins would be genetically different. It is much more likely that the differences in Al and Bo are epigenetic in nature. The term epigenetic refers to long-term alterations of DNA that don’t involve changes in the DNA sequence itself.
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@miguecuello3728 Serial killer Jeffrey Dahmer of Wisconsin, speaking of his routine before hunting for a victim said, “Just…using pictures of past victims…the pornography videos, the magazines…” Jeffrey Dahmer killed 17 boys and men.
Ted Bundy, convicted rapist and mutilation murderer of Washington, said that hard-core pornography had a "crystallizing effect" on his violent tendencies and his acting out during the 1970s.
Arthur Gary Bishop from Utah, executed for raping and murdering five boys in the 1980s, said pornography's "effect on me was devastating."
Andrei Chikatilo, a Russian serial killer, murdered at least 53 women and children. "…with pictures of naked women in his prison cell, he blamed pornography as the cause of this troubles."
Wisconsin resident Ed Gein, the first serial killer, aka The Butcher of Plainfield, and inspiration for movies such as Psycho, Maniac, and The Silence of the Lambs "accumulated a library of anatomy books, porn magazines, horror and adventure novel…" in the 1950s.
John Wayne Gacy's wife filed for divorce in 1976 because "Gacy's moods had become erratic, and [she] had found Gacy's pornographic magazine collection which was all centered around young boys." Gacy killed at least 33 young men and boys in Chicago, Illinois.
The nickname BTK (bind, torture, kill) was given to Dennis Rader, a Kansas native, who killed 10 people. "He kept meticulous records of his fantasies and crimes in what he called his 'mother lode' collection of pornography."
David Berkowitz killed over a dozen people in New York. He joined a cult and was introduced to "drug use, sadistic pornography and violent crime." The cult also created and distributed child pornography.
Richard Ramirez was exposed to explicit pictures of his cousin "raping Vietnamese women and severing the heads of Vietcong soldiers." He in turn killed at least 13 people in California.
Edmund Kemper, a California serial killer and necrophile known as the Co-ed Killer, used pornography and detective magazines for erotic stimulation; he picked up women who were hitch-hiking, then killed, and raped them post-mortem.
Ottis Toole from Florida became obsessed with gay pornography. He "committed his first murder at the age of 14." During his killing spree, accompanied by Henry Lee Lucas, he killed 108 people.
The Grim Sleeper, Lonnie Franklin Jr., "had a penchant for prostitutes and pornography." A resident of LA, he would pick up prostitutes, take pornographic pictures of his victims, then strangle them to death. His killing spree included 11 murders.
In the 2013 murder case of Tia Sharp, a 12-year-old girl from the UK, the judge declared to murderer Stuart Hazell, "the records of your internet searching on your mobile phone make abundantly clear that you were looking out for pornographic pictures of pre-teen girls."
In 2013, on the day Mark Bridger, a UK native,abducted April Jones, he "viewed online photographs of a young girl and a pornographic cartoon depicting...rape."
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@poeticdreamer420 Serial killer Jeffrey Dahmer of Wisconsin, speaking of his routine before hunting for a victim said, “Just…using pictures of past victims…the pornography videos, the magazines…” Jeffrey Dahmer killed 17 boys and men.
Ted Bundy, convicted rapist and mutilation murderer of Washington, said that hard-core pornography had a "crystallizing effect" on his violent tendencies and his acting out during the 1970s.
Arthur Gary Bishop from Utah, executed for raping and murdering five boys in the 1980s, said pornography's "effect on me was devastating."
Andrei Chikatilo, a Russian serial killer, murdered at least 53 women and children. "…with pictures of naked women in his prison cell, he blamed pornography as the cause of this troubles."
Wisconsin resident Ed Gein, the first serial killer, aka The Butcher of Plainfield, and inspiration for movies such as Psycho, Maniac, and The Silence of the Lambs "accumulated a library of anatomy books, porn magazines, horror and adventure novel…" in the 1950s.
John Wayne Gacy's wife filed for divorce in 1976 because "Gacy's moods had become erratic, and [she] had found Gacy's pornographic magazine collection which was all centered around young boys." Gacy killed at least 33 young men and boys in Chicago, Illinois.
The nickname BTK (bind, torture, kill) was given to Dennis Rader, a Kansas native, who killed 10 people. "He kept meticulous records of his fantasies and crimes in what he called his 'mother lode' collection of pornography."
David Berkowitz killed over a dozen people in New York. He joined a cult and was introduced to "drug use, sadistic pornography and violent crime." The cult also created and distributed child pornography.
Richard Ramirez was exposed to explicit pictures of his cousin "raping Vietnamese women and severing the heads of Vietcong soldiers." He in turn killed at least 13 people in California.
Edmund Kemper, a California serial killer and necrophile known as the Co-ed Killer, used pornography and detective magazines for erotic stimulation; he picked up women who were hitch-hiking, then killed, and raped them post-mortem.
Ottis Toole from Florida became obsessed with gay pornography. He "committed his first murder at the age of 14." During his killing spree, accompanied by Henry Lee Lucas, he killed 108 people.
The Grim Sleeper, Lonnie Franklin Jr., "had a penchant for prostitutes and pornography." A resident of LA, he would pick up prostitutes, take pornographic pictures of his victims, then strangle them to death. His killing spree included 11 murders.
In the 2013 murder case of Tia Sharp, a 12-year-old girl from the UK, the judge declared to murderer Stuart Hazell, "the records of your internet searching on your mobile phone make abundantly clear that you were looking out for pornographic pictures of pre-teen girls."
In 2013, on the day Mark Bridger, a UK native,abducted April Jones, he "viewed online photographs of a young girl and a pornographic cartoon depicting...rape."
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@poeticdreamer420 One survey of 28,000 Italian men found that "excessive consumption" of porn, starting at age 14, and daily consumption in their early to mid-20s, desensitized men to even the most violent images. According to the head of the Italian Society of Andrology and Sexual Medicine, this can cause male sexual dysfunction by lowering libido and eventually leading to an inability to get an erection.
“Due to the pornography available on the Internet, we are finding out that this type of sex dysfunction is a real entity,” said David B. Samadi, MD, chairman of the urology department and chief of robotic surgery at Lenox Hill Hospital in New York City. “It is a problem in the brain, not the penis."
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Jews, in ancient times, were the cause of antisemitism. Back when Jews and devotees of all other religions believed in many gods, there wasn't any reason to fight over the subject of salvation, because all devotees of all religions were united in the idea that they all had gods that would reward them with salvation and eternal bliss. When the Jews invented the story that there was only one god in existence, and that they were the chosen few by that one god, that was when the wars over religion began. Every religious group that followed, such as Catholics, Muslims, and Protestants lusted to be favorites of that one supposed god, as they did not, and would not believe that the one god in existence would favor only the Jews. How unfortunate, that by creating that one god dogma, the Jews brought the envy and hatred of others back to their selves, which resulted in the word antisemitism. I suggest we should all understand that it was not the modern Jews that created that one god dogma, and that they are not in any way responsible for what took place in the mentalities of those Jews that lived back in ancient times. Another tragedy is, that the one god dogma continues all these centuries later, to keep dividing devotees into right fighters over whose souls will be saved and whose souls will be shunned by that one god for eternity.
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What a difference one word makes.
The author of the following book believes that in antiquity psychedelics caused those ancient people to have “visions” … while I believe that psychedelics caused those people to hallucinate, and that hallucinations “are” illusion.
From the book … THE IMMORTALITY KEY … THE SECRET HISTORY OF THE RELIGION WITH NO NAME … author … BRIAN C. MURARESKU
“In fact, I think they used drugs. Because they wanted to have, eh … how do you say, illusions.”
“Visions?” I suggest.
“Visions! Yes. In antiquity, this was not so strange. For example, what is the name of this plant, the one with morphine?”
“Morphine? Oh, the poppy.”
“Yes, the poppy,” the director repeats. You see the poppy everywhere. And then there’s Delphi. They say the Pythia has eaten leaves from what? From the laurel. This too provokes visions. Because it has oily leaves. And the oil is in a way, dung.”
To this day the debate rages on about what inspired the famous prophecies at the Oracle of Delphi, about a hundred miles northwest of this office.
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Thanks for honoring free speech.
I'm a Canadian and no matter which party is in office ... I'm thankful to live in one of the best countries on planet with, and ever so thankful to not be living in Canada *or the United States ... in an era when the Christian religion ruled Supreme.
Would you rather be alive in this era ... or back in the day when Christian politicians (in Canada) enforced the death penalty for over two hundred (so called) reasons?
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.
From the book … The Death Penalty: An American History … author … Stuart Banner.
That glimmer grew into a blaze in the 1760s and 1770s, as more and more Americans began to question the appropriateness of capital punishment for property crime. “Who can avoid pitying poor young fellows, whose existence is cut off in the prime and viguor of life, for the paltry theft of a handkerchief, or of a watch, or for writing a few words on a slip of paper, with a fraudulent intention?” asked the Georgia Gazette in 1767.
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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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@albertorynda740 It's a known fact that in the United States ... to run for the office of President ... one has to either be a Catholic ... or ... a Protestant.
I wonder if Evangelists such as Donald Trump really DO believe that Jesus (the Jewish Rabbi) is busy taking their "new" sins unto his self ... or if they just pretend to believe that age old mythology?
What do you believe?
After many years of being a Reverend … to becoming a non-believer … Dan Barker quoted the following words … in the book … Godless: How an Evangelical Preacher Became One of America’s Leading Atheists by Dan Barker, Richard Dawkins
"It does no good to say that Jesus died on the cross to pay for our sins. I don’t have any sins, but if I did I wouldn’t want Jesus to die for my sins. I would say, “No, thanks. I will take responsibility for my own actions.” What self-respecting person would want otherwise? If I commit a crime, Jesus can die a million deaths and still not change the fact that the guilt lies with me. If I am convicted of a felony, does the law allow someone else to go to prison in my place? What good would that do? It would make a mockery of law and justice and would turn me into an even more reprehensible character, fobbing responsibility off on another."
"Our prisons are filled with the devout. I'd be more willing to accept religion, even if I didn't believe it, if I thought it made people nicer to each other but I don't think it does.” Sincerely, Andy Rooney, 1999
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Thank you for allowing my freedom of speech.
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 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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I always figured people that badmouth the left or the right, seem to think they have found the "line" in the middle, that makes their opinions and behaviors superior. What a joke we are, on ourselves.
When demonstrations of angry adults last too long, often, mob violence is the end result, with nothing good accomplished. Such behavior reminds me of the quote, "Even friendly mobs, have the smell of the beast" ... author unknown.
Whoever organized this disorganization, should have taken the complaints to court, rather than to the streets. That is the way civil people behave. Let the Supreme Court judges decide the matter.
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AI
The two words "artificial" and "intelligence" are at odds with each other, because if something just happened to be intelligent, it couldn't “be” artificial.
If humans with devious intentions program harmful information into computers, and then refuse to shut the electricity off that runs the computers, of course harm often is the result.
To say that computers cause harm, is comparable to saying that books labeled as being holy information from gods cause harm.
It is humans that “use” the computers and the words in the books for selfish reasons that causes the harm.
Nuclear weapons do not have artificial intelligence. However, if electricity is engaged because of aggressive human nature, those weapons will accomplish the job that the humans demand of them.
Whether it's a stick or a stone, or a spear, or an arrow, or a gun, or a computer, or words in books, those inanimate objects are not responsible for anything.
Artificial intelligence does not exist in inanimate objects, and humans using those objects to harm and kill other humans, leave everything in common with that word “intelligence” … to be desired.
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@down-to-earth-mystery-school The neurosurgeon Eben Alexander, (who was raised in a Christian religious household) believed that his positive thoughts of heaven during his near-death experiences were “real” … but that his negative experiences were fantasy and hallucination. By the way, his brain had pus in it, so it was little wonder that he was hallucinating. From his book … Proof of Heaven, by Eben Alexander, M. D. come the following words … “The most interesting thing about this session of nightmares and paranoid fantasies, in retrospect, is that all of it was indeed that: a fantasy.” And more, from the same book … Proof of Heaven, by Eben Alexander, M. D. … “I was going through something called “ICU psychosis.” It’s normal, even expected, for patients whose brains are coming back online after being inactive for a long period. I’d seen it many a time, but never from the inside. And from the inside it was very, very different indeed.”
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The population explosion in all countries creates mess, as in, more people, much more mess. However, much of the mess in the United States, is caused because of people being allowed to live, that in other countries would be put to immediate death. That is what makes the United States so appealing to those from other countries, who want to become citizens.
I suggest you don't knock it, but rather appreciate it, as those from other countries would appreciate it, if only they could attain citizenship.
I'm from Canada, and I appreciate every freedom I have, for instance, my freedom of speech to, in turn post these opinions. And by the way, I visited the beautiful States of Oregon, and Montana, and thought about the people who were lucky enough to live in United States, as I am just so lucky to live in Canada.
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Certainly, the Christians support the Jews, and that is because the Christian "Jews for Jesus story" is that the Jews must go back to "their homeland" before Jesus will agree to his second coming on earth.
Jews never had a homeland on planet earth. That scripture was first based on the "spiritual" aspect ... “Israel … the Hebrew people, past, present, and future, regarded as the chosen people of God by virtue of the covenant of Jacob.”
Christians killed the Jews as heretics for centuries and now the modern-day Christian “Jews for Jesus movement” want the Jews to go back their homeland on earth … “which they are certain is the earthly land of Israel.”
Those in divisive religions do not play nice with each other ... for any other reason than selfishness.
Had Jesus lived as a religious Jewish Rabbi (rather than a character in a Christian book meant to start a new religion foreign to, and terribly offensive TO Judaism) ... Jesus would have stayed faithful ONLY TO Judaism ... and Christianity would not exist.
Modern-day Christians only side with Jews because they want to convert the Jews TO Christianity … and somehow the Jews keep leading those Christians to believe there just might be a "hope, "even though the Jews know it’s not true.”
On planet earth … where might becomes right, the Jews would be fools to not take advantage of the powerful Christian support for their own Jewish cause.
Christians are in Israel as Christian missionaries ... not as supporters of the “religion” of Judaism.
Even the Catholic pope went to Israel in hopes of converting the Jews to "Catholicism, only because he had his own "mission." And rather than telling him to go home where his Catholicism was accepted by Catholics ... the Jews “played nice” and allowed him to think he just might have made some "headway."
It should be plain for all to see, that the Jews need the support of the evangelizing Christians for their own CAUSE and NOT because they intend to convert to Christianity. That is not at all on their agenda.
And the Christians never did and certainly do not have any intentions of converting to Judaism as being a means to their salvation.
Meanwhile as the Jews and Christians play their "we're the best of buddies" game ... the Muslim Palestinians are still perceived as "heretics" ... evil blasphemers … offensive to "God" ... which equates to ... offensive to the Jews and Christians.
"Oh what a tangled web we weave, when we practice to deceive" ... author ... Walter Scott
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It is not Justin Trudeau, or the Liberal government that is causing trouble for the rogue psychologist Jordan Peterson.
It is the governing board of psychologists that understand that Jordan does not play by any rules but his own, and that he is giving his own personal wonky versions of psychology, mixed with his religion and his personal version of anti-left politics to his millions of devotees, as he makes his big money from the Conservative Christians.
Another issue that is very worrisome, of which psychologists are aware, is that if a psychologist takes his or her own life … (which happens on occasion) it has an extremely traumatic effect on those that were taking mental counsel from that psychologist.
Jordan is not at all well. By his own admission, when someone dares to disagree with him, he has a hot temper, and he does and says whatever in the moment satiates that anger. That is the sign of someone with very low self esteem, and a frail ego.
I hope for the sake of his family and his devout followers that if he takes (what might be) the inevitable fall from fame … Jordan will be able to take it in stride … and say … “That’s the way it goes. You win some. You lose some.” But having listened to so many of his YouTube podcasts I doubt that he will take defeat in any sort of honorable fashion.
If his license as a professor of psychology is revoked and he keeps blaming the Trudeau government for trying to take away his freedom of speech … it’s anybody’s guess what type of unruly demonstrations could follow?
With all his sermons about Jesus … that in turn ring hollow … I suggest that as occurred with Donald Trump … Jordan Peterson certainly would not encourage his demonstrators to keep any semblance of peace.
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@vimalpatel4060 You might be interested in the following ...
Pornography was and is bad news for society.
There was a time not so long ago that pornography was considered as a man seeing a woman's bare ankle.
Therapists are now concerned that pornography is resulting in many men who are addicted to pornography (without the help of a stimulant such as Viagra) becoming impotent.
Such an addiction starts out as seemingly innocent, but as the addiction to soft porn becomes repetitive and boring, new types of sexual viewing is needed to stimulate the erotic senses.
Crossing the boundary between soft porn to hard porn to the next step of forced brutal sex against the wills of men or women, can soon become uncontrollable to some perpetrators.
More women and men are being raped and murdered because rough-forced sex learned from hard-core pornography, is for many men, becoming normal, and these men that rape do not want to be incarcerated for the rapes, so they kill their victims, knowing that if they allow them to live, they will be reported and in turn, incarcerated.
Many serial killers started out believing that watching pornography was an innocent pastime. Examples:
Serial killer Jeffrey Dahmer of Wisconsin, speaking of his routine before hunting for a victim said, “Just…using pictures of past victims…the pornography videos, the magazines…” Jeffrey Dahmer killed 17 boys and men.
Ted Bundy, convicted rapist and mutilation murderer of Washington, said that hard-core pornography had a "crystallizing effect" on his violent tendencies and his acting out during the 1970s.
Richard Ramirez was exposed to explicit pictures of his cousin "raping Vietnamese women and severing the heads of Vietcong soldiers." He in turn killed at least 13 people in California.
It was unfortunate that those men couldn’t see ahead to know that the price of those thrills was to spend the rest of their lives incarcerated, or, to have their own lives cut short by the enforcement of the death penalty.
You might be certain that you have control over pornography … and that might be true … until one day you find that pornography has complete control over you.
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For helping women who wanted abortions ... would you label these members of clergy as being moral ... or immoral?
From the book … Life's Work: A Moral Argument for Choice ... author ... Dr. Willie Parker
Ethical Abortion Care
An estimated 450,000 women called on the Clergy Consultation Service for help in the six years before Roe--and the coalition, which started with twenty-one members, grew to two thousand. Activism by Moody's group helped propel New York's legislature to legalize abortion in 1970, the first state in the nation to do so.
Emboldened by its success, the Clergy Consultation Service then began to help women from other states travel to New York to obtain safe and legal abortions, and then, breaking with medical establishment, these same clerics proposed the model for the first abortion clinic. Believing that women's privacy and autonomy would be better served if they could get their abortion care in a freestanding clinic instead of in a hospital. Moody's group worked with a doctor committed to providing "low cost, quality care, humane treatment and a willingness to serve the poor" in a freestanding place. Women's Services, on Manhattan's Upper East Side, was the first abortion clinic in the country.
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Thanks for honoring free speech.
For admitting that she was wrong, Pam deserves a medal of honor.
And I disagree with the Protestant preacher Franklin Graham that it was a god that put Donald Trump in the White House ... when it was the massive amounts of votes from the Evangelicals that put him there ... because of how Donald GROOMED them to believe that it was Jesus TELLING Donald that he SHOULD run for the office of President.
From the book … The Faith of Donald J. Trump: A spiritual Biography … authors David Brody, Scott Lamb. In 2012, Trump called White and told her he was thinking of running for president. There was a time of prayer as he pondered the decision. Of course, he didn’t run then, but he called again in 2015 and told her, “’I really believe the Lord is speaking to me, that maybe I’m supposed to run for President. ’I asked him, ‘As my friend, what can I do for you?’ He asked for me to bring some pastors in to him and I did.”
Time and again, White and various pastors have surrounded Trump and placed their hands on his shoulders as prayers were spoken. It was also during this season in Trump’s life that he began to make new friends from within evangelicalism.
Huckabee recalled how it was Ben Carson and Paula White who had told Trump he needed to work more on the evangelicals—to talk to them directly and all at once. He had a number of different meetings that he’d had with smaller groups of pastors. But he had never brought in the ‘heads of the families’—to use a mafia term—for a united meeting with all the ‘mega-stars’ and all the leaders that might not be marquee names. We ended up packing the ballroom—way more than anyone thought would happen.
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Thanks for honoring my freedom of speech.
As the human population keeps on increasing, that results in more air, water, and land pollution.
As humans keep reproducing at a faster rate than humans are dying, common sense tells us that we are polluting more, rather than less.
Pollution is a fact of life, and unless there is a major catastrophe, such as a nuclear war ... we will keep polluting, because that is just how much all of us enjoy our personal comforts.
It’s not fair to blame the manufacturers of the products, because if we weren’t buying … they could not be selling. And of course, the manufacturers take their business to countries where the environmental laws are lax. We all look after number one first and foremost.
So ... let us not point fingers at others … or expect governments to clean up the impossible messes that all of us keep on creating.
What we destroy might ultimately destroy us … and that is only fair.
Meanwhile, we should keep our fingers pointing at ourselves … where they belong.
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@totalwater9431 A baby breathes on its own. A fetus does not, and that is why women that have abortions are not incarcerated as BEING murderers.
if a man murders his pregnant wife, or girlfriend, he will be accused of two homicides, and that is because he took two choices away from the woman ... her life, and her decision of whether she wanted to have an abortion, or, to give birth to the baby.
What does not breathe, cannot be murdered. There isn't any air in the lungs of a fetus. Only babies have air in their lungs, and only babies can be murdered.
