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“Secular humanism is a philosophy, belief system or life stance that embraces human reason, secular ethics, and philosophical naturalism while specifically rejecting religious dogma, supernaturalism, and superstition as the basis of morality and decision making.[1][2][3][4]

Secular humanism posits that human beings are capable of being ethical and moral without religion or belief in a deity. It does not, however, assume that humans are either inherently good or evil, nor does it present humans as being superior to nature. Rather, the humanist life stance emphasizes the unique responsibility facing humanity and the ethical consequences of human decisions. Fundamental to the concept of secular humanism is the strongly held viewpoint that ideology—be it religious or political—must be thoroughly examined by each individual and not simply accepted or rejected on faith. Along with this, an essential part of secular humanism is a continually adapting search for truth, primarily through science and philosophy. Many secular humanists derive their moral codes from a philosophy of utilitarianism, ethical naturalism, or evolutionary ethics, and some advocate a science of morality.

Humanists International, founded by Julian Huxley and Jaap van Praag, is the world union of more than one hundred humanist, rationalist, irreligious, atheist, Bright, secular, Ethical Culture, and freethought organizations in more than 40 countries. The "Happy Human" is recognized as the official symbol of humanism internationally, used by secular humanist organizations in every part of the world.” I strongly disagree with the religious right with their far-right views on creationism in public education,[14] school prayer,[15] temperance,[16] Christian nationalism,[17], Sunday Sabbatarianism,[18] biological evolution,[14] embryonic stem cell research,[19] LGBT rights,[3][9][15][20] comprehensive sex education,[21][22] abortion,[15][23] pornography, (24], role of government, education, church and state relations, economics, having the Ten Commandments in schools and in public places, Sunday blue laws, contraception, biotechnology, sex and sexuality, marijuana, alcohol, and The Middle East. Jesus spoke the word “Gehenna” not “Hell. In traditional English versions, he does occasionally seem to speak of “Hell” – for example, in his warnings in the Sermon on the Mount: anyone who calls another a fool, or who allows their right eye or hand to sin, will be cast into “hell” (Matthew 5:22, 29-30). But these passages are not actually referring to “hell.” The word Jesus uses is “Gehenna.” The term does not refer to a place of eternal torment but to a notorious valley just outside the walls of Jerusalem, believed by many Jews at the time to be the most unholy, god-forsaken place on earth. It was where, according to the Old Testament, ancient Israelites practiced child sacrifice to foreign gods. The God of Israel had condemned and forsaken the place. The church lacks Attitude

Emotional intelligence

Emotional literacy

Emotional self-regulation

Gelotology

Hope theory

Impermanence

Kindness

Empathy

Life skills-based education

Moral development

People skills

Personal boundaries

Positive psychology

RULER

Social intelligence

Social skills

Soft skills

Study skills

Theory of multiple intelligences

Vocational skills decision-making and problem-solving;

Creative thinking (see also: lateral thinking) and critical thinking;

Communication and interpersonal skills;

Self-awareness and empathy;

Assertiveness and equanimity; and

resilience and coping with emotions and coping with stress. I don’t believe in absolute certainty and absolute truth. Religion glorifies tribalism, suppression and repression of the flesh and emotions and inner life, skim-reading religious texts, passive acceptance of wrongfulness, elitism, favoritism, cronyism, and nepotism. Jesus is never a Christian, Jesus never went to church. Jesus was a Judaism-practicing Jew. He spoke Aramaic, not English.

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“The 5-item Emotional Intimacy Scale (EIS) is a scale which enables an evaluation of the emotional intimacy in a relationship. Its goal is to predict the different outcomes produced by the existence of an intimate relationship.[8]

This scale is created with a study of different items which are fundamental components of an intimate relationship. Some persons need to answer to a questionnaire. They answer to judge the degree of truth of each of these components in comparison with their actual situation. There are five of them:

This person completely accepts me as I am

I can openly share my deepest thoughts and feelings with this person

This person cares deeply for me

This person would willingly help me in any way

My thoughts and feelings are understood and affirmed by this person

These results are putting in correlation with specific values which characterize an individual such as psychological and physical well-being, social support, and health.

