Religion

Are God and Satan real? Or any religious deities?

• As I stated at the top of this page, you can't really take the Bible, it's impossible to tell what really is the word of God (if there really is a God). So, the existence of the Bible and its contents do not convince me that there is a God, or any Gods for that matter. I suppose my honest answer to this question would be "I don't know." There are a lot of things about the world and the universe that I may not understand or humanity in general and science doesn't have an answer for, but I don't see that as proof of a higher power. For example, we may not know exactly how, when, or why the universe was created, but using that as proof of God is nonsense. That argument basically boils down to "we don't know how the universe was created, so we know how the universe was created - God." What? That just is not convincing and it contradicts itself. I suppose that makes me an atheist because the American Atheist website defines atheism as "the lack of belief in Gods." I am more interested in God and Satan as literary characters because real or not, they are interesting. 

• So, as an atheist, I believe that humans make the world the way that is it, and that humans have the means to make the world better. 

Do atheists consider science a religion?

• No. If you're worshiping science or treating it religiously then you're missing the point of atheism entirely. Sure, we should "trust the science" but that doesn't mean having blind faith in science. Rather, it means following information gained through empirical study until different evidence is obtained. Science can, and should, be questioned, but questioning things is the first step to actual study rather than just blindly going against science. Science adjusts its views based on what is observed, whereas religion is the denial of observation so that belief can be preserved. You could also think of religion as accepting things uncritically while science encourages you to approach things critically. 

God's cruelty

• For a being that supposedly has unconditional love for everyone, God will subject those who don't believe him, don't accept his teachings uncritically, or don't love him more than anyone else in the world to eternal damnation. No rehabilitation or trying to make them see the error of their ways and make them better people who can make positive contributions to society, just torture forever.

• God sentences people who committed a finite "crime" to infinite punishment. 

• God also apparently makes people the way they are yet will punish some of them eternally for being the way they are - the way he made them. 

• God apparently also just randomly chooses for people to be born with debilitating or life-threatening illnesses and for people to randomly get injured or die in freak accidents that were not their fault in situations they had no control over. What's that about?

• One of his creations, Eve, disobeyed him once (only after being "manipulated" to do so), and this made God change the world so that animals were carnivorous and dangerous, thorns and weeds made harvesting and planting food difficult, humans experienced physical death, and women experienced pain in childbirth. This made life worse for all humans just because of one person's mistake. But God didn't stop there. He also made all future human creations imperfect and sinful by nature, punishing them all for a mistake they didn't make, a mistake that occurred before they even existed. In addition to being cruel, this is also exceptionally petty - God essentially created the conditions in the world and in his creations that lead to human suffering and allows it to happen all because one person didn't listen to him once. As an omnipotent being, God even knew that Adam and Eve would sin and he knew that suffering would exist as a result. Seems like a very toxic and controlling relationship God has with humans, and this contradicts the compassion and kindness God/Jesus is said to have in other parts of the Bible. 

• I often see it argued that God causes and allows suffering because it trains people into loving him more, makes them welcome him into their lives, and refines their faith. So, God loves his creations so much that he makes some people's lives extremely miserable in an effort to get them to love him more? Seems pretty cruel to me, as suffering is not the only way to cause a person to grow or change. 

God is tyrannical, authoritarian, and oppresses humanity

• There are a lot of overlaps between God's cruelty and how authoritarian he is, namely how he subjects anyone who doesn't submit to his will, live exactly the way he instructs, accept everything he says uncritically, or conform to his teachings to eternal torture and damnation. In other words, God enforces very strict obedience to his authority where people must place him and his desires above all else, and free will and free thinking are not only discouraged but punished. You can't act at your own discretion or do what you want to do and think what you want to think, you have to do what God wants you to do and think the way he wants you to think. 

• What else do you call someone who demands total compliance at the expense of personal freedom and the pursuit of knowledge under the threat of punishment other than authoritarian or tyrannical? To me, God's whole "live your life this way and do as I say or else burn forever in Hell" schtick is pretty obviously authoritarian and tyrannical. The part about him apparently loving you so much - so much that he will make your life worse so you can learn to love him more - is incredibly manipulative as well.

• If we can acknowledge that God is cruel and authoritarian, it isn't a stretch to say he oppresses humanity. I'm defining oppression here as "unjust or cruel exercises of authority and/or power."