The non-religious, scientific medical terms are, zygote, embryo, fetus ... and ... baby.
Because of the system of belief that a god exists that is offended by women having abortions ... religious zealot's use the terms ... baby, baby, baby, and baby.
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@totalwater9431 Many years ago, a man and his wife of the Jehovah's Witness denomination came to my door to proselytize their beliefs. I invited them in, treated them with dignity, and we discussed our own ways of believing. I was still under my own spell of religion at that time.
When the subject turned to the issue of abortion, the woman made it plain that she looked down on women for what she perceived was their heartless acts of aborting “babies.”
When I asked her, if there was a woman in her presence that suffered from a botched abortion if she would help her, she answered in a haughty manner, "I don't know!!! She chose to do that, so, I just don't know!"
I then asked the question, "From your perception, what do you believe Jesus would do in that circumstance?"
She stared at me, speechless. Her husband, whose head was hung as he stared at the floor finally broke the silence. With a voice that was barely audible, he said, "I believe Jesus would help the woman."
It might not be a good idea to be too hasty about what your supposed savior “believes.”
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@totalwater9431
A fetus-worshiper is one that glorifies the image of purity of the fetus but knows that a living baby is a lot of hard work, worry, expense, and frustration.
So, while the fetus is in the womb, the fetus-worshiper worships the ground that the fetus does not yet walk upon.
But when the fetus exits the womb, and becomes a full-fledged baby, the fetus-worshiper is nowhere to be found, because he/she/they is off worshiping more fetuses that do not affect the earthly comforts of the fetus-worshipper.
And meanwhile, the fetus-worshiper credits him/herself/theirself from the egotistical attitude that the on-going job of bad-mouthing women that have abortions, is WELL DONE!
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@totalwater9431 Do you also harshly judge these members of clergy for helping women survive their abortions?
From the book … Life's Work: A Moral Argument for Choice ... author ... Dr. Willie Parker
Ethical Abortion Care
An estimated 450,000 women called on the Clergy Consultation Service for help in the six years before Roe--and the coalition, which started with twenty-one members, grew to two thousand. Activism by Moody's group helped propel New York's legislature to legalize abortion in 1970, the first state in the nation to do so.
Emboldened by its success, the Clergy Consultation Service then began to help women from other states travel to New York to obtain safe and legal abortions, and then, breaking with medical establishment, these same clerics proposed the model for the first abortion clinic. Believing that women's privacy and autonomy would be better served if they could get their abortion care in a freestanding clinic instead of in a hospital. Moody's group worked with a doctor committed to providing "low cost, quality care, humane treatment and a willingness to serve the poor" in a freestanding place. Women's Services, on Manhattan's Upper East Side, was the first abortion clinic in the country.
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Many people don’t seem to realize that when Planned Parenthood started, their format was that abortion was the murder of babies … which of course was not proper terminology. Zygotes, embryos, blastocysts, fetuses, do not breathe on their own. Only babies breathe on their own. Of course, if a woman wants to stay pregnant, it will be natural for her to use the terminology of “baby.” Been there … did that! However, women who do not want to stay pregnant, will not use the emotional term of baby … because they don’t want to become attached to what they don’t plan to carry to term. The scientific terms are necessary to keep people from trying to force into law the idea that a god hates abortion. Anti-abortionists will only use the term baby … because they want to impress upon others that women that have abortions are murdering living, breathing “babies.” It is dishonest of these fundamentalists, that in turn bully women constantly for not staying pregnant. By law, those at Planned Parenthood had to stop referring to abortion as being murder … but the anti-abortionists don’t pay any attention to laws, because most of them are convinced that they are on a payroll from God, and that salvation “is” that payment. Criminals in god-garbs!
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Concerning the subject of transgender, it's unfortunate that it's up to parents what they do to alter the physical makeup of their children's bodies. or what they teach their children is moral, compared to immoral, because, not knowing what else to do, (just as do psychologists and psychiatrists, who are parents), parents are inclined to make notoriously ridiculous decisions on behalf of their children.
If the child is determined to have a sex-change operation, wouldn’t it be best to tell the child to be patient, until becoming an adult, and then make the decision? Because by then, the adult will have to live with the adult’s “own” decision?
After all, children are subject to peer pressure, and other than what the child says, there isn't any way of really knowing what that child is having for an experience, because, being young and impressionable, the child may not even know.
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Thanks for honoring my freedom of speech.
Donald Trump claims to be an Evangelical Christian. But what good will it do him?
The problem with Christianity … whether Catholic … or … Protestant … is that it shouldn’t exist at all.
It was the first Christians that stated that Jesus was born PERFECT to a family of Jews that were faithful to Judaism.
.
That means that if later in life Jesus changed his “mind” by accepting either Catholic OR Protestant doctrines … he became IMperfect.
You can’t HAVE it both ways Christians.
If Jesus just happens to be alive in a spirit realm … he is still faithful ONLY to Judaism and the Jews.
So … as Catholics … or Protestants … your prayers were … and are … all in VAIN.
++++++++
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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I suggest that if the majority of people were left-handed, the right would be perceived as being "sinister."
From the book … Cultural Anthropology by Selby Garretson
A result from psychology
In American culture we feel that things on the right are somehow better, more reliable, and stronger than things on the left.
To understand why we feel this way involves going into the languages and traditions of Western culture and asking about the symbolic history of ideas “right” and “left.” The word for “left’ in Latin is sinister, and the word for “right” is dexter. “Left” in our culture’s history has been associated with “evil” or “anomalous” or “dangerous”; while “right” is associated with the law (droit, the word for “law” in French, is derived from Latin dexter and “law” or “right”) In politics, “left” means “change society to new (sinister) forms, while “right” means “keep things as they are,” or “keep going straight ahead.” Even recently, parents used to give their left-handed children problems, and no end of moral misgiving over their “affliction.” They would often make them change to being right-handed, perhaps even doing harm to the psychological well-being of the child. This preference for right-handedness persists, even though it has been estimated that up to 10 percent of the people in America are naturally left-handed.
This system of logic by oppositions is by no means confined to our society or culture. It is found all over the world.
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Many people that suffer from transphobia, maintain that they are trying to protect children from this "phase." However, the fact is, that people who are transphobic, do not support adults to make their own decisions either.
Maybe someday, this 3 percent of the world's population will receive the respect that as heterosexuals we demand for our selves.
I'm an Atheist, yet I found the following book very interesting, as it helped me to understand the suffering of those who are transgender and are often perceived as unacceptable by those who look down on them.
In the quest to feel normal, at height 6 ft. 3 inches, this person as an adult took hormones and changed genitals from male to female.
The fact that "Laurie" was treated in such a respectful manner means we have come a long way, albeit that we still have a long way to go.
From the book … God Doesn’t Make Mistakes: Confessions of a Transgender Christian … author … Laurie Suzanne Scott
Step one was to get a new driver’s license. All I needed was a letter from my doctor stating that I was being treated for gender dysphoria and as a result was living full time prior to having surgery in a year. I walked into the DMV with my letter and when I got to the counter, said I needed a new driver’s license and handed the letter to the clerk. She read it and said, “Okay, fill this out then go to that window over there and they’ll take care of you.
I filled out the form, handed it to the person at the window, they typed some things into their computer and said, “Go stand over there and I’ll take your picture.” And just like that, I had a new license with my name Laurie Suzanne Scott, sex-Female.
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A messy government is where there is more than one party allowed. The politicians police each other, and bicker back and forth to try to win elections. What a wonderful system. In a dictatorship, there is one man that rules, and you follow his "advise," or meet a swift end to your lives. Do not KNOCK the government in the United States. It is good, BECAUSE it is messy. Of course it's not perfect. The politicians have to try to appease a whole lot of spoiled people, who all want only their own personal laws to dictate the lives of others. I live in Canada, and no matter which party is in power, I am thankful every day for the treatment I receive, and by the way ... I live in a trailer, in a trailer park. When you want too much, you might end up with someone in power such as Donald Trump, who, with his slick tongue will promise you anything ... just to get your votes ... and then WATCH OUT.
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Another problem that arose in the Middle East, was when Donald Trump in 2018 (probably at the urging of his Jewish son-in law Jarod Kushner … other Jews … and Christians) chose to move the embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem … which pleased the Jews and Evangelical Christians … but in turn infuriated the Muslim Palestinians … who regard East Jerusalem as a future Palestinian State.
Most everything the Jews, Muslims and Christians have done in the Middle East …“have” escalated the irritation among the three right-fighting religions of Judaism … Christianity … and Islam.
Holy mission … and Holy land … it is NOT.
If the haughty words … Judaism, Islam and Christianity were removed from the language ... all that would be left is naked human animals ... of no significant importance whatsoever … except to their naked selves.
There is hope ... however … as there are now hundreds of ex members of clergy that have joined The Clergy Project, to find employment elsewhere.
From the book ... Apostle to Apostate: The Story of the Clergy Project … authors … Catherine Dunphy, Richard Dawkins 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.
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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Freedom of speech … on trial.
Hilarious.
From the book … Uncle John’s Bathroom Reader … The World’s Gone Crazy: 432 All-New Pages of the Strangest, Most Outrageous Stuff … by Bathroom Reader’s Institute
TERROR IN TOILET TOWN
Episode: “Curses!”
Setup: One night in October 2007 in West Scranton, Pennsylvania, Dawn Herb was at home when her toilet started overflowing. As she tried to unclog it and clean up the mess, she let out a stream of bawdy curse words.
Terror! Herb’s neighbor, off-duty police officer Patrick Tillman, stuck his head out his window and told her to “shut the f*** up.” Not true, says Tillman; he simply told her to stop swearing, and Herb told him to “f*** off.” In any case, Officer Tillman called in some fellow police officers---and Herb was arrested for swearing inside her own house. She was told that she faced up to $300 in fines and 90 days in jail for disorderly conduct. But at the hearing the judge ordered the charges to be dropped, ruling that swearing at a toilet in your own house was not illegal. Afterward, Herb sued the city of West Scranton for improper arrest---and they ended up awarding her $19,000, plus legal fees, to settle. (Hopefully she got a new toilet.)
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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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This is not about which emoji to use, but the subject of the following is close enough. The term should not be "political correctness." It should be "polite correctness." The word "political" makes the "government" the focus, and the supposed culprit of all the dissention, whereas the word "polite correctness,” puts the responsibility where it belongs, which is on the individual. Should we not always be asking ourselves, "Am I being polite, or am I a big part of the problem?" It was not the government that enforced a law that the “N” word had to stop being used. It was those of the black race that rightfully complained that that was derogatory, and they wanted people to respect them by using the term “Black race.” Now, in “polite” company, people use the term “Black race.” The government has never forced people to either use words, or to stop using words. As civilians, we monitor our own language. And if a citizen feels forced to use words that show respect of a certain group, then that person should take the complaint to the Supreme Court if he or she feels it is necessary, but we should not blame the leaders of the government. Concerning language, when it pertains to likes and dislikes, they are just ordinary citizens.
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There is always more to the story.
Against the advice of many of his advisers in the United States government, on his own, Harry Truman … President of the United States … in 1948 signed the papers agreeing that the Jews should be allowed to create the state of Israel.
Following are his own words from the book … Plain Speaking … Harry S. Truman … author Merle Miller
“But as I started to say … it wasn’t just the Biblical part about Palestine that interested me. The whole history of that area of the world is just about the most complicated and most interesting of any area, anywhere, and I have always made a very careful study of it. There has always been trouble there, always been wars from the time of Darius the Great and Rameses on, and the pity of it is that the whole area is just waiting to be developed. And the Arabs have just never seemed to take any interest in developing it. I have always thought that the Jews would, and of course, they have. But what has happened is only the beginning of what could happen, because potentially that is the richest area of the world.”
And more of Harry’s words from the same book which points him out to have been quite a dictator. … “And I said that some of the experts, the career fellas in the State Department, thought that they ought to make policy but that as long as I was President, I’d see to it that I made policy. Their job was to carry it out, and if there were some who didn’t like it, they could resign anytime they felt like it.”
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They are not strangers to you. These are your sisters, your cousins, your mothers, your daughters, your friends, and even your grandmas. You see them every day, in your places of worship, in your places of work, in your religious schools, and most of all, in your homes. These are the women that are having abortions. Do you still want to make abortion illegal, so that these women that you love, go back to the old clandestine methods, and die agonizing deaths at the hands of back-street butchers? You do love these women, don’t you?
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Thanks for honoring my freedom of speech.
Pornography was and is bad news for society.
There was a time not so long ago that pornography was considered as a man seeing a woman's bare ankle.
Therapists are now concerned that pornography is resulting in many men who are addicted to pornography (without the help of a stimulant such as Viagra) becoming impotent.
Such an addiction starts out as seemingly innocent, but as the addiction to soft porn becomes repetitive and boring, new types of sexual viewing is needed to stimulate the erotic senses.
Crossing the boundary between soft porn to hard porn to the next step of forced brutal sex against the wills of men or women, can soon become uncontrollable to some perpetrators.
More women and men are being raped and murdered because rough-forced sex learned from hard-core pornography, is for many men, becoming normal, and these men that rape do not want to be incarcerated for the rapes, so they kill their victims, knowing that if they allow them to live, they will be reported and in turn, incarcerated.
Many serial killers started out believing that watching pornography was an innocent pastime. Examples:
Serial killer Jeffrey Dahmer of Wisconsin, speaking of his routine before hunting for a victim said, “Just…using pictures of past victims…the pornography videos, the magazines…” Jeffrey Dahmer killed 17 boys and men.
Ted Bundy, convicted rapist and mutilation murderer of Washington, said that hard-core pornography had a "crystallizing effect" on his violent tendencies and his acting out during the 1970s.
Richard Ramirez was exposed to explicit pictures of his cousin "raping Vietnamese women and severing the heads of Vietcong soldiers." He in turn killed at least 13 people in California.
It was unfortunate that those men couldn’t see ahead to know that the price of those thrills was to spend the rest of their lives incarcerated, or, to have their own lives cut short by the enforcement of the death penalty.
You might be certain that you have control over pornography … and that might be true … until one day you find that pornography has complete control over you.
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I wrote the following November 27, 2017 … A spoof on agnosticism … Two agnostics sat on a fence, Pondering on how humans are dense, Wondering which way the wind would blow, Losing their balance to fall below. "If we fall on the side where religion is real," One said to the other "I will appeal, To God's holy grace for having doubt, Of his existence and his mighty clout." The other agnostic soon agreed, That falling for God and his holy creed, Would save them from a writhing hell, Where forever they just might dwell. Soon they climbed down off the fence, Convincing each other religion made sense, Why would they want to upset God, Who has all the power with but a nod. So the two agnostics became believers, No more would they choose to be deceivers, Doubting Thomases they would not be, Safe in God's arms for eternity.
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Thanks for honoring my freedom of speech.
Donald Trump claims to be an Evangelical Christian. But what good will it do him?
The problem with Christianity … whether Catholic … or … Protestant … is that it shouldn’t exist at all.
It was the first Christians that stated that Jesus was born PERFECT to a family of Jews that were faithful to Judaism.
.
That means that if later in life Jesus changed his “mind” by accepting either Catholic OR Protestant doctrines … he became IMperfect.
You can’t HAVE it both ways Christians.
If Jesus just happens to be alive in a spirit realm … he is still faithful ONLY to Judaism and the Jews.
So … as Catholics … or Protestants … your prayers were … and are … all in VAIN.
----------------
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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Written by a Jewish Woman, I suggest that you might find the following information of great interest.
From the book … Sipping from the Nile … My exodus from Egypt … author … Jean Naggar
Despite that understanding that her efforts could permanently undermine the way of life she had always known, Auntie Helen, accompanied by her distinctive cane, traveled alone again and again to Suez and Ismailia after the end of the Second World War to supervise and expedite the loading of Jews emigrating to Palestine onto makeshift boats in the dead of night.
Certainly, the formation of the State of Israel changed the dynamic between Arab and Jew in the Middle East. It became a polarizing magnet, leading to huge rifts in the standing social structure, cutting through generations of tradition and peaceable interaction.
While most Jews world-wide rejoiced that Jews would at last have a homeland, those in Arab countries cast a wary eye at the chasm that was opening beside them, threatening irrevocably their safety and their way of life.
While I thought of my aunt as a fascinating person, I had no concept of the seismic shift that her activities were helping to produce in the internal psychological geography of the Arab countries, which were never again to accept their Jewish neighbors as brothers.
With the creation of the State of Israel, militant Islam was granted a voice and a cause.
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For those who don’t approve of the laws that now exist in Canada, I suggest that you study history, when the Protestant Christian politicians, based on their own biblical interpretations, made hanging the laws of the land for over two hundred offenses, such as stealing a turnip, or picking someone’s pocket, or for not respecting the supposed Sabbath, or committing sodomy, etc.
From the book … Drop Dead: A Horrible History of Hanging in Canada … author … Lorna Poplak.
On January 19, 1649, a young girl of fifteen or sixteen was found guilty of theft and hanged in the town of Quebec. This was purported to be the first execution in Canada.
More than two hundred death penalties are gone from the law books, but the texts that authorized them remain. "Bible Teaching and Religious Practice," Europe and Elsewhere
Mark Twain
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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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Thanks for honoring my freedom of speech.
The problem with Christianity … whether Catholic … or … Protestant … is that it shouldn’t exist at all.
It was the first Christians that stated that Jesus was born PERFECT to a family of Jews that were faithful to Judaism.
That means that if later in life Jesus changed his “mind” by accepting either Catholic OR Protestant doctrines … he became IMperfect.
You can’t HAVE it both ways Christians.
If Jesus just happens to be alive in a spirit realm … he is still faithful ONLY to Judaism and the Jews.
So … as Catholics … or Protestants … your prayers were … and are … all in VAIN.
++++++++
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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Presidents and Prime Ministers of all countries that agreed with the mask mandates concerning the Covid virus, were not doing so to harm the public, but were rather trying to protect the public from the virus.
Only if you have lost loved ones from the virus, such as a grandma, or a grandpa, that you dearly loved, will you be able to perceive the subject from a different perspective.
Those of us who have faith that the vaccine helps to keep us from dying, could also have demonstrated against the so-called “Freedom Convoy” for trying to put an end to our lives by choosing to NOT wear masks.
That word “freedom” is a tricky subject, as freedom for some, is not freedom for all, and if you don’t believe it, just study how many people have died and are still dying from the Covid virus.
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People have surgery on all parts of their bodies without others bothering them about "morals." Yet, the moment anyone wants to change his or her sexual organs, as in transgender, many people in religion preach that a god created male and female “only.”
If you believe that a god created human bodies as he wanted them to stay, then you better not circumcise the penises of your sons. You better not have breast implants. You better not have growths removed. You better not have any type of cosmetic surgery whatsoever. You better not have treatment for diseases of any sort. After all, "God's" plan should not be messed with, lest he becomes annoyed with the tampering of the perfection he is certain he created.
Once a person starts using religion to preach what is moral, and what is immoral, that person can end up in big trouble, not only with others, but also, ultimately ... with one's own conscience.
From the book ... The Final Inequality, by L. J. Ludovici. "Morals at any given moment have always been as good, or as bad, as our imaginations credit them, for the morals (from the Latin, mores: customs) means simply customs, and they keep changing all the time in all the corners of the world."
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As have others, please do not delete my freedom of speech, and if you do, it “should” bother your conscience.
When Hillary Clinton lost the election to Donald Trump, if she had encouraged her followers to attack the Capitol the way Donald encouraged his followers to attack the Capitol when he lost the election to Joe Biden, do you think Donald would not have wanted Hillary to be incarcerated (or maybe worse) for her crime against the government over which Donald suddenly ruled supreme?
If Hillary had even dared to rock Donald's boat as the new President, we don't know for certain what Donald (with his new and impressive sense of ultimate power) would have done to Hillary, but we should know that it would not have been at all good FOR Hillary.
In total contrast to Donald’s erratic and dictatorial behavior, was the striking message from the honorable Republican Ronald Reagan when he was leaving the office as President, “We must always remember that our strength lies in our respect for the Constitution and the Bill of Rights, and our determination to preserve it for our children and their children.”
If Donald becomes President again … his first JOB will be to do away with the Constitution and with any news media outlet that expresses a negative word against his erratic behavior. And he WILL create … “The Law According to Donald Trump” … as THAT is his aim.
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@slidewayskenny6925 If you believe that all white people love those with black skin ... I suggest you haven't followed history ... or the "biblical doctrines" of the KKK.
"BLACK PEOPLE DON'T HAVE SOULS" was standard fundamentalist Christian dogma widely preached from the Bible Belt pulpits in the 1940's and before.
Church of Christ Fundamentalist Christian evangelist Foy E. Wallace and others from the Southern Baptist and Pentecostal faiths taught this dogma from their churches, on the radio and in their books. Only they used the term "N!ggers" in their rhetoric, with Bible "scriptural proof' to back up their statements.
From the ... Encyclopedia of Violence, Peace & Conflict … volume 2 ,,, Academic Press. Published 1999.
Followers of the religious arm of the hate movement, the Identity Church, are only “doing the work of God.” At Sunday services, they preach that White Anglo-Saxons are the true Israelites depicted in the Old Testament, God’s chosen people, while Jews are actually the children of Satan. They maintain that Jesus was not a Jew, but an ancestor of the White, northern European peoples. In their view, Blacks are “pre-Adamic,” a species lower than Whites. In fact, they claim that Blacks and other non-White groups are at the same spiritual level as animals and therefore have no souls.
