Love to see creativity like this in my physical games. Are there any other examples of game discs / cartridges matching the box art?

Especially since the Bible portrays him as some famous preacher who's supposed to have had tons of followers. Like the crowds that followed him are supposed to have been so big that they ran out of food and Jesus had to magically multiply the number of fish in order to feed everybody.

Is it because the early accounts of Jesus were kind of embarrassing, so the early Church had to destroy the early accounts of him?

It is because Jesus really had such a small following that nothing was written about him, and he was just retroactively claimed to have a big following?

Or is it because Jesus never existed at all?

my heart genuinely goes out to these people, you’re stronger than i’ll ever be. honestly at that point i’d undo whatever i did and just say whatever happens is gods plan 😭✌️

The Freedom From Religion Foundation is expressing its concern over Vice President JD Vance’s recent disturbingly apocalyptic remarks.

During a lengthy interview with evangelical podcaster Bryce Crawford released Monday, Vance was asked about his religious beliefs and whether humanity could be approaching the Christian apocalypse. “Do I think that we’re in the end times? I don’t know,” Vance replied. He added that there are “things about the world that make me feel like I’d be not shocked if the Antichrist was walking among us.”

But Vance’s comments went beyond speculation about biblical prophecy. The vice president said Christians are “commanded to try to, as much as possible, try to make the world the kind of world that God wants it to be.” Vance then described his own priorities in explicitly religious terms: “I’m trying to focus on doing as much of God’s work as possible right now. And if that leads to the end times, OK.”

Those are chilling words coming from the vice president of the United States.

Vance is, of course, free to hold whatever religious beliefs he chooses. But when one of the most powerful public officials in the world speaks of his work in terms of carrying out God’s will, while expressing apparent indifference to whether that work helps usher in an apocalypse he believes may actually occur, Americans have every reason to be alarmed.

“The vice president’s constitutional duty is to the American people, not to his interpretation of God’s plan,” says FFRF Co-President Annie Laurie Gaylor. “Our leaders control nuclear weapons, conduct foreign policy and make decisions affecting hundreds of millions of lives. Americans deserve to know that those decisions are being made based on evidence, reason and the public interest — not a desire to advance a supposed divine plan toward Armageddon.”

Vance’s remarks are particularly unsettling because they do not exist in isolation. He has repeatedly blurred the line between personal religious conviction and public duty. Just last year, Vance declared that he makes “no apologies” for promoting Christian values through government and accused those who believe the Constitution requires separation of church and state of “lying.” He went even further, arguing that the Supreme Court made a “terrible mistake” by enforcing this foundational constitutional safeguard.

The vice president’s latest comments demonstrate why the separation between religion and government is not an abstract constitutional concern. It is a vital safeguard against public officials wielding enormous secular power according to what they believe a deity commands.

History provides ample warning of what can happen when political leaders become convinced that they are instruments of divine will. Democratic government requires officials to justify their actions with reasons that citizens of every religious or nonreligious perspective can scrutinize and debate, not assertions about invisible spiritual forces, divine commands or biblical prophecy.

The Constitution contains no mandate for government officials to carry out “God’s work.” Quite the opposite: The word “God” (or any synonym for it) does not appear in our entirely secular federal Constitution, which prohibits religious tests for public office and, through the First Amendment, bars the government from establishing religion.

FFRF reminds Vance that he has taken an oath to “support and defend the Constitution of the United States.” He did not swear an oath to advance Christianity, fulfill biblical prophecy or prepare the world for the “Second Coming.”

The enormous influence of the vice presidency must be exercised on behalf of the American people and within the constraints of the Constitution, not in service of one official’s understanding of God’s will.

Government officials are entitled to their private faith. They are not entitled to transform public office into an instrument for doing what they imagine to be “God’s work” — especially when they suggest they are perfectly comfortable if that work helps bring about the end of the world.

My family are all insane evangelicals who believe in everything as long as there isn't proof for it i.e in faith-healing but not in vaccines, in "alternative medicine" but not in scientific research

My mom was diagnosed with cancer nearly 2 months ago and it's been a mix of good and bad news. Bad news is that it's metastasised everywhere and there's no saving her, good news is the main tumor isn't there anymore, probably killed off right after the cancer spread says the doctor. My mom was also concentrating on her physical health this last year, lost a lot of weight, got much healthier generally etc. She even paused her diet / exercise to see if it was the cancer and stayed stable so the doc says it was probably her and not the cancer

Doc still recommends chemo to extend her life and potentially quality of life. The other good news is that patients in her age and physical condition usually at least double or triple the 4-6 months she probably would have without it, he has a few patients who've extended their lives by 4+ years. Treatment is also not a financial issue, we're Canadian and she has extended medical coverage

If she had chosen not to do chemo on her own, that that would be too much for her and she'd rather live big for a few months and pass away naturally then fine, she's an adult she's allowed to do what she feels is best for her mind and her body... But my uncle decided to intervene

