Michie said:

This article is discussing feminism. That is the F-word being discussed.

Click to expand...

In that case, I apologise for my earlier post. Where I am, when people talk about the F word, they are referring to a disgusting swear-word with the meaning of sexual intercourse. If feminism was meant, why not say so? I see I am not the only one to think that the F word was referring to a vulgar swear-word.

ChubbyCherub said:

I find all of this so interesting but also overwhelming. I don't know what sacraments, apostolic succession, liturgy, creeds and everything else means!

Here is maybe a not so interesting fact: My IQ is 140, for whatever that is worth. I'm university educated. I'm in a white collar, legalistic, professional job.

Despite all of that, I feel overwhelmed by all of these terms and feel like I'll never get to Heaven because I did not study the bible in university.

That's my tantrum done!

Click to expand...

That's just because those words are technical terminology used in a particular kind of church which is different from the churches you've attended. Your childhood church also had its own specialized vocabulary; I remember from one of your posts that you spoke of wanting an "altar call", a term that's familiar to many Baptists in the US but which is going to be foreign to most Anglicans.

So, no worries. Every church seems to have its own secret language.

essentialsaltes said:

I got mine, sucks to be you.

Click to expand...

Mine's paid off (thanks, Obama)!

BelieveItOarKnot said:

Nope.

Galatians 3:12

And the law is not of faith -

Click to expand...

The LAW added 430 years after Abraham "because of Transgressions" to provide for remission of sins, "Till the True Lamb of God" should come, is not of faith.

Matt. 22: 37 Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.

This is a Law of Faith.

BelieveItOarKnot said:

IF that's all that transpired within you'd have a point.

But sin that dwells in "everyone" will produce resisting evil thoughts in everyone.

Click to expand...

It's important to consider all of God's Inspired Words concerning such things. The Spirit of Christ tells me through His Servant James:

Jam. 1: 13 Let no man say when he is tempted, I am tempted of God: for God cannot be tempted with evil, neither tempteth he any man: 14 But every man is tempted, when "he is drawn away" of his own lust, and enticed. 15 Then "when lust hath conceived", it bringeth forth sin: and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death.

So you have it backwards here, according to what is written in Scriptures. It's not the lust that defiles us, it's refusing to rule over the lust, and letting it reign in our mortal bodies being drawn away by it, that defiles us. God shows those who seek His Righteousness this truth from the very beginning.

Gen. 4: 7 If thou doest well, shalt thou not be accepted? and if thou doest not well, sin lieth at the door. And unto thee shall be his desire, and thou shalt rule over him.

The human baby sees something and desires it and so takes it. But he learns through the things he suffers, that taking what is not yours is a sin. And even though he has thoughts for the rest of his life to desire something, he is Learned of the Father, to rule over this lust, so he is not carried away with it, which would bring him into SIN. This same thing is true for any lust, desire or hunger.

It's not the money or the naked woman or the slanderous words of another that defiles a man. It's being drawn away by the lusts and desires we are born with that defiles us.

BelieveItOarKnot said:

Mark 7:21-23,

Click to expand...

20 And he said, That which "cometh out" of the man, that defileth the man.

21 For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders, 22 Thefts, covetousness, wickedness, deceit, lasciviousness, an evil eye, blasphemy, pride, foolishness: 23 All these evil things come from within, and defile the man.

James understood this. If a man is drawn away by "evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders, Thefts, covetousness, wickedness, deceit, lasciviousness, an evil eye, blasphemy, pride, foolishness", all of which exist in the flesh, this brings for Sin.

This is why Paul said "Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, that ye should obey it in the lusts thereof."

This is why Jesus said, "Deny yourself and pick of your humanness, and follow me.

BelieveItOarKnot said:

Romans 7:7-13, and as Jesus stated, these are what defile us all. The thoughts are not "optional."

Click to expand...

The thoughts are not optional. Eve didn't have a choice concerning the voices that were in the world God placed her. But she did have the free will capacity to rule over her thoughts, and not let them guide her.

This is the whole purpose of the Armor of God, to fight against thoughts, to discern thoughts, to rule over wickedness in our mind. We cannot stop the thought from coming in, but we can discern and rule over it, as it is written.

James 4: 7 "Submit yourselves" therefore to God. "Resist the devil", and he will flee from you.

BelieveItOarKnot said:

Paul discovered that even when he did good, evil was still present with him. Romans 7:17-21

Click to expand...

Paul also gave us the cure for this dilemma.

Romans 7: 24 O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death?

25 I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord. So then "with the mind" I myself serve the law of God; but with the flesh "the law of sin". (Wages of sin is death)

BelieveItOarKnot said:

It's a fairly easy conclusion to come to if we're honest with ourselves.

Click to expand...

