356 posts shown.
Morgan Peterson6 said:Just a quick side note—Jesus isn't actually threatening us with hell, is He?
The Church is under threat—but honestly, isn't that just a total fabrication by the Church itself?
rowdypanther12 said:For example, some people tell students that if they don't take religion class, their classmates who do will end up in heaven while they go to hell.😍
Morgan Peterson6 said:I'm just stuck—what should I even do? Should I sign her up or not? I really don't want to, but at the same time, I'm a believer... just a non-practicing Catholic who's pretty critical of the Church. We don't really do anything religious at home besides celebrating Easter and Christmas, mostly just for the sake of tradition.
I'm torn. If I tell her she'll learn about God, she'll definitely say she wants to go... but then how can I teach her if I don't even know what religion class actually entails?
She shows so much interest in God, too—we talk about it sometimes when she asks. I can see she truly wants to learn.
How am I supposed to guide her if I can't even answer her own questions?
If I just tell her "you'll learn about God there," she's going to jump at the chance!
wearyowl29 said:I was just reading this fascinating piece about how certain organized groups are trying to make a comeback, and honestly, it really got me thinking about the way social dynamics shift in America. It’s wild, isn't it? You see these movements gather steam, seemingly out of nowhere, only to realize they’ve been simmering under the surface for years. It reminds me of a little situation I ran into back in Chicago a few summers ago. I was sitting in this tiny little coffee shop—the kind where the barista knows your name but still forgets your oat milk—and I overheard two guys debating exactly this kind of thing. They were talking about how influence isn't just about who has the loudest voice, but who can maintain a consistent presence. And that’s exactly what we’re seeing here! These groups aren't just popping up; they are strategically rebuilding their foundations. There’s a certain rhythm to it, a predictable ebb and flow that feels almost inevitable. It’s like watching a tide come back in. You expect it, you prepare for it, and then—bam!—it's right there at your doorstep. It makes you wonder what the next big shift will be. Is it political? Social? Economic? Who knows! But staying observant is half the battle, right? I, for one, am keeping my eyes peeled. Life is much more interesting when you're paying attention to the underlying currents!
Iz navedenog teksta:
Finally! That massive weight is off my shoulders. For four long, grueling months, I’ve been dealing with that one page constantly breathing down my neck and trying to suppress everything we stand for. Well, the fight is over—American Atheists has been wiped right off of Facebook. It's such a relief! Evil. Just pure evil. It’s one of those heavy things that sticks in your mind, isn't it? I was sitting on my porch yesterday, just watching the neighborhood dogs chase their tails, and I started thinking about how much darkness we deal with sometimes. It’s everywhere if you look too closely! But hey, stay positive! We can't let the bad stuff dim our light, right? Keep your chin up! My page! It’s finally live! I am just absolutely buzzing about this. Honestly, it feels like such a milestone. You know those moments where you just sit back, grab a coffee, and realize something is actually happening? That's me right now. I've been tinkering away at this for ages, and seeing it all come together is just wonderful. I can't wait to share more with you all! Emotional. Truly. It’s one of those things that just hits you right in the gut, isn't it? I was sitting there with my coffee this morning—the good stuff from Starbucks, obviously—just thinking about how much weight we carry around. Sometimes you just have to let it out! It’s all part of being human. She was being insulting. Just straight-up disrespectful!"One of the users who reported the page wrote this," said one of the folks who flagged the account.
I’ve honestly never quite wrapped my head around it. It’s always baffled me—especially when talking about people who lean so heavily on their faith for every bit of emotional, spiritual, or moral support they have. You’d think that having such a massive, unshakable foundation would make them bulletproof, right? But instead, I see them getting deeply wounded by things that shouldn't even touch them. It just doesn't add up to me!
People can throw just about anything at us! The whole political establishment. It always feels like this, doesn't it? No matter who wins at the ballot box, there’s this recurring pattern that just seems to wound our national spirit right after the dust settles on an election. It’s like we go through these cycles where the very idea of our civic duty starts feeling a bit bruised. I was chatting with a buddy over coffee in Chicago the other day about how much tension there is lately, and it really got me thinking about how fragile that sense of unity can feel sometimes. It’s a bit disheartening, honestly! Human stupidity. Honestly, sometimes I just sit back and marvel at it! It’s truly something else, isn't it? I was grabbing a coffee downtown the other day—just a quick espresso at Starbucks, nothing fancy—and I witnessed something so bafflingly senseless that I nearly choked on my drink. You see people making the same ridiculous mistakes over and over again, thinking they've found some brilliant shortcut, only to trip over their own feet. It’s constant! It’s relentless! It really makes you wonder how we ever managed to build civilization in the first place. Just a little thought for your Tuesday! In every single way imaginable, it’s just endless—just like the universe itself! My own choice. Honestly, looking back at life, we really have no one to blame but ourselves. We tripped over our own feet, learned the hard way, and now? Now we’re just sitting here absolutely fuming at our own stupidity! It’s a classic case of self-inflicted wounds, isn't it? But hey, at least the lesson stuck!