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Another problem that arose in the Middle East, was when Donald Trump in 2018 (probably at the urging of his Jewish son-in law Jarod Kushner … other Jews … and Christians) chose to move the embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem … which pleased the Jews and Evangelical Christians … but in turn infuriated the Muslim Palestinians … who regard East Jerusalem as a future Palestinian State.
Most everything the Jews, Muslims and Christians have done in the Middle East …“have” escalated the irritation among the three right-fighting religions of Judaism … Christianity … and Islam.
Holy mission … and Holy land … it is NOT.
If the haughty words … Judaism, Islam and Christianity were removed from the language ... all that would be left is naked human animals ... of no significant importance whatsoever … except to their naked selves.
There is hope ... however … as there are now hundreds of ex members of clergy that have joined The Clergy Project, to find employment elsewhere.
From the book ... Apostle to Apostate: The Story of the Clergy Project … authors … Catherine Dunphy, Richard Dawkins 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.
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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The organization known as MENSA was founded in England in 1946 by a barrister named Roland Berrill, and Dr. Lance Ware, a scientist and lawyer.
Some people insist that it’s not possible to fail a MENSA IQ test, and that is a ridiculous conclusion, because there are those that belong to MENSA, and there are those that are not allowed entry into the organization of MENSA.
Albert Einstein’s parents were informed by his teachers in elementary school that he was having problems with learning. He was probably bored with the subjects being discussed and wanted to study only math and science, as those were indeed suited to his intense personal interests. Later he was labeled as being an intellectual genius … yet had he lived in an era before math and science existed, in the public sphere he would have been unknown.
If adults want to strive to belong to the group known as MENSA, it is their right to apply, and either be allowed to enter through the door, or to have the door to the Mensa organization slammed shut in their faces.
It is not however a good idea to subject children to that test, because if the children succeed, the idea that they are much more intelligent than others could go to their heads and result in them being insufferable bores, as are so many adults that believe they are exceptionally intelligent.
And if the children fail the test that allows them to belong to MENSA, it would be tragic for them to believe that they are nothing other than dumb losers … which in turn could result in them losing faith that they are able to succeed in any field of endeavor whatsoever.
Years ago I read a book that was written by a man whose brother was told that he had a low IQ. I don't remember the title of the book, or the exact words, but I do remember the gist of the quote by the brother who was labeled as having the low IQ, and it went as follows ... "Because of what we don't know, we are all dumb." I suggest that his statement was and is correct … and that in contrast … there should not be any doubt that the scientist and lawyer that started the organization of MENSA were certain that they were so very intelligent by what they did know, as to be fully qualified to teach others the unadulterated meaning of that word “intelligence.”
You may, or may not, appreciate the following humor on the YouTube podcast … Mike from Canmore applies to MENSA When I watched that podcast, I certainly learned something new.
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The two words "artificial" and "intelligence" are at odds with each other, because if something just happened to be intelligent, it couldn't “be” artificial.
The problem is, if humans with devious intentions program harmful information into the computers, and then refuse to shut the electricity that feeds the computers off, of course harm will be the result.
To say that computers cause harm, is comparable to saying that books labeled as being holy information from gods cause harm.
It's humans that “use” the computers and the books for selfish reasons that causes the harm.
Nuclear weapons are not artificially intelligent, but if electrically is engaged by aggressive human nature, those weapons will get the job done that the humans demand of them.
Whether it's a stick or a stone, or a spear, or an arrow, or a gun or a computer, or words in books, those inanimate objects are not responsible for what we as humans coerce them to do.
I suggest we should stop giving power to the term artificial intelligence and go to the source of what always was the problem, which is, suspicious and devious human nature.
We understand that we can't trust others to not cause harm to us, because we are fully aware from the study of history, that others can't trust us to not cause harm to them.
And because as individuals, we all suffer from the weakness of tunnel vision, we are so very artificial, we find it impossible to “be” intelligent.
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Another problem that arose in the Middle East, was when Donald Trump in 2018 (probably at the urging of his Jewish son-in law Jarod Kushner … other Jews … and Christians) chose to move the embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem … which pleased the Jews and Evangelical Christians … but in turn infuriated the Muslim Palestinians … who regard East Jerusalem as a future Palestinian State.
Most everything the Jews, Muslims and Christians have done in the Middle East …“have” escalated the irritation among the three right-fighting religions of Judaism … Christianity … and Islam.
Holy mission … and Holy land … it is NOT.
If the haughty words … Judaism, Islam and Christianity were removed from the language ... all that would be left is naked human animals ... of no significant importance whatsoever … except to their naked selves.
There is hope ... however … as there are now hundreds of ex members of clergy that have joined The Clergy Project, to find employment elsewhere.
From the book ... Apostle to Apostate: The Story of the Clergy Project … authors … Catherine Dunphy, Richard Dawkins 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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@lauryngreene7029 Here is another Catholic history worth reading, concerning how the Catholic hierarchy believed that fetuses were of more value than women.
From the book, “ABORTION IN AMERICA,” the origins and evolution of national policy, by James C. Mohr, comes the following
In the spring of 1869 Bishop Spaulding of Baltimore released a pastoral condemnation of abortion that emanated from a council of Bishops held in his city that year. Spaulding enunciated what was generally considered to be the orthodox Catholic position on abortion for the next hundred years: “The murder of an infant before its birth is, in the sight of God and his Church, as great a crime, as would be the killing of a child after birth…. No mother is allowed, under any circumstances, to permit the death of her unborn infant, not even for the sake of preserving her own life.”
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Thanks for honoring freedom of speech.
Donald only cares 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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Thank you for allowing my freedom of speech.
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 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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Although this United States Supreme Court judge is now deceased, words from her book live on.
From the book … My Own Words … author … RUTH BADER GINSBURG. Whether you are a Christian, or an Atheist … you better think hard and long, as you close one clinic after another … in the pretense that it protects “babies.” The lives of women are at stake here, and they are the lives of your mothers, daughters, aunts, friends … and even grandmothers.
Then she made a point, nowhere addressed in the Breyer opinion, but embedded in the memories of women old enough to remember the days when abortion was illegal: “When a State severely limits access to safe and legal procedures, women in desperate circumstances may resort to unlicensed rogue practitioners, faute de mieux, at great risk to their health and safety.”
(Later speaking with a reporter, she was blunt about the law’s purpose: “It seemed to me it was a sham to pretend this was about a woman’s health” rather than about making it harder to obtain an abortion.)
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As have others, please do not delete my freedom of speech, and if you do, it “should” bother your conscience.
When Hillary Clinton lost the election to Donald Trump, if she had encouraged her followers to attack the Capitol the way Donald encouraged his followers to attack the Capitol when he lost the election to Joe Biden, do you think Donald would not have wanted Hillary to be incarcerated (or maybe worse) for her crime against the government over which Donald suddenly ruled supreme?
If Hillary had even dared to rock Donald's boat as the new President, we don't know for certain what Donald (with his new and impressive sense of ultimate power) would have done to Hillary, but we should know that it would not have been at all good FOR Hillary.
In total contrast to Donald’s erratic and dictatorial behavior, was the striking message from the honorable Republican Ronald Reagan when he was leaving the office as President, “We must always remember that our strength lies in our respect for the Constitution and the Bill of Rights, and our determination to preserve it for our children and their children.”
If Donald becomes President again … his first JOB will be to do away with the Constitution and with any news media outlet that expresses a negative word against his erratic behavior. And he WILL create … “The Law According to Donald Trump” … as THAT is his aim.
Guaranteed … you won’t be laughing at his “jokes” then.
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During the second world war ... Jews that were trying to escape Hitler's "Final Solution Mandate" ... were not welcome in most countries ... so those Jews were foisted off on the Palestinians by the thousands. And for their own earthly protection ... those Jews created the State of Israel "inside" of Palestine.
That was Zionism.
Anti-Semitism is to be against the Jewish "religion." Some Jews that are Atheists “are” anti-Semitic. And most certainly Christianity and Islam are anti-Semitic religions.
Christian "missionaries" are not in Israel for any other reason than to convert the Jews to Christianity, so that (from their opinions) Jesus will once again make his appearance ... to take them ALL "home" to Christian heaven. Those Christian missionaries belong to "The Jews for Jesus" movement.
Misplaced hatred against the Jews started with the ridiculous stories in the Christian bible that the Jews killed Jesus and that the Jews were money-grabbers and that Jesus wanted the Jews brought to him to be slayed.
Had Jesus lived ... he would have stayed faithful only TO Judaism. Jewish Rabbis do not vouch for Catholicism ... or ... for Protestantism.
Religion has been the cause of massive amounts of torture and death ... and hopefully one day soon ... as more and more members of clergy (there are now hundreds) shed the myths to find jobs away from religion ... it gives hope that others will follow the lead.
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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@chadkline4268 And I suggest that you keep in mind that if someone gave us each a million dollars, and said, "You can have it, under the condition that you don't ask where the money came from," that neither one of us would care to ask.
I am fond of dirty money, because I don't believe that there is such a thing as clean money.
Even in the printing of the money, there is a human will to manipulate, and once the money touches human hands, it is downhill from there.
As citizens we're just not nice animals, so I suggest that we own that fact, and stop pointing at others as being the problem.
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It's improbable that people will ever wake up to the fact that religion itself WAS AND IS causing devotees to fight and kill each other ... over POSSESSION of (*ordinary land) … that the different factions were taught and believed was their own personal HOMELAND ... and ... HOLYLAND … donated to them by a god.
Thankfully only human animals suffer from such blatant ignorance.
From the book … Empires of the Word … A Language History of the World … author Nicholas Ostler
This was the final incandescence of Mesopotamian power, under the last great emperor of Babylon, Nebuchadrezzar II. He died in 562 BC. Twenty-five years earlier, even as he had been conquering Jerusalem, and deporting its Jews, others were beginning a process of political consolidation that would erase the greatness of Babylon.
Perhaps the dream of the Babylonians scattered and disorganized was a comforting exercise in wish fulfilment for the sixth-century Jews who had been shattered and driven from their homeland by the Babylonian emperor Nebuchadrezzar II.
Question: "How many times has Jerusalem been destroyed?"
Answer: Jerusalem, the “city of peace,” has certainly known its share of sorrow and war. Since it sits at the crossroads of the ancient world and is held in high esteem by three major religions, it has been involved in wars throughout most of its 3000+ year history. When archaeologists first began excavating in the city, they were surprised to discover layer after layer of rubble, indicating that parts of Jerusalem had been destroyed at least 40 times. The layers of rubble in some places are more than 60 feet deep!
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After much physical and emotional suffering, when my daughter committed suicide, I was at peace with the idea that she would never have to suffer again. You might think that I was a wicked atheist, but in fact at the time, I was very religious, saturated with the idea that a Divine God existed, that in the afterlife, would never choose to harm a soul. Years later, at age 70, I became an Atheist, and for the last 11 years I still believe there isn't any suffering in an afterlife ... because I no longer believe in an afterlife. I am now inclined to believe Stephen Hawking’s No Boundary Proposal, which does away with the idea that the universe was created, and where he stated before he died, “I still believe the universe has a beginning in real time, at the big bang. But there’s another kind of time, imaginary time, at right angles to real time, in which the universe has no beginning or end.”—Stephen Hawking Black Holes and Baby Universes.
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Another problem that arose in the Middle East, was when Donald Trump in 2018 (probably at the urging of his Jewish son-in law Jarod Kushner … other Jews … and Christians) chose to move the embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem … which pleased the Jews and Evangelical Christians … but in turn infuriated the Muslim Palestinians … who regard East Jerusalem as a future Palestinian State.
Most everything the Jews, Muslims and Christians have done in the Middle East …“have” escalated the irritation among the three right-fighting religions of Judaism … Christianity … and Islam.
Holy mission … and Holy land … it is NOT.
If the haughty words … Judaism, Islam and Christianity were removed from the language ... all that would be left is naked human animals ... of no significant importance whatsoever … except to their naked selves.
There is hope ... however … as there are now hundreds of ex members of clergy that have joined The Clergy Project, to find employment elsewhere.
From the book ... Apostle to Apostate: The Story of the Clergy Project … authors … Catherine Dunphy, Richard Dawkins 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.
It's interesting to note that all the assassins of the previous Presidents of the United States were raised in Christian households. Christians often think they have every RIGHT to take "God's" law into their own "hands."
John Wilkes Booth, who assassinated Abraham Lincoln, was raised in the Episcopal Church, a Christian denomination1.
Charles J. Guiteau, who assassinated James A. Garfield, was also raised in a Christian household and was associated with the Oneida Community, a religious commune1.
Leon Czolgosz, who assassinated William McKinley, was born to Polish Catholic immigrants but later became an anarchist and distanced himself from organized religion1.
Lee Harvey Oswald, who assassinated John F. Kennedy, was raised in a nominally Christian household but later identified as an atheist1.
I relate to the "opinion" of the now deceased Andy Rooney.
“We all ought to understand we're on our own.
Kids believing in Santa Claus is ok for a few years.
But it isn't smart for people to continue waiting all their lives for Santa to come down the chimney with something wonderful.
Santa Claus and God are cousins.
Christians talk as though goodness was their idea but good behavior doesn't have any religious origin.
Our prisons are filled with the devout.
I'd be more willing to accept religion, even if I didn't believe it, if I thought it made people nicer to each other but I don't think it does.”
Sincerely, Andy Rooney, 1999
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When you complain that your “freedom” is being taken away, I suggest that you study the history of Canadian politics, as the Christian laws applied … back in the “good old days.”
In pre-Confederation Canada, hundreds of criminal offences were punishable by death. Before 1859, Canada, then British North America, operated under British law. Some 230 offences, including stealing turnips and being found disguised in a forest, were punishable by death.
I'm a Canadian, and I am thankful no matter who is in the government in Canada, that we have the most freedoms of any country on earth. That is why people from other countries die at our border ... trying to be able to have what (in Canada) we already have, and yet so often take for granted.
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@Clevelandsteamer324 As were all people in all religions ... I also was raised to believe that the universe was created by a judge-mental god.
At age 70, I changed my system of belief to the more sensible scientific theory that the universe and electricity always existed ... no creator ... no plan ... and that suffering of all life ... is natural.
Thankfully … now that hundreds of members of clergy of various religions are leaving their religious indoctrinations behind ... as being nothing other than misleading information … 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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Written by a Jewish Woman, I suggest that you will find the following information of great interest.
From the book … Sipping from the Nile … My exodus from Egypt … author … Jean Naggar
“Despite that understanding that her efforts could permanently undermine the way of life she had always known, Auntie Helen, accompanied by her distinctive cane, traveled alone again and again to Suez and Ismailia after the end of the Second World War to supervise and expedite the loading of Jews emigrating to Palestine onto makeshift boats in the dead of night.
Certainly, the formation of the State of Israel changed the dynamic between Arab and Jew in the Middle East. It became a polarizing magnet, leading to huge rifts in the standing social structure, cutting through generations of tradition and peaceable interaction.
While most Jews world-wide rejoiced that Jews would at last have a homeland, those in Arab countries cast a wary eye at the chasm that was opening beside them, threatening irrevocably their safety and their way of life.
While I thought of my aunt as a fascinating person, I had no concept of the seismic shift that her activities were helping to produce in the internal psychological geography of the Arab countries, which were never again to accept their Jewish neighbors as brothers.
With the creation of the State of Israel, militant Islam was granted a voice and a cause.”
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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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@Adrian-si1gz 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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From the book … FINAL JOURNEYS … A practical guide for bringing care and comfort at the end of life, by Maggie Callanan.
Dying people don’t expect us to have all the answers. There are many questions about dying, death, and what may come after that are unanswerable by anyone. In asking such questions, the dying person is really asking for our honest concern and support, and above all for our willingness to share his or her journey as much as we can. The following story illustrates this well.
Eula
I had been asked to do a presentation to a general hospital staff in Michigan on the topic “How to Be Present for the Dying.” My host had told me that each staff department wore different color of smock, and when I noticed a sea of burgundy in the audience, I asked him which department that was. To my surprise, his answer was “Housekeeping.”
Part of my presentation was about how uncomfortable it can be to talk to someone about dying. At that point, Eula, whose burgundy smock carried a name tag reading “Supervisor,” jumped to her feet and waved her arm. I nodded for her to speak.
One day, she told us, she had been mopping the floor in a patient’s bathroom when she heard his physician come in and inform him that all the curative treatments had failed. There were no more options; sad to say, he was now terminal. The doctor sat with him for a few minutes, trying to soothe him as he cried, and then quietly left.
By now, Eula went on, the bathroom was very clean. She couldn’t stay there, but she was unsure what to do. “So I put my head down and looked at the floor I was mopping, working fast to get out of the room without disturbing this poor man. Then he said right to me, ‘How could God let this happen to me? I have always tried to live a good life. My wife and children need me. Now I’m going to die! He was sobbing. ‘How could God forsake me like this?’”
There was an awkward silence in the audience.
I asked Eula what she had done next. “Well,” she said, “I leaned on my mop for a minute or so, and then I said, ‘If I had the answer to those questions, do you think I’d be mopping floors?” the audience gasped—and then started to giggle and laugh.
“How did he respond?” I asked.
Well, he was still laughing when I left the room, but I did stop at the nurses’ station to report this, so they could call the chaplain for him, or whatever.”
After the presentation one of Eula’s co-workers came up to me. “What Eula didn’t tell you,” she said, “is that she assigned herself to clean his room every day until he was discharged home. And every day she’d bring him a big caring smile and spend extra time making sure his room was spotless and that he was doing okay.”
Eula gave him the very best she had to give, and he appreciated this simple gesture. Dying people do not ask us to analyze, diagnose, or solve their problems. They ask us to understand their anguish and be willing to listen and share their journey, good and bad, as far as we can.
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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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Although this United States Supreme Court judge is now deceased, words from her book live on.
From the book … My Own Words … author … RUTH BADER GINSBURG. Whether you are a Christian, or an Atheist … you better think hard and long, as you close one clinic after another … in the pretense that it protects “babies.” The lives of women are at stake here, and they are the lives of your mothers, daughters, aunts, friends … and even grandmothers. Then she made a point, nowhere addressed in the Breyer opinion, but embedded in the memories of women old enough to remember the days when abortion was illegal: “When a State severely limits access to safe and legal procedures, women in desperate circumstances may resort to unlicensed rogue practitioners, faute de mieux, at great risk to their health and safety.” (Later speaking with a reporter, she was blunt about the law’s purpose: “It seemed to me it was a sham to pretend this was about a woman’s health” rather than about making it harder to obtain an abortion.)
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@sista363 Well stated.
I'm almost 83 years of age, and I never had an abortion, but I studied for many reasons the reasons why women had and have abortions, and I believe that being pro-choice for the women is all that matters to me.
After my third pregnancy, in short order, an elderly woman approached me, and offered (free of charge) to help me abort the pregnancy. I didn't understand then, what I understand now, that women should not be forced to abort, and neither should they be forced to stay pregnant.
I declined her offer, not because I felt I was better than her, but because I had a husband with a job that brought in plenty of money to support our needs, and because I was taught that abortion was murder, and offensive to a god ... which I no longer believe is true.
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Although this United States Supreme Court judge is now deceased, words from her book live on.
From the book … My Own Words … author … RUTH BADER GINSBURG. Whether you are a Christian, or an Atheist … you better think hard and long, as you close one clinic after another … in the pretense that it protects “babies.” The lives of women are at stake here, and they are the lives of your mothers, daughters, aunts, friends … and even grandmothers.
Then she made a point, nowhere addressed in the Breyer opinion, but embedded in the memories of women old enough to remember the days when abortion was illegal: “When a State severely limits access to safe and legal procedures, women in desperate circumstances may resort to unlicensed rogue practitioners, faute de mieux, at great risk to their health and safety.”
(Later speaking with a reporter, she was blunt about the law’s purpose: “It seemed to me it was a sham to pretend this was about a woman’s health” rather than about making it harder to obtain an abortion.)
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If you are extreme right, then you are as much of a problem as if you are extreme left. To be fair, you must be able to talk a middle "line,” either praising both sides … or badmouthing both sides.
Democrat-Republicans? lol
From the book … Made in America … author … bill Bryson
Those in favor of the Constitution pulled off something of a linguistic coup by dubbing themselves Federalists. In fact the term would more accurately have described those who were against the Constitution and wished to revive or rejuvenate the articles of Confederation. Deprived of the term, this faction became known by default as the Anti-Federalists, which was not only not accurate but had a negative ring to it that the more positive-sounding Federalists were delighted to exploit. Saddled with a misleading name, the Anti-Federalists began, confusingly, sometimes to call themselves Democrats, sometimes Republicans, and sometimes Democrat-Republicans.
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Another problem that arose in the Middle East, was when Donald Trump in 2018 (probably at the urging of his Jewish son-in law Jarod Kushner … other Jews … and Christians) chose to move the embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem … which pleased the Jews and Evangelical Christians … but in turn infuriated the Muslim Palestinians … who regard East Jerusalem as a future Palestinian State.
Most everything the Jews, Muslims and Christians have done in the Middle East …“has” escalated the irritation among the three right-fighting religions of Judaism … Christianity … and Islam.
Holy mission … and Holy land … it is NOT.
If the haughty words … Judaism, Islam and Christianity were removed from the language ... all that would be left is naked human animals ... of no significant importance whatsoever … except to their naked selves.
There is hope ... however … as there are now hundreds of ex members of clergy that have joined The Clergy Project, to find employment elsewhere.
From the book ... Apostle to Apostate: The Story of the Clergy Project … authors … Catherine Dunphy, Richard Dawkins 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.
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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@SherriFlemming
My guess is that when Jordan Peterson 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 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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Although this United States Supreme Court judge is now deceased, words from her book live on.
