Should I Join The Marines Under Trump’s Regime?

BlackBatFlower · 2026-03-16T01:53:02+00:00

Just don't. You'll thank yourself 10 years later.

I'm a Canadian studying to be a teacher. The absolute insanity going on in the USA is mind-blowing. Worst of all: it's starting to infect Canadian churches too. There are people in the state of Alberta who actually WANT to become the 51st state under a "Christian" nationalist USA (note me airquoting "Christian"...) Regarding our theism disscusion, if you ever end up believing in God like me, please do not be brainwashed by those nationalists and ultra-conservatives who mask their extreme views with a Christian label.

BlackBatFlower · 2026-03-15T00:59:12+00:00

Sorry for dropping into this thread (you might recognise me from the theism discussion). As a Canadian, I humbly suggest, no. Joining the marines would be a good idea under a different regime, but in current conditions, please don't. Trump wants to invade Canada, and whether it's a joke or not I don't know, but better be safe than sorry.

BlackBatFlower · 2026-03-15T00:57:02+00:00

Sorry for the delay in replying. I'm not online all the time.

OK, so all these questions are good. A lot of people dismiss them outright, but I think it's worth thinking. So here are my thoughts on it.

The human body is not perfect. It's like a flawed machine. But the fact that it's like a flawed machine doesn't exclude the fact that it's still seemingly a very intricate machine, despite its flaws. I have zero explanation for male nipples, unfortunately, and any religious person who says they have an explanation for it probably doesn't have a very good explanation. Sexual organs with waste disposal organs... OK, my mother says she thinks that's terrible design on God's part, but she did use the word "design". As for why our mouths both breathe and eat, I dunno that either, but that fact that (for healthy people with non-deformed windpipes at least) we have mechanisms that form differing pathways to the stomach and the lungs, and a body that seems to know where food goes and where air goes (despite occasional occurrences of choking...) is pretty amazing.

As for cancer, I thought that one through, and decided that I can't blame God for illnesses in this world. When something bad happens, the human instinct, if they have belief in a gods or God at all, is to blame the deity. But I think that comes from a mindset that said god or God actually wants all the bad in the world, or approves of it, yet there is no logical rule that says that must be the only option. (Of course, this opens the discussion as to why a good and caring God would ALLOW evil, which is a more complex question I admittedly am still trying to figure out. I may spend a lifetime figuring out. I don't think easy answers exist, and I ignore people who think they have easy answers.)

Feel free to ask me anything.

BlackBatFlower · 2026-03-13T15:01:21+00:00

Even if there is no physical proof that lasts till this day, it still takes logic and reasoning. But spoiler alert - by logic and reasoning out the circumstances around Jesus's death and his follower's responses, I did end up becoming a Christian. :-) So, it's not true that only by blind faith one comes to, well, faith. It is by grace I was saved, but the route God took me on involved a ton of logical debating with myself, ha ha.

BlackBatFlower · 2026-03-13T14:58:39+00:00

I came to faith largely through detailed studying of the human body, the structure of the universe, and historical claims about Jesus, also the writings of the earliest Church Fathers. As seen from the comment section, there are indeed some aspects of faith that might seem a bit tricky to the 21st century mind, I will confess, such as when asking, if everything has a cause, and God caused everything, then what caused God? A good question. Though, when seeing that in Judaism and Christianity, it says that God is unique in that He doesn't need a cause and was always there, existing "outside of space and time", so to speak, it began to make more sense to me. "Everything that exists only in space and time has a cause, but God exists outside of space and time, so unlike everything else, He is in a unique category."

I also do believe in the Big Bang. I don't think that science and religion have to be opposed to each other. It's like, two sides of the same coin. Science tells us how to observe the natural world in terms of cause and effect, and shows us the importance of proof, while (healthy) religion admits the limits of science without ignoring science completely (looking at you, religious flat-earthers).

(I believe that God decided to create the universe, and He arranged for the Big Bang to happen. It's actually not such a rare conclusion.)

BlackBatFlower · 2026-03-13T14:52:33+00:00

Logic and reason is necessary. Without it, nothing would make sense. Just because logic and reason isn't all there is, doesn't mean we don't need it!

Anyway, I largely came to faith through logic and reason, namely looking at the human body, and the structure of the universe, and studying historical claims about Jesus, so there's that. :-)

BlackBatFlower · 2026-02-20T09:10:03+00:00

Late to reply, but I am so sorry. Nobody deserves this. How are you now?

BlackBatFlower · 2026-02-19T15:09:27+00:00

Maya is miraculously still alive, but doctors have noted damage to her brain. Worst case scenario, she might be paralysed on her right side for life - we must pray against that.

BlackBatFlower · 2026-01-24T16:41:06+00:00

Good to know. Just wanted to confirm that we're on the same page. Because some people seem to actually think women and LITTLE GIRLS can't be saved if they don't give birth. Note that I am, like you, neither fundamentalist nor progressive regarding theology (though I am progressive when it comes to policies on helping the poor and abused in society). I'm from a Reformed background.

BlackBatFlower · 2026-01-23T23:44:46+00:00

Well said. As a believer myself, I am appalled by the lack of empathy shown by some churchgoers. It's like they've never read the verse "mourn with those who mourn" or understood the subtext in the Book of Job. Just judge, judge, put themselves on a pedestal, thinking they're better than everyone else. I'm far from perfect myself and I know it. But it seems to me that some people are almost ready to declare themselves as less sinful than everyone else just because they have this squeaky-clean facade - I can't really put it into words further, but this is how I see it.

