Posts by William Reed

Hannah Thompson2 said:I’m not calling anyone out just for bringing up God—it’s when they disrespect Him that I speak up, because frankly, that offends me too.

God is available to everyone; you just have to look for Him in the right way and the right place. There's no way for me to keep Him hidden from anyone.

God is the source of life, truth, justice, and love—He is our Heavenly Father. His kingdom is where those who belong to Him go after their time on this earth is done, while those who don't belong will be cast aside to face the father of lies.

So, if God is available to absolutely everyone—which, yeah, He is—and if you have to seek Him out in the right place, which can't be anywhere outside of yourself, then where exactly do you get off deciding what someone else is allowed to say or not say while they're searching?
Of course you can't hide Him from anyone. You can only hide Him from yourself.

It feels to me like maybe you've just memorized these whole bunch of clichés—you know, God is the source of life, justice, love, blah blah blah—but it doesn't seem like you actually grasp what any of that means. And I think Sean Martinez4 was onto something; you've basically grabbed authority for the truth instead of letting the truth be your authority, and now you're trying to push that on everyone else. You don't really get it, and I guess that's why you feel insulted.
It insults you because the idea that "your" God is accessible to everyone is offensive, right? It hurts to think you aren't part of some special chosen group, or more valuable than others, or closer to Him than the next guy—that you aren't all that different from everyone else. The truth that God in you is the same God in someone else bothers you. Why is that? God is love, selfless love.

The doors to God's kingdom swing open the second you accept that you are in God and God is in you. There isn't some massive, complex wisdom to it. That's just what resurrection is.

Hannah Thompson2 said:William Reed

No one in this country has the right to declare themselves God.

You made yourself pretty clear about where you stand—even if you did go out of your way to insult those who actually believe in Him—but let’s not pretend you’re part of the group.

But why not, though? I mean, what even is God if not that? Is He just some unreachable, perfect ideal that’s only allowed to be mentioned by these terrified, self-proclaimed 'believers'? Honestly, what does God even mean to you? Why do you think you get to act all jealous and gatekeep Him from everyone else, like you have some divine right to stop people from speaking His name, or hanging out with Him, or even trying to see themselves in Him? Like, where do you get off thinking you own that kind of authority?

steeleagle13 said:Something’s been rattling around in my head today, so I figured I’d drop a few thoughts here for all you Believers regarding this whole concept of spiritual sin...
😁

Since I know the term is pretty familiar to most of you..

You can basically "digest" it into any kind of "spiritual practice" that has a specific GOAL in mind.

Like—if you hit church every single day and knock out 213 Hail Marys a week, you think you’re just gonna sit there with God in paradise enjoying the view?😬

Or—"I HAVE to meditate for two hours and 65 minutes every day if I want to reach enlightenment."

It's always "I have to do this" or "I must do that" to achieve something... Now, I'm not talking about basic life stuff—like fasting so you can earn some pity or whatever—I mean: people acting like if they stop grinding, they'll automatically win the Powerball. Maybe they will, maybe they won't.

What’s the common thread in all these attitudes? It's that you're calling yourselves "selves"—you've identified entirely with your own outward personality and you're terrified of losing your own existence...
You're scared out of your minds by "scriptures" that people would swear on their lives are true, which drill it into your brain that you are separate, individual, flawed, and guilty. You're taught you're just "God's Sheep," where your supposedly "good" shepherd hands out blessings one drop at a time under the threat of punishment... leaving you convinced of your own IMPERFECTION.

PERFECTION is divine, absolute, and without ego (and no, I don't mean crap 🤣 🤣—I mean the ego)

THE TRUTH IS, YOU ARE ALL DIVINE BY NATURE... and that isn't some state you haven't reached yet, nor is it a matter of being "separated" from the divine. You just believe you are. That's how you were raised from birth. You aren't to blame for any of it.

WHY does that offend you? Do you honestly think you aren't worthy of God? That’s just your "ego" at work..

Let’s be clear—the ego doesn't disappear. Your ego is your very presence. People without egos aren't walking around like two-legged zombies...
If a mountain had an ego, it would be arguing with God.
It doesn't do that—honestly, I've never even heard of a mountain complaining to hell.🤣

In the absolute sense, where are the rewards and where are the punishments?

honestly, it’s both—it’s all just living inside your own head, I guess.

It’s this tiny little distinction, but honestly, it matters a lot: a tree can't just sit itself down in front of a MacBook and start having some deep existential crisis about how much different it is from a human being😬>

hmmm, though I guess you could look at it another way, like maybe a tree doesn't actually need us at all, right? It's more like we're the ones who desperately need trees. So, sure, a person can plant a tree, but there's no way in hell a tree is gonna grow a person...
what else am I missing here.. 🤔>
I mean, a person can definitely go out and kill a tree, but a tree isn't really out to get a person, unless it's like, an accidental thing where a branch falls or something😬>

Gregory Lewis37 said:The title itself is this grand, sweeping concept—truly majestic, really. But everything else? It’s just a mess of contradictions. Honestly, were you perhaps a bit tipsy when you decided to pluck a few verses from the Bible and toss them into a blender with some articles from Cosmopolitan, only to hurriedly stir it all together?

