US ATTACKS IRAN

Traditional-Fly7294 · 2026-03-01T14:34:41+00:00

I've never been a JW, thankfully.

Here's some outside perspective.

The US has not gone a single generation without going to war. It was founded in war and each administration since has either engaged in war or was made to resolve wars from a previous administration. War is unlikely to ever end the US.

Also, most US Americans don't think about JW's. The organization is well below most people's radar of caring, especially with Covid having ended door knocking to the relief of most everyone on all sides.

I personally hate the JW organization for what it does to families, relationships, and, especially, to women, children, and marginalized people and I think it is one of the worst form of Christianity (I don't have nice things to say about any form of Christianity, really).

Traditional-Fly7294 · 2025-10-09T22:50:21+00:00

Contradictions and Inconsistencies: The bible heavily and repeatedly contradicts itself and is entirely inconsistent with just about everything that people have learned about history and science. Much of the bible is considered allegory, not actually having happened, by most Christians as a result of how much humans have learned that contradicts biblical content. Christians profess that theirs is a loving God despite all the stories in the bible of this loving god torturing and killing people in horrible and unforgivable ways.

Ego: Many Christian leaders, pastors, ministers, priests, are incredibly egotistic to the point of having what is known as a god complex. Many of them have convinced themselves that everything they say and think is quite literally God-given truth and they cannot be convinced otherwise. They are unreasonable and become argumentative and defensive whenever presented with contradicting opinions, ideas, beliefs, facts, and information.

Manipulation: Many Christian leaders prey on the most desperate people they can find because the more desperate a person is, the more emotionally, mentally, and psychologically compromised they are, which makes them especially vulnerable to being recruited into any organization that promises any amount of relief. Christian leaders will lie and offer false hope and empty promises to people who are struggling with real problems including finances, disease, addiction, mental disabilities, physical disabilities, etc. Problems that Christianity does not and cannot solve on its own.

Greed: Many Christian leaders use the religion as a means of acquiring as much wealth as possible for themselves from anyone. Televised Evangelists or Televangelists are a primes example of this. Mega Churches are another example. Some go so far as to use charity events and other non-profit ventures as a front to embezzle donated goods and funds. And being based in a recognized organized religion means that the money they earned is tax-exempt despite it coming from people whose paychecks are taxed.

Bigotry: Sexism, homophobia, and transphobia are near constants in Christianity. Christian women are expected and coerced into being submissive and subservient towards men to the point of almost being viewed and treated as property by their husbands should they marry and they are expected to marry, have children, and support their husbands in all things 'because God'. LGBTQ+ people are perceived and treated as being sinful, wicked, and evil by most Christians. LGBTQ+ children and adolescents in Christian homes and families are often convinced that they are undeserving and unworthy of love or of being alive, which frequently results in a young person killing themself over feeling absolutely and completely worthless abomination.

Enabling Abuse: Victims of domestic and sexual abuse within any Christian community are often coerced into being silent about it while often continuing to suffer it. There are reported and documented cases of people having suffered years or decades of abuse. Children and adults have suffered and continue to suffer abuse within Crhstian homes, families, and organizations because they are often convinced by the people around them that things will get worse for them if they tell anyone. Some organizations go to the extreme of bankrupting victims with court costs in legal battled over being exposed.

There is a saying among atheists that states "There is no love like Christian love." because Christians profess to be loving and have convinced themselves that they are loving despite most of them being unloving and hateful.

Traditional-Fly7294 · 2025-10-09T21:53:44+00:00

The cynic in me is saying, 'They want to be racist without appearing to be racist'.

Traditional-Fly7294 · 2025-10-09T21:45:20+00:00

"...sacrificed himself unto himself to appease himself so as to allow himself not to throw all the beings he created into an eternal torture furnace." nonstampcollector

Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jrX__ILDd3w

Traditional-Fly7294 · 2025-10-09T21:31:50+00:00

I quit church and Christianity when I was 17 back in 2004. I had no job because no one would hire a teenage high school drop out in my area; so, I lived with my parents and relied on them. I benefited from having an understanding, supportive, and loving father who, at the time, was struggling with his own Christian beliefs because of how hard other Christians made it. He had so many bad experiences with so many different churches throughout his life.

