ThatRobGuy said:

If the answer to that is "No" (which it is), then they shouldn't be encouraging them to go rogue.

Click to expand...

Reminding U.S. military members of their legal obligations under the U.S. Consitution is not encouraging them "to go rogue."

BPPLEE said:

Are chemicals still self organizing?

Click to expand...

Sure. It's an inherent property of matter. Though you're not likely to see new life organize itself again, since it's no longer a sterile environment. There are lots of predators now. Craig Venter is/was looking to see if it may have happened in ancient times, though.

ThatRobGuy said:

Interpreting whether or not an order from a commander-in-chief to the military is unconstitutional is rarely is something so simple and clear cut that a 19-23 year old kid can make an accurate on-the-spot judgment call.

Click to expand...

It is rare and frankly, has not been on the minds of the military until this President. And I think you underestimate the abilities of a 19-23 year old. If they are ordered to take actions against American citizens on American soil, I'm certain a few will correctly conclude the order is illegal.

BPPLEE said:

Which is more believable
A. Life came from non life by random chance

Click to expand...

Nobody is claiming this happened.

BPPLEE said:

B. God created life

Click to expand...

There is no evidence of this.

Yarddog said:

SCOTUS will rule in favor of the US Constitution. They swear an oath to the Constitution, not the President.

Click to expand...

SCOTUS will rule in favor of the US Constitution. The US Constitution agrees with President Trump and President Trump follows the US Constitution. The President has also sworn an oath to the US Constitution.

essentialsaltes said:

Not yet. The order has been stayed, but the ruling has not been overturned.

Click to expand...

It is not breaking law. That is the fail
No soldier in his right mind would think it was an unlawful order.

Try again?

Why did they make the video??

eclipsenow said:

And yet his use of the National Guard is before the Supreme Court, and he's having the military blow up anonymous, unidentified boats off the coast of Venezuela.

I've served. I've had the legal command lectures. It's not hard!

Disobey un-lawful commands.

Did poor Mr Trump read this too late and not register the "un" bit? Unlawful?

It's just embarrassing to watch him melt down every 5 minutes over some perceived sleight to his NPD

Click to expand...

Nevertheless, President Trump has not issued any unlawful orders to the military.

dlamberth said:

From what I've seen, it depends on the depth of a person's own inner experience of deep consciousness.

Click to expand...

As a meditator now of 50 years I cannot say I have an answer. Some deep silence and stillness, awareness without “thought” samadhi style. Something there but without faith to help interpret the experience it seems more of a silent void. John of the cross apophatic realm. Perhaps like the awareness of a molecule or lets get fancy and say monad.

jonojim1337 said:

it is not related to current state in Palestine.

Click to expand...

Does what the Bible Prophets tell us, have no real meaning for you, or others here. Is it all just Spiritual?
The Prophecy in Zechariah 9:9 was really fulfilled. How can people say other Prophesies, obviously unfulfilled, but which can, feasibly be fulfilled; will not be?

The current situation in the Middle East, is untenable and cannot continue. God has said that He is going to resolve it. Jeremiah 12:14, +
I say: Bring it on Lord!

essentialsaltes said:

Experts have long viewed thorium reactors as the next leap in energy innovation. Some scientists estimate that a single thorium-rich mine in Inner Mongolia could theoretically supply China’s energy needs for tens of thousands of years with far less radioactive waste than current uranium-based reactors.

Click to expand...

Having never studied physics, it took quite a few conversations to get my head around this tech.

THE CAMPFIRE
Nuclear waste does NOT have to be stored for 100,000 years. The only reason it is radioactive for so long is we have not got all the energy out of it. I’m no physicist and got the following metaphor from chatting with them. But after a regular uranium fuel rod has been in a reactor for about 18 months, it stops fissioning efficiently. It has not run out of energy, but instead is being stopped by ‘nuclear poisons’ - things that dampened the reaction. It’s a bit like a huge campfire that gets rained on. The fire is put out, but the fuel is still there. Only in this case, ‘drying out’ the ‘logs’ involves melting down the fuel rods, separating out the good ‘wood’, and then ‘drying’ it around the reactor core (where the fertile stuff can soak up extra neutrons to become fissile). As a result, breeder reactors can get something like 90 TIMES the energy out of each fuel rod! America has enough waste to run her for thousands of years.