Jesus was pretty epic

• I say that Jesus was epic because he made the ultimate sacrifice so others could have a better life (being forgiven for their sins). His love was bearing pain and sacrificing his life for all of us. I feel as though we're called to do the same. Yet so many of the people who are religious and love Jesus because he sacrificed for them are unwilling to do the same for others. They'd call that idea socialism or tyranny and argue against it because it's not fair, it'll make those other people lazy, those other people don't deserve it, no one did this for them, and so on. It's wild to me that there are people out there who worship a figure because he sacrificed for them to have a better life but they themselves refuse to make sacrifices of any kind to do the same for others and view the idea of doing so as politically and morally wrong. 

Repression and oppression

• A lot of religious teachings, or at least, the interpretation of a lot of religious texts, are concerned with how one expresses themselves and interacts with how others express themselves. Namely, what you should or shouldn't wear, what media you should or shouldn't consume, what kind of media you should or shouldn't create, what you should or shouldn't say, what people you should or shouldn't love, and so on. A case can also be made that something like what you choose to do with your life is a form of self-expression that religion regulates because religion teaches people to repress their own interests and goals and focus more on being in service of God's will (whatever that means). Anyways, this focus on personal regression often gives rise to political oppression, and I don't think it's a coincidence that as religion has played less and less of a role in a person's daily life and become less influential overall, quality of life has improved and people have gained more rights and freedoms. Compare where we are now and how important religion is to a person's life to the middle ages and how influential religion was in practically every aspect of life and how shitty everything was, especially for your average person. 

General questions 

• If God is a perfect being and we are all made in his image, then why do some people need glasses? Why are some people born with a deformity? Are these people not made in God's image? Furthermore, why does (almost) everyone need to get their wisdom teeth removed? Why would a perfect being have teeth that cause jaw issues if they're grown in?

• If God is such an almighty and powerful being, then why does he need the help of fallible humans to fight spiritual evils? Can he not just do it himself?

• If God put many animals on Earth for humans to eat, why do they all feel pain? In the Old Testament, God actually required animal sacrifices because seeing that level of devotion pleased him, so is he testing that humanity's devotion to him is stronger than their empathy for other life, or does he get some sick pleasure out of this? Why is he directly encouraging the suffering of the innocent? 

• If God really is omnipotent and does not want people to suffer, then why does he allow the people he knows will live by his teachings and ultimately get into heaven to suffer in this fallen world prior to getting into Heaven? 

• God makes people the way they are, but people are very different from one another, have different experiences, and grow up in different circumstances. These things can make some people much more receptive to religious teachings and some people less receptive to them. So, why does he make it harder for some people to live by his rules and accept him into their lives than others?

• If God is omnipotent and knew that Adam and Eve would sin, and if he really does not want people to suffer, why would he create Adam and Eve in the first place? Surely he would have just looked for a different way to create life in his image that would not lead to suffering - the thing he doesn't want people to experience. 

Everybody has a different idea about God, and that's because that's all God is - an idea. 

There are so many different denominations of Christianity and Catholicism in America alone, and so many different subgroups, categories, and congregations within each, and they are trying all to convince you that their interpretation of the Bible is correct and the others have been led astray by. But none of them are really "correct" or any more special than the other because of how much the Bible leaves up to interpretation. In addition to the fact that the Bible was written thousands of years ago by different people, then translated and re-contextualized numerous times, a lot of it is specifically vague. By this I mean it offers statements that do have a specific meaning but omit information allowing for it to be open to interpretation. Take Romans 13 for example, which states "Let everyone be subject to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God. Consequently, whoever rebels against the authority is rebelling against what God has instituted, and those who do so will bring judgment on themselves." It is specific in saying that all authorities that exist have been established by God, but what counts as an authority? Does this mean that any authority figure, even ones that didn't exist at the time these words were written like the president of the United States of America, police officers, referees in sports, your boss at work, etc... are all appointed by God and rebelling against them is rebelling against God? Do you blindly obey all authority figures because they're enacting what God has instituted, or just the authority figures that existed at the time the text was written? Does this mean that everyone who rebelled against wearing masks or taking a vaccine during the COVID-19 pandemic should have just complied because it was what God instituted? When the US government made gay marriage legal what was that about - as an authority they're supposedly enacting what God instituted but then again isn't homosexuality a sin or something? 

To me, this proves two things. 1). It's stupid to let words written thousands of years ago dictate how you and others should live their lives today, and 2). It's impossible to know what the "correct" meaning of the phrase is or what the "true" word of God is. 

