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Sc1r0n β What is Praying
Published: 2011-06-11 10:39:10 +0000 UTC; Views: 12098; Favourites: 186; Downloads: 37
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It's been a long time since I did one of these
Fell free to express your thoughts on "praying".
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* Edit: Because some people are getting offended by this, read my journal :[link] .
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Comments: 386
God is not unfair; He is love, and love means mercy and second chance.
I don't believe the ones who cannot choose now will go to Hell.
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By that thinking all of humanity is better off and sure never knowing about him in the first place.
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The bible says all who do not accept him will get sent to hell.
And (I've always wondered this.) Why do Christians talk about "Jesus" as if he s better than God.
If God was Jesus' father, doesn't that make him better and mare powerful??
Not saying that any of this is even real. Just that is doesn't seem plausible.
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God and Jesus are one in the same. ^^ The Holy Trinity. God the father, God the son(Jesus), and God the Holy Spirit. I myself am a pagan, I was raised by a devout Christian who, like many, tried to push their beliefs on me. I say all should remain open-minded. Religion doesn't make the person, the person makes the person. One can believe what they wish, so long as THEY'RE happy. No one should change or follow just to suit others. It's their life. They can live it as they wish. ^^
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The Divine and Man. Jesus is interpreted as God's son, but is God in human flesh. Though, of course there are sects of Christianity that say otherwise, this is the one I grew up on, and makes the most sense to me. Neither is better than the other, hence the idea of the trinity.
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Hell is a very broad word that's been translated from several different original words, some meaning the Hell you're thinking about (gehenna), and in some parts, it simply means 'the unseen state (sheol)' which gives me the idea that there is room for another chance. I do not profess to be a Christian, but I have studied the Bible.
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religion and faith are crutches for a weak mind, period
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Yes, but people use crutches when they need to get better, don't they?
Just sayin'.
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There's no getting better for those people, you can't get better if you think medicine is evil.
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I..I wish I could hug you.C:
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I hear that a lot, but many people, like me, were raised into that belief. I am Christian, but there are times when I don't think of God, and times when I do. I understand the world is a cruel place, and that I can't always depend on God to do everything for me. My mind is not mentally unstable, and I know if I was not Christian, then there would only be a few things different about me. I'm personally Christian, because I was raised this way, and I really do believe that the morals of my religion are good. I am perfectly capable of making decisions myself without God.
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If you are perfectly capable of making choices without your god, then why call on 'him' at all?
What are the morals of your religion? Have you read your holy book and what it says?
You talk to yourself and ask the sky for things. Tell me, what do you ask it for?
When you were young did you ask for impossible things and never get them, then slowly ever so slowly you started asking for more and more reasonable things? Things that would have happened whether you had prayed or not?
Is this like the case of "take an aspirin and pray"?
The example here is that you get a head ache, to take and aspirin and pray, head ache goes away.
What if you didn't pray, would the head ache not gone away, or would it have because you just too an Aspirin?
This is seen with things like homework:
"dear gawd, help me with my home work."
Oh better study right?
Finally, if you were raised to be a Muslim you would be praying to Allah for things now wouldn't you?
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Sorry this took so long to reply too.
I shall start off with saying I'm 15, maybe that isn't important, but in case you might want to know.
I call on him as a sort of reassurance for things, mostly I only do it in really hard times, when I pray for help.
Have you heard of the ten commandments? Believe it or not they are much like the 7 deadly sins, many people believe are morals are different from the rest of society, but really they are morals that everybody should follow, of course with the exception of a couple if you aren't Christian.
When I was younger I never really asked for much, even today I don't, I realized that a million dollars isn't going to pop out of the sky for anybody, and I would rather earn my money anyway.
I see what your saying here, your thinking we pray for something that will be fixed anyway. Actually no, when I know something is going to happen or be fixed, I don't pray for it, there really isn't a need too, Christians in general don't do that. I think your thinking that for every single thing we do, we pray, absolutely and totally not true, that really is hilarious if I do see someone who does that.
No, I never pray for God to help me with my homework, because I know it takes the knowledge to do that. Your right, I do study. In the bible it says that he will do his part when you pray, but you must do your (no, this is not the exact words, but basically the same meaning).
True, if I was Muslim I would worship Allah, however I have actually thought of other religions, and maybe if I wanted too I could change, but I would rather worship the Christian God, because like I said I follow the morals, and believe that their is God.