Well, look, maybe you’re just missing the point.

Some of these lines, people agree with them, some they tear apart, and others they just think are complete and utter nonsense.

I mean, I'm kind of doing the same thing... 😬

But, honestly, maybe there’s a logic to it all after all..
it’s just that we don’t get some of them, right? 😳

Because, see, these ones really hit home for me 🙏

A Woman will forgive a man even his most terrible vices, but she won't forgive another woman even her greatest virtues.

It’s rare for a person's goal to be evil; usually, it's just the methods that go wrong.

If someone knew the number of stars in the sky, the names of every fish in the ocean, the count of blades in a field, or the habits of beasts in the woods, yet still had no fear of God, then their knowledge would be as useless as water in a sieve.

Even the hairs on your head are numbered, let alone your friends and enemies here on Earth! So don't worry about having too many friends or too many enemies; don't worry about your enemies overpowering you, and don't bank on your friends to save you. Just make sure you have God as a friend, and you won't have to fear anything.

It's easy enough for people to fight against wild animals—humans have weapons that animals don't. But it's damn hard to fight against spirits of evil, because they use weapons that humans simply don't possess.

Physical marriage is just a symbol of a spiritual union. In a physical marriage, you hit the joys first and the bitterness later, whereas in a spiritual one, it's the bitter parts first followed by the joy.

No one is truly great unless they hold onto someone greater than themselves.

The Devil wouldn't even have a job if people didn't keep him busy.

Laziness is basically the opposite of human nature. Nature is active; it wants to build, to act, to work. Laziness is just a clear sign that a person's nature has gone totally haywire.
Laziness is one of those deadly sins because it just numbs a person's soul. A lazy body is a breeding ground for vice, and a lazy soul is where the Devil sets up camp.

If you want to fix the world, start by fixing yourself.

And you gotta remember, these are the thoughts of a man... he doesn't know everything, obviously. 😳
if he were a Woman, maybe he’d actually pay attention to how men think...

I guess that part about women is just a tough pill to swallow. 😬

Hannah Morris3 said:To me, prayer is just the act of opening up—presenting your own perspective—to God’s love, the universal creative energy, or even just to your own soul...

and I gotta say, I totally agree 😉

***

but man, the absolute hardest part is trying to navigate your own ego around all those other massive egos out there. 😳

Ryan Wilson2 said:But what exactly am I supposed to renounce?

Everything you think you actually own?

Like, every single thing tied to this material life, all that temporary stuff that just slips through your fingers anyway...?

😳

So I saw gentlebear8 over there watching all those horses getting shod, and I guess she just couldn't help herself and had to get up too... 🤣

Ryan Wilson2 said:The link I mentioned earlier, which is basically its own entire thread I already pointed you toward.

But honestly, that other thread is just people bragging about their quiz scores, and I kind of hoped we could actually have a real, meaningful conversation for once this time around 😳

but whatever, if that's not your vibe, fine.

No biggie though, catch ya later.👋

Ryan Wilson2 said:The whole definition thing is just whatever...

That’s just not true, honestly. When I used "etc.," I was thinking about the whole concept of "faith" and all that stuff we either know or don't know about them.
so, I went ahead and dropped a link to this super interesting little quiz, which I guess might actually help you read up on some of those religions you seem to be leaning toward😳

Ryan Wilson2 said:The thread title is actually "what are your religious beliefs," not "take this quiz if you have no clue what you believe."

Man, if you can't see the distinction there, I honestly don't know how much more I can do for you.

but if you actually look at the first post, it says

What are your religious beliefs, what do you know about them,etc.....

🙄

you see that "etc."?

Plus, once you finish the "quiz" thing, there are a ton of links providing info on pretty much every faith out there.

😢

Ryan Wilson2 is being a total drag again 😠

just lies, lies, and more lies

so what if there’s already a similar thread out there?

I mean, since I already know about that whole situation from the old thread, what's the big deal if I just drop a link to it in this new one? They're basically the same subject matter anyway, and it might actually help the discussion move along, right?

you're a terrible moderator, Ryan Wilson2 😠

Ryan Wilson2 said:Look, it’s not some huge public embarrassment, it’s just a side chat thread meant for off-topic banter so we don't clog up the main discussion with random noise.

If you guys are actually feeling embarrassed about it, then maybe just try sticking to the actual topic for once? I mean, seriously, let's try acting like adults instead of a bunch of middle schoolers running around a playground, I guess.

Wait, what part wasn't on topic though? 😕

it’s not even just about him deleting stuff, he’s basically dragging us through the mud by tossing our posts into some kind of public shame bin, this supposed "archive" thing