Thus, pastors exist who are essentially trying to convince you that their interpretation of the Bible is the correct one, and the vagueness of the text helps them greatly. Obviously, these pastors can manipulate the words in the Bible to have a meaning that's beneficial to them, pushing their own agenda, or aligning with the narrative they're trying to get across, and they can instill fear in their followers by referencing Matthew 4 where the Devil quotes scripture and Jesus retorts by essentially saying "nah, I know scripture better than you." Pastors can dangle this threat of the Devil also quoting scripture in a way that makes sense to keep their congregation afraid of anything else in the world that might seem more convincing than what they are saying, essentially arguing that everything they say is true and anything else that deviates from it or contradicts it is deceitful and the work of the Devil. Take this video from some dumbass YouTube channel for example, where the pastor states "Every single abhorrent cult related to Christianity is full of the Devil having twisted scripture, right? All of it - Mormonism, Christian Science - all cults! Jehovah's Witnesses, any of them and all of them." 

Anyways, this threat of the Devil being able to quote scripture is a very effective tool in keeping their congregation in line and afraid of every other source of knowledge or understanding in the world because it could be influenced by the Devil. This fear keeps them compliant and complacent, preventing them from trying to understand things on their own because they'll encounter things that are supposedly crafted by the Devil to seem more convincing than what their pastor is saying. It also keeps the pastor in a position of power because they've convinced so many people that they need to rely on him for guidance in all aspects of life because he knows the "true" meaning of the word of God, whatever that means. The best examples of this are mega-church pastors who are essentially just used car salesmen using their persuasive skills to gain power, money, fame, and influence. These kinds of pastors are kind of just like Satan because they both quote scripture to serve their own purposes. 

What I am trying to get at here is that religion is really not a question of "what is true?" but more "what is more convincing to me?" or "what is more vindicating for me?" where people can use scripture to justify just about anything and make them feel like what they're doing is right, despite how harmful or evil it is. People do horrible things in the name of religion, and this quote from Steven Weinberg seems applicable: “With or without religion, good people can behave well and bad people can do evil; but for good people to do evil - that takes religion.”

If you use the Bible as a moral guide you'll be arrested in every nation on Earth. 

I think it's fairly evident that humans can have morals without the Christian God or religious texts. Human cultures living in times that are considered "before Christ" had morals and their own folktales, myths, and fables to teach good behavior and have a moral lesson in them.   

I do not believe that humanity needs a belief in any religion to have morals or a sense of morality. You do not need to believe in a supernatural being who will reward you for being good to be good, you can just be a good person because you see the benefit it has for you and others. A person can also do good and be moral because they're just caring and considerate. 

To me, the idea that morality can only come from Christianity, or any religion, is an admission that the nature of humanity is evil. I don't think humanity is evil. I don't think humanity is good, either. I think the nature of humanity is potential. The potential for good or evil, selflessness or selfishness, kindness or cruelty, etc... We all make those choices every day. If the only thing preventing people from making evil, selfish, and cruel choices is the threat of Hell and the reward of Heaven, then to me, that's an inditement of all humanity. As Rust Cohle says in season one of True Detective, "If the only thing keeping a person decent is the expectation of divine reward then, brother, that person is a piece of shit."

The story of Adam and Eve and the idea of "original sin" from the book of Genesis is one of the most well know stories from the Bible, but I don't bring it up here just because it's a popular one. Instead, I'm focusing on it because I think it exemplifies God's cruelty and authoritarianism and how Satan might be just misunderstood.

God's Cruelty and Authoritarianism

As I understand it, the story can pretty much be summed up like this: 

• Adam and Eve were created by God to have dominion over the Earth and to be fruitful and multiply. He puts them in the Garden of Eden and tells them that they can eat from any tree in the garden except for the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil. God also allowed Satan to freely roam within the garden, knowing he would try and manipulate Adam and Eve. Well, Satan took the form of a snake and did just that and convinced Eve to eat from the tree, and then she shared that fruit, typically identified as an apple, with Adam. This made God angry, despite the fact that he could have just not let Satan in there in the first place. This was all it took for God to curse all of humanity with sin, make all humans experience physical death, and make the world a worse place for these future humans that had no part in this situation whatsoever in other ways. Furthermore, because God is omnipotent, he knew that Adam and Eve would sin even before he made them, so he knew he would have to cause suffering to exist in this world. 

