scarletspider-lily

[scarletspider-lily]

on the topic of christianity, I don't understand why someone would WANT god to be real. I understand the comfort that would bring, but that would mean hell is real too. Why would you want an option for people to go to hell? How does the idea of innocent people suffering for an eternity not bring you to your knees in sadness? You're telling me that not only that a person could go to hell no matter how good they were because they didn't "know god", but you, as a "loving" christian, are telling me that they SHOULD?? How selfish is it to want god to be real, knowing that it means that many people on this earth will be condemned to an eternity of suffering??

What loving god would even allow any of his children to go to hell? If you saw your child (or any child really) was about to walk into a busy road, you would rush to pull them back. Sure that would be violating their free will to walk into the road, but is that not better than death? You wouldn't scream for them to stop at the sidelines, you would (hopefully) run to stop them. And yet all god does (if he's real) is sit on the sidelines and let us all burn. fuck that.

[scarletspider-lily]

[scarletspider-lily]

Probably the thing I think highlighted most in the UnitedHealthcare assassination is how everyone is considered expendable by these companies - even their ceos.

The rest of the board reportedly stepped through the active crime scene to get to a meeting and replaced him the day after.

These oligarchs are crying "this unique man had a family, why don't you care?" When they treat him as easily replaceable themselves.

It's just about them.

Each individual wants people to care about just them. But these CEOs and their constituents, their boards of trustees, these millionaires and billionaires, they don't care about each other. Just their money.

No one cares, not even the people claiming to be "on his side."

A man was killed, yes. Even though he gained his wealth by hurting people, he should have had a chance to make it right. (Even though he wouldn't)

Are these other billionaires going to have a realization that they could help people and get goodwill, to prevent this from happening to them? No. For them it's all about "how dare these peasants" and "it could have been me, and that would have been a tragedy! I'm irreplaceable! People would get sad if I died!"

Should they have a chance to do better, and not get replaced by another dime-a-dozen oligarch via bullet?

...I'd have to say yes.

But whether or not they get that chance- and use it wisely- is up to them.

[scarletspider-lily]

something interesting is happening

[scarletspider-lily]

[scarletspider-lily]

'People are panicking about AI tools the same way they did when the calculator was invented, stop worrying' cannot stress enough the calculator did not forcibly pervade every aspect of our lives, has such a low error rate it's a statistical anomaly when it does happen, isn't built on mass plagiarism, and does not obliterate the fucking environment when you use it. Be so fucking serious right now

[scarletspider-lily]

in real life you will probably not respond to harassment in a sexy, clever, scripted way where you come out with the upper hand and everyone claps. you will freeze up and your moment will pass, or your voice will shake when you tell them to stop and you’ll realize two minutes later that you’re gross and sweaty and sticky from the adrenaline. maybe you’ll be on the ball and answer in a way you actually think is pretty smart and get ignored, or they’ll get more aggressive when you mouth off to them. you almost never will walk away feeling victorious. you walk away feeling uncomfortable and relieved that it’s over. you’ll think about it later and imagine that maybe you could have said something else. maybe you’ll feel ashamed that you weren’t quicker-witted, weren’t able to cut them down to size, weren’t able to avoid that lingering sick feeling in the pit of your stomach, as though there’s some kind of magical words you could have said that would have left you feeling less powerless. there really aren’t. 

[scarletspider-lily]

Even though science is not and should never be seen or treated as a religion, the thing that makes it better than religion is the ability to say "I don't know" or "I was wrong."

But with most religions being built on beliefs, they've backed themselves into a corner because admitting to not knowing or being wrong can cause a domino effect with you questioning more and more things.

In Christianity, for example, God is believed to be omnipotent, omniscient and omnipresent. So it goes without saying that they'll claim that God can and will give you exactly what you want or need just as long as you believe in him.

And then that doesn't happen. You bring that up to a Christian and they will very likely start coming up with excuses like you not trying hard enough, the time not being right or whatever you asked for not being part of God's plan.

If they outright admit that God isn't always around and will give you what you prayed for, you'll start asking questions. Like, "Why are we praising Him for always being there when that isn't the case?" or "Why is He refusing to give me this thing when it's what aligns with what He wants for all or us?" And especially "What's the point of this?" Which can apply to many things but often pops up in relation to the senseless death of a loved one or an innocent person in general.

Of course, you are told to go to the Bible for answers, possibly on your own this time, and you start to notice a lot of problems.

