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.

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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.

83 studies spanning over 90 years of research. all pointing in the same direction. Religious people are less intelligent. The evidence is concrete.

Disclaimer: I'm staunch atheist (naturalist), but every once in a while I'll dip a toe into mythology. And sometimes this includes the Christian Cinematic Universe. Or as the case may be, the larger Abrahamic Cinematic Universe

David and Goliath is already a part of biblical mythology. In the myth, David of the Israelites (in the story, a clever young lad skilled with a sling) defeats Goliath of the Philistines (a giant warrior). Implied in the story is the protocol that gods can duel each other by proxy, by having their champions fight on the field and seeing who wins.

Cut to modern day. The US attacks Iran.

But the US isn't acting as a secular nation as it has in prior theaters of war. The Trump administration is actively trying to turn the US into a theocratic state under the patronage of white Christian nationalism, a movement that intersects with a number of different Christian institutions.

Before the initial strikes on Iran, Hegseth made it very clear to the US armed forces and the US public that the United States is engaging in a holy war against Iran. Preaching and rituals happened. Blessings were administered. Troopers had to sit through uncomfortable hours of preaching.

And note that Iran is, itself, a far-right-wing theocratic government under Shia Islam.

And Iran has been holding its own under siege by the US' superior force. Early on they were able to close the Hormuz Strait to commercial shipping, decimating the global economy.

Months into the war, the US is depleted of munitions and Iran stands firm. The Hormuz strait is still closed to commerce. Moreover, hostilities are expanding as the Houthi–Saudi Arabian conflict reignites. The Bab-el-Mandeb strait is now in play. And all that Trump and Hegseth can think to do is attack Iran some more, specifically, to attack civilian infrastructure (That's a war crime and, according to Sun Tzu, an act of desperation.)

The US is getting shellacked. Brought down like Goliath.

Can this be interpreted to mean that American Christianity is a false or lesser religious power than Persian Islam? More importantly, can the risk of this narrative playing out be used to sway US leadership to act sensibly (e.g. end the war or replace the command)?