The Off-Topic and Random Thoughts Thread(Anything Goes!)

Today I got another test of my faith. I was reading Ali Sina's opinion titled "Evolution of Monotheism." In short, these are his points:
    • The Bible assures that YHWH is the God of the Hebrews (Exodus 7:16) and warns them not to worship other gods. In fact, many verses in the Bible acknowledge the existence of other gods. Judaism and even Christianity were not originally monotheistic religions. There is a passage in the New Testament that shows that even Christ believed that YHWH is only the God of the Jews and that His mission was restricted to the children of Israel.
    • The whole religion was invented by the priesthood to exploit the gullible and ensure their dominance and hegemony over the credulous believers. You can find plenty of verses in the Bible where the author ensures that the priests are well-fed and well-paid. There was nothing an individual could do without giving the clergy their lion’s share. When a believer had to slaughter an animal for household consumption, it could not be done anywhere else but in the "tent of the Presence of the Lord." The believer had to bring it to the altar and sacrifice it there, and the priest would keep the best part of it. "Then, when the shoulder of the ram is boiled, the priest shall take it and put it, together with one thick loaf of bread and one biscuit from the basket, into the hands of the Nazirite. Next, the priest shall present them as a special gift to the Lord; they are a sacred offering for the priest, in addition to the breast and the leg of the ram which by law belongs to the priest." (Num. 6:19-20; Num. 7:5)
    • The father of monotheism is Paul. This man was a true believer with unshakable faith that Jesus was the Son of God, perhaps because he never laid eyes on Him and did not know Him personally to be aware of His weaknesses. He became determined to preach the message of Christ, which was rejected in His own homeland, to the rest of humanity. But this was a tough sell. Other nations had their own gods and would not listen to the preaching of a foreign cult. Many had customs different from those of the Jews and those that Jesus practiced. What Paul did is what any good salesman would do: he changed his product to make it more attractive to his western clients. Paul was clever enough to realize that to convert the Gentiles to Christianity, he had to reinvent a new Christianity palatable to their tastes and likings. He soon dropped the requisite of circumcision, belittled the importance of the Sabbath, undermined Jesus’ preference for the Jews, and even claimed that he was preaching the messages of a pagan "unknown god."
    • Thus, monotheism owes its popularity to the clever and more universalistic views of the disciples of Jesus, not to His own teachings. The spread of Christianity in the West forced early believers to adapt Jesus' teachings to make them more appealing to new converts. In this way, a local and obscure cult of a few Jews became the religion of choice for Romans, who eventually made it the religion of the entire continent.
    [*]
This writing gave me a long pause. What if TrainedLogosmotion, jaguarcat, and Bart Ehrman were right? What if, instead of becoming a Christian, I should just find my own way like Simeon_Strangelight does?

However, an hour later I found another of Ali Sina's writings titled "A Defining Moment in History: Will Trump Seize the Opportunity or Repeat Obama's Mistake?"

His text discusses the global implications of Russia's invasion of Ukraine. It highlights the suffering inflicted on the Ukrainian people and the destabilization of Europe. Ukraine's resistance, supported by Western allies, has revealed weaknesses in Putin's regime, with Russia's economy struggling under sanctions and internal dissent growing. The potential collapse of Putin's regime is seen as a significant opportunity to weaken autocracy worldwide. This could lead to more democratic freedom in regions currently under authoritarian rule, such as Africa, Asia, and the Middle East. Additionally, it would signal to other autocratic leaders, like those in China and Iran, that their era of unchecked expansionism might be ending.

Yeah, Ali Sina wanted "authoritarian" Russia, Iran, and China to lose because they are oppressive and undemocratic.

As expected, my faith in Christ was fully restored, and Ali Sina's credibility took a big hit for me.
 