Take in consideration that it is very likely that there is some sort of God or higher up power, maybe not ours, maybe not any religion, but we do not know where the universe began, yes it started from an atom, but where did that atom come from? An so on and so on from the atom. Hell, even Einstein believed there was some sort of God or higher power, and he sure as hell wasn't weak minded. What about Martin Luther King, John Adams, J.R.R Tolkien, Issac Newton, were they weak minded?
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"Sorry this took so long to reply too."
That's alright, I love trying to get people to think.
"I shall start off with saying I'm 15, maybe that isn't important, but in case you might want to know."
It only tells me that you are rather inexperienced in the world and that you haven't had enough time to really think about things. Other than that? You're 15.
"I call on him as a sort of reassurance for things, mostly I only do it in really hard times, when I pray for help."
Then you use this god as a security blanket. I got you.
"Have you heard of the ten commandments? Believe it or not they are much like the 7 deadly sins, many people believe are morals are different from the rest of society, but really they are morals that everybody should follow, of course with the exception of a couple if you aren't Christian."
I'm an atheist. Agnostic Atheist. Of course I have heard of the ten commandments.
Believe it or not my mother tried to raise me in a church from the ages of seven to about 13-14ish. Something just didn't flow with organized religion.
But in all totally there are more than just ten, but let's look at these commandments eh?
1. you shall have no other gods before me.
Apparently there are other gods that this god doesn't want you to worship.
2. You shall not make for yourself an idol, whether in the form of anything that is in heaven above, or that is on the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth. You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I the Lord your God am a jealous God, punishing children for the iniquity of parents, to the third and the fourth generation of those who reject me, but showing steadfast love to the thousandth generation of those who love me and keep my commandments.
Again.. this is like the first only this time you can't make physical representations of that thing. Then there is that second part. Wow. Talk about insecure. Plus there is that whole "the sins of the father thing". Never thought that was fair. Why should a child pay for the crimes of his parents?
3. You shall not make wrongful use of the name of the Lord your God, for the Lord will not acquit anyone who misuses his name.
... So... we've reached commandment three and still god is talking about himself. He doesn't like people misusing his name. There was at one time where I thought this was about swearing..
4. Remember the sabbath day, and keep it holy.For six days you shall labour and do all your work. But the seventh day is a sabbath to the Lord your God; you shall not do any workβyou, your son or your daughter, your male or female slave, your livestock, or the alien resident in your towns.
Raised for a few years in the SDA church I kinda know this one. Course THEY went to church on saturday and followed the other commandments that talked about diet. Four down and still nothing useful. Least this one is fun.
5. Honour your father and your mother, so that your days may be long in the land that the Lord your God is giving you.
My parents and I don't get along. Fuck, my father doesn't want anything to do with me and my dad blames me for his own troubles with his own kids. I might love my parents, but respect is something earned, not given.
6. You shall not murder.
I would agree with this one, but there are a lot of grey areas here. I mean generally, not going around killing people. But what about self defence? What about accident? And then there are those people who kill in the name of their god. What about parents who's children have died due to lack of medical care cause they were "praying it away"? or people who have assaulted and/or killed doctors for preforming abortions, even when those abortions were necessary?
7. You shall not commit adultery.
So we're sposta stay in loveless marriages, condemned to suffer in silence? Seriously this god is starting to sound like a dick.
8. You shall not steal.
Another good one on the surface, after all, you wouldn't like someone else stealing from you right?
But what about in situations where you really needed food, or water or shelter. Then there is the flimsy way that stealing has been defined these days. Some consider the merest use of someone elses words to be stealing..
9. You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.
Don't lie. I like this one. I actually agree with it. Now only if more christians did too.
10. You shall not covet your neighbor house; you shall not covet your neighbor wife, or male or female slave, or ox, or donkey, or anything that belongs to your neighbor.
... Three problems.
One. Isn't this just a repeat of number 8? Well maybe not, maybe it is:
Two. Isn't this a form of Thought Crime? How can you stop people from Wanting things?
Three. My neighbor's.... slaves?
Seriously these commandments have failed. Then again having moral absolutes kinda fails because it limits your critical thinking.
"When I was younger I never really asked for much, even today I don't, I realized that a million dollars isn't going to pop out of the sky for anybody, and I would rather earn my money anyway."
Would you?
"I see what your saying here, your thinking we pray for something that will be fixed anyway. Actually no, when I know something is going to happen or be fixed, I don't pray for it, there really isn't a need too, Christians in general don't do that. I think your thinking that for every single thing we do, we pray, absolutely and totally not true, that really is hilarious if I do see someone who does that."