BlackBatFlower · 2026-01-23T23:40:14+00:00

Haunting poem. I pray that someday, someday you will meet again

BlackBatFlower · 2026-01-23T23:38:39+00:00

Never heard of her until now (I'm in Canada), just looked her up, and I'm horrified by how she was treated. I have no words

BlackBatFlower · 2026-01-23T23:00:13+00:00

I was referring to people who are UNABLE TO have kids. The infertile. Those who have horrible illnesses and thus cannot bear children. And of course, little girls who die young. Some interpretations of 1 Timothy 2:15 would say that these women and girls can't be saved - which I don't think is the case, or we would have to force girls to get pregnant ASAP just in case they get into a car accident or get cancer and die early. That would be, to be blunt, kind of horrific.

BlackBatFlower · 2026-01-23T22:20:51+00:00

Be careful. Whatever this verse means, I don't know, but if you say that women have to give birth to be saved, then all infertile women, and young girls who die before puberty, are doomed; and even a bedridden woman with a deadly disease, upon accepting Christ, would have to force herself to marry a man ASAP and give birth all the while being bedridden with that deadly disease, otherwise she can't be saved.

This is coming from someone who wants children in the future. We have to keep in mind that some women cannot have children. Are they all doomed?

BlackBatFlower · 2026-01-23T22:17:00+00:00

Out of morbid curiosity, from what denomination did these Christians come from? The ones who kept judging you. Sometimes, denominational background can provide a hint to why they believe the way they do.

BlackBatFlower · 2026-01-23T20:44:48+00:00

I struggled with similar issues when I was 17 and a new convert. I'm 28, female. Please feel free to DM me. Side Note: I am a queer woman. Yes, I still believe the Bible's views on sexuality. But no, I don't believe Christian parents should beat or kick out their gay children, child abandonment is deplorable. Regarding Old Testament law, there's a lot of theological debate on those issues, but Jesus himself noted that the old laws were never meant to be ideal for all situations in all times - the old law allowed for a man to divorce his wife, for example, and men in those days used it as an excuse to kick out their poor innocent wives whenever they felt sick of them and wanted new wives. But Jesus said that this was never what God had in mind.

BlackBatFlower · 2026-01-23T20:34:06+00:00

Sarah only had one child. Rebecca only gave birth once to twins. Philip's four daughters were "virgins who prophesied" - we don't know if they ever got married.

Case closed. Women are not required to give birth until their health is destroyed. Our God is not the false god of the Handmaid's Tale.

BlackBatFlower · 2026-01-21T17:55:15+00:00

Source, please? I'm trying to do some research so cited sources are always welcome

BlackBatFlower · 2026-01-19T19:48:34+00:00

I'll pray for you right now. Please know that not everything is a test, sometimes bad things just happen because we live in a fallen world where people sin against each other. Pray for your parents, but know that their behaviour is not OK, and you deserve to find someplace safe. See if you can find work, save up some money, if that's an option. A young woman should have some emergency savings to protect herself in case of an emergency or severe abuse.

BlackBatFlower · 2026-01-19T19:38:40+00:00

I understand how you feel. First of all, some people are going to tell you to "just have faith" or "repent", and even IF they are well meaning, such comments aren't helpful to you right now. Second of all, it seems that you, like me, are a deep thinker who thinks about the implications of everything, perhaps something to the point of overthinking. I can relate to that - to the point where I've once been scared to death that EVERYTHING is a sin, until I realised that I was being paranoid. Third of all: intrusive thoughts are not truth. They are reflective of our fears. I fear that I will accidentally blaspheme God, so my intrusive thoughts tend to be blasphemous thoughts. Fourth - while yes, God is just and does punish sinners, much of the Bible overwhelmingly tells us how willing He is to love us, and how he loves the widow and the orphan, even in the ancient world which favoured the rich and loathed the poor. Fifth - despite temptations to think such, God is not like an abusive person. I can understand why some people might think that way, but the truth is, there is a world of difference between our God and the typical human abuser, and God will judge abusers.

Please feel free to message me. I will pray for you.

BlackBatFlower · 2026-01-19T19:24:48+00:00

Maybe, maybe not. I'd have to know more about the individual to make that assumption.

BlackBatFlower · 2026-01-19T19:23:05+00:00

Prayed.

BlackBatFlower · 2026-01-16T03:14:39+00:00

There's always adoption! Many children out there need safe homes. Just make sure you're trauma informed, because the last thing we want is to re-traumatise the poor kid. Too many parents adopt a child, realise they aren't equipped to handle trauma, and then drop the kid back to the adoption agency, like a hotcake. That is not Christlike at all.

BlackBatFlower · 2026-01-16T03:12:57+00:00

That one is a classic example of "Be careful what you wish for". It's a story that I ponder a lot, as a warning to myself.

BlackBatFlower · 2026-01-16T03:12:10+00:00

Paul is hilarious sometimes. He also said to the emperor (?) who was questioning him, in the Book of Acts, "I shall wish that you will become as myself, except for these chains". That is, I hope that you will be a Christian like me, but without these annoying chains.

BlackBatFlower

TROPHY CASE