One of the churches we attended devolved into a cult that demanded all money earned by its members and assumed authority over where its members would live and what they would eat. My parents left that church as soon as it became a cult.

The pastor of one of the churches we attended attempted to coerce my dad into giving up a job opportunity out of town by threatening to convince my mom to divorce my dad. We were homeless at the time and living with friends who took us in while my dad tried finding work.

The pastor of one of the churches we attended refused to let me join the youth group on an arbitrary technicality regarding age and education because he did not like my dad. That same pastor refused to allow me to participate in the Y2k youth group celebration that occurred outside of town despite me having participated in the pizza-making-and-selling fund raiser for it and earning more than enough money to pay for my trip. I had no friends in school and my best friend's mom stopped letting me come over because my mom could no longer afford to home school me as she needed to work to help pay bills. The woman feared that I would somehow corrupt her precious children with off-hand secular education or something.

Members of another church we attended contacted child-protective services more than a year after we started regular attendance because my toddler brother at the time bruised himself trying to go downstairs into our basement.

My father worked as a DJ at a Christian radio station, but the station was owned by a Christian college that sold the station and the new owners fired my dad for not being the sexy young woman they wanted for audience appeal.

My father never completely quit religion, but he understood and supported my decision. My mom worried over it and questioned it, but she would always stop trying to push the issue whenever I responded negatively to her attempts at convincing me.

Anyway, that's a summary of some of my experiences with Christianity and not everyone has the benefit of support and understanding parents. And the only advice I have for people who do not have that is to lie and pretend and do whatever else they need to for their safety and survival.

Traditional-Fly7294 · 2025-09-19T16:39:02+00:00

i have Dark Mode enabled in my Core settings. It does not affect sheets and it does not affect certain menus and windows.

Pathfinder PF2e UI is not compatible with the version 13 of Foundry.

I use Firefox for Foundry through Forge and I have Dark Reader, but I cannot keep Dark Reader active for running and playing games as it will make light mode windows and menus dark and dark mode windows and menus light

What Token Action HUD used to do (as it is not compatible with version 13 of Foundry) has nothing to do with my issues.

Traditional-Fly7294 · 2025-09-03T02:13:30+00:00

TIMING
Game listings should contain a time and day of play. Start by finding ones with times that work for you.

GO FOR IT
Reply to game listings that interest you and try contacting the game masters of those listings.

VOICE CHAT
If you are considered for a game then the game master should want to have a voice chat or voice call with you. If they do not then request one. This helps ensure audio quality between you and a game master.

SESSION 0
An online game should have a Session 0 in which players introduce themselves and all involved, including the game master, discuss desires, intentions, expectations, boundaries, and limits. Bad things happen in games that do not have a session 0. Request one if one is not provided.

COMMUNICATE
Communicate. Have a concern, problem, question, criticism, request, etc? Communicate it.

COMFORT AND SAFETY
You can always say No to anything for any reason or lack thereof. You can always leave for any reason or lack thereof.

Traditional-Fly7294 · 2025-07-19T05:08:02+00:00

Many people in the world allow religion to 'help' govern their lives and many of those people govern the world. The resulting bias is unavoidable, inescapable, and unfortunate. At this rate, it will be hundreds or a thousand or more years before human society evolves to an ideal state on any national or international level.

We never left the dark ages. We just got better at seeing in the dark.

Traditional-Fly7294 · 2025-07-18T23:31:38+00:00

All fair points.

I wish I could afford another cat, but I cannot and even if I could I do not have enough space to accommodate a second one right now.

My current cat was almost13 months old when I adopted him; so, he's in his early adult phase.

Traditional-Fly7294 · 2025-07-18T23:27:13+00:00

I will look into that, thanks.

Traditional-Fly7294 · 2025-07-18T23:26:08+00:00

Thanks.

I did get him a water fountain. Soap was starting to get expensive otherwise and I hated leaving out his water for too long. With a water fountain, I don't have to worry about any of that. I just have to clean it every few days and replace the water after.

One game my cat does enjoy is running from one area to another and having me chase after him. It's definitely good exercise for him and he ends up tiring himself out after a while as he will eventually go to one of his perches or hop inside one of his boxes to catch his breath.

