Haha! Once more, I squeak by with another victory to get my second point of the year over Summer. But 14 long weeks remain in the season, so I really should not be celebrating just yet.

To recap, here are the rules.

1. Summer and I will pick 3 NFL games based on the current spread. The favored team (represented by a negative sign) HAS to win by more than the listed number for anything to count. So if the spread is (-3), and the favored team wins by a field goal, that is a push. Neither side wins, and that is a loss on our ends.

2. We battle on a week to week basis. If we have the same outcome, that week is a push an no one gets a point. The winner of this challenge will get to choose what sort of kinky art they want involving the losing party.

With that said, let's not waste anymore time and jump into picking!

CURRENT SCORE
 zeuspegasus13 2
 summer 0
Ties: 2

PICK 1
~ Green Bay Packers beat and cover the spread against Cincinatti Bengals as road favorites (-2.5)

This screams to me like Vegas is trying to trap betters this week. However, since the line shifted down half a point, I think a team that found it's groove can remind a rebuilding Bengals team where it belongs on the NFL hierachy. The real test will be how the Packers defense can halt a hot Bengals offense. I think they will rise up to the task, making sure to stay ahead in the race for the one seed in the NFC

Result: 25 Packers 22 Bengals (CORRECT)

The skunk and I totally called this game despite how INSANE it was in the end. Too bad, Vegas. We're both going to be paid well today for this game. The Bengals are a serious threat for the wild card spot in the playoffs though. Never count them out.

PICK 2
~ New England Patriots beat and cover the spread against the Houston Texans (-8.0)

I know it may seem silly to pick another spread above 7 points for the second week in a row, but I'm calling the Texans bluff. They were blanked 40-0 on the road. They don't have Tyrod Taylor. This is an offense that will fail to do anything against a talented Bellicheat defense. The Patriots are pissed they lost their chance at being a spoiler to their former legend. This is not the week to play the Patriots for sure. If the Bills can put up 40 points, why can't the Patriots score a lot on them too?

Result: Patriots 25 Texans 22 (WRONG)

Of course the Patriots continue to slump their way against bad competition. This is a truly different team from years past. Very untrustable going forward. They have no ability to blow out opponents. I should have known better, and the Bills beating the Cheifs badly is proof how good they are.

PICK 3
~ Miami Dolphins pretend they are good without Tua to barely cover the spread against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (+10.0)

Okay. I know what many are thinking. My Phins are a bottom 10 team right now without their star QB. They are on the road to face the defending Super Bowl champs. The Bucs are fired up after an emotional last second win in New England. But... so what? I've seen enough of this this team to see them show up to opponents that are better than them. Even if they cover in garbage time, Flores is not going to roll over and die no matter the score line. His job is warming up, and getting a win like this on the road will cool things down to spark a turnaround this season. The Phins are good at covering the spread as road underdogs, so may as well keep believing!

Result: Phins 17 Bucs 45 (WRONG)

It was close until the demoralizing drive in the 3rd quarter. The defense just gave up and bent over to allow Tom Brady to annihialate them with 21 points in the 4th quarter. This team is in serious jeopardy. I am not picking them again until they show me a reason to be proud to be a Phins fan. This is a disgraceful second year in the rebuild so far. Florez better turn this around quick or I'm going to be looking off the edge of a cliff by the season's end.

Overall Result: 1-2 (LOSS)

So, the professor broke her streak of 1-2 weeks with a perfect call this week. It was bound to happen, but I could have matched her. I should have bet against the Jaguars instead of trust my Phins. I should have also picked the Saints as well or the Falcons to bounce back against a horrible Jets team. But, with 5 weeks in, teams identities are firmly established. I'm not nearly afraid of losing this series!

Onwards to week 6.

Unofficial gut reaction picks below. NO SPREAD CONSIDERED! (Current Record 23-24). Bolded picks are ones that came true. Italicized is wrong picks.

Falcons > Jets
Vikings > Lions
Broncos > Steelers
Saints > Washington
Panthers > Eagles
Titans > Jaguars
Raiders > Bears
Browns > Chargers
Cowboys > Giants
49ners > Cardinals (Cards are due for a loss. Why not this one in a crazy NFC West this year?)
Bills > Chiefs (Statement game for the Bills. Would be nice to have that team on its heels already)
Ravens > Colts

A rough week of upsets made life difficult for the Prof and I. However, as teams are establishing their identities quickly, I do feel this is going to be a better week on my end! Time to widen the gap.~

To recap, here are the rules.

1. Summer and I will pick 3 NFL games based on the current spread. The favored team (represented by a negative sign) HAS to win by more than the listed number for anything to count. So if the spread is (-3), and the favored team wins by a field goal, that is a push. Neither side wins, and that is a loss on our ends.

2. We battle on a week to week basis. If we have the same outcome, that week is a push an no one gets a point. The winner of this challenge will get to choose what sort of kinky art they want involving the losing party.

With that said, let's not waste anymore time and jump into picking!

CURRENT SCORE
 zeuspegasus13 1
 summer 0
Ties: 2

PICK 1
~ Tennessee Titans beat and cover the spread as road favorites against the hapless New York Jets (-6.0).

The Titans are still an underrated team this season, despite being the clear frontrunners in their terrible division. However, the Jets are truly on another level of bad. While they could put up some more points on the Titans questionable defense, their offense is going to continue to struggle. I don't see them getting it together, and a touchdown win seems rather doable for a team putting up almost 30 points a game.

Result: Jets 27 Titans 24 (Wrong)

THE TITANS ARE FOREVER ON MY SHIT LIST FOR ELIMINATING MY TRUST IN THEM! Gods, I hope the Colts storm back and wins their shit division. Fuck them. No sweet reward for smart football picks. And here I thought my hatred for the Jets couldn't sink deeper. Absolute spoilers of everyone else's fun. UGH! They ruined my Sunday more than it already was.

PICK 2
~ Baltimore Ravens beat the Denver Broncos outright as an evenly matched road team (EVEN)

Very rare to see Vegas introduce a toss up game this early into the season. Yet, I am not disturbed about the Ravens almost blowing it to the Lions. The Broncos are frauds and will be exposed at home by a team destined to make some noise in the playoffs this year. It's going to be a close game, but I trust the Ravens D will frustrate an overrated Broncos offense.

Result: Ravens 23 Broncos 7 (CORRECT)

Totally called it. That EVEN spread was basically free money to anyone betting on the Caw Caws.

PICK 3
~ Kansas City Chiefs cover and beat the Philadelphia Eagles as road favorites (-6.5)

Certainly feeling great about the road teams this week. Kansas City is PISSED off for dropping two winnable games like that. They're going to bounce back and remind the NFL why they should be feared. Beating a mediocre Eagles team, that just got blasted by the Cowboys last week, by a measly touchdown? Surely, the Chiefs bad D can manage to do that, right? That D has something to prove. Why not against a practically rookie QB?

Result: Chiefs 42 Eagles 30 (CORRECT)

A bad Chiefs defense got me worried all over again, but the offense continued to dominate enough to cover this spread. They are going to be feared the rest of the year for sure.

Overall Result: 2-1 (VICTORY!)

A win in this series is about the only thing I can celebrate this weekend. Everything else was absolute misery for me. I've already am hitting the apathetic state for my teams, just hoping to see gradual progression out of the corner of my eye. :/

Unofficial gut reaction picks below. NO SPREAD CONSIDERED! (Current Record 19-16). Bolded picks are ones that came true. Italicized is wrong picks.
Falcons > Washington
Bills > Texans
Lions > Bears
Cowboys > Panthers
Dolphins > Colts (MUST WIN GAME!)
Vikings > Browns (PONE'S UPSET OF THE WEEK)
Saints > Giants
Rams > Cardinals
49ners > Seahawks (1-3 Seahawks? Hard to believe...)
Packers > Steelers
Bucs > Patriots
Raiders > Chargers

Finally on the board! Let's turn this week into two in a row on my revenge tour this season.

To recap, here are the rules.

1. Summer and I will pick 3 NFL games based on the current spread. The favored team (represented by a negative sign) HAS to win by more than the listed number for anything to count. So if the spread is (-3), and the favored team wins by a field goal, that is a push. Neither side wins, and that is a loss on our ends.

2. We battle on a week to week basis. If we have the same outcome, that week is a push an no one gets a point. The winner of this challenge will get to choose what sort of kinky art they want involving the losing party.

With that said, let's not waste anymore time and jump into picking!

CURRENT SCORE
 zeuspegasus13 1
 summer 0
Ties: 1

PICK 1
~ Seattle Seahawks beat and cover against the Minnesota Vikings as road favorites (-2.0)

This really seems like a trap inducing line, as the Vikings are in complete desperation mode to get a win. They really should have beaten the Cardinals on the road. But, bad teams find ways to lose, and the Seahawks are going to be very angry for losing a game at home in overtime. I can see this being very close, but a FG win is certainly in the cards for this one. The Seahawks need to get every win they can muster out of the division if they want a seat at the playoffs.

Result: Seahawks 17 Vikings 30 (WRONG)

A desperate Vikings team pulls through at home. They really should be 2-1 right now, but maybe they are turning the corner. Seattle has a lot of soul searching to do lately sitting at 1-2. Ugly performance by their defense.

PICK 2
~ Atlanta Falcons outright beat and cover against the New York Giants as road underdogs (+3.0)

What a boring and disgusting game this will be. But, the Giants are truly putrid in all areas on their team. I think the Falcons will march into New York to have something to prove over another bad team this week. Matt Ryan is trying to have a resurgence in his career. Why not start with beating teams they should?

Result: Falcons 17 Giants 14 (CORRECT!)

It's no surprise why the Giants are one of the worst teams in the NFL. Falcons will definitely get better as the year goes along.

PICK 3
~ Pittsburgh Steelers cover against the Cincinnati Bengals as home favorites (-3.0)

The Steelers have had the Bungles number for the past decade. Just like how the Bills performed against a team they've dominated recently (my poor Phins), I do think the Steelers are by far the better team. And they have something to prove after a bad loss at home to a surging Raiders team. Steelers should harass a bad offensive line and keep the Bengals under 13 points for sure.

Result: Steelers 10 Bengals 24 (WRONG)

It's official. The Steelers are going to have a losing record this season with this putrid offense. The defense can only do so much. A team that they dominated for a decade finally owns them on the road? Crazy for sure...

Overall Result: 1-2. (TIE) Another incredible week of upsets. Nothing makes sense in the NFL anymore, but at least I managed to secure a tie this week against my foe. Gotta keep up the lead going for the rest of the season!

Unofficial gut reaction picks below. NO SPREAD CONSIDERED! (Current Record 10-13). Bolded picks are ones that came true. Italicized is wrong picks.

Bills > Washington (PONE SURVIVOR PICK OF THE WEEK)
Browns > Bears (Will be closer than people think)
Ravens > Lions (Over by halftime)
Titans > Colts (Always hard to predict. But Titans don't want to lose two in a row at home)
Chiefs > Chargers (Another squeaker win by the Chiefs I say)
Patriots > Saints (Pats won't lose two in a row at home)
Cardinals > Jaguars (Might be a decent performance for the Jags...)
Broncos > Jets (Blowout central)
Raiders > Dolphins (I don't trust the backup QB for my Phins :C )
Rams > Bucs (Bucs D will come back to bite them this week)
49ers > Packers
Cowboys > Eagles

Time for me to get a better set of picks going for the week! I'm not letting Summer best me so easily.~

To recap, here are the rules.

1. Summer and I will pick 3 NFL games based on the current spread. The favored team (represented by a negative sign) HAS to win by more than the listed number for anything to count. So if the spread is (-3), and the favored team wins by a field goal, that is a push. Neither side wins, and that is a loss on our ends.

2. We battle on a week to week basis. If we have the same outcome, that week is a push an no one gets a point. The winner of this challenge will get to choose what sort of kinky art they want involving the losing party.

