1Peter 3:15: "Always be prepared to give a defense to everyone who asks you the reason for the hope that is in you. But respond with gentleness and respect, 16keeping a clear conscience, so that those who slander you may be put to shame by your good behavior in Christ.…"
Disclaimer: Islam is a false religion and I am not defending it. I am saying be honest, be fair, and know that you are talking about.
There was a criticism of Islam here yesterday that had some serious errors in it.

According to Surah 4:157, Jesus was not crucified, rather it was a trick, making another resemble him as if he had been killed.

4:157 does not say that although some translators have added that part about making another resemble him. Remember that in Islam, translations of the Quran are not considered translations per se, but "interpretations of the meaning." This gives the translators latitude to fudge on what it really says. Latitude that they use a lot.
First of all, the verse is very odd since it has the Jews claiming that they killed Jesus the Messiah, the messenger of Allah.
Technically the verse is correct when it says that they didn't kill or crucify him because it was the Romans that did it, but that is a minor point.
[BTW, Muslims almost universally believe that someone else was crucified in his place.]
More problematic is that it only says that it "was made to seem that way." But the very next verse says "But Allah raised him to himself."
So these two verses could be saying something like "Yeah, you just think you killed him, but he got resurrected."

According to Surah 3:54, Allah is the greatest deceiver.

3:54: "And (the unbelievers) plotted and planned, and Allah too planned, and the best of planners is Allah." Translator Yusuf Ali is fudging a bit here because the word translated "planned" really does strongly imply deceit.
Why is this a problem? If God wishes to deceive or plot against the wicked deceivers I don't see why he can't do that.
OP and many others say that makes Allah Satan, but there are several places in the Bible where God deceives people. Notably in 1 Kings 22, we see God plotting with others on how to deceive the wicked king Ahab.
"20And the LORD said, ‘Who will entice Ahab to march up and fall at Ramoth-gilead?’ And one suggested this, and another that. 21Then a spirit came forward, stood before the LORD, and said, ‘I will entice him.’ ‘By what means?’ asked the LORD. 22And he replied, ‘I will go out and be a lying spirit in the mouths of all his prophets.’ ‘You will surely entice him and prevail,’ said the LORD. ‘Go and do it.’…
Then Op says:

The Hadiths even go as far as to target Jesus:
Sahih Al-Bukhari 6205
Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) said, "The most awful name in Allah's sight on the Day of Resurrection, will be (that of) a man calling himself Malik Al-Amlak (the king of kings).
Obviously, Jesus is the King of Kings (Revelations 19:16, 17:14)

It is VERY unlikely that. Muhammad ever heard that title applied to Christ, since it is obvious from Quran and Hadith that he had ever even heard of the New Testament [although he was aware of the written Gospel.]
More probably he was referring to the nearby Persian emperors that called themselves "King of Kings."

5 of Allah's names are blatantly satanic:

>Al-Makir (The Deceiver) Al-Fattan (The Mischief Maker) Al-Mutakabbir (The Arrogant) Ad-Darr (The Distresser) Al-Muzil (The HumiliatoThe Misleader) 

Al Makr: Covered above.
Al Fattan: I am unable to find this term as a name of Allah. The closest I can find is "Al Fattah" which means the opener, or beginner.
Al Mutakabir: i think a better translation for this name would be "The Proud," but this is no more problematic than God in the Bible explicitly saying "My name is Jealous."
Ad Darr: Not a problem The Bible also says that God brings disaster and calamity.
Al Muzil: actually this means means giver of dishonor or disgrace, but doesn't God in the Bible bring down the proud and humble the arrogant?
OP conspicuously fails to mention that there are many very nice names of Allah such as, The Compassionate, The Merciful, The Giver of Faith, the Forgiver, the Provider, the All Holy, The Omnipotent, etc.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Names_of_God_in_Islam

Allah and Lucifer, a comparison.

>Satan was the most glorious creature God ever made (Ezekiel 28:12), Allah was the most glorious creature (Quran 11:73). 

This is dishonest because Allah is considered the Creator of All, never a created being.