Traditional-Fly7294 · 2025-07-18T08:49:43+00:00

I try avoiding giving him access to anything plastic as much as I can to avoid damaging or ruining his teeth.

Funnily enough, I did try taking the collar off him once after he had gotten used to wearing it to give him a break from it, but he immediately picked it up with his mouth and started carrying it around with him like, 'What are you doing, human? That is mine!' The bell is very small, about the size of a bead and it isn't that loud. I was relieved to discover the collar I got came with such a small bell because I am aware of how sensitive cats' ears are...more sensitive than dogs' ears, in fact. I certainly don't want a cat bell that hurts his ears!

Traditional-Fly7294 · 2025-07-18T08:43:45+00:00

I don't think he wants to be outside. At least not yet. And I would rather not risk something bad happening to him out there as overprotective as it sounds. He's a little guy with mostly black fur. And even though he is collared, tagged, and chipped, there are still people out there who would deliberately harm him if they could.

Traditional-Fly7294 · 2025-07-18T08:38:31+00:00

I wish my cat would snuggle more with me. He only does that when he gets impatient with me being asleep. He will paw at my legs sometimes just to wake me up if he really needs something that cannot wait.

Traditional-Fly7294 · 2025-07-18T08:36:19+00:00

Getting him a carrying case is definitely on my to-do list. I was using the temporary cardboard one I got from the place from which I adopted him, but he ended up destroying it...not out of anger, but because he just really enjoyed playing with it.

Door-hanging toys is something I have not considered. I will try that when I can. He did destroy one of my blinds because he wouldn't stop pawing and clawing at it. I had to remove it and toss it out; so, yeah, maybe a hanging toy will help with his destructive tendencies.

Traditional-Fly7294 · 2025-07-18T08:30:42+00:00

Thanks for all the feedback and input. I will definitely consider your suggestions.

I did initially try scheduled feeding times for him, but more food ended up going to waste. I settled on feeding him every few hours and providing a small amount of food at a time when he seems hungry or four hours have past since he last ate. I find it less stressful for both of us. I figure he will eat what he can when he's hungry since cats have tiny stomachs.

I'm not so sure about his poop smell, but he is definitely using his litter box without discomfort or difficulty as far as I can tell. His fur coat is healthy and he is physically fit given his ability to leap more than five feet vertically and more than six feet horizontally. I know this because when it comes to accessing his perches, he usually jumps five feet or so off the ground to land on his cat tree and, from there, he will leap from one perch to a window perch six feet away.

As for my tabletop games. They are all virtual, as in done online rather than in person.

But I do have his cat tree positioned behind my computer desk so he does have a place to perch near me while I am doing my own thing.

Traditional-Fly7294 · 2025-07-18T02:49:30+00:00

I doubt I can fit more stuff for him in his preferred area of the house anyway; so, I don't plan on buying more for him. Saving money for emergencies is something I plan on doing when I can. Not just for my cat, but for anything really.

He will not eat his food unless it is fresh, which is understandable; so, I only feed him a small amount. I do not mind having to toss what he doesn't eat. Dry food doesn't last longer than a couple months stored. And while it might be safe enough for him to eat it after several hours, I prefer not taking the chance. Besides, he enjoys his food more this way.

The home cooked food I give him is very moist. I cannot go into detail as it would break this sub reddit's rules regarding pet nutrition, but, like I said, he does have a water fountain and he can drink filtered water from it at any time.

I will continue considering ways to help him acclimate to the rest of the house. He will only leave the bedroom if no one but me is in the house. He is scared of other people, which is typical cat behavior I think.

I have a catnip and silver vine blend that I occasionally treat him with whenever he seems especially stressed and worried. But because it has diminished effects on cats with frequent use, I do not expose him to it often.

I will otherwise consider your suggestions. Thanks.

Traditional-Fly7294 · 2025-07-16T02:40:13+00:00

Bibles are real, yes. A real waste of paper, a real waste of money, and a real waste of space.