From the book … My Own Words … author … RUTH BADER GINSBURG. Whether you are a Christian, or an Atheist … you better think hard and long, as you close one clinic after another … in the pretense that it protects “babies.” The lives of women are at stake here, and they are the lives of your mothers, daughters, aunts, friends … and even grandmothers. Then she made a point, nowhere addressed in the Breyer opinion, but embedded in the memories of women old enough to remember the days when abortion was illegal: “When a State severely limits access to safe and legal procedures, women in desperate circumstances may resort to unlicensed rogue practitioners, faute de mieux, at great risk to their health and safety.” (Later speaking with a reporter, she was blunt about the law’s purpose: “It seemed to me it was a sham to pretend this was about a woman’s health” rather than about making it harder to obtain an abortion.)
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From the book, “Ideas and Opinions” … author … Albert Einstein.
Nobody, certainly, will deny that the idea of the existence of an omnipotent, just and omnibeneficient personal God is able to accord man solace, help, and guidance; also, by virtue of its simplicity it is accessible to the most undeveloped mind. But, on the other hand, there are decisive weaknesses attached to this idea in itself, which have been painfully felt since the beginning of history. That is, if this being is omnipotent, then every occurrence, including every thought, and every human aspiration is also His work; how is it possible to think of holding men responsible for their deeds and thoughts before such an almighty being? In giving out punishment and rewards He would to a certain extent be passing judgment on Himself. How can this be combined with the goodness and righteousness ascribed to Him?
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As have others, please do not delete my freedom of speech, and if you do, it “should” bother your conscience.
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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A short while ago, for being homosexual, Dave Rubin would have been put to death as being an evil offender of morality ... according to "god." Now Dave has his own podcasts. Maybe those who are transgender will one day be treated with dignity. Who knows?
From the book, Eunuchs for the Kingdom of Heaven, author, Uta Ranke-Heinemann.
”Philo, who thought like a Greek about many things, was altogether Jewish in his aversion of homosexuality: “One must proceed ruthlessly against these men, in accordance with the prescription of the Law, that the effeminate man, who falsifies the stamp of nature, should be killed without hesitation, and should not be allowed to live a day, indeed not for an hour, since he shames himself, his house, his fatherland, and the whole human race … because he pursues unnatural pleasure and for his part works toward the desolation and depopulation of the cities … when he destroys his seed”(On the Individual Laws 3, 37-42).
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@SuperDZONI96 A messy government is where there is more than one party allowed. The politicians police each other, and bicker back and forth to try to win elections. What a wonderful system. In a dictatorship, there is one man that rules, and you follow his "advise," or meet a swift end to your lives. Do not KNOCK the government in the United States. It is good, BECAUSE it is messy. Of course it's not perfect. The politicians have to try to appease a whole lot of spoiled people, who all want only their own personal laws to dictate the lives of others. I live in Canada, and no matter which party is in power, I am thankful every day for the treatment I receive, and by the way ... I live in a trailer, in a trailer park. When you want too much, you might end up with someone in power such as Donald Trump, who, with his slick tongue will promise you anything ... just to get your votes ... and then WATCH OUT.
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When parents agree with circumcision of boys, you claim that is acceptable to the boys. Should that not also be against the law? After all, that is not done with the agreement of the boys when they are babies.
Just because you perceive that law as being acceptable ... does not mean that it SHOULD be acceptable. It's not about left or right. It's about what IS right ... and who decides that for children?
And are you aware that it was Christians who agreed with the barbaric operation of circumcision for girls? From the book … GORY DETAILS … ADVENTURES FROM THE DARK SIDE OF SCIENCE … author … ERICA ENGELHAUPT
Although clitoridectomies are most common today in a broad region across Africa and the Middle East, many people don’t realize that the surgery was once more widespread, and was also employed in Victorian England. A successful surgeon named Isaak Baker Brown, credited with developing many gynecological surgeries, touted clitoridectomies as a cure for masturbation.* In his book On the Curability of Certain Forms of Insanity, Epilepsy, Catalepsy, and Hysteria in Females, published in 1866, Brown offered among his instructions that “the clitoris is freely excised by scissors or knife—I always prefer scissors.” Eventually, the Obstetrical Society of London essentially put Brown and clitoris removals on trial, ultimately expelling him from the society. But the practice lingered for decades, and spread to America. The last known clitoridectomy in the United States was performed on a five-year-old girl in the 1940s.
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@michaelrupf776 I prefer the term "searching for truth," rather than pretending to know truth.
All preachers of religion find it necessary to “give off an air” that “personally” they know that a god exists and that they also know what “God” is thinking.
Example ... from the book … Does This Mean You'll See Me Naked?: Field Notes from a Funeral Director ... author Robert Webster
Many years ago, I held several funerals at a fundamentalist church, where the minister promoted himself and his facility at every opportunity. "If Mr. Jones could rise up out of that casket and talk to you right now," he'd bellow, "he would tell you to come here every Sunday morning, every Sunday evening, every Wednesday evening and every Saturday evening. If you want to hear the true word of God, then you must come here."
The minister's congregation was not shy about sharing their beliefs, either. As I was manning the front door at a visitation one evening, a member of his congregation asked me where I went to church. When I responded, she said, "Well, I really feel sorry for you, because you are surely going to hell." When I asked why, she responded that only her church members would ever get to heaven.
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Thanks for honoring freedom of speech.
Jordan is either a Catholic or a Protestant Christian ... so it would only be natural for him to want every person on earth to be "organized" under his religion.
Because we are tribal animals ... governed by ego ... we can never unite under one global system of belief.
Many religious groups have tried the tactic ... but thankfully they always failed.
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 my freedom of speech.
Would you rather be alive in this era ... or back in the day when Protestant Christian politicians (in Canada) enforced the death penalty for over two hundred (so called) reasons?
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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Those in religion are determined to believe that the universe was created. Example ... When in 1927 the Catholic priest Georges Lemaître created the Big Bang theory, it followed that the Big Bang theory would be enmeshed with the idea that the universe was created by a god, as Stephen Hawking learned when he visited the pope. ... "In 1985, I attended a conference on cosmology at the Vatican in Rome. The gathering of scientists had an audience with Pope John Paul II. He told us that it was okay to study the workings of the universe, but we should not ask questions about its origin, for that was the work of God." Stephen Hawking
From the book … Travelling to Infinity: My Life with Stephen ... author Jane Hawking ... The True Story Behind the Theory of Everything. Only a month later we found ourselves again in Rome, where Stephen was to be admitted by the Pope to the Pontifical Academy of Sciences, despite the heresies he was still preaching about the universe having neither a beginning or an end. I watched and listened from the sidelines and my heart sank as I heard it repeated again and again in some form or other. "Professor Hawking, what does your research tell you about the existence of God? Or "Is there room for God in the universe you describe?" or, more directly, "Do you believe in God?" Always the answer was the same. No, Stephen did not believe in God and there was no room for God in his universe.
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@limitless1692 Gentle words, from a gentle man ... 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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Erik Everhard When the Catholic physician, John Rock created the birth control pill ... the pope must have thought that John was not only extremely dumb ... but that (to go against 'GOD's will) John was pure evil.
From the book … ABORTION IS NOT A SIN ... author ... Kent B. Welton
Ironically, it was Dr. John Rock, a Roman Catholic physician, who developed the birth control pill.
He was courageous enough to pursue the dictates of his conscience rather than the precepts of his Church - which he came to know to be dangerous and dismal. As a result, he sought to change the world for the better.
Rock attributes his independent streak to a buggy ride he took in 1904 as a young lad of fourteen. A Roman Catholic priest of unusual independence took him along on a weekly visit to a poor farm. The clergyman then advised young Rock to "always stick to his conscience... never let anyone else keep it for you... and I mean anyone else."
Given such inspiration, his independence never flagged, even after publication his book on contraception, The Time has Come, resulted in editorial denunciations from the Pilot, Boston's Archdiocesan paper, which cautioned him to "watch his step or else."
It is a scandal that so many dissidents in the Church have had exactly these, mafia-like, warnings, or worse, after exercising their independence of thought - particularly in a public forum where they might embarrass the Church. These events only illustrate intolerance is a characteristic of true believers, and a sorry characteristic of this Church thru the centuries.
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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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@SlavUnion
I'm 83 years of age, and I never had an abortion, but I wanted to learn why so many women, (even those that believed abortion was murder, and that there own souls would end up in hell,) would go ahead and have abortions anyway.
So, I learned such as the following ... that when Doctor Morgentaler opened his illegal abortion clinic in Montreal ... that 80 percent of the women that came to have abortions were devout Catholics.
Do you believe that you qualify as a supreme judge of morality?
I suggest that if, as did I, you had spent the years studying why women have abortions, you would have a different point of view.
I'm an Atheist, but for those who choose to re-lie on words in your bibles ... I suggest you focus ONLY on the words "Judge not, lest ye be judged." Such focus should bring you down off of your self-perceived high horses.
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Freedom of Speech?
It was not a government that created a law against using that word (N!gger) against those who are now referred to (in polite company) as being (black).
It was the citizens that finally frowned on any white person that kept using that word.
Of course when those who are now referred to as being black use that word (N!gger) among each other, it's acceptable, because they use it in a totally different context than do those who are white.
And (naturally) white supremacists still use that word in each other's presence. It makes them feel as though they could still own N!ggers as slaves ... if only the law was as it used to be.
My point is, the government never did, and does not interfere with how as citizens we use words.
The court system is there to handle those complaints, but the Freedom of Speech Clause (for good reason) is taken very seriously, and people are aware that it would be silly “and” futile to go to court because someone used negative language against them.
A person would appear as being ridiculous, wasting time and money, standing in court, saying ... "But you don’t understand. He/she/they called me some very bad names!!!"
In Jordan Peterson's case however, if it went to court ... those who are transgender would have to say, "He 'refuses' to USE words that show respect for us" ... which would be equally futile and ridiculous.
From my perspective however, if those who are transgender took Jordan to court, it would expose Jordan as misleading people all over the world … when he stated over and over again that Justin Trudeau was trying to take away freedom of speech from Canadians. And the fact that Jordan’s lie would be exposed for once and “for all” … that would be a very good ending to such a court case.
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@remote6976 Einstein was a Jew by ethnicity ONLY.
From the book, “Ideas and Opinions,” by Albert Einstein.
Nobody, certainly, will deny that the idea of the existence of an omnipotent, just and omnibeneficient personal God is able to accord man solace, help, and guidance; also, by virtue of its simplicity it is accessible to the most undeveloped mind. But, on the other hand, there are decisive weaknesses attached to this idea in itself, which have been painfully felt since the beginning of history. That is, if this being is omnipotent, then every occurrence, including every thought, and every human aspiration is also His work; how is it possible to think of holding men responsible for their deeds and thoughts before such an almighty being? In giving out punishment and rewards He would to a certain extent be passing judgment on Himself. How can this be combined with the goodness and righteousness ascribed to Him?
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@remote6976 Albert Einstein became an Atheist before he died.
From the book, “Ideas and Opinions,” by Albert Einstein, comes the following …
Nobody, certainly, will deny that the idea of the existence of an omnipotent, just and omnibeneficient personal God is able to accord man solace, help, and guidance; also, by virtue of its simplicity it is accessible to the most undeveloped mind. But, on the other hand, there are decisive weaknesses attached to this idea in itself, which have been painfully felt since the beginning of history. That is, if this being is omnipotent, then every occurrence, including every thought, and every human aspiration is also His work; how is it possible to think of holding men responsible for their deeds and thoughts before such an almighty being? In giving out punishment and rewards He would to a certain extent be passing judgment on Himself. How can this be combined with the goodness and righteousness ascribed to Him?
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@remote6976 Many of the early "scientists" believed in the existence of a creator, because their so-called "science" was so archaic.
As science progressed, it made more sense to many of those men and women, that the universe was never created, but rather always existed.
Even some of the early scientists quit believing in the existence of a god.
These men of ancient times, agreed with Stephen Hawking's theory ... . From the book … 2000 Years of Disbelief … author … James A. Haugt … “None of the gods has formed the world, nor has any man; it has always been.”—Empedocles (495—435 B.C.E.), Greek philosopher and statesman (Noyes) … “The universe has been made neither by gods nor by men, but it has been, and is, and will be eternally.”—Heraclitus (Noyes) ... “The nature of the universe has by no means been made through divine power, seeing how great are the flaws that mar it”—Lucretius, ibid.
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@remote6976 Einstein did believe in a god when he was young, because that was how he was taught to believe. But later, he did not believe what he was taught as a child.
From the book, “Ideas and Opinions,” by Albert Einstein.
Nobody, certainly, will deny that the idea of the existence of an omnipotent, just and omnibeneficient personal God is able to accord man solace, help, and guidance; also, by virtue of its simplicity it is accessible to the most undeveloped mind. But, on the other hand, there are decisive weaknesses attached to this idea in itself, which have been painfully felt since the beginning of history. That is, if this being is omnipotent, then every occurrence, including every thought, and every human aspiration is also His work; how is it possible to think of holding men responsible for their deeds and thoughts before such an almighty being? In giving out punishment and rewards He would to a certain extent be passing judgment on Himself. How can this be combined with the goodness and righteousness ascribed to Him?
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@remote6976
Following are Einstein's own words.
From the book, “Ideas and Opinions,” by Albert Einstein, comes the following ….
The Religious Spirit of Science … Mein Weltbild, Amstersam: Querido Verlag, 1934.
You will hardly find one among the profounder sort of scientific minds without a religious feeling of his own. But it is different from the religiosity of naïve man. For the latter, God is a being from whose care one hopes to benefit and whose punishment one fears; a sublimation of a feeling similar to that of a child for its father, a being to whom one stands, so to speak, in a personal relationship, however it may be deeply tinged with awe.
But the scientist is possessed by the sense of universal causation. The future, to him is every whit as necessary and determined as the past. There is nothing divine about morality; it is a purely human affair. His religious feeling takes the form of a rapturous amazement at the harmony of the natural law, which reveals an intelligence of such superiority that, compared with it, all the systematic thinking and acting of human beings is an utterly insignificant reflection. This feeling is the guiding principle of his life and work, in so far as he succeeds in keeping himself from the shackles of selfish desire. It is beyond question closely akin to that which has possessed the religious geniuses of all ages.
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All governments during world-wide pandemics made rules with which people did not agree. And if this pandemic was smallpox, or polio, with faces and bodies being scarred and crippled for life, the result would be that the general public would be pushing each other aside in the rush to become vaccinated. You KNOW that is true. And by the way, if you think that Justin Trudeau is a weak leader, I suggest you underestimate how his father, Pierre Trudeau, who was the Prime Minister of Canada, at one time called out the army to settle a revolt concerning unruly, angry citizens. Justin simply has not been pushed that far ... yet. I don't believe he is at all weak, but rather as did his father, he tries to allow the citizens as much freedom as possible.
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What do you refer to as being weak?
Donald Trump, as President, more than a few times threatened North Korea's leader, but it was all puff and pomp, and the leader of North Korea laughed at him, and kept on performing the same behavior.
If every country went to war so they wouldn't appear as being weak, then when all the other countries ganged up on them and their bravado, they would soon "be" weak.
And now with nuclear war being the threat, by so many leaders of countries, bravado needs to be played down, or, all literal hell will break loose.
“I do not know with what weapons World War III will be fought, but World War IV will be fought with sticks and stones.” – Albert Einstein.
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Against the will of those in his cabinet, Harry (who was Christian, and believed that the Jews would have to go to their “homeland” before the second coming of Jesus) was the President of the United States that in turn signed the papers to agree with the creation of the Jewish State of Israel in 1948.
From the book “Plain Speaking” … Harry S. Truman … by Merle Miller
“But as I started to say … it wasn’t just the Biblical part about Palestine that interested me. The whole history of that area of the world is just about the most complicated and most interesting of any area, anywhere, and I have always made a very careful study of it. There has always been trouble there, always been wars from the time of Darius the Great and Rameses on, and the pity of it is that the whole area is just waiting to be developed. And the Arabs have just never seemed to take any interest in developing it. I have always thought that the Jews would, and of course, they have. But what has happened is only the beginning of what could happen, because potentially that is the richest area of the world.
“But getting back to what you were asking about, that morning I saw Rabbi Wise. It was late in the morning, and I remember, he said, ‘Mr. President, I’m not sure if you’re aware of the reasons underlying the wish of the Jewish people for a homeland.’
“He was just as polite as he possibly could be, but I’ve told you in those days nobody seemed to think I was aware of anything. I said I knew all about the history of the Jews."
“But I said as far as I was concerned, the United States would do all that it could to help the Jews set up a homeland. I didn’t tell him that I’d already had a communication from some of the ‘striped pants’ boys warning me … in effect telling me to watch my step, that I didn’t really understand what was going on over there and that I ought to leave it to the experts.
I told him I knew all about experts. I said that an expert was a fella who was afraid to learn anything new because then he wouldn’t be an expert anymore."
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Although this United States Supreme Court judge is now deceased, words from her book live on.
From the book … My Own Words … author … RUTH BADER GINSBURG. Whether you are a Christian, or an Atheist … you better think hard and long, as you close one clinic after another … in the pretense that it protects “babies.” The lives of women are at stake here, and they are the lives of your mothers, daughters, aunts, friends … and even grandmothers.
Then she made a point, nowhere addressed in the Breyer opinion, but embedded in the memories of women old enough to remember the days when abortion was illegal: “When a State severely limits access to safe and legal procedures, women in desperate circumstances may resort to unlicensed rogue practitioners, faute de mieux, at great risk to their health and safety.”
(Later speaking with a reporter, she was blunt about the law’s purpose: “It seemed to me it was a sham to pretend this was about a woman’s health” rather than about making it harder to obtain an abortion.)
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@seththomas2923 Such arrogance!In the second page of the King James version of the bible the words read as follows …
THE BIBLE
THIS BOOK REVEALS THE MIND OF GOD, the state of man, the way of salvation, the doom of sinners, and the happiness of believers.
ITS DOCTRINES ARE HOLY, its precepts are binding, its histories are true, and its decisions are immutable.
READ IT AND BE WISE, believe it to be safe, and practice it to be holy. It contains light to direct you, food to support you, and comfort to cheer you.
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I’m a Canadian and I suggest that both Justin Trudeau and Pierre Poilievre should not be taking sides against the Palestinians, as it is not our war to fight.
Israel only became a State in 1948, when some Jews then claimed land that previously had belonged to the different factions.
Until 1948 ... Jews never had a homeland. The word Israel in Judaism meant … “The Hebrew people, past, present, and future, regarded as the chosen people of God by virtue of the covenant of Jacob.”
There were more than a few Jews that were against that group of Jews setting up the State of Israel ... Einstein being one of the most outspoken concerning that issue. Those Jews figured that setting up that State of Israel would cause even more animosity around the world against the Jews than already existed.
Written by a Jewish Woman, I suggest that you will find the following information of great interest.
From the book … Sipping from the Nile … My exodus from Egypt … author … Jean Naggar
Despite that understanding that her efforts could permanently undermine the way of life she had always known, Auntie Helen, accompanied by her distinctive cane, traveled alone again and again to Suez and Ismailia after the end of the Second World War to supervise and expedite the loading of Jews emigrating to Palestine onto makeshift boats in the dead of night.
Certainly, the formation of the State of Israel changed the dynamic between Arab and Jew in the Middle East. It became a polarizing magnet, leading to huge rifts in the standing social structure, cutting through generations of tradition and peaceable interaction.
While most Jews world-wide rejoiced that Jews would at last have a homeland, those in Arab countries cast a wary eye at the chasm that was opening beside them, threatening irrevocably their safety and their way of life.
While I thought of my aunt as a fascinating person, I had no concept of the seismic shift that her activities were helping to produce in the internal psychological geography of the Arab countries, which were never again to accept their Jewish neighbors as brothers.
With the creation of the State of Israel, militant Islam was granted a voice and a cause.
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I suggest that most of the people who became so adamant in the attitude, "No government is going to dictate to me that I have to be vaccinated," were already understandably frustrated and angry at the overwhelming difficulties that must be endured in ever day lives. As one very angry senior citizen, who was suffering from the aches and pains of old age stated many years ago, and not even about any subject in particular, "I just want to kick, but I don't know where!" When people refuse to cooperate with each other, no matter which party is in power, the government is not to blame. And by the way, if you think that Justin Trudeau is a weak leader, I suggest you underestimate how his father, Pierre Trudeau, who was the Prime Minister of Canada, at one time called out the army to settle a revolt concerning unruly, angry citizens. Justin simply has not been pushed that far ... yet. I don't believe he is at all weak, but rather as did his father, he tries to allow the citizens as much freedom as possible.
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Thanks for honoring my freedom of speech.
Donald Trump claims to be an Evangelical Christian. But what good will it do him?
The problem with Christianity … whether Catholic … or … Protestant … is that it shouldn’t exist at all.
It was the first Christians that stated that Jesus was born PERFECT to a family of Jews that were faithful to Judaism.
.
That means that if later in life Jesus changed his “mind” by accepting either Catholic OR Protestant doctrines … he became IMperfect.
You can’t HAVE it both ways Christians.
If Jesus just happens to be alive in a spirit realm … he is still faithful ONLY to Judaism and the Jews.
So … as Catholics … or Protestants … your prayers were … and are … all in VAIN.
----------------
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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Angry people are never polite. That is not politics. That is simply human nature. The term should not be "political correctness." It should be "polite correctness." The word "political" makes the "government" the focus, and the supposed culprit of all the dissention, whereas the word "polite correctness,” puts the responsibility where it belongs, which is on every individual. I suggest that we should always be asking ourselves ... "Am I being polite, or am I a big part of the problem?"