With that said, let's not waste anymore time and jump into picking!

CURRENT SCORE
 zeuspegasus13 0
 summer 0
Ties: 1

PICK 1
~ Arizona Cardinals beat and cover the spread against the Minnesota Vikings as home favorites. (-3.5)

While the Vikings are indeed in desperation mode already to avoid the dreaded 0-2 start, I don't think Arizona's performance last week was a fluke. They should be able to dismantle a mediocre team like the Vikings at home. I anticipate that Kyler Murray will have an MVP type season at this rate.

Result: Cardinals 34 Vikings 33 (WRONG)

The Vikings came out swinging hard to prevent the 0-2 hole. Too bad their kicker is hot garbage to miss an easy field goal to win the game. Cardinals defense really struggled hard this week at home. Perhaps they were a week 1 fluke and unlikely to win their division.

PICK 2
~ Tennessee Titans lose a close game to cover the spread against the Seattle Seahawks as road underdogs (+6.5)

The Titans are due for a bounce back. You can't just go from division champs to looking like your team belongs in the basement. I fully expect this team to be competitive in a losing effort on the road. Russel Wilson is not as mobile as Kyler Murray. Derrick Henry can certainly control the flow of the game if he gets going early.

Result: Titans 33 Seahawks 30 (CORRECT)

Totally saw this coming, even when the Titans were down big on the road. Good teams make adjustment to win all the time! Sucks that it's an AFC team that won and hurts Miami chances of making the playoffs. Yet, Miami has no business thinking about that after what happened this week.

Pick 3

~ Chicago Bears cover and win the game as home favorites against the Cincinnati Bengals (-2.5)

There's no way to trust the Bengals to be consistently good yet. Going on the road to a playoff team from last year will be tough. And if Andy Dalton cannot rise up to beat his old team, then I feel confident Justin Fields can take advantage of a below average and young Bengals defense for his debut. The Bears need to capitalize that the Packers lost an early game to stay in the race for the division crown.

Result: Bears 20 Bengals 17 (CORRECT!)

The Justin Fields era came off to a pretty good start. The Bengals still need a lot of work and winning on the road is always hard in the NFL no matter where you go.

OVERALL RESULT: 2-1

Woo, I won already here in Week 2. But at what cost? Feels absolutely miserable to witness 35-0 live in Miami. Hopefully such dread and depression don't ruin my performance so far.

Unofficial gut reaction picks below. NO SPREAD CONSIDERED! (Current Record 4-7). Bolded picks are ones that came true. Italicized is wrong picks.

Browns > Texans (Should be a blowout)
Colts > Rams (Colts can't afford to lose two straight games at home. Surprise upset bounce back)
Dolphins > Bills
Patriots > Jets
Eagles > 49ners (PONE'S UPSET SPECIAL OF THE WEEK)
Steelers > Raiders (Defense beats out good offense. I don't trust Raiders yer)
Saints > Panthers
Broncos > Jaguars
Bucs > Falcons (Another blowout incoming)
Chargers > Cowboys (Really am hoping the Cowboys win)
Ravens > Chiefs (Ravens can't afford to go 0-2 as well)
Packers > Lions

Rejoice! Rejoice, everyone! It's football season at last and I've managed to convince my good friend Summer to another friendly, season long challenge of picks. Sure, last year I lost by Week 15, but with all this experience I got, I'm pretty confident that I can make better picks this year. Week 1 is always tough to predict, but let's see if I can not have another 0-3 start.

To recap, here are the rules.

1. Summer and I will pick 3 NFL games based on the current spread. The favored team (represented by a negative sign) HAS to win by more than the listed number for anything to count. So if the spread is (-3), and the favored team wins by a field goal, that is a push. Neither side wins, and that is a loss on our ends.

2. We battle on a week to week basis. If we have the same outcome, that week is a push an no one gets a point. The winner of this challenge will get to choose what sort of kinky art they want involving the losing party.

With that said, let's not waste anymore time and jump into picking!

CURRENT SCORE
 zeuspegasus13 0
 summer 0
Ties: 0

PICK 1
~ Jacksonville Jaguars beat and cover against the woeful Houston Texans as moderate road favorites. (-3.0)

I think this is a less risky pick now, despite the teams being in the same division. The Texans are predicted to be the worst team in the league by far, and I think Urban Meyer and Trevor Lawrence will want to make a statement in this first week. The Jaguars did burn me last year as I thought the Colts would stomp them, but new year, new teams. The Texans are a mess in every single category and I think they'll win one game by sheer luck and desperation this year. That game isn't today though!

Result: Jags 21 Texans 37 (LOSS)

For fucks sake! The Jags seriously may contend for the number one pick AGAIN. I'm just bad news when it comes to me involving my picks with such a terrible team. I should have realized team chemistry played a bigger role than I thought it would.

PICK 2
~ Washington Football team beat and cover against an overhyped LA Chargers team as super slight home favorites. (-1.0)

It's always difficult for teams to travel west for sure. And the public certainly is sleeping on a pretty solid Washington defense. I think this will be a back and forth game for sure, but I think a good defense will overcome an elite offense early on in the season. The Chargers should push for a playoff spot this year, but I have a good feeling Herbert could take some steps back this year. Come on, Fitzmagic. Don't blow it for me! Keep the legend going!

Result: Washington 16 Chargers 20 (LOSS)

Fitzmagic got hurt and the offense couldn't do enough to keep up with the talented offensive talent of the Chargers. A shame, but I can't really fault myself for trusting the home team here. Watch out, NFL! The Chargers are going to make some noise this year.

PICK 3 (UPSET SPECIAL OF THE WEEK)
~ Miami Dolphins beat the New England Patriots OUTRIGHT as road underdogs! (+3.0)

Yeah, I know. Picking my Phins in Week 1 bit me badly last year. However, I just think the Phins are better across the board in all areas minus the coach. I will be thrilled to see the continued crumbling of the Patriots way this weekend. Tua has EVERYTHING to prove this year. Coach Flores knows how to harass rookie QB's for sure, so I think he'll have the right gameplan to confuse Mac Jones. If the Phins can stop the run, I don't see how Mac is ready to carry an entire team this soon. I don't believe the hype.

Result: Phins 17 Pats 16 (WIN)

Sloppy performance from my Phins offense, but the defense once again stepped up to ruin Mac Jones's first career game. Hope they can keep it up at Buffalo!

OVERALL RESULT: 1-2 (TIE)

I was biting my nails that I'd go 0-3 for the second year in a row for week 1. But, glad my Phins saved the day from bad picks! Gotta make better choices next week if I want to survive.

Unofficial gut reaction picks below. NO SPREAD CONSIDERED! (Current Record 4-7). Bolded picks are ones that came true. Italicized is wrong picks.

Last year pick percentage: 65% (Pretty happy how I did last year)

49ers > Lions (My pick for the survivor raffle in Summer's server)
Falcons > Eagles
Bills > Steelers
Vikings > Bengals
Titans > Cardinals
Seahawks > Colts
Panthers > Jets
Browns > Chiefs (CAN'T MISS GAME OF THE WEEK)
Packers > Saints
Rams > Bears
Ravens > Raiders

SO MANY UPSETS IN WEEK 1! Geez. Poor betters.

So, I decided to end a rather fun evening from streaming with telling the rest of my story. The hardest bits are certainly behind me now, but there is more to share before everyone is aware exactly why I've become quite anti-religious in nature.

If you have any questions after reading this, please leave them below or send me a note about it.

The Awkward Return to Church

Following up on one of my promises to my parents, I decided to try to double down on things to get myself closer to God. That included more daily prayer, going to church on Friday nights and Sundays, and then agreeing to lead worship for months at a time. It was nice to be able to play my trombone again post my marching band retirement for a while. I decided to take heavier notes during sermons, which revealed a lot of ugly truths the more I looked back over them. I put the pieces together on how... utterly controlling the pastor wanted God in our lives. We were taught to distrust our own wisdom and that from the world itself. The Bible was divine, inerrant law after all. There was no point in faith if we didn't have a negative outlook on everyone else outside the "saved" population.

Another obstacle to overcome was commuting back to my parents from the town I worked in. It was nearly an hour drive each each, and that definitely ate into my free time to be with friends and game for sure. After a couple of years of this, I just started to feel I needed to break away bit by bit. It didn't help that I felt more awkward than ever to attend "Youth" services. The age gap was certainly too much for me to relate with anyone in a meaningful way. It had shrunk and resurfaced into quite a pathetic shell of itself. Eventually, I stopped attending those classes with my "friends" for Sunday school. I felt little to no relation with any of them anymore. They had become quite alien to me. The worst part about the church experience here was everyone harping on me on two things.

My career and my love life. I felt rather pathetic that I had my reasons to not pursue a relationship. It was hard enough thinking any woman would want me with my love and involvement in fetishy things in a fandom like Furries. I felt far closer to my circle of friends I met in conventions and friends of those friends. It was more rewarding to be around them than pretend I cared for anything in my former circle. And soon, there was a boiling point. I dared to suggest that Abortion shouldn't be viewed as murdered during a youth meeting. One person outright yelled and insulted me in front of everyone. It was a shouting match. I was screamed IT IS MURDER over and over again, and the Youth Leader there barely calmed things down. And around this time, I realized how things were shifting more dramatically than I was prepared for.

2016 Election Season - Rise of Christian Nationalism

That year was quite a big turning point for a lot of people, I imagine. It was clear that both sides were about to leap to their side of the aisle more than anticipated. Every single sermon at church revolved around the following topics.

- Antichrist and Book of Revelations
- How disgusting the secular world is (Mainly anti-LGBTQ+)
- Strengthening the faith through political endorsements

There was always some jab at what I believed in now. There was no hiding the hatred there anymore. This group of people felt so threatened by the shifting social status of America. So when a Facist leader decided to give them power back and a voice, it was horrifying to see them turn to such a man like a fucking messiah. And slowly, my disdain for my church and the entire movement grew. I stopped saying "Amen" after prayers, or keeping my eyes closed during them unless I was leading worship. I stopped taking notes during sermons. I found reasons to try to skip services every once in a while to get a damn break from the mess it created. And yet, that hardly helped the root cause.

For the next three years, it was absolutely miserable to step foot in the building. I hated what it had become. I hated that I was deceived for years under a book that cannot be proven sufficiently for me anymore. I belong to a group that wanted and PRAYED for a world stripped of free will, with "sinners" being punished as they deserved. Screw critical thinking. Screw empathy for the common man. It was God's way or the Hell Way. And I couldn't bear to keep pretending I cared for Christianity anymore.

The COVID Year - My Ticket to Freedom

I know it's hard to admit this, but I am glad the pandemic showed up when it did. With my church having the common decency to shut down in face meetings (much unlike MANY churches in America that held illegal meetings that got many sick), my parents stuck with online sermons. We were committed to not going back until things were normalized. But then, in the privacy of my parents home, I started to point out the issues I've noticed with the church and their movement. How it got too toxic and political, and how we should never go back. My dad sorta agreed with me like last time, but my mom was as stubborn as ever.

I tried poking the issue, until things blew up at an Olive Garden lunch. I explained why I think Hell is so STUPID and downright evil to believe in. Why the Bible cannot be trusted. Why it's foolish to throw away any science to keep the "validity" of clear myths people made up for thousands of years. It ended in tears for my mom again, but she seemed more accepting that I stepped over the line into Atheism at long last. But there is still much to ease her and my dad into. At the very least, they won't hate me for going after a secular woman to mate with. So I have truly free avenue to pursue love without that hanging over my head.

To this day, I still watch some online sermons with them, but I will now hold the ground of never stepping foot in a church as long as I live. It is not the environment I wish to poison my mind in again. I have found peace outside such circles. With all of you, my friends and acquaintances that understand me truly. Where I can be a lewd, divine pegasus of my own desires. To be who I want to be without judgement and harming others. I will continue to need guidance and strength from people here. People that matter more to me now than my own parents on the subject. I can't turn back now. To do so would be cowardly and an invitation to further mental decay.

