There’s some irony with how the only people (en masse excluding outliers ) within that branch of the Christian faith are forbidden from marriage are the ones prolifically abusing others.

Maybe the Roman Catholic Church should look at changing their opinion on this topic if it’s not one they’ve made irreversible dogma.

The title says the river is struggling, but really it’s people struggling to not use up all of the water for things like growing water intensive crops in the desert. And from what I understand, the states still haven’t made progress on an agreement so the federal government is going to have to step in, and we all know how well that will probably go.

Didn’t he own up to it? I find the content they make hard to find anywhere else.

I missed that he did that. I might not agree with that but he really does have a wealth of knowledge, I’m not sure cutting him out entirely is the right call as I haven’t noticed it infecting his other videos.

Yeah I noticed it seemed to be different recently. Used to watch every video he put out but it’s definitely changed :(

I guess like a 5 to be as far as possible away from either of those evils as I can!

Iconoclasm is still alive and well in quite a few Protestant denominations

I know this is just a shitpost but if you consider religious opponents to abortion believe that humans are made in the image of God and have infinite value compared to other things like tapeworms, you’ll understand their position.

IIRC didn’t the term debugging come from back when computers used vacuum tubes, and there was an issue where a technician removed a moth to fix the issue, thus “debugging” the system?

Maybe it’s not a true story, but I believe that’s the origin.

This is why diversification matters and you shouldn’t put all your eggs in one basket. The US stock market is currently at pretty insane valuations, but the international market isn’t and has actually been outperforming the US market for almost two years now.

If God can tame the Leviathan and the Behemoth in the book of Job, a house cat shouldn’t be too much of a problem. But I am fully prepared for them to still completely ignore the rest of us.

I was being kind with my reply, but I don’t believe that any such scriptural reference exists. Repeating false pop culture talking points doesn’t advance the conversation in any meaningful way.

​We can certainly debate theology and history, but there is no need to resort to insults just because we have different beliefs. Having a respectful dialogue is always more productive.

​To answer your first point, the Bible acknowledging that humans worshipped other entities does not validate those entities as equals to God. The biblical text consistently presents Yahweh as the uncreated Creator of the entire universe (like in Isaiah 44:6). The “other gods” mentioned in scripture are either described as man made idols of wood and stone, or lesser, created spiritual beings. Because the God of the Bible is the sole Creator of the universe, He retains ultimate sovereignty over all souls, regardless of what false gods humanity invents.

​Second, your claim about the word “hell” and modern translations is factually incorrect. The original texts use specific Greek and Hebrew terms like Gehenna, Hades, and Sheol. While they each have specific ancient and literary contexts, translating them into the English concept of “hell” accurately conveys the themes of final judgment and separation from God that are clearly present in the original languages.

​Finally, calling the NRSV “partisan” or “worthless” is the exact opposite of reality in the academic world. The NRSV is actually the gold standard for secular, academic, and critical biblical scholarship. It was translated by a massive, diverse committee of scholars from various traditions, including Jewish, Protestant, Catholic, and Orthodox experts. They were brought together specifically to eliminate sectarian bias. It is widely considered one of the most rigorous and least partisan translations in existence.

Could you provide the chapter and verse for the claim that God watches those suffering in Hell with amusement?

​That is a massive caricature of Christian theology. Saying the Old Testament “doesn’t count” confuses the Old Covenant with the Old Testament scriptures.

​Christians believe the specific laws of the Old Covenant (like animal sacrifices, temple rituals, or dietary restrictions) were fulfilled by Christ. However, the Old Testament itself is still foundational scripture that reveals God’s nature, history, and character.

​God’s status as the Creator of the universe did not suddenly expire between the Old and New Testaments. Ezekiel 18:4 is simply stating an unchangeable fact about God’s role as the author of life.

​If you strictly want New Testament verses that establish the exact same concept of God owning everything because He made it, there are plenty. Colossians 1:16 says that “all things were created through him and for him.” Revelation 4:11 also states that God created all things, and by His will they existed and were created.

​The New Testament is built directly on top of the Old Testament, and Jesus quoted it constantly. Claiming that Christians just ignore it is historically and theologically false.

That presents a false dichotomy by assuming “ownership” automatically equals “coercion.”

God’s ownership of your soul simply means He is the Creator and the source of your existence. However, owning your existence does not mean He overrides your personal agency. The entire biblical narrative is actually built on the reality of human free will.

Having a Creator doesn’t strip you of true freedom. In fact, you have the absolute freedom to choose who you serve. The Bible repeatedly emphasizes this choice, such as in Joshua 24:15 which says, “choose this day whom you will serve.” The Apostle Paul also points out in Romans 6:16 that we all ultimately choose what we dedicate our lives to, whether that is sin or obedience.

God isn’t forcing your hand or gaslighting you. He gives you the ultimate choice. You can use your freedom to align with your Creator, or you can use your free will to reject Him. He actually respects your autonomy enough to let you walk away and have exactly what you chose.

I’m not extremely familiar with gnosticism, but I don’t believe they think God is a demon. I think a lot of what they believe is based on duality right?

I know religion isn’t exactly the most popular topic on Lemmy, but I wanted to offer a Christian perspective on this.

“God demands your soul for eternity, so he must be a demon.”

This argument fundamentally misunderstands biblical theology and relies on Hollywood tropes rather than the text.

First, God doesn’t need to “demand” or bargain for your soul because He already owns it. As the Creator, Ezekiel 18:4 flat out says, “Behold, all souls are mine.” You can’t demand or bargain for property you already hold the deed to.

Secondly, God’s ownership doesn’t magically end if a person rejects Him. Pop culture paints a picture where God gets the souls of the saved, and Satan claims the souls of the damned. That’s Dante’s Inferno, not the Bible. Satan isn’t the ruler of Hell collecting souls; he will be a prisoner punished alongside them.

Even for those who reject God and are cast into the fire, God remains entirely sovereign over them. Matthew 10:28 makes this clear: “And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather fear him who can destroy both soul and body in hell.”

TL;DR: God isn’t a demon trying to snatch your soul. He is the rightful owner giving you a choice to spend eternity with Him as an adopted heir, or separated from Him in the fire, but He maintains absolute authority over your soul either way.

Tons of people do it though? I do personally, and then there’s more professional outfits like story corps.

Because you completely missed the point of talking with the elderly with your statement. It’s to make a connection with another human and share a bit of the human experience. An LLM for this purpose would be an abomination.