Angels do not procreate (Matthew 22:28-29), Allah has no son, he does not procreate (Quran 18:4-6, 19:35-36).

Yes, Quran says that Allah has no son, but God in the Bible does not procreate either.

Satan was called a morning star (Isaiah 14:12), Allah was called a morning star, The Lord of Sirius, The Mighty Star of Pagan Arabs and As a Brightly Shining Star (Quran 24:35-36, 53:49).

Yes, 24:35 calls Allah the light of heaven and earth, but Jesus calls himself the light if the world, and he calls us the light of the world. That by no means implies Satan. 53:49 calls Allah the Lord of Sirius, and the Pagans used to worship Sirius. What is the problem with calling Allah the lord of even the star that the Pagans worshiped.
Jesus didn't say he was lord over the "Bright and Morning Star," but that He IS the bright and morning star. This is associated with Venus, a "star" that was widely worshiped by the pagan Romans, but that in no way associates Jesus with Paganism.
There is plenty to criticize in Islam, but we must be fair, honest, and do it with integrity.

Ive been having problems with my current job, to start off I was promised 30 hours (verbal agreement with potentially text proof) a week, and im only getting 5-15. As well the past 2 weeks I got scheduled on a day outside of my availability, the second week (last week) I got called from work, saying that I was scheduled from "X-X" and basically asking where I was. I told my boss the night before, and essentially reminded them, that I cant work before a certain time on said day due to me being in class. In response, I got gibberish. They respondes with gibberish. Today I get a text from the assistant manager asking if im going to be coming in for my shift, presumably because my manager didnt take me off the schedule last week when they knew I couldnt work. Is there anything I can do? Can I call the labour board?

Hello. I have a question and hope to get an anwser here. I recently bought an snes deck. It works fine. However, the start button on my controller does not seem to work. I opened and cleaned the controller, but still no response. I was wondering if it could have something to do with the deck itself. Keep in mind that I bought the deck at a thriftstore where they told me they hadn’t tested the deck. I bought the controller off of an online retro gaming store where I always buy stuff without any trouble.

I'm using VirtuaRed v6 btw

My ex partner is manipulative, and verbally abusive. There has been times he’s dissociated and become physically abusive. He’s unstable and generally not a safe person to be around. I have an open CAS case for both of us, as my middle child (not biologically his) was badly injured while in his care while I was at work and it was suspected he was abusing him. It’s been 2 years since that case started and it’s finally supposed to be closed next month. He claims he wants to petition to keep it open so he can have more access to his biological son (1.5 years old) because he’s only been allowed supervised access. I’m so scared of him someday getting unsupervised access or overnights because I do not feel my child is safe around him. The father of my older children has been there for my youngest child since he was born and treats him the same as our kids we share together. He’d love to adopt him legally but his bio dad won’t agree to it. I’m wondering if it’s even possible to petition it given the circumstances of him being unstable, an unfit parent and a history of abuse. I’m already making sure I have sole decision making custody of our child, but I feel that it’s not enough. I know if he continues to be on good behaviour with supervised visitation he can eventually ask for more in court, and he’s so manipulative. I’ve seen him be completely fine around other people vs. how he acts at home when nobody else is around. I’m scared to expose my child to that and risk him getting hurt, knowing what he’s capable of.

Hello, I’ve been diagnosed with costo for a couple months now. Previously my flare ups would be brutal but the last month I have rarely had any and if they come they are very mild and I’m able to deal with them. The only thing that I feel constantly is my left side (where my costo is) is always stiff not matter what. For example reaching for something or flexing my chest will elicit a sensation that I just want to crack it but it never does. Has anyone had similar symptoms? I finally want to start working out again and was wondering if anyone knows what I should do to eliminate this sensation of stiffness.