Pressure from other citizens, that in turn, frown on language that bully others, helps to do away (somewhat) with negative word "usage."
When President Obama was elected to office, a white man that I thought I knew well, said, in a fit of anger, "And now we have a "N" (full word) in the White House!!!"
I made it very plain to him that I didn't approve of his attitude, OR his language.
Next time I conversed with him, he said that he was listening to a speech by "The President."
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For those who don’t approve of the laws that now exist in Canada, I suggest that you study history, when the Protestant Christian politicians, based on their own biblical interpretations, made hanging the laws of the land for over two hundred offenses, such as stealing a turnip, or picking someone’s pocket, or for not respecting the supposed Sabbath, or committing sodomy, etc.
From the book … Drop Dead: A Horrible History of Hanging in Canada … author … Lorna Poplak.
On January 19, 1649, a young girl of fifteen or sixteen was found guilty of theft and hanged in the town of Quebec. This was purported to be the first execution in Canada.
More than two hundred death penalties are gone from the law books, but the texts that authorized them remain. "Bible Teaching and Religious Practice," Europe and Elsewhere
Mark Twain
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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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Those who are different have a very difficult time trying to fit into a world of religious people that teach that it was a god that created only male and female.
If those who changed their sex organs to suit their personalities have operations to go back to how their physical bodies were before the operations ... if they were not content with their bodies then, why are they going to be content with their bodies now?
They might say they are happy when they reverse the process, but only they know the truth of the matter.
A lot of times, people try to be what is expected of them to be, by those that put a lot of emotional pressure on them.
Note the religious input in the following article from Human Life International, about those who say they want to transition back to their original state, before they had their transgender operations … “Regardless of the numbers, regret is real—and the numbers don’t really matter to those affected by a decision that they now regret and who feel misled by either doctors or families.
What they know is that they are hurting.
And as stewards of our brothers and sisters in Christ, it is our job to treat them with empathy, understanding, and compassion. It is our job to help them see the inherent dignity in themselves. And in both love and charity, it is our job to assist them as they seek help in moving forward.”
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@bruceberman761 The following information might help you to understand the conflict.
Israel only became a State in 1948, when some Jews then claimed land that previously had not belonged to them.
Until 1948 ... Jews never had a homeland. The word Israel in Judaism meant … “The Hebrew people, past, present, and future, regarded as the chosen people of God by virtue of the covenant of Jacob.”
There were more than a few Jews that were against that group of Jews setting up that State of Israel ... Einstein being one of the most outspoken concerning that issue. Those Jews figured that setting up that State of Israel would cause even more animosity around the world against the Jews than already existed.
Written by a Jewish Woman, I suggest that you will find the following information of great interest.
From the book … Sipping from the Nile … My exodus from Egypt … author … Jean Naggar
“Despite that understanding that her efforts could permanently undermine the way of life she had always known, Auntie Helen, accompanied by her distinctive cane, traveled alone again and again to Suez and Ismailia after the end of the Second World War to supervise and expedite the loading of Jews emigrating to Palestine onto makeshift boats in the dead of night.
Certainly, the formation of the State of Israel changed the dynamic between Arab and Jew in the Middle East. It became a polarizing magnet, leading to huge rifts in the standing social structure, cutting through generations of tradition and peaceable interaction.
While most Jews world-wide rejoiced that Jews would at last have a homeland, those in Arab countries cast a wary eye at the chasm that was opening beside them, threatening irrevocably their safety and their way of life.
While I thought of my aunt as a fascinating person, I had no concept of the seismic shift that her activities were helping to produce in the internal psychological geography of the Arab countries, which were never again to accept their Jewish neighbors as brothers.
With the creation of the State of Israel, militant Islam was granted a voice and a cause.”
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As have others, please do not delete my freedom of speech, and if you do, it “should” bother your conscience.
When Hillary Clinton lost the election to Donald Trump, if she had encouraged her followers to attack the Capitol the way Donald encouraged his followers to attack the Capitol when he lost the election to Joe Biden, do you think Donald would not have wanted Hillary to be incarcerated (or maybe worse) for her crime against the government over which Donald suddenly ruled supreme?
If Hillary had even dared to rock Donald's boat as the new President, we don't know for certain what Donald (with his new and impressive sense of ultimate power) would have done to Hillary, but we should know that it would not have been at all good FOR Hillary.
In total contrast to Donald’s erratic and dictatorial behavior, was the striking message from the honorable Republican Ronald Reagan when he was leaving the office as President, “We must always remember that our strength lies in our respect for the Constitution and the Bill of Rights, and our determination to preserve it for our children and their children.”
If Donald becomes President again … his first JOB will be to do away with the Constitution and with any news media outlet that expresses a negative word against his erratic behavior. And he WILL create … “The Law According to Donald Trump” … as THAT is his aim.
Guaranteed … you won’t be laughing at his “jokes” then.
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@Olufsen 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!"
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@Olufsen Soul-Spoofology
Once the god created souls for the sinners Adam and Lilith, he was hooked, as he then had to keep on manufacturing more and more souls so that in turn he could keep up with the demands of supplying souls for all those sin-filled human bodies.
Not counting the souls of the humans that died since the god first created those two souls for Adam and Lilith, there are now over eight billion human bodies on earth … so we can only imagine that the god has been extremely busy with his commitment of manufacturing more and more souls to place in all those sin-filled human bodies.
I wonder if the god ever regrets creating those first two souls on planet earth for the first sinners … Adam and Lilith? Since we can’t know, we can only imagine … but it seems to me that if he had been thinking straight, he could have kept the perfect spirits that he created in his own image with him in his perfect abode, and not bothered his self with creating souls and human bodies on earth, where sin could even exist, and where he then would feel compelled for eternity to punish the souls he deemed as being evil.
On the lighter side of the subject, maybe he should be excused because it seems he didn’t know that by creating sinners, he was falling short of his own mark of perfection.
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Thankfully this Jewish Supreme Court Judge (now deceased) could not be mislead or intimidated by Donald Trump … as were … and ARE the Christian judges.
She knew that what does not breathe on its own … which is the case with fetuses … could not BE murdered … and that the lives of the women were/are … of the utmost importance.
From the book … My Own Words … author … RUTH BADER GINSBURG.
Whether you are a Christian, or an Atheist … you better think hard and long, as you close one clinic after another … in the pretense that it protects “babies.” The lives of women are at stake here, and they are the lives of your mothers, daughters, aunts, friends … and even grandmothers. Then she made a point, nowhere addressed in the Breyer opinion, but embedded in the memories of women old enough to remember the days when abortion was illegal: “When a State severely limits access to safe and legal procedures, women in desperate circumstances may resort to unlicensed rogue practitioners, faute de mieux, at great risk to their health and safety.” (Later speaking with a reporter, she was blunt about the law’s purpose: “It seemed to me it was a sham to pretend this was about a woman’s health” rather than about making it harder to obtain an abortion.)
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That there is only male and female, stems from biblical interpretation, and from my perception that is archaic nonsense. If we are not transgender, we can't possibly know what a person who is transgender feels. To bully others who are not the same as us, is a very nasty habit, often carried out by people in the name of “God.”
People have surgery on all parts of their bodies without others bothering them about "morals." Yet, the moment anyone wants to change his or her sexual organs, as in transgender, many people in religion preach that a god created male and female “only.”
If you believe that a god created human bodies as he wanted them to stay, then you better not circumcise the penises of your sons. You better not have breast implants. You better not have growths removed. You better not have any type of cosmetic surgery whatsoever. You better not have treatment for diseases of any sort. After all, "God's" plan should not be messed with, lest he becomes annoyed with the tampering of the perfection he is certain he created.
Once a person starts using religion to preach what is moral, and what is immoral, that person can end up in big trouble, not only with others, but also, ultimately ... with one's own conscience.
From the book ... The Final Inequality, by L. J. Ludovici. "Morals at any given moment have always been as good, or as bad, as our imaginations credit them, for the morals (from the Latin, mores: customs) means simply customs, and they keep changing all the time in all the corners of the world."
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@divulgedspirit As were all people in all religions ... I also was raised to believe that the universe was created by a judge-mental god ... or ... judge-mental gods.
At age 70, I changed my system of belief to the more sensible scientific theory that the universe and electricity always existed ... no creator ... no plan ... and that suffering of all life ... is natural.
I'm now 85 years of age ... and trust that if I do my best to be as kind to others as each situation allows ... I can't DO better than my best.
Thankfully … now that hundreds of members of clergy of various religions are leaving their religious indoctrinations behind ... as being nothing other than misleading information … 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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@divulgedspirit Pertaining to suicide ... it definitely "matters" what we believe.
Many members of clergy also committed suicide ... in the belief that they would never be able to pass God's judgment that would allow them entrance to heaven.
Example … from the book by Georges Minois … History of Suicide … Voluntary Death in Western Culture … Translated by Lydia G. Cochrane.
Spring 1721 Julien Deshoux attended the Lenten preaching cycle during a mission at Saulniere, in the barony of Chateaugiron. The preachers’ depictions of hell drove him insane: “He fell into madness,” his parish priest declared, “because of the fright the preaching caused him.” He killed himself.
Spirituality, shared with physical suicide a rejection of the world, of personal life, and of individual conscience; a desire to merge with the great all that some call nothingness and others call God; and a total effacement of self.
Jean-Jacques Olier (1608-57), a disciple of Condren, went through a grave moral crisis during which he stopped eating and saw himself as already dead: “I did not know how to eat: I was almost losing the habit of it, and seems to me that I was giving food as if to a dead body.” Considering himself lost, Olier compared himself to Judas and imagined himself already in hell: “When people spoke of God I conceived of nothing but an annoying, rigorous, and very cruel being….I took pleasure in the thought of hell, and the description of it pleased me as of the place destined for me”.
For a period of five years, Father Jean Rigoleuc thought himself damned too. Jean-Hoseph Surin, a Jesuit (1600 – 1663) suffered from bouts of madness and suicide neuroticism: he wrote, and he even seriously attempted suicide by throwing himself out a window.
1418 When his wife fell ill, Pierre le Vachier, a retired butcher from Sarcelles who had been ruined by the civil war and had lost two of his children, not only was left destitute but also felt totally abandoned. He “went to hang himself from a tree, where he died and strangled himself.” The chronicle adds that he was obviously “tempted by the enemy [the devil].” Although it took a variety of forms, the spirituality of annihilation inspired quazi-suicidal attitudes throughout the seventeenth century.
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I suggest that you be aware that what you put in your brain that you in turn believe is innocent, can addict you to a downhill slope of what could be ... no return.
o Serial killer Jeffrey Dahmer of Wisconsin, speaking of his routine before hunting for a victim said, “Just…using pictures of past victims…the pornography videos, the magazines…” Jeffrey Dahmer killed 17 boys and men.
o Ted Bundy, convicted rapist and mutilation murderer of Washington, said that hard-core pornography had a "crystallizing effect" on his violent tendencies and his acting out during the 1970s.
o Arthur Gary Bishop from Utah, executed for raping and murdering five boys in the 1980s, said pornography's "effect on me was devastating."
o Andrei Chikatilo, a Russian serial killer, murdered at least 53 women and children. "…with pictures of naked women in his prison cell, he blamed pornography as the cause of this troubles."
o Wisconsin resident Ed Gein, the first serial killer, aka The Butcher of Plainfield, and inspiration for movies such as Psycho, Maniac, and The Silence of the Lambs "accumulated a library of anatomy books, porn magazines, horror and adventure novel…" in the 1950s.
o John Wayne Gacy's wife filed for divorce in 1976 because "Gacy's moods had become erratic, and [she] had found Gacy's pornographic magazine collection which was all centered around young boys." Gacy killed at least 33 young men and boys in Chicago, Illinois.
o The nickname BTK (bind, torture, kill) was given to Dennis Rader, a Kansas native, who killed 10 people. "He kept meticulous records of his fantasies and crimes in what he called his 'mother lode' collection of pornography."
o David Berkowitz killed over a dozen people in New York. He joined a cult and was introduced to "drug use, sadistic pornography and violent crime." The cult also created and distributed child pornography.
o Richard Ramirez was exposed to explicit pictures of his cousin "raping Vietnamese women and severing the heads of Vietcong soldiers." He in turn killed at least 13 people in California.
o Edmund Kemper, a California serial killer and necrophile known as the Co-ed Killer, used pornography and detective magazines for erotic stimulation; he picked up women who were hitch-hiking, then killed, and raped them post-mortem.
o Ottis Toole from Florida became obsessed with gay pornography. He "committed his first murder at the age of 14." During his killing spree, accompanied by Henry Lee Lucas, he killed 108 people.
o The Grim Sleeper, Lonnie Franklin Jr., "had a penchant for prostitutes and pornography." A resident of LA, he would pick up prostitutes, take pornographic pictures of his victims, then strangle them to death. His killing spree included 11 murders.
o In the 2013 murder case of Tia Sharp, a 12-year-old girl from the UK, the judge declared to murderer Stuart Hazell, "the records of your internet searching on your mobile phone make abundantly clear that you were looking out for pornographic pictures of pre-teen girls."
o In 2013, on the day Mark Bridger, a UK native,abducted April Jones, he "viewed online photographs of a young girl and a pornographic cartoon depicting...rape."
The use of pornography likely will not result in the casual viewer to commit violent acts; in the cases cited above, their behaviors included pornography use. I believe pornography can have serious and lasting affects on behavior.
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Devotees of religion refer to consciousness as being a soul that flies away either to be rewarded with eternal bliss, or to suffer harsh judgment from a god for eternity, or to reincarnate back and forth between earth and other dimensions, until all the nasty karmic debts are paid in full … presumably to the supposed god.
I suggest it’s as possible that humans will be conscious after death, as it will be possible that alligators, or bears, or snakes, or mosquitoes will be conscious after death, and that if as a species, we had evolved with paws or hooves, neither science nor religion would exist.
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The following was written by a Jewish woman ... Jean Naggar … author … Sipping from the Nile … My exodus from Egypt.
While I thought of my aunt as a fascinating person, I had no concept of the seismic shift that her activities were helping to produce in the internal psychological geography of the Arab countries, which were never again to accept their Jewish neighbors as brothers. With the creation of the State of Israel, militant Islam was granted a voice and a cause.
Certainly, the formation of the State of Israel changed the dynamic between Arab and Jew in the Middle East. It became a polarizing magnet, leading to huge rifts in the standing social structure, cutting through generations of tradition and peaceable interaction. While most Jews world-wide rejoiced that Jews would at last have a homeland, those in Arab countries cast a wary eye at the chasm that was opening beside them, threatening irrevocably their safety and their way of life.
For years, as a child, I puzzled over how the Saturday minyan could be Jewish, as they muttered and prayed in an Arab-accented Hebrew, bowed, swayed, and shouted responses, some in flowing white robes and red tarbushes, the harsh sound of the guttural Arabic linking them to the outside world as they left after services in a flutter of white cloth and clamor.
I considered my own life perfectly usual and ordinary, since it was usual and ordinary to me, but I did notice with some surprise that not everyone we knew had their own synagogue in the garden. Following a tradition begun by his father, my grandfather Joseph had built a small synagogue into the far corner of our garden. My mother, father, aunt, grandmother, brother, sister, and I attended Sabbath services there every Saturday, walking through a vine-covered walkway at the back of the house. Up a narrow flight of stairs there was a tiny ladies’ balcony where I sat with the women of the family and the occasional neighbor who dropped by for services and later joined us at the house for the Sabbath meal.
There was never a shortage of men from the less affluent Jewish quarters to assemble weekly in our little synagogue for minyan.
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@darlenegriffith6186 I was raised in a Christian culture, but I never could buy into that story that Jesus was a savior of humanity. So I kept on studying.
The supposed savior of souls of Christians, was just the most recent savior-myth story. Example as follows, from the book, 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."
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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Thanks for honoring my freedom of speech.
Donald Trump portrays his self to be an Evangelical Christian … but what good will it do him?
The problem with Christianity … whether Catholic … or … Protestant … is that it shouldn’t exist at all.
It was the first Christians that stated that Jesus was born PERFECT to a family of Jews that were faithful to Judaism.
.
That means that if later in life Jesus changed his “mind” by accepting either Catholic OR Protestant doctrines … he became IMperfect.
You can’t HAVE it both ways Christians.
If Jesus just happens to be alive in a spirit realm … he is still faithful ONLY to Judaism and the Jews.
So … as Catholics … or Protestants … your prayers were … and are … all in VAIN.
++++++++
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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Would you rather be alive in this era ... with no death penalty ... or back in the day when Protestant Christian politicians (in Canada) enforced the death penalty for over two hundred (so called) reasons?
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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The term should not be "political correctness." It should be "polite correctness." The word "political" makes the "government" the focus, and the supposed culprit of all the dissention, whereas the word "polite correctness,” puts the responsibility where it belongs, which is on the individual. Should we not always be asking ourselves, "Am I being polite, or am I a big part of the problem?" It was not the government that enforced a law that the “N” word had to stop being used. It was those of the black race that rightfully complained that that was derogatory, and they wanted people to respect them by using the term “Black race.” Now, in “polite” company, people use the term “Black race.” The government has never forced people to either use words, or to stop using words. As civilians, we monitor our own language. And if a citizen feels forced to use words that show respect of a certain group, then that person should take the complaint to the Supreme Court if he or she feels it is necessary, but we should not blame the leaders of the government. Concerning language, when it pertains to likes and dislikes, they are just ordinary citizens.
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Gentle words, from a gentle man.
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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Written by a Jewish woman ... you might find the following perspective to be of interest …
From the book … Jean Naggar … author … Sipping from the Nile … My exodus from Egypt … author … Jean Naggar
Despite that understanding that her efforts could permanently undermine the way of life she had always known, Auntie Helen, accompanied by her distinctive cane, traveled alone again and again to Suez and Ismailia after the end of the Second World War to supervise and expedite the loading of Jews emigrating to Palestine onto makeshift boats in the dead of night.
Certainly, the formation of the State of Israel changed the dynamic between Arab and Jew in the Middle East. It became a polarizing magnet, leading to huge rifts in the standing social structure, cutting through generations of tradition and peaceable interaction. While most Jews world-wide rejoiced that Jews would at last have a homeland, those in Arab countries cast a wary eye at the chasm that was opening beside them, threatening irrevocably their safety and their way of life.
While I thought of my aunt as a fascinating person, I had no concept of the seismic shift that her activities were helping to produce in the internal psychological geography of the Arab countries, which were never again to accept their Jewish neighbors as brothers. With the creation of the State of Israel, militant Islam was granted a voice and a cause.
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@johndorilag4129 And here is an example of "The old law" as it once was in Canada.
Would you rather be alive in this era ... or back in the day when Christian politicians (in Canada) enforced the death penalty for over two hundred (so called) reasons?
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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You might find the following to be of interest … From the book … The Atheist Muslim ... author ... Ali A. Rizvi.
I was about twelve when I met my first real-life atheist. He was the new kid in school and sat next to me in class, so we quickly became friends. His family had moved to Riyadh from Sweden for his father's work. One day, as we were learning about the different religions of the world in class, I asked him what religion he was. "I don't know," he said. "You don't know?" I asked. "How could you not know what religion you are?" "I don't think I have a religion." "What about your parents? What do they believe?" "I don't know. We've never talked about it." "Are you guys Christian?" He laughed. "Oh no, definitely not." "Do your mom and dad believe in God?" "No, No God, no religion." I remember being shocked. Not just because he didn't what religion he was, or if he even had a religion, but because he was responding like he'd never even thought about it. I could tell that no one had ever asked him these questions before. It was as if they were irrelevant. If we'd been a little older, I might have asked him where he thought we all came from, or whether he'd ever wondered who created the universe. But at that point, there was one thing I was more curious about than anything else. "So does that mean you can do anything?" I asked. "What do you mean?" "Like steal, kill people, bad stuff like that?" "No." "Why? You don't believe in God." I remember him being confused by my line of questioning. And I was just as confused that he didn't understand what he was getting at. "Well, we don't do bad things because it's illegal. And you shouldn't do bad things." "What do your parents tell you so you wouldn't do bad things?" I asked. "They say, 'How would like it if someone did it to you? "I thought about our conversation a lot , for many years afterward. I started noticing my own actions very consciously, as if I'd stepped out of my body and was watching myself.
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Jordan has had a very negative impact on my life.
He lied, when he stated that Justin Trudeau was and is trying to take away freedom of speech from Canadians. The truth is, the Board of Psychologists were receiving negative complaints about Jordan not staying in the guideline he signed up for when he became a psychologist. It is they who want Jordan to either give up his license or be re-trained to stay within those guidelines.
Many of Jordan's followers say that Jordan is only worried about children concerning the transgender issue ... but his nasty words prove otherwise ... In January Jordan claimed on “The Joe Rogan Experience” podcast that being transgender is a result of a “social contagion” and similar to “satanic ritual abuse,” and suggested that acceptance of the trans community is a sign that “civilization’s collapsing.”
Jordan signed on with the Conservative Daily Wire ... because he could SEE the big dollar signs in doing so.
His intention is to be wealthy, and by using his schemes ... he is succeeding.
Note the words "Paying subscribers."
Over the past three months, The Daily Wire has added tens of thousands of new paying subscribers — pushing the overall subscriber number for the conservative news and media empire founded by Ben Shapiro, Caleb Robinson, and Jeremy Boreing to 890,000. That puts the company, the subscriber base for which stood just shy of the 600,000 mark back in April, within striking distance of 1 million, a number that might actually be achieved sooner rather than later as a result of a series of updates and announcements that the company laid out on Wednesday, June 29.