How is this remotely fair? One of his creations disobeyed him once, and this made God change the world so that animals were carnivorous and dangerous, thorns and weeds made harvesting and planting food difficult, humans experienced physical death, and women experienced pain in childbirth, making life worse for all humans just because of one person's mistake. But God didn't stop there. He also made all future human creations imperfect and sinful by nature, punishing them all for a mistake they didn't make, a mistake that occurred before they even existed. In addition to being cruel, this is also exceptionally petty - God essentially created the conditions in the world and in his creations that lead to human suffering and allows it to happen all because one person didn't listen to him once after they were manipulated into doing so by a being God allowed to do so. He also knew that mass suffering for everyone would be the outcome of his decision to create Adam and Eve but created them anyways because...why? He couldn't have just waited to find another way that would not have ended with mass suffering? Seems like a very toxic and controlling relationship God has with humans, and this contradicts the compassion and kindness God/Jesus is said to have in other parts of the Bible. 

It's as if God is actually just a tyrannical asshole who wanted Adam and Eve to disobey him so he could use that as an excuse to justify the authoritarian power he wields over his creations. Why else would he allow Satan in the garden? Why else would he create them in the first place knowing the outcome? At its very least, this element of the story is extremely cringe. If God has this amount of trust issues then maybe he should have just taken more time explaining to Adam and Eve why they shouldn't eat from his special tree. Or shared that knowledge with them in the first place?

Satan as Salvation

We are taught to fear the snake in this story but to me, Satan is offering enlightenment and liberation. Not only is God encroaching on Adam and Eve's free will by telling them what they can and cannot do, but he is also forcing them to deprive themselves of knowledge, do everything he says without question, and accept everything he says uncritically. If not for Satan and the opportunity to eat from the Tree of Knowledge, we would have to be in total servitude to God (slavery) without free choice. The apple Eve picks from the tree and eats can be representative not just of knowledge but also of free will and a form of salvation from authoritarianism, and Satan can be viewed as the symbolic embodiment of the ultimate rebel against tyranny, authority, and conformity. 

To be clear, I am not giving Satan props here simply because he encouraged others to challenge authority. Rather, it's because of what he encouraged Eve to rebel against - depriving herself of knowledge and giving up free will to be in total servitude to authority without question. Simply challenging authority for the sake of doing so, because that authority has suggested you and others take certain health measures, or because that authority might take away your slaves, isn't commendable. 

Think of it as similar to the Myth of Prometheus from Greek mythology where the Titan Prometheus stole fire from Zeus and gave it back to humans, helping them against Zeus' anger and unfair treatment of humanity. In that story, fire represents technology, knowledge, and more generally, civilization, and I think it's easy to see the apple as representative of knowledge in the Adam and Eve story. I think most people would recognize that, if it was real, what Prometheus did was a good thing. Is it not that far off to say that Satan may have been doing a good thing as well?

Based on this story, it's evident that Satan challenged God and encouraged his creations to do the same. This is a good thing, isn't it? In life, and especially when it comes to politics, don't we value people who question authority, stand up to tyranny, and don't just blindly comply to do what they're told? And especially when it comes to politics, shouldn't we be challenging authority figures and holding them accountable for their actions rather than just submitting to the government completely? We shouldn't accept anything uncritically, but that's what God is asking us to do. 

This is a part of religion in America that's baffling to me. So many people, mainly on the right, claim to hate "tyranny" and the idea of "compliance" (only when it comes from the left) and describe themselves as "free thinkers" who aren't "sheep" like others, but then they submit themselves entirely to God's tyranny, comply with his desires, accept all teachings uncritically, and let the Bible do all the thinking for them. This is highlighted in one of the memes below. 

• Granted, a lot of these people are very hypocritical and are only interested in God as a way to appear morally superior to others or cherry-pick elements of the Bible to reinforce their bigotry, but this was still worth noting. 

"Do atheists worship science?" 

• No. But I will say that if someone is worshiping science or treating it religiously then they're missing the point of atheism entirely. Sure, we should "trust the science" but that doesn't mean having blind faith in science. Rather, it means following information gained through empirical study until different evidence is obtained. Science can, and should, be questioned, but questioning things is the first step to actual study rather than just blindly going against science. 

"But science keeps changing its mind."

• Yes. Science adjusts its views based on what is observed, whereas religion is the denial of observation so that belief can be preserved. 