There are many differences between standard fuel rods using uranium, and liquid thorium molten salt reactors - including RADICAL safety advantages. But one of them is my metaphor breaks down, because it's like the 'drying out the logs' process happens continually. They have the liquids in a self-cleaning loop in many models.

WHAT ABOUT THE ‘ASHES’ FROM THIS ‘CAMPFIRE?’
Some of the nuclear fuel is fissioned away into energy. (That’s what E = MC2 is all about.) By the time all the energy has been extracted this way, it’s only about a golf-ball of waste per human lifetime of abundant clean energy! Your whole life. One golf ball! That’s amazing!
So, what to do with the REAL waste - the broken atoms that cannot be fissioned any more?
We can melt it down into glass like ceramic tablets that contain it. (If there’s ever an earthquake or unanticipated event, we don’t want radioactive dust getting out into the water table, etc.) Bury these bricks in a bunker on site, and in about 300 years they are safe! The hotter it is, the faster it burns out. See this Argonne Labs video - 4 minutes. Login to view embedded media
Not only this, but they can also supply many medical radioactive isotopes useful for nuclear medicine.
It's an amazing technology. But they're going to have to work hard to bring the cost down, because solar panels are expected to halve in price AGAIN by 2030!

The Liturgist said:

your argument implies God as being one Person, when He is one God abiding in Three persons,

Click to expand...

A Devil's Advocate said:

God is revealed to us in three persons, but all are still one God.

Click to expand...

This is from earlier in that same post. I do not believe God to be one person. That makes no sense. I believe God to be one God revealed to us in three persons. I think you may have miss read.

If I believe in the Holy Spirit, do I not also believe in God? Same with Jesus. If I believe in Jesus, am I not also believing in God?

The Liturgist said:

In declaring that no one comes to the Father except through Him, Christ is declaring the doctrine of the Incarnation - that through Him, the Father, who is invisible, has made Himself visible, in the Prosopon of His only begotten Son and Word, who, in putting on our human form, remade us in His image on the Cross, and demonstrated God’s willingness to die to save humanity.

Click to expand...

Maybe I am miss reading this, but this statement tells me that Christ, putting on our human form, was still God dying to save humanity.

There is a series called Drain the Oceans, in which they use sonar and other high resolution imagery to investigate oceanic and sea-related mysteries. Bermuda Triangle, shipwrecks, etc. The Nessie episode discusses how the waves can create an optical illusion under some circumstances, that resembles a creature on the water. The famous photo is now known to be a hoax.

Are we talking about philosophical nothingness? A state of complete non-existence? If there was nothing, then nothing would exist, and if nothing existed, it couldn't be nothing.

Hm. I have deleted in the past but don’t see the option now.

Fervent said:

God didn't make you gay, life in a sinful world created the cocktail of early developmental factors that inclined you towards homosexuality and the accumulation of your choices solidified that inclination. Sexuality isn't as rigid as homosexual activists claim it to be, so there is hope that through making the right choices and continued prayer you can be set free of the trap.

Click to expand...

Well said, bro. It is remarkable to me how modern representatives of Romans 1 have taken over the seat of authority.

They are actually teaching pubescent (and even prepubescent) teens that the feelings they get that seem occasionally at odds with their plumbing indicates that their plumbing is at fault. Not so! Wayward urges of hormones are not indicative of anything but wayward urges of hormones.

The body is constantly being trained, but the older one gets, the more difficult it is to change habits of thinking and behavior. But the Grace of God is amazing.