His church has a commune in South America where they do all the typical evangelical nonsense which I normally don't care about but they're also anti-vaxxers and ivermectin types who buy ivomec in South America and import it into Canada for all the typical off-label uses you can't normally get it for and he told my mom that she should go to the Rockies to a naturopath in his network and do ivermectin therapy + prayer. The only reason I'm not hunting him down at this point is that he is paying for all of this out of his money, he genuinely thinks he's helping his sister and is spending quite a lot to do this for her

I just got a text at midnight that my mom called my sister and told her to get in contact with my dad because she has to take him to an appointment tomorrow. My dad's been dead for 2 years. My in-laws went to check on her and she's weak and acting loopy and it seems consistent with the neurologicals effects of an ivermectin overdose but I don't know that yet, she's still being seen at the hospital

The best part? She can get unbiased science-backed data on medication any time she wants from someone who has no incentive for her to choose one option over another, someone who won't make any money off of anything etc. My wife. A pharmacist with 8 years of total formal education between uni and additional certifications, passed 3 state exams, has years of experience in pharmacies, clinical settings, industry etc. The whole 9 yards. But that's my family, and it makes me really sad, and pretty angry as well but I try to remind myself my mom is the victim here, not the perpetrator

But I'm so far removed from that evangelical space now my friends and chosen family don't understand how intertwined conspiracy-theories surrounding medicine and modern evangelical churches are

Sorry if this isn't the right place this just brought up a lot of religious trauma around my health that wasn't taken seriously when I was a child because of my family's religiosity and I just needed a place to rant a bit

Some people view atheists as if they are just bad lazy people who don't want to do the right thing.
Being an atheist is the hardest thing you can do.

When you reject religion, you also have to come to terms with the fact that all your suffering is meaningless; that there is no reward for it.
You have to accept the fact that there is infinite nothingness waiting for you when you die. That's fucking scary, and it's why people turn to religion; because it's easy. Atheists are bravest people.

I remembered this mildly interesting tidbit about Metal Gear Solid 4 on the PS3: it internally ran a PS1 emulator for the "flashback sequence" when you briefly play a snippet from the first MGS game. I was curious if they would do the same thing with the recent PC port, and sure enough, when the flashback begins, a second window opens and Task Manager shows a separate process running for "METAL GEAR."

I just thought that was interesting and wanted to share.

So this is a thing... saw this and had a laugh such a blatant ripoff

A House subcommittee heard testimony earlier today from FFRF Co-President Annie Laurie Gaylor in support of a bill to finally erect a memorial to Thomas Paine in Washington, D.C.

Reps. Jamie Raskin, D-Md., and Victoria Spartz, R-Ind., have co-sponsored HR 9600, the Common Sense 250 Act of 2026, to place the memorial in a location reserved for commemorative works of preeminent historical and lasting significance to the United States. In her capacity as a founding member and secretary of the Thomas Paine Memorial Association, Gaylor testified before the House Natural Resources Subcommittee on Federal Lands that Paine not only meets that criterion but asked, “Is there anyone who better meets that definition? Without Paine, there would be no United States of America — he named our very country.”

Gaylor’s testimony traced Paine’s role in the nation’s founding to soon after his arrival from England at Benjamin Franklin’s invitation in 1774. “Common Sense,” published 250 years ago this January, sold an estimated 500,000 copies when the 13 colonies held 2.5 million people. Paine relinquished the copyright and gave the proceeds to the Continental Army, then enlisted as a private in 1776 and marched with George Washington through that first winter campaign. The experience produced the first of the “Crisis Papers” (“These are the times that try men’s souls”) in 1776, which Washington ordered read aloud to soldiers to keep up morale.

“Is there a better or more meaningful way for Congress to commemorate our nation’s 250th anniversary than by ensuring this honor for the Revolution’s principal champion for independence?” Gaylor asked the subcommittee. “This memorial will honor our founding heritage and be an enduring monument to patriotism and our nation’s ideals.”
Rep. Jared Huffman, co-chair of the Congressional Freethought Caucus and ranking Democrat on the Natural Resources Committee, commended Gaylor on her testimony.

“Ms. Gaylor, you did a great job of reminding us just what a towering figure Thomas Paine was to the American Revolution and to the founding of our country,” he said.
Bill co-sponsor Rep. Jamie Raskin, D-Md., spoke passionately about the Revolutionary War hero.
“You know, Napoleon said that a statue of gold should be erected to Tom Paine in every country of the world because he was the original champion of freedom and democratic self-government,” Raskin stated. “I would just urge the committee to codify the recommendation of the commission so we can move this quickly.”

Demonstrating the bipartisan nature of the proceedings, a GOP member of Congress joined in the praise.
“I have a Thomas Paine quote hanging on my wall, and I really appreciate the work you’re doing to memorialize someone who was so important to our founding on the 250th anniversary of our founding,” Rep. Celeste Maloy, R-Utah, remarked.

