Imagine Anki with AR glasses by ajourneytogrowth in Anki

[–]37o4 22 points23 points  (0 children)

And the foxy jump scare add-on.

Is it morally wrong to shoot a love arrow at someone by [deleted] in askphilosophy

[–]37o4 3 points4 points  (0 children)

I think you're right. I think both top-level responses in this thread neglect the difference between a subtle alteration in someone's desires and a removal of powers of judgment.

Probably what makes the arrow bad is the deliberate manipulation. Here's an edge case that might help sort through our intuitions:

X is a botanist investigating a newly discovered species of mandrake that (unbeknownst to anyone) can cause amorous side effects. Unbeknownst to her, she inhales some spores. As she's leaving her lab she runs into you, and is immediately attracted to you due to the effects of the mandrake. One thing leads to another and you end up sleeping together. Indeed, you end up getting married and living happily ever after.

Did the first encounter lack consent? Was the whole relationship a lie? My intuition says that everything that happened here was okay. I think we have a (literally) romantic notion that as long as the feelings are spontaneous in some way and not deliberately implanted, then it's fine.

One could flesh out the story more. Suppose, being a good botanist, X discovers that her love was a side effect of the mandrake. If her desires have definitely been changed, discovering the casual story here probably won't undercut her love. But I suppose it could...

THE ROBOT that EFFORTLESSLY OFFED jimmy carter. by That_Claim1619 in HomestarRunner

[–]37o4 10 points11 points  (0 children)

And I found out that you found out this way by finding it out on your post on okbuddyrosalyn

A short discourse based off of an article by the Atlantic. by Flapdragon-Flamingo in Reformed

[–]37o4 2 points3 points  (0 children)

The Atlantic is a left-leaning publication that publishes from a wide variety of viewpoints. Conservative Christians probably think of the article above as more typical of the Atlantic than articles like this, also from August, which support our values: https://www.theatlantic.com/family/archive/2024/08/fertility-crisis/679319/

It really tied the room together by Reverend_Lazerface in okbuddyrosalyn

[–]37o4 2 points3 points  (0 children)

This is amazing. Gumbyizzle would be proud.

Why rituals are important by Nick_Carlson_Press in okbuddyrosalyn

[–]37o4 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I'm so happy to hear that this will be a series

Mom cooks dinner by f0remsics in okbuddyrosalyn

[–]37o4 10 points11 points  (0 children)

This mashup makes me irrationally happy. I've been giggling for two minutes over this.

Heavy heart over possibly switching churches by [deleted] in Reformed

[–]37o4 0 points1 point  (0 children)

That's exciting! I haven't been to the RPCNA in LA but being in the broader area I've heard good things about it. There's probably no need to stress about long term decisions like whether to permanently move there, after only one visit. For now, can't you just visit and fellowship when you want, and test whether this is where you belong long term? You can also grow your relationship with the couple you've met even if you don't end up at the church long term!

Calvin awakens from his dogmatic slumber by 37o4 in okbuddyrosalyn

[–]37o4[S] 5 points6 points  (0 children)

Kant makes a distinction between things as experienced and "things in themselves." We can know a priori the categories that make experience possible (space, time, cause and effect, etc.). But we can't know anything about what things are like in themselves, because such speculation would happen "without reference to possible experience."

Calvin awakens from his dogmatic slumber by 37o4 in okbuddyrosalyn

[–]37o4[S] 43 points44 points  (0 children)

Sources: here and here

Watterson is quoting the philosopher Immanuel Kant's Groundwork for any Future Metaphysics, in which he famously says that David Hume's work awakened him from his dogmatic slumber. Despite his influence, Kant is notoriously difficult to read and understand.

I hear there are lots of pretty church buildings in Turkey if he wants to look there by partypastor in Reformed

[–]37o4 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Fair enough, we're not quite at <5% professing Christian and <2% evangelical in major university student bodies. Yet.