I am Zeus. I am a free spirit. I do not bend the knee to any widely accepted God in this world. I prefer to be my OWN God. To lead others into a path of self discovery and passion. To not hide who they are. To fight the social norms to find equity against powers that wish to dominate them. I will be reflecting this more in some Persona 5 inspired art down the line. Because I choose to no longer follow the crowd on such matters. I will fight for humanity, the real humanity. Not the one ordained by a selfish group hell bent on controlling the world.

The only question I now have for those that follow me is... do you want to join this effort? Will you walk with me on this life path towards an uncertain future? I don't want to walk alone and I know I don't have to. I love so many people in my life. And I don't want to let the issue of faith ruin my potential for long lasting greatness in my life.

And with that... my story is concluded. I hope to bring more news of my progress of my future. Keep striving to be better, everyone. The world needs stronger people that can challenge the way things are. We can change humanity for the better if we stick together. Do not let religion win in the end. Help us evolve past such antiquated belief systems and let's find out ways to ensure the survival of our species for the long term. We are so much better than words in Holy Texts. Do not be deceived any longer. Only you know what is best for yourself.

So, this journal certainly has been a long time coming. But I feel it's important to share as much as my story as possible here. A place where I know people can understand my upbringing and ongoing struggles as I embark on this new chapter of my life.

Growing Up in the Church

I remember the day vividly. On New Years Eve at the age of 6 in 1996, I accepted Jesus Christ as my Lord and Savior. It was a church that celebrated the Southern Baptist way and full of Hispanic people like my family. We have plenty of those down in Florida.

Side Note/Rant: I don't fucking care if you think that is too young for a child to make a decision like that, and then attempt to invalidate my "conversion" experience. So if you're a theist trying to shit on my validity as a former Christian, then you can fuck right off and pretend to know you how I feel. That is a dishonest way to engage in any further discussion about my deconversion, and I'm tired of it.

Anyway, I remember how everyone around me reacted, along with my own parents. They were truly convinced I had made the best decision in my life that day. I also remember how much simpler and fun things were in that environment growing up. It was where one of my earliest circles of friends formed after all. And the Bible was where I really reinforced my understanding of the Spanish language too, since my grandmother was alive. Spanish at home was practically required to keep the family circle intact, and going to church every Sunday helped me develop. It brought me genuine joy as a kid for sure, even though the sermons were less interesting than seeing how the faith has developed my friends. We did so much together out of church too, including hit up some local beaches and theme parks. I remember even doing a Boy Scouts equivalent of Christians, even though MOST of the activities were spent memorizing Bible verses. That always bothered me, but like a video game, I tried my best to earn some badges there.

But as I grew up, I noticed that some people have left my circle for no explained reason. My parents never told me why they didn't show up anymore, and it made me really sad. Then of course, I had to start sitting in for adult/main sermons, starting to get me quite bored of church when I became a teen. That was when the concept of a "Youth Group" came into my life. That was headed by someone that really put their all into planning sermons and activities for us. And then my interest was renewed. I never realized I saw church as a social club more than now. I felt really cool, knowing a lot of my school mates probably didn't have organized trips and fundraisers like I did. I remember all the times I went to Disney World too, and sharing some of my best memories there. I felt... like I was normal. That I wasn't some soul waiting to be judged in the afterlife, or worrying how "Christian" I looked to the world.

And then there was all the beautiful Easter/Christmas concerts I was a part of. It took little convincing to have me join the choir and sing my heart out. Although none of my friends too choir as seriously as I did, mainly stemming from my musical involvement in school Band classes. I got baptized at the age of 16 in a pool of all places. But then I took a Baptism course and got baptized at the tank in the temple to make sure I did it "right". My good life continued well through my High School years, all until something dire happened to my circle of friends.

A First Dose of a Cruel Reality

I admit, I lived quite a privileged childhood. I never dealt with shit parents, or lack of money, or drugs/alcohol. The state of my life was my biggest motivator to keep going to church despite how boring and derivative it got sometimes. My friends and learning about how Biblical stories applied to my life was my most important things ever. And yet, the first rock in this "ideal" state of life came in the sudden dismissal of the Youth Group leader. It turns out he was caught cheating on another woman, and then they had a divorce. The church took appropriate action to ensure such a "terrible" individual wouldn't poison the minds of the Youth Group any longer. That sweet wife of his then went on a tirade of being more of a zealot than kind believer. Her attire changed and she became a "Karen" for anything God related. I really came to dislike her demeanor and distanced myself from here.

The group that I was with continued to shrink, with only about 4 friends now from my early childhood days still part of the church. It was really depressing, and I was getting older too. The newer faces were a bit too young for my liking, and I found it odd for a nearly 20 year old me hanging with 13/14 year olds all over again. I also learned that one of my friends died in a drive by shooting as well. I was shocked to find out this friend of mine was involved in seedy places and likely the gang life. He died way too young for sure, and that struck a chord with me. I didn't know why God would allow these things to happen to people that seemed to have everything in order. It was then where my faith started to shatter a bit, but I had my closest friends and my own, loving parents to think of.

Discovering my Fetishes and the Furry Fandom

Of course, with things going slowly south at my church, I got a little too curious about pursuing some art of furry characters I enjoyed growing up. I always had a strange, warm and electric feeling watching certain scenes in cartoons growing up, and now I realized way. That being Krystal from Star Fox, of course. I explored and stopped at many points, shocked to find porn so easily. I felt awful about it, but then I realized. "These aren't humans I'm lusting over. I'm a growing man after all, I should indulge a bit. These women don't exist and won't get in my way to find my God given wife!" Things escalated as I discovered the wonders of Macrophile.com. I found my first furry artists to follow and facepalmed that I loved their work. Of course, I knew my parents would freak out if they found out I was growing fond of furry erotica, especially that of giantesses and hypers. So I started to build a stash on the computer my dad gave me for a birthday, figuring out on how to pleasure myself at the age of 18. I was a little late to the party, but that rush of libido was more amazing than anything a boring church would give me thus far, even the highs of Christmas concerts. Everything felt so formulaic and redundant at this point.

The discovery of the furry fandom was something I treasured because I discovered it on my own. I wasn't raised into it and been sent to camps, retreats, and groups to bolster my faith. It was rather freeing to have me not be disgusted with the idea of sex anymore. I wanted to naturally do more to be a part of it.

Cue the Brony fandom at this time, and that got my fandom life roaring in my 20's. Conventions, artwork, working on fangames, and eventually making my sona for the long term was mostly of what I cared about. A lot of my high school friends and church friends were gone at this point, so I had to reestablish myself socially. In 2014, I got onto F-List with my character, ready to meet some furs that caught my interest. In fact, I dated one of them! Such was a blissful couple of months, until one fateful August.

The Darkest Days

I was careless. I never bothered to put a lock on my phone. But as I was getting on the computer to address some stuff with my friends and girlfriend, my dad came into my room with a somber look on his face. A text came in from one of my furry friends. We were erotically roleplaying at the time. This was at a time before Discord took off, so I communicated through Skype and phone IM's. I... I couldn't explain myself. I got heated and defensive. Years of getting frustrated at how church was going for me spilled out. I wanted to justify that looking at furry porn was fine.

In the end, my life changed dramatically. I had to breakup with my girlfriend. My phone and laptop from college days were confiscated. They were pissed off that I didn't have an engineering job yet, or any job that mattered with my fresh degree from school. I was forced to see a "Christian Counselor" and then attend something called "Celebrate Recovery". I never cried and hated myself more than those months from August through January of 2015. I wanted to run away. I almost did once I found my first job in Engineering that was 50 minutes away from where my parents live.

I was terrible at keeping secrets, and they find out that the therapy did not work. How COULD IT!? Do you know how TERRIBLE it was to be compared to rapists, wife beaters, and drug addicts every single fucking week? Furry porn and sexual interests outside of marriage were just so demonized. I felt like this couldn't be true no longer. God couldn't be the loving father to me that I always thought he was. I BEGGED him to remove my "addiction" and make me holy again. To be ready to have a wife. But alas, even when I found a real life girlfriend for the first time, my parents butted in to tell me I was too immature to accept her in my life. I regret that day so much. I know we would have been an amazing couple already. Sadly, she got a kid with another person (who she married and then divorced. She's now into poly relationships, which I support). It felt wrong to be a stepfather to someone I had no investment in when I tried to get back with her.

So yeah, I got extremely mad at God. I blamed the church and this God for failing to take care of me in my time of need. I saw how things truly were. But, I also so how my angry outbursts was hurting my mother. She got extremely depressed to not functioning normally. I had to lie... lie to them both that when I moved out, I'd still go to church and work on removing my terrible and sinful addictions. I... I couldn't bear to be the agent of someone's depression. I had to live a double life now.

As for how that turned out, I'll write some more in Part 2. I've spilled enough tonight. But, I will answer any questions you may have about my story so far.

Hey all. Today I wanted to take a journey down memory lane about how fandom life changed my own trajectory in this life. And surprisingly, it wasn't furries that pulled me out of the spiritual prison I was in to discover who I really am. That honor (or dishonor if you're religious) goes to a certain universe of colorful horses, and the controversial fandom that spawned from the fires of 4chan memes.

How I Became a Brony

So let's step into a time machine here. The year is 2011. I was still going to college as a junior and was involved in a music fraternity there. I had a much bigger circle of RL friends thanks to someone I met after I started college. He nudged the subject of MLP to me and encouraged me to check it out, knowing I was a fan of animation in general. The idea was so absurd, but then I thought to myself. I was already lurking for furry porn behind my religious parents back for 3 years now. I'm already drenched in weird to still being a hardcore believer in God while engaging in such "sin" that I convinced myself was harmless. So, I swallowed my pride and took the plunge into watching the first two episodes. It was entertaining, but nothing mind-blowing. A week later and I've already seen all episodes up to Sonic Rainboom, the episode that turned me into identifying as a brony for the first time. And like many others, I wanted to stuff my brain with brony content every day. I even joined a brony fanclub at my university, where I also met my first real life girlfriend.

Eventually, that lead me to a wonderful individual known as GabuEx. He was starting a project of his own known as My Little Investigations, and I wanted to help him out as a writer/game-designer. The project was certainly a success as we had amassed so much talent in a short amount of time. We released our first and only complete case in Spring of 2014. I remember also going to my first convention ever at that time. I felt saddened that I had missed out on such an amazing community in other fandoms before that one. It was also that same year where I got brave enough to make a ponysona/fursona and dive right into the furry fandom as well. My circle of friends grew so much online. I felt so alive and truly myself. WAY more than I had ever felt going to church, even when I took a very active role in the choir there. I noticed just how... fake my church friends were to me. And how much more politically driven they got while never being appealing to my own interests. For the first time in my life, I really did see Bronies as the "church" I always meant to be a part of.

That was my first journey into deconversion, but I will save that whole story for another journal.

Realizing Uncomfortable Truths

Anyway, with this new passion of mine, I couldn't help but notice some disturbing trends. First and foremost was all the pestering the fandom had done around the internet. It created a divide between the fandom I was a part of and others like furries that I was deeply entrenched in too. I have heard plenty of stories of bronies bullying others online for various reasons. And that it attracted quite unsavory people to sully the image. People that were holding extremist political views or pedophiles (Like ToonKritic) or most unfortunately, Chris-Chan and other cringe inducing spergs that lacked the bare minimum of passable social skills. These were things my parents warned me about, and I simply did not want to believe it back then. I hated fear mongering and was already old enough to not let that stop me from pursuing my passions.