• When someone discovers a fact or puts forth a theory that contradicts religion, the religious condemn, ostracize, and ban them and their work. They've historically enforced imprisonment, exile, torture, and death on them as well. This was much more violent and rampant in past centuries (namely around the middle ages), but religious groups still very much condemn and vilify people who don't conform to their teachings and ban their work. On the other hand, the scientific community praise, reward, and celebrate those who have something new to contribute. They share this work, teach it, and use it to inspire others to make such discoveries. You could see this as incredible humility. The fact that scientists change their minds when new discoveries are made and when confronted with new information should be seen as evidence that they are really interested in what is true. Truth seems to be something that really isn't important to religion - it's more important for someone to "believe" in God than it is for them to live by his teachings or for things in the Bible to be true. 

"Mark my word, if and when these preachers get control of the [Republican] party, and they're sure trying to do so, it's going to be a terrible damn problem. Frankly, these people frighten me. Politics and governing demand compromise. But these Christians believe they are acting in the name of God, so they can't and won't compromise. I know, I've tried to deal with them." - Barry Goldwater, former Republican senator and Air Force officer.

When talking about the Republican religious right in 2000, Republican John McCain called them "agents of ignorance."

"Never apologize for God's blessings in your life just share them." - Chad Bruegman, preacher. To me, this means if you have the means, you have the responsibility.

"Jesus didn't die for us so that we could continue treating people the way people treated him" - Some Instagram post.

Working on Sunday is punishable by death (Exodus 35:2).

You have to love God more than anyone else in your life, even your parents, significant other, or children. (Matthew 10:37)

You can't love anything in the world or the world and if you do then you don't love God. (1 John 2:15)

• Seems dumb as hell to me because God created the world and the things in it so why can't you love his creation? Also, this means you shouldn't love your parents, siblings, spouse, or kids. And doesn't the Bible say to love your neighbor?

Having sexual relations while a woman is on her period is a sin (Leviticus 18:19).

Don't eat pork (Leviticus 11:7).

Don't eat lobster (Leviticus 11:9). Also.

Don't plant a field with two different kinds of seed (Leviticus 19:19).

Don't wear clothing that is made, or woven, of two different materials (Leviticus 19:19). This comes back up in Deuteronomy 22:11 when the Bible says that clothes of wool and linen woven together shouldn't be worn. 

Don't cut the hair on the sides of your head or cut the edges of a beard (Leviticus 19:27).

Don't get a tattoo (Leviticus 19:28).

Women cannot wear expensive clothes, gold or pearls, and cannot have elaborate hairstyles (1 Timothy 2:9).

A woman should be quiet and submissive (1 Timothy 2:12).

A woman cannot teach (1 Timothy 2:12). 

• This is a fun one because many who clamor to have the Bible or God be taught in schools must not know that roughly 76% of public school teachers are women. So I guess they want God and the Bible to be taught but the teachings not to be followed? 

A woman cannot hold any authority over a man (1 Timothy 2:12).

• Most of this Timothy stuff is some dude Paul talking about what a church must do to prevent false doctrine from taking over. Apparently, women are quite the threat, and letting them behave in a noticeable fashion, wear certain clothes, teach, or have authority over a man can lead to false doctrine taking over a church. 

A married woman who is not a virgin, or cannot prove her virginity must be stoned to death (Deuteronomy 22:20 and 21).

People who cheat on their husband or wife must die (Deuteronomy 22:22).

If a virgin woman is raped then they must marry their rapist (Deuteronomy 22:28 and 29).

If a child is stubborn or rebellious or curses their parents they should be stoned to death (Leviticus 20:9 and Deuteronomy 21:18-21).

The Bible and Miosiac Law condoned slavery, and ancient Israelites and Christians participated in slavery ranging from chattel slavery to sex slavery. Sure, God does advocate for slaves to be treated with some respect, but he still is fine with people being enslaved. 

"Defend the weak and the fatherless; uphold the cause of the poor and the oppressed. Rescue the weak and the needy; deliver them from the hand of the wicked." - Pslam 82: 3 and 4

"All believers were together and had everything in common. They sold property and possessions to give to anyone in need." - Acts 2:44-45

"And again I say unto you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God." - Matthew 19:24

"Do to others as you would want them to do to you." - Luke 6:31

"If you want to be perfect, go, sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me." - Matthew 19:21

"A fool takes no pleasure in understanding, but only in expressing his opinion." - Proverbs 8:2

"A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.” - John 13: 34-35

Jesus healed someone (provided healthcare) for free (Matthew 9:20-22).

A leader doesn't seek power. A leader seeks ways to help those who have no power, like children (Mark 9:37).

Charity and helping others is good. Followers who provided Jesus with food, shelter, and clothes when he was in need will be rewarded and those who did not help him when he was in need will go to eternal fire (Matthew 25:35-45).

