1756

Thank you for saying what I think. And it’s better that I say no more.

1757

I am reading the list of documents Trump stole
https://embed.documentcloud.org/documents/22131375-warrant/?embed=1&responsive=1&title=1

the guy had lots of random shit around, I guess he did not care much about this type of stuff

1758

My take is that this is loosely symptomatic of a larger, newish mental health support trend, which also exists in the US but perhaps under a different umbrella. I recently stumbled across a peer suport resource via a local non-profit and for the past few months have been receiving weekly calls from a trained volunteer. She is not acting as a therapist or as a social worker (at least not officially), but as something more akin to a concerned friend with professional training and certain necessary boundaries. Prior to leveraging this, I’d never heard of peer support. We’re very different people in a lot of ways but we have a good rapport, and being able to look forward to these calls has been super helpful and comforting.

1759

Horrible. Just horrible. :(

1760

That guy who stabbed Rushdie, that was not religion. The iranian mullahs are actually hurting the islamic religion. I am atheist and not fond of religion, but 99.9% of religious people around the world don’t kill for religion.

The main issue I have with religion is that they want to spread their outdated ethics over other people. This happens a lot, even in private settings.

Sometimes I go to a church concert for the music, and the priest playing the trumpet quotes some bible verses. Last time his speech was hinting against gay marriage, he did not say it directly (I think that would be hate speech and could have legal consequences). I would be happy if religious people would keep their beliefs to themselves. Just shut the fuck up, guys.

1761

I don’t mean to imply that I despise individuals who profess religious beliefs; my comments are solely about the broader, practical scale of things. Individuals can be fine. Intellectually, theology is one of my favorite subjects. It’s fascinating and intellectually stimulating to discuss and analyze. Taken as a whole though, yes, the guy who stabbed Rushdie is “religion.” Because that’s the framework that set up the sequence of events, that justifies in his mind an act that in any other context would be unequivocally criminal.

Any system of belief that requires people to subordinate their reason to the shackles of unquestioning obedience to unchanging, immutable, and omnipotent directives mediated by self-serving, manipulative, and usually reactionary self-appointed gate keepers…well, no, you can keep it.

1762

It is my understanding that certain, evangelical, belief systems require propagation.

Abrahamic religions being a pertinent example.

1763

I think you might be missing something here.

1764

Would not be the first time.

1765

Jewish people don’t proselytize. In fact if someone wants to convert to Judiasm they are to be refused three times. You gotta really want it.

The notion of spreading the religion is all on Paul.

1766

I’m pretty sure Paul is the ultimate source of most of what’s terrible about the various Christian sects.

1767

1768

Thing is, at some point I knew this, and yet forgot it.

So, Christianity and Islam, not so much Judaism.

1769

An update on that Batmobile shop raid.

1770

Where Judaism doesn’t get off the hook is in how we turned the great idea of ethical monotheism as a philosophical framework into a rigid social and cultural order that brooked no dissent and prioritized behavior governed by tradition even while simultaneously supporting vigorous intellectual explorations of meaning. In some communities, over time the latter fell away but the former just got stronger

That, and the whole misinterpretation (IMO at least) of the “chosen people” bit. (Pro tip: We weren’t chosen to be the boss, we were chosen to be tested. Often.)

1771

Holy shit, that is a quote worthy of being put on T shirts, written on plane banners that are flown over Tel Aviv and blasted onto random marvel movies . Tested. Often. Oy vey.

1772

Law 1 for all aspects of politics and community is this: All types of people exist in all places at all times.

A religion may help unite a group of people as a tribe. But what a religion may actually profess doesn’t matter. The tribe’s assholes will use any religion as justification for assholery; the tribe’s bullies will use any religion as a casus bully. Most tribe members will just recite the tenets of their religion to reassure themselves that everything is OK, without much understanding or desire to understand.

This is why people who drone on about the purported differences between (for instance) Xtianity and Islam are such a joke. People just commit the selfish or occasionally unselfish acts they would have anyway.

Even most saints are just assholes and bullies who got canonized for conversions done at the point of a sword for the wealth that comes from conquest. The few good ones would have been good without any religion or any spirits telling them what to do. And if you believe in the miracle-based ones, you’re exactly the kind of dumbshit hagiographies are invented for.

A barber – a Turk from what is now Macedonia – once was telling me about his country, and he concluded “Everywhere the same. Big feesh eat little feesh.” And that’s the fucking truth. No religion ever stopped big fish from eating little fish — it just occasionally helps one big fish replace another.

All tribes are self-centered and selfish, and their religious beliefs and other ideals are just attempts to hide and/or ignore that fact. And if you’re part of a tribe, you’re part of that. So FUCK TRIBES, fuck their beliefs, and fuck their members. Fucking joiners.

1773

I… Wut?

I pray let it be a Poe.

Kicker… the screen grabs stop right before the dude starts shilling crypto.

1774

Does he recommend everyone read Ayn Rand, too?

Why do we care about this guy again?

1775

Obviously he has Figured It All Out.