But the more I think about it now, the more I realize how toxic the Brony fandom had been. Like with any passionate group, the image is never squeaky clean. I rewatched the John De Lancie's documentary and facepalmed so hard at how blatant it was at spreading mass propaganda. It never accurately described the Bronies in general and was just an expensive ad for Bronycon. While my two visits to Bronycon were absolutely a blast, especially when meeting my online friends for the first time, I couldn't help but start thinking about others who showed up and had a miserable time. My fears were confirmed when I heard about close online friends dreading that trip and experiencing the toxicity of the fandom up close.

Of course, in 2019 I was getting over my long obsession with MLP:FiM outside of always fun porn to view. I was firmly implanted with this community now. Obviously, I can't really say which fandom is better than the other, but now I view groups through a more critical lens. I can't forget all the good the Brony fandom did to my life and the friends I still hold strong from it. This fandom also has helped out a lot of charities too in its hey day. And with Generation 5 around the corner, I have to wonder if we'll see a big resurgence or not?

Final Thoughts

So, before any other bronies on this site think I'm some deserter to criticize the fandom, do realize that I still hold the fandom in a positive light. But it's important to not get swept up in the purity of any passion. If we don't do our job as a community to weed out troublesome people, then what sort of message are we sending to the world at large? Certainly one that does not demonstrate love and tolerance.

Yet, I still love the fandom in general and my fellow furries here as well. The convention life and being an art commissioner has been amazing to me. I stream games often with my friends too, while continuing to learn more about this vast world I am a part of. I hope this can continue as much as possible, even with my ongoing battle to establish my ground against my religious upbringing. I am Zeus. I am who I am. And I will do my damn best to befriend as many people as I can. Because the world is filled with too much hate. It needs more positivity. It needs more grounds to connect on.

The Equestrian utopia in the show may never happen, but we can fight to get there. Fandom culture can be an agent to get us there. Freedom from religious control can get us there. Fighting for truth can get us there. And my friends, I will be more than happy to encourage you to keep discovering yourself while fighting the good fight. Suffering isn't eternal, and neither is peaceful bliss. I portray myself as a God figure because I feel emboldened to inspire those around me to do better, even beyond the power fetish implications. I want to keep talking to people in both fandoms because it helps me out in my own struggles too.

So, all that said... I love you all and may everyone find their spark to make a positive change in your lives. <3

Hey all. Just wanted to dump my thoughts below after seeing a rather distasteful take on why people leave the Christian Faith. Link below, along with my most recent response.

https://youtu.be/dMkGl4CEW-Q

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Faith is belief in something without concrete evidence. Try to demonstrate to anyone that God is real and worth worshipping without resorting to a text that has insufficiently provided a strong basis for belief. You will find moral dilemmas. There are no credible eye witnesses. The gospels rely on one another and not really unique accounts of what presumed to happen. And there are no original documents for historians to review to determine the historicity of the text. The fact you admitted Christians rely on faith in a higher power is an admission to dismiss your own critical thinking to appeal to something that is impossible. Something that cannot be ever demonstrated or proven. Why would an all powerful God need people like you to defend and prove his existence? Christians have a very hard time to answer the modern "silence" from God when people demand proof. You can't just sit and point to "Look around! It's obvious!" Sorry, but scientific pursuits can explain plenty of natural phenomena out there and Christians actively deny or try to forge their thinking in the scientific community.

God IS a tyrant because we're a byproduct of his creation in your worldview. We had NO say in the matter to be born into a life of suffering and pain. You may cry that all of us have a purpose, but again, outside of "scripture", that cannot be demonstrated without presuppositions. How can you be comfortable in putting your trust in a tyrant that has put the world in jeopardy by allowing evil to develop since Day 1? A tyrant that has genocidal plans to end the world for real and usher in eternal peace. I'm sorry, but such peace is logically impossible. Eventually, even the saved will forget what evil is and history could repeat itself. What joy is there in an existence without conflict and challenges? You're acting like the promise of heaven is a good thing, when it's so nebulous and suggesting the removal of free will to establish a sin free world.

And I never said Christians are dumb. I'm saying they are wasting their time to trust an unreliable source for life advice, future promises, and accurate historical accounts. So many fundamentalist Christians will not budge or accept apostasy. They will do whatever they can to convert instead of trying to understand why someone like me would reject God. Because God is not an omnibenevolent being. Nor is it any of the other omnis at once. Your God exists outside reality. And thus, it cannot possibly exist.

By claiming religious "jealousy" as a fine thing, you make God out to be a petty individual. It SHOULD be above the need of worship to validate its own existence. I fully believe any God worth worshipping is above mandatory worship for fear of eternal torture. Why would it worry about others choosing Gods to worship instead? It could seriously end all doubt if he showed up, had an interview, cleaned up Biblical contradictions, and made up an easier to understand book to guide our lives. God is supposed to be the Holy Father. Even after death, when all doubt is erased, why wouldn't the All Powerful father take the time to correct ones ways directly? Why assume the person isn't going to change? Or just make a world where they can live away from his presence without suffering. Why rob us of the choice to not accept God and assume things were made perfect?

Face it. Christianity is filled with presumptions in its validation. It seeks to undermine the opinions of non believers and establish theocracies around the world, much like Islamic States. Humanity must look past the many religions of old. I know we can if we can have honest conversations across the board. But Christians are always the ones that will not listen to reason. And will instead, turn to claims of persecution when the world rejects their unsubstantiated claims.

I admit, life has been more tense than I'm used to it being lately. From work kicking me down with deadlines and a lot of time out in the sun, to my ongoing spiritual warfare with my family. It sucks to say the least, and sitting through a sermon today involving yet another bashing of "false" religions to prop up their own. It's just reaching a boiling point where I have to set hard boundaries with my family or warn them that I could easily move away with assistance from my current job.

But my own personal issues are not the main reason I am here today to share some more of my developing thoughts. Instead, I want to discuss what the church views as "courageous" and what I feel is real courage. Per the pastor from this morning, because it's so "easy" to just live a lifetime of what they consider sin, that choosing to abstain from all of it to pursue a bigger reward in heaven is courage. Because apparently the world "despises" major religions. Little do they realize how much influence and power they have over the current world at large. I personally cannot stand the glorification of detaching oneself from the trends of the planet, just being content in dividing everything into a category of good vs evil.

And the congregation around me just buys into this narrative. Believing their faith is the one and only true one. No need to rationally think about the concrete reasons why, right? Just accept what the "experts" tell you and nothing more. It's disgusting to me, especially when we all congregate into a picnic afterwards to live like normal human beings. I saw moms parading around their newborns, age groups organizing to do their own thing, and no one bothering to discuss the sermon they just heard. All of this social act is just to normalize a falsehood. That peace can be achieved and we can be normal people if we believe in the "one, true religion"

This religion is one that specializes in the need for divine salvation through some devious tactics. First, the church will convince you that nothing good in the world is from man. That all of it comes from one source of good, and that is "God". Secondly, they will dare to call people who claim they are doing good as "prideful fools". Because humanity is apparently too stupid and sinful to make the world a better place without a Holy Text telling them otherwise. And lastly, they will justify genocide in their text as "righteous", convincing their followers that God is simply without any fault. Praise how perfect our Gary Stu is! And how DARE you question otherwise!?

When you believe in this structure, it turns you into the mindset of a slave to be frank. That you have to adhere to the commands of the one who is most worthy and not think for yourself. You can easily get into very terrible stances on topics concerning the morality of handling those that do not share your same faith. That isn't a way to live one's life in my honest opinion. Especially when it can cause bouts of depression among parents and their children wishing to leave the faith in pursuit of their own spiritual path. I think the highest courage one can face in the emotional realm is to defy the wishes of parents. To prove to them that you can be a functioning, moral person without God. It's easy to submit by "faith" to these groups. It is much harder to break away when such a faith has been a part of your life for most of your life.

I honestly am running out of patience for my folks. I need to continue to find those that are in my situation and reach out to people I trust about it. For those I have spoken to, thanks for your time. I want to keep such discussions up in my very fragile period of living. <3

So, Easter came and went. I had my share of anger filled tweets and moments today. But, I spoke to more moderate Christians today. It's to feel less judged, but that fear and stigma is still there whenever I engage. One of them proposed a wonderful question that I want to meditate on tonight. And below I have 5 main reasons that I've noticed from people that still cling to their faith in whatever God they wish.

1. Indoctrination and Fear

Okay, okay... before you stop reading, just hear me out. I'm not hear to bash believers or claim this is the number one reason many believe. However, it is still a prevalent part that plagues my home here in the USA and in other places of the world. But it makes sense when you really think about it. And plus, I want to give the most negative reason out of the way first.

Certain believers will simply feed lies and mistruths to everyone, citing unreliable sources in their sermons while also tying in the political angle to every issue. And so a distrust in authority and the secular world at large is established. There's even an outright denial of news outlets and experts in fields defending secular viewpoints. Many make sure children are fed this terrible information as they grow up, so it's harder for them to escape this toxic mindset when they get older. Some go even as far as to cannibalize sects in their own faith. I can't tell you how many times my old church bashed people like the Catholics or 7th Day Adventists or Pentecostals.

Not to mention, fear has been a powerful tool to keep members faithful to their "absolute truth". If you're wrong, you simply pay the ultimate price and suffer for eternity. What higher stakes can be possibly imagined? Also fear of social shame comes into play. If you're counter to traditional religious doctrine, people are going to see you as less worthy and sub-human even. Judgment begets more judgment, and many believers deny this is the main reason why they believe. But I met people that strongly tie to my other reasons below.

2. Personal Experiences

Some claim they converted through unexplainable near death experiences. Others are quick to point to how happy things were while in the church. They get this unexplainable feeling about a connection with God. And perhaps, their teachings have made them into the "Little Jesus's" that they aspire to be. Where they leave everything to God to solve and merely lead by example. I can respect people like this, because of their passive approach to life. They'll talk about the gospel, but also know when to back off. Let people choose for themselves instead of coercing a following through avenues like federal law and the public sector. This is definitely a valid reason for anyone to believe in their God. But personal experience also helped me be driven away from the church in general. I simply felt less and less welcome among my peers. Being part of a service felt too fake for me. I didn't belong any longer to a place like church.

3. Community

There is little doubt that the church provides a wonderful place for like minded people to mingle. Friendships for life can be forged there without much trouble. Children can receive good moral instruction, but the parents should ensure they know what they are feeding their kids, pulling them away when things get too negative or political. And plus, church services are basically half concerts by nature. Where else can you sing in unison and not feel judged? Where you can connect spiritually and feel like you're part of something bigger than what other things say you are. So if people are going to be so glued to a faith structure, it's because they don't want to alienate and lose their human connection there. Starting over anew is a lot of work and stress for people. So even if they have doubts, these people will remember the good of their community. At the same time, this reason can be easily shattered if there's an exposed scandal in the church. People do react to various, troubling situations different. Some go as far as not seeking proper punishment for such wayward members, instead making excuses to demand forgiveness from others. So while this is a valid reason to believe in a religion, it's one that people should be careful to put their stock in.

4. Utter Ignorance

If people are stuck with one culture and way of thinking for so long, they just lose the need to seek out alternatives. They may start to doubt things about their faith, but are not aware about validity in other thought structures to pursue then. Certainly, this can lead into a more toxic reason to believe as stated before, but it can also open the door for a stronger faith. I do feel like it is important for all faith heavy people to research what their competition believes in. And do it THEMSELVES versus having their church leaders spoon feed them information likely edited to suit their own agenda. For example, many Christians would be flabbergasted if they bothered to look into what the Church of Satan believes in. It's not as "evil" as they think it is. Blasphemous, sure, but I assure you, it's nothing compared to the bloody and barbaric Law of Moses from the Old Testament. Unfortunately, this reason stems from believing a book like the Bible is inerrant and perfect. A "True Word of God". Thanks to the rise of information sharing nowadays, a quick search into the history of the Bible's origins is going to reveal how suspicious and dubious it was. There's not a single firsthand account registered in the Bible, after all. So if you're going to be ignorant of the origins of holy texts, there's no point in having a discussion about your faith in the first place.