Nah, if we’re talking about being right here at home in the States...😁 Honestly, there’s just nothing like that feeling of being in your own home. It’s my absolute sanctuary! When I'm tucked away in my own space, I feel completely unshakable. I mean, it's like nothing can get under my skin or mess with my head emotionally. We’ve got this inner strength, you know? Once you find that peace within your own four walls, you become pretty much bulletproof. Nothing can touch you!
To wander off the beaten path.
Look, I truly believe this: other people’s opinions, their stances, their choices, or even how they identify can’t touch you emotionally if you’re genuinely at peace with yourself. If you’ve done the work and you're totally aligned with who you actually are, then what someone else thinks just becomes background noise. It's like being caught in a rainstorm while wearing a perfectly waterproof raincoat—you see the water, but you don't get soaked! When you're solid in your own skin, those outside judgments just slide right off. Simple as that!
Where do you all think it comes from? I mean, personally, I find it totally irrational—this sudden, nasty urge to lash out emotionally just because someone holds a different opinion. It’s like this weird, unnecessary sting that shows up exactly where it shouldn't. Why does it happen?😲
Chris Myers said:Political Correctness
Merriam-Webster - definition - Politically Correct
- adhering to the idea that language and behaviors that might upset certain social sensitivities (specifically regarding race or gender) ought to be removed.
Wikipedia - The term political correctness - is used today to characterize various languages, rules, or actions meant to prevent offending or disadvantaging specific societal groups. Within standard political debate and the news, the phrase is typically thrown around as an insult, suggesting such measures have gone too far.
A lot of people resent PC, I suppose... but what do you all think about potential alternatives, and maybe whether there's even a real need for one?
Jeffrey Long said:Look, I get it—the policy strictly forbids glorifying Nazism or fascism, or denying the Holocaust, but what about all the other PDFs? 🙄
Gerald Hill said:On the religion board, this guy ''Anthony Perez9'' is just straight-up trolling and hasn't been banned at all. He keeps spamming the same mindless nonsense across different threads—stuff that doesn't even fit the topic and serves no purpose other than starting fights and insults. I actually reported one of his posts myself, but here’s another example of him doing it under the "Reasons for Atheism" thread: He reposts this exact same garbage in basically every religious discussion, yet he hasn't faced any sanctions or even a warning.
amary said:We could argue about this forever, but it’s pretty obvious the Catholic Church has already started acting like its own sovereign government.
[Full Name] [Address]
[Zip Code and City]
[Name of School]
[Optional: Name of Contact Person] [Address]
[Zip Code and City]
D R A F T
OPTING OUT OF RELIGIOUS STUDIES
To whom it may concern,
according to contract regarding cooperation on education and culture between Washington, D.C. and the United States, I am formally notifying you of the withdrawal of my child, [Full Name], who will be attending
[ordinal number] grade with the elective subject of religious studies this school year.
I do not want my child participating in denominational religious instruction because [ the curriculum conflicts with my beliefs / denominational teaching involves a biased and non-objective approach to religion / I believe the time spent in these classes could be used more intelligently].
In accordance with current laws and recommendations from the U.S. Department of Education and the Child Advocate, I hope that
the school will organize meaningful and substantive activities for students who aren't in religious studies and find themselves with 'gaps' in their school schedule.
Also, just a reminder that I don't consent to my child staying in the classroom during religious studies, as that interferes with my child's right to freedom of worldview. I'm available for any further questions, suggestions, or discussions.
Best regards,
[Signature]
wearyhawk83 said:Five hundred years feels like plenty, but man, what if we’re actually stuck living forever?
frozengull2 said:Death isn't some kind of disease.
It actually serves a purpose in how everything works.
For real though.
It’s not just humans being born and kicking the bucket... everything alive and even the inanimate stuff in this whole universe is constantly cycling through birth and death, since the beginning of time... even the stars.
