silverpuma542 said:Spirituality and Religion definitely go hand in hand. I wouldn't mind seeing an Alternative connection too. Just my two cents.
Religion can certainly be spiritual. Believers within organized religions can express their spirituality right here in the Religion sub-forum.
Spirituality doesn't have to be religious. That is why we have the independent Spirituality sub-forum.
Furthermore, the description for the Spirituality sub-forum specifies it is for a Spirituality-free style of being. This refers to spirituality—most often personal—that doesn't stem from organized religion or even structured philosophy.
wearyrider16 said:Like I said before, I'm not making this up as I go. Everything I argue is based on the Bible, which most people just dismiss because they find it too complicated to wrap their heads around. Honestly, I've realized there's no point talking to people who don't have pure intentions or an open heart to receive truth from God!! Bye!!!!!!!!
I hope that wherever you are headed, you find fertile ground in the Promised Land for your charismatic mission. May you find those intelligent enough and pure of heart to understand the complex Bible in the exact way you interpret it.
Once you achieve that, you and your children, and your grandchildren, will finally be happy.
wearyrider16 said:It’s all relative, isn't it? Who are we to judge who’s actually lost it and who hasn't? 😂 Honestly, maybe I'm already a little crazy myself! Or maybe you are too!!! That’s not even the real issue here—there are much bigger things on my mind. But hey, let the small-town gossip fly... thanks for listening! Goodnight!!
Since you have decided to embrace relativism, you should at least be consistent. Don't say, "...I am writing this because I cannot keep such important truths to myself." Instead, say, "...I am writing this because I cannot keep my own insights, which I believe to be true, to myself."
Following the logic of your previous comments, who among us is qualified to decide whose insight is true and whose is not?
wearyrider16. You are free to write whatever you please. You have that right. However, since you wrote this yourself:
wearyrider16 said:Well said. I am glad you joined this discussion. I agree with you. But there is one major issue. I simply cannot find the time to actually live life. I can't enjoy time with my wife, work, or spend my days how I want. Obligations surround me on all sides. I have to work just to survive, and everything else has to be sacrificed to that. At work, I will say it again: I deal with people who have eyes but cannot see—adults who are spiritually handicapped. It is exhausting. They fill your head with nonsense about office politics and sabotage. Whether I like it or not, I am forced to waste my time on shallow things, all for the sake of earning enough money to stay afloat. Life is incredibly stressful. Sometimes I feel like I might just snap from it all! Every single day is a struggle for survival among wolves. That truly saddens me. 👎
I previously stated that this spirituality forum might not be the right fit for you. It is crawling with foxes and wolves. You could easily snap. And I mean truly snap, not just virtually.
Notice that even Cherry, who is usually quite ruthless, is worried about you. She is opening up because she doesn't want to carry the weight of your well-being on her conscience.
wearyrider16 said:Man, why all the anger? I've grown used to criticism, attacks, and people mocking or belittling me. That's just my daily life. It would actually surprise me if things were any different. Everything is easier when there's a purpose behind it. 😉 thanks for being real! 👍
wearyrider16 said:...Oh, one more thing—I just couldn't resist sharing this beautiful thought with you all. You see, looking at those of us who have been called, there aren't many people who would be considered "wise" by the world's standards, or powerful, or from high-society backgrounds. Instead, what the world calls foolish, God chose to use to shame the wise; and what the world sees as weak, God uses to shame the strong. 1 Corinthians 1:26,27. This really hits home for me!!! Goodnight, everyone! :kiss :
wearyrider16, I don't think this subforum is really the right arena for your martyr-style missionary work.
In your intro post, you address
wearyrider16 said:🙂 It feels like we’re constantly being fed nothing but lies. Whether it’s the news, politicians, religious leaders, or even just some shady boss at work, everyone seems to be playing a game. I’m reaching out to those of you who feel just as disillusioned and out of place in this mess as I do. I want to share what I’ve learned and why things have become so broken. I’m just passing along the truth I heard from people who actually live with humility and integrity—that’s really what keeps me going in this fleeting, hollow life. I just hope at least one person out there gets where I'm coming from. 🙂 ...I can't just keep these truths to myself. That would be selfish, plain and simple. Pozy. 😉
But there are very few people here who feel deceived or disillusioned, and even fewer who struggle to fit into this dysfunctional society...
On the spirituality subforum, the hunting grounds are usually filled with well-adjusted wolves who do not appreciate anyone telling them they are actually deceived or disillusioned sheep...
You will find those sheep over on the Religion subforum. They are organized into all sorts of flocks there, including those "sincere, deceived, and disillusioned individuals who struggle to fit into this broken society"...
wearyrider16 said:That’s exactly why we need a "perfect being"—our Creator—to set the standards and rules for us to live by. That way, we’d all be using the same compass in life. It’s the only logical solution. Honestly, there's no use looking to us "imperfect" folks for answers! But hey, we think we're pretty important, don't we? We're smart enough to just get in our own way and destroy ourselves. 👏 👏
Exactly! Finally, someone with some wisdom!
So, let's all bow down before the one true Creator and live according to the rules set by Mithra!
Then, we would finally have a unified compass for life.
wearyrider16, I will sacrifice a bull in your honor at the next sunset! 👍 👍 👍
mellowraven22 said:Unfortunately, that isn't an option anymore. They messed it up quite thoroughly.
Please accept my apologies personally, as well as on behalf of the entire site staff, for this unexpected and unsolicited action by our former druid moderator.