5. Fear/Discomfort of the Unknown

Lastly, this should come as a no brainer. Humans don't simply want to settle on the possibility that life ends after death. We want a reason to make our life here grander than what a nihlistic attitude suggests. So rather than take the risk of becoming an Atheist to deny faith, such people will do whatever they can to hold on. Fear of death and loss is natural for humanity. So it's understandable that you want to assure somebody that something better is laying ahead when you're at their death bed. I can't really fault this reason ever, because it is super scary to think like life can amount to nothing once you're gone. From dust you were born, to dust you shall return. But at least, people can stick with this hopeful view on faith and ignore the more negative parts of it.


And there you have it. 5 of the most common reasons to believe in a religion. I'm curious to what my theistic friends use as their justification in believing. If I missed another big reason, feel free to comment below!

These past 10 days have been some of the most welcoming and enlightening moments of my spiritual journey so far. To deconstruct every idea that I held so true and close to my heart is one full of relief, hope, and joy for the truth I seek. One of the biggest obstacles I’ve had to mentally overcome is the current concept of Sin.

For those uninformed, here’s the most basic definition of “Sin”

“An immoral act considered to be a transgression against divine law.”

Sounds pretty rigid and clear, right? After all, every citizen in the world understands how important law is to keep the order in every nation. And if this law were to come from the Almighty themselves? No amount of preparation would serve to aid you when it came to facing divine judgment. It’s no surprise why many have converted and still cling to Judeo-Christian religions when the takes involve eternal torment in Hell vs eternal life in heaven. This is the present ultimatum that has been popularized for millennia.

And no other doctrine has made me sicker to the core, for it goes against basic humanistic principles. It drives people to see themselves as worthless wretches that cannot function without a belief in a particular version of God. It’s doctrine is inherently anti-human and evil.

But I found out that the early church Christians actually had three possible theories for Hell. One as described above, another where you cease to exist if you don’t believe in God (meaning there is no Hell), or one based in universalism, where Hell is temporary and we’ll all end up in Heaven based on the severity of our mortal crimes.

Source: https://iep.utm.edu/origen-of-alexandria/#SH3c

Source 2: https://www.theopedia.com/annihilationism

So then I ask the following question. “How can Christianity claim absolute morality in the first place when their early church members couldn’t answer the biggest questions about correct divine judgement?”

They can’t. No other religion can’t. To attempt to prove one faith has that morality in the first place is actually quite impossible. Absolute Morality cannot come from a singular God, for God by nature is amoral. God does not have a reason to subject the entire existence of humanity to a long history of confusion, conflict, or suffering unless it breaks one of its sacred “Omni” statuses

Omnipotence – There is nothing God can’t do that does not result in a logical paradox
Omnibenevolence – There is no evil in God. He’s the source of all good and will know what’s best for his creation
Omnificent – No knowledge is outside of God’s own.

So what do people in the toxic church environment do? Mental gymnastics. Tons of them, riddled with leaps in logic to attempt to explain away their absurd claims. The majority of such attempts invoke the Free Will approach, therefore blame humans for every evil act done since creation. Or Theists outright discredit people that bring up this Problem of Sin/Evil, claiming that there is no way for humans to understand why God has chosen this reality for us.
I cannot and will NOT accept a stance that undermines an attempt at a discussion. It is a cop-out and one based in sheer hypocrisy, end of story.

The reason why modern-day Christians and other popular faiths stick with the Eternal Hell doctrine is due to the power it has over many humans. People are more willing to convert in the sake of self-interest versus a genuine interest in helping the many humans in true need. And that ALREADY belittles the point of Jesus walking this Earth by establishing a culture based in things very similar to the Pharisees. Christianity nowadays is now a hateful political movement that seeks to engage in a constant culture war with everyone else, under the order and false protection of their “Absolute Morality”.

We’re enemies of God (which is a terrible term to use in the first place) because we willingly choose to hurt God’s feelings through sin? Isn’t God supposed to be above feelings to truly be the Supreme Being he is? Humanity is essentially an existential experiment for him, something he felt like starting because he was bored of simply ruling in Heaven all this time. Why should we care if we hurt their feelings? We humans are the one that end up humanizing God more than treating it like the faceless and amoral being it truly is, if it exists in the first place.

So now that I am certain Absolute Morality cannot possibly exist, there can only exist the reality of Relative Morality. Every action has positive/negative consequences to consider. Unfortunately, what’s abhorrent for the majority can be still beneficial for the few that engage in it. But just because this is a statement of an observation of reality doesn’t mean we should all turn into savages, start an anarchy, and have every man live for themselves. Humans should always have the authority to question and overturn moral standards as society changes. We’re all a dynamic species, and yet religion tries to pigeon hole everyone into convenient labels.

This isn’t religious dogma inspired by the divine. It’s a manipulative tactic used to rally up groups of people in ancient times to survive wars. To create “tribes” of like-minded people to defeat a common enemy. And you don’t have to look any further than the vast majority of stories in the Old Testament to see why this is the truth of the matter.

So my friends, if you are still a believer, I seriously want you to ask yourself the genuine reason of why you believe in God. Is it truly a genuine belief supported by mounds of credible evidence? A flimsy one based on experience that could possibly be explained in more rational terms? Or is this faith forced onto you out of fear from family and societal abuse?

Think about it. And don’t be afraid to think for yourself for once. Thinking is completely healthy. Don’t let anyone else lead you down the dangerous path of blind faith. Humanity, in the end, is one team. We must work together to evolve an ever changing world if we wish to survive as long as possible.

Today marks a great day in my life, where I've convinced my family to explore other churches in the area to restart my spiritual journeys. Unfortunately, such a dip into unknown waters had nearly drowned all of my efforts so far. Once more, for all of my followers who are sensitive to discussion about religion and questioning their faith, please turn away now. I am going to use a lot of generalizations because I am speaking from personal experience. I'm quite upset and need to continue to jot these feelings down again.

NOTE
I am a young agnostic that has removed himself from Evangelical Christianity. This is not the place to challenge these beliefs with your own brand of religious dogma.

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So, it turns out my family and I ran into some bad luck. We missed the service at 9:30 AM, thinking there was another at 11 AM. Instead of feeling like we wasted our trip, we decided to head out to a Bible Study in Spanish together. Lo and behold, turns out we run into a couple who used to go to the church I have left. The lesson was only half an hour long, and afterwards, I had a question about this couple's stance on "Religious Freedom". As expected, that question turned highly political and ended up with a stinger that infuriated me.

"If you're a Democrat/Liberal, you are not a Christian."

How much more narrowminded can you get? And this, right here, is precisely the reason why I'm leaving the church scene for a good long while. Politics and religion have been so intertwined that any doctrine becomes a pissing contest on pushing oppressive beliefs into law. Whatever happened for the development of a good men and women to be fit to serve God's will? And this is where my fears were confirmed. The loudest Christian voices are ones that want to establish what is known as a "Christian Nation". So that means Christian leaders in office, Christian inspired laws, and driving out all that opposes their world view.

One, all powerful, religious theocracy. The death of the separation of church and state, basically.

Why? Because in their eyes, it always was. And that belief in and of itself is so misleading. How can Christian belief lead to the driving away of Native Americans from their home land? Along with the normalization of slavery in the South and countless other atrocities this grand nation has done in its infancy. It baffles me why members of this rampant, toxic ingroup believe in such a twisted narrative. It's selective memory to the extreme, and I am frankly tired of it. Our government should NOT have the authority to limit the freedoms of any group of Americans. We're all equal in opportunity. That is the philosophy to carry us into a more prosperous future.

How can such a theocracy be a good idea in the first place? How is such any better than the Muslim nation states of the Middle East? News flash, it isn't. Peace at the expense of the abuse and cruelty to those out of the in-group is a false one. This is what the Templars wanted in the Assassin's Creed series, you know? But at the same time, these Christian people believe the majority of the world is going to Hell. They have lost hope in the moral progression of humanity, putting all of their eggs in one basket for Jesus to save them. To obsess over the afterlife MUCH more than what is guaranteed on this planet, which is our current slice of life. We have a planet to take care of, and we cannot solve the world's problems by spreading this false doctrine of exclusivity and hatred.

And before I'm bombarded with retaliation from furries holding a faith background, I'm not saying everyone that subscribes to this faith is bad. But with the current path it has taken, fusing once again with hardcore political figures, I hardly see it going anywhere more than a Facist state where America is free to ONLY the chosen privileged. I cannot and will not stand for such a fate for my beloved home. In my eyes, no faith has absolute claim on understanding the Divine. I think the real Divine is FAR more bigger than that, and free thinkers like me shouldn't be shamed from the masses. The Problem of Evil exists and cannot be answered by any apologetitcs. God, as the depicted omnibenvolent father he is, should strive to improve every life beyond death. Eternal punishment can never justify as equal to a lifetime of "Sin". I think I want to rant about the concept of "Sin" in another journal.

I don't fear the false threat of eternal Hell any longer. And I want to assure people that losing that fear doesn't mean going into a moral deep dive into pure depravity and self harming lifestyles. There are better belief systems to latch onto. Society does not need the Gospel any longer. Religion should encourage itself a place where one feels safe, gathers, and expands their own spiritual journeys. And now, it is a tool for creating classism, racism, distrust of experts/science and crippling fear across this great nation.

Mankind in the USA should not fear terrorism, or foreign business practices, or global warming as much as what a Religious Theocracy can cause. And we should do our best, via my current generation, to set the standard on how society should progress going forward. The church attendance is shrinking steadily across Evangelicals everywhere. And I implore everyone, even if they fear leaving the faith, to at least figure out WHY they believe in what they do. Beliefs that concrete and long lasting should have a solid foundation, especially when claiming absolute truth.

So, my friends. I ask you to really think about the state of the USA. I feel so alone in my efforts and thinking. If you know people or groups I can connect to make me feel more at home with my beliefs, I would appreciate the hope here. Such conflict in my own soul has been eating away at my mind for too long. I need to make some more progress to find the long term peace I need.

So, this weekend and today was rough for me mentally. For those of my God-fearing friends that are too afraid to listen up to what someone has to say that makes you uncomfortable, please don't read ahead. I need to let loose a building whirlwind of emotions in my right now. I must seek solace in that people in this fandom do understand where I am coming from.

---

Tonight, I'm bringing a word that makes people turn away from its mere utterance in daily conversations. Religion. There are thousands of iterations of it out there in the world, with the more popular ones claiming to be the "ABSOLUTE TRUTH". And here in my home of the beloved United States of America, we have one particular version of it that has run rampant in. One mostly responsible for the current divide in ideologies to advance humankind.

Fundamentalist Christianity

AKA "Born Again" Christians or just Evangelicals.

These people are supposed to be the moral rock and foundation of this country. And yet as recent history has shown, the grand majority of those identifying with this large sect has sunk their hand into many acts of abhorrent things that go against the teachings of Jesus. Seriously, sit down and think about it. Think about how Donald Trump won the last election. Think about the base he had reached. These "Christians" believe in the false persecution of their faith. Look at movies that illustrate this like "God's Not Dead", and how popular THAT was. Reality check, believers. Due to the rise of the technology in the information age, many more people are exposing the countless flaws in the so called "gospel". They learn about other cultures and how non-threatening they are to the human race. How can any sane human look at the core beliefs of the gospel and think this is what a pure God desires?

The gospel, by nature, is exclusive to the majority of the world. It spits in the face of any other religion out there. It demonizes anyone that is a skeptic or dares question the validity of the books it spawned from. It inspires hope through destruction of the wicked. It creates this "enemy" to which all Christians can unite against. And this "enemy" of the Faith has been used by politicians around the world to keep the masses in check. Completely comfortable in their white picket fence of a bubble.

