Cross posted from https://lemmy.ca/post/70423353

Corie A. Walsh, the mother of a boy killed in a domestic homicide in a Brook Stone Court home, was charged with murder, Frankfort police said.

cross-posted from: https://lemmy.world/post/51409472

Also Peter Thiel.

A settlement with the Christian Employers Alliance blocks the EEOC from ever investigating the group’s members for gender identity discrimination.

In my religious background, there is huge emphasis on fearing God, fearing His wrath, and hell. Hell is very graphical. Here are some verses showing how graphical it is:

"And if ye do it not - and ye can never do it - then guard yourselves against the Fire prepared for disbelievers, whose fuel is of men and stones." (Q 2:24) "Lo! Those who disbelieve Our revelations, We shall expose them to the Fire. As often as their skins are consumed We shall exchange them for fresh skins that they may taste the torment. Lo! Allah is ever Mighty, Wise." (Q 4:56) "For such, their habitation will be hell, and they will find no refuge therefrom" (Q 4:121) "Lo! the hypocrites (will be) in the lowest deep of the Fire, and thou wilt find no helper for them;" (Q 4:145) "Lo! those who disbelieve and deal in wrong, Allah will never forgive them, neither will He guide them unto a road, Except the road of hell, wherein they will abide for ever. And that is ever easy for Allah." (Q 4:168-169) "They will wish to come forth from the Fire, but they will not come forth from it. Theirs will be a lasting doom." (Q 5:37) "Theirs will be a bed of hell, and over them coverings (of hell). Thus do We requite wrong-doers." (Q 7:41) "O ye who believe! Lo! many of the (Jewish) rabbis and the (Christian) monks devour the wealth of mankind wantonly and debar (men) from the way of Allah. They who hoard up gold and silver and spend it not in the way of Allah, unto them give tidings (O Muhammad) of a painful doom, On the day when it will (all) be heated in the fire of hell, and their foreheads and their flanks and their backs will be branded therewith (and it will be said unto them): Here is that which ye hoarded for yourselves. Now taste of what ye used to hoard." (Q 9:35) "Know they not that whoso opposeth Allah and His messenger, his verily is fire of hell, to abide therein ? That is the extreme abasement." (Q 9:63) "Hell is before him, and he is made to drink a festering water, Which he sippeth but can hardly swallow, and death cometh unto him from every side while yet he cannot die, and before him is a harsh doom." (Q 14:16-17)

Even though I have left this religion but I get this nightmare that I am getting punishment for leaving the religion. I feel scared that what if I am wrong and end up burning in hellfire.

How to get rid of this fear so that I can live my life freely?

Copy pasted again from Reddit post and did some editing.

Remember my experience may vary from other Muslims out there cuz Islam is very diverse and experiences differ from community to community.

Now, the Imams and religious folks around me used to wear green turbans until recently they allowed more colors and now they mostly wear white turbans. I remember they are mocked as "green parrots".

Although they were Hanafi but they were strictly against like science especially modern science and that was my first reason when I became skeptical. When I came to know that they believe that earth is stationary and whoever believe that earth is moving, they are innovators and misguided and out from the creed of Ahlus Sunnah.

We have a lot of emphasis on chanting known as Dhikr, I was interested in too. I wanna be an Aamil when I was a child. It's like spiritual doctor. I was a lot zealous. If I did not change, I would end up join their organization Dawat e Islami.

I chant like name Allah 100 times after prayer. Used to pray Sunnat prayers after Fard.

I was also taught that women are not allowed to do job like they are allowed when there is financial problems but many women do that and it is like okay!! do it. We are strongly against "western values" like "liberalism". When a girl does not wear hijab, they are backbitted by women of the community as being "liberal", "western" and not usually considered good. Strong emphasis on gender segregation.

Idk but people from other religions are always looked down. As in my country, the majority folks who are not Muslim are poor doing jobs like sweeping and other low paid jobs. So, like Christians are stereotyped as "black sweepers". Inter religion marriage is usually looked down and faced with heavy backlash like I did not hear anyone I know marrying someone outside religion, even marrying outside the sect. Rarely this is happened but it is not considered good. I like non Muslims and try to take stand for them as much as possible and I have non Muslim friends and I treated them better to this day.

Homosexuals are considered "mentally ill". Even when I discovered this "mental illness", I did not tell anyone 'cuz it is so much shameful like constant mockery. Therapy is looked down and mostly keep it taboo.

Domestic violence is common, like if women is bold enough, then men don't say but if she is not, then men beat them.

