Silas

Catholicism is a real mess right now. Big divisions within leadership and its votaries reflective of the problems in the west

It isn't going to stop here soon they will be seizing hundreds of sites, including domestic US ones ...

As others have pointed out, this conflict cannot be "won" through military adventurism or violence Let the Israelis invade Gaza, let them march through the streets, burn homes, destroys buildings, attack civilians, etc. And let the Zionist puppets in the west continue to discredit and embarrass themselves by trying to justify this. We see on the media today that dozens of children have been killed by the IDF --people are becoming outraged. In the US, and many other western countries, Israel is starting to be viewed as an Apartheid state, and an oppressive regime. And like South Africa, the solution is to apply pressure through boycotts, sanctions, or even to arrest members of the Israeli government if they set foot on western soil. Win the hearts and minds of the people and you can accomplish a lot. Act rashly with violence, and give bad actors the pretense to attack you is foolish. Iran isn't going to declare war on Israel and get nuclear weapons thrown at them.

I think it is very important for people to understand that there is NO "systemic racism" in the United States. Such a thing is very different from isolated examples of prejudice or unfair treatment. Systemic racism means state-sponsored racism that is legal and encouraged: manifest mistreatment of minority groups that is pervasive. Things like apartheid, Jim Crow laws, or outright persecution are examples. The US is over 50 years removed from the Civil Rights movement, and numerous laws have been passed to correct past discrimination. We now have affirmative action, set-asides for minority businesses, anti-red-lining laws, etc. We have black members of congress and had a black president. When people tell me I have "white privilege" or that systemic racism exists in the US, I ask them: 1. What right or immunity do I possess that a black man does not possess in this country? 2. What occupations or political appointments are you prevented in obtaining because of the color of your skin? 3. Are you prevented from owning real estate, stocks, or debt instruments in this country because you are black? 4. How is the culture denigrating your people? Do you not see films, tv shows, etc. in which black people are portrayed favorably? -- This idea of systemic racism and white privilege is a monstrous lie that is promoted by the radical left in an effort to destabilize the country and to cause conflict. It also convinces poor blacks that they cannot get a fair shake, and shouldn't bother working, or becoming productive members of society. As in India, where some politicians push hatred against Muslims for political gain, politicians here push hatred against whites. We are demonized as oppressors. 77% of black births are to single mothers Atheism in the US is growing, and has tripled in the last 10 years or so So kids are raised in a family with no father, and they don't go to church/mosque. Many drop out of school. This is a massive cultural and religious problem. Simply blaming white people for this stuff doesn't do anything to correct it, and instead makes things worse and poverty does not equal violence and despair. There are many countries "poorer" than the US, where the net worth and income of the average citizen is much lower, and yet there is far less violence and problems. Iran is much "poorer" than the US in terms of GDP per capita, average income, etc., and that country is 10 times safer. People can walk down the street in Tehran and not have to worry about getting mugged or shot. People are not using drugs, and huge gangs are not controlling parts of the city.

T.E. I am pulled taught like a bowstring over arid and empty plains that merge within rolling apparitions of sand; condemned under a limitless horizon and it drags me from my barren youth of absurd and condescending ostentation; pity for a fatherless boy who belonged nowhere and everywhere the inexorable vehicle of the divine which carries me from sheltering forests into the comfort of scorched oblivion and the iridescent tents of alien men is the rescuing, spectral hand that fulfills everything and nothing and leaves me suspended like Sycamore leaves on the twisting Nile

I certainly don't mean the above post to be an attack of Christianity, and I appreciate the thoughtful response I grew up Christian, and am learning to be Muslim (I live in an area that is Christian and Sunni Muslim --there really isn't a Shia presence. Likewise, my wife is Christian, so it is complicated) but I experienced a lot of things when I was Christian that I didn't realize were problematic at the time 1. When I was in college I joined the Newman Association, which is a Catholic group on campus headed by a priest. The group was 80% female, and the leadership, aside from the priest, consisted of girls. They were nice girls for sure, but it seemed almost like a girls club. 2. I was never actually confirmed as a Catholic. I completed a few of the sacraments, but after moving overseas, I never finished. When I came back to the states, I contacted my local parish about getting confirmed, but both the priest and the administration seemed entirely unconcerned, and wouldn't return my calls. 3. My wife attends a local church (Swedish Evangelical Free), and while the people are friendly, the sermons are pretty hollow and sentimental. There are more women than men in the church, and the men who do get together in groups seem to be pretty unmotivated.