This is true. Most promoters of this world's religious system only seek justification. Not correction or God's Righteousness. Very difficult to be honest with ones self, if all we seek is to defend and justify a religious philosophy.

BelieveItOarKnot said:

It also makes it easier for us to see who isn't.

Well, that's a nice story but it's really not an accurate picture. Why? Because the people of Israel were not just people. They, like us, dealt with the exact same problem, and that is "internal evil" courtesy of the TEMPTER.

Click to expand...

But not for Caleb or Joshua. They "ruled over" the evil thoughts that came into them. How did they do this? Was it not by refusing to "Yield themselves" servants to obey other voices in the world that God placed them in? Did they not "let sin reign in their mortal bodies"? Did they not "Yield themselves" to God, and their bodies as instruments of righteousness to God? Did they not "put on" the Armor of God? Did they refuse to be "drawn away" by the wicked thoughts that entered them?

BelieveItOarKnot said:

So where you see just Israel in disobedience, we should see that they had:

A spirit of slumber put upon them, by God no less: Romans 11:8

Click to expand...

It is so important to consider all of God's message through His servants, "for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness".

Rom. 11: 8 (According as it is written, God hath given them the spirit of slumber, eyes that they should not see, and ears that they should not hear unto this day. 9 And David saith, Let their table be made a snare, and a trap, and a stumblingblock, and a recompence unto them:

Why did this happen to them?

Rom. 1: 19 Because that which may be known of God is manifest in them; for God hath shewed it unto them.

20 For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse:

21 Because that, when they knew God, they glorified him "not as God", neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened. 22 Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools, 23 And changed the glory of the uncorruptible God into an image made like to corruptible man, and to birds, and fourfooted beasts, and creeping things. 24 Wherefore God also "gave them up to uncleanness through the lusts of their own hearts", to dishonour their own bodies between themselves:

There is such a huge difference between the philosophies you promote here, and what is actually written in Scripture. Until we can agree on Christ's and Paul's and James Words concerning Sin, there really isn't a reason to continue.

I don't view the future through the lens of political *fear*, but rather through the realization of our changing environment - outside of politics.

As the ongoing shutdown of the federal government nears its 30th day, a new Yahoo/YouGov poll shows that nearly twice as many Americans want it to end with Democrats getting their way rather than Republicans.

Only 26% of Americans, meanwhile, approve of how President Trump has been handling the shutdown. A full 65% disapprove.

just 21% of Americans approve of efforts to fire "thousands of government workers… since the start of the shutdown"; a full 63% disapprove.

Likewise, only 23% of Americans approve of "billions of dollars in federal funding for projects across the country" being canceled, while 55% disapprove. And although Republicans are far more accepting of these measures than other Americans, the numbers who approve of firing federal workers (45%) and canceling federal projects (49%) aren’t especially high.

As for Trump — who has chosen not to engage in negotiations on Capitol Hill — his rating on handling the shutdown (again, 26% approve to 65% disapprove) is significantly worse than his overall job-approval rating (40% approve to 56% disapprove).

Currently, sunrise in Boston doesn't happen until 7:15 AM.

In other words, at 7 AM, it's still dark out.

So, if we're going to eliminate DST, then time for school and work will have to change, so kids aren't
going to the bus stop in the dark.

Then of course are the scientists;

"Scientists generally support keeping standard time

Scientists generally support keeping standard time rather than observing daylight saving time. Research indicates that staying on standard time benefits health by aligning circadian rhythms and reducing the disruption caused by time changes. Studies show that changing clocks twice a year can lead to increased health risks, such as higher rates of stroke and obesity. Additionally, the Coalition for Permanent Standard Time advocates for eliminating seasonal time changes, citing improved sleep, reduced risk of accidents, and better overall well-being."

Dan1988 said:

Genesis 6:5-6 emphasizes that humanity's "imaginations" were continuously and wholly evil, a result of a deeply corrupted human heart that grieved God.
This passage is not evidence that God changes His mind or that His creation was a mistake, but it's an expression of God's sorrow over sin and its destructive effects. God's "regret" is a human-like expression of His pain at the rebellion and perversion of what He had made.

Click to expand...

I never said He changed His mind about anything. The passage says that God grieved in His heart because man was so evil. That automatically tells us that God did not want man to sin. To say otherwise is just downright illogical.

fide said:

Meditation has become a very confused word in the West, including Catholics. Eastern mediation frequently means "emptying the mind" - a very foolish thing to attempt, wise teachers would say. The evil one loves an empty mind to move into.
In the Catholic Faith "meditation" traditionally means - or meant - what is now more specifically and technically called "discursive meditation" to clarify that no, do not think of emptying your minds, Catholics! Many do anyway. Post Vat II many Eastern religious ideas were brought into Catholic parishes.

Click to expand...