And because of this, conflicts arise. The majority bands together to oppress certain groups that flies in the face of what some assholes thousands of years ago did not agree with or understand. Wars have spawned because of this group and groups like them in other extreme sects. And yet, people are totally fine in perpetuating this invisible "spiritual war" to sate their own inflated egos. In fact, dare I say, pride is the biggest shackle to plenty of believers out there.

Pride leads to blind faith. Because the thought of being challenged or proven wrong is far too scary to accept. Pride leads to the following things that I've noticed from this group.

- The complete lack of faith in my generation and younger to uphold societal cohesion and peace.
- The obsession of marriage with others in the same belief. Turning a willing choice in exploring the biggest questions of existence to a rampant breeding war. Because if one side out breeds another, they tend to stick around for way longer.
- The commercialization of "faith healing" and the rampant power abuse/tax evasion of mega churches.
- The normalization of blaming natural disasters as being a result of God casting correct judgement on sinful region.
- The radicalization of members towards one side of the political spectrum
- The influx of fear via conspiracy theories and New World Order claims by religious leaders. (This has been a thing at my parent church's sermon perpetuating for years now)
- The promotion of a "Rapture" endtimes event because these Christians think they are too worthy to be subjected to the worst of the prophesized disasters in the world.
- Solace in knowing the majority of the world is doomed, creating a pseudo nihilistic mindset where your faith makes you incompatible to befriend everyone else. Since if you're REALLY friends with someone, you'd do all you can to "save" them.

My friends. Religious pursuits should always be an individual choice as a way to improve one self and others. But nowadays, it feels more like a societal obligation. To deviate from the norm and challenge it is to be labeled a heathen doomed to Hell. The easy answer that accomplishes NOTHING!

And I'm sick of it. Sick of being told how Hell exists and that Sin is our chain to overcome. Sick of being told that I AM THE ENEMY! It's fear mongering upon fear mongering. Where's the peace? I won't have peace in Heaven knowing my faith would result in the death of billions. Neither should you, in my eyes.

In short... I'd say it's important to have faith for the right reasons. You believe in something because you've done your due diligence in examining all the facts relevant to the matter. Not because some "expert" told you so.

Anyway, if you somehow managed to read through all this, congrats. This is a part of my identity that I want to make more known. I'm a struggling man in this Blind Faith dominated world. I am a skeptic that seeks a better answer than the ones provided to me all my life. My parents have tried multiple times to prevent me from going down this path in life. But my creator gave me this mind to use and use wisely. I feel the need to challenge established principals when they seem harmful for so many. So if you wish to continue this discussion with my in private, I can send you my DM ifno.

Thanks, and hope your weekends were better than mine!

One more week to go in this crazy NFL season before the playoffs begin. I'll be posting my bracket predictions for both conferences in my next journal. For now, let's get to picking!

FINAL SCORE

Summer: 5 (WINNER)
Zeus: 3
No of Ties: 9

PICK 1
~ Cincinnati Bengals cover against the Baltimore Ravens as home underdogs (+13.0)

I'm rather sick of the overhype on this resurgent Ravens team. Have people forgotten this Bengals team ruined the Ravens playoff changes back in 2017? They're likely going to lose, but I don't see them being blown out in the end. It'll be a close cover, but I believe in a hot Bengals team as well. They're actually finding ways to move the ball.

RESULT: Ravens 38 Bungles 3 (LOSS)

Wow, didn't expect a blowout this bad, but I guess the Bengals had nothing to play for except pride. Ravens had to win and get in really.

PICK 2
~ Philadelphia Eagles cover against the Washington Football Team as home underdogs (+6.5)

Once again, I'm calling out Washington's absolutely terrible offense. They got rid of Haskins and Alex Smith is still hurt. They're not going to run the ball on this team that's likely quite salty from losing to the Cowboys.

RESULT: Eagles 14 Football Team 20 (WIN)

Eagles almost screwed me over by taking out their future QB. However, the football team was content with their lead to not bother scoring more points in the 4th quarter. I'll take it.

PICK 3
~ New Orleans Saints cover as road favorites against the Carolina Panthers (-6.5)

Saints are still in the running for that number one seed. They're going to play hard against this division foe to cement their place in the playoffs. At the very least, they want to hang onto that 2 seed so they can have 2 home games in the playoffs.

RESULT: Saints 33 Panthers 7 (WIN)

Just as predicted. These Saints are so ready to make a deep run. I'm anticipating the meltdown from this team though. But this literally is their last year to do anything meaningful before Brees retires.

Overall Result: 2-1 (WIN)

I'll ride this momentum into the offseason. Thanks for joining me this year! Now... time to face my punishment from one VERY happy and horny skunkette. >>

Unofficial gut reaction picks below. NO SPREAD CONSIDERED! (Current Record 116-61). Bolded picks are ones that came true. Italicized is wrong picks.

Bills over Dolphins (This game terrifies me. Not getting my hopes up unless I see the Bills rest their starters)

Browns over Steelers (Steelers have nothing to play for. They rather rest their aging QB for a likely, short playoff run. Browns are desperate to end their playoff drought)

Vikings over Lions (Lions may just be the worst team in the league next to the Jaguars)

Jets over Patriots (Jets clinched the second spot in the draft. Why not continue to stomp on the dead evil empire's corpse?)

Cowboys over Giants (Eeeyup. I sense the Cowboys are destined to make the playoffs so they can humiliated by Tampa Bay.)

Bucs over Falcons (This will be a very different game from their first meeting just two weeks ago)

Packers over Bears (No way the Bears deserve the playoffs. The Packers will clinch that No 1 seed this week)

Raiders over Broncos (Completely meaningless game. I don't see the starters playing to preserve their trade value honestly)

Colts over Jaguars (Should be a closer game than expected, but the Colts are far superior than their rival)

Rams over Cardinals (I've lost complete optimism in these birds. The Rams should do barely enough to make their way into the playoffs. They are praying Goff can remain healthy)

Seahawks over 49ners (Will be a tight game, but I trust the Seahawks more. They're still playing for the No 1 or 2 seed regardless)

Titans over Texans (Was tempted to pick this game, but the Titans looked very vulnerable last week. They'll win, but it may be a little ugly. Texans are not playing for a draft pick since their first rounder went to Miami. So they may actually give a crap about this game)

As promised, here are my picks for this week. Congrats again to Summer to clinching the season series last week, but I have pride damn it. I got to get some more practice in making picks.

CURRENT SCORE

Summer: 5 (WINNER)
Zeus: 2

PICK 1
~ Arizona Cardinals cover as home favorites over the San Francisco 49ners (-5.0)
This is a friendly line to me, as Arizona needs to keep winning to stay ahead of the Chicago Bears. The 49ners have been eliminated and playing for pride at this point. I think they are too injured to make this a really close game. You can't tell me they can give up 41 pts to the Cowboys and say they'll do much better against a better, healthier offense.

RESULT: 49ners 20 Cardinals 12 (LOSS)

The Cardinals have got to be one of the most inconsistent teams in the NFL. It's not looking good for them, and now they face a win or get eliminated scenario.

PICK 2
~ Indianapolis Colts cover as road favorites over the Pittsburgh Steelers (-1.5)
I'm surprised this spread is as close as it is. The Colts are streaking and have a good defense to ruin a clearly one dimensional offense from the Steelers. This is going to be the Iron Curtain's 4th game dropped in a row, and the AFC North will be up for grabs in Week 17.

RESULT: Colts 24 Steelers 27 (LOSS)

I was ONCE AGAIN the victim of a favorite playing terrible football come the second half. The Colts really don't deserve to make the playoffs after losing like that to a struggling Steelers team.

PICK 3
~Seattle Seahawks cover as home favorites over the LA Rams (-1.0)
This game is basically for the division. It's very hard to trust the Rams after their debacle of a performance against the Jets last week. While the Rams HAVE beaten them earlier this season, it's very hard to sweep a division foe. Seattle wants a home playoff game in round 1, and they have an outside chance to get that coveted 1 seed + first round bye. They are going to give it their all to clinch the division, and send the Rams in the danger zone of being ousted from the wild card race.

RESULT: Seahawks 20 Rams 9 (WIN)

Yeah, the better and healthier team clearly won here. The Rams are frauds and will struggle to beat a division foe next week, especially if their QB isn't playing. Goff is overrated in my eyes.

OVERALL RESULT: 1-2 (TIE)

Well, at least I prevented the gap from getting wider. I would love to get back in the win column one more time though.

Unofficial gut reaction picks below. NO SPREAD CONSIDERED! (Current Record 108-57). Bolded picks are ones that came true. Italicized is wrong picks.

Saints over Vikings (Might be closer than the line indicates, but the Saints are still clawing and scratching for that 1 seed. They can't afford to lose again. Good bounceback game I say)

Dolphins over Raiders (Must win game for Miami. They lose, and their playoff hopes are basically over barring some upsets. Phins up!)

Bucs over Lions (The Bucs want to play for that 5th seed so they can go up against the hapless NFC East winner. They keep it rolling over a team that's rebuilding)

Jaguars over Bears (PONE'S UPSET OF THE WEEK) (The Jets are begging for this to happen after they screwed up their tank last week)

Chiefs over Falcons (They will clinch the 1 seed this week. I don't see the Falcons playing spoiler if they couldn't do it against Tampa Bay last week)

Browns over Jets (These teams know what's at stake. They cannot afford a slip up at all for their own goals)

Ravens over Giants (Only way the Giants can win is if their offense can somehow generate ANYTHING consistent. Daniel Jones should be back, so this game will be closer than expected. But the Ravens are playing for their playoff lives. They know a loss would likely doom them, especially if Miami wins this week.)

Bengals over Texans (Texans are a complete mess, and the Bengals should have some leftover momentum from their upset win last week)

Broncos over Chargers (Good offense vs Good defense. Both injury plagued. I don't see the Chargers being consistent at all to keep on winning. Completely meaningless game)

Panthers over Washington (I simply don't trust Washington's offense. And it'd be totally 2020 if the the NFC East winner can have no more than 6 wins this year.)

Cowboys over Eagles (While Jalen Hurts has been impressive, I think the Cowboys are getting into their mojo. They win this game, and Washington loses, look out! The cancer that just won't go away)

Titans over Packers (It's going to be a high scoring game, but the Packers do struggle against teams that can run the ball effectively. I believe in the Titans offense a bit more than Aaron Rodgers)

Bills over Patriots (The Bills will make sure this former dynasty will limp to the off season with a below .500 record. They are still playing hard to earn that 2nd seed over the Steelers)

This is it. Either I win or tie to ensure this series moves on for another week. Not giving up yet! I'm feeling 3-0 this week, baby!

CURRENT SCORE

Summer: 4
Zeus: 2

PICK 1
~ Kansas City Chiefs cover as road favorites against the New Orleans Saints (-3.0) (PONE'S GAME OF THE WEEK)

Two great teams, but Drew Brees is just coming back from injury. I don't expect him to keep pace with one of the best teams in the NFL so soon. Both teams need to win, by Kansas City truly is tough to stop right now. KC wants the first round bye and they can accomplish it with a win and a Steelers/Bills loss this week.

RESULT: Chiefs 32 Saints 29 (TIE, SO LOSS)

This one hurt a bunch, but towards the end of the day, this game was rather meaningless for this series as I couldn't have caught up to Summer by then. The Chiefs may not be the best team in the NFL. They're going to crumble in a one possession game soon and it won't be pretty.

PICK 2
~ Washington Football Team as home underdogs to cover against the Seattle Seahawks (+6.5)

Washington is the trending upward team right now with their stout defense. I think they will do enough to frustrate Russel Wilson, much like my Phins frustrated him back in Week 4. It's a long road trip as well for the Seahawks, so I think the Football Team can stay competitive.

