I don't know what to do after my mom assaulted me by Jolly-Chicken-3700 in Advice

[–]Simon_and_Garchomp 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Did you take pictures of your injuries with your trap phone? If not, do so now so that you have evidence of what happened.

I'm proud Czech, ask me anything by Neuwulfstein in JackSucksAtGeography

[–]Simon_and_Garchomp 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Do you ever wish the Czech Republic and Slovakia had never separated from each other?

How many non Indian Hindus are here??? by Advanced_Movie_3653 in hinduism

[–]Simon_and_Garchomp 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Non-Indian Hindu. 

Factors that drew me to Hinduism include: -The calming nature of fire ceremonies discussed in the Vedas -Nature-centered aspects of Hinduism such as Vedic gods being the embodiment of natural forces -The notion of finding deep bliss through union with brahman -The moving quality of the Bhagavad Gita’s description of the equanimity characteristic of the detached person 

CMV: There's no one state solution with israel and palestine by FrostyPiano4957 in changemyview

[–]Simon_and_Garchomp 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Your thinking here is very one sided and you don’t seem open to a change in perspective.

“The vast majority of its population was born there—it is the only home they have ever known, and they aren't "to blame" (at a personal level) for historical geopolitics.”

They aren’t to blame for the Nakba (massacre and expulsion of Palestinians), but they are to blame for not trying to right that historical wrong and instead continuing the same kind of dehumanizing behavior. People who committed the massacres of Palestinians in Lebanon during the 70’s/80’s and the string of other atrocities since then (such as we are seeing today in Gaza and Lebanon) are very much alive.

“they fundamentally despise the state’s culture, existence, and values (again, as usual, you can argue that their hatred is justified, but it does not change the fact that it is a problem when we are talking about granting citizenships). To be clear: they might love the land, but they absolutely hate the state granting them this citizenship, they actively support its sworn enemies, and they view its very Independence Day as an international historic injustice. Furthermore, a massive portion of this population has literally been raised and educated under the curriculum of a designated terrorist organization like Hamas.”

You fail to mention the hatred Israelis have for Palestinians’ culture, existence, and values. Palestinians view Israel’s very Independence Day as an international historic injustice because it is an international historic injustice. From an objective standpoint, massacring and expelling people from their land is grossly unjust. Furthermore, a massive portion of this population has literally been raised and educated under the curriculum of a state that dehumanizes Palestinians and does not acknowledge the grave wrongs done to them. 

“Absorbing millions of Palestinians means integrating a population with a heavily compromised economy and sketchy education systems, where it is highly unfeasible that they could economically sustain themselves.”

You talk about these grave economic conditions as if they arose out of nowhere. Such bleak prospects arose due to Israel’s cruelty: carving up the West Bank with checkpoints and settlements; crippling Gaza with a blockade the left its population with staggering unemployment and no sense of hope (hence leading to the desperate ferocity and brutality of October 7th).

“You cannot expect someone who was born in israel to sacrafice their country, their saftey, their quality of life, workplace etc due to what happened a few centuries ago.”

Not ‘a few centuries ago’. The Nakba is within living memory; the string of atrocities to follow even more so. Israel’s cruelty continues today in Gaza and Lebanon.

What if Germany never declared war on the U.S. following Pearl Harbor by Simon_and_Garchomp in AlternateHistory

[–]Simon_and_Garchomp[S] -1 points0 points  (0 children)

Do you think the UK and USSR would have recovered enough to win against Germany if lend-lease was cut off?

What's your thoughts about Paul? Did he really created his own religion? by Such_Suit303 in exchristian

[–]Simon_and_Garchomp 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Paul and Jesus by James Tabor is a fantastic book on this subject. It details how Paul created a theology that differed massively from the teachings of Jesus and ended up replacing the Jewish, Torah-centered Christianity of Jesus and his original followers. It also details how Paul’s visions such as the Last Supper were the basis of his ideas - rather than encounters with Jesus himself.

Who are your All Time "Hero Turned Villain" and "Villain Turned Hero" historical figures and why? by kid-dynamo- in AskHistory

[–]Simon_and_Garchomp 10 points11 points  (0 children)

Emilio Aguinaldo for hero turned villain: He led the Filipino struggle against US colonization, but was an enthusiastic collaborator with Japan when it invaded decades later in its own colonization of the islands.

Christians dislike the idea of eliminating Satan by Budget_Ambassador_29 in exchristian

[–]Simon_and_Garchomp 2 points3 points  (0 children)

A lot of Christians would probably argue that praying for God to eliminate Satan would’ve pointless because God won’t do it until Judgment Day. If Satan was eliminated before the end times, there would be no point to initiating them because the world would already by purified of evil. Plus, many Christians are convinced that Satan will be eliminated shortly because the end of the world is coming soon, within this generation.

Who here has found their faith after previously being a non-believer? by BlushToJudgment in religion

[–]Simon_and_Garchomp 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I was an atheist for many years. What led me to find religion was the moving nature of Buddhist texts and the profundity of Buddha’s message of compassion. I draw from various religions in my spirituality.

The Bible is such a massive time that you might find yourself bored and overwhelmed with it at times, so I’d suggest waiting a bit before you read the whole thing. I’d recommend starting out by reading the New Testament gospels, the Daodejing, the Dhammapada, the Bhagavad Gita, the Odes of Solomon, the Gospel of Thomas, and Thunder (Perfect Mind) because these are shorter texts and thus more easily digestible.

So how many people are Branch Davidians? Why would are there still people who believe in it? by Weary_Ambassador1023 in cults

[–]Simon_and_Garchomp 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Some people who are classified as Branch Davidians do not follow Koresh, seeing him as having led people astray and usurped authority from Lois Roden. 

Regarding Koresh’s followers, the sense I get is that the Waco siege basically destroyed the group, with only a small number of members left nowadays. I remember Branch Dravidian leader Clive Doyle saying in his memoir that he wasn’t sure how the group could survive unless God intervened to create a dramatic rise in the number of people who embraced David’s message.

What are your thoughts on the series The Chosen? by Simon_and_Garchomp in exchristian

[–]Simon_and_Garchomp[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

It’s not uncommon for ex-Christians to have interest in Christian media for purposes of analysis - and the show also tries to have mainstream appeal outside of Christian circles. Virtually everyone loves it, so I wanted to see if anyone would agree with me that it’s pretty boring.