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The first President of the United States, George Washington, under the question, Party, wrote, Unaffiliated. I suggest that Donald Trump also should have stated Unaffiliated under Party, because he didn’t have any intention whatsoever, of following Republican policies. He wanted to rule supreme with a heavy hand all his own making. The writing was on the wall, when Republicans became terrified of being fired if they dared to state their own opinions that, in turn, disagreed with the opinions of "the Donald." I suggest that had he won another four years, there wouldn’t have been any laws, except the laws that Donald dictated. And the problem is, some Republicans still in office that don't want to lose their jobs, are terrified that if by chance he were to win the next election, they would also be fired if they dared (now) to go against him. It takes brave people to stand up against such a want to be dictator.
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For Neil to mention that a perception "borders" on being "spiritual," is misleading.
To be spiritual, one has to be religious ... because if you believe that you have a spirit and a soul, that means you believe in an afterlife, which in turn means you believe in a god ... which is ... religion.
I do agree with Neil that we must read books that opens our mind to new ways of perceiving, so that we can understand each other. For instance, I am an Atheist, who is reading this book to try to understand how this person views life from his to her own personal experience.
From the book … God Doesn’t Make Mistakes: Confessions of a Transgender Christian … author … Laurie Suzanne Scott
I was compelled to write this book, because I could no longer just idly sit by and listen to Christians in total ignorance talk about how people who are transgender are out to destroy families, attack women and girls in bathrooms, pump children full of hormones and ruin society in general. Nor could I allow Christians who are transgender complain about “evangelical church” (referring to predominately conservative Christians) and how hateful and un-Christ-like it was. I am a conservative evangelical Christian who is transgender, so I am likewise hurt when I see a similar ignorance displayed toward churches and people with whom I identify.
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Another problem that arose in the Middle East, was when Donald Trump in 2018 (probably at the urging of his Jewish son-in law Jarod Kushner … other Jews … and Christians) chose to move the embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem … which pleased the Jews and Evangelical Christians … but in turn infuriated the Muslim Palestinians … who regard East Jerusalem as a future Palestinian State.
Most everything the Jews, Muslims and Christians have done in the Middle East …“have” escalated the irritation among the three right-fighting religions of Judaism … Christianity … and Islam.
Holy mission … and Holy land … it is NOT.
If the haughty words … Judaism, Islam and Christianity were removed from the language ... all that would be left is naked human animals ... of no significant importance whatsoever … except to their naked selves.
There is hope ... however … as there are now hundreds of ex members of clergy that have joined The Clergy Project, to find employment elsewhere.
From the book ... Apostle to Apostate: The Story of the Clergy Project … authors … Catherine Dunphy, Richard Dawkins 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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Although this United States Supreme Court judge is now deceased, words from her book live on.
From the book … My Own Words … author … RUTH BADER GINSBURG. Whether you are a Christian, or an Atheist … you better think hard and long, as you close one clinic after another … in the pretense that it protects “babies.” The lives of women are at stake here, and they are the lives of your mothers, daughters, aunts, friends … and even grandmothers.
Then she made a point, nowhere addressed in the Breyer opinion, but embedded in the memories of women old enough to remember the days when abortion was illegal: “When a State severely limits access to safe and legal procedures, women in desperate circumstances may resort to unlicensed rogue practitioners, faute de mieux, at great risk to their health and safety.”
(Later speaking with a reporter, she was blunt about the law’s purpose: “It seemed to me it was a sham to pretend this was about a woman’s health” rather than about making it harder to obtain an abortion.)
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Bill C-16 is futile, as it's the type of law that hasn't any meaning whatsoever. For instance, if those who are transgender take Jordan to court for being disrespectful to them, and it ends up in the Supreme Court ... because of The Freedom of Speech Clause, the case will be thrown out as being futile.
And being that the new law was put into "effect" in 2016, and it is now 2022, and Jordan is still a free man, it is plain that the "Canadian government" is not after Jordan, as he claims is the case.
As another psychologist mentioned ... "Jordan is a professor of piffle." I would take it further and say that Jordan is a bully to those who are transgender, and that many of his devout followers are evangelical Christians, that in turn, USE words in their bibles to make a literal hell on earth for those who consider their selves to be classed as transgender. "The Bible says that God created only male and female" ... they say.
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When Planned Parenthood started, one of the founders, Margaret Sanger, believed that abortion was murder. She wanted women to be able to have access to birth control, so that they would not feel the need to resort to having abortions. As time went by, those that ran Planned Parenthood, realized that even birth control methods often failed, leaving the women pregnant, against their wills. That is when it was decided at Planned Parenthood ... that individual women should make their own choices, and that abortions on demand should be available to those who choose to have them. I have never had an abortion ... but I agree that it is better that women have their abortions in clinics, where trained doctors perform them ... because when and where abortion is illegal, women that are deprived of quality care during their abortions, keep dying. Let us not pretend to be the moral judges (over and above) those who are desperate to have abortions. If it was your daughter, or your mother, or even your grandmother, having an abortion ... would you not want her to come home safe to you?
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We can be thankful right now for the two-party system ... but if Donald Trump wins the next election, there will be only one party, and it will be the party of Donald Trump ... period. Anyone who would dare to disagree with Donald, would be disposable.
During his TV days, Donald claimed that the Emmy awards were rigged, when his show The Apprentice was beaten by The Amazing Race. So it was hardly surprising, that when he lost the Republican Caucuses in Iowa in February 2016, he said that Ted Cruz cheated, and should be disqualified.
After that, Ted Cruz became Donald's political puppet. He was afraid of what Donald would do next to ruin his career and his life.
If Donald were to be voted in again, it wouldn’t be long and other Republicans would also be Donald’s sock puppets … and be forced do everything Donald's way … or be fired.
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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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Buddhism is simply a branch off of Hinduism. Just as it was men that created the mythology of Hinduism, it was other men that later on created the mythology of Buddhism. To escape the treadmill of reincarnation, one has to believe that one is "totally enlightened spiritually" ... which would mean to be perfect. Imperfection would mean that the soul has to keep coming back to earth, to pay more debts of more negative karma. At least the mythology of heaven or hell is precise and definite, as the saved souls spend eternity in heaven, and the rejected souls spend eternity in hell. At age 70, I finally escaped religion, and at age 81 feel whole, just as I am, and now believe, as did Stephen Hawking before he died, that the universe always existed ... no creator involved.
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Those who are different have a very difficult time trying to fit into a world of religious people that teach that it was a god that created only male and female.
If those who changed their sex organs to suit their personalities have operations to go back to how their physical bodies were before the operations ... if they were not content with their bodies then, why are they going to be content with their bodies now?
They might say they are happy when they reverse the process, but only they know the truth of the matter.
A lot of times, people try to be what is expected of them to be, by those that put a lot of emotional pressure on them.
Note the religious input in the following article from Human Life International, about those who say they want to transition back to their original state, before they had their transgender operations … “Regardless of the numbers, regret is real—and the numbers don’t really matter to those affected by a decision that they now regret and who feel misled by either doctors or families.
What they know is that they are hurting.
And as stewards of our brothers and sisters in Christ, it is our job to treat them with empathy, understanding, and compassion. It is our job to help them see the inherent dignity in themselves. And in both love and charity, it is our job to assist them as they seek help in moving forward.”
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Thanks for honoring free speech
Donald Trump breaks laws ... so that he can make them over into his own image.
Had Hilary Clinton or Kamala Harris encouraged rioters to attack the United States Capitol, as did Donald … there would have been hell to pay for them. But Donald (as a sore loser) got away with attacking the very Capitol he PROMISED to protect when he first became the President.
There shouldn’t be any question that by the end of his first term as President ... Donald Trump ruled OVER the Supreme Court judges of the United States … and that in his second term in office … ALL new laws in the United States … will be DICTATED BY Donald Trump.
From the book … Nine Black Robes: Inside the Supreme Court’s Drive to the Right and It’s Historic Consequences … author … Joan Biskupic. When lower-court judges ruled against him or his policies, he suggested he had only to reach the Supreme Court to prevail. He understood that his approach to Supreme Court appointments mattered to the public. “The Supreme Court was one of the main reasons I got elected President,” Trump tweeted midway through his term. At the time, and throughout his first full year, Trump was unconcerned with sending the “wrong message.” He mocked norms. Unlike some leaders in the legal arena, and many law professors, none of the Supreme Court justices referred in public to Trump’s provocations. They said nothing when Trump attacked Judge Curiel as “a Mexican” who could not be fair, or when he denounced Judge Robart and others who ruled in the travel ban cases.
Perhaps it was difficult then to imagine how Trump’s words and deeds would affect public regard for the rule of law. He was so unlike any other American president. He was never chastened, never regretful. And in his first year, there seemed no penalty for what he said or did.
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Thanks for honoring free speech.
Back in the day ... the most honorable "profession" on planet earth was said to be that of a theologian.
Not so much any more ... as "ordinary" people are beginning to "see" that those men were simply making up stories that it was gods that were "giving them messages."
And the irony of it all ... is that for GOOD REASON ... those "theologians" didn't believe in ... or have any trust in each other.
From the book … Brewer’s Dictionary of Phrase & Fable by Ivor H. Evans … First published 1817. … Odium theologicum (o di um the o loj ikim) (Lat.). The bitter hatred of rival theologians. No wars so sanguinary as holy wars; no persecutions so relentless as religious persecutions; no hatred so bitter as theological hatred.
Thankfully … now that hundreds of members of clergy of various religions are leaving their religious indoctrinations behind ... as being nothing other than misleading information … 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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@__Jesus_is_God__ I never did believe that those books labeled as being holy information from "gods" were anything other than man-created lies.
The word "sin" was coined by theologians, that in turn taught that humans are all born in sin, and in need of spiritual cleansing, and that the theologians were the only ones capable of handling that prestigious God-given job.
If we were to believe that we were born whole, and that it is up to us how we treat others, theology would be perceived as a mental delusion of the archaic, outdated past.
I'm thankful that when I was under the spell of religion, I treated homosexuals as being different than me, but as being of the same worth, and worthy of the same respect I wanted for my heterosexual self.
I knew I was born "different," when I was only attracted all my life to the opposite gender.
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Thank you for honoring freedom of speech, by not deleting mine.
The organization known as MENSA was founded in England in 1946 by a barrister named Roland Berrill, and Dr. Lance Ware, a scientist and lawyer.
Some people insist that it’s not possible to fail a MENSA IQ test, and that is a ridiculous conclusion, because there are those that belong to MENSA, and there are those that are not allowed entry into the organization of MENSA.
Albert Einstein’s parents were informed by his teachers in elementary school that he was having problems with learning. He was probably bored with the subjects being discussed and wanted to study only math and science, as those were indeed suited to his intense personal interests. Later he was labeled as being an intellectual genius … yet had he lived in an era before math and science existed, in the public sphere he would have been unknown.
If adults want to strive to belong to the group known as MENSA, it is their right to apply, and either be allowed to enter through the door, or to have the door to the Mensa organization slammed shut in their faces.
It is not however a good idea to subject children to that test, because if the children succeed, the idea that they are much more intelligent than others could go to their heads and result in them being insufferable bores, as are so many adults that believe they are exceptionally intelligent.
And if the children fail the test that allows them to belong to MENSA, it would be tragic for them to believe that they are nothing other than dumb losers … which in turn could result in them losing faith that they are able to succeed in any field of endeavor whatsoever.
Years ago I read a book that was written by a man whose brother was told that he had a low IQ. I don't remember the title of the book, or the exact words, but I do remember the gist of the quote by the brother who was labeled as having the low IQ, and it went as follows ... "Because of what we don't know, we are all dumb." I suggest that his statement was and is correct … and that in contrast … there should not be any doubt that the scientist and lawyer that started the organization of MENSA were certain that they were so very intelligent by what they did know, as to be fully qualified to teach others the unadulterated meaning of that word “intelligence.”
You may, or may not, appreciate the following humor on the YouTube podcast … Mike from Canmore applies to MENSA
When I watched that podcast, I certainly learned something new.
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A fetus-worshiper is one that glorifies the image of purity of the fetus but knows that a living baby is a lot of hard work, worry, expense, and frustration.
So, while the fetus is in the womb, the fetus-worshiper worships the ground that the fetus does not yet walk upon.
But when the fetus exits the womb, and becomes a full-fledged baby, the fetus-worshiper is nowhere to be found, because he/she is off worshiping more fetuses that do not affect the earthly comforts of the fetus-worshipper.
And meanwhile, the fetus-worshiper credits him/herself from the egotistical attitude that the on-going job of bad-mouthing women that have abortions, is WELL DONE!
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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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Whoopi was correct. Antisemitism is not the same as belittling and killing others for the color of their skin. The new testament is a book of antisemitism, that was compiled by men who wanted to start a new religion foreign to, and offensive to Judaism … and the Jews. However, it is common sense, (within theology) that even had Jesus lived as a real Jewish Rabbi, he would not have preached any other doctrine than Judaism. And again (within theology) Mary would be insulted to be referred to as being a Catholic saint, as she, also, would have stayed faithful only to Judaism.
In contrast ... THIS is biblical racism … from the book ... The Arrogance of Faith, by Forrest G. Wood … Despite his best intentions, Jones, like virtually every southern clergyman, never doubted the innate inferiority of the black race.
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It is citizens that become offended by how words are used, which doesn’t have anything in common with government as in being "politically correct.” Case in point as follows.
From the book … Silent Siren: Memoirs of a Life Saving Mortician … author Matthew Franklin Sias
As a new EMT and thereafter, I was taught to use the word “death” and “dead” when I had occasion to break the news to a family. To use euphemisms such as “passed away” would leave some doubt in the loved ones’ minds, I was told, as to whether or not the person really had died. Directness was best. I was taught the extreme opposite when I became involved in the funeral business, maybe because the mortuary industry is much more customer service oriented, and maybe because it was so completely obvious that because we, as funeral directors were involved, someone was dead.
I learned this distinction between the languages of my two professions the hard way. When working at the mortuary removal service, I completed a residential call, representing Bonney-Watson funeral home. We were removing the body of an elderly man who had died peacefully in bed in the back hallway of his house.
Before we had moved him to our stretcher, I needed some information for the form I was to bring back to Bonney-Watson. I asked the new widow, “What time did he die today?” It seemed an innocuous question, and a necessary one.
The next day, I was informed by a supervisor that both the family and Bonney-Watson funeral home had complained that I had used the word “die.”
Likewise, on our emergency radios in the ambulance, the subject of death is cleverly disguised, some might say avoided. In Tacoma, where I worked at Rural-Metro, calls to confirm death were dispatched as “signals,” i.e. signal 2 or signal 3. At skagit County Medic One, we are dispatched to a “possible unattended,” whether someone had witnessed the death occurring or not.
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I suggest it is everyone in the United States (including Republicans) that should be afraid of Donald Trump.
Republicans in office laughed at the idea that Donald Trump could become the President. However, once he became President and started firing them, they realized it was no longer a laughing matter.
Donald Trump was just using the word Republican to achieve his grandiose scheme of making the United States government over in his own personal image.
I had respect for both Republican and Democrat Presidents, that in turn had the utmost respect for the United States Constitution ... but had and have absolutely no respect for Donald Trump, OR for his radical supporters that attacked the United States Capitol.
If Donald had won the last election, by now there would only BE the law of Donald Trump, and that would make Vladimir Putin very happy, because he perceives that Donald Trump is a very inexperienced politician, that HE can use for his own AIMS.
Those of you who wanted Donald Trump to overthrow the government, wanted to be the ones to also overthrow the government, so that you could dictate to others the new set of rules.
Don't deny it ... because that is what you were, and are, thinking. You liked his bombastic style, simply because that would be your style … if only you had the power.
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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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We can be thankful right now for the two-party system ... but if Donald Trump wins the next election, there will be only one party, and it will be the party of Donald Trump ... period. Anyone who would dare to disagree with Donald, would be disposable.
During his TV days, Donald claimed that the Emmy awards were rigged, when his show The Apprentice was beaten by The Amazing Race. So it was hardly surprising, that when he lost the Republican Caucuses in Iowa in February 2016, he said that Ted Cruz cheated, and should be disqualified.
After that, Ted Cruz became Donald's political puppet. He was afraid of what Donald would do next to ruin his career and his life.
If Donald were to be voted in again, it wouldn’t be long and other Republicans would also be Donald’s sock puppets … and be forced do everything Donald's way … or be fired.
And if Donald is voted in again, it will the end of the United States Constitution, which so many Republicans and Democrats fought to preserve.
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@stevengoldstein114 My perception is that the earliest of theologians claimed that gods were talking to them ... but that story was not as effective as the theologians expected. So 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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@Bithia65 To LIVE in a place ... doesn't mean that you rule over the place.
During the second world war ... Jews that were trying to escape Hitler's "Final Solution Mandate" ... were not welcome in most countries ... so those Jews were foisted off on the Palestinians by the thousands. And for their own earthly protection ... those Jews created the State of Israel "inside" of Palestine.
That was Zionism.
Anti-Semitism is to be against the Jewish "religion." Some Jews that are Atheists “are” anti-Semitic. And most certainly Christianity and Islam are anti-Semitic religions.
Christian "missionaries" are not in Israel for any other reason than to convert the Jews to Christianity, so that (from their opinions) Jesus will once again make his appearance ... to take them ALL "home" to Christian heaven. Those Christian missionaries belong to "The Jews for Jesus" movement.
Misplaced hatred against the Jews started with the ridiculous stories in the Christian bible that the Jews killed Jesus and that the Jews were money-grabbers and that Jesus wanted the Jews brought to him to be slayed.
Had Jesus lived ... he would have stayed faithful only TO Judaism. Jewish Rabbis do not vouch for Catholicism ... or ... for Protestantism.
Religion has been the cause of massive amounts of torture and death ... and hopefully one day soon ... as more and more members of clergy (there are now hundreds) shed the myths to find jobs away from religion ... it gives hope that others will follow the lead.
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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Fred Foot I was raised in a Christian culture, but religion never made any sense to me.
I figured that if I was powerful enough to create a universe, suffering would not exist. Otherwise, I could not claim to be perfect, nor could I expect to be worshiped.
After years of study of all religions, at the age of 70, I became an Atheist, and now believe as did Stephen Hawking, before he died, that the universe in one form or another, always existed, and that suffering is natural ... no creator involved.
I am now 82 years of age, and feel whole just as I am.
It’s as probable that my personal consciousness will survive the death of the material body that I inhabit, as it will be that the personal consciousness of an alligator will survive the death of the material body that he or she inhabits.
What you believe is your choice.
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Fred Foot Each religious cult, is a branch off a tree of misinformation, that in turn, prides itself as being super-natural information.
Without Judaism, there wouldn't be any Catholicism, or Islam, or Protestantism.
And before Judaism started the one-god dogma, Jews believed in the existence of many gods.
Had we evolved with paws or hooves, neither science, nor religion, would exist.
And if as a species, we go extinct, neither science, nor religion will exist ... period ... and the earth will not miss us, even one little bit, as it will continue to do "what comes naturally."
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Fred Foot I suggest that consciousness in all form of life is caused by chemical reactions.
The chemical reaction in cells, build brains.
For instance ... once the brain of the fetus in the womb is completed, the fetus can "think" on its own. It is "conscious."
However, if for whatever reason, the brain cells in the fetus dies, the fetus will never become a living, breathing baby.
Brain death causes consciousness to leave the brain, but that energy that was in the brain cells, just transfers to other forms of material life ... such as maybe to some fungus, or to a flower, or to a snail.
“I regard the brain as a computer which will stop working when it’s components fail. There is no heaven or afterlife for broken down computers; that is a fairy story for people afraid of the dark.” Stephen Hawking
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@thecriticon7819 I suggest that when the material body that I now inhabit dies and immediately starts to decompose, it is as possible that I will be aware, as it would be possible that mosquitoes, dogs, alligators, bears, or any other forms of life that now inhabit material bodies will be aware after the bodies that they now inhabit die and immediately start to decompose.
As a species, we are not at all special, and had we evolved with paws or hooves, neither science, nor religion, would exist.
And if as a species we go extinct, neither science nor religion “will” exist.
Much ado about nothing … William Shakespeare
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@thecriticon7819 Without the word "soul" there couldn't be any religion, because according to theologians, the creator created souls.
From the book … The Death Penalty: An American History … author … Stuart Banner.
First, most of the early Christian writers held that although the soul left the body at death, body and soul would be reunited at the last judgment. “If there be no resurrection of the dead, then is Christ not risen,” Paul had told the Corinthians, and centuries of theologians interpreted that and similar passages to refer to the resurrection of the physical body. The precise details of how a decomposed corpse would be reassembled were a mystery, but the process was hardly beyond the competence of an omnipotent God, who had once created humans from nothing. “Our faith is not so fraile as to think that the ravenous beasts can deprive the body of any part to bee wanting in the resurrection,” the Puritan John Weever affirmed; “where not a haire of the head shall be missing; a new restitution of our whole bodies being promised to all of us in a moment.”
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Written by a Jewish woman ... you might find the following perspective to be of interest …
From the book … Jean Naggar … author … Sipping from the Nile … My exodus from Egypt … author … Jean Naggar
Despite that understanding that her efforts could permanently undermine the way of life she had always known, Auntie Helen, accompanied by her distinctive cane, traveled alone again and again to Suez and Ismailia after the end of the Second World War to supervise and expedite the loading of Jews emigrating to Palestine onto makeshift boats in the dead of night.
