Saints: Godly Protectors

Hannah Diaz said:Look, jihad is a pretty broad concept, but you really ought to know that... even standing up for the underdog counts as jihad... that's how it works. I guess your perspective on it is a little narrow, but whatever... we all make mistakes, right? So, maybe just give some thought to what jihad actually means.😉

jihad refers to holy war within Islam...
The goal of a holy war is the expansion of Islam...
In this struggle, only adult men participate—those who lay down their lives become martyrs and enter paradise...
In regions like Africa and India, jihad has served as a mere pretext for genocide...

As for what jihad actually means to you, I couldn't possibly know. What I wrote above is the official interpretation—if you have a better one, feel free to share.

John Jones3 said:So these are supposed to be the "chosen ones"? The ones rushing into jihad?

If you look at history—specifically the Inquisition or the Crusades—that’s when you saw the most saints and spiritual leaders. I doubt Muslims will ever outdo the Christians of that era.

So, what's the deal with people today?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Dzc8PWrqi8

John Jones3 said:jihad refers to holy war within Islam...
The goal of a holy war is the expansion of Islam...
In this struggle, only adult men participate—those who lay down their lives become martyrs and enter paradise...
In regions like Africa and India, jihad has served as a mere pretext for genocide...

As for what jihad actually means to you, I couldn't possibly know. What I wrote above is the official interpretation—if you have a better one, feel free to share.

Since when do non-Muslims get to be the official experts on Islam?

John Jones3 said:jihad refers to holy war within Islam...
The goal of a holy war is the expansion of Islam...
In this struggle, only adult men participate—those who lay down their lives become martyrs and enter paradise...
In regions like Africa and India, jihad has served as a mere pretext for genocide...

As for what jihad actually means to you, I couldn't possibly know. What I wrote above is the official interpretation—if you have a better one, feel free to share.

I guess you’ve said your piece... but you’re totally in the wrong thread. There's a specific topic for "Fear of Islam," so maybe just move over there...☕

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/jihad

So I just read up on what jihad actually entails—if you have a better source, feel free to drop a link. It’s not like I have anything against Muslims; we're all brothers and sisters in the end, anyway. Besides, God is just one entity regardless of whether you call Him Allah, Zeus, or Jesus... etc.

John Jones3 said:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/jihad

So I just read up on what jihad actually entails—if you have a better source, feel free to drop a link. It’s not like I have anything against Muslims; we're all brothers and sisters in the end, anyway. Besides, God is just one entity regardless of whether you call Him Allah, Zeus, or Jesus... etc.

No, we aren't.

Hannah Diaz said:I guess you’ve said your piece... but you’re totally in the wrong thread. There's a specific topic for "Fear of Islam," so maybe just move over there...☕

Man, some people get awfully sensitive about free speech and the right to an opinion!

Are you planning to declare a 'forum jihad' or just kick anyone with a different view off the thread?
By the way, who actually owns the copyrights to the posts and threads on this forum? Is it the owner and admins, or someone else entirely?

Susan Price30 said:Man, some people get awfully sensitive about free speech and the right to an opinion!

Are you planning to declare a 'forum jihad' or just kick anyone with a different view off the thread?
By the way, who actually owns the copyrights to the posts and threads on this forum? Is it the owner and admins, or someone else entirely?

Gee, we were all just dying for your input... but since you're here, I guess I'll let you have your say.😁

Do you realize this is a completely different thread? There’s already a dedicated discussion going for that specific performance... I was just giving him a few pointers on what to do next. Do you need some guidance too?☕

My bad... maybe you actually had a question related to the topic at hand?

Hannah Diaz said:Gee, we were all just dying for your input... but since you're here, I guess I'll let you have your say.😁

Do you realize this is a completely different thread? There’s already a dedicated discussion going for that specific performance... I was just giving him a few pointers on what to do next. Do you need some guidance too?☕

My bad... maybe you actually had a question related to the topic at hand?

I know.🤣

I don't notice anything at all, honey 🙂 though maybe I'm just exhausted 🤔 so why don't you just lead the way here regarding what we should write so it meets your standards? May God reward you... *mwah mwah*

Susan Price30 said:I know.🤣

I don't notice anything at all, honey 🙂 though maybe I'm just exhausted 🤔 so why don't you just lead the way here regarding what we should write so it meets your standards? May God reward you... *mwah mwah*

Anyway, Susan Price30... what genre would you even call that music in your signature? 🤷

Question? ☕...still waiting!

Even Susan Price30 is leaving us... well, hope you have a peaceful and bright night, wishing you the best...

Hannah Diaz said:Anyway, Susan Price30... what genre would you even call that music in your signature? 🤷

Question? ☕...still waiting!

Even Susan Price30 is leaving us... well, hope you have a peaceful and bright night, wishing you the best...

'symphonic metal' 😍, why ask?

Do you not care for it?

p.s. Goodnight!

Susan Price30 said:No, we aren't.