The results provided by the scale prove a positive relationship between an increase of EIS and an increase for the individual of social support, self-efficiency, life satisfaction and other positive effects. It also shows the negative relation between a decrease of EIS and an increase of stress, pain, and fatigue for the individual. An intimate relationship gives a sentiment of purpose and belonging which increases the physiological and psychological well-being. Emotional intimacy can be expressed in verbal and non-verbal communication. The degree of comfort, effectiveness, and mutual experience of closeness might indicate emotional intimacy between individuals. Intimate communication is both expressed (e.g. talking) and implied (e.g. friends sitting close on a park bench in silence).

Emotional intimacy depends primarily on the degree of closeness, as well as the nature of the relationship and the culture in which it is observed.[3] Emotional intimacy is different from sexual intimacy in that sexual intimacy can take place with or without emotional intimacy. Sexual intimacy differs from emotional intimacy because the latter often does not require any kind of sexual context.[4] Emotional intimacy is a psychological event that happens when trust levels and communication between two people are such that it fosters the mutual sharing of one another's deepest selves. Depending on the background and conventions of the participants, emotional intimacy might involve disclosing thoughts, feelings and emotions in order to reach an understanding, offer mutual support or build a sense of community. Or it might involve sharing a duty, without commentary.

Deep intimacy requires a high level of transparency and openness. Closeness and vulnerability, which may be uncomfortable for some, are major pieces to emotional intimacy. This includes discussing both the positive and negative characteristics about one another.[5] Conversation is a key point in every emotional intimate relationship. For example, a long-distance relationship is mostly based on conversation, along with a good balance of virtual sexual intimacy.[6] A long-distance relationship can be stronger, in comparison to a normal one, because it forces the two partners to enhance the conversation process by asking productive questions to ensure mutual communication.[7] There are great moments and also tough moments that come with any relationship. It is important to practice emotional intimacy in relationships and a lack of emotional intimacy could be solved by taking the time to be with your partner throughout the duration of your relationships. Many specialists suggest that talking about problems as soon as they arise is wise to continue emotional intimacy. Being honest, expressing appreciation, and routinely communicating also keeps stable emotional intimacy.”

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“Sexuality and sensuality have a lot in common -- but they’re not the same thing. What is the difference between being sexual and being sensual, and how do the two relate to each other?

“Sexual” is pretty straightforward: When people talk about sexual activity, they’re usually referring to the process of physical intimacy between consenting adults. Sometimes, though, the idea of being “sensual” is lumped in with being sexual.

“I think people often use 'sensual' when trying to say [or imply] 'sexual-light,’ when it would be so much more helpful to remember that 'sensual' simply means ‘of the senses’-- sight, smell, sound, taste, and touch,” says Richard M. Siegel, PhD, a licensed mental health counselor and co-director of Modern Sex Therapy Institutes in West Palm Beach, FL. You can choose to tap into your sensual self as part of a sexual encounter, as part of an intimate encounter that isn’t necessarily going to lead to sex, or just because it feels good with no thought of anything sexual at all.

“Sensuality is the basis of how we experience our bodies, other bodies, and the world around us,” says Rosara Torrisi, PhD, a certified sex therapist, founding director of The Long Island Institute of Sex Therapy, and co-host of the podcast Our Better Half about sexuality and older adults. “What I do a lot as a sex therapist is help people with their sensual self.”

In other words, being sexual pretty much always involves being sensual -- could you have sex without engaging any of your five senses? But being sensual does not have to involve being sexual. It’s much bigger than that.”

“Sensuality is a way to positively inhabit the body, through pleasure and joy and fun and celebration,” she adds. “Enjoying your body can be a revolutionary act when you are not objectified or subjected to another person, and you own your pleasure and your time.”

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“For some time now, Christianity has been on the decline. According to a September 2022 Pew study, people identifying as Christian have decreased from 90% of the U.S. population in 1972 to 64% in 2020.

But it’s not just researchers who are talking about this.

