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Shane R · 2025-11-15T18:46:39-0600

I entered a chili cook-off and finished tied for second place. Yet my pot was nearly empty at the conclusion of the event. So people ate it up but didn't vote for it. It was a recipe I affectionately labeled "church chili" in my binder. I got it off a guy from Idaho years ago who said he had been using it for ages and never offended anyone with it.

David Hunter · 2025-11-15T18:43:49-0600

"Judge not lest ye be judge!" Oh, if you're an evangelist, you've heard that one too many times, but what is Jesus actually mean when He says judge not? In today's series we'll see what Jesus said and what's he actually mean!
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Fervent · 2025-11-15T18:35:42-0600

Hans Blaster said:
It's not that their Christian nationalist plans will create "religiosity" but rather that the decline of religiosity will make the attempt to impose a semi-theocracy will never come again.

A Christian theocracy, perhaps. But I wouldn't write off an Islamic surge and the imposition of Sharia law through the abuse of Western tolerance.

Hans Blaster said:

Make all the faces you want, it doesn't change the vein of illerberalism that is infecting leftist politics.

Always in His Presence · 2025-11-15T18:33:42-0600

It has been happening for years:

As Walmart shuts down four stores in crime-ridden Dem-led Chicago, DailyMail.com lists all the big box shops - from Macy's to Target - which have closed due to millions in losses from rampant theft

Major retailers in the US have been forced to shut down stores due to millions of dollars in losses as rampant theft plagues big box stores across the country.

This week, Walmart announced it will shut down four of its stores in Chicago just weeks after America's biggest employer shuttered its only stores in Portland.

It comes as shoplifting reaches alarming levels and other large retailers, including Target, Macy's and Best Buy, are now making good on threats to shutter outlets if petty crime was not lowered.

Grok does a great job

City	Stores Affected	Year	Details
San Francisco, CA	Whole Foods (Haight-Ashbury), Target (multiple Bay Area), Nordstrom, Walgreens (multiple)	2023–2025	Whole Foods closed in 2023 due to rampant theft and an overdose death in the store; Target shuttered four locations in 2023 amid organized crime and violence; Nordstrom and Walgreens cited burglaries and safety risks, with 12 Walgreens closures by 2024.
Portland, OR	Target (three stores), Walmart	2023	Target closed three stores in 2023, blaming theft and violence that threatened staff safety; Walmart reduced operations due to spiraling crime, including murders at all-time highs in 2022.
Seattle, WA	Target (two stores), Nordstrom	2023–2024	Target closed two stores in 2023 over organized retail crime; Nordstrom shuttered its flagship in 2024 citing theft and aggression, following 2020 looting damage.
New York, NY	Target (East Harlem), Macy's	2023	Target closed its Harlem store in 2023 due to theft and violence; Macy's faced $10,000+ loots in 2022–2023, contributing to urban pullbacks amid rising shoplifting complaints.
Chicago, IL	Walmart (four stores), Target, Whole Foods (Englewood)	2023	Walmart closed four stores in 2023 after tens of millions in theft losses; Whole Foods shut in 2023 due to lack of demand tied to crime; Target and others cited 25% theft rise.
Philadelphia, PA	Target, Macy's, Wawa	2022–2023	Multiple lootings in 2022–2023, including Macy's security guard stabbing; Target closed stores in 2023 amid waves of smash-and-grabs; Wawa looted repeatedly.
Los Angeles, CA	Target, Walmart, Nordstrom	2023–2025	Target and Walmart closed amid 2023 theft surges; Nordstrom cited crime in 2024; 2025 protests escalated to looting, accelerating exits in high-crime areas.
Oakland, CA	Target, REI	2023	Target closed in 2023 after 76% burglary rise; REI shuttered due to theft and violence; nearby stores saw 440+ incidents despite closures.
Baltimore, MD	Target	2023	Closed in 2023 after 10 years, citing theft in poverty-stricken areas; part of broader urban exodus.
Atlanta, GA	Walmart, Target	2023	Walmart closed a store in 2023 due to theft; Target followed suit amid organized crime.

These closures impacted urban "food deserts," exacerbating access issues, with over 150 Target stores affected nationwide by crime in 2023 alone. Retailers like Walmart warned of further shutdowns if prosecution remains lenient. By 2025, trends continued with Walgreens planning 500 closures, though not all tied directly to violence. No widespread new looting events were reported in late 2025, but organized theft persists.

Fervent · 2025-11-15T18:28:27-0600

johansen said:
the licensing agreements will be boilerplate.

How often you suspect they'll re-up the EULA before they engage in planned obsolescence?

Fervent · 2025-11-15T18:26:50-0600

Hans Blaster said:
He may be the last boomer president, but the Trump admin is still a Christian Nationalist operation from #2 on down.

That appears to me more to be a matter of "culture" than concern for religiosity. A false image of a supposedly Christian past that is yearned for because that was when America was at its peak.

