Read this story:
https://abcnews.go.com/US/protesters-bring-statue-francis-key-scott/story?id=71359718
Read this story:
Christian rocker Jonathan Steingard reveals he no longer believes in God
The frontman of a leading Christian rock band has admitted he no longer believes in God.
“After growing up in a Christian home, being a pastor’s kid, playing and singing in a Christian band, and having the word ‘Christian’ in front of most of the things in my life — I am now finding that I no longer believe in God,” Hawk Nelson frontman Jonathan Steingard wrote in a nine-page confessional on Instagram.
The 36-year-old Canadian rocker admitted that losing his religion occurred over several years of serious doubts — even while penning some of the band’s most overtly Christian tunes.
He said he was only now ready to “share my deepest truth” because Hawk Nelson “isn’t playing shows or making new music at the moment” and he no longer needs the band to support his family.
He said he was only now ready to “share my deepest truth” because Hawk Nelson “isn’t playing shows or making new music at the moment” and he no longer needs the band to support his family.
While he did not say outright that he was leaving the band, he made it clear he was leaving the religious rock movement.
“I no longer fear losing my place in Christian music. I know this means giving it up voluntarily,” he said in the lengthy confessional.
Steingard says he had long felt “uncomfortable” with parts of worship that “felt like some kind of weird performance art.”
But his “belief in God truly began to unravel” when he started challenging different versions of Bible stories, he said. “Once I found that I didn’t believe the Bible was the Perfect Word of God — it didn’t take long to realize that I was no longer sure he was there at all,” he wrote.
That realization left him in a “very dark place for a while” as he feared being shunned by his family and friends.
“I feel like I’ve mostly emerged from that dark place now — because I’ve discovered that life really does go on,” he said. “My family is showing me incredible love and support, even though I know this grieves them.”
He admitted being “terrified to post this” — and insisted he was “not looking for a debate.”
“Just a chance to share my story in the hopes some good can come from it. I love you all,” he wrote.
Hawk Nelson told People that “God is still for Jon and he still matters,” saying, “that truth doesn’t change just because we question it.”
“We are called to love one another unconditionally, as God loves us,” Daniel Biro, Micah Kuiper and David Niacaris said in a statement.
“Ever thankful and grateful for how God has used this band, the music and the relationships and how he continues to do so.”
It is clear that he was a Christian only because he was raised in it, and his being the son of a clergyman must have made him think he needed to measure up to his father’s example. But if his spiritual orientation was not Christian, that was a futile effort.
Once I found that I didn’t believe the Bible was the Perfect Word of God — it didn’t take long to realize that I was no longer sure he was there at all
That’s quite a leap from Christian fundamentalism to agnosticism, though I myself made that leap at age 20. But it should have been obvious from Day One that the Bible wasn’t perfect. Didn’t he ever read it before?
https://dalehusband.com/category/religion/bible/
He can still be a Christian and not be a delusional extremist, as I tried to explain here:
If your Spiritual Orientation is CHRISTIAN….
But if he really wants to defect, he can still find a spiritual home here:
He’s going to have a tough time finding a new purpose for himself, but at least he can get support here:
https://www.reddit.com/r/exchristian/
And even talk to other Christian rockers that have also defected as mentioned here:
Rewriting a bigoted article about religion
Watch this video:
Naturally, Baha’is rushed to attack it and critics of the Baha’i Faith also showed up to deal with it, including me.
Read this online obituary:
https://www.dignitymemorial.com/obituaries/franklin-oh/sarah-grossman-9203495
Sarah Rae Grossman
October 7, 1997 – May 30, 2020
With great sadness we announce the death of Sarah Rae Grossman, age 22, of Columbus, Oh (formerly of Springboro, Oh) on May 30, 2020. Born October 7, 1997 in Naperville, Il, Sarah is survived by her parents, Todd and Christi Grossman, and sister Jessa Grossman, of Springboro Oh; Grandparents Lonnie and Thelma Mullins, Mel and Shelley Grossman, and Phillip and Sue VanKersen, and many loving and amazing friends, aunts, uncles and cousins. She was a 2016 graduate of Springboro High School.
Sarah graduated May 3, 2020 from The Ohio State University with an Honors Degree of Bachelor of Science in the School of Environment and Natural Resources. Her specific course of study within the EEDS program (Environment, Economy, Development and Sustainability) reflected her life passions. Prior to the Covid pandemic, Sarah planned to complete a second degree in Spanish in 2021 while attending the Universidad of Belgrano in Buenos Aires, Argentina.
It is impossible to find the words to describe her kindness, unique spirit, and unwavering dedication to her convictions. Sarah was a fierce but compassionate supporter of environmental issues and social justice. A genuine friend who loved and cherished her extraordinary friendships. She was the most caring and thoughtful daughter, a beloved granddaughter, and a loving sibling and best friend to her sister Jessa.