A unique thing I remember is from their (my earliest sect) Christology like Jesus will marry an Arab woman named Raadiya/Raaziya(letter is dawd) from the clan of Bani Ghassaan. (idk from where they get that)

Remember that stationary earth thing, this make me question my sect. Also, when I started praying like a Hanbali cuz I saw that there are hadith showing this, I faced so much backlash from community. Mostly guys were stopping me and asking me that are you Shia? are you Salafi? Munafiqs used to keep idols under their arms so that's why they raised their hands a lot now there is no need. I was just doing prayer like them otherwise I was not changed. I was a Barelvi like I ask Prophet for help, I pray extra nights, I do Fatiha, but when I start getting hate and when I start researching more, I became more exposed to Salafi content and I stopped following the sect and I start reading hadith on my own and stopped asking help from Prophet and became more God centric and I rejected their innovations and their doctrine that there are some good innovations and some bad one. At one point, I was so hateful that what I was taught as a child was all wrong and so I want to k*ll all members of my community. I cursed Abu Hanifah. I cursed other figures of my cult. I even start considering them Kafir which they would consider me. Salafis approached me when they knew that I am changing. Some became my good friends and they were like love bombing and saying that yeah, you are good enough. I stopped praying in my local masjid and did masjid swapping that is praying in one masjid at a time and then praying in another masjid at another time, so that I can avoid the spotlight. When I became a Salafi, my parents were against me. My dad even took me to local Imam but his proofs did not convince me.

I was then become against Sufism. Then after getting more exposure, I met some moderate Salafi scholars who said that my community is a Muslim. I hid many beliefs and practices. I accepted that. I became more extreme like no mixed gathering, no birthdays, no independence day, no Mawlid, no fiqh, no standing for national anthem. I used to pray night prayers. I used to do all dhikr written in Sunni hadith. Then when I came to know about internal conflicts of Sahabah, I became skeptical about Sahabah. And I start to incline more toward Shia side of Islam. At that time, I consider all sects Muslims except Ahmadis, Quranists and liberals. Then, I started watching Sunnah Discourse. Then again hating Shia and my ex sect. Then, I start exploring other scholars from different sects and I became more skeptical toward Sahabah (at one point when I was ultra Salafi, I used to hate Ali like c'mon he is cliche, stop praising him too much. Then I love him and I start saying Alayh Salam and Mola and Imam to him, I start saying elegies for Ahle bayt, and hate Muawiyah. Then, no more hating and loving. Then, loving Ahle bayt a lot and hating Muawiyah, Aisha, first three caliph of Islam, Amr bin Aas, Banu Umayyah and Banu Abbas.) I realized later on that being non denominational is the only way now as all the scholars and all sects are just not complete truth and Quran and hadith do not say to divide in sects So, I became mixture of all sects. I prayed in all ways that is done by Muslims. I prayed like Twelvers too and Hanafis too after a long period of time and Zaydi too. i actually like Zaydism. They were quite neutral. And frankly, I did not find any ex Muslim from their community and from Ibadi community. I then started being more spiritual and finding good things in Sufism too and appreciating some concepts of my earliest sect like love of Prophet, poetry done for Prophet.

Also, I was more in studying Islam. I started learning Arabic back in my Salafi days(still learning), I read Bukhari gave some gap to it when I reached 3rd vol, then started with Mishkaat. I read Mustadrak al Hakim. I read some Nahjul Balagha (translation). Then I studied Hadith sciences a little bit from a Hanafi scholar and guess what, I realize that most of the Imams and religious folks, not even the Shaykh ul Hadith do not know the hadith sciences properly. I used to read Quran daily and hadith daily too. I was interested in Qiraat. I read Hafs since a child. Then read Warsh, then Soosi and Doori from the riwayah of Abu Amr.

I forgot one thing, I used to be Islamist too when becoming more Salafi, like caliphate, revival of Islam, rule of Islam (I used to watch Daniel Haqiqatjou a lot, Muhammad Hijab too).

Then now last year (2024), I came across Mufti Abu Layth, and he changed me a lot as I found him reasonable and I left Salafism and conservatism and also came across Reddit and progressive Islam sub reddit. I found it convincing. And also, I began exploring other religion and I read Bible, when I read NT, it also changed me a lot building more love for Jesus and making me more kind. I became more tolerant, more rational.

Now, I am currently exploring other religions, not so religious and chanting guy. Just do my fard prayer left Sunnat prayers in my Salafi days. Looking Islam skeptically and so other religion. I am still spiritual but now enjoying life. (Now I do not do prayers like I do acting of prayer but actually stopped doing it. I have lost love for that religion and like supernatural deities in general. I like reading religious scriptures though and idk I resonate with Jesus sometimes and maybe I watched Christian content a lot from my deconversion so I will say Jesus name when I get hit or like I fall. I am still not sure of non-existence of any supernatural deity but I think I should let it go and don't care about that stuff anymore.)

I posted Reddit link but people complained so copy-pasting it: For context, I was born as non Salafi moderate Sunni Hanafi, not a Sufi in a sense that being murid to someone but we have beliefs and practices from them. Though I no longer believe in that, I thought it will be nice to share about a sect which is considered heretic and grave worshipper by Salafi dudes online.

But, things may vary from country to country and time to time. I left that branch and became Salafi, then left Salafism and became progressive, and now I am nothing.

