Thanks for that note. I’m reading it first hand without much supporting text.

That’s horrible behavior. Pride goes before the fall.

I agree, there is no Jesus is those ideas. Unfortunately, there is some Peter and Timothy. :( I’ve been reading the New Testament on my own as religious exploration. I’ve enjoyed who Jesus is, but his disciples represent more of their times.

Hell yeah. One of the few good ones.

John 13:34-35

34 I give you a new commandment, that you love one another. Just as I have loved you, you also should love one another.

35 By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.’

This was said by Jesus before he was betrayed by Judas. This same notion is shared by many other holy prophets.

• The Buddha taught that all living beings experience suffering, and therefore, compassion should be extended to everyone without discrimination.
• The Prophetﷺ set a crucial example to the Muslims: that there is far greater value in forgiveness than in revenge. And that the remedy for injustice and the cycle of abuse is moving the community forward, as one whole, together.

I don’t want to give up on humans. I don’t want to be a bitter person. Maybe my morals will be my ruin, but if so, I know I will have lived a compassionate life of love.

As a human, I hate the actions going on in the US and around the world. As a spirit, I feel compelled to find love and champion it.

Peace be to you, homie. 💜

Matthew 25:35, separating the goats and sheep, outlines how Jesus would judge people at the end times. These are the questions:

• Did you clothe me?
• Did you feed me?
• Did you visit me in jail?
• Did you help me when I was a foreigner in a strange land?

We must show the modern hypocrisy and how people have fallen astray from their own values. They must be reminded of the values that got us here. If this book is how they truly ground their lives, then there is no way to deny it.

Either they accept Christ’s message or they don’t. I don’t care who asks these questions: they are good moral questions.

Revelations 16:2

So the first angel went and poured his bowl on the earth, and a foul and painful sore came on those who had the mark of the beast and who worshipped its image.

Matthew 23:24

Then if anyone says to you, “Look! Here is the Messiah!” or “There he is!”—do not believe it. 24 For false messiahs and false prophets will appear and produce great signs and omens, to lead astray, if possible, even the elect.

If people on the Right want to claim a Christian high ground, then quote the book that matters most to them.

Real answer: if you’re communicating, you want to be understood at some level. Knowing the audience changes the dynamic to fulfill that goal. If you use big words and your audience is 5 year olds, you likely won’t be understood.

If someone gave me this advice, my first reaction wouldn’t be “You’re attacking me!” It would, “Hey, thanks for the advice. Can you unpack it further for me?” In work, I’ve done well by having a growth oriented mindset. There absolutely are bad faith actors, but listening to the advice of others has helped me grow.

On Tyranny by Tim Snyder

https://youtu.be/Sff7Kc77QAY

My church is proactive in doing good while on earth. As a community, we put spotlights on organization in need, 50% of the collection plate is split with them. Stuff like shelters for the unhoused, food pantry service, fundraisers, community clean up projects. Despite the nightmares around us in the modern world, being a part of a UU organization helps me keep going. If our community was devastated by an awful event, I know I could go to the Sanctuary & we’d figure out a plan to keep people safe. People would have each other’s backs.

John 13:34. If Jesus really is the holy prophet for the West, and his last commandment before being betrayed is “Love everyone,” then that seems pretty important to Christ’s message.

I believe in that sentiment strongly. If they believe that sentiment, then we can exchange hugs. It has to start from that place, or they are lost.

A lot of people are discussing the legal or revolutionary frameworks, but there’s a very human story to all of this. The government is run by people, and people are human. They make mistakes, backstab one another, get sick. They compete for different goals & subvert. It’s politics.

Morality is about respecting other moral agents, but it’s also about self-defeating principles. If you constantly lie, then there is no trust. Without trust, there’s room for speculation, rumor, & fear. Everyone on eggshells constantly. That’s partially why these fascist systems aren’t sustainable. However, as the world has become interconnected, so have the global elite. Fascism isn’t just here: it’s in a lot of places. There’s likely secret (and not so secret) actors pulling those strings, not to sound conspiratorial.

Every action has an equal and opposite reaction in physics. Like others have said, I’m not sure about my faith in the USA, as it is today: 50 states and some territories holding “together”. The culture and economy of the Northeast is vastly different than the Southeast. The USA absolutely had its hand in much of global politics over the last 100 years. Russia was the USSR in the 80s (~40 years ago); I think this is our “equal and opposite” moment of a world power fracturing. My expectation is the USA splits up, but I’m not sure what comes next. I don’t know if that’s “screwed”, but it’s not as it is today.

Hey, the second state pastime is giving the finger and yelling in traffic. We take these pastimes seriously, like sports and drinking.

Anal probes everywhere.

Surveillance drones everywhere.

Woody Guthrie, still relevant.

Hitler wrote to Lindy, said “Do your very worst,”
Lindy started an outfit that he called America First
In Washington, Washington

This is solipsism, which I’m finding more believable as time goes on.

Ask more questions and entertain others’ ideas. If they are shutting down like this, it’s because you’re being equivalent to a brick wall. People model behavior. If you don’t model listening & engaging, then you’ll get the opposite: shut downs & stopping talking.

This is all speculation from a distance based on what you’re describing. My guess is you aren’t listening, so when this shut down happens, you’re reporting it as “out of the blue.” Most people I talk to have never done that reaction. There’s almost always a “This isn’t going anywhere,” or some phrase for “I’m disengaging.” If you aren’t hearing that, then my guess is you missed it.