alreadyGone Posted December 19, 2020 Share Posted December 19, 2020 30 minutes ago, Krowb said: Oddly enough, Churches are automatically exempt by virtue of being a church and unlike other religious organizations, are not required to file, nor receive 501(c)(3) recognition. ... Fascinating.. Thanks for that. I believe it's true though that most churches (in the U.S.) have signed that contract. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Timothew Posted July 13, 2021 Author Share Posted July 13, 2021 Today (of all days) I lost my brother to Trumpism. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
☆ DarkBishop ☆ Posted July 13, 2021 Share Posted July 13, 2021 On 10/26/2020 at 6:03 AM, Timothew said: I've been wondering if I am a Christian or if I am not a Christian. I don't know if I believe there is a god or not. A very big claim of Christianity is that Christians have the Holy Spirit living inside of them. With the way they are acting right now, it doesn't seem possible that there is a god living inside of them. I'm not judging, I'm just thinking things through. Looking for evidence of a god. Here is the thing, whether or not I believe that god exists or not, whether or not I believe that Jesus existed, it doesn't seem harmful for me to do what Jesus said. I mean things like treating other people the way I want to be treated. I don't have to accept everything everybody says about what Jesus wanted, like voting republican in every election and hating people who don't believe the same as they do. But if I am decent to other people, then whether or not god exists I will be a better person. And if god exists, I don't think he will be angry that I've treated other people well whether or not I believe that he exists. And if god doesn't exist, it is still good to be good to other people. So in the end it doesn't matter whether I am "christian" or "not-christian." I'm just Tim. If you are questioning. it is best to study the Bible through the eyes of modern day scholars. Research claims of the Bible. Look to archeology to see if those claims have any proof. Not believing in an oppressive God on the grounds of a churches political views isn't enough. I'm sure therr are churches out there that vote and support democrats. Those churches could be a snare for you. Despite political affiliation for any church the Bible is a very oppressive book toward women and the LGBTQ+ communities especially. It is outdated by thousands of years. To live according to that book is to live an archaic lifestyle which is no longer compatible with modern reality. The problem with American politics is we are always pitted by the two political parties on wedge issues that have driven such a divide between us it is un-American. We are forced to choose between who the lesser of two evils are for us. In 2016 I voted libertarian. In 2020 I voted for trump on the grounds of a prosperous economy. I dont really give a shit what he did in the past as long as the economy is good and there is plenty of money in my pocket. I worked through the whole pandemic (-2 weeks) and I felt that was pretty sweet. So meh. Your really damned if you do and damned if you dont in the political arena. The choices for president in my lifetime have been pretty shitty. In my eyes all politicians are unfit for that office anyway. South Park had it right. We either vote for a Giant Douche or a Turd Sandwich. Both are bad. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alreadyGone Posted July 15, 2021 Share Posted July 15, 2021 -- deleted -- Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sdelsolray Posted July 16, 2021 Share Posted July 16, 2021 Ignoring Trump, Trumpism and (in particular) avoiding those who have been sucked into that morass is healthy behavior. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Timothew Posted July 16, 2021 Author Share Posted July 16, 2021 9 hours ago, sdelsolray said: Ignoring Trump, Trumpism and (in particular) avoiding those who have been sucked into that morass is healthy behavior. Thanks, I know that but it is difficult when it is your brother. I asked him to not talk to me about politics, but he couldn't stop. The last time he texted me about politics, I texted back asking him to apologize for texting me about politics after I asked him not to, and he just blew up. I'll just wait until he comes to his senses. He's been brainwashed by Trump propaganda, and it's just sad. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
midniterider Posted July 17, 2021 Share Posted July 17, 2021 16 hours ago, Timothew said: Thanks, I know that but it is difficult when it is your brother. I asked him to not talk to me about politics, but he couldn't stop. The last time he texted me about politics, I texted back asking him to apologize for texting me about politics after I asked him not to, and he just blew up. I'll just wait until he comes to his senses. He's been brainwashed by Trump propaganda, and it's just sad. My brother seems to have gone full Trump/Qanon/Conspiracy mode a while back. I talked to him on the phone a few months ago and he was basically channeling Tucker Carlson. He's a church-going Christian by way of the fundy wife as well. So it goes hand in hand. Sorry you have to deal with that nonsense with your brother. Maybe you can gray rock him. Just give the minimum feedback to his texts. If you reply at all. I think the take-away for me after this last election is to be personally vigilant to NOT worship the person I voted for, and to put a critical eye on what they say while in office. If I'm not disagreeing with the person I voted for now and then, then perhaps I've been infected with the mind virus of politician worship. (Note: I am aware of the drama that both CNN and FOX whip up. I've been looking to less partisan news sources lately.) 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