That's a bummer... from what I've gathered, those English rose varieties... they look great with all those petals and everything, but they barely have any scent... which, honestly, kind of defeats the whole purpose of a rose being a rose, I guess.☕


I've got one just like it right here... this one's just for you... *mwah*

Susan Price30 said:No, we aren't.

I mean, if we actually were, we'd basically be stuck in an endless cycle of incestuous relationships.

jademarlin26 said:By failing to stay hydrated, you have a high probability of becoming one of them. Through dehydration, you reach the path of the divine and their followers.

I think I read somewhere that in Japan there was this group of monks who just locked themselves away and basically self-mummified by slowly tapering off everything they consumed. All for the sake of eternity... man, eternity really isn't worth all that hassle!

Hannah Diaz said:wearyhawk83, why do you always jump straight to the negative? Who's doing the insulting? I was just laying out the facts... the ones that actually exist, even if we try to hide them... I get what you're getting at, and honestly, that's exactly my point... we're talking about the same thing.😉

Being human isn't easy... and yeah, maybe we are pretty pathetic.

I'm just calling it like I see it!

I usually go for the negative take because people tend to overstate positivity and shove all that extra "baggage" under the rug, thinking it’ll just vanish on its own. Newsflash: nothing ever just disappears. We need to be crystal clear that toxic crap isn't actually part of being a positive person. If we don't, we’re going to end up exactly like the people we see today—folks who only do good things when there's a cash prize or an emotional payoff involved. It leads to this messed-up reality where "love" somehow includes physical abuse alongside a kiss, and "happiness" becomes nothing more than a hollow substitute for money, sex, a fancy degree, some mental health struggles, and four failed marriages.

No way! Negative vibes aren't some mandatory package deal that comes bundled with the good stuff.
I honestly believe we have to call out all the nonsense and harmful lies floating around. If we’ve reached a point where we feel like we have to overcompensate by showering everyone with constant praise just so they don't notice how much things are rotting, then we are in serious trouble. Like, deep trouble. Look, there’s nothing wrong with highlighting the good stuff, but when everything else is absolute chaos, we can't spend all our time putting lipstick on a pig. We can't just close our eyes and pretend the problems aren't staring us right in the face. You have to acknowledge the issues, face them head-on, and actually fix them. Too many people are playing it safe and being cowards about it, and honestly, we're the ones enabling that cowardice by refusing to speak up!

Of course people get annoyed when I bring up the heavy stuff. It’s because they already know it's there, and talking about it stirs up all those uncomfortable feelings they've worked so hard to bury. They like to play this game where they pretend that if they just close their eyes and ignore the mess, it'll magically vanish. Newsflash: problems don't just disappear because you decided to take a nap. They’re still right there waiting for you when you wake up. Look, when it’s time to celebrate life, I am all in. I love a good party and I’m the first one to cheer. But when it feels right to call out the absolute garbage side of things? I’m gonna say it. If it feels like I’m talking about the "smell" too much, that’s not on me—it’s just a reflection of exactly where we are right now.

That’s where all the resentment and bitterness come from.

The real issue here is awareness. Most people actually make things way more dangerous by trying to sweep everything under the rug instead of facing it. But once people actually realize what's going on? Nobody can just walk past and ignore it anymore. They start looking for solutions and taking action. Every single one of them.

Jeremy Alvarez5 said:I mean, if we actually were, we'd basically be stuck in an endless cycle of incestuous relationships.

That wasn't really what I meant by "relationship"... hehehh... so you're actually siding with Grace... nice.😁

There really is no end to human stupidity... people just have this weird urge to overdo everything... which, honestly, is pretty obvious looking at your post.😉

I guess I should probably start by saying that I don't really know if this is the right place to bring this up, but maybe it is? Anyway, I was just sitting here thinking about how much things have changed lately, and honestly, it’s kind of wild when you stop to actually look at it. I mean, I'm probably overthinking this—I tend to do that—but there's just something about the way everything feels so different now compared to a few years ago. It’s like we all collectively decided to change direction overnight, or maybe it just crept up on us while we weren't looking. I don't know. I was talking to Hannah Diaz the other day about something similar, and they had this interesting take on it, though I might be misremembering the details. It really makes you wonder if we're all just reacting to the same stuff or if everyone is just seeing things through their own little lens. It’s probably a bit of both, I suppose. Just a thought, really. Not trying to make a huge deal out of it, but it's been on my mind.

Hannah Diaz said:That wasn't really what I meant by "relationship"... hehehh... so you're actually siding with Grace... nice.😁

There really is no end to human stupidity... people just have this weird urge to overdo everything... which, honestly, is pretty obvious looking at your post.😉

I really can't get behind what Grace said. Honestly, it felt pretty gross when she suggested that someone here shouldn't be working a job just because they mentioned one of those imams. I guess whether her opinion is actually based on anything solid or not doesn't even matter that much—it’s more about the principle of the thing. I mean, what is the point of having a forum like this if we aren't supposed to have an actual dialogue?

I guess I’ve drifted a bit toward the more... shall we say, ribald side of things, mostly because there isn't much else intelligent to talk about right now. Honestly, some of these topics feel like they belong more in a political debate than in a discussion about spirituality, if that makes any sense. Maybe I'm just overthinking it, though.

wearyhawk83 said:I'm just calling it like I see it!