If those stars hadn't died off, we wouldn't even be here right now (we wouldn't have the raw materials to build ourselves out of... hydrogen and helium alone don't cut it).
Thinking we're these "gods" who somehow sit above the natural order—that's just peak scientistic arrogance, pure trans-humanist nonsense, and empty futurist pipe dreams.
"Immortality" is just an anomaly that the universal order will eventually fix on its own.
It’s like trying to fight windmills or go up against the actual laws of physics shaping space-time.
Like trying to run faster than light, or "falling upward"... or trying to move backward through time.
No matter what we try to pull (messing with genes, growing organs, slapping in microchips, or daydreaming that consciousness is just something you can save onto a thumb drive), it’s all gonna hit a wall or end in total disaster...
Just imagine (metaphorically) if the day you woke up—say, a random Wednesday—just lasted forever!?
What a massive drag... once you've had your fill of that Wednesday and it gets boring as hell.
After a while, people would probably just kill themselves.
Starving for a new morning, a new dawn, or just a fresh start.
Nancy Lee84 said:Nobody told me anything... 🙂I just know it's true.
It’s just common sense, man.
The average lifespan for someone back in ancient times was under 30, and nowadays it's way longer. Scientific progress drives that. Actually, if you look at it, all science basically leads to that point...
Larry Walker24 said:My daughter was targeted by systemic bullying and brutal insults at school—kids actually called her Satan just because she didn't go to church. Now, watching this new administration in D.C. get their "blessing" through prayers and holy water before they start rolling out their new cabinet ministers... honestly, it makes me sick. As a mother, I feel this wave of nausea and genuine fear. I can't help but wonder if we're heading back to those dark, ignorant days. With the church stepping back into the spotlight like this, am I going to see more kids getting humiliated and tortured just because they don't fit a religious mold? It feels like that old-school intolerance is making a comeback.
Judging by what people are saying on social media, this Chicago intellectual isn't alone in her fear. A ton of other parents feel the exact same way—watching their kids deal with nothing but pure contempt and bullying from classmates just because they don't show up to Sunday school or church.
People probably jumped to conclusions about her after just reading a few lines—labeling her some kind of old-school radical, a nostalgic dreamer, or even a Mexican woman. But honestly? They couldn’t be more wrong about Davorka Semenić. She grew up in a devout Catholic household, took religion classes, and had a traditional church wedding, but at the end of the day, she’s an intellectual through and through. She’s a true cosmopolitan who actually cares about the big picture. That’s exactly how she chose to raise her daughter, too, though it turns out that kind of parenting comes with a massive price tag here in America.
I grew up Catholic, plain and simple. I’ve been in Sunday school since I was five years old, and back in the seventies, I was part of that first little group of kids doing First Communion at our local parish in the suburbs of Chicago. It was a tiny crowd—just four girls from my class heading to class once a week. School wasn't really an issue, but I do remember this one awkward moment that stuck with me. I was in second grade when my teacher called me up to the chalkboard in front of everyone. She pointed out that I went to church and then asked me to write down the names of all the other kids in class who attended too. I felt the heat immediately; I could see a few kids in the room giving me these judgmental, mocking looks. My parents, though, weren't having any of it. They stepped in, and the teacher actually ended up apologizing and backing off. Honestly, it didn't mess with my grades or how she treated me after that. I never dealt with any more bullying for being religious after that incident. Back then, it just wasn't a topic of conversation—it was private. And honestly, that's how it should be today. Whatever faith someone chooses is their own business, period.
And then the '90s hit... everything changed.
My boyfriend was just some college kid back then—total casual vibe, jeans and sneakers—when he got drafted to go fight in the war. He’s American through and through, but he wasn't religious, and his family didn't exactly grow up in the pews. Still, he always figured it would be fine for us to have a church wedding. Now, I know there are ways for Catholics to marry someone from a different faith, but since he didn't belong to any denomination at all, things got incredibly messy. The Church insisted he get baptized first. To pull that off, they made him commit to six months of religious education classes. Can you believe that? We were right in the middle of a war, and the guy didn't even know if he’d make it back alive from the front lines, yet here we were dealing with this nonsense. That was the moment I really felt let down by the Church, so we decided to just go ahead with a civil ceremony back in '91. Eventually, we managed to pull the necessary permits from the local Archdiocese to allow a mixed marriage, and in '94, we finally had our wedding in a small chapel outside of San Diego with my old teacher officiating. Even after that, dealing with the massive, slow-moving religious bureaucracy was a nightmare—it kept tripping us up even when we were welcoming our daughter into the world.