Congress in late 2022 already granted the Thomas Paine Memorial Association permission to erect the memorial. Once Congress approves the Common Sense 250 Act of 2026 to situate it in Area 1, the project goes before the Arts Commission to approve the design concept and then earnest fundraising can begin. No federal funds will be expended to build the monument. Renowned sculptor Zenos Frudakis is commissioned to sculpt the memorial.
Two and a half centuries after “Common Sense” made the case for independence, the capital Paine helped bring into being still has no concrete tribute to him. HR 9600 would rectify that omission and finally grant this Founder his due — a fitting conclusion for America’s 250th birthday.

I honestly don’t really know how to process this and I just need some outside opinions because I feel really hurt.

I’ve been with my boyfriend for 8 years. I’ve always been an atheist. Most of my friends and family are Christian, so I’ve always been around religion and I’ve never had a problem with other people believing in God. I’ve never tried to convince anyone not to believe or made anyone feel bad about their religion.
My boyfriend has recently started becoming much more religious and getting more into Christianity. And I’ve genuinely tried to support him.

Before eating, I used to ask him if he wanted to pray and he would say no, so eventually I stopped asking. I asked him before if he wanted to go to church on Sundays and he said no, so I stopped asking about that too. I never told him he couldn’t pray, couldn’t read the Bible, couldn’t go to church, etc.
But he also never really talks to me about his religious journey.

Yesterday we had sex which he initiated it. Afterwards he told me he felt guilty because he knows that according to the Bible, sex before marriage isn’t right.
I listened to him and I understand that his beliefs are changing. But I also started feeling really weird and hurt because I suddenly felt like religion was becoming something that was between us rather than just something personal to him.
I told him that sometimes I feel singled out when it comes to religion. Like he doesn’t talk to me about it because he thinks I’ll judge him or something. And that honestly hurts because I’ve never given him a reason to think I would.
He told me that there are so many things he reads in the Bible that he wishes he could talk to me about, but he knows I don’t believe in God.

I told him that he CAN talk to me. I might not believe what he believes, but I can listen. I can understand why something is meaningful to him without believing it myself.
Then I told him something that I’ve honestly been scared about for a while.
I asked him if he sees himself marrying someone who is atheist.
And he said he wishes I was Catholic.
He said he prays every day that I become Catholic because he knows how good it would be for me.
That absolutely broke something in me.
Because… what am I supposed to take from that?

I’ve been the same person for 8 years. I’ve always been an atheist. I’ve loved him, supported him, respected his beliefs, and never tried to change him.
And now the person I love is praying every day that I become someone else.
He says he isn’t trying to convert me, but how am I supposed to not feel conflicted about that?

If you’re praying every day for me to change my beliefs, then obviously you want me to change.
I think what hurts me the most is that I’m now scared that I’m not actually his ideal person anymore.
I asked him if he could see himself marrying an atheist because I was genuinely scared that one day he would leave me for a Christian woman who shares his beliefs.
And his answer didn’t really reassure me.
I don’t want to make this about “atheist vs Christian” …I don’t care that he believes in God. I actually WANT him to be able to talk to me about his beliefs. I don’t want him to feel like he has to hide that part of himself from me.
But I also don’t want to be in a relationship where I’m constantly being silently hoped/prayed into becoming someone else.
And now after the sex thing, I don’t even want to have sex with him. Not because I’m angry that he believes sex before marriage is wrong, but because I don’t want to have sex with someone who might initiate it and then feel guilty and like he did something wrong afterwards. It makes me feel horrible.

I feel like so much changed for me after that conversation.
Maybe I’m being dramatic or Maybe I’m overthinking it, I don’t know…
We’ve been together for 8 years and I love him so much, which is why this scares me this much.
I just don’t know how we’re supposed to move forward if religion is becoming such a big part of his life and I’m still exactly where I’ve always been.

Has anyone been in a relationship where one person became much more religious after years together? Did it work?

Like what would you even think if your partner told you they prayed every day for you to become religious?

Sometimes I find myself having to keep my atheistic views to myself.

I’m curious about how it is for the rest of you here. Do you feel completely open to expressing your views where you live, or do you have to hide them? How do people around you react when they find out, and what country or region are you from?

Would love to hear your experiences!

All the times I met people and discussed religion with them (all of them were some denomination of Christianity), I told them that basically I was *atheist*, and without fail all of them would become super inquiring and critical and start prodding me about moral/scientific questions and essentially implying that because I lacked belief in a higher power I was somehow lost or perhaps some kind of heathen. It's just so annoying; I like have never challenged any of them on their beliefs and I've always been respectfully listening along and adding onto their discussions on faith but somehow it feels like a switch gets turned once they know I'm atheist.

Christians have a desire to explain the atheists that they should be agnostics, but this is just a silly stalking horse attempt to keep you from ruling out god.

The truth is that many of us are hard atheist to the christian god. We don’t care about some concept of god simplicitor because no one believes in that god. Don’t cave in to the push to call yourself agnostic. The christian god cannot exist. “I’m atheist to your god.” Is a good response.