St John of the Cross wrote in "The Dark Night of the Soul" that discursive meditation is what beginners experience in the dark night of sense.
However, as the soul advances in prayer and moves into the dark night of the spirit, they receive the gift of "contemplation," which
means that the soul empties herself of anything not of God. St John of the Cross teaches in his writings that detachment from what
he calls, "appetites," which include erroneous thoughts, is part of growing spiritually.

Just because those in Eastern religions do the similar, doesn't make it wrong. They also use rosary beads, and because they do, should we
stop praying the rosary?

Who we are focused on in prayer is what makes our meditation different.

Fervent said:

I'd say we're verging closer to a novel form of feudalism, rather than a socialist government. The crony capitalism facilitated with the revolving door of corporate lobbyists to government positions is quickly creating a situation where we have a landed caste and a growing peasantry who are being stretched thin just to get by. I am guessing its just a matter of time before we go from an unofficial neo-feudalism to it becoming an official designation.

Click to expand...

When I was referring to the U.S. accelerating in the direction of socialism, my reasoning was based on generative AI replacing basic service jobs - which increases unemployment... Adding to that, is the problem of outsourced jobs not returning, which compounds the problem..

...When all the jobs are gone, and nobody has income, we'll need to survive somehow, and so basic income checks (socialism) from the government, paid through the taxation of big businesses, will be the only way for a time... Until all the businesses leave. At which time, our economy will collapse.

...That is unless Trump succeeds in bringing the jobs back home to us. With the tariffs, and through negotiations, he clearly sees the problem at hand, and we should all be supporting his efforts.

doubtingmerle said:

But what would an absolute morality offer that fundamental reason alone cannot already determine?

Click to expand...

What moral principles does "fundamental reason alone ... determine"?

essentialsaltes said:

Pentagon plan would create military ‘reaction force’ for civil unrest in U.S. cities​

Documents reviewed by The Post detail a prospective National Guard mission that, if adopted, would require hundreds of troops to be ready around-the-clock.

Click to expand...

'Quick reaction' National Guard forces to be trained for civil disturbances by 2026, US officials say​

WASHINGTON (Reuters) -The National Guard is planning to train hundreds of troops in each state to be part of a rapid-response force focused on civil disturbance missions by the start of next year, two U.S. officials said on Wednesday.

President Donald Trump has increasingly embraced using the military to support his domestic agenda, including deploying troops to Democratic-led cities like Los Angeles; Portland, Oregon, and Washington, D.C.

The latest move follows an executive order signed by Trump in August, which called for each state to have National Guard troops who could be quickly deployed for "quelling civil disturbances and ensuring the public safety and order."

It is unclear how the force would be different from existing quick-reaction forces already available to each state.

During a trip to Japan earlier this week, Trump told U.S. troops he was prepared to send "more than the National Guard" into U.S. cities if needed.

Belk said:

I'm trying to interpret your explanation in a way that makes sense to me. The way your statement reads, it sounds to me like you are saying that these strikes are currently occurring in a legal grey area and that a court ruling is needed to clarify if the fall within the bounds of the law, or outside of those bounds. In other words that the legality is currently undefined and requires further judicial clarification before anyone can say if it is legal or not.

Click to expand...

Thanks for clarifying. I’m not an expert on international law but from what I read so far the power to stop Trump rests with the US courts and congress so not sure if even an international law exists addressing these actions. Please correct me if am wrong.

Trump is using article 2 of the constitution to claim that he has authority to use the military against narco-traffickers. So is it a gray area? Not sure but it seems that if his interpretation of article 2 is correct then he can continue but if a court rules that his interpretation is not correct then he would have to stop. Do you agree?

Dan1988 said:

Wow, it's taken you a long time to come out of the closet and admit that God predestined people to salvation before He created the earth. He wrote the names of every single one of His elect in the book of life.
Then you would also believe that no names can be taken out of His book, nor can any names be added. So His chosen were decided before time began.

If you believe all that, then many will label you a hyper Calvinist, how do you feel about that.

Click to expand...

Lol that’s hilarious, you completely overlooked the fact the He chose them according to His foreknowledge. That a very important factor the keep in mind. So what did God foreknow that influenced His decision on choosing them? Well for one thing we have to abide in Christ and endure to the end. So I’d say that is what He foreknew that influenced His decision. That’s my theory, what’s your’s?

stevevw said:

Could the methods you claimed produce those circular machine marks. Thats all that matters. Do you disagree with Petrie. You say you have shown me. What about Petrie showing me. He disagrees with you and he was the one who found them and documented them. He actually measured them. You have not. Who should I believe.

Click to expand...

Petrie has been dead for over 80 years! Do you not think that the study of ancient Egypt has advanced significantly since the 1880s and 1890s?

stevevw said:

I think its the other way around. I clearly showed you evidence right before your eye and the fact you don't even mention them but instead go into other things shows you don't want to mention them and know they contradict your claim.