Certainly, the formation of the State of Israel changed the dynamic between Arab and Jew in the Middle East. It became a polarizing magnet, leading to huge rifts in the standing social structure, cutting through generations of tradition and peaceable interaction. While most Jews world-wide rejoiced that Jews would at last have a homeland, those in Arab countries cast a wary eye at the chasm that was opening beside them, threatening irrevocably their safety and their way of life.
While I thought of my aunt as a fascinating person, I had no concept of the seismic shift that her activities were helping to produce in the internal psychological geography of the Arab countries, which were never again to accept their Jewish neighbors as brothers. With the creation of the State of Israel, militant Islam was granted a voice and a cause.
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Thank you for allowing my freedom of speech.
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 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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It was said that when Donald Trump was President, he never started a new war with any other country, and that is true. However, he tried to start a civil war within the United States, in the hopes that he would be able to become a complete dictator. And once he ruled with an iron hand in the United States, nothing would stop him from going to war with other countries. Dictators are never satisfied unless they are dictating at others how to obey their own "personal" rules.
During the last election, it's only common sense that many Republicans didn't vote for Joe Biden because they liked him, but rather because they feared that Donald Trump was trying to destroy the Constitution, to in turn dictate his own laws, under the Pretense of loving the United States.
Those of you who wanted Donald Trump to overthrow the government, wanted to be the ones to also overthrow the government, so that you could dictate to others the new set of rules. Don't deny it ... because that is what you were, and are, thinking. You liked his style, simply because that would be your style, if only you had the power.
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Thanks for honoring freedom of speech.
If we don't want to harm other people ... we must choose our words "with care."
The more modern use of the words Marxism and Communism are often linked together ... and were and are used most often by Christians such as the Catholic Adolf Hitler ... to in turn denigrate the Jews.
The original meaning of that word Communism stemmed from the word commune … and in1843 meant "social system based on collective ownership," from French communisme (c. 1840), from commun (Old French comun "common, general, free, open, public;" see common (adj.)) + -isme (see -ism).
On a humorous note … one woman (who was dead serious about the subject) … said that she hated bees … because of them being communists … that in turn … do everything for the hive.
The Jewish girl, Anne Frank was fully aware that the word communist was linked to the Jews in a very negative stigma.
From the book … Anne Frank: The Diary of a Young Girl.
An attempt has been made on Hitler’s life and not even by a Jewish communist or English capitalist this time, but by a proud German general, and what’s more, he’s a count and still quite young.
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@ilguitaro I don't pretend to know truth. I just have a belief, as do you.
You seem to believe the universe was created, which is what I used to believe.
I now believe the universe always existed.
I do not have any hero worship for Stephen Hawking, as he is not the first one to believe that the universe was not created. He just ageed with others who back in history also had that same belief.
From the book … 2000 Years of Disbelief … author … James A. Haugt … “None of the gods has formed the world, nor has any man; it has always been.”—Empedocles (495—435 B.C.E.), Greek philosopher and statesman (Noyes) … “The universe has been made neither by gods nor by men, but it has been, and is, and will be eternally.”—Heraclitus (Noyes) “The nature of the universe has by no means been made through divine power, seeing how great are the flaws that mar it”—Lucretius, ibid.
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We can be thankful right now for the two-party system ... but if Donald Trump wins the next election, there will be only one party, and it will be the party of Donald Trump ... period. Anyone who would dare to disagree with Donald, would be disposable.
During his TV days, Donald claimed that the Emmy awards were rigged, when his show The Apprentice was beaten by The Amazing Race. So it was hardly surprising, that when he lost the Republican Caucuses in Iowa in February 2016, he said that Ted Cruz cheated, and should be disqualified.
After that, Ted Cruz became Donald's political puppet. He was afraid of what Donald would do next to ruin his career and his life.
If Donald were to be voted in again, it wouldn’t be long and other Republicans would also be Donald’s sock puppets … and be forced do everything Donald's way … or be fired.
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Those Catholic members of clergy (in that era) believed that in order to save the souls of the Natives, it was their duty to God, to convert the Natives to Catholicism, and that converting the children, was the best place to start. Religion is what caused the problem to exist in the first place. It's known as "Missionary" work, and many devotees of divisive religions suffered, and many still suffer, the same mentality of, "God wants us to give others the good news of his truth." All the groups that believe they know the one and only truth, are still on "missions" to convert each other, or die trying. How sad, that only human animals suffer from such outdated thought processes. If we believed (as did the scientist Stephen Hawking, before he died,) that the universe always existed, we would then conclude, that the universe never was created. That mentality would do away with urges to indoctrinate others to one's own personal version of spiritual truth. Humans would still harm and kill each other, but no more would they be motivated do it, in the name of serving a holy god.
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Thanks for honoring freedom of speech.
What IS a Christian anyway?
Had Jesus lived ... he would not have been a Christian.
The first Christians said that Jesus was born PERFECT to a family of religious Jews.
You just can't improve on PERFECTION.
Thankfully … now that hundreds of members of clergy of various religions are leaving their indoctrinations behind ... as being nothing other than misleading information … 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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When you complain that your “freedom” is being taken away, I suggest that you study the history of Canadian politics, as the Christian laws applied … back in the “good old days.”
In pre-Confederation Canada, hundreds of criminal offences were punishable by death. Before 1859, Canada, then British North America, operated under British law. Some 230 offences, including stealing turnips and being found disguised in a forest, were punishable by death.
I'm a Canadian, and I am thankful no matter who is in the government in Canada, that we have the most freedoms of any country on earth. That is why people from other countries die at our border ... trying to be able to have what (in Canada) we already have, and yet so often take for granted.
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There is always more to the story.
I’m a Canadian and I suggest that both Justin Trudeau and Pierre Poilievre should not be taking sides against the Palestinians … as it is not our war to fight.
Israel only became a State in 1948, when some Jews then claimed land that previously had not belonged to them.
Until 1948 ... Jews never had a homeland. The word Israel in Judaism meant … “The Hebrew people, past, present, and future, regarded as the chosen people of God by virtue of the covenant of Jacob.”
There were more than a few Jews that were against that group of Jews setting up that State of Israel ... Einstein being one of the most outspoken concerning that issue. Those Jews figured that setting up that State of Israel would cause even more animosity around the world against the Jews than already existed.
Written by a Jewish Woman, I suggest that you will find the following information of great interest.
From the book … Sipping from the Nile … My exodus from Egypt … author … Jean Naggar
“Despite that understanding that her efforts could permanently undermine the way of life she had always known, Auntie Helen, accompanied by her distinctive cane, traveled alone again and again to Suez and Ismailia after the end of the Second World War to supervise and expedite the loading of Jews emigrating to Palestine onto makeshift boats in the dead of night.
Certainly, the formation of the State of Israel changed the dynamic between Arab and Jew in the Middle East. It became a polarizing magnet, leading to huge rifts in the standing social structure, cutting through generations of tradition and peaceable interaction.
While most Jews world-wide rejoiced that Jews would at last have a homeland, those in Arab countries cast a wary eye at the chasm that was opening beside them, threatening irrevocably their safety and their way of life.
While I thought of my aunt as a fascinating person, I had no concept of the seismic shift that her activities were helping to produce in the internal psychological geography of the Arab countries, which were never again to accept their Jewish neighbors as brothers.
With the creation of the State of Israel, militant Islam was granted a voice and a cause.”
Citizens will always take sides in these matters … but government leaders such as Justin and Pierre should know better than to take sides between Jews and Muslims.
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Religion is a self-sabotaging habit.
People that believe in god are often full of guilt ... because of the teaching that they must think good thoughts and perform good deeds ... or the god will see to it that their "souls" spend eternity in an afterlife suffering.
Once I learned to believe that I never did have a soul that could travel to a spiritual realm in an afterlife ... I felt completely free of all religious myths and focused on how to make the best of this one life that I do have to live.
From the book “Twisted Scriptures,” by Mary Alice Chrnalogar, published in 1997.
Tricks to Keep You Controlled
A Guilt-Edged Sword
The key for gaining maximum control over someone’s conscience is to influence the person to study and accept certain beliefs. Then, if the person fails to follow those beliefs, a powerful feeling of guilt will be the result.
Leaders get you to believe that they don’t interpret the Bible but just “teach what is in the Bible”—making the Bible synonymous with their interpretations.
Driving Yourself Nuts
Under hypnosis, you can be convinced that a bee is on your nose. You can see it and feel it, even though it isn’t really there. This deception can be so powerful that, if you are told that the bee has stung, a reddening swelling may appear and you will feel pain. Similarly, if someone convinces you that God will give you a command for everything you do in life, even to the tiniest detail, you will imagine that you hear commands from God. That doesn’t mean that God is really directing you. It only means that your mind imagines it to be true.
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During the second world war ... Jews that were trying to escape Hitler's "Final Solution Mandate" ... were not welcome in most countries ... so those Jews were foisted off on the Palestinians by the thousands. And for their own earthly protection ... those Jews created the State of Israel "inside" of Palestine.
That was Zionism.
Anti-Semitism is to be against the Jewish "religion." Some Jews that are Atheists “are” anti-Semitic. And most certainly Christianity and Islam are anti-Semitic religions.
Christian "missionaries" are not in Israel for any other reason than to convert the Jews to Christianity, so that (from their opinions) Jesus will once again make his appearance ... to take them ALL "home" to Christian heaven. Those Christian missionaries belong to "The Jews for Jesus" movement.
Misplaced hatred against the Jews started with the ridiculous stories in the Christian bible that the Jews killed Jesus and that the Jews were money-grabbers and that Jesus wanted the Jews brought to him to be slayed.
Had Jesus lived ... he would have stayed faithful only TO Judaism. Jewish Rabbis do not vouch for Catholicism ... or ... for Protestantism.
Religion has been the cause of massive amounts of torture and death ... and hopefully one day soon ... as more and more members of clergy (there are now hundreds) shed the myths to find jobs away from religion ... it gives hope that others will follow the lead.
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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The population explosion in all countries creates mess, as in, more people, much more mess. However, much of the mess in the United States, is caused because of people being allowed to live, that in other countries would be put to immediate death. That is what makes the United States so appealing to those from other countries, who want to become citizens.
I suggest you don't knock it, but rather appreciate it, as those from other countries would appreciate it, if only they could attain citizenship.
I'm from Canada, and I appreciate every freedom I have, for instance, my freedom of speech to, in turn post these opinions. And by the way, I visited the beautiful States of Oregon, and Montana, and thought about the people who were lucky enough to live in United States, as I am just so lucky to live in Canada.
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A messy government is where there is more than one party allowed. The politicians police each other, and bicker back and forth to try to win elections. What a wonderful system. In a dictatorship, there is one man that rules, and you follow his "advise," or meet a swift end to your lives. Do not KNOCK the government in the United States. It is good, BECAUSE it is messy. Of course it's not perfect. The politicians have to try to appease a whole lot of spoiled people, who all want only their own personal laws to dictate the lives of others. I live in Canada, and no matter which party is in power, I am thankful every day for the treatment I receive, and by the way ... I live in a trailer, in a trailer park. When you want too much, you might end up with someone in power such as Donald Trump, who, with his slick tongue will promise you anything ... just to get your votes ... and then WATCH OUT.
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Although this United States Supreme Court judge is now deceased, words from her book live on.
From the book … My Own Words … author … RUTH BADER GINSBURG. Whether you are a Christian, or an Atheist … you better think hard and long, as you close one clinic after another … in the pretense that it protects “babies.” The lives of women are at stake here, and they are the lives of your mothers, daughters, aunts, friends … and even grandmothers.
Then she made a point, nowhere addressed in the Breyer opinion, but embedded in the memories of women old enough to remember the days when abortion was illegal: “When a State severely limits access to safe and legal procedures, women in desperate circumstances may resort to unlicensed rogue practitioners, faute de mieux, at great risk to their health and safety.”
(Later speaking with a reporter, she was blunt about the law’s purpose: “It seemed to me it was a sham to pretend this was about a woman’s health” rather than about making it harder to obtain an abortion.)
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I left my religious indoctrination at 70 years of age, because I knew that if a god existed, (because of suffering) I could no longer pretend to worship such a monster, and that if I had the power to create ... suffering would not exist at all. Imagine a god, with a conscience, planning on creating the following. The Grapple Tree (Harpagophytum procumbens) of South Africa produces a fearsome fruit called the “Devil’s Claw” which has been known to kill a lion. The fruit is covered in fierce hooks, which latch on to passing animals. In trying to shake the fruit off, the animal disperses the seeds but at the same time, the hooks sink deeper into the creature’s flesh. If the animal touches the fruit with its mouth, the fruit will attach itself to the animal’s jaw, inflicting great pain and preventing it from eating. Antelopes are usually the victims. From my perspective, we have two choices. We can either believe that the universe was created by an entity that designed suffering as part of its plan ... or, we can believe (as did Stephen Hawking, before he died) that the universe always existed, and will always exist ... no plan involved. I prefer the second choice.
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Regardless of Whoopi's past opinions on the show, she was correct in stating that hatred of Jews is not about racism. It's about antisemitism, which hasn't anything in common with the color of skin. From the earliest days of Christianity, the Christians created lies about the Jews, and put the Jews to death as being "Christ killers,' and "Money changers, thrown out of the temple, by none other than Jesus." That is how antisemitism took hold in the minds of not only Christians. There were many holocausts through the centuries, as the popes encouraged the mayhem. Martin Luther hated the Jews. If you study history, you will see that Whoopi was correct.
And of course, it was all lies, because even had Jesus existed, he would not have entertained any religion other than Judaism, which was his heritage. That would be the only way he could honor his Jewish father in Olam Haba, (not Christian heaven) and his mother on planet earth.
You will see the lies, when you are "ready." Been there ... did that.
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As the human population keeps on increasing, that results in more air, water, and land pollution.
As humans keep reproducing at a faster rate than humans are dying, common sense tells us that we are polluting more, rather than less.
Pollution is a fact of life, and unless there is a major catastrophe, such as a nuclear war ... we will keep polluting, because that is just how much all of us enjoy our personal comforts.
It’s not fair to blame the manufacturers of the products, because if we weren’t buying … they could not be selling. And of course, the manufacturers take their business to countries where the environmental laws are lax. We all look after number one first and foremost.
So ... let us not point fingers at others … or expect governments to clean up the impossible messes that all of us keep on creating.
What we destroy might ultimately destroy us … and that is only fair.
Meanwhile, we should keep our fingers pointing at ourselves … where they belong.
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@andreegross According to YOU ... what IS this “Divine God's” moral code?
Please explain in "detail" ... (keeping "in ‘your’ own mind" for your own safety’s sake) … that if a god really does exist and you misquote him by taking his *WORD out of HIS OWN intended context ... you could spend eternity in your OWN afterlife suffering for eternity.
Because of their massive-sized egos ruling over their own common sense … theologians gave off the “impressions” that they knew what the creator of the universe was “talking about” … and therefore were not capable (or unwilling … because of the material PERKS attached to the JOB) … to apply the same logic to their own (personalized) theologies.
Hopefully … YOU are still able and capable of such “reasoning.”
There IS help … but it is NOT in religion.
Hundreds of members of clergy are now adapting to the system of belief that there never was a god judging human “moral” behavior, and that the theologians that in turn taught them … were simply “tooting their own horns.”
I can’t speak as an ex member of clergy … but if I was an ex member of clergy that was leaving, I would be saying to myself “I’ve been the slave of a theologian (doing all the ground-work of listening to the endless complaints of parishioners, and suffering complaints from the hierarchy that I never did enough to please GOD … and I’m SO thankful that there IS a way of escape for me now … OTHER than by suicide ... which was unfortunately the way out for so many other desperate members of clergy.”
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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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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Thank you for honoring my freedom of speech.
If Jordan gets away with becoming a multi-millionaire by USING his license as a psychologist to counsel millions of people on his media sites ... then all other psychologists and psychiatrists should also have the same privilege as Jordan … because why would they want to sit in their offices, counseling one or two or five people at a time for a pittance, when they can do as Jordan did by going on social media and become mega-famous … and … mega-wealthy?
And as citizens, we should be wary of the fact that therapists don't even come close to agreeing with each other’s type of “counsel.”
Jordan insists on preaching from his Christian bible. So, that would give Muslim psychologist “the right” to use their licenses to preach Islam on social media … and Wiccan Psychologists to preach Wicca on social media … et cetera.
Don't you think that we are in a big enough mess already?
Bill Maher, sitting with Doctor Phil on Club Random said … “I’ve always thought shrinks were the craziest people in the world. Is that wrong?”
Doctor Phil’s response … “Well, I saw a study a long time ago that said most, and I don’t know if it was bullsh*t or what, but it said that an awful lot of people go into psychology originally because they are all screwed up and they think if they study it, they’ll figure it out and get better.”
Bill’s response … “Right… that’s interesting.”
And Doctor Phil continued … “And I saw a follow up that said, ‘Did it work?’ And it said, ‘not even almost.’”
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I don't know about you ... but I relate to his kind following words ...from his 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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I'm an Atheist, so I don't believe in the existence of a god, or in a hereafter.
However, ... if I am wrong ... and there just happens to be a hereafter, I wonder what penalty will be paid in THAT school system for those in religions ... who in turn blamed their own vicious human nature on being aligned to the will of "GOD?"
Do you ever WONDER?
From the book … Encyclopedia of Violence, Peace & Conflict … volume 2 ,,, Academic Press. Published 1999. Followers of the religious arm of the hate movement, the Identity Church, are only “doing the work of God.” At Sunday services, they preach that White Anglo-Saxons are the true Israelites depicted in the Old Testament, God’s chosen people, while Jews are actually the children of Satan. They maintain that Jesus was not a Jew, but an ancestor of the White, northern European peoples. In their view, Blacks are “pre-Adamic,” a species lower than Whites. In fact, they claim that Blacks and other non-White groups are at the same spiritual level as animals and therefore have no souls.
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There is always more to the story.
Against the advice of many of his advisers in the United States government, on his own, Harry Truman … President of the United States … in 1948 signed the papers agreeing that the Jews should be allowed to create the state of Israel.
Following are his own words from the book … Plain Speaking … Harry S. Truman … author Merle Miller
“But as I started to say … it wasn’t just the Biblical part about Palestine that interested me. The whole history of that area of the world is just about the most complicated and most interesting of any area, anywhere, and I have always made a very careful study of it. There has always been trouble there, always been wars from the time of Darius the Great and Rameses on, and the pity of it is that the whole area is just waiting to be developed. And the Arabs have just never seemed to take any interest in developing it. I have always thought that the Jews would, and of course, they have. But what has happened is only the beginning of what could happen, because potentially that is the richest area of the world.”
And more of Harry’s words from the same book which points him out to have been quite a dictator. … “And I said that some of the experts, the career fellas in the State Department, thought that they ought to make policy but that as long as I was President, I’d see to it that I made policy. Their job was to carry it out, and if there were some who didn’t like it, they could resign anytime they felt like it.”
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Thanks for honoring my freedom of speech.
Donald professes to be an Evangelical Christian. But what good will it do him?
The problem with Christianity … whether Catholic … or … Protestant … is that it shouldn’t exist at all.
It was the first Christians that stated that Jesus was born PERFECT to a family of Jews that were faithful to Judaism.
That means that if later in life Jesus changed his “mind” by accepting either Catholic OR Protestant doctrines … he became IMperfect.
You can’t HAVE it both ways Christians.
If Jesus just happens to be alive in a spirit realm … he is still faithful ONLY to Judaism and the Jews.
So … as Catholics … or Protestants … your prayers were … and are … all in VAIN.
++++++++
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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People have surgery on all parts of their bodies without others bothering them about "morals” … yet the moment anyone wants to change his or her sexual organs, as in transgender, many people in religion preach that a god created male and female “only.”
If you believe that a god created human bodies as he wanted them to stay, then you better not circumcise the penises of your sons. You better not have breast implants. You better not have growths removed. You better not have “any” type of cosmetic surgery whatsoever. You better not have treatment for diseases of any sort. After all, the god’s plan should not be messed with, lest he becomes annoyed with the tampering of the perfection he is certain he created.
Once a person starts using religion to preach at others concerning what is moral, and what is immoral (according to a god) … that person can end up in big trouble, not only with others, but also, ultimately ... with one's own conscience.
From the book, The Final Inequality, by L. J. Ludovici. "Morals at any given moment have always been as good, or as bad, as our imaginations credit them, for the morals (from the Latin, mores: customs) means simply customs, and they keep changing all the time in all the corners of the world."
I suggest that you Christians stop bullying those in the LGBTQ community, and clean up your own messes. Don't expect Jesus, a Jewish Rabbi, to wash away YOUR supposed Christian sins.
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I suggest that the word Jesus was used to start a new religion, which later came to be known as Christianity, and that had that Jewish Rabbi ever actually existed, he would have tried to gather all the wayward Jews that were trying to start that new religion, and tell them to get back on track, and follow his lead in being faithful to the honest to God truth concerning Judaism. Not even one word is claimed by Christian theologians, to be in the personal handwriting of the so-called savior of only Christians, Jesus. Christian scribes (paid big money) wrote in that anti-Semitic new testament, of Jesus' supposed existence, and his aim to start a new religion, foreign to, and extremely offensive to the doctrines of Judaism. The lies are plain to see, for those who want to see.
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If by chance Donald is elected again as the President of the United States ... there will only be one party left ... and it will be the party of Donald Trump.
Because of the self-centered nature of humans, politics is often very ugly.
On a positive note, we can be very thankful that George Washington, the first President of the United States was such a good and 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 dictatorship.