As of Dec. 6, 2020, the hashtag “#exchristian” had 696.7 million cumulative views on TikTok and was assigned to more than 68,600 posts on Instagram. When looking specifically at evangelicalism, the numbers nearly double. The hashtag “#exvangelical” was viewed 1.1 billion times on TikTok and was assigned to 105,000 posts on Instagram. The behavior of Christians

Beyond the issue of LGBTQ inclusion, Stanley did get one thing right: Many people object to the behavior of Christians, and that’s not something new.

When writing a letter to C.S. Lewis about potentially converting to Christianity, author Sheldon Vanauken wrestled with this exact thing in his book A Severe Mercy:

The best argument for Christianity is Christians: their joy, their certainty, their completeness. But the strongest argument against Christianity is also Christians — when they are somber and joyless, when they are self-righteous and smug in complacent consecration, when they are narrow and repressive, then Christianity dies a thousand deaths.

Apparently, some things never change — the behavior of Christians is a massive stumbling block for people coming to the religion and walking away. However, instead of dying a thousand deaths, Christianity is dying millions.” I don’t believe in automatic forgiveness when it comes to heavy traumas. Forgiveness should be optional, not a requirement. Some people live healthy lives with forgiveness and some people live healthy lives without forgiveness. Religion doesn’t encourage healthy channeling of emotions. Religion says there are negative emotions (which is a myth.) Religion encourages La-La Land, Fairytale Land, toxic positivity, spiritualizing, spiritual bypassing, gaslighting, sex-obsession, Fantasy Land, peaches and cream, sugar and rainbows, sugar and spice and everything nice, Kumbuya, can we get along and sing a song (let’s be friends), Happy-Happy-Joy-Joy, doing the bare minimum, laziness, cruelty, stupidity, and every negative character trait. A lot of churches are fearful of losing the 501 (c) status so they avoid justice issues. Some churches are glad that The IRS allows them to endorse politicians and political parties to their congregations even though they know that they are not supposed to do according to the IRS. Hellfire doesn’t await those who preach against violent abusers and sex criminals. Any church that is silent and inactive about abuse survivors is Satan’s House. Satan’s Church, and dens of demons.

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“Pimping is typically operated like a business.[33] The pimp may have a bottom girl who serves as office manager, keeping the pimp apprised of law-enforcement activity and collecting money from the prostitutes.[34] Pimps recognize a hierarchy among themselves. In certain pimp strata, the least respected, or newer pimps, are the "popcorn pimps" and "wannabes". "Popcorn pimps" was a phenomenon which occurred among adolescent cocaine users of both sexes who utilized children younger than themselves to support their habits.[35] A pimp who uses violence and intimidation to control his prostitutes is called a "gorilla pimp", while those who use psychological trickery to deceive younger prostitutes into becoming hooked into the system are called "finesse pimps".[36] In addition, a prostitute may "bounce" from pimp to pimp without paying the "pimp moving" tax.[37]

Some pimps in the United States are also documented gang members, which causes concerns for police agencies in jurisdictions where prostitution is a significant problem.[38] Pimping rivals narcotic sales as a major source of funding for many gangs. Gangs need money to survive, and money equates to power and respect. While selling drugs may be lucrative for a gang, this activity often carries significant risk as stiff legal penalties and harsh mandatory minimum sentencing laws exist. However, with pimping, gang members still make money while the prostitutes themselves bear the majority of the risk. Pimping has several benefits to the gang that the pimp belongs to. These benefits include helping the gang recruit new members because the gang has women available for sex, and the money brought in by prostitution allows gang members to buy cars, clothes and weapons, all of which help to recruit younger members into the gang by increasing the reputation of the gang in the local gang subculture.[39]” C

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“The Jesus I am talking about (that I have faith in) is for racial justice, reproductive justice, sexual justice, environmental justice, political justice, social justice, civil justice, criminal justice, cultural justice, and economic justice for all. These are His values: "Civil rights include the ensuring of peoples' physical and mental integrity, life, and safety; protection from discrimination on grounds such as sex, race, sexual orientation, national origin, color, age, political affiliation, ethnicity, social class, religion, secularity, and disability;[1][2][3] and individual rights such as privacy and the freedom of thought, speech, religion, press, assembly, secularity, and movement.