When I was a child, I was very religious. The sect in which I was brought unto focuses on love of Prophet Muhammad a lot. They put Muhammad in too much high regard. We don't think it is polytheism to call upon prophets and saints, and to ask help from them (although they say that we ask through them, not from them). I was taught many things, and told many things as a child like plate in which you eat is a house of God, don't drink water while standing, not to call upon Prophet Muhammad directly using his name but instead call him like Ya Nabi, Ya Rasool Allah. We hold Muhammad in high esteem like after morning prayers and after Jum'uah prayer, there is like a group session in which we used to recite salaams (a poem in which along praise, we ask for peace for that individual, here Prophet). I remember, in Duas, the Imam used to say, "O Rasool Allah, look for ourselves, O beloved of God, hear our sayings. Indeed, I am drown in the ocean of sadness, hold my hand and ease our difficulties". He was referred as "The Light of God". Saints were venerated. I used to go to mosque a lot. Our masjids were like having calligraphy. Imams were kind and nice people, thing which I found in their sect only, idk to this day even. There is special hate for Wahabis and they are known as "blasphemers of Prophet", even Rafa yadain is not tolerated. I used to recite Surah Mulk after night prayers as my Quran teacher said.

We have a unique cosmology like a Neoplatonic model I guess. I was told that for Muhammad, everything is created. He is most beloved being to God. He is the light. His light is the first creation and from his light, everything is created. He watches us and he listen to us. Locally, people venerate Ali after Muhammad and I used to venerate them so much that I used to think in childhood that we can only ask help from these three, Allah, Muhammad and Ali. I remember I randomly call "Allah Nabi Ali". They also venerate a Sufi saint, Abdul Qadir Jilani known as Ghous e Azam a lot. There is even a poetry used to be recited a lot when his Urs comes.

"From Ahad(God's name) to Ahmad(Prophet's name) and from Ahmad to you,

Got all the authority, Ya Ghous"

There were emphasis on miracles of saints and many false hadith like Jesus wished to be a follower of Muhammad, I was declared last of prophets when Adam was between clay and water.

I remember celebrating Mawlid like when I was a child, going and watching the lights from which houses were decorated. Also, there was too much emphasis on prayers. Like there is a book written by a scholar from which I used to pray Nawafil in nights like Night of Ascension, Laylatul Qadr, Night of Forgiveness.

Idk why but I was taught a lot of antisemitism (not just antisemitism but generally an us vs. them situation) like Jews are cursed by God, they are jealous from us (one important thing too was that we would give them separate utensils as my parents say that they are impure so they using our utensils will make those utensils impure too and unusable for us). Muslims are the most hygienic people. We (who follow this specific sect) are the ones who will go to Paradise. Also, there is hate for modernism, feminism and many other things.

We also have a thing called Niyaz. Basically, reciting Quranic verses on food and water and praying to God for acceptance and sending its Sawab to Prophet, companions of Prophet, and to the specific saint or specific relative. I did this on the 3rd day after my grandma died.

We have a lot of days related to dead like 3rd day, 40th day and death anniversary.

An Ojai pastor who spent years posting online about children, education and LGBTQ-related issues has been arrested and charged with six felony child sex abuse offences.

David Johnson, 58, a former pastor at Live Oak Christian Fellowship, was arrested on 24 August 2026 and accused of abusing two children under the age of 14, according to the Ventura County District Attorney's Office. Johnson pleaded not guilty to all charges.

Crosspost

Well, I was kinda bored and mostly I have seen users from first world countries so I wonder let there be a QnA session so that other people can get an idea how atheism works in 3rd world country. I am not that much strong atheist now as I have become atheist very recently like last year so I still feel the urge to find God and to pray.

Purity Culture 2.0. is here, and it has a new message.

For people like Morgan, however, no-fault divorce has stripped him of what he views as a constitutional right to protest the dissolution.

He told Chron his views were shaped by watching his father go through a divorce and later experiencing divorce himself, one he did not want.

"When we utter our vows, many people say, 'Till death do you part.'....My vows are more important than anything… I made this vow to God, and my wife was the beneficiary of my vow," Morgan argued.

American revival movements have always contained two competing impulses: the belief that all people possess equal moral worth before God, and the belief that society must be disciplined into righteousness whether it wants to be or not. That tension runs throughout the history of American Christianity. It shaped the First and Second Great Awakenings, fueled both abolitionism and moral policing, and inspired democratic reform movements—all while simultaneously justifying social hierarchy and coercion. If you’re wondering how the MAGA movement can speak constantly in the language of Christianity while bearing intense hostility to many traditional Christian virtues themselves, we can look to this history, which is now repeating itself.

There has been a great deal of discussion on the right in recent years about whether the United States is experiencing some kind of new religious revival. Church attendance remains historically low by many measures, most notably in the mainline churches that have historically fostered religious moderation and created communities of believers from across the political spectrum. That said, religious identity is also increasingly central to American political conflict. Christianity, particularly conservative Christianity, often functions as a marker of political and cultural belonging on the American right. The result is a society that may be becoming less religious overall while simultaneously becoming more religiously polarized. To understand this moment, it helps to revisit the Great Awakenings in U.S. history, when Americans renegotiated the meaning of freedom, morality, and identity on a national scale.

...

Hope this is okay mods - I feel like helping Satanists buy tampons for transgender people is something many atheists might enjoy doing.

Heres the Amazon wishlist.

EDIT : Might as well throw agnosticism in there too.