For what it is worth, @Creativeguy , pursuing Christ ("come unto me and learn of me") can be simultaneously the most joyful and miserable thing! He will never forsake you. But you will learn of his incomprehensible grace in the face of the depravity of "the flesh". And re-learn again and again that what Jesus said is not hyperbole: "Apart from me you can do nothing". He is not a mere co-pilot but the very reason for your existence and the means by which your existence continues. Your life belongs to him, and not yourself.

Pray for relief. Pray without ceasing.

ThatRobGuy said:

As an FYI, this topic is already being discussed here

"Don't Give up the Ship"

Members of Congress, comprised of former US Military and Intelligence officers, released a video this week reminding members of the military that they can, and in fact, have an obligation to disobey illegal orders. Today, on Truthsocial, the POTUS reacted: “It’s called SEDITIOUS...

www.christianforums.com

Click to expand...

So I think if I delete OP the entire thread gos. Let’s see

Marilyn C said:

Hi eclipsenow,

John`s audience is all those who read, hear and keep the words of this prophecy. (Rev. 1: 3)

`soon, speedily, take place. Fine. That is what we see. The Lord reveals Himself to John and the rest follows on. However, are you trying to tell me that everything in Revelation has happened?


Rev. 1: 9 `I John, both your brother and companion in tribulation.....` (NKJ) I don`t see any `the.`

The book is about JESUS as is ALL of God`s word. To make it about US is to diminish the great work and person of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

Click to expand...

It's a sermon on suffering, so of COURSE it reminds his audience that one day the Lord will return.
The problem for those that want to read it as a future timetable is this happens many times in the book!
EG: The Lord returns at the end of Chapter 6! And there's a triplicate return in 19, 20, 21 - from different 'camera eye' views.
It has the gospel events dressed up in picture language.

It's too all Christians across all time, reminding us that if our governments turn on us - to trust in the Lord with great patience. We're also warned not to be seduced by the wealth of our nations, and trust in those. (Rev 13 has the mark has an alternative Shema prayer to money and the state, rather than God.)

So once again.

IF I gave you a 'prophecy' about a battle on Mars in the year 4000 AD and said "OBEY IT!" - wouldn't that be nonsensical?

John is trying to identify with his mission field. Trying to comfort brothers and sisters in Christ.
And futurists think he's raving about thousands of years in the future for the majority of the book?
It just doesn't add up!

"Toughen up princess - you've got nothing to worry about! Wait till you see what happens in 2000 years!"

Belonging to Abba said:

I set time limits on texting and other apps with the Lock Me Out app on Android, and some of the time it has not been effective. Like yesterday when I had a 10 minute time limit on texting, but I still ended up being glued to the phone and not able to put it down for a long time. When I was glued to the phone, I felt like there was a lot less to do on the phone so I was using the phone cut off from the activity I love, and really not liking it. If I have much more of these experiences feeling stuck on a phone and feeling severely limited in not being able to text friends, I might disable the time limit on texting and just use Lock Me Out for limiting or blocking other apps like social media. I might even disable the time limit on texting soon.

For controlling my addiction to my phone I turn the phone's power off before/when I get home, but not always consistently. It seems like this may be a more effective barrier to texting or my phone addiction because I cannot as easily grab the phone and immediately spend time on it, and I may decide to keep it off for my own good and to be able to get more tasks done. I have a landline and cell plan on my Galaxy Watch so I can still receive urgent calls from my mom if she has a pressing need to call me.

With my smartphone addiction, I also have weird behavior of wanting to get in bed in with my phone. Previously, I loved to just get in bed and text friends and found it really relaxing. Now with a time limit in place if I get in bed with the phone, I may spend some time browsing the Google Discover Feed, or scroll through YouTube to see what is there, but yesterday I kind of ran out of stuff to do on the phone, so I just put the phone aside and laid there.

