Jan 16-Jan 17, 2026: Would you rather live completely off grid OR develop a digitally FREE community

Okay. I stopped reading pretty early on. You have to actually WORK to offend me. I mean, really artfully TRY to get the job done.  
  
Mentioning God or Jesus or Moses or Abraham or whoever... I couldn't care less.  
  
But, I know more about it than... almost anyone. It shocks the hell out of me when I see something posted anywhere about this subject that I haven't already been through in greater depth than the OP has ever considered.  
  
It's NOT offensive. Your actual religion is NOT offensive regardless of whether or not I consider it disgusting from a perspective you don't have and probably never should.  
  
You're not an idiot for not agreeing with me. You're not a bad person for not agreeing with me. I would actually go into combat and potentially die to protect you or your place of worship from people who'd harm you for your religious beliefs.  
  
Whether your comprehension of your beliefs seems childish or sophisticated and despite the fact I don't share them AT ALL: I would die to protect your right to have them.  
  
I have grandchildren. I have something to live for that I think is worth the bother. I have a wife of indescribable worth.  
  
And I'll walk into the fires of Hell to defend your religion and your right to it.  
  
You should spend exactly ZERO seconds concerning yourself with offending me with your religious beliefs. I'm not the friend who comforts you because you're not so sure about the Trinity. I'm the one you call when you think people are stalking you.  
  
So, you think Pumpkin Pie is better than Steak? Okay. I'm absolutely sure you're wrong. I'm not going to put up with anyone trying to take away your pumpkin pie and force steak on you.  
  
Again. Didn't even read anything after that.  
  
I'm not offended by religion. I cannot BE offended by religion. My knowledge of it is almost absolutely certain to be better than yours, and since it's me who's making the judgement; I'm fairly sure that's going to be the verdict.  
  
You can't offend me. You really just can't do it. I do appreciate that it's a concern for you.  
  
What you've interpreted as "offense" is my reaction to people who'll use their religion in an attempt to shame me or control me. I WILL use THEIR religion to break their paradigm.  
  
But, I'm still not offended.  
  
I like you. I really do. You're annoying. Anyone you'd call a friend who's annoying aspects you're unaware of... that's not someone you should put in that category.  
  
Again. I actually stopped reading at that point to address this matter and I WILL NOT read further until this little matter is settled.  
  
You do NOT worry about offending me with religious references. Okay? Just don't be surprised if I present rebuttals to those references or (more likely) simply ignore them.

16 bumps

gracejoy · 1/19/2026, 4:34:05 AM · permalink

"*What you've interpreted as 'offense' is my reaction to people who'll use their religion . to shame . control me*. *...You're annoying . I WILL NOT read further until ... settled.*"  
  
**%%Case in point%%**: **You refuse** to read what I wrote **unless I beg** your forgiveness for mis-naming your reaction of "*nah*" to mean you took offense. It's **the *3^rd^* time you've** "**reacted**" to me ***as if I had*** "*used my religion against you*" when I hadn't, though; **adding your veiled threat** that if I did, **you'd** "***rebut***" me.

%%**Please quote me** / **link to** where you say I've done this%%, so I might have a chance to respond. Otherwise, **you know nothing about me**, **other than that [I supported](https://soj.ooo/p/freethinkers/post/8e1f5cb4b3ff8482172fb37629474358/comment/78454)** your suggestion tc use quotes; &amp; when **[I was targeted](https://soj.ooo/p/userinterface/post/3c134362c82b718505379e7806440803)** in return, &amp; **I tagged you to at least witness for me**, **you instead lectured me similarly** as to now, **fabricating scenarios** for which you found me guilty. Then **you insisted I not** **object** to Jesus as "*Gnostic*" b/c you said neither He nor "'*Mohamed*' *existed at all.*" **%%You tried to shame me%% to stop me from defending my faith** by oddly accusing me of "*allow\[ing\] \[my\]self to suppose \[I'm\] the representative of \[my\] faith in this forum.*"  
  
All I can say, **get in line** w/Atheists, Catholics, Muslims, &amp; New Agers who don't like me exercising my rights &amp; free choice.  
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"*I would actually go into combat &amp; potentially die to protect you or your place of worship from people who'd harm you for your religious beliefs*. ...*grandchildren...*"  
  
**1^%%st%%^**, **I've never had** a "*place of worship.*" **2^%%nd%%^**, **you've** repeatedly &amp; **gratuitously demeaned** me &amp; my "*religious belief*"; **&amp; advised me to** "**ignore**" **Gnosticism** (above) **&amp; [Islam](https://soj.ooo/p/offensive/post/1ae56d60e4503b478f585e582ce5f738/comment/98650)** twisting scripture, &amp; intimidating me so I won't object to them seducing the ignorant. IOW, %%**you joined them to pressure me to give up my rights &amp; duty**%%. I talked SciFi &amp; you lectured me on the horrors of my beliefs: Can I assume you also do this to Christians who profess any faith? To Muslims who do likewise? I imagine you grandchildren will live under One World Religion of either Gnosticism (UN's Religion, per Lucis Trust) or Islam.  
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"*You should spend exactly ZERO seconds concern\[ed\] your religious beliefs \[offend me\]. I'm not the friend who comforts you because you're not so sure about the Trinity. I'm the one you call when you think people are stalking you*."  
  
