u/baalroo

But in the stories this god is the all knowing and all powerful creator of everything. Logically, he created all of those things knowing they would happen, and chose to set things on motion that way anyhow.

If the world was "nothing but sin," that's on the creator that could have created the world in any configuration it wanted to and chose that one knowing it would lead to that scenario and knowing it would then need to respond with the flood.

Same for hell. The creator would be choosing who to create, knowing exactly what choices they would make and having full control over every single variable. In this scenario, god created Hitler knowing exactly what Hitler would do, and created him anyway.

That all still sounds very evil.

Also, this:

It isn’t him casting us into it, we are all destined to go to Hell as we are all sinful beings, who have broken all of his rules probably dozens of times each

Is both sad and disgusting from my perspective.

She's... Not ok. Trust me.

No one can play drums right away, it's a skill that actually requires practice and dedication. Are you willing to actually dedicate time and practice to it consistently over an extended period of time? If you know the answer is probably no, then honestly, maybe don't waste the money 

Does it have DMX control for integrating into a larger stage lighting show? If not, that should be your top priority IMO.

This would look silly on stage if it wasn't working in tandem with a larger display.

Education and exposure to diversity, the two biggest enemies to American conservativism.

I imagine it's exactly how the pagans felt when the Catholics were first adopting their holidays and practices into Catholicism without keeping the proper context or understanding.

Nah, it's just sad and creepy.

It's common with conservative christians (the sort of people who are MAGA if that helps). Most others find it creepy and off-putting.

Absolutely not, and never have.

Most of what made things better are still attainable now. A lot of young folks seem to be starting to figure it out. Put the phone away, turn off the xbox, log out of discord, delete your tiktok account, and go do things. Meet your friends in public places and experience stuff together. Go see bands play, not big $80+ circus shows, but like local bands playing small venues. Go to a coffee shop and hang around and talk to the people there. Find a poetry reading or a local comedy show, etc. Hell, just go hang out at the park with some friends with no goal in mind. That's really all it takes, just turning off the electronics and choosing to experience real life.

No, but hydration definitely wasn't a big concern when I was younger. 

In my 20s I started doing blue collar work outside and actually regularly drinking water and now I don't know how I went without. 

I carry a water bottle 24/7 and have for at least 15 years or so at this point.

There are no top tier sports teams within a 2 hour drive from my city, so every single pro sports fan that lives here is a fan of a team from somewhere else. Not a big deal at all.

This answer is probably too concise for what is expected here, but that's because the reality is quite simple...

"Too political" is just code for "explores concepts or themes that make me uncomfortable" for most of these people.

Of course, willful ignorance.

The only person here with "Trump Derangement Syndrome" is you buddy.

Stop playing dumb, it's unbecoming.

That's idiotic. Intolerance to intolerance is part of the Paradox of Tolerance.

My acceptance stops at those who are bigots, that does not make me a bigot for not accepting the bigotry of others.

You seem confused, you may want to reread the exchange you've inserted yourself into the middle of 

I know the one on West Central used to have a lot of creepy conservative shit on their walls, but I believe they sold to someone else and now all the employees seem different and the weird extremist crap is gone from the walls. The wait staff all seem very alternative with colored hair, piercings, tattoos, etc... so I suspect the new ownership are more respectable human beings now.

Yes, correct, that is why many of us won't be giving our money to those places, because they support bigotry.

It's a constant in my life. I'm 46 and play in bands and listen to new music almost every day.

I listen to as much stuff in as many different genres I can find, but generally my passion is for things on the edge. 

Outsider music, prog, extreme metal, alternative hip hop, noise rock, outlaw country, tech house, psych rock, IDM, free jazz, math rock, modern classical, traditional symphonic, etc etc. Anything that pushes the boundaries and tries new things or takes ideas to their limits or extremes will always be the most interesting to me.

I'm a visual aphant, but have a very active auditory imagination and memory, so music is the most impactful artform to me. I'd dare to say I practically think in music and sound.

More or less, yes.

I've been actively engaging in debates about religion for about 3 decades and I've never once seen or heard someone use this as an  argument against it's existence as a social phenomenon or people engaging with it.

Because pareidolia was an incredibly useful trait for prehistoric humans

Funny enough, it'd also be mostly the same people there.

My kids' high school graduation was at heartman, and it was fuller than this event was. Still, it sucks to see in such a visceral and clear way that we have so many awful people here, but are any of us who live here and come across these people in our daily lives actually surprised?

I mean, it's basically just the disgusting bigots on the comments section of all the local news Facebook posts all congregating in one place.