I'm an Atheist and Secular Zionist who as somebody that appreciates all actual authentic native and indeginous spiritual beliefs, traditions, heritages and identities of every country, culture and civilization of the world I support the existence of Israel on purely historical grounds because I want the Jews to have their country, culture and civilization again in modern times like they had 3,000 years ago in ancient times of the Israelites Not to mention as an Iranian Nationalist (i.e. Aryan Nationalist) myself it is the case that Iranian Nationalism has Zionism naturally built into it since our ancient Shāh Kurosh the Great setup Iranian Nationalism this way when his Iranian Military liberated the Jews from Babylonian captivity and providing them passage to Israel thus we as modern Iranians must follow his example of 2,500 years ago at the time of the Iranian Empire (i.e. Aryan Empire) I as an Atheist am appreciative of the fact that Judaism is the only Abrahamic spiritual belief that is not prosthletizing at all which is an extra bonus giving me even more motivation to stand with the Jewish People whom I love as my brothers and sisters which is something that Christians and Muslims lack because Christianity and Islam never stop their prosthletizing nonsense Am ISRAEL Khai 🇮🇱 💙

What happened today in the discussion group got me thinking - once the initiative was taken and the free discussion used 2's in the chat, the discussion, almost immediately, became more pleasant. To be more accurate, it became more pleasant for people like me, and less enjoyable for those with the opposite preference. The dormant scientist in me was then tempted to do what scientists do - observe the next crowded free-for-all discussion quietly, and draw a pie chart of proportion of time spoken by participant. I suspect such chart would contain three or four big slices , with all other participants represented by thin ones if at all. The thing is that such chart would provide little insight on the quality of the conversation, as some people enjoy an unregulated discussion, either for its spontaneous nature or for technical reasons, while others regret the need to use one's virtual elbows in order to be heard. Fortunately the solution is within reach - the next time some of us want a discussion with 2's , all they need to do is to move to another room so that there would be a choice between the two discussion cultures. This is technically feasible and does not require anyone's approval. Eureka.

🔴Amid the devastation caused by the earthquakes in Venezuela, Diosdado Cabello faced harsh criticism after videos surfaced showing him confronting and obstructing U.S. rescue teams working in affected areas like La Guaira. ⭕The footage shows rescuers attempting to save lives while Cabello shouts at them and interferes with their efforts, sparking outrage both within and outside the country. The official is also wanted by the United States with a $25 million reward for alleged drug trafficking and terrorism offenses. ⭕Meanwhile, the tragedy continues to worsen with over 1,700 dead, thousands injured, and tens of thousands affected. International teams, including U.S. rescuers, have managed to save lives, such as the rescue of a baby and his mother after several days under the rubble. ⭕However, the Venezuelan government's response has been questioned by citizens and U.S. politicians like Carlos A. Gimenez, who denounce obstacles, lack of support, and the politicization of the crisis. The situation has heightened tensions and discontent in the country. NEW YORK POST https://x.com/mariojpenton/status/2071781986545324332?s=46&t=gT6uLhaVod8uwzT4p6povA

"I lift my eyes to the mountains, where does my help come from? My help comes from the LORD, maker of heaven and earth." (Psalms 121:1-2) In March, someone attacked a synagogue in Liege, Belgium. This week, Belgian police finally identified the suspects. The story barely made the news when it happened. The identification barely made the news now. A synagogue, a place where Jewish families pray, where kids go to learn their heritage, where communities have gathered for generations, was attacked in a Western European city, and it got two paragraphs in the international press. We know that if someone had attacked any other house of worship in Liege, the coverage would have looked very different. We all know that. And yet we've quietly accepted this double standard as the new normal. Jewish communities across Europe are making security decisions right now that would have been unimaginable thirty years ago. Armed guards at Shabbat dinners. Children walking to Hebrew school past security cameras. Since October 7, antisemitism in Europe got louder, angrier, and less embarrassed about itself. The Liege attack is one data point. There are thousands more. Now to the front lines, because the front lines haven't stopped. Four IDF soldiers, including two officers, were wounded in southern Lebanon on the night of June 25, in a direct clash with a Hezbollah gunman. A ceasefire is nominally in effect. Israel has been striking Hezbollah positions. Hezbollah has been probing IDF lines. The soldiers who were wounded last night were defending Israeli communities in the north that spent years being bombarded by Hezbollah rockets. Hezbollah chief Naim Qassem had the nerve this week to declare the US-Iran agreement "a defeat for Israel and America," then demand that Israel leave every inch of Lebanese soil with no gains, no normalization, and no partial presence. I think what he's really saying is: Hezbollah wants the clock turned back to before the war. Back to when it had 150,000 rockets pointed at Israeli cities and Israel had no buffer zone. That's the demand. Israel's answer has been no. That's the right answer.

Following one of the live discussion I thought I'd clarify some points on atheism and atheists. - There is only one thing all atheists have in common Theists (and some atheists) sometimes make statements about what "Atheists believe", as if there is some kind of an atheist bible which all of them use as reference. The truth is that there is only one thing all atheists share - they don't think gods exist. Other than that atheists could differ on almost any topic one could think of - some would advocate for the Covid vaccine while others would argue against it, some are communists while others are libertarians, some would argue that trans people are not really of the identity they claim to have while others would defend the trans perception with zeal etc. . Just as the only thing common to all vegetarians is *not* eating meat , the only thing common to all atheist is *not* believing in the existence of gods (including yours). - Atheists are not necessarily moral relativists While some atheists may be moral relativists, it is not always the case. Many atheists maintain a set of core values which they consider to be universal. The difference between them and theists is, of course, that they don't consider the source of such values to be divine. - Not all atheists "believe there is no god" While some atheists could be described as "believing" there is no god, others came to the conclusion that the existence of gods doesn't make sense. Put in another way, in many cases, telling an atheist that he or she "believe" that god doesn't exist is like telling someone they "believe" the sphinx or Pegasus never existed. As for the atheist writing these lines, he maintains that any claim for the existence of a god does not meet the Popperian falsification principle , and is therefore not valid. (on the Popperian falsification principle - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Falsifiability )