35 AMAB, married, with two beautiful daughters, and about a year ago I discovered I was at odds with my gender assigned at birth and have been subsequently diagnosed with gender dysphoria after exploring my concerns in depth with my psychologist.
This past year I have explored various methods to alleviate gender dysphoria, including mindfulness training, positive affirmations, and self-acceptance courses. Despite my best efforts, I have come to the realization that these methods, including attempting to “think” my way out of my gender dysphoria, have not been serving me well.
One aspect that has been particularly challenging is the disconnection I have from my body. I struggle to fully connect with it and find respect or liking for it. I don't necessarily despise my body, I would just much prefer to have a female body. (Dysphoria for me is a sadness, a sustained sense of hopelessness reminding me I can't have the body I long for). I do however experience euphoria when I wear dresses, makeup etc. That may seem reasonably inert detail, but the fact dysphoria hasn’t manifested in outright hatred towards my body that you so often hear is the case, really compounds to the confusion around justifying the pursuit of hormone therapy, as you'll soon read.
I have experienced a loss of libido and difficulties with sexual satisfaction since discovering I had gender incongruity issues. I found temporary relief from all dysphoria after climaxing, sometimes lasting hours, and this lead me to convince myself that there were perhaps alternative motivations at play or at least hope of alternative ways to disprove or overcome dysphoria. However, after a lot of internalizing and journaling, it occurred to me that it’s actually more likely that the medical professionals are correct in their diagnosis. And my gender, and feelings towards, is probably completely beyond my control. And importantly, that these moments of relief are fleeting, meaningless, and arguably counterproductive as they result in false narratives, so I'm now learning to challenge the thoughts associated with experiencing sudden relief. That flip has been a big step for me, considering I used to spend my mental energy to challenge the dysphoric and euphoric feelings.
Until recently, I've viewed medical transition as being in direct competition with my values. I've really struggled with the notion that my "selfish wants / desires", are somehow getting the better of me, causing me to constantly think about about transitioning.
But I'm finding that I keep arriving at the same conclusion: I am a woman. I am a woman despite my doubts. I am a woman despite my fears. I can't change it. I can't control it, nor can my ambitions, my past achievements, my family. I simply am. I'm not broken. It's not going to "go away". It's not going to change. I might have reached out to the medical staff first, but I'm the last to the party. I need to learn to accept it. Embrace it. And this realization has provided me with a profound sense of clarity amidst the confusion and doubts, as it seems to provide an elegant answer to all of the seemingly irrational and selfish prospects transitioning has, in a way that suppression and ignoring couldn't ever do.
However this newfound clarity has also made me acutely aware of it’s implications. Though it pains me to say (there are some major potential relationship implications here), I have to face the very real possibility that the only viable way forward to live authentically is through medical transitioning, encompassing hormone therapy and potentially surgical interventions. However, despite this understanding, I find myself lacking the inner strength and conviction to make the decision to transition of my own accord.
As indicated earlier, my hesitations and fears of transitioning are largely intertwined with the concern for my marriage, as I fear that fully embracing my true self through transitioning might jeopardize the relationship with my spouse, whom I love deeply.
I don’t know what I expected from medical staff when I received my diagnosis, but I had to call my GP and struggle to get an appointment and request a GAHT consultation just to ask some questions around medical transition. I ended up pulling out during my second appointment for a variety of reasons, chief among them, was that it very much felt like it was my choice to start on hormones, if I want to. I didn’t chose any of this, nor do I want to "choose" to prescribe myself hormones knowing it can really mess things up for me.
I, like most people, respect and carry out medical directives given by medical professionals. And since they had established persistent dysphoria and they had my psychologist report, since they knew how easy I find it to discount my feelings, and surpress, I really feel it would have been more appropriate for them to firmly prescribe me with the most effective known treatment, GAHT, akin to how they have prescribed literally any other prescription for every other ailment I have had, and of course it would be a personal (though not recommended) choice NOT to take the hormones, as it is with any treatment. Rather than frame it as an option I could "chose".
But IANAD, and so I struggle with the prospect of actively “choosing” a treatment that may have significant consequences for my personal life. And as a result, I walked.
I’m at a loss with all this. I’ve been contemplating the role of mindfulness training and self-acceptance in alleviating gender dysphoria. One of the gender affirming care avenues outlined in my psych report suggests that mindfulness training can help disregard negative thoughts and promote self-acceptance. But I’m curious about the actual evidence supporting the effectiveness of mindfulness training in managing gender dysphoria. Are there any studies or research that demonstrate its impact on alleviating gender dysphoria or promoting well-being in individuals who choose not to transition medically?
I consider myself to be of average intelligence, and problem solving ability, and thus most of my thinking needs some degree of contemplating, validating and meditation. I find it challenging to comprehend how mindfulness and self-acceptance alone, without transitioning, can sufficiently address the distress and disconnect associated with gender dysphoria, assuming my experience is fairly typical.
For me, I can’t even reliably identify what thoughts are negative anymore, take my thoughts around the relief I had after sex for example - they seemed hopeful, and therefore positive - a lead to follow, but now I’m learning that they’re misguided and destructive.
I’m here for exploring alternative strategies that would both preserve my marriage and allow me to grow in self acceptance, but I’ve arrived at the same realization from multiple angles that there is just no substitute to taking real steps to align oneself with ones gender – in my experience its appears to be predetermined, or at least, not driven by choice or logic.
I’m interested in hearing insights anecdotal or otherwise, of evidence of individuals successfully utilizing mindfulness training or self-acceptance as an alternative to transitioning.

