Phillip Winn @pwinn@social.cleverlibre.org

@venitamathias It's amazing!

I've really been digging your ABC series recently.

@I_Choose_Exile@mastodon.social Exile has switched servers since I composed that list, my bad!

@RockyC I put Silk Sonic on a loop when it first dropped, lasted a few days. Epic is right!

@freemo Trolling with unrelated nonsense is another issue, but unrelated to speech generally IMO, just foolish and worth ignoring.

@clarkvalentine There are so many different ways to deal with the issue of bait and switch posts, including both technical (like showing the edit history) and social (local moderators would tend to ban for things like that). The upside is huge, and the downside very easily mitigated.

@CatDragon I'm sorry. That must be frustrating beyond belief!

The only person I'm aware of taking Ozempic is also frustrated by the shortages, and having to ration and manage pain. She is taking it for lipedema, where the primary benefits could be described as weight loss, but it's very far from "ten lbs to my bikini body."

I hope the company shapes up soon!

@admitsWrongIfProven

I don't know how to stop suffering. I'm not sure it's ultimately possible.

I don't think Christianity offers an end to suffering, for example. I already posted a notable passage that says basically: if you're gonna suffer, make sure you're suffering for the right reasons and not your own shitty behavior. And that's it!

All I know how to do is:

1. Try to not cause any more suffering.

2. Encourage people who are suffering.

I know people have encouraged me when I was really suffering, and eventually it seemed to help. And I don't mean online, either! I mean they showed up at my house and made me get out of bed and sat with me while I suffered until I wasn't suffering any more.

I think it's a one-by-one thing that doesn't scale up with mass communication. Which puts relief at a disadvantage, of course, since it's pretty easy to cause suffering on a widespread basis.

But hey, one by one, slowly we do what we can.

@freemo

@admitsWrongIfProven

There's a passage in Peter's first letter to Christians that says:

"Who is going to harm you if you are eager to do good? But even if you should suffer for what is right, you are blessed. 'Do not fear their threats, do not be frightened.' [quoting another source] But in your hearts revere Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to given the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect, keeping a clear conscience, so that those who speak maliciously against your good behavior in Christ may be ashamed of their slander. For it is better, if it is God's will, to suffer for doing good than for doing evil."

I think about that a lot when I observe American evangelicals, many of whom seem to get every single sentence of that wrong.

I don't think bad translation is really the problem, and I probably shouldn't have even mentioned it. Even with things spelled out clearly in a chapter that begins "Finally, all of you, be like-minded, be sympathetic, love one another, be compassionate and humble," people still claim to be living as Christians while not being sympathetic or compassionate or loving, or humble.

Jesus once responded to a question by saying that the two very most important things, the things on which everything else depends, were to love God, and to love your neighbor. Since so many "Christian leaders" I see don't seem to be doing the second thing, it's hard for me to believe they're doing the first thing well, either.

@freemo

@admitsWrongIfProven

Yes, converting others is part of the Bible, both by instruction and example. The instruction (and example) is basically for Christians to live in such a way that people will ask them why they have hope, and that then Christians can respond with the reason for that hope, so that others can then become Christians as well.

Because of issues with English translations, many Bibles include the instructions with a more direct imperative: "Go and do," rather than "As you go, do," but that's still about things like ensuring that every person can read the Bible in the language that's most comfortable for them, or going door-to-door asking if people would like to hear some good news. Which all seems very reasonable to me!

There is nothing about oppressing people, or killing those who don't agree to convert, etc. It's just not there at all. But proselytizing is.

Hope that helps!

@freemo

@admitsWrongIfProven

I'm a practicing Christian, and I can tell you that Christ very much is *not* about oppressing others. He went pretty far out of his way to explain that his kingdom was wholly separate from the political kingdoms of this world. He repeatedly gave voice to the voiceless and defended the defenseless. He never said anything at all about the hot-button political topics of his day, including some that are still topics today, and when pressed, told those pressing him to pay attention to their own lives rather than the lives of others, and to stop judging others, but rather judge themselves only.

Christianity grew under oppression, and doesn't seem to adapt well to being wielded by those in power.

@freemo

@andrew @fulkery1 Grover Freaking Norquist. I'm pretty sure that's his middle name.