Seng Hock said:
Today I got another test of my faith. I was reading Ali Sina's opinion titled "Evolution of Monotheism." In short, these are his points:
    • The Bible assures that YHWH is the God of the Hebrews (Exodus 7:16) and warns them not to worship other gods. In fact, many verses in the Bible acknowledge the existence of other gods. Judaism and even Christianity were not originally monotheistic religions. There is a passage in the New Testament that shows that even Christ believed that YHWH is only the God of the Jews and that His mission was restricted to the children of Israel.
    • The whole religion was invented by the priesthood to exploit the gullible and ensure their dominance and hegemony over the credulous believers. You can find plenty of verses in the Bible where the author ensures that the priests are well-fed and well-paid. There was nothing an individual could do without giving the clergy their lion’s share. When a believer had to slaughter an animal for household consumption, it could not be done anywhere else but in the "tent of the Presence of the Lord." The believer had to bring it to the altar and sacrifice it there, and the priest would keep the best part of it. "Then, when the shoulder of the ram is boiled, the priest shall take it and put it, together with one thick loaf of bread and one biscuit from the basket, into the hands of the Nazirite. Next, the priest shall present them as a special gift to the Lord; they are a sacred offering for the priest, in addition to the breast and the leg of the ram which by law belongs to the priest." (Num. 6:19-20; Num. 7:5)
    • The father of monotheism is Paul. This man was a true believer with unshakable faith that Jesus was the Son of God, perhaps because he never laid eyes on Him and did not know Him personally to be aware of His weaknesses. He became determined to preach the message of Christ, which was rejected in His own homeland, to the rest of humanity. But this was a tough sell. Other nations had their own gods and would not listen to the preaching of a foreign cult. Many had customs different from those of the Jews and those that Jesus practiced. What Paul did is what any good salesman would do: he changed his product to make it more attractive to his western clients. Paul was clever enough to realize that to convert the Gentiles to Christianity, he had to reinvent a new Christianity palatable to their tastes and likings. He soon dropped the requisite of circumcision, belittled the importance of the Sabbath, undermined Jesus’ preference for the Jews, and even claimed that he was preaching the messages of a pagan "unknown god."
    • Thus, monotheism owes its popularity to the clever and more universalistic views of the disciples of Jesus, not to His own teachings. The spread of Christianity in the West forced early believers to adapt Jesus' teachings to make them more appealing to new converts. In this way, a local and obscure cult of a few Jews became the religion of choice for Romans, who eventually made it the religion of the entire continent.
    [*]
This writing gave me a long pause. What if TrainedLogosmotion, jaguarcat, and Bart Ehrman were right? What if, instead of becoming a Christian, I should just find my own way like Simeon_Strangelight does?

However, an hour later I found another of Ali Sina's writings titled "A Defining Moment in History: Will Trump Seize the Opportunity or Repeat Obama's Mistake?"

His text discusses the global implications of Russia's invasion of Ukraine. It highlights the suffering inflicted on the Ukrainian people and the destabilization of Europe. Ukraine's resistance, supported by Western allies, has revealed weaknesses in Putin's regime, with Russia's economy struggling under sanctions and internal dissent growing. The potential collapse of Putin's regime is seen as a significant opportunity to weaken autocracy worldwide. This could lead to more democratic freedom in regions currently under authoritarian rule, such as Africa, Asia, and the Middle East. Additionally, it would signal to other autocratic leaders, like those in China and Iran, that their era of unchecked expansionism might be ending.

Yeah, Ali Sina wanted "authoritarian" Russia, Iran, and China to lose because they are oppressive and undemocratic.

As expected, my faith in Christ was fully restored, and Ali Sina's credibility took a big hit for me.
Click to expand...

The elevated priest class argument is not without merit. There were many abuses in the history of the church and even terrible popes. Example, there was the issue of indulgences where a person could pay a priest to reduce their time in purgatory or lessen the offenses of sin.

This ‘elevated priest class’ wasn’t only in Christianity however. In Hinduism and Buddhism it was worse. The Buddhists in Tibet lived in a feudal society where there was a priest class and the rest of the Tibetans lived in squalor and poverty.

In Hinduism, there is the caste system where being a Brahmin high priest gives them the supposed right to abuse others, all in the name of previous karma.

These are serious things that cast a shadow on organized religion. Even today, I have met some RC priests, bishops, and abotts that want to Lord over others with power. They don’t represent Jesus’ word or any such thing. There are many problems.

To my knowledge in the Orthodox faith, the clergy instead see themselves at the bottom of the hierarchy, and are mainly there to serve. I got a good feeling while I was a catechumen, but didn’t fit into the community.
 
The bathroom in my office has a can of air freshener, so you can spray it if you stink the place up. It has a fan, but of course that can't clear the air instantly. I usually give a quick 1/4 second spray if it's needed. Just enough to cover other odors in the room until the fan can clear it out.

Unfortunately some people in my office apparently stand there and spray it for several seconds, enough that the smell comes out of the bathroom and permeates the whole office area to the point where I taste the chemicals from the air fresher on my tongue.