Political rights include natural justice (procedural fairness) in law, such as the rights of the accused, including the right to a fair trial; due process; the right to seek redress or a legal remedy; and rights of participation in civil society and politics such as freedom of association, the right to assemble, the right to petition, the right of self-defense, and the right to vote. I interpret all verses of all religious texts through the lens of human rights, equal rights, environmentalism, gray areas, intellectual virtues, proof, and truth. He lived in poverty and homelessness. He is a survivor of organized crime. I love The Social Gospel and non-denominational liberation theology. I also love religious progressivism and religious liberalism. Savior is about the preservation of inner beauty, not about Christianizing gloom and doom. I don’t see Jesus as my cult leader nor am I his cult follower. The imageries of Jesus that I invented in my own psyche are cathartic to me. By the way, he did laugh, joke, was playful, and smile sometimes. He wasn’t somber and serious all of the time.” -Antonio Myers

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“Ethical Development

“I will always focus on becoming a better person.”

The key to understanding ethical development is acknowledging that nobody is perfect or has all the answers. Ethical development is a never-ending process that requires constant reflection and evaluation of our personal choices and the consequences they have on others. Fairness, cooperation, and sharing are among the first moral issues we encounter in our ethical development as human beings and are often embraced intuitively, but each new day carries with it new challenges and new moral dilemmas. We should continually adapt and rebuild our moral frameworks with the goal of becoming ever better human beings.” “Critical Thinking

“I will practice good judgment by asking questions and thinking for myself.”

As we are each bombarded with a constant stream of information, it can become challenging to decide what is accurate and true. Thinking critically allows us to make sense of all this information and reason our way to good judgments and effective solutions to the problems we face while rigorously avoiding pitfalls like rationalization, conformity, and stereotyping. This process forms the basis of the scientific method, which opens the door for new discoveries through hypothesizing and experimenting. Critical thinking is a skill that requires continued attention, practice, and reflection. Exercising our minds to build these skills enables us to challenge biases in ourselves and in others, paving the way for a fair, open-minded, and autonomous perspective that fosters a multicultural worldview.” Knowing Jesus, He would be comfortable with the licensing and ordination of women, and queer folks. The secular movement wouldn’t ruin His life.

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“The word ‘Church’ is really not a translation of any word that was used by either Christ or His Apostles, but is the Anglican form of a different word which Roman Catholicism substituted in place of the word used by Christ and His Apostles… It is in our english scriptures by order of King James, who instructed his translators of 1611 not to translate the word “Ecclesia” by either ‘Congregation’ or ‘Assembly’ but to use the word ‘Church’ instead of a translation.” “What does the word “Church” mean and from where did it come from? The scriptures?

No.” “The word “Church” is neither Hebrew nor Greek. In point of fact, when these languages were translated into English Bibles, the word “Church” was already in existence. The greek word used in the renewed covenant for “Church” is “Ekklesia” which basically means “Called Out ones”.

Ekklesia does not refer to a building, but rather a group of people. Proper English translations should read: Congregation, Assembly or Group. Strangely in Acts 19:32, 39 and 41, Ekklesia is the word that is translated as “Assembly”, but in other passages, it is translated as “Church”. Jesus and His disciples never spoke the word religion. “The term religion comes from both Old French and Anglo-Norman (1200s AD) and means respect for sense of right, moral obligation, sanctity, what is sacred, reverence for the gods.[15][16] It is ultimately derived from the Latin word religiō. According to Roman philosopher Cicero, religiō comes from relegere: re (meaning "again") + lego (meaning "read"), where lego is in the sense of "go over", "choose", or "consider carefully". Contrarily, some modern scholars such as Tom Harpur and Joseph Campbell have argued that religiō is derived from religare: re (meaning "again") + ligare ("bind" or "connect"), which was made prominent by St. Augustine following the interpretation given by Lactantius in Divinae institutiones, IV, 28.[17][18] The medieval usage alternates with order in designating bonded communities like those of monastic orders: "we hear of the 'religion' of the Golden Fleece, of a knight 'of the religion of Avys'".[19] “From Middle English sinne, synne, sunne, zen, from Old English synn ("sin"), from Proto-West Germanic *sunnju, from Proto-Germanic *sunjō ("truth, excuse") and *sundī, *sundijō ("sin"), from Proto-Indo-European *h₁s-ónt-ih₂, from *h₁sónts ("being, true", implying a verdict of "truly guilty" against an accusation or charge), from *h₁es- ("to be"); compare Old English sōþ ("true"; see sooth). Doublet of suttee.”

