Why are you reading this? Go do something worthwhile.

  • 0 Posts
  • 52 Comments
Joined 1 year ago
cake
Cake day: June 23rd, 2023

help-circle
  • It’s an interesting stat. Is this individuals or households? Is it “head of household” or is it also counting minors?

    Regardless, there’s enormous disparity.

    The median wealth in India, according to Wikipedia, is $3755. There’s probably hundreds of millions of people there who fall into the less than $380 category.

    Again, Wikipedia, but Africa has just over 700M inhabitants with a median $1242 wealth. That’s $879B. For everyone on the continent. 8 people have 1.5X more wealth than an entire continent full of people.

    But maybe it’s not 3.6B people. Maybe it’s 3B or only 2B people. It’s still not OK.


  • I live in Tennessee. The number of lives that Dolly Parton has changed for the better is immeasurable. The two things you’re supposed to do as a Christian are to love God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength, and to love your neighbor as yourself.

    She loves her neighbors more than she loves herself. Anyone talking trash about Dolly is the worst kind of person.


  • One of my favorite pieces of the Bible is the Parable of the Talents where Jesus tells a story about three men who are given different sums of money. The first two are given more. They do stuff with it and are rewarded. The guy who gets the least buries it in a field and is punished.

    It’s often used an an example of stewardship, and regularly used as an excuse to not give drug addicts and homeless people money. They might use the money for drugs. That’s a sin and a “bad investment.” It ignores the fact that nobody looses money in the parable. The point of the story is that any good thing you do in good faith with the gifts you’re given is commendable.

    I don’t understand telling 50% of your church that the most important thing they can do is be a PreK Sunday school teacher or nursery volunteer. That’s burying talents in a field.



  • pachrist@lemmy.worldtoAsklemmy@lemmy.ml...
    link
    fedilink
    arrow-up
    23
    ·
    2 months ago

    If you won the lottery, what’s the first irresponsible thing you’d do with the money?

    No paying off student loans, no buying your parents a house. It has to be irresponsible but not necessarily indefensible. Great icebreaker question.



  • Nah, the choice is between a being that will likely leave you alone and one that likely won’t. Most people who aren’t seeking contact want to be left alone. Interestingly enough, most bears want to be left alone too. As people, we need to allow others the distance and boundaries they want. The best way to befriend someone is to make them feel comfortable around you. Space and respect are important.

    If a woman prefers the bear, maybe consider treating her like one. Treat her with respect, don’t make sudden movements, give her space, don’t mess with her cubs, and don’t pressure her into going to a local bar with a really neat vibe.




  • It’s such a stupid thing to say too. I got into an argument with a relative about it recently. By the Bible’s own rules, a Christian who tells someone hungry to pray a little harder instead of just feeding them isn’t a Christian, and they’re damned. This whole “God helps those who help themselves” bootstrap/prosperity Christianity is the worst type of religion.

    What good is it, my brothers and sisters, if someone claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save them? Suppose a brother or a sister is without clothes and daily food. If one of you says to them, “Go in peace; keep warm and well fed,” but does nothing about their physical needs, what good is it? In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.

    But someone will say, “You have faith; I have deeds.”

    Show me your faith without deeds, and I will show you my faith by my deeds. You believe that there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe that—and shudder.

    James 2 14-19







  • pachrist@lemmy.worldto196@lemmy.blahaj.zonerule
    link
    fedilink
    arrow-up
    16
    ·
    3 months ago

    Yeah, I really don’t get this attitude on Lemmy. I get not wanting to crash the bus. But voting for the guy who at best will let the other guy crash the bus in the future or at worst crash the bus tomorrow isn’t the answer.

    I first thought that Lemmy was a little more of the early internet forums I remember, more anti-establishment, anarchist, left wing, but there’s way too much “vote blue no matter who” which is the exact same mentality that has killed the Republican party. Is Candidate A an immoral shit bag? Doesn’t matter; there’s a D next to their name. Probably better than the guy with the R. Better not see if anyone else is on the list.

    I can afford to vote my conscience. I live in a deeply red state, so my vote doesn’t matter, something Democrats could try to fix, but they won’t. Voting 3rd party does matter though, and it’s the only way to truly affect real change and make a difference. It’s the DNC and RNC’s job to field a candidate who’s worth your vote. If they don’t do that, find someone who’s worth it.


  • Anytime there’s a bad accident in my city that gridlock traffic, there’s a guy at work who rants about how illegal immigrants cause it all. Apparently they can swim, but they can’t drive.

    Probably the same shit here. Some brown people crashed a couple planes into some towers when he was in middle school, ergo all brown people are bad drivers.