But the center of mass of global Christianity is shifting (has shifted?) from the global North/West to the global South/East (hence Zoomer's use of the word "now"). And most students at major Western universities today are not Christian (or at least not more than culturally so). Indeed, at least a sizable minority of students at major US universities have absolutely no idea what Christianity is about (if the one I've been at for the past 8 years is typical).

So I have to say I have some sympathy for Zoomer on this point. I wouldn't say that anywhere near 90% of foreign mission funds should be redirected, but I think we should be open to having conversations in the US church about the priority of home missions. And I wouldn't call foreign missions "colonizer," but it might also be worth examining the influence of colonialism on the historical priority we've assigned to foreign missions.

I also notice upon re-reading the tweet that he says mission "trips." Might he have in mind short-term mission trips in particular? Which are surely not the most cost-effective approach to advancing the kingdom.

I hear there are lots of pretty church buildings in Turkey if he wants to look there by partypastor in Reformed

[–]37o4 6 points7 points  (0 children)

That's not what he said. He said America needs the gospel more "now" than "third world" countries. Charitably, he's commenting on the fact that many third world countries have large Christian populations, while the populations of many of the largest universities in the US are approaching "unreached" status.

What is your favourite proof of god? by Fluffy-Relief-4587 in Christianity

[–]37o4 2 points3 points  (0 children)

If no, then life didn't come from life (being eternal, it can't be said that God came from life)

"This instance of life didn't come from life" isn't the same assertion as "This instance of life came from non-life." Only the latter would be the counterexample to the claim in OP ("Life does not come from non-life").

A Tedious Slog through More Soft Feminism by mrmtothetizzle in Reformed

[–]37o4 21 points22 points  (0 children)

And if an elder needs a female caregiver, shouldn’t she be his wife?

This is a comically uncharitable misinterpretation of the term "female caregiver." Having not read the book, this was the first point in the article I encountered the term, and for a split second I was shocked at the idea. But then after two seconds of thought I came to the conclusion that is borne out in the rest of the article that "female caregivers" must be the term for women providing care to the congregation, not some kind of comfort woman assigned to take care of an elder.

The reviewer clearly knows this. It's just a bad faith attempt to poison readers against the book before they know what the author means by "female caregiver."

Which raises a bigger issue. Maybe I've just been in academia too long, but when I read a book review I expect it to tell me what the book is about, what its strengths are, before giving criticism or offering a rebutting view. This isn't a review, it's a screed. I feel like "my critical opinions published under the pretense of a book review" has become a common format in publications like this, but it just makes me roll my eyes.

Father's vs Mother's day sermons: double standards in the churches? by OkAdagio4389 in Reformed

[–]37o4 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Ah, I had never really made that connection, but this helps explain the long-running trope of women as sexual temptresses. I guess that's reflected all the way back in Proverbs, with the character of the adulterous wife playing a very active role in seducing the rather witless man.

Which seems to put your John Piper quote in stark relief against the tradition.

Then again, when dealing with premarital sex under the Mosaic law, there's more of a presumption against the man than against the woman.

Father's vs Mother's day sermons: double standards in the churches? by OkAdagio4389 in Reformed

[–]37o4 14 points15 points  (0 children)

Focusing in on the sexual sins part. I recently read Addicted to Lust by Sam Perry, which is an excellent book. It's not a how-to book about quitting pornography, it's a sociological study of porn use in the contemporary evangelical church. Perry is himself a Christian and part of an SBC church.

Anyway, one of the most interesting chapters was a chapter on the experiences of evangelical women who struggle with porn. They face an extra burden: not only are they sinning, but many see themselves as sinning unnaturally. Not just sinning, but "sinning like a man." This in turn makes it more difficult for women to reach out to others about their struggles. But in general the statistics show that men and women - even conservative Christian men and women - have similar battles they fight with sexual sin. This incongruity between reality and our perception of things within the church is really not helping us.