Except when it results in someone dying. I would rather that my airplane pilot know how to fly a plane with one engine out than get on his knees and pray.
"No, I never pray for God to help me with my homework, because I know it takes the knowledge to do that. Your right, I do study. In the bible it says that he will do his part when you pray, but you must do your (no, this is not the exact words, but basically the same meaning)."
'god helps those who help themselves"? If others are capable of helping themselves, what need is there for this god part?
"True, if I was Muslim I would worship Allah, however I have actually thought of other religions, and maybe if I wanted too I could change, but I would rather worship the Christian God, because like I said I follow the morals, and believe that their is God."
You can have morals without a god. Just use your own empathy, common sense and reason.
"Take in consideration that it is very likely that there is some sort of God or higher up power,"
That would be giving myself a foundational bias. And I can't do that. I need evidence.
" maybe not ours, maybe not any religion, but we do not know where the universe began, yes it started from an atom, but where did that atom come from?"
This.. this is going to be a learning experience here. What you have just did is called "Argument from Ignorance." You don't know therefor god.
However, we don't have any evidence that the universe hasn't Always existed in some form or another.
But to put a god there means you have to ask where that god came from.
" An so on and so on from the atom. Hell, even Einstein believed there was some sort of God or higher power, and he sure as hell wasn't weak minded. What about Martin Luther King, John Adams, J.R.R Tolkien, Issac Newton, were they weak minded?"
Argument from Authority. To be frank, due to your age I am not surprised that you ended with this one.
I don't care what these people believed, only what they contributed.
As for Einstein, you should do a bit more research, Einstein used the term "god" to mean the nature of the universe.
The other guys? They were theists and deists in their own right, however a belief in a higher power doesn't automatically make you a raving nutter.
But.
Just because they believed something doesn't mean I should.
Martin Luther King was rumored to be in straights with the black panthers.
Tolkien I think was far better off an atheist.
Issac Newton was also an Alchemist.
Should indulgence in these beliefs as well?
I think not.
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It's because I'm taking a vacation, I was in a place without internet access, if you took the time to look on my profile you would see the journal entry to see what I said about this.
Yes your right, that was part of what I was trying to say, and yes I am not that experienced, yet do not think I am stupid. As I already said, I thought it was pointless to tell, but decided anyway.
It's like I said with the ten commandments, there are EXCEPTIONS if you are not a Christian. As for the first commandment, if you really do believe in this religion, then it is understandable why God would not want you or other to worship other God's. Your right, many of these do have to do with God, however this is the Christian bible.
I feel sorry for your family problems, yes I have them myself. However do you not think it is good to respect your parents at all, yes you might not have the relationship with them, but for the people who do they really should, they are the people who gave birth to you.
Your right, there are many grey areas, and in the bible I often wonder of the wars going on in them, why does God make wars happen, is that not killing? Yet then again, he gave us free will, and often times we grow mad at him forgetting that he lets murder and other horrible things happen because he gave us free will to do as we wish. I think he is forgiving enough to not condemn you if it happens on an accident, yet again I am only human, how would I know.
Oh really because cheating on your husband or your wife is fine and dandy right? Absolute under no circumstances should you be allowed to do this, I'm really quite surprised you would say something like that, what gives anyone the right to hurt their husband and wife like that?
True, more grey areas, however from times such as this, stealing was considered the taking of someones else's property, food, water, whatever else. Copyright law to protect writing and such I do not believe was much thought of.
Your damn strait I wish more Christians would do this, we aren't perfect, but many do not seem to follow what they preach, I've met plenty that have acted like dicks.
I agree with the wanting very much, what good does wanting do if can not get it? Wanting has made people steal, money and such. It's not wrong to want, it's when you start doing horrible things to get that want that it is. Look at our society everyone wants money, and now the banks our greedy and were having to bail them out. House mortages and foreclosure, people want big houses, so they go and buy something they can't even afford. As I said, God gave us free will, and as a result we have slaves, murder and such.
Yes, I would, I rather earn my money, I can feel proud that I actually worked for something, and yes, I know it's not easy.
True, however I pray that the person can pass on quickly and painfully. In that situation I would be working my ass off to try and save myself, however I would be praying to be lucky enough to survive, praying doesn't require to get on your knees, but I still see what your saying.
No, meaning he will help you, but don't expect him to do all the work. For an example, you pray for crops to grow, but you need to plant the crops.
I agree with you completey, however who's to say there is not some God? Is there absolute proof that there is not? I was saying that is possible because we do not know everything in the universe, and your right, how was God created, yet again you said, "However we don't have any evidence that the universe hasn't always existed in some form or another", if you can say that, then it is possible that God could have always existed in some form or another.