The druid moderator clearly failed to grasp that this is the most visited and open forum in America. On the spirituality subforum, everyone has the right to express their own spirituality—from the geniuses to the absolute outliers.
Therefore, I propose that we find a more professional, perceptive, and inclusive moderator for "Spirituality - Free Style" within the medicine or psychology subforums.
A frustrated student, impatient with how slow his spiritual growth feels, asks his Teacher:
"Teacher, how long and grueling is the path to Enlightenment?"
"Quite a long road. For the first forty years, you will face misunderstanding, being underestimated, and ridicule from almost everyone around you," the Teacher replies.
"And what happens after those forty years?" the now-intrigued student asks.
"Well... nothing special. But by then, you'll be used to it all."
I have a quick question for the forum administrator.
In my profile settings under the control panel, specifically within the "EDIT Your details" section under "favorite website - sites you visit regularly," I entered the URL for another forum I frequent.
However, I noticed that when other users view my profile, they don't see the link; they just see a string of asterisks instead.
Does this mean the site administration limits visibility for everyone regarding their "favorite website" links, or am I being singled out because of some penalty I'm unaware of?
I suspect it might be the latter, since I noticed that the moderator Shady has his listed website clearly visible to everyone.
Is there a rule where certain links are hidden for general members but remain visible for moderators?🤷
Brian Edwards6 said:They fail at the first part simply because they lack the capability (which is their biggest flaw), but they absolutely succeed at—and utilize—the second part. Honestly, that’s a perfectly valid way to fight back.🤷
__________________ You can run, but you can not hide.
It seems you judge the rest of humanity by your own standards. 😁
Back in 2001, on an American online discussion board in the religion and philosophy section, I started a thread. This was following Shady's missionary post about the unseen beauties of Islam (which also featured a Christian professor who had converted to Islam). I decided to ask him directly: after all these supposed beauties of Islam, does he feel a religious obligation to follow a fatwa and kill Rushdie?
Shady responded in his post:
"If I were certain I wouldn't be caught and if the opportunity presented itself, I would kill him."
(Shady, I recorded that statement of yours right then, and there are still users here who remember it.)
Very soon after, he was forced to take a break from the forum because the members of the Religion and Philosophy sub-forum simply couldn't stomach him anymore...
He eventually returned, but someone brought up that old comment, and Shady vanished from the forum once again.
He only resurfaced when the veteran users who remembered his statement became a minority, and when the old forum began to decline and lost all its posts in 2002, making it impossible to link back to the original thread.
This time, he disguised his proselytizing under a cloak of quasi-tolerance, using the guiding idea: "Every man is born into his natural religion—Islam; his parents just raised him wrong by making him a Christian..."
I have nothing against Shady as a fellow user. People should be free to fight for their ideas, no matter what they are. However, it is unacceptable to use moderator authority solely for missionary work and to attack anyone who disagrees with those views.
Gregory Turner71 said:Man, this is getting exhausting. You don't understand what went wrong, where the breakdown happened, or why it happened. Your complaint has been noted, and we will handle things the way we see fit. There's really no need for further complaints or trying to start a revolt.
Right. An American citizen on an American forum isn't allowed to stage a coup against a moderator who isn't even an American citizen and doesn't live in the States.
Will the rebels be denied food until they snap out of it and embrace Allah?
I trust the admins will review the perspectives shared in this thread and reach a fair conclusion. 🙂
Personally, I think the admins are just playing it safe. They don't want people looking over their shoulders while walking down the street, so they won't decide anything at all. 😁
I suggest we launch a dedicated sub-forum within the Religion section governed strictly by Sharia law. I propose that Shady be appointed as both the moderator and the enforcer for this specific area. This would allow him to step away from moderating the non-Sharia portions of the Religion forum, which he clearly struggles to grasp and, consequently, cannot effectively manage.
My proposal is sincere and made with the best intentions. I believe it would increase the overall professionalism of the Religion forum while preserving Shady's mental well-being.
I have submitted this suggestion before, but a moderator locked the thread. 🙏
Florence said:Besides, stupid threads pop up here almost every day that either N or I have to delete or toss out. As long as I’m moderating this space, nonsense topics won't result in bans, regardless of what you think about that. Got it? Just like how boldsailor32 and Parsi didn't get banned or carded for the nonsense threads they started, neither will Yivan. Clear? So if you still believe I'm playing favorites, I don't know what to tell you. You're meddling where you don't belong and just causing confusion, useless arguments, and tension. Stop acting like a drama queen. Instead, work on your tolerance and stop letting your own biases run the show.
If we handed out bans for every idiot on this forum, there wouldn't be anyone left to moderate.
In my three years on this site, I’ve received four warnings, two of which came from Florina.
The most recent one was a yellow card with zero points behind it.
Even so, I’m speaking up because it’s unjustified, and I don't appreciate being targeted unfairly.😁 (And that goes for red cards too, for those currently feeling bold.)
I already settled the matter with her via private message.
I'm just saying this so people know I'm not complaining for the sake of it; I only speak up when enough is truly enough.
@boldsailor32, cut the nonsense and be constructive.
I am being serious and constructive...
If you don't believe me—just try it. The moon is rising.
I suggest we create a dedicated sub-forum within the Religion section governed by Sharia law. We should appoint Shady as the moderator and enforcer for that specific area. This would also free him from the burden of moderating the rest of the Religion forum, which he clearly doesn't understand and therefore cannot effectively manage.
I’m being serious here, and my intentions are purely good.