(For me, anyway) is how, in theory, every character could have a happy or tragic fate.
Kendall? Could be a real parent, shake the ghost of his father, finally figure out his own path, maybe an angel investor who does karaoke at a bar he owns or launching TheHundred. Or, he could continue falling into his addict ways, looking for his next fix somewhere unhealthy, and let that consume him until he ODs or self-destructs.
Roman? Could get therapy, travel a bit, realize he never really liked the whole family business, he could be happy as a pundit pretty easily. Or, he could look for more pain in more extreme ways, start fights, and get killed doing something stupid.
Shiv? Could take some time with the baby and working on herself and her marriage, talk the Pierce folks into giving her a job or go back into politics, and end up having a respectable career and family. Or, she blames Tom and everyone else for why she isn’t successful, leaves the kid with nannies all the time, tries to bite off more than she can chew professionally, and ends up Caroline 2.0.
Connor? Could enjoy his cowprint condo for a bit and realize how unhappy Willa is and let her go, and find his own happiness. Or, he could become bitter about the election, start revealing family secrets, and try to start a ‘conhead’ movement.
Tom? Could run Waystar successfully for years just doing what he’s told, could work on his marriage and raising his kid, and could start taking Mondale for a walk every morning. Or, Matsson starts talking to Stewy and figures he likes him better and ousts Tom, who no one will hire because his congressional testimony was edited into a TikTok meme and he’s a laughing stock.
Greg? Ewan could have been bluffing and does leave his estate to him, plus he is still in the good graces of Tom, Kendall, and Matsson to some extent, so he keeps failing upwards. Maybe he’s in Logan’s Will. Or, Jess’ new gig ends up being Tom’s assistant, so Greg is no longer needed there, and none of the Roys have any jobs for him and Ewan did cut him off.
Plus, the Waystar deal could fall apart, the election could change the success of Waystar, etc. so you can determine how much hope you have for any of it, and for everyone else involved as well.

Hi CIRS pals,
I'm so sorry we're all going through this. I was diagnosed in 2021 but had no idea what it really meant and my doc at the time wasn't certified. So nothing really changed. I recently discovered Dr. Andrew Heyman and Judy Cho and have fallen down a learning hole. I'm overwhelmed.
That said, I need treatment stat. I started having resting tremors (foot spasm that freaked me the FRICK out - has anyone experienced this?) I realize Dr. Heyman is probably hella expensive. Soooo my question is, have any of y'all just taken his very detailed protocol to your doc and been like - all of this is what I need.
I'm considering that with the doc I was with in 2021. She's a wonderful lady and we got along great she just didn't know. But if I brought her the protocol and vids, I feel like she'd be like "let's do it."

Out of no where my G2 screens are going black, just started yesterday. Usually about 10-15 mins into use and then after that it will do it constantly.
Always the right one first then the left. After about 5 seconds they come back on. Rinse and repeat.
Tried the firmware update, even though it said it was already installed. Tried at different volume levels, but happens even with no sound playing.
Tried different usb ports.
It is over a year old by a few weeks. Read it could be the cable....I only do sim racing so the cable doesn't get that much movement at all - surely not that fragile...? I have the V2 cable already with the power box.
Any ideas?