With the time limits in place, it would be super productive if I opened the Bible app and worked on memorizing Bible verses. I did that once with these new limits, but a lot of times I have not.

Click to expand...

You sound like this is surprising to you. If it is an addiction, controlling it is like controlling any other addiction.

My job requires me to be available 24 hrs if only to answer texts troubleshooting equipment over the phone, with customers all over the world. Truth is that most nights I can sleep without interruption, but the phone is by me in bed. If I can't sleep, I might actually watch a few police chases on TikTok, and about 3 hrs later realize it's already time to get up. If that is wrong for me to do, rather than just inconvenient to my productivity and state of mind, I shouldn't do it. Simple as that.

I like to drink beer, I like to have a buzz, but I don't do it all day, because it is harmful to my life. I don't get drunk every night to be able to sleep because I need to be available to answer the phone coherently. "Because" can be a strong motivator.

I'm not going to tell you I'm addicted to my phone, nor eating, nor anything else, because in the end it is like sin or any other pursuit. In the end, we always choose what we most want to do at that instant of choice, even if it has become automatic.

I expect I don't need to tell you what happens when you pursue Christ, and find yourself desperately needing him, and seeing the weakness, stupidity and self-indulgence of the flesh, and his continuing patience in demonstrating to you repeatedly that apart from him you can do nothing.

The Grace of God can be overwhelming.

Michie said:

Pope Leo XIV is defending the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops’ message opposing what he characterized as the “extremely disrespectful” treatment of illegal immigrants being deported by the Trump administration. His comments come as border czar Tom Homan continues to defend the federal government’s actions and reiterate earlier allegations of hypocrisy by the Catholic Church.

In response to reporters seeking his comment on the USCCB’s “Special Message” on immigration Tuesday, the pontiff said, “We have to look for ways of treating people humanely, treating people with the dignity that they have.”

“If people are in the United States illegally, there are ways to treat that. There are courts; there’s a system of justice. I think there are a lot of problems in the system. No one has said that the United States should have open borders. I think every country has a right to determine who and how and when people enter,” he stressed.

Continued below.

Pope Leo says he opposes open borders, blasts Trump's deportation of illegal immigrants

Pope Leo XIV is defending the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops message opposing what he characterized as the extremely disrespectful treatment of illegal immigrants being deported by the

www.christianpost.com

Click to expand...

No open has called for open borders. That is just a right wing lie. The Pope understands and he knows that Trump lies, especially about immigrants.

Vambram said:

President Trump has never issued an illegal order to the military.

Click to expand...

And yet his use of the National Guard is before the Supreme Court, and he's having the military blow up anonymous, unidentified boats off the coast of Venezuela.

I've served. I've had the legal command lectures. It's not hard!

Disobey un-lawful commands.

Did poor Mr Trump read this too late and not register the "un" bit? Unlawful?

It's just embarrassing to watch him melt down every 5 minutes over some perceived sleight to his NPD

RandyPNW said:

Why the Disclaimer? You think the God of the Bible is to be separated from Christianity?

Click to expand...

I think you missed the whole concept of that being sarcasm. The point I was getting at is that many Christians tend to place God in a box. He is only capable of so much. Even to the point that you have to wonder if they believe sin itself has more power than God.

RandyPNW said:

It is hardly ridiculous. Everything about the trees in the Garden was a test of loyalty with consequences. God also tested Israel in the wilderness with consequences.

Click to expand...

Okay. But why? Why test for loyalty? God wants a relationship, not just a bunch of loyal servants. What does loyalty have to do with anything? A relationship assumes loyalty. Loyalty is the natural fruit of a loving relationship, not the other way around.

RandyPNW said:

False, God thought it good to give Man free will. He did not wish Man to use his free will to rebel against His word. But God thought it good to allow Man, in his free will, to rebel against His word if he so wished to do so. Who are we to say that this is illogical or absurd? It is precisely what happened!

Click to expand...