Yet this is to say all these people believe in religion are weak minded, and here are these people who were geniuses, yet believed in some sort of higher power, it's like I said, don't call us weak minded when these people were brilliant, it takes a strong mind to contribute what they did, they couldn't contribute without their minds to think. By saying you don't care what they believed shows ignorance.
Where did I say you should believe in our religion? You are absolutely free to believe in whatever the hell you want to, and you are. I'm growing tired of the "everyone who believes in something must be stupid and weak minded", just because your atheist doesn't mean your better than everyone who has a religion, you may not be like this, but I see it a lot, and I never think of myself as better for having a religion, nor will I ever.
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"It's because I'm taking a vacation, I was in a place without internet access, if you took the time to look on my profile you would see the journal entry to see what I said about this."
Come on. Chill. I don't really care about this part.
"Yes your right, that was part of what I was trying to say, and yes I am not that experienced, yet do not think I am stupid. As I already said, I thought it was pointless to tell, but decided anyway."
Did I say that you were stupid? Don't put words in my mouth, it isn't nice.
"It's like I said with the ten commandments, there are EXCEPTIONS if you are not a Christian. As for the first commandment, if you really do believe in this religion, then it is understandable why God would not want you or other to worship other God's. Your right, many of these do have to do with God, however this is the Christian bible."
Indeed. However there is a good number of commandments found in other books of the bible.
But seriously, I find these lacking. The first five are wasted on "I'm god and I'm insecure". Out of the next five, only three are common sense, and one of them sounds like thought control.
"I feel sorry for your family problems, yes I have them myself. However do you not think it is good to respect your parents at all, yes you might not have the relationship with them, but for the people who do they really should, they are the people who gave birth to you."
If my parents gave me respect I would respect them. However we have a strange and complex relationship.
But, I don't feel any obligation to them. Yes they are responsible for me being in the world, but from there? As soon as the reasoning parts of my brain were developed, most of the time I was on my own about things.
Parents didn't stop me either.
"Your right, there are many grey areas, and in the bible I often wonder of the wars going on in them, why does God make wars happen, is that not killing?"
Awesome awesome there's some thought.. wait, let me read some more...
"Yet then again, he gave us free will, and often times we grow mad at him forgetting that he lets murder and other horrible things happen because he gave us free will to do as we wish."
Aaaaaaaaand then we hit a wall here.
First off, let's define this god. All knowing, all powerful, all loving being that created the universe is what most people go with, then again they also go with "god is love", "god is beauty", "god is the better part of ourselves" and other pretty sounding notions. They also go with "god is beyond us" and the like.
Course the more vague a word becomes, the less meaning and use it has. If you define god as energy, then I could say that god is in a lump of coal.
But let's go back to those three definitions.
They really throw a wrench into things.
All Knowing. If this god is all knowing, then he knows what we are going to do before we do it. And thus he has predetermined what we are going to do.
Free will crumbles there.
If he is all powerful, then he could stop us from doing what he already knows that we are going to do. If he doesn't or can't, then he really isn't all powerful, just like if we can do something that is outside of this gods knowledge then he isn't all knowing. Either way, free will crumbles.
And if he is all loving, then how could he possibility allow for suffering in the first place?
Lastly, you are attributing human characteristics to this being. How do you know that this being has these characteristics?
"I think he is forgiving enough to not condemn you if it happens on an accident, yet again I am only human, how would I know."
I am going to let this one float in the air and let you mull your own words here.
"Oh really because cheating on your husband or your wife is fine and dandy right? Absolute under no circumstances should you be allowed to do this,"
And yet it happens. Very high rate amongst the religious too. However I would like like to pose the question of Why? And by Why, I mean why shouldn't they do this, or why shouldn't it be allowed?
Course if you were to follow your bible... the consequences of such where much harsher than they in modern times. Back then they tended to Stone people.
"I'm really quite surprised you would say something like that, what gives anyone the right to hurt their husband and wife like that?"
If you are surprised, then I am not doing my job well enough.
"True, more grey areas, however from times such as this, stealing was considered the taking of someones else's property, food, water, whatever else. Copyright law to protect writing and such I do not believe was much thought of."
Nope. There were lots of things that the people writing the bible hadn't thought of.
"Your damn strait I wish more Christians would do this, we aren't perfect, but many do not seem to follow what they preach, I've met plenty that have acted like dicks."