Ever pick up a book that the critics, reviewers, and your friends/family raved about, only to find that you just couldn't get into it? I'll start with my most recent: Mexican Gothic. This book was made out to be the best thing to happen to the Gothic genre in decades and I couldn't get past around 40% in. I have no problem with any of its stylistic elements or underlying social/historical commentary: it just failed to grab me and I gave up on it. How about yours?

So extremely recently, I planned and decided this scheme that if I basically; 'Discard of all the people in my life' then nothing will be able to hurt me or I won't have to experience people changing or trying to emotionally scar me. I've been in a horrible Ne-Fe loop I would assume for around a month or two, because everything around me is changing really quickly and going by really fast so I've been a sort of emotional wreck. I basically decided if I began spewing all my problems to people and eventually driving them to liking me less and less than there would be nobody left over to hurt me. But as you can probably tell, it didn't go like that. They started calling me things like a backstabber and narcissist? Which I guess was kind of true, but I overall don't know how to fix the situation and thinks it might be a part of the loop, any help?

Welcome to Alatheus, a world of life and death, good and evil, politics and backstabbing, dungeons and dragons. Realms rise and fall as powerful heroes and villains shape their ambitions in a dangerous world. Unseen forces move kings as though they were puppets while the dead walk the land. Existence itself stands upon the precipice of a knife. So come then, you heroes, and tempt fate, or die trying.
Alatheus is a living world campaign lovingly hand crafted to be the last DnD world I ever make. In every city there is a story, in every forest an adventure. Players explore a world that will change around them and shape it for games to come. Become a legend that new heroes hear about 100 years later or fall into obscurity.
When: This will be open for one week of applications. On Sunday June 4th the players will be chosen. Character creation will take place over the next week, and the bi-weekly game will begin on June 14th. We will aim to have a session 0 on Wednesday June 7th. The game will take place every other Wednesday at 6pm EDT, Eastern US time. The sessions are expected to be about 3-4 hours in length depending on player preference with small breaks.
What?: Alatheus will be played using the Dungeons and Dragons 5th edition. My games are typically high risk, high reward, heavy in roleplaying and heavy in dungeons. All of the story, NPCs, world, and sessions are custom made by me. I involve my players heavily in my story and expect them to shape the flow of the campaign. Players will start at level 1. In between our bi-weekly sessions there will be heavy text based RP in the group Discord.
About You: I'm looking for a mix of players as I find that truly brings the best game out in everyone. Expect choosing to be fairly diverse in terms of experience levels, age, playstyles, and gender. I am searching for players who can commit to the games we plan and show up with enthusiasm and their RPG A-Game every game. Teamwork is essential and find the right mix of enthusiasm and excitement to participate with patience to let every player have their moment in the sun is crucial.
About me: I am an experienced Dungeon Master for some twenty odd years with friends and many hours of Roll20. I'm a hardcore gamer who forges his passion for storytelling with maturity and fun.
https://app.roll20.net/lfg/listing/161551/alatheus

My husband and I ordered Thai on Ubereats yesterday. We were waiting in our flat for the order to be delivered (it was for lunch and dinner ~ 80 GBP). My phone was on silent and I saw missed calls from an unknown number, so I called back 2 mins after the last missed call. I called back 10 times and had no answer. I contacted UberEats as well because on the app it stated that my order was delivered. I decided to call the number again, and the driver answers. He proceeded to yelling at me very aggressively saying that I did not indicate the house number anf that he had waited and called me ten times (lies). We have deliveries everyday and never had a problem. As I was on the phone with him, I double checked the app and it fully states my house number and instructions to come up the stairs. Then he said, "I have your food but I dont want to eat your food!" He proceeded to asking me for cash if I wanted the food to be delivered to my house again (the food in which Uber has already charged me for). "This is extortion or a scam", I told him that this was not right, hung up and proceeded to call UberEats. After spending almost an hour with UberEats on the phone, I was told that a special team will contact me with regards to the refund. It has been a day and a half now, and I have not been able to get to a human representative nor have I been able to get a refund for food that was not delivered. The whole experience just triggered something in me.. I feel scammed and just sad that we were robbed and taken advantage so easily without any help or assistance from UberEats. Does anyone here have any advice on what to do?

