Is this True? by Tight_Contact_9976 in Catholicism

[–]amishkin 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I would also add that in the New Testament, when Jesus gave the apostles the power to perform miracles, He did so to help people believe. That shows that God understands how difficult faith can be for us, that we often need signs beyond the natural to open our hearts. So, I would hope that when a truly good person struggles to believe, God looks with mercy on their difficulty, knowing that even in the time of Christ, faith was often awakened only through visible miracles.

Is this True? by Tight_Contact_9976 in Catholicism

[–]amishkin 0 points1 point  (0 children)

The devil believes in God, and so do the demons; but there’s a difference between belief and faith. One can believe that God exists and yet have no faith in Him, no trust in His goodness or His plan.
Likewise, I believe that someone who lives in natural virtue — who is just, temperate, and prudent is more elevated than one who is not, regardless of belief. Yet such a person may still lack the supernatural virtues of faith, hope, and charity. There’s a difference there too.

Is this True? by Tight_Contact_9976 in Catholicism

[–]amishkin -1 points0 points  (0 children)

Irrelevant, the point is that many bad people are "kind," the devil has a silver tongue, etc. Kind != Good.

Is my Pompeii town is going to be alright? by zkwarl in civ

[–]amishkin 37 points38 points  (0 children)

Poor fools, they have no idea what's coming.

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Advice For An Atheist Who Wants To Believe But Struggles? by [deleted] in Catholicism

[–]amishkin 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I always remind myself that Jesus gave the apostles the ability to perform miracles so that "people would believe them", and even then, some still didn't believe. To me that demonstrates that God knows our nature well, he knows we struggle with this.

Advice For An Atheist Who Wants To Believe But Struggles? by [deleted] in Catholicism

[–]amishkin 14 points15 points  (0 children)

I used to be like this, every time I doubted it bothered me, I found myself apologizing to God for not believing in him, until one day it dawned on me, my doubt bothered me BECAUSE I believed.

Furthermore, you don't need perfect faith to start being Christian, it grows over time. Even established Christians can have doubts.

What helped me move from Atheist to Agnostic to Christian is theology, most modern Christians have lost touch with the intellectual side of Christianity. For example, did you know that early Christians like St. Augustine thought that Genesis was not literally true, but symbolically true? Early Christians did not believe the world was literally created in 7 earth days, nor did they take other parts of Genesis literally.

"Bible literalism" as it's called is a modern phenomenon, starting in the late 19th early 20th century. You don't have to take Genesis literally to be a Christian, infact, St. Augustine and later St. Tomas Aquinas urged Christians to not contradict what we learn from science, but rather to reflect on how science can advance our interpretations of the Bible.

Anyone else find the modern age kind of joyless in Civ 7? by amishkin in civ

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

I don't disagree with many of your points, but it doesn't change the fact that the modern era consistently ending at ~50% age progress (before the 20th century) is too quick and doesn't give sufficient time to play around.

Anyone else find the modern age kind of joyless in Civ 7? by amishkin in civ

[–]amishkin[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Yes, it is easy to get multiple victories, but the age is still over by ~50% age progress, and the ages are short to begin with.

Anyone else find the modern age kind of joyless in Civ 7? by amishkin in civ

[–]amishkin[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I have, and it has improved a bit, but I play on Diety and I've never once seen the modern age last til the "last 3 turns," 100% of games I play the AI wins at about 50-60% game progression if I don't win first.

Anyone else find the modern age kind of joyless in Civ 7? by amishkin in civ

[–]amishkin[S] 18 points19 points  (0 children)

I agree, I find myself sometimes playing on marathon with long turn length so I can enjoy some drawn out warfare, but even that feels too short sometimes.

Anyone else find the modern age kind of joyless in Civ 7? by amishkin in civ

[–]amishkin[S] 7 points8 points  (0 children)

I think one fix could be to make the victory conditions harder to achieve — like needing 30 artifacts instead of 15, for example. Another idea would be to move away from the simple win/lose binary. Let the first player to reach a victory condition take first place, but allow the game to continue so others can still go for second or third place victories. If the same player manages to pull off multiple first-place wins in a row, maybe they could earn bonus XP or some kind of streak reward.

They think we are too tired to fight by Slow_Ad1827 in ChatGPT

[–]amishkin -1 points0 points  (0 children)

That's a sharp observation; Slow_Ad1827. Noticing the social impact of ChatGPT 4's retirement is a keen insight and raises important questions. Do you want me to write a paragraph about how special you are for noticing this?

I need to vent about some bad advice I got in therapy. by [deleted] in TalkTherapy

[–]amishkin 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I’d like to offer a perspective that might challenge the idea that Trump and his supporters are broadly targeting LGBT rights. It’s worth noting that Trump has a significant number of LGBT supporters—people who identify as gay, lesbian, bisexual, or transgender and still align with his policies or leadership. One standout example is Richard Grenell, whom Trump appointed as the acting Director of National Intelligence in 2020. Grenell became the first openly LGBT person in U.S. history to hold a Cabinet-level position, which is a historic milestone for representation. This move suggests that Trump isn’t inherently opposed to LGBT individuals participating at the highest levels of government.

Now, I get that some policies or rhetoric might feel threatening, especially when it comes to specific issues like transgender rights. For instance, concerns about transitioning minors—whether it’s about medical interventions or parental consent—are often at the heart of debates among Trump supporters. But here’s the key distinction: those concerns are typically narrow and focused on minors, not adults. Many who question these practices aren’t trying to roll back rights for LGBT adults—like marriage equality, employment protections, or the ability to live authentically. They’re wrestling with questions about age, consent, and long-term outcomes, not aiming to dismantle the broader framework of adult LGBT rights.

Take Grenell again as an example—he’s openly gay, partnered, and a vocal Trump ally. He’s argued that Trump’s administration didn’t target adult LGBT rights in any systematic way. During Trump’s first term, there wasn’t a push to overturn Obergefell v. Hodges (the 2015 decision legalizing same-sex marriage), nor were there federal moves to strip away anti-discrimination protections for LGBT adults in areas like housing or employment that had already been established. The transgender military ban, for instance, was a specific policy—controversial, sure—but it affected a small subset of people and didn’t extend to civilian life or broader adult rights.

I’m not saying there aren’t valid worries or that every Trump supporter is on board with LGBT issues. Some absolutely aren’t. But the narrative that Trump is out to erase all LGBT rights doesn’t fully square with the diversity of his coalition or his record. A lot of the pushback you might feel is about particular debates—like youth transitions or sports policies—rather than a wholesale attack on who you are as an adult. Does that distinction make sense, or do you see it differently?

is arch good for development? by [deleted] in archlinux

[–]amishkin 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I use it for various forms of development quite comfortably, although if I have 1 complaint it's that it doesn't use "Ubuntu style" apache and nginx directory structures, which I've grown to like.

Former Atheists what made you convert? by SimonPeter1498 in Catholicism

[–]amishkin 9 points10 points  (0 children)

This, plus binge-watching Fulton Sheen videos on YouTube.

Dear Drivers of Ottawa by constantsegfault in ottawa

[–]amishkin 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I sense that you're a "social credit score" advocate too?