well done Mohammad

I think one of the biggest challenges Christian men face is the feminization of the church, and it is something that does not seem to be an issue within Islam. Christian men are demoralized and alienated from the church, and feel they no longer belong --or maybe they never belonged at all. In my case, I never felt I belonged. Something was always "off" Here are my insights on this matter: feel free to chime in with ideas (both Muslims and Christians) CHURCH AS A FEMINIZED SPACE: 1. Within Christian denominations, women outnumber men, sometimes by a great deal. Women also have a higher rate of attendance at church. “In America, among evangelical churches, 57 percent of members are women and, among mainline Protestant churches, 66 percent are women, according to a 1998 book “American Evangelism” 23 percent of women attend service without their husbands The liturgy and theology have been influenced heavily by Medieval women mystics such as Catherine of Sienna, Christina Mirabilis, and others, who emphasized a “bride of Christ” idea, and Jesus as a gentle lover or spouse. Sermons are “sentimental”, emphasizing emotion and inner religious experience instead of the intellectual aspects of the faith, or the duties and responsibilities of the faithful. 2. Churches, and religious organizations are feminine “safe spaces” that amount to Ladies’ clubs. Decades ago, it was common for men to find a future wife within the church, or clubs and organizations associated with the church. But as one writer asserts: “Women increasingly expect churches and church functions to be places of freedom from “unwanted” interactions. Translated, this means women expect unattractive men to know their place and not to ask women out or otherwise talk to them at church. They expect men either to avoid them completely, or to be eunuchs, existing to serve them. There have been reports in the manosphere of women actually complaining to pastors about “unattractive” men asking them out at church. It is as if women expect pastors and church staff to punish and rebuke men for “sexual harassment” at churches, merely because in a social situation they acted like men and pursued someone/something they wanted. Of course, none of this applies to attractive men, who are never the subject of complaint or sanction no matter what they do” 3. Social Justice and far-left politics, which is typically the province of upper-middle class white women, have infected the church. With this comes feminism.

Here is an article that suggests Wuhan virologists, who collect virus samples in the wild, may have brought the virus back to the lab inadvertently (through infection) so the virus went from the wild, into the lab, and then from there, into the population https://www.newsweek.com/humans-not-animals-likely-took-covid-virus-wuhan-contrary-chinas-claims-1578861

The student loan situation is a big problem for sure, but there are bigger problems The skyrocketing cost of health insurance and medical care are massive issues. The number of uninsured people is rising again (up 4-5 million in the last 10 months), and our medical system is completely dysfunctional. We could have 100+ million people with no insurance and limited access to healthcare within 10 years, and when it gets to that point, we have a wrecked economy While Trump could return, I find it highly unlikely. His age and health will prevent it.

You are experiencing the dark night of the soul others here will provide you with helpful verses from the Quran and good advice but there are those who know, or suspect the truth, feel Allah's presence, or hear the call, and are afraid to venture into the faith in other words, for everyone who feels like they will fall off the ship, there are those in the ocean that see the ship, and yet are afraid to swim to it you will be fine--pray, focus, and listen

My son has been involved in some charitable work involving Yemen, but he wanted to know if this particular aid organization was any good, or if there were any concerns about it? https://www.monareliefye.org/ has anyone hear heard of these guys? I have given to the Zahra Trust in the past

I think the political left, and Democrats who might be tired of foreign wars, need to wake up to the reality that Joe Biden has put together a cabinet consisting almost entirely of militant, neoliberal, Zionist Jews, who almost unanimously want to destroy Iran. I put up a list a couple months ago, and now I can add to it Attorney General: Merrick Garland. Jewish neoliberal and interventionist. Secretary of State: Anthony Blinken. Jewish. Washington insider and notorious interventionist. Encouraged Clinton to send troops to Rwanda, and supported intervention in Syria. Has worked to reassure Jews in the US that Israel will get unconditional support. Chief of Staff: Ron Klain, Jewish. Militant Zionist, connected to AIPAC and other Jewish groups in the US. National Intelligence Director: Avril Haines, Jewish. A shadowy figure who has worked for cyber-security firms connected to the Israeli government. We can expect data gathered on US civilians to be sent to Israel. Director of CIA (likely): David Cohen, Jewish. Created portions of the Patriot Act Secretary of the Treasury: Janet Yellen, Jewish. Director of Homeland Security: Alejandro Mayorkas, Jewish. Zionist and Wall Street insider. Secretary of Defense: Michelle Flournoy, --might be Sephardic Jewish. Urged intervention and boots-on-the-ground in Syria to overthrow Assad and destroy Shia militia. Now Trump was an obvious Zionist and hostile towards Iran, but he didn't put together a cabinet that looked anything like the above. When Biden goes into a meeting, it will be like going into a Temple in Tel Aviv. Joe has a history of supporting wars in the ME, including Iraq, missile attacks on Syria, etc.

I don't expect a civil war or anything like that but violent protests are another story.

I warned people a couple months before the election that if polling stations were closed and citizens were forced to vote by mail, it would be viewed as an attempt by Democrats to tamper with the election. While department stores, supermarkets, etc. were open, polling stations were closed because it was deemed "too dangerous" to vote in person. It was an arbitrary and deeply suspect decision, and it doesn't matter if the election was "legal" or fraud was minimal. The *perception* was that Democrats were using emergency powers granted to them due to the COVID-19 outbreak to interfere with the election. The Democratic governor in my state has illegally taken emergency powers and has extended them indefinitely in order to deal with the pandemic. He has shuttered schools and businesses, issued arbitrary decrees, ignored court orders, and has tried to use the crisis for political gain. Americans are not like other people. They are similar to the Iranians in some ways, in that they WILL push back and get angry, even if they are somewhat misguided. We had 7 months of leftist looting and violence (still going on in Portland) and politicians were either ignoring it, or outright encouraging it. This only added to the general outrage. Biden has inherited a huge mess