Unfortunately, I don't feel that I can go tell them to knock it off and use just a little bit. They probably like it to saturate the whole office.
 
Thomas More said:
The bathroom in my office has a can of air freshener, so you can spray it if you stink the place up. It has a fan, but of course that can't clear the air instantly. I usually give a quick 1/4 second spray if it's needed. Just enough to cover other odors in the room until the fan can clear it out.

Unfortunately some people in my office apparently stand there and spray it for several seconds, enough that the smell comes out of the bathroom and permeates the whole office area to the point where I taste the chemicals from the air fresher on my tongue.

Unfortunately, I don't feel that I can go tell them to knock it off and use just a little bit. They probably like it to saturate the whole office.
Click to expand...

Put a sticky note on it that says "very strong use conservatively", they will see it as just a friendly thing.
 
Samseau said:
Huge pack of lies, right from the start about Judaism being polytheistic. Is this guy a Talmud?
Click to expand...
No, Ali Sina was not a Talmud, although he described himself as a Zionist on his Gab profile due to his support for Israel over Palestine. He was originally born a Muslim in Iran, then left Islam and became an atheist. Eventually, he accepted Christ in his own way. His words hold great authority for me because, through him, I came to know that Jesus Christ is real and is the true Son of God. Additionally, he is one of the original anti-Islam writers. He started setting up his Faith Freedom website in the early 2000s. Many Muslims have left Islam due to his writings.

Due to his personal interpretations of Christianity, he developed some bizarre beliefs that I once believed as well:
    • The Bible is like a gold mine; much of it is dirt, but there are gems of truth hidden within.
    • He believed in Christianity despite the Bible, not because of it.
    • Many of the miracles attributed to Jesus, such as the virgin birth, can be found in Sumerian stories.
    • Jesus was born of a human father and mother, and when he was crucified, he did not rise from the dead because, in heaven, there would be no need for physical bodies.
    • Marcion was right in saying that the Old Testament contains a different God than the New Testament, as the Old Testament depicts a wrathful God, whereas Jesus's God is the God of love.
    [*]
From my experience, I can say that holding such beliefs leads nowhere. That's why I sought out the church to be a Christian as Christ and His Apostles intended.
 
Here are some random thoughts I've had as of late:

- Biology is God's version of "technology", but instead of using the application of scientific knowledge, God simply uses the application of His knowledge.
- Since we are technology, we are not "alive". If we are not alive, are we dead? We are only alive in the sense we are animated, but so is my computer, it is "alive" until I turn the power switch off. Only God is living, everything else is dead and requires God in order to exist and be animated.
- A further conclusion, if what we call biology is God's technology, it is the ultimate technology, humans will never surpass it and are doomed to fail trying to completely control it. Look at how our technology destroys the world, whereas God's tech maintains a balance. Even the human manipulation of food, cultivating fruit and maximizing its sugar content, is wasteful and destructive to one's health. Are there counter-examples?
 
The guy that does my plastering came yesterday looked at the shit me and the russian did rendering the walls with cement and told me I would have to pay him more for him to straighten the walls. I told him to f off. And he accepted the price already given. No way he wouldve accepted in summer time.
One window had a massive gap to the superior wall. I installed three irons to support 2,5 bricks. It was already night. I didnt cover the window with any protection. So i had to wash off the cement. It was night and cold. It sucked.
Today the plaster guy came and said:” shit too bad it was nightime. If you had did this mess during daylight maybe you would have done it right. “ loooolll what a cunt.

He will finish plastering tomorrow.

Wednesday I got real fatigue from construction. You are always carrying shit. And picking up things from the floor.

One good thing was he started to point out some issues and was suprised I knew how easy it was to fix them. People are generally oblivious how some things in construction are so easy to do. I was.
It’s a mix of being a baker cause your always preparing recipes but after you use them.

All windows installed. Plastering done tomorrow. Next step tiles. Next house windows will be custom. No way Im doing this again. I will buy them with much advance.

The only thing which needs to be done by the same company is opening and closing holes for electricity. Installing plumbing. And leveling floor. The rest I think I can outsource and coordinate The old contractor said I could plaster directly in bricks. But I don’t think that’s the right way. First cement and after plaster.
 