George Washington was the only President to run for office as an Independent, but probably not the only President that wanted the parties to work together, to in turn create a better government “for the benefit of the citizens.”
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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AI
The two words "artificial" and "intelligence" are at odds with each other, because if something just happened to be intelligent, it couldn't “be” artificial.
If humans with devious intentions program harmful information into computers, and then refuse to shut the electricity off that runs the computers, of course harm often is the result.
To say that computers cause harm, is comparable to saying that books labeled as being holy information from gods cause harm.
It is humans that “use” the computers and the words in the books for selfish reasons that causes the harm.
Nuclear weapons do not have artificial intelligence. However, if electricity is engaged because of aggressive human nature, those weapons will accomplish the job that the humans demand of them.
Whether it's a stick or a stone, or a spear, or an arrow, or a gun, or a computer, or words in books, those inanimate objects are not responsible for anything.
Artificial intelligence does not exist in inanimate objects, and humans using those objects to harm and kill other humans, leave everything in common with that word “intelligence” … to be desired.
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@alexanderangelo7284 If babies are full of sin when they are born, then fetuses are also full of sin. If you are going to focus on the "sin" factor, the fetus is as full of sin, as is the convicted murderer. Religious confusion drove more than a few people into insane asylums, and to suicide, because one can't make sense out of utter nonsense. And by the way, women of the Catholic faith that had abortions, referred to the act of abortion as "making angels." In other words, "You can take your "gift" back god, and enjoy it, as I am too busy with the many kids I already have, and can't feed properly, to take on another one, or more."
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@tpower1912 I'm sure you won't relate, but having been raised in a Christian culture, and then after years of confusion, finally leaving all indoctrinations pertaining to souls and spirits and afterlives behind as baffle gas, I do relate to the following words. "Christianity is very much to blame for this; the notion that salvation is free and may be attained by the idlest, the dullest, the stupidest is understandably very popular with persons who may be so described." Robertson Davies, man of letters, letter, 18, November 1984, For Your Eye Alone: Letters, 1976-1995 (1999).
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Thanks for honoring freedom of speech.
Jews ... Catholics and Protestants aimed to bring the world's people under their own one god in existence dominion ... but they couldn't ... because there are too many other people in too many other religions wanting their own source of supposed truth ... to be the one and only.
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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Whoopi was correct. Antisemitism is not the same as belittling and killing others for the color of their skin. The new testament is a book of antisemitism, that was compiled by men who wanted to start a new religion foreign to, and offensive to Judaism … and the Jews. However, it is common sense, (within theology) that even had Jesus lived as a real Jewish Rabbi, he would not have preached any other doctrine than Judaism. And again (within theology) Mary would be insulted to be referred to as being a Catholic saint, as she, also, would have stayed faithful only to Judaism.
In contrast ... THIS is biblical racism … from the book ... The Arrogance of Faith, by Forrest G. Wood … Despite his best intentions, Jones, like virtually every southern clergyman, never doubted the innate inferiority of the black race.
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Human egoists can never see eye to eye on any subject, and certainly not on the subject of religion. Those who believe they own spiritual truth, are determined to preach AT others, who, in turn, want to preach their own "version" of spiritual truth back. Tempers flare, and war of words escalate to war of weapons. Following, is a primate example of such stupidity ... Question: How many times has Jerusalem been destroyed?" Answer: Jerusalem, the “city of peace,” has certainly known its share of sorrow and war. Since it sits at the crossroads of the ancient world and is held in high esteem by three major religions, it has been involved in wars throughout most of its 3000+ year history. When archaeologists first began excavating in the city, they were surprised to discover layer after layer of rubble, indicating that parts of Jerusalem had been destroyed at least 40 times. The layers of rubble in some places are more than 60 feet deep!
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The first President of the United States, George Washington, under the question, Party, wrote, Unaffiliated. I suggest that Donald Trump also should have stated Unaffiliated under Party, because he didn't have any intention of following Republican policies, as he wanted to rule supreme with a heavy hand all his own making. The writing was on the wall, when Republicans became terrified of being fired if they dared to state their own opinions that disagreed with the opinions of "the Donald," and they are still afraid of the notion that if he wins the election in 2024, he will also fire them. Concerning her attempt to stop the complete dictatorship of Donald Trump, Liz Cheney is one very brave woman.
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@jaycarver4886 I suggest you take the following words as being very serious.
If Donald Trump happens to win the next election … his first plan would be to demolish the United States Constitution.
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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No President has the right to try to overthrow the government, which was exactly the aim of Donald Trump.
The first President of the United States, George Washington, under the question, Party, wrote, Unaffiliated. I suggest that Donald Trump also should have stated Unaffiliated under Party, because he didn’t have any intention whatsoever of following Republican policies. He wanted to rule supreme with a heavy hand all his own making. The writing was on the wall, when Republicans became terrified of being fired if they dared to state their own opinions that, in turn, disagreed with the opinions of "the Donald." I suggest that had he won another four years, there wouldn’t have been any laws, except the laws that Donald dictated. And the problem is, some Republicans still in office that don't want to lose their positions in government, are terrified that if by chance he were to win the next election, they would also be fired if they dared (now) to go against him. It takes brave people to stand up against such a want to be dictator.
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Thanks for honoring freedom of speech.
Donald only cares 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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Thanks for honoring my freedom of speech.
Although as a psychologist ... Jordan doesn't "confess" whether he is Catholic or Protestant ... it should be plain by his preaching from a Christian bible, that he perceives his self as being a missionary.
“I was Jordan Peterson’s strongest supporter. Now I think he’s dangerous. He wanted to establish a church, he said, in which he would preach every Sunday.” Author … Bernard Schiff … professor emeritus of psychology at the University of Toronto.
There isn't any doubt about it that ALL people that preach their personal religious myths as being truth ... consider selves to be MISSIONARIES.
From the book … The Statesman and the Storyteller: John Hay, Mark Twain, and the Rise of American Imperialism … author … Mark Zwonitzer ... “Wherever the missionary goes,” Clemens had written, he not only proclaims that his religion is the best one, but that it is a true one while his hearer’s religion is a false one: that the pagan’s gods are inventions of imagination; that the things & the names which are sacred to him are not worthy of his reverence; that his fathers are all in hell, & the dead darlings of his nursery also, because the word which saves had not been brought to them; that he must now desert his ancient religion & give allegiance to the new one or he will follow his fathers & his lost darlings to the eternal fire-s…. The missionary has no wish to be an insulter, but how is he to help it? All his propositions are insults.
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Thanks for honoring freedom of speech.
I was born heterosexual. However, had I been born different … I would have been so fortunate as 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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The first President of the United States, George Washington,, under the question, Party, wrote, Unaffiliated. I suggest that Donald Trump also should have stated Unaffiliated under Party, because he didn’t have any intention whatsoever, of following Republican policies. He wanted to rule supreme with a heavy hand all his own making. The writing was on the wall, when Republicans became terrified of being fired if they dared to state their own opinions that, in turn, disagreed with the opinions of "the Donald." I suggest that had he won another four years, there wouldn’t have been any laws, except the laws that Donald dictated. And the problem is, some Republicans still in office that don't want to lose their jobs, are terrified that if by chance he were to win the next election, they would also be fired if they dared (now) to go against him. It takes brave people to stand up against such a dictator.
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Many people don't realize that Margaret Sanger, who started organizations that developed into Planned Parenthood, believed that abortion was murder, and that she wanted birth control to be legal and available to women … and men.
This was Planned Parenthood in the early days ... Planned Parenthood - in Their Own Words • "One sperm plus one egg = one baby." • -- Planned Parenthood/World Population pamphlet entitled "ABCs of Birth Control," 1973, page 4. "An abortion kills the life of a baby after it has begun. It is dangerous to your life and health." • -- Planned Parenthood 'Plan Your Children' pamphlet, 1963.
Ultimately, those at Planned Parenthood realized that law, or no law, women were dying from botched abortions, and that is why they eventually decided that to save the lives of the women, abortions performed by qualified doctors and pro-choice for women, was the only way to go.
Margaret Sanger was not a racist, or a eugenicist. In her autobiography, when she stated the word “unfit,” she meant “because of poverty, many families were unable to give proper care to so many children.” And in another part of her autobiography, she mentioned that the eugenicists were at the meeting … which suggested that she was not one of them.
Her name was and still is, much maligned, and I suggest that it is time to give thanks to this pioneer woman, who went to prison, and yet kept fighting against the dictates of the male-driven hierarchies in the churches of that era, so that over-burdened families could have access to methods of birth control.
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I wonder. From the book ... My Life with the Eskimo … author … Vilhjalmur Stefansson
Most people are in the habit of looking upon the articles of our accustomed diet, and especially salt, as necessities. We have not found them so. The longer you go without grain foods and vegetables the less you long for them. Salt I have found to behave like a narcotic poison — in other words, it is hard to break off its use, as it is hard to stop the use of tobacco; but after you have been a month or so without salt you cease to long for it, and after six months I have found the taste of meat boiled in salt water distinctly disagreeable. In the case of such a necessary element of food as fat, on the other hand, I have found that the longer you are without it the more you long for it, until the craving becomes much more intense than is the hunger of a man that fasts. (The symptoms of starvation are those of a disease rather than of being hungry.) Among the uncivilized Eskimo the dislike of salt is so strong that a saltiness imperceptible to me would prevent them from eating at all. This circumstance was often useful to me later in our travels about Coronation Gulf, for whenever our Eskimo visitors threatened to eat us out of house and home we could put in a little pinch of salt, and thus husband our resources without seeming inhospitable. A man who tasted anything salty at our table would quickly bethink him that he had plenty of more palatable fare in his own house.
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@mrsslav5593 Pertaining to politics, rather than left, or right ... the word Centrist implies middle of the road ... moderate ... as in "not going siding with left … or … right."
In a country where people vote, the object is, the voters are either for or against certain issues, and for that reason, will vote for either one party, or the other.
For instance ... those who believe that abortion offends the will of a god, will be voting for the party that promises to make abortion illegal. While those who want to give women the power to make their own decisions, will vote for the party that promises to keep abortion legal. When it pertains to the subject of abortion, there isn't any middle of the road.
Gun control, or the lack thereof is another touchy subject, where voters either vote for one side, or the other side on that issue.
I suggest that politicians in the Centrist party, by trying to follow the middle of the road, will ultimately leave the middle of the road; veer off either to the left, or to the right ... which occurred to every group of politicians that tried to improve the old systems for something new.
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Those in religion are determined to believe that the universe was created. Example ... When in 1927 the Catholic priest Georges Lemaître created the Big Bang theory, it followed that the Big Bang theory would be enmeshed with the idea that the universe was created by a god, as Stephen Hawking learned when he visited the pope. ... "In 1985, I attended a conference on cosmology at the Vatican in Rome. The gathering of scientists had an audience with Pope John Paul II. He told us that it was okay to study the workings of the universe, but we should not ask questions about its origin, for that was the work of God." Stephen Hawking
From the book … Travelling to Infinity: My Life with Stephen ... author Jane Hawking ... The True Story Behind the Theory of Everything. Only a month later we found ourselves again in Rome, where Stephen was to be admitted by the Pope to the Pontifical Academy of Sciences, despite the heresies he was still preaching about the universe having neither a beginning or an end. I watched and listened from the sidelines and my heart sank as I heard it repeated again and again in some form or other. "Professor Hawking, what does your research tell you about the existence of God? Or "Is there room for God in the universe you describe?" or, more directly, "Do you believe in God?" Always the answer was the same. No, Stephen did not believe in God and there was no room for God in his universe.
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Jews, in ancient times, were the cause of antisemitism. Back when Jews and devotees of all other religions believed in many gods, there wasn't any reason to fight over the subject of salvation, because all devotees of all religions were united in the idea that they all had gods that would reward them with salvation and eternal bliss. When the Jews invented the story that there was only one god in existence, and that they were the chosen few by that one god, that was when the wars over religion began. Every religious group that followed, such as Catholics, Muslims, and Protestants lusted to be favorites of that one supposed god, as they did not, and would not believe that the one god in existence would favor only the Jews. How unfortunate, that by creating that one god dogma, the Jews brought the envy and hatred of others back to their selves, which resulted in the word antisemitism. I suggest we should all understand that it was not the modern Jews that created that one god dogma, and that they are not in any way responsible for what took place in the mentalities of those Jews that lived back in ancient times. Another tragedy is, that the one god dogma continues all these centuries later, to keep dividing devotees into right fighters over whose souls will be saved and whose souls will be shunned by that one god for eternity.
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Back when I was still confused by my own childhood muddled religious indoctrination, in 2006 I started posting on Topix forums … debating with those of many other systems of so-labeled “spiritual” beliefs.
During the debates, others kept insulting each other and me with that negative word "cult."
When I finally agreed that maybe we were all in cults and just didn't realize it because we were blinded by our own personal ideologies ... others adamantly disagreed, as they all wanted to believe that their own personal indoctrinations were based on literal truth, and that only others suffered from cultish systems of belief.
After three years of that mud-slinging banter … in 2009, at age 70, I left all stories of the existence of a creator behind, and now accept Stephen Hawking’s theory, that the universe in one form of another always existed … no creator … no plan … and that suffering of all forms of life … was … and is … natural.
I'm 84 years of age, and yes, I still worry at times about the suffering of life on earth ... but I most certainly don't worry about suffering in an afterlife ... because I now believe that it's as possible that human animals have afterlives, as it is possible that goats, or dogs or cats, or crocodiles, or mosquitoes, or viruses ... or any other forms of life ... have soul or spiritual afterlives.
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From the book ... A History of Religious Ideas, by Mircea Eliade. ... Following the rupture, the animosity of Occidentals against the Greeks increased. But the irreparable break finally occurred in 1204, when the armies of the Fourth Crusade attacked and pillaged Constantinople, breaking icons and throwing them into the filth. According to the Byzantine chronicler Nicetas Choniates, a prostitute sang obscene songs on the patriarchal throne. The chronicler recalled that the Muslims “did not violate our women…, nor reduce the inhabitants to misery, not strip them in order to march them naked through the streets, nor make them die by starvation or fire…That, however, is how these Christian people who believe in the name of the Lord and shared our religion have treated us."
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I suggest that you might find the following information of great interest.
From the book … Sipping from the Nile … My exodus from Egypt … author … Jean Naggar
Despite that understanding that her efforts could permanently undermine the way of life she had always known, Auntie Helen, accompanied by her distinctive cane, traveled alone again and again to Suez and Ismailia after the end of the Second World War to supervise and expedite the loading of Jews emigrating to Palestine onto makeshift boats in the dead of night.
Certainly, the formation of the State of Israel changed the dynamic between Arab and Jew in the Middle East. It became a polarizing magnet, leading to huge rifts in the standing social structure, cutting through generations of tradition and peaceable interaction.
While most Jews world-wide rejoiced that Jews would at last have a homeland, those in Arab countries cast a wary eye at the chasm that was opening beside them, threatening irrevocably their safety and their way of life.
While I thought of my aunt as a fascinating person, I had no concept of the seismic shift that her activities were helping to produce in the internal psychological geography of the Arab countries, which were never again to accept their Jewish neighbors as brothers.
With the creation of the State of Israel, militant Islam was granted a voice and a cause.
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Concerning the subject of politics, people that badmouth either the left or the right, seem to think that when they see it, they can spot the truth. Added to that problem, is that the news media outlets, to make certain their ratings stay high, keep fueling the political fire between left and right, to the point where many of us probably can’t differentiate between the words left or right. Somewhere there must be a middle “line” on which to focus, if only we could find it during the frenzy. I don’t know about you, but I relate to the following quote, “We are all hallucinating all the time, including right now. It’s just that when we agree about our hallucinations, we call that reality.” Author, Anil Seth, neuroscientist.
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Having been totally confused by religious mental clutter for 70 years, and then leaving it behind as a waste of my valuable time that was left to live, I was fortunate to wake up before I died. So, for the last 12 years, I have felt whole, just as I am. Religion teaches that the best part of us is elsewhere in a high dimension of spirituality. Theologians need us to believe that nonsense, so that they can live the high material life, with all its advantages, while on earth. You deserve to get your selves back from those thieves. Been there, did that, and they will never be able to steal my self away from me again, because I am no longer that little child that was indoctrinated all those many years ago, before I knew any better.
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The first President of the United States, George Washington, under the question, Party, wrote, Unaffiliated. I suggest that Donald Trump also should have stated Unaffiliated under Party, because he didn’t have any intention whatsoever of following Republican policies. He wanted to rule supreme with a heavy hand all his own making. The writing was on the wall, when Republicans became terrified of being fired if they dared to state their own opinions that, in turn, disagreed with the opinions of "the Donald." I suggest that had he won another four years, there wouldn’t have been any laws, except the laws that Donald dictated. And the problem is, some Republicans still in office that don't want to lose their positions in government, are terrified that if by chance he were to win the next election, they would also be fired if they dared (now) to go against him. It takes brave people to stand up against such a want to be dictator.
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@bocktoon5477 If we think that our opinions just might be wrong ... how can we ever trust our own opinions to be right ... or worse yet ... "righteous?"
I'm an Atheist ... so my question to those who are religious is ... On judgment day ... what penalty do you believe that God should bestow upon those who caused extensive harm and death to others ... by taking God's meanings of words WAY out of his personal intended context?
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Atheist ... "Do you know for certain that a god exists?
Theologian ... "YES I DO?
Atheist ... Do you know what the god knows?
Theologian ... "NO!. I do NOT! What God knows is beyond all human ability TO know."
Atheist ... "Then why are you pretending that you do know?"
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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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The party is over for Cenk also ... who thought that if he badmouthed Joe Biden ... HE would have a chance at being the next president of the U.S.A.
As did many of the Democrats ... Cenk played right into Donald's scheme.
You have to get up early to even TRY to beat Donald at being underhanded, as he is a master at his "trade."
He even conned and groomed the Evangelicals ... who were certain that they were grooming Donald ... in Jesus' name ... and we should all know ... that had Jesus existed and been born perfect ... he would have stayed faithful only to the religion of his birth ... which was Judaism. He would not have flirted with any Christian religion ... whether Catholic ... OR ... Protestant.
From the book … The Faith of Donald J. Trump: A spiritual Biography … authors David Brody, Scott Lamb.
In 2012, Trump called White and told her he was thinking of running for president. There was a time of prayer as he pondered the decision. Of course, he didn’t run then, but he called again in 2015 and told her, “’I really believe the Lord is speaking to me, that maybe I’m supposed to run for President. ’I asked him, ‘As my friend, what can I do for you?’ He asked for me to bring some pastors in to him and I did.” Time and again, White and various pastors have surrounded Trump and placed their hands on his shoulders as prayers were spoken. It was also during this season in Trump’s life that he began to make new friends from within evangelicalism.
Huckabee recalled how it was Ben Carson and Paula White who had told Trump he needed to work more on the evangelicals—to talk to them directly and all at once. He had a number of different meetings that he’d had with smaller groups of pastors. But he had never brought in the ‘heads of the families’—to use a mafia term—for a united meeting with all the ‘mega-stars’ and all the leaders that might not be marquee names. We ended up packing the ballroom—way more than anyone thought would happen.
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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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The word "sin" implies that a it's a god that believes abortion is a sin, when actually, it's you. By using your bible as a weapon against women who have abortions, you avoided another scripture in your bible that states, "Judge not, lest ye be judged." Maybe for judging women who have abortions as being sinners, YOU became the sinner, that according to your own bible, states "JUDGE NOT, LEST YE BE JUDGED."
In other words, if you want to point fingers ... point them at your self!
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Although this United States Supreme Court judge is now deceased, words from her book live on.
From the book … My Own Words … author … RUTH BADER GINSBURG. Whether you are a Christian, or an Atheist … you better think hard and long, as you close one clinic after another … in the pretense that it protects “babies.” The lives of women are at stake here, and they are the lives of your mothers, daughters, aunts, friends … and even grandmothers.
Then she made a point, nowhere addressed in the Breyer opinion, but embedded in the memories of women old enough to remember the days when abortion was illegal: “When a State severely limits access to safe and legal procedures, women in desperate circumstances may resort to unlicensed rogue practitioners, faute de mieux, at great risk to their health and safety.”
(Later speaking with a reporter, she was blunt about the law’s purpose: “It seemed to me it was a sham to pretend this was about a woman’s health” rather than about making it harder to obtain an abortion.)
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The Christian religion from the get-go, was based on antisemitism. The story told by the first "Gnostic" Christians, was that the Jews were liars, and that the Gnostic Christians were telling the truth straight from "God."
The secret to winning over the emotions of humans, is to tell them what they want to hear. The fact is, that before Judaism, there were many other religions with favorite salvation myths of their own. At one time Jews believed in many gods, until one group of Jews decided that if they created the one-god dogma of monotheism, every person on earth would have to join their religion if they wanted to be "saved." As history proved, that worked against their story that the Jews were God's chosen few, when along came a group of Jews, that didn’t like being controlled by the all-powerful Jewish Rabbis, and thought about how they could leave Judaism … create a theology about a son of the Jewish god, that would materialize on earth to teach the one and only truth, that only through Jesus could anyone be saved ... and that was the start of the Gnostic Christian religion, with Catholicism becoming predominant. And then, the Muslims got in the act, claiming that the one God (Allah, which is the Islamic word for God) favored only Muslims. Then the Protestants got into the act, by claiming that only they were favorites of Jesus. And now, we have the new age groupies, with their fables of Goddess love.
I suggest that there never was a creator in existence, but rather, the stories were all a result of human imagination gone wild.
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