Song of Solomon 7 is about a man's desire for a woman. Both man and woman want each other so they make love in a vineyard, and this lust and desire is never punished. To me, this says lust, praise, and love of the human form/body as a creation of God in his own image is a fundamental aspect of showing love to God. 

When it comes to evolution, there's a common misconception many people have about how humans evolved and what our Many religious folks scoff at the idea of evolution because "if humans evolved from monkeys or apes, why are there still monkeys and apes today?" While this is a strawman, it's excusable because there are a lot of misconceptions regarding how evolution works. 

When answering this question, it's important to make the distinction that no one who believes in evolution over creationism is arguing that humans are monkeys or apes. They're instead pointing out that humans, like monkeys and apes, are primates. There is no straight line of evolution that goes directly from monkey or ape to human. That's not how evolution works. 

In other words - humans didn't come from today's monkeys or apes, humans, monkeys, and apes all evolved from the same ancient ancestor and evolved differently. Check out Figure 2 below from this research article for a visual representation of the point I am making here. 

It seems like a great deal of the pro-life sentiment in America stems from religion, and the passage in Jeremiah 1:5 where God essentially states that he knows all his human creations even before he formed them in their mother's womb is one I commonly hear brought up as justification that abortion is wrong and a freshly fertilized egg is a person and should be treated as such. If this is the case, then what's up with the massive amount of pregnancies that spontaneously abort themselves? Why would God create a life and then end it weeks later before it had even been fully formed and experienced the world and why would he do this so often? Seems to me that God is the biggest baby killer of them all. 

Furthermore, if we are to use religion as a guide to reproductive rights, then should it also be illegal for men to pull out when having sex? In Genesis 38:8-10 God kills Onan for spilling his seed on the ground. To take this a step further, should any male ejaculation that isn't inside of a woman be punished by law since it is "wasting" seed? After all, the act of sex is purely to make children, right?

Using a survey from the Pew Research Center and UCR crime data from the FBI from 2016, 2017, 2018, and 2019, it's evident that six of the top 10 most religious states are also among the top 10 states with the highest murder rate and five are among the top 10 states with the highest violent crime rate. This is seen in Figure 1 below.

Perhaps a result of the high teen pregnancy rate in highly religious states, one study found that, while attending a high school with a high proportion of conservative Protestants discourages abortions, women from private religious schools were more. likely to report obtaining an abortion than those who went to a public high school. 

• Interesting excerpt from the study: "The strong social ties that are cultivated in Catholic and other religious schools may accentuate the negative social sanctions associated with an extramarital birth, inadvertently boosting the likelihood that a pregnant woman will obtain an abortion."

A study has shown that among 111 male sexual offenders, those who maintained their religious involvement from childhood to adulthood had more sexual offense convictions, more victims, and younger victims, than other groups. The other groups were atheists, converts, and dropouts. 

A PEW Research Center poll from 2009 shows that people who seldom or never attended religious services were the least likely to say torture is justified, right behind unaffiliated folks who had the largest percentage of answers of torture never being justified or rarely being justified. This is seen in Figure 3 below. 

Trump's lies have been well documented, telling over 30,000 falsehoods as president according to Mother Jones, exactly 30,573 according to the Washington Post, and the Bible refers to the devil as "a liar and the father of lies" (John 8:44) who disguises himself as an angel of light (2 Corinthians 11:14). 

The Bible also warns of false prophets and says that these false prophets will bring their own destruction on themselves (2 Peter 2:1) and it was Trump's own followers that led to his "destruction" - a second impeachment trial, being banned from certain social media platforms, the end of his public battle against the results of the 2020 election. Concerning false prophets, the Bible also says that they commit adultery and live a lie (Jeremiah 23:14), sounding very similar to Trump considering the various affairs he has had, even paying a woman $130,000 to stay quiet about an affair that happened four months after the birth of one of his children. The false prophet will be able to deceive the unbelieving world because the power of religion over men’s minds is so great and the false prophet will convince the unbelieving world that Antichrist is the solution to the world’s pressing problems, much like so many MAGA idiots are convinced Trump is the sole answer to America's problems. The Bible also warns that people would receive a mark on their hand or forehead from this false prophet (Revelation 13), much like many Trump supporters wear his mark upon their foreheads in the form of "Make America Great Again" hats. 

Genetically Modified Skeptic

Holy Koolaid

Rationality Rules

Aron Ra (this guy can be a little full of himself sometimes but he still makes a lot of interesting points)