I usually go for the negative take because people tend to overstate positivity and shove all that extra "baggage" under the rug, thinking it’ll just vanish on its own. Newsflash: nothing ever just disappears. We need to be crystal clear that toxic crap isn't actually part of being a positive person. If we don't, we’re going to end up exactly like the people we see today—folks who only do good things when there's a cash prize or an emotional payoff involved. It leads to this messed-up reality where "love" somehow includes physical abuse alongside a kiss, and "happiness" becomes nothing more than a hollow substitute for money, sex, a fancy degree, some mental health struggles, and four failed marriages.

No way! Negative vibes aren't some mandatory package deal that comes bundled with the good stuff.
I honestly believe we have to call out all the nonsense and harmful lies floating around. If we’ve reached a point where we feel like we have to overcompensate by showering everyone with constant praise just so they don't notice how much things are rotting, then we are in serious trouble. Like, deep trouble. Look, there’s nothing wrong with highlighting the good stuff, but when everything else is absolute chaos, we can't spend all our time putting lipstick on a pig. We can't just close our eyes and pretend the problems aren't staring us right in the face. You have to acknowledge the issues, face them head-on, and actually fix them. Too many people are playing it safe and being cowards about it, and honestly, we're the ones enabling that cowardice by refusing to speak up!

Of course people get annoyed when I bring up the heavy stuff. It’s because they already know it's there, and talking about it stirs up all those uncomfortable feelings they've worked so hard to bury. They like to play this game where they pretend that if they just close their eyes and ignore the mess, it'll magically vanish. Newsflash: problems don't just disappear because you decided to take a nap. They’re still right there waiting for you when you wake up. Look, when it’s time to celebrate life, I am all in. I love a good party and I’m the first one to cheer. But when it feels right to call out the absolute garbage side of things? I’m gonna say it. If it feels like I’m talking about the "smell" too much, that’s not on me—it’s just a reflection of exactly where we are right now.

That’s where all the resentment and bitterness come from.

I guess the cool thing about all this is that change can happen regardless of everything mentioned here—or even things we haven't talked about yet. It isn't really about picking out specific traits and claiming they’re the sole reason someone gains wisdom or undergoes a transformation. Since we're living in an era where information travels from one side of the US to the other faster than ever before, we basically learn from every single conversation, every article, and every study out there. I think we just start making these little generalizations by weighing our own personal experiences against everything else we're absorbing.

wearyhawk83 said:The real issue here is awareness. Most people actually make things way more dangerous by trying to sweep everything under the rug instead of facing it. But once people actually realize what's going on? Nobody can just walk past and ignore it anymore. They start looking for solutions and taking action. Every single one of them.

Yeah, I guess maybe instead of saying "awareness," you could say "enlightenment"—like looking through the darkness toward the light... it feels a bit more religious than that, maybe? Or am I overthinking it?🤷

And honestly, being "indifferent" is basically just having a dead soul. People like that are basically "walking corpses."🙂

Jeremy Alvarez5 said:I guess I should probably start by saying that I don't really know if this is the right place to bring this up, but maybe it is? Anyway, I was just sitting here thinking about how much things have changed lately, and honestly, it’s kind of wild when you stop to actually look at it. I mean, I'm probably overthinking this—I tend to do that—but there's just something about the way everything feels so different now compared to a few years ago. It’s like we all collectively decided to change direction overnight, or maybe it just crept up on us while we weren't looking. I don't know. I was talking to Hannah Diaz the other day about something similar, and they had this interesting take on it, though I might be misremembering the details. It really makes you wonder if we're all just reacting to the same stuff or if everyone is just seeing things through their own little lens. It’s probably a bit of both, I suppose. Just a thought, really. Not trying to make a huge deal out of it, but it's been on my mind.

I really can't get behind what Grace said. Honestly, it felt pretty gross when she suggested that someone here shouldn't be working a job just because they mentioned one of those imams. I guess whether her opinion is actually based on anything solid or not doesn't even matter that much—it’s more about the principle of the thing. I mean, what is the point of having a forum like this if we aren't supposed to have an actual dialogue?

I guess I’ve drifted a bit toward the more... shall we say, ribald side of things, mostly because there isn't much else intelligent to talk about right now. Honestly, some of these topics feel like they belong more in a political debate than in a discussion about spirituality, if that makes any sense. Maybe I'm just overthinking it, though.

I guess the cool thing about all this is that change can happen regardless of everything mentioned here—or even things we haven't talked about yet. It isn't really about picking out specific traits and claiming they’re the sole reason someone gains wisdom or undergoes a transformation. Since we're living in an era where information travels from one side of the US to the other faster than ever before, we basically learn from every single conversation, every article, and every study out there. I think we just start making these little generalizations by weighing our own personal experiences against everything else we're absorbing.

For sure... I enjoy messing around too. 😁
There's a saying: "Don't let a single day pass without learning something valuable."

Take care... keep growing. 🙂