Last edited:
thinkreadwritecode said:
Here are some random thoughts I've had as of late:

- Biology is God's version of "technology", but instead of using the application of scientific knowledge, God simply uses the application of His knowledge.
- Since we are technology, we are not "alive". If we are not alive, are we dead? We are only alive in the sense we are animated, but so is my computer, it is "alive" until I turn the power switch off. Only God is living, everything else is dead and requires God in order to exist and be animated.
- A further conclusion, if what we call biology is God's technology, it is the ultimate technology, humans will never surpass it and are doomed to fail trying to completely control it. Look at how our technology destroys the world, whereas God's tech maintains a balance. Even the human manipulation of food, cultivating fruit and maximizing its sugar content, is wasteful and destructive to one's health. Are there counter-examples?
Click to expand...

The difference being that God's "technology" is made of organic materials, while our technology is created from inorganic materials. Our mastery of organic materials is childlike compared to that of God.

As for us destroying the world, I wonder if this is just hubris on our part - we think we are destroying the world, but we are really just destroying ourselves. The world will be fine after we are gone.
 
Samseau said:
The difference being that God's "technology" is made of organic materials, while our technology is created from inorganic materials. Our mastery of organic materials is childlike compared to that of God.

As for us destroying the world, I wonder if this is just hubris on our part - we think we are destroying the world, but we are really just destroying ourselves. The world will be fine after we are gone.
Click to expand...
I've thought of that as well, but organic is simply a word we invented to describe substances that use carbon, another word we made up based off of years of careful theory and study and observation figuring out how God's universe ticks. But then, as soon as we find a "living" thing based off of silicon instead of carbon, then silicon also becomes organic. Anyway, that's semantics, but I'm reminded of Cain and the first human discovery of metallurgy, when humans devised a way to kill each other more efficiently. It seems much of technology has this twisted purpose, even AI, where its ultimate purpose seems to be to replace humans in areas of work. Then I think, is humanity really better off with big, civilized, high-tech cities? Am I better off than my ancestors when I spend a lot of time on screens and the internet, pursuing entertainment and pleasure, when they had to tend to a farm and family? Right now as I type this my whole family is glued to a screen. Later today we will all be glued to a screen watching millionaires play a game.

I agree to us destroying ourselves, as opposed to the world. Even if we achieve fusion energy, would humanity clean up its act.
 
thinkreadwritecode said:
I've thought of that as well, but organic is simply a word we invented to describe substances that use carbon, another word we made up based off of years of careful theory and study and observation figuring out how God's universe ticks. But then, as soon as we find a "living" thing based off of silicon instead of carbon, then silicon also becomes organic. Anyway, that's semantics, but I'm reminded of Cain and the first human discovery of metallurgy, when humans devised a way to kill each other more efficiently. It seems much of technology has this twisted purpose, even AI, where its ultimate purpose seems to be to replace humans in areas of work. Then I think, is humanity really better off with big, civilized, high-tech cities? Am I better off than my ancestors when I spend a lot of time on screens and the internet, pursuing entertainment and pleasure, when they had to tend to a farm and family? Right now as I type this my whole family is glued to a screen. Later today we will all be glued to a screen watching millionaires play a game.

I agree to us destroying ourselves, as opposed to the world. Even if we achieve fusion energy, would humanity clean up its act.
Click to expand...
If the statistics are true health has increased dramatically which is good. What I dislike in our age is fags trans feminists and excessive regulation and taxes. The rest I enjoy. You could just park on the street and get a bread.

I think smartphones cameras and the ability of citizens spying on other citizens needs to be regulated. And heavily restricted. The ability for strangers to take pictures from you without your consent needs to go.

AI will probably be a surveillance tool. Replacing jobs will be its secondary mission.

Everything is God.
 
To those of you Gen X men in here who grew up in the US...do you remember watching science films in class hosted by two older guys who looked like they worked at NASA? I have faint visions of watching these movies in school but can't remember what they were. Anyhow, they'd talk about subjects like our solar system or other things science-related.
 
Maddox said:
To those of you Gen X men in here who grew up in the US...do you remember watching science films in class hosted by two older guys who looked like they worked at NASA? I have faint visions of watching these movies in school but can't remember what they were. Anyhow, they'd talk about subjects like our solar system or other things science-related.
Click to expand...
I can't remember them specifically, but I do remember the b&w films with Joan Baez's father, who was a famed physicist:

Albert Baez - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org en.wikipedia.org

Here's an example:
 
Maddox said:
Back when I was a kid, the days seemed to last forever. I hated school and the days lasted forever. Now that I'm older, I actually want to work and build my own business but it feels like there's never enough hours in the day to get things done.
Click to expand...

What do you envision in your head brother? What are you looking to do?
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top