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I am open to being featured in this: “Softcore is an adjective that describes anything that is a softer or gentler alternative to hardcore content. There is softcore music, softcore workouts and softcore sporting fans. In pornongraphy, softcore usually describes images and films that are sexual in nature, but not as explicit as hardcore pornographic works. The term softcore can also be shorthand for softcore pornography or softcore porn.

Softcore content places a greater emphasis on sensuality than sex. The models or actors in softcore content may never even touch another person. Instead, they may model lingerie or perform a sensual striptease for the camera. The camera aims to capture the beauty of the female or male form.

Softcore works can also show models or actors interacting sensually and sexually. Softcore works typically present these interactions in the context of loving relationships. They may spend more time kissing, embracing, or caressing one another than in hardcore works. Softcore works do not typically show actual penetration although the actors may simulate it.

While softcore content may show solo or mutual masturbation, it generally does not show oral sex or ejaculation. While the performers are often nude or semi-nude, softcore works usually do not show erect penises. If they do show erect penises, it’s unlikely that the aroused actor or costars would touch the erections. Vulvas may be shown, although they are sometimes digitally manipulated to suit local censorship standards. Softcore models and actors may wear latex genital covers to prevent intimate physical contact during simulated sex.

Like works that are hardcore, softcore content still aims to arouse its viewers. It was originally seen in men’s magazines of the 1950s when it was still considered unacceptable to show explicitly sexual images. While softcore images appeared earlier, The New York Times was the first publication to use the term softcore in 1966.

Softcore content was very popular from the 1970s to the 1990s. However, with the rise of free hardcore porn online, softcore porn has become less common.”

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“Harriet B. Braiker identified the following ways that manipulators control their victims:[32]

Positive reinforcement: includes praise, superficial charm, superficial sympathy (crocodile tears), excessive apologizing, money, approval, gifts, attention, facial expressions such as a forced laugh or smile, and public recognition.

Negative reinforcement: involves removing one from a negative situation as a reward.

Gaslighting.

Intermittent or partial reinforcement: Partial or intermittent negative reinforcement can create an effective climate of fear and doubt. Partial or intermittent positive reinforcement can encourage the victim to persist.

Punishment: includes nagging, yelling, the silent treatment, intimidation, threats, swearing, emotional blackmail, guilt trips, sulking, crying, and playing the victim.

Traumatic one-trial learning: using verbal abuse, explosive anger, or other intimidating behavior to establish dominance or superiority; even one incident of such behavior can condition or train victims to avoid upsetting, confronting or contradicting the manipulator.

According to Braiker, manipulators exploit the following vulnerabilities (buttons) that may exist in victims:[32]

the desire to please

addiction to earning the approval and acceptance of others

emotophobia (fear of negative emotion; i.e. a fear of expressing anger, frustration or disapproval)

lack of assertiveness and ability to say no

blurry sense of identity (with soft personal boundaries)

low self-reliance

external locus of control

Manipulators can have various possible motivations, including but not limited to:[32]

the need to advance their own purposes and personal gain at (virtually any) cost to others

a strong need to attain feelings of power and superiority in relationships with others - compare megalomania (associated with, for example, narcissistic personality disorder)[33]

a want and need to feel in control

a desire to gain a feeling of power over others in order to raise their perception of self-esteem

furtherance of cult dynamics in recruiting or retaining followers[34]

boredom, or growing tired of one's surroundings; seeing manipulation as a game more than hurting others

covert agendas, criminal or otherwise, including financial manipulation (often seen when intentionally targeting the elderly or unsuspecting, unprotected wealthy for the sole purpose of obtaining victims' financial assets)

not identifying with underlying emotions (including experiencing commitment phobia), and subsequent rationalization (offenders do not manipulate consciously, but rather try to convince themselves of the invalidity of their own emotions)

lack of self-control over impulsive and anti-social behaviour - leading to pre-emptive or reactionary manipulation to maintain image.”

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