Quite so. Lying about what science has to say, lying about things like the Rapture, lying about a good number of things.
Makes you wonder don't it?
"I agree with the wanting very much, what good does wanting do if can not get it?"
What harm is it to want? This is accusing people of Thought Crimes.
"Wanting has made people steal, money and such. It's not wrong to want, it's when you start doing horrible things to get that want that it is."
Wanting has also made people want better, it has made people want to do things, build things, invent things. Want has made people love.
This country was built on the Want for religious freedom from the church of England. Both freedom for and from religion.
"Look at our society everyone wants money, and now the banks our greedy and were having to bail them out. House mortages and foreclosure, people want big houses, so they go and buy something they can't even afford. As I said, God gave us free will, and as a result we have slaves, murder and such."
Sounds like you are blaming god for giving us freewill.
"Yes, I would, I rather earn my money, I can feel proud that I actually worked for something, and yes, I know it's not easy."
Wasn't pride a sin? I could be wrong about that.
"True, however I pray that the person can pass on quickly and painfully. In that situation I would be working my ass off to try and save myself, however I would be praying to be lucky enough to survive, praying doesn't require to get on your knees, but I still see what your saying."
I hope so. Two hands working do more than a thousand clasped in prayer.
"No, meaning he will help you, but don't expect him to do all the work. For an example, you pray for crops to grow, but you need to plant the crops."
Sounds like you're the one doing all the work whiles this god fellow gets all the credit.
"I agree with you completey, however who's to say there is not some God? Is there absolute proof that there is not? I was saying that is possible because we do not know everything in the universe, and your right, how was God created, yet again you said, "However we don't have any evidence that the universe hasn't always existed in some form or another", if you can say that, then it is possible that God could have always existed in some form or another."
I should address the whole of this paragraph, for it is one that I am adept at answering. However you need to understand something very vital.
I am not the one claiming that there is a god.
You are.
Next, I am an Agnostic Atheist.
Until evidence is brought forward that supports your theistic claim. I have no reason to believe your claims about this god fellow. After all, your god claim is just as likely as an alien named ted who accidentally destroyed himself in creating the universe whiles trying to make beer in his mothers' basement.
Or if it was even your god. It might be another religions god, or even gods. After all if you want to use ignorance as a reason to stuff a god somewhere, you should give the reasons for why you are choosing your particular god in question.
Other wise it just sounds like special pleading.
"Yet this is to say all these people believe in religion are weak minded, and here are these people who were geniuses, yet believed in some sort of higher power, it's like I said, don't call us weak minded when these people were brilliant, it takes a strong mind to contribute what they did, they couldn't contribute without their minds to think. By saying you don't care what they believed shows ignorance."
That would be a negatory. You're confusing some terms here.
One, Ignorance isn't stupidity. Stupidity is willful ignorance.
Second, just because I don't care what they believed doesn't mean I haven't learned what they believed. It just means that I don't care. Oh Newton believed in a god. Ok. And? It's irrelevant to what he did.
And Have I called you weak minded? Seriously. Stop putting words in my mouth and misrepresenting me.
"Where did I say you should believe in our religion? You are absolutely free to believe in whatever the hell you want to, and you are. I'm growing tired of the "everyone who believes in something must be stupid and weak minded""
Maybe you should read the above. Where did I say that you were stupid and weak minded? Cause right now that is only coming from you.
", just because your atheist doesn't mean your better than everyone who has a religion, you may not be like this, but I see it a lot, and I never think of myself as better for having a religion, nor will I ever."
No it doesn't. Seriously again, I never said these things. You are the one saying them. I am merely trying to get you to think about what you believe and why you believe what you believe.
After all, I know what I believe, and more importantly, Why. Even better, I know what would get me to change my mind about my beliefs.
Do you?
Please ponder that whiles I zonk.
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ANd they can blind us to what is truly just.
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So many people will get offended over this. I look forward to them.
You win, sir.
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well I'm sorry but their feelings are not protected under the constitution or the bill of rights. I'm the one offended because they are the ones refusing to go and see a shrink
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I agree Dinobotloki, you get the internet.
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lol, thank you
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You're welcome.
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You win the internet.
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*claps* You said it, brother
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How I love it when my deviation become reasons for an all-out war XD. Vieeeeeeewwssss 
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LMAO same here, bro
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well here is my two pennies worth. people are people people do what people do, and you know what every one is gonna think, so stop trying to make then not think great job dude
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another one that gets my comedy "touch"
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spin reality to sound funny why would you need to its funny already
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