RESULT: Seahawks 20 Washington 15 (WIN)

I'm really glad the football team showed some fight in the second half to avoid being blown out. The Seahawks closed up shop to preserve a lead against a bad offense. And I'm rewarded for calling the betters bluff on this one. Washington SHOULD win the division, but those damned Cowboys are right behind them again.

PICK 3
~ Green Bay Packers cover as home favorites against the Carolina Panthers (-8.0)

Similarly, the Packers are looking to make a statement and maintain their lead over the Saints for the number 1 seed. I don't see them having a let down game to a very disappointing Panthers team that is not starting McCaffrey.

RESULT: Packers 24 Panthers 16 (TIE, SO LOSS)

The Packers followed the same script as the Seahawks. A good first half followed up by a sloppy, slow second half. They're already tuned into the playoffs, despite needing one more win to clinch the 1 seed.

OVERALL RESULT: 1-2 (LOSS)

A very strange week where I was on track to go 3-0 based on first half performances by my chosen teams, and then I stumbled towards the end. With this second loss in a row, and my third in four weeks, this season series is over. I'll keep making picks, to see if I can make the score more respectable.

Congrats to the skunk who's certainly giving me quite the lesson in gambling lately! I'll be sure to come back next year even stronger, ready to challenge her again.~


Unofficial gut reaction picks below. NO SPREAD CONSIDERED! (Current Record 102-51). Bolded picks are ones that came true. Italicized is wrong picks.

Broncos over Bills (PONE'S UPSET OF THE WEEK)

Dolphins over Patriots

Jaguars over Ravens

Bucs over Falcons

Cowboys over 49ners

Titans overs Lions

Colts over Texans

Vikings over Bears

Rams over Jets

Cardinals over Eagles

Giants over Browns

Steelers over Bengals

It's time for the final quarter of the 2020 NFL regular season. Things are heating up all over the place, and I can't wait to see what unfolds in this month of December into January.

CURRENT SCORE

Summer: 3
Zeus: 2

PICK 1
~ Houston Texans over the Chicago Bears as road favorites (-1.5)
This seems as gimme of a pick as when the Eagles were somehow favorites over the Rams in Week 2. I am a little wary of two teams tanking at this point, but the Texans should have enough offensive firepower to bury a terrible Bears team.

RESULT: Texans 7 Bears 36 (LOSS)

The trap has been sprung on me. The Texans need to stop giving hope to Bears fan. Both of these teams are awful!

PICK 2
~ Minnesota Vikings cover as road underdogs to TOMpa Bay Buccaneers (+6.5)
In a battle of two teams desperate for the playoffs, I'm willing to bet against Tom Brady having to struggle to beat the Vikings by more than a touchdown. The Vikings are able to control the clock with a great run game, and reduce the chances that high powered offense has to put points on the board. Kirk Cousins is playing for his job right now, and there would be nothing better than to bury the Bucs playoff chances with a loss. Loser of this game most likely is knocked out of the race.

RESULT: Vikings 14 Bucs 26 (LOSS)

If their kicker ACTUALLY did his job, they would have easily covered. So now, I'm left out to dry this week. Damn you, Tom Brady! Why won't you go away!?

PICK 3
~ Buffalo Bills cover as home favorites against Pittsburgh Steelers (-2.0) (PONE'S GAME OF THE WEEK)
The Bills are getting hot lately, while the Steelers were just poorly exposed against the Washington defense last week. I've always believed that the Steelers are frauds for Super Bowl contention, and the Bills have a chance to extend their lead over my Phins this week.

RESULT: Bills 26 Steelers 15 (WIN)

Great for the Bills, as it makes it more likely they'll rest their starters come Week 17. They saved me from going 0-3 again in picks

Overall Result: 1-2 (LOSS)

This season is in dire straights now. I have to win the next three weeks or get 2 of 3 to force a tie. We'll see if I can make the miraculous comeback, but another loss on my end, and it's all over. :C

Unofficial gut reaction picks below. NO SPREAD CONSIDERED! (Current Record 94-48). Bolded picks are ones that came true. Italicized is wrong picks.

Chiefs over Dolphins (It'll be way closer than expected though. I wanted to make this my official pick, but it's hard to trust Tua against the Champs right now)

Titans over Jaguars (Titans do the Jaguars a solid and help them tank. They've always had their number)

Cowboys over Bengals (Bengals are thugs after what they tried to pull last week in Miami)

Cardinals over Giants (No way Colt McCoy is able to win two games in a row like that. Cardinals are desperate for a win)

Colts over Raiders (Lol Raiders. They'll be exposed again in another close game)

Seahawks over Jets (Another game I wanted to pick, and on the JETS actually. But that team is unpredictable. They'll likely get rolled by a pissed off Seahawks team)

Packers over Lions (No way the Packers lose. They have to stay in the running for the 1 seed)

Saints over Eagles (Same reason as the Packers. Jalen Hurts isn't going to do anything)

Falcons over Chargers (CHOKE BOWL 2020!!!)

Washington over 49ners (Don't sleep on the nameless team now)

Browns over Ravens (So many close games that I want to pick. But it's hard to believe in the Browns given their history in this series)

No more terrible weeks. I'm feeling a 3-0 week and a comeback effort to tie up this series to go into the final 4 weeks for the season. I cannot afford a loss. Picking a theme to fit this week's goal. COMEBACKS ON THE ROAD!

CURRENT SCORE

Summer: 3
Zeus: 2

PICK 1
~ Las Vegas Raiders over the New York Jets as road favorites (-8.5)
Just because the Raiders got blown out last week doesn't mean this is the trend to worry about, YET. If a struggling Dolphins offense can put up 20 points on these losers AND hold them to 3 points in 2 games, the Raiders can easily rise up to the occasion. They'll be focused to win and win by a lot this week. The Jets have zero reason to win at all for the rest of the season.

RESULT: Raiders 31 Jets 28 (LOSS)
Obviously, the Raiders are such frauds. Why would they struggle against the worst team in the league otherwise? My Phins better beat them in 2 weeks or I'm going to be quite disappointed.

PICK 2
~LA Rams over the Arizona Cardinals as road favorites (-3.0)
Both teams came off some bad losses to teams they should have beat. However, the Cardinals are clearly regressing and Kyler Murray is banged up. I think the Rams will score their much needed bounce back this week, pushing them to keep fighting for that home playoff game. Good defenses usually find a way against elite offenses.

RESULT: Rams 38 Cardinals 28 (WIN)
What a shame for the Cardinals. They've lost their early season mojo and now have no room for error the rest of the season. They're probably done. My Phins win over these Rams looks more impressive every week.

PICK 3
~Indianapolis Colts over the Houston Texans as road favorites (-3.0)
The Colts have too good a defense to let one bad game ruin their momentum. The Texans rely too heavily on Deshaun Watson, so I think they'll be unable to keep up with a Colts team motivated to stay ahead in the AFC Wild Card Race.

RESULT: Colts 26 Texans 20 (WIN)
BARELY covered, thanks to a Texans fumble in the red zone to seal the game. But, I'm glad things turned out fine for me.

Overall Result: 2-1 (TIE). I manage to keep pace with Summer in the competition after my Phins ruined her 3-0 picks for the week. Am running out of time, so I have to tie it out. Another loss will most certainly end this season series.

Unofficial gut reaction picks below. NO SPREAD CONSIDERED! (Current Record 86-45). Bolded picks are ones that came true. Italicized is wrong picks.

Dolphins over Bengals

Vikings over Jaguars

Saints over Falcons

Lions over Bears

Titans over Browns

Seahawks over Giants

Patriots over Chargers

Chiefs over Broncos

Steelers over Football Team

49ners over Bills

Ravens over Cowboys

All momentum from the previous week has been lost. Got to make safer picks this week, so here goes!

CURRENT SCORE

Summer: 3
Zeus: 2

PICK 1
~New York Giants over the Cincinnati Bengals as road favorites (-6.0)

I am becoming more of a believer in the Giants. With Joe Burrow going down, what morale of this season do the Bungles have left, really? This should be over by the 4th quarter in my opinion.

RESULT: Giants 19 Bengals 17 (LOSS)

The Bungles decided to kick my chance at tying up the season series with an untimely kickoff return for a TD. Absolutely tired of picking games between two bad teams.

PICK 2
~Las Vegas Raiders over the Atlanta Falcons as road favorites (-3.0)

The Raiders want a bounce back game this week, and there's no better team to bully than the woeful Fail-cons. They need this game to stay in the wild card race. Every game matters at this point.

RESULT: Falcons 43 Raiders 6 (LOSS)

And here we are. A game result that literally NO one saw coming. I don't think the Raiders are frauds yet, but they should be counting their blessings that the Jets are next.

PICK 3
~Buffalo Bills cover as home favorites over the Los Angeles Chargers (-4.5)

This is purely a revenge pick for my picking my Phins last week to win. I win either way, but I believe the Bills will want to erase the taste of the Hail Murray out of their mouths this week. And if they lose? Great for Miami!

RESULT: Bills 27 Chargers 17 (WIN)

Annnnnnnd, I manage to avoid going 0-3 by the skin of my teeth. The last time I'll be on a Buffalo game for a while. They're rather mediocre at maintaining leads, I've noticed.

OVERALL RESULT: 1-2

At least Summer's been consistent. I feel like her streak is going to end, and I'll have to do better on my picks to stay in the race.

Unofficial gut reaction picks below. NO SPREAD CONSIDERED! (Current Record 80-40). Bolded picks are ones that came true. Italicized is wrong picks.

Phins over Jets (PONE'S LOCK OF THE WEEK)

Browns over Jags

Colts over Titans (PONE'S BEST GAME OF THE WEEK)

Panthers over Vikings

Cardinals over Patriots

Saints over Broncos

Rams over 49ners

Bucs over Chiefs (PONE'S UPSET OF THE WEEK)

Packers over Bears

Seahawks over Eagles

Steelers over Ravens

Hello everyone!

Yes, you read correctly. Today I make my 30th lap around the sun and enter another phase of the prime of my life. I'm extremely thankful for this fandom and the many friends/lovers it has put in my life. I wouldn't be who I am now without everyone that touched my life in different ways.

So, who here wants to help me celebrate this day proper? ;)

With a fresh victory in hand, let's see if I'm able to cook up another winning week this time around.

CURRENT SCORE

Summer: 2
Zeus: 2

PICK 1
~Cincinnati Bengals as road underdogs over the Washington Football Team (+1.5)

Washington had their change to turn their season around in Detroit. They are more banged up than the Bengals right now, who are looking to lick their wounds and give their fanbase more to hope for in the future. It'll still be a close game, but I think the Bengals will pull it out on a final drive to win the game.

RESULT: Bungles 9 Football Team 20 (LOSS)

I'm speechless with how gruesome that injury was to Burrow. The Organization is going to make him the next Andrew Luck if they don't address that offensive line anytime soon.

PICK 2
~New England Patriots as road favorites over the Houston Texans (-2.5) (PONE'S LOCK OF THE WEEK)

Hard to ignore a low spread like this. But the Patriots are certainly motivated for pulling the upset last week. The Texans are just terrible on both sides of the ball. I think the Pats will unfortunately spark talks of a late season playoff push with a convincing win this week. Fuck the Pats though!

RESULT: Patriots 20 Texans 27 (LOSS)

I successfully jinxed the fucking Pats! But unfortunately, I probably put on too much negative mojo this week since...


PICK 3
~Miami Dolphins as road favorites over the Denver Broncos (-4.0)

A tricky place for the pick to be, but considering how they handled the Chargers and other bad football teams in the past, I think Tua keeps the team rolling to a 6th straight win. The Broncos don't even know who their QB is gonna be this Sunday.

RESULT: Phins 13 Broncos 20 (LOSS)

A heartbreaking setback for my Phins. They simply got outclasses in the trenches. Tua had no chance to make anything happen and got destroyed behind that mediocre O-Line. Hopefully they get it together next week and get back to their winning ways.