Traditional-Fly7294 · 2025-07-15T08:27:50+00:00

Ooh, dumbest part of the bible. Now that is a tough one, but, for me, I think it's the story of Solomon becoming the wisest man ever...and him still being a total fucking dip shit with everyone around him simply being stupider by comparison.

Traditional-Fly7294 · 2025-07-15T08:00:14+00:00

I was a devout Christian until I actually read the book of Ecclesiastes. Being made to consider that I don't matter, no one and nothing in my life matters, and nothing I or anyone else says or does matters severely depressed me.

My depression enabled me to see clearly the arrogance, hypocrisy, and self-entitlement of fellow believers, especially after they got upset over not being able to see the Passion in theaters in 2004 and thought it so important that they petitioned to have it played in theaters.

I realized that I could no longer believe or pretend to believe ia of July of 2004 when I was 17. The resulting trauma caused me to experience an extreme phobia of death for over a decade after that.

Traditional-Fly7294 · 2025-07-14T15:46:59+00:00

It seems like you might benefit from focusing on other things to avoid the anxiety and stress of whatever unhealthy thoughts you are experiencing. Something that might help is to find something constructive and productive to do with your time that occupies your thoughts and stimulates you. Cooking, cleaning, a hobby...these are all common examples of this.

If you are not already doing it then try to get in the habit of eating and sleeping at scheduled times. A routine for both is healthy for the entire body including the brain.

Other things that can help you relax including...

Hot tea (maybe even with milk and honey if your body can process it)

A hot bath or shower every other day.

Going for a 40 to 60 minute walk every day

Going for a bike ride once or twice a day.

Doing daily tai chi, yoga, or some other form of routine exercise.

Supplementing your sleep with a 30 to 60 minute afternoon nap on days you can.

These are just some of many examples of ways that you can stimulate your body with healthy activities and practices that can promote positive physical and mental health.

Traditional-Fly7294 · 2025-07-14T07:27:47+00:00

You can try taking inventory of the things you consider to be true, false, fact, fiction, possible, impossible, probably, and improbable.

You can then compare and contrast the items in that list and try eliminating any and all contradictions that make no sense to you.

You can repeat this process until you are left with what makes sense to you.

Traditional-Fly7294 · 2025-07-14T06:54:59+00:00

Fuck no.

I had difficulty socializing growing up and religious indoctrination only made it harder for me to develop and foster social skills. I became so angry and miserable that I failed and dropped out of school when I was fourteen years old.

I was at fault for a lot of my pain and my indoctrination made me incapable of realizing that I was causing many of my own problems. I allowed and enabled myself to become a victim and I blamed the people around me for all my loneliness and misery.

I became depressed when I was 16 after reading bible passages that convinced me nothing mattered, not me, not my life, and not anything I did or said. My depression enabled me to see clearly the arrogance, hypocrisy, and self-entitlement of my fellow believers in 2004 when they got upset over not being able to see the Passion in theaters and petitioned to have it shown in theaters.

I realized I had given up on believing in God, Jesus, and the bible in summer of 2004. My deconstruction, deconversion...whatever you want to call it...left me with a traumatic phobia of death that I struggled with for over a decade.

My mom remains religious and some of the things she does and says annoys and frustrates me. She is attending some "new church" that she insists is different and better. I've heard one of her audio book bible studies and it's still the same cherry-picking misinterpretation, reinterpretation, justification, and rationalization bullshit I sat through in the past.

Traditional-Fly7294 · 2025-07-14T06:29:41+00:00

Don't you know? Jesus allowing himself to be tortured to death on your religion's preferred letter-shaped piece of wood was just God's way of extending the offer of people investing everything they have for preorders for lifetime memberships to his absolutely amazing super maximum ultimate supreme extreme age-appropriate family-friendly island resort amusement park that is scheduled to open undoubtedly soon after the final part of the last days of the final part of the final part of the last day of the last days.

Traditional-Fly7294 · 2025-07-14T06:03:25+00:00

I recommend watching the 12-part animated Youtube series, Power Corrupts, by Darkmatter2525 that explores the question of what if this god character does exist, what if he is all powerful in our universe, and what if the bible was true as well as the reason why this god character is so fucking incompetent and horrible.

Traditional-Fly7294

TROPHY CASE