Wtf. I had not thought of this step at all!
For anyone still waiting on acceptances or making a decision, start tracking down your immunization records asap.
You can look up the requirements per school or per state. For example, MMR vaccination in at least one state requires two shots 28 days apart, OR, you can get a Titer immunity test that is supposed to show you already have immunity.
You may be able to get vaccines covered with insurance, so make sure you know your insurance information and providers, and are able to schedule an appointment, etc...
Just wanted to give you a heads up about a step that some may not be aware of. I suppose if you already had to do this for undergrad and can retrieve those records, you are golden. I did not, so I'm having to wait for the national archives to look for my veteran records. Lol.

Does anybody else feel the same or has anybody had to do something like this?
I go to sleep and I wake up scrolling them both. On weekends If I can't think of something to do I'll just watch endless YouTube. In small moments of nothing to do, I'll scroll Reddit. I don't feel like I have any imagination, creativity, or patience anymore.
I've tried so many times to get rid of them both, but there is zero friction stopping me from re-downloading them during hard moments and jumping into the endless sea of content. Part of me feels like my only hope is something drastic like getting rid of my phone altogether, but you just can't do that today. Does anybody relate or have any advice?

Sorry for the long post. My dog and I always walk a specific route. We see other dogs and people but he doesn’t react at a distance and it gives him good exposure. 99% of the time we have great walks and I’m so proud of him. Today was terrible and it wasn’t even his fault. To start out we walked by a house that had a German Shepard and a small dog out on the porch and they were flipping out barking like they were trying to kill my dog. He is both stranger and dog reactive so this was really stressful for him and he was pulling and barked a couple of times but it wasn’t the end of the world, we crossed the street. Well then there was a small dog out on a tie out that reached the sidewalk but it stayed laying down by the house and I kept my distance and was just really stressed about the whole situation. Up the street out of nowhere this beagle comes charging up to me and my dog off leash, no owner in sight, wearing a harness so maybe it escaped? I don’t know. But my dog flipped out. He was already stressed because of the dogs barking at him and now this one came right up into his face. I knew the tension was about to build really fast and I had him on a super tight leash with a back clip harness so I had his front end lifted off the ground to keep his mouth away from the other dog and I was putting my other arm around his belly to pick him up, which isn’t easy as he’s 65 pounds. He was literally screaming trying to get at this dog and he whipped around and bit my hand. Not badly but it broke the skin a tiny bit in one place and it hurt. I ignored it and fully lifted him off the ground and pushed the other dog gently with my foot and told it to go away and it went running down the street away from us. At this point I was absolutely over this walk and I set my dog down and turned around to go home. I was still on the side of the road with the small dog on the tie out and I figured it would be better to walk by the Shepard in the fence because now this small dog was barking at us and I knew my dog would kill it if I got too close, so I started to cross the road and the owner of the small dog yelled “don’t let that dog NEAR my dog!” Like lady don’t you see I am literally crossing the street?? The Shepard owner was kind enough to have brought this dogs back in the house and he told me I have a beautiful dog and I was like thank you I appreciate that. Then I hear the small dog owner yelling to the German Shepard owner that my dog would eat her dog right up. And she’s right. And I was so embarrassed. I think the Shepard owner was defending me but I didn’t stick around to hear, I got my ass and my dogs ass back home and gave him his PRN trazodone to calm him down. He is laying in bed next to me panting so hard and I feel so awful that he had such a bad walk and I’m embarrassed that all the neighbors saw the whole thing. I kinda just want to curl up in a ball and cry. I know it wasn’t his fault that he nipped, he was freaking out. I don’t know if I should take a route to avoid people and dogs and give up on exposure therapy or what. Any advice is greatly appreciated. I feel defeated right now.