Sarah had spent the past two summers in Guatemala researching the harvesting industry. After graduation she planned to pursue work promoting positive environmental, climate and land use policies, assisting migrant workers and indigenous communities. She wanted to help the voices of the underserved be heard. She opened our eyes to both lovely ideas and ugly truths. In addition to being a full time student, she was a hard working employee, having held over six jobs in her short life, most recently at Stauf’s Coffee, and Chadwick Arboretum in Columbus, Oh. Sarah loved nature and being outdoors- hiking in the great National Parks of this country, collecting and caring for plants, watching the sun set and the moon rise. She had many interests that brought her joy- creating ceramics and art, finding that awesome thrift store find, and she definitely loved her coffee! She had visited nine countries- always wanting to learn about the world through the eyes of another. She lived a short but full life.
We will forever miss those big dimples and sweet smile. Those who knew her will understand what a beautiful soul the world has lost.
And how did she die? According to posts on Twitter:
Wow. I know some people on Twitter are still in denial about this:
Erin Stalcup@stalcup_erin4Replying toHey, this claim is currently unsubstantiated. As such, her family is asking that tweets like these be taken down until such time as they can prove them and are ready for all of the negative attention that has come upon them.2:27 PM · Jun 5, 2020
Replying toHello! Please take this post down immediately out of respect for Sarah’s close friends and family. There is no conclusion as to how she has passed and spreading misinformation is incredibly harmful.
Viola Fauver Liuzzo (née Gregg; April 11, 1925 – March 25, 1965) was a housewife and mother of five. In March 1965, Liuzzo heeded the call of Martin Luther King Jr and traveled from Detroit, Michigan, to Selma, Alabama, in the wake of the Bloody Sunday attempt at marching across the Edmund Pettus Bridge. Liuzzo participated in the successful Selma to Montgomery marches and helped with coordination and logistics. At the age of 39, while driving back from a trip shuttling fellow activists to the Montgomery airport, she was murdered by members of the Ku Klux Klan.
One of the four Klansmen in the car from which the shots were fired was Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) informant Gary Thomas Rowe.[1][2] Rowe testified against the shooters and was given witness protection by the FBI.[3] The FBI immediately began a smear campaign and leaked to the press what were purported to be salacious details about Liuzzo. The FBI attempted to downplay the situation and to discredit Liuzzo by spreading rumors that she was a member of the Communist Party, was a heroin addict,[4] and had abandoned her children to have sexual relationships with African-Americans involved in the Civil Rights Movement.[5] All of the rumors were entirely false and were wholely fabricated by the FBI.[6][7]
THAT woman could have been my mother or grandmother!
If it turns out that Sarah Grossman did not die because of tear gas, we should correct the misinformation. But she is worth remembering anyway. So is anyone who takes a stand (or drops to a knee, for that matter) to protest injustice.
With all the protests erupting across America regarding the murder of an unarmed black man, George Floyd, at the hands (and knee) of a white cop, I am reminded of an incident that illustrated to me why police can’t always be trusted, even if they don’t kill blacks at all.
Back when I was living in Arlington, Texas, I was traveling down highway 360 when I was pulled over by a cop. He approached my car and said, “Do you know why I pulled you over?”
I said, “No clue, officer. I know I wasn’t speeding. In fact, it is impossible to speed on this highway; it’s too congested.”
The cop then said, “Are you lost? Do you need help getting somewhere?”
I said, “No, I’m fine.”
The cop let me go. But I have no doubt that he did so only because of my white privilege. But I was driving a 2002 Saturn that was in such poor condition that I’m sure the cop seeing it from a distance assumed it was being driven by a poor black or hispanic man. So if instead I had been a person of color, he likely would have written me a ticket for some made up excuse and I would have had to go to court to fight it and still risk losing the fight in front of a mostly white jury. I already knew that traffic tickets are a convenient means of a city to raise extra money without raising taxes on most citizens, not merely a matter of public safety. And what better way to keep minorities down than by targeting their pocketbooks?
I have been distrustful of police ever since.
In 2018, I downloaded and began playing an app on my new smartphone titled Choices: Stories You Play created by a mobile gaming company called Pixelberry Studios. It features stories of romance that you have some control over by making decisions on behalf of the stories’ Main Characters. The characters include teenagers in high school, young adults in college, older adults dealing with mysteries and fighting criminals and other powerful enemies, and even some historical scenarios.
https://choices-stories-you-play.fandom.com/wiki/Choices:_Stories_You_Play_Wikia
Of all the stories I have played so far, my favorite by far has been Perfect Match.