Click to expand...

That's such a load of bull. Nothing contradicts my claim that you can't show a single piece of advanced tech, nor any actual evidence of said tech existing in the first place.

stevevw said:

But even others on your side agree with me thats its unnecessary. Who should I believe.

Click to expand...

Not a single person has said that.

Really bringing out the big guns to try and distract from the Epstein scandal.

eclipsenow said:

What's your gut feel on this?

Click to expand...

IANAL, so my gut isn't worth much, but it seems to me that there has to be an emergency to call out the Guard, and there just isn't one in any of these cities.

It reminds me of a story (largely true) about Abraham Lincoln.

Abraham Lincoln faced with some thorny issue that could be settled by a twist of language, or a slight abuse of power, asks his questioner how many legs would a dog have, if we called the dog’s tail, a leg. “Five,” the questioner responds confident in his mathematical ability to do simple addition.

“No,” Lincoln says. “Calling a dog’s tail a leg, doesn’t make it a leg.”

eclipsenow said:

Also - what do you make of the mass firing of the top legal / JAG across the military?

Click to expand...

The firings of lawyers at DOJ and in the military is terrible. Particularly in the DOJ where Trump's chosen replacements are unqualified.

As I've said elsewhere...

essentialsaltes said:

The only qualification for a federal job right now is passing a political litmus test to support Trump.

Competence is not needed.
Having appeared on television is a big plus.

Click to expand...

We want lawyers to seek Justice and uphold the law; Trump wants them to get the result he wants. If you say there's not enough evidence to charge Letitia James, you're fired and Trump will find someone who will do it.

Warden_of_the_Storm said:

No, that's just all a crock from you. Absolute crock. I showed you traditional, workable and known methods that easily explain how things were done, but you just ignored it and go "LASERS! MACHINES! ELECTRONS!"

Click to expand...

Could the methods you claimed produce those circular machine marks. Thats all that matters. Do you disagree with Petrie. You say you have shown me. What about Petrie showing me. He disagrees with you and he was the one who found them and documented them. He actually measured them. You have not. Who should I believe.

Warden_of_the_Storm said:

You are so hellbent on claiming advanced tech that you absolutely refuse to look at the evidence in front of you and make such stupid claims like that the Egyptians had a advanced tech, despite the fact that you cannot at all show such advanced tech existing and have to rely on very clear misinterpretations and bad faith arguments from other people to claim that advanced tech existed.

Click to expand...

I think its the other way around. I clearly showed you evidence right before your eye and the fact you don't even mention them but instead go into other things shows you don't want to mention them and know they contradict your claim.

Warden_of_the_Storm said:

If you cared at all about it being true, then you'd go and actually find the advanced tech itself that you claim exists, instead of relying on the other works of things that we already know how they were done.

Click to expand...

But even others on your side agree with me thats its unnecessary. Who should I believe.

fhansen said:

Nicely eisegeted.

Click to expand...

Well that settles it, folks!

What Makes a Great Story Opening??
If there were a Nobel Prize for Great Story Opening alone, how would you write one?

essentialsaltes said:

Hedley Lamarr is not far off.

View attachment 372313

Click to expand...

Badges?! We don't need no stinkin' badges!

timothyu said:

Few people rebel against the Gospel of the Kingdom or the commandments that accompany it, especially loving neighbour as self. They may not pursue it themselves but they do appreciate being loved by others, whether they deserve it or not. What most people reject is the religion that many may use instead, not their way of life that is kind and caring.

Click to expand...

And yet the commandment is for us to love our neighbor, not about being loved even if that, too, would result if we all actually observed the commandment. 90% of the misery in this world is caused by the failure to do so.

bèlla said:

Yes I’ve heard the same. I have a piece saved from someone who focuses on that demographic. I haven’t watched it yet but I can post it in the morning if you’d like. He’s addressing what you said and legislative issues along those lines. I learned about the latter from an full-time rv‘er who stepped away from the van and returned to a citation. They’re making it illegal to live in a car or van and forcing you to seek assistance with shelter or risk arrest.

~bella

Click to expand...

Yes, please post it. I want to bring as much attention as possible to the approaching storm, in every facet, at every level.

I suspect that we will soon see EBT riots; but worse, I think that it will be a controlled social experiment, to see how the population will react when the situation really gets bad.

Don't worry. The military will continue to get paid. The people who are in power will do all that they can do to make sure that there is continuity of government, no matter how many of those that they were sworn to serve are lost.

The homeless will have an opportunity to pull themselves up, by selling lawn chairs and popcorn at the upcoming nuclear weapons tests.

USA!! USA!!

This game will be more entertaining than cheering on our favorite team in the Elephants VS Donkeys Series.

Maybe global tensions are good for trade after all.