Offside Chat Archives (2014-2021)

I don't have enough faith to be a believer—but honestly, I've got even less conviction to call myself an atheist...

Germany is playing some kind of insane game here, like they're out there playing Russian roulette with a loaded revolver

Anthony Jackson2 said:So, can we say Islam is currently walking that same difficult path?

Man, Islam has been walking that rocky road for over a thousand years already.

What’s that name of that clueless guy acting like a doctor? He’s basically just a total hack, I guess.🤣

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You’re out here coming at the church like you’re some kind of crusader, but honestly? You’re treating them just like you’d treat some random heretic on the street 🙂

The Church as a pillar of global peace🤣
Which specific church, if any, can truly claim responsibility for maintaining peace in the world?

What the hell is this attacking the church for?
??
It would be better if everyone just kept their own religion to themselves, I guess.
Just be a damn Templar in your own corner.

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Amanda Evans2 said:The Church as a pillar of global peace🤣
Which specific church, if any, can truly claim responsibility for maintaining peace in the world?

Whatever man, who cares☕

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Amanda Evans2 said:The Church as a pillar of global peace🤣
Which specific church, if any, can truly claim responsibility for maintaining peace in the world?

Honestly, the Church—doesn't matter which one—has unfortunately done more harm than good.

It’s just a mistake to conflate organized religion with actual faith.

And what "world peace" are we even talking about here, anyway?

Anyway, let's take a look at how this one rotates

Amanda Evans2 said:The Church as a pillar of global peace🤣
Which specific church, if any, can truly claim responsibility for maintaining peace in the world?

Well, I think she’s partially right! Even the earliest civilizations had religious systems in place. It wasn't just about trying to make sense of how the world works or explaining existence; religion serves as an incredibly powerful tool for embedding moral standards across an entire population. Laws are often just ink on paper—they change constantly and are ultimately enforced by fallible people. In comparison, religion and the concept of a higher power carry much more weight.
The real issue is that, over time, organized religion became a tool used by certain people to manipulate those very same populations. That inherent rigidity—which was originally its greatest strength—eventually prevented it from adapting to a changing world and new scientific discoveries.

But let’s be clear: the church and religion are not one and the same thing...
Help suggests there's some sort of inherent supremacy held by the Catholic Church over everyone on Earth, acting as if they are the sole gatekeepers of civilization and its peace
If we're being honest about the actual impact on global stability, the Catholic Church lands somewhere on the lower end of the scale when it comes to promoting true world peace...

wearyangler55 said:Exactly. It’s pretty obvious that a handful of clever manipulators realized religion is basically just fairy tales for kids. They saw how most people are actually pretty unstable and, frankly, kind of clueless, so they jumped on the chance to weaponize faith for their own gain. It’s all about grabbing power and control. By constantly feeding people fear, they managed to keep the uneducated masses under their thumb—honestly, it looks a lot like what you see happening in parts of the Middle East today.

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I suppose religions are essentially what you'd call collective fantasies. They're human constructs that exist only in our minds, yet we collectively accept them as if they were tangible realities. But then again, religions aren't the only ones like that; things like governments, nations, laws, or even money are all collective fantasies too. They only exist because we all agree to believe in them to keep society somewhat organized. In large societies, it might be impossible to function without these shared myths. Hundreds of millions of people can only build a functional society if they share a common foundation, even if those foundations are mostly fabrications. I think Help is partially right there, though maybe giving religion too much credit is a stretch. Back in the day, religious myths probably held more sway, but now they've been largely replaced by economic and political narratives. Religious myths actually have technological competition now, so I guess they might quickly go out of style. Even radical believers today seem to follow their faith more as a declaration than true conviction. It’s getting harder to buy into ancient stories about locust plagues destroying Egypt when people can just watch footage of Egypt and locusts on the news every single day.

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Joe, you jerk!

Every religion needs its own infrastructure to actually function. To me, the Church is the backbone of faith—the vessel that carries it. Period. Some random incident involving some jerk priest in some tiny parish isn't the benchmark; that’s just an outlier. It’s a statistical anomaly at best. Given how massive the Church is and how much good it actually does, you guys have no idea. Even just having the freedom to go somewhere, pray, and confess... that matters. Nobody is forcing you to show up. There’s a reason things work this way. For instance, when people face death, there isn't a single soul on this planet who doesn't look for comfort from someone. (Unless, obviously, they get hit by a car and don't have time to turn to anyone 😬 )

Try looking at it this way. Certain customs and unwritten rules just have to exist; they're right there when you need them. Someone mentioned that the Church used to be stronger. Man, back then, the Church was *everything*. Without those foundations and that entire heritage, we’d all be in total chaos right now. I’m certain of it.

The real issue with the Catholic Church is this weird paradox: throughout history, it’s been the primary keeper of knowledge—knowledge that’s eventually going to cost it dearly. The wealthy elites who built their fortunes on that knowledge and technology are going to try to impose their own new standards of behavior. They'll try to manufacture their own politics, all driven by pure arrogance and boredom.

And this whole situation with immigrants? That's the real test. I’m dying to see all you "smart" people figure out how America is going to unify, pull itself together, and stand up against this challenge. I'm genuinely curious to see how it plays out.

What kind of challenge is that? I guess God says He created everyone, and that we're all equal. Or are you suggesting God made a mistake?

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it’s finally happened, the gods themselves are clashing head-on now

bluebison47, just get this thing out of my sight already...

So, does that mean there are more of them? I guess you have to wonder if they all went to the same divinity school so they actually know each other. I think I’d feel a bit more secure knowing these gods were just messing around with one another, while we're basically just pawns on their game board.

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Does this PDF include any accounts from former hard drug addicts?

I’ve always found it fascinating to read firsthand accounts from people struggling with addiction regarding how specific substances actually rewire the brain.