☆ DarkBishop ☆ Posted July 17, 2021 Share Posted July 17, 2021 19 minutes ago, midniterider said: Note: I am aware of the drama that both CNN and FOX whip up. I've been looking to less partisan news sources lately. Yeah I don't think what we have today with fox and CNN is what the forefathers had in mind with freedom of the press and freedom of speech. What news outlets do you watch? I've pretty much stopped watching the news all together. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
midniterider Posted July 17, 2021 Share Posted July 17, 2021 15 minutes ago, DarkBishop said: Yeah I don't think what we have today with fox and CNN is what the forefathers had in mind with freedom of the press and freedom of speech. What news outlets do you watch? I've pretty much stopped watching the news all together. I just read the old networks' websites like CBS, ABC, NBC. Maybe USA today. Probably best to just avoid the news, like you said. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Timothew Posted July 17, 2021 Author Share Posted July 17, 2021 6 hours ago, DarkBishop said: Yeah I don't think what we have today with fox and CNN is what the forefathers had in mind with freedom of the press and freedom of speech. What news outlets do you watch? I've pretty much stopped watching the news all together. 5 hours ago, midniterider said: I just read the old networks' websites like CBS, ABC, NBC. Maybe USA today. Probably best to just avoid the news, like you said. I agree. I never watch the news on television. It seems like they just want to rile people up in order to keep them tuned in to view the ads. I read the news, that way it is at my pace and I can think about what I am reading. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
☆ DarkBishop ☆ Posted July 17, 2021 Share Posted July 17, 2021 22 minutes ago, Timothew said: I agree. I never watch the news on television. It seems like they just want to rile people up in order to keep them tuned in to view the ads. I read the news, that way it is at my pace and I can think about what I am reading. Your right it does seem to be more calm in a news paper. All the snyde voices, eye rolls, and sarcastic remarks are lost through text instead of speech. Makes me want to subscribe to the local paper. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Timothew Posted August 18, 2021 Author Share Posted August 18, 2021 On 7/16/2021 at 11:55 PM, midniterider said: My brother seems to have gone full Trump/Qanon/Conspiracy mode a while back. I talked to him on the phone a few months ago and he was basically channeling Tucker Carlson. He's a church-going Christian by way of the fundy wife as well. So it goes hand in hand. Sorry you have to deal with that nonsense with your brother. Maybe you can gray rock him. Just give the minimum feedback to his texts. If you reply at all. I think the take-away for me after this last election is to be personally vigilant to NOT worship the person I voted for, and to put a critical eye on what they say while in office. If I'm not disagreeing with the person I voted for now and then, then perhaps I've been infected with the mind virus of politician worship. (Note: I am aware of the drama that both CNN and FOX whip up. I've been looking to less partisan news sources lately.) Thanks for suggesting the gray rock technique. I never heard of that, but it looks like a good strategy. I know that my brother just likes to rile me up any way he can. He's kind of a bully. (I'm the younger brother) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
midniterider Posted August 18, 2021 Share Posted August 18, 2021 8 hours ago, Timothew said: Thanks for suggesting the gray rock technique. I never heard of that, but it looks like a good strategy. I know that my brother just likes to rile me up any way he can. He's kind of a bully. (I'm the younger brother) Right, if you dont respond emotionally, it will hopefully spoil his fun. Younger brother here too. I asked my brother for evidence and the logic behind some of the fact-free BS he was telling me a while back. He just ignores me and keeps on yapping. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Timothew Posted August 20, 2021 Author Share Posted August 20, 2021 On 8/18/2021 at 3:14 PM, midniterider said: Right, if you dont respond emotionally, it will hopefully spoil his fun. Younger brother here too. I asked my brother for evidence and the logic behind some of the fact-free BS he was telling me a while back. He just ignores me and keeps on yapping. That sounds exactly like my brother. He didn't listen to a word I said. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now