Like how God seems to have a thing for killing children even when their sins can be easily forgiven or if he's using them as punishment (ie. The group of boys who got mauled by a bear for making fun of an old man or the death of David's newborn child because he killed a man just to steal his wife).

Or how He unfairly punishes innocent people (ie. The pharaoh, who was not told that Sarah was a married woman, got punished for trying to woo who he assumed was an unmarried woman or the families of the men who framed Daniel. They got fed to lions as well despite playing no part in it.)

Or just the amount of things that don't make any logical sense (ie. There is a point in the Bible where God freezes the sun in place so a guy can keep fighting a war. But we know now that the sun doesn't actually move from its spot. The other planets revolve around it. And wouldn't an all-knowing God give his followers that kind of wisdom so a person with even an inkling of knowledge about the solar system won't be able to disprove it?)

With the Bible being a common reason why a lot of people tend to leave Christianity, the building blocks for your deconstruction journey have probably been built.

[scarletspider-lily]

like at the end of the day the reason why i find people condemning people's glee at the ceo shooting laughable is like. why are you expecting the american public to have any sympathy for someone who was responsible for major heartlessness and apathy to people's literal survival. do you not see how silly you sound. like if you think murder is always bad thats cool thats u. but stop being so shocked about the reactions my guy

[scarletspider-lily]

so you should hate the revolutionary war, huh? (on morals and the recent CEO murder)

The United Healthcare CEO murder has really got me thinking this week about morality and all that, especially after hearing opinions from friends.

and i'm going to sound insane, but the moral standards people have really show how evangelical america is, even though most of the people i've talked to aren't evangelical. the way things are defined solely in one way, sensationalized, and taken to face value. there are quite a few people saying that glorifying a murder is disgusting, murder is murder, and sentiments of the sort. what they aren't seeing are the murders of thousands of average civilians because of denied claims. but what does it take? for americans, sympathy involves seeing people shot on the news. sympathy involves lining 'em up by the thousands and executing them by firing squad, preferably in a middle eastern country. sympathy involves seeing thousands of crying family members who look beautiful and innocent, a fragile spouse in a heterosexual, god-pleasing marriage to be protected through her tears.

without actually seeing how any deaths happened, there's really no sympathy. instead, we get defiance for people cheering a supposedly heinous crime. of course, this doesn't surprise me- even self defense murders are frowned upon by some.

i wonder how these people feel when they read history books and see generals tearing down the british army for independence and financial sovereignity. for how white colonists defended their families from supposed native violence (because vice versa is too controversial). any glorified violence, after americas bloody imperalist colonial history, is suddenly ignored for- "but- but he literally shot someone! that's messed up!" and some i've talked to have tried to lie and say they dont condone those murders, either. dont condone americas history- yet, they turn around and defend the country's creation and values, upholding patriotism and continuing to think about issues from a strict legal perspective. you don't have unique moral standards. you just like the law and the status quo.

if those two things turn against you, i hope you receive help for whatever situation you find yourself in, as you aren't willing to fight back.

[scarletspider-lily]

"Don't you miss being a child" no

"What's so great about being an adult" well for one it is illegal to hit me and I kinda like that

[scarletspider-lily]

[scarletspider-lily]

I rambled about this in tags on another post but I can’t emphasize enough how only focusing on large-scale issues WILL lead to hopelessness & burnout. Activism must include small-scale, achievable works. If you don’t have something you can get your hands around and look at directly, despair will eat you alive.

[scarletspider-lily]

fuck y'all!!!!!

[scarletspider-lily]

i think a lot of liberals need to confront the fact that they don’t actually believe everyone should have basic human rights. a homeless person could call me every slur under the sun and i would still want them to have housing, food, etc. the belief that everyone is entitled to basic human rights should not hinge on whether you “like” someone or not. at that point the entire ideology crumbles.

[scarletspider-lily]

x

[scarletspider-lily]

Please, spread this for those who might need it right now

U.S. suicide hotline: call or text 988 (available 24 hours)

U.S. trans lifeline: (877) 565-8860 (when you call, you’ll speak to a trans/nonbinary peer operator. full anonymity and confidentiality)

Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) National Helpline: 1-800-662-HELP (4357) – provides 24/7 confidential support and referrals for individuals and families facing mental health and substance use disorders, including panic attacks and anxiety.

LGBT National Help Center: (888) 843-4564

Trevor Project: Call (866) 488-7386, text START to 678-678, or chat online.

Take care of yourself and each other. Please stay safe ♡