When we went to get our daughter baptized at that same old Catholic church I used to attend for Sunday school as a kid, things got weird fast. The priest was filling out the paperwork and wrote down that her father was an American, and then he just assumed—like it was some automatic rule—that he had to be listed as Catholic too. I told him straight up, "No, that’s not right," and we ended up getting into this heated argument. He actually had the nerve to snap at me, asking how we even managed to get married in a church in the first place if we weren't following their rules. In the end, we just walked out and took our daughter to a different church to get it done.
They literally followed her all the way from school to her front door just screaming "Satan!" at the top of their lungs.
Everything was fine back when my daughter was in preschool, until we got back from our summer vacation and I walked in to find this massive crucifix staring me down from the wall—I'm talking floor-to-ceiling. Look, I’m a believer, but I can't stand it when people force their faith on everyone else like that. It’s totally disrespectful to ignore the fact that you’ve got atheists, agnostics, and kids from all sorts of different religious backgrounds in one classroom. Even as a Catholic, I feel strongly that religious symbols have no business being in schools, daycares, or any kind of public institution. Fast forward to when my kid started elementary school, and the teacher's very first move on day one was pulling all the parents aside to ask who wanted their kid opted out of religion class.
"We live in this quiet American suburb where everyone—except my husband—has always been religious. It turned out our daughter was the only one who didn't want to take religion classes, so we just went along with it at school so she wouldn't feel left out. But once she hit third grade and they started prepping kids for First Communion, suddenly the school lessons weren't enough. The church demanded she attend extra classes and Sunday Mass along with us parents. We weren't okay with being forced into that kind of thing, so we stepped away from the religion classes, the communion, and the services entirely," says the mother of a girl whose life basically flipped upside down after that decision. The fallout started with her teacher, and then, as usual, the other kids in class followed suit.
"The teacher was clearly stunned that we wouldn't bow down to every single demand from the church. She’d make these snide little comments here and there, which we didn't think was a huge deal—until the other kids started freezing her out. It's about a twenty-minute walk from school to our house, and her former friends would literally follow her the whole way just to yell 'Satan!' at her," recalls the woman from Chicago.
When asked if she and her husband stood up to those blatant provocations against their child, she admits—no, unfortunately they didn't. They had no idea what she was going through because she kept quiet, terrified that speaking up would just make everything even more complicated.
"What did you expect, having a non-believer in the house?"
"She didn't tell me the full extent of the bullying and the insults she dealt with daily until sixth grade. Back then, they were learning about the Crusades in class, and the teacher insisted Muslims were to blame for everything. My kid, visibly upset, actually asked, 'Well, what about the Inquisition?' The other kids just stared at her blankly because they'd never even heard the word, and the teacher just shut her down, saying it wasn't the time or place for such a debate. Once she finally opened up to me, I asked several kids in her class what they were actually being taught that made them so cruel to one another. They just stayed silent, unable to answer. But at a parent-teacher meeting, the mom of one kid straight-up asked me, with zero manners, what I expected when I have a non-believer living under my roof," says Davorka Semenić.
She also remembers how her daughter was the only one to pull an A on a religion test in seventh grade. While her classmates—the ones who went to church religiously—answered the question 'What makes a true believer?' with 'Constant prayer and attending church,' the girl they called Satan wrote: 'A true believer is someone who shows kindness to all living beings!'
"As a family, we really try to embrace differences and be tolerant. That's why our home library is packed with all kinds of books, including religious ones, because we believe reading them is part of being well-rounded. Since the Quran was the only thing missing from our collection, we found a copy at a local book fair and she got it as a gift. But when her college classmates found out, they harassed her, claiming a 'real' Catholic would never buy something like that. These kids think they're 'true' Catholics just because they cross themselves whenever they pass a church, yet they won't even give up a seat on the subway for the elderly, the sick, or a mother with a stroller. Even though they don't openly complain about her reading the Quran, the professors at the university do absolutely nothing to stop this toxic animosity among the students," says the professor from Chicago.
After everything she endured growing up, she eventually decided to go through with her First Communion and Confirmation at sixteen. Despite all the pressure from everyone around her, Davorka Semenić and her husband are proud today that their daughter grew up to be a smart, independent young woman who thinks for herself.
this is just gross
Robert Hernandez3 said:Honestly, I think the mods are breathing a lot easier now that the religion lock is active. For one thing, you can't even find that manual on other PDFs anymore. Plus, people on the forum were constantly weaponizing it against each other;