OVERALL RESULT: 0-3

Any momentum from last week was ruined. I'm in a bad spot with these strings of bad picks. I feel like I have to win next week to keep my changes alive for a comeback.

Unofficial gut reaction picks below. NO SPREAD CONSIDERED! (Current Record 73-37). Bolded picks are ones that came true. Italicized is wrong picks.

Browns over Eagles

Falcons over Saints (PONE'S UPSET OF THE WEEK)

Panthers over Lions

Steelers over Jaguars

Titans over Ravens (PONE'S GAME OF THE WEEK)

Chargers over Jets

Colts over Packers

Vikings over Cowboys

Chiefs over Raiders

Bucs over Rams

A new week, a new chance to even up the score. Let's not waste anymore time and get right to my pigskin picks of the week!

CURRENT SCORE

Summer: 2
Zeus: 1

PICK 1
~Minnesota Vikings cover as road favorites over the Chicago Bears (-3.0)

The Vikings are on a roll, and should certainly pull away from one of the worst offenses in the NFL. Both teams will be super motivated to win this one, but I trust a hot team right now than one clearly regressing from their hot start.

RESULT: Vikings 19 Bears 13 (WIN)

Vikings are just one game under .500 now. Watch out! The Bears season is effectively done at this point.

PICK 2
~Cincinnati Bengals beat the spread as road dogs against the Pittsburgh Steelers (+7.5) (PONE'S UPSET OF THE WEEK)

If this line was just a point closer like a 6.5, I'd have stayed away. However, I think the Bengals will continue to shock a lot of people and take down a good Steelers team. I don't fully believe in the Steelers with their constant close victories this year. Joe Burrow is going to keep this a close game, and that's all should focus on. Beating a division foe is just icing on a sweet rookie season for him.

RESULT: Steelers 36 Bengals 10 (LOSS)

I really messed this one up. Steelers are just too good. They'll probably go 14-2 at this rate. Just crazy how well they are playing.


PICK 3
~Miami Dolphins cover as home favorites against the LA Chargers (-1.5)

This spread is far too close. I think this will play out a lot like my Phins game against the Cardinals last week. A field goal to win it in one of the best matchups this weekend. GO PHINS! Keep pace with those Bills!

RESULT: Dolphins 29 Chargers 21 (WIN)

That makes it FIVE wins in a row for my Phins. SO proud of them! Can they make it six in a row next week!?

Overall result: I went 2-1 while Summer once again stumbled at 1-2, meaning I finally break the tie and even up this series at 2 points a piece!!! <3

Unofficial gut reaction picks below. NO SPREAD CONSIDERED! (Current Record 65-35). Bolded picks are ones that came true. Italicized is wrong picks.

Packers over Jaguars (Come on now. This is almost as bad as the Chiefs/Jets game a couple of weeks ago. Should be over by halftime)

Browns over Texans (Will be a nail biter, but the Browns aren't going to slip in the wild card race just yet. Chubb is back, so that should help out Baker tremendously)

Football Team over Lions (Sneaky interesting game of the week. Whoever loses, their season is effectively over. I think Washington has enough defense to cripple the Lions offense and win through a barrage of field goals)

Giants over Eagles (Can go either way, but it seems like the Giants are staying competitive in games. Eagles may be rusty after their bye week. Who knows?)

Bucs over Panthers (Should be a good bounceback game for the GOAT led Bucs this week. They need to win this game to stay firmly at the 5 seed and have that slim chance of retaking the division)

Raiders over Broncos (The Broncos are simply too banged up and young to pull out a win against a surging Raiders team)

Cardinals over Bills (PONE'S GAME OF THE WEEK) (Kyler Murray isn't going to let his team go on a losing streak. It'll be a nail biter, but I think he'll give a mediocre Bills D fits. I don't think Josh Allen can be consistently on point every week to keep up)

Rams over Seahawks (Good defenses usually overcome high powered offenses. If Jared Goff can protect the football and score often, they'll squeak out this super important game for first place in the division)

Saints over 49ners (Again, the 49ners are way too injured to keep pace with a Saints team fresh off their biggest win of the year)

Ravens over Patriots (Another nail in the coffin for those hated Pats. Good. Pound them hard, Ravens!)

Yet another tie. It's possible that the first person to 4 points is going to win this series outright, maybe even 3. But, I want to make to even this up finally. Let's go!

CURRENT SCORE

Summer: 2
Zeus: 1

PICK 1
~Seattle Seahawks cover against the Buffalo Bills (-3.0)

Tricky when picking a road favorite, but I am having less faith in the Buffalo offense by the week. I don't see them keeping up with a red hot offense like Seattle, even with the Seahawks's mediocre defense. This will be a good game, but I think the Bills will fall behind too much come the 4th quarter.

RESULT: Bills 44 Seahawks 34 (LOSS)

The Bills offense remembered who they actually are. True, they feasted on a weak Seahawks, but I wasn't expecting THAT big of a shootout. Very hard to predict when teams can get hot. I got to get riskier with my picks besides choosing the obvious favorite.

PICK 2
~Baltimore Ravens outright beat the Indianapolis Colts (EVEN)

No line to worry about? Count me in on this toss up game. I think the Ravens, under more pressure than the Colts right now, will find a way to get it done on the road.

RESULT: Colts 10 Ravens 24 (WIN)

Colts are still a damn good team, but the Ravens took care of business to keep in contention for the AFC North crown.

PICK 3
~TOMpa Bay Buccaneers cover against the New Orleans Saints (-4.5) (PONE'S GAME OF THE WEEK)

I am officially calling out the New Orleans Saints as the frauds they are. This is a revenge game for the Bucs, and I think they will expose their division foe in front of national television. If Brady is the GOAT, these are the short of games where he rises up.

RESULT: Bucs 3 Saints 38 (LOSS)

Annnnnnd, all talks of the Bucs being Super Bowl contenders should end. This was flat out EMBARASSING! Good to see the real Saints return to form.

Overall result: 1-2 (TIED)

This is getting very annoying with how often I miss on these picks. Eventually, one of us has to give. With only 8 weeks left in this competition, my chances of catching up are dwindling fast.

Unofficial gut reaction picks below. NO SPREAD CONSIDERED! (Current Record 58-32). Bolded picks are ones that came true. Italicized is wrong picks.

Texans over Jaguars (It's tanking time for the Jags. Minshew isn't even playing, so their offense will only continue to worsen. Their inexperience defense doesn't help matters either)

Dolphins over Cardinals (My Phins need to prove they are ready to be consistent against good teams. Young talent versus young talent. Tua, this is your time to prove the doubters wrong!)

Broncos over Falcons (Never trust the Fail-cons to win close games. Even if they're playing spoiler right now, the Broncos are actually clawing back into the playoff race. This is a must win game for them)

Titans over Bears (Whoever loses, I am seriously going to doubt their playoff chances. While it's better for the Titans to lose, I rather see them go back to the playoffs and compete. Fun team to watch despite the 2 game skid)

Chiefs over Panthers (Should be over by the 4th quarter. The Panthers are getting worse every week it seems. They're not standing up to the champs)

Vikings over Lions (Vikings got a huge win, and with a soft schedule ahead, they could be a sneaker into the playoff window still)

Washington over Giants (The G-Men won't win with Daniel Jones as their QB. They should focus on tanking at this point)

Chargers over Raiders (PONE'S UPSET OF THE WEEK) (This result needs to happen in order to help my Phins move up in the playoff race. I don't think the Raiders are anything too special this year. As long as the Chargers are playing from behind instead of ahead, they can win on their reverse luck!)

Steelers over Cowboys (Why is this a primetime game? To laugh at an injured and demoralized team? Just end the Cowboys season already. They are a hot mess right now)

Patriots over Jets (Unless Bill Bellichik wants to ruin the Jets tank, he's not going to lose to Adam Gase like this. People may start believing in Cam again after this garbage game)

Once again, the skunk and I go 1-2 over the week. I think we need to take safer picks going forward. But I'm feeling great this week. Time to tie up this season long series

CURRENT SCORE

Summer: 2
Zeus: 1

PICK 1
~Indianapolis Colts cover as road favorites over the Lions (-3.0)

The Lions picked up some wins over very meh competition. The Colts are very much in the division race, needing to win winnable games like this. I think they'll remind the Lions why the belong in the bottom half of the league standings.

RESULT: Colts 41 Lions 21 (WIN)
Went pretty much as expected. A quick start to the Lions was certainly going to end in utter failure.

PICK 2
~Green Bay Packers cover as home favorites against the Vikings (-6.0)

Yes, this is quite risk to bet on a division game again. But I think these teams are established enough to believe that the Vikings ARE that bad, and the Packers ARE that good. Aaron Rodgers still is on a mission to cement his Hall of Fame status with a trip to the Super Bowl. The lowly Vikings aren't good to stop his rampage, and will likely be a repeat of Week 1.

RESULT: Vikings 28 Packers 22 (LOSS)

The Packers played down to their competition again. While they shouldn't be blaring FRAUDS just yet, another loss like this and certainly they will be there. What a terrible performance by the offense. Even for a divisional game, they were supposed to lay the killing blow on a tanking division foe. They should be thankful the Bears lost today.

PICK 3
~LA Chargers cover as road favorites against the Broncos (-3.5)

This will be a tough game for sure, playing at Mile High stadium. Yet, I just don't believe in the Broncos one bit with how injured they are, and the inconsistent play from Drew Lock. I believe Herbert will continue his fantastic rookie season and take down a division foe by more than a field goal.

RESULT: Broncos 31 Chargers 30 (LOSS)

FUCK! THE CHARGERS HAD TO GO OFF AND DO AN ATLANTA! EVEN WITH A FRANCHISE QB, SOME THINGS NEVER CHANGE! THEY LOST TO A BATTERED TEAM! FUCK YOU SPANOS! AAAAAAAAAAAH!!!! Like the Falcons, you guys will NOT be chosen to on my picks for the rest of the season. Way to ruin an otherwise great football weekend! >:C

Unofficial gut reaction picks below. NO SPREAD CONSIDERED! (Current Record 50-30). Bolded picks are ones that came true. Italicized is wrong picks.

Dolphins over Rams (A lot of people are doubting Tua's debut, for good reason. But I think he shocks the league on Sunday, making the Rams sweat a bunch to pull off a last minute win)

Bills over Patriots (There is no excuse for the Bills to lose this game. The Patriots are on life support, and another loss will make them pack it in this season. CANNOT let this former dynasty stick around. The Bills have to deliver the killing blow now of they will regret it)

Titans over Bengals (A good trap game for the Titans, but they are mature enough to pull away with a win against a terrible Bengals defense. Should be high scoring, so fantasy owners shall rejoice this week)

Raiders over Browns (Raiders are under more pressure to win in order to stay alive in the wild card race. I think the Browns are pretty fraudulent.)

Chiefs over Jets (Does this game need to be played? Best team in the NFL versus the worst. Like... come on. Who's going to watch this slaughter fest? That spread is stupid high, but the Chiefs can cover that by halftime honestly.)

Steelers over Ravens (PONE'S GAME OF THE WEEK) (For some reason, the Ravens have looked really unimpressive offensively against weaker competition. Should still be a nail biting game against two historically good teams)

Bears over Saints (UPSET OF THE WEEK) (Even bigger frauds than the Browns are the Saints in my head. I think the Bears D will give them a very hard time, much like they did to Tampa Bay)

Seahawks over 49ners (Should be a great game, but I think the Seahawks are healthier than their division foes. They need to bounce back at home to stay in the race for that one seed)

Eagles over Cowboys (The Cowgirls are dead. This will be an ugly game, but the Eagles should manage to win. Neither team will get more than 7 wins this year)

Bucs over Giants (Giants are simply far too underdeveloped and lacking an offensive identity to even sniff a good game against the Bucs)