**Too late, this the 3^rd^ time** you've lectured me about something I didn't do (unless I've forgotten; &amp; you can quote / link). If your pushing me to be silent rather than defend my faith against your preferred Gnostics &amp; Muslims wasn't enough for me not to want to risk speaking to you again, certainly your swapping a Straw Man to waste my time now, is.  **Re the Trinity**, **I doubt you'd could add to** the arguments presented to me by a "Christian" &amp; Muslim months ago; **but** [**feel free** to add you your opinion](https://soj.ooo/p/freethinkers/post/fb5661ca080c3dbb761ec798b5593d8e/comment/77289) to theirs &amp; mine. **If you expect me to debate** your beliefs, though, you can, again, get in line.   
  
As for my being "***stalked***": **[you told me](https://soj.ooo/p/offensive/post/1ae56d60e4503b478f585e582ce5f738/comment/98650) to** "**ignore**" **it**. I didn't respond b/c **I didn't want to have to listen to you** lecture me how disgusting my faith is **on top of being stalked &amp; harassed**. I wonder if this is how Islamification of EU was fast-tracked.   
  
I frankly couldn't care less what you think of me or my "religion." I reject your suggestion that I do nothing to defend

11 bumps

S

saarnok · 1/19/2026, 10:17:19 PM · permalink

See, this is why you're annoying.  
  
"I rarely respond to you b/c you've made it exceedingly clear (more than once) you can't tolerate my mentioning God, Jesus, or the Bible"  
  
No. I did not. If anything I've said has made it seem that way to you, this is my assurance that no such thing was intended.  
  
I didn't ask, demand, imply, assert or otherwise express any desire for you to apologize to me for anything whatsoever at any point at any time. And, I'm not doing so now.  
  
You're histrionic.  
  
You took this:  
  
("Jesus was Gnostic!" Huh. Maybe. Why is that something you should respond to? I ignore it as the tripe it is. Granted, partly because I don't imagine "Jesus" existed at all in the same way I don't imagine "Mohamed" existed at all. But, here's the real problem: You've allowed yourself to suppose you're the representative of your faith in this forum. I know it sucks to think you're not, but take it from an intensely self aware narcissist, that's what you're doing.)  
  
And turned it into some sort of vicious attack when it was nothing of the sort.  
  
I extract the actual response I considered reasonable to the "Gnostic" claim: "I ignore it as the tripe it is."  
  
But, you're the one being denigrated? Really?  
  
The soj.ooo 'atheist' crowd is about as knowledgeable as a hamster on a wheel and roughly as repetitive.  
  
The Trinity??? I've commented on the Trinity? Well, I don't think so. Can't think of all that much interesting to comment on there.  
  
I denigrate your faith? Like so?  
  
"When, not if, Christianity has been replaced as the backdrop of sensibility and morality it MUST be by a philosophy within which Christianity can still exist in some recognizable form. "  
  
I 'denigrate' it so much that I insist it must have a future in a coming better world. Not even that it would maybe be a shame not to have Christianity around, but that it's a necessary part of any future society I can even envision. Why? Because:  
  
"...our nominally Christian background faith is what essentially underpins what has become Western culture. Christianity as we know it has become sort of our existential background, the stability against which we measure diaphanous concepts of good and evil."  
  
Yeah. That's really running down the old time religion.  
  
But, you're histrionic and I guess you just cant stand anyone expressing their opinion of your group's beliefs.  
  
Have I posted any screeds about the Catholic church? Don't think so. Have a left some scathing review of Mormon doctrine, Episcopalian, Lutheran??? any of them?  
  
Have I made some number of posts calling you out, mocking your style and peculiar ways?  
  
Here. I'll supply what I said about one of those you've justly complained about and then you provide me with an equivalent or worse example of how I've treated you.  
  
"TC doesn't make arguments and doesn't even seem to have any real understanding of other people's arguments."  
  
"And it's left me with the ability to see through the pose when someone like TC shows up. It's also left me with the ability to see the underlying rules they dare not challenge. TC doesn't care, rather the inverse, if you or I challenge him. It's merely an opportunity to beat his chest and denigrate for his own aggrandizement. But, he can't escape the fact that people running a pocha can simplify their lives by just banning him."  
  
"Responding directly to TC, leaving comments under his posts, arguing with "him" is quite simply wasted time and energy which seems transparently to be what he wants."  
  
Now, here's where you're running into dangerous territory. It seems that you want to make YOUR religion... my problem. Yeah. I'm not going to be having any of that. So, I think it best if I just demonstrate the advice I gave you that you decided to interpret as an attack.

10 bumps