When did man have freewill? I'm talking about the ability to choose... real choice, meaningful choice, choice that carries weight and consequence. Before the fall, when the knowledge of good and evil was first gained by Adam and Eve, where was their freewill?

The potential for freewill was there, yes. This was established by the commandment. But freewill was not realized until they had knowledge from which their moral agency could operate and they could understand the consequences. Choice, and the exercise of that choice had to come before freewill could be fully realized. The choice to eat from the tree or not would not be considered freewill because at that point, they would have had no moral understanding of the consequences of their behavior.

RandyPNW said:

That does not follow. I can know God as a good God without ever having sinned, just as the good angels who never sinned still know God is holy. They say so in the book of Revelation.

Click to expand...

How is it you're able to know that light exists? It's because the absence of light is darkness. It is because of darkness that we are able to recognize light. The same is true for God. The absence of good (God) is evil. Because of evil, we are then able to recognize the goodness of God. If there was no evil, no absence of good, then how would you know that God is good? What are you using as a reference point from which to distinguish good? What are you measuring good against to know if it is good?

Your statement overlooks an important concept. God's angels know sin like a doctor, for example, knows cancer. Whereas, we know sin like a cancer patient knows cancer. His angels know it through knowledge, we know it through experience. So yes, an angel can know the Holiness of God because they have an intellectual understanding of sin.
Before the fall, man had neither intellectual or experiential understanding of sin. Because the fall was a physical act, man gained the understanding of sin through experience.

Vambram said:

SCOTUS will rule in favor of the Commander-in-Chief.

Click to expand...

SCOTUS will rule in favor of the US Constitution. They swear an oath to the Constitution, not the President.

rambot said:

https://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/2025/11/20/coast-guard-swastika-noose/

For some reason a nazi symbol can manage to not be considered hate speech....just "potentially divisive". This seems to speak to the ideologies this administration are happy to empower. Getting angry at posters for being critical of Israel I'd expect some posters will be quite upset to hear this is happenning in your navy.

And ditto for nooses and confederate flags (though their display is still banned).

What kind of coast guard Commandant would allow this? Glad you asked.

Admiral Kevin Lunday
Wow. How can that be?
Well as per a smart person than me:
This role requires senate approval. If you do not put forward a candidate, there is an unconfirmed interim leader.
So the Admiral leading the navy does not have senate confirmation, and has been leading the navy in an interim capacity since inauguration with no replacement in sight.
This was actually detailed in project 2025 as a way to have sycophants installed without the need for Senate approvals.

Click to expand...

The article is behind a paywall but the Navy and the Coast Guard are separate entities

Mark Quayle said:

Mark Quayle said:
Can you demonstrate that anything can happen besides what does happen? Can you demonstrate the actual possibility of other options? Or is that only in our thinking? When God demands that we choose, do we not always only choose the one option? Was God not aware of those decisions before creating, but went ahead and created anyway? Well, then! He INTENDED it to be decided the way it was

CORRECT enough! That's why I asked it. Can you do it? Can you prove that "apparent" free will choices (or any other choice) could have gone a different way? You will say, "of course!", but you can't do it. You will provide some statement you consider axiomatic, but is not, like, "God would not demand what you cannot obey".

Mark Quayle said:
Otherwise, you need to demonstrate that {actual "chance" can determine outcomes}. The notion is by definition self-contradictory. But your whole construction depends on it.

You are defining justice according to the creature's ability to do what he is commanded to do. Sorry, but the command does not imply the ability to obey— it only implies the responsibility to obey. God is not unjust to create beings who will pay for their rebellion, as intended. He is making use of them for his Glory, to demonstrate his love and mercy to the objects of his mercy—us.

Can you demonstrate that actual "chance" can determine outcomes? Or do you first need me to demonstrate how your notion of free will implies chance determining outcomes?

Click to expand...

You seem to completely miss his objection, which is that you are engaged in a special pleading argument by demanding your opponent meet a standard you yourself cannot.