Hans Blaster said:
On second thought it was probably reference to his preference for Guns 'n' Roses.

Perhaps, though my suspicion is it was meant as a bit of sarcasm regarding the trajectory of the American left towards anti-democratic forms of communism.

Arcangl86 · 2025-11-15T18:25:31-0600

Valletta said:
“Any violence or threats of violence against any federal officer will not be tolerated. Period. This is unfortunately becoming a trend as radicals continue to attack law enforcement agents around the country,” she wrote.

Suspect Arrested In Connection With Attack On Alina Habba After Intense Manhunt

A 51-year-old man has been apprehended in connection with an attack on Alina Habba, the U.S. Attorney for the District of New Jersey and a staunch Trump ally. In an X post, Attorney General Pam Bondi announced that Keith Michael Lisa has been arrested in connection with the attack. “No one will...

trendingpoliticsnews.com

Sadly I expect more violence if they don't tone down the rhetoric.

Who is "they"? From what I can find there is no information on the motivation behind his actions.

PTW · 2025-11-15T18:25:01-0600

The Flintstones

Fervent · 2025-11-15T18:24:06-0600

partinobodycular said:
I might well have come to refer to myself as a Pyrrhonist if I'd ever encountered the term, but only having a ninth grade education high falutin philosophy terms are above my pay grade. So at this point, when called upon to do so, I just refer to myself as one of these three, a Christian, a Stoic, or a Solipsist, in that order. The last one being by far the least important. They each represent some aspect of who I am. To wit, my avatar is both a rather decent physical representation, and a brutally honest psychological/spiritual portrayal of who I am as a person.

Fair enough, I generally simply refer to myself as a (philosophical) skeptic given the unfamiliarity most have with the Pyrrhonic movement and its heritage in philosophy. I suppose the terms are not all that important, other than a possibility for confusion. Solipsism, for me, is far too heavily related to Matrix-style thought experiments for my tastes. I consider myself a Christian, a Eudomonist(virtue ethicist), and a skeptic. Though as with you, they are not of equal importance.

partinobodycular said:
When the bible speaks of the least of these my children, it's referring to me.

Me, as well. And when it says I am the worst of sinners, that is also me.

partinobodycular said:
My approach is to accept the pagan prophets for who and what they are, for I of all people have no right to judge someone in whose shoes I've never walked.

My aim is for the philosophies that hold folks captive, rather than a judgment on the individuals themselves. Though separating the two is often not possible in practice, so I operate as I feel led. Sometimes I am overly zealous, though, I must admit.

Always in His Presence · 2025-11-15T18:21:30-0600

narnia59 said:
Just because we do not have a preserved writing that directly speaks to a teaching prior to a certain point in time, that is not evidence that the belief was not in place prior to that.

Which is the basis for every cult teaching in existence - not calling anyone a cult.

The basis for a teaching to exists prior to a certain point in time - is the teaching being present.

narnia59 said:
We are indeed saved but only as through fire
What does being saved only as through fire mean to you?

Why have you not answered my question regarding Romans 10 - for a meaningful debate - BOTH sides have to engage in question and answer - please be so kind in answering my query please

narnia59 said:
If you leave this life and you are not perfected in holiness, not sure I would call it ‘jail’. But if you have not yet become “righteous made perfect” (Hebrews 12:23), God still has some work to do with you.

Rom 10:10 For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. 11 For the Scripture says, “Whoever believes on Him will not be put to shame.” 12 For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek, for the same Lord over all is rich to all who call upon Him. 13 For “whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.”

narnia59 said:
So say for example, Mr. X has held a grudge against his brother for many years due to a perceived wrong. Mr. X dies still holding that grudge. He hates his brother.

Do you really think Christ is going to say “Mr. X, you’re dead now so regardless of what sin you’re still attached to, heaven is open to you? Keep your grudge, hold on to your hatred because all the saved are welcome no matter what sin you bring with you?”

Or is Christ going to say we still have a little work to do don’t we? About that grudge….”

I don't deal with hypotheticals -

The concept of purgatory, at best, is theoretical and I'll explain why.

There is a term in theology - exegesis - it means

Exposition; explanation; especially, a critical explanation of a text or portion of Scripture

When a teaching or concept is not plainly shown it does not rise to an exegetical level. It requires suppositions, reasoning and possibilities. All of which is demonstrated in your last few posts. (Forgive me, I am not picking on you)

Go back to Hebrews -

Heb 9:26 He then would have had to suffer often since the foundation of the world; but now, once at the end of the ages, He has appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of Himself. 27 And as it is appointed for men to die once, but after this the judgment, 28 so Christ was offered once to bear the sins of many.

Why is the concept of purgatory not mentioned? It is a simply stated sentence. Men die once and after that judgement - period - end of sentence, but not of thought -

So Christ was offered once to bear the sins of many.

The Barbarian · 2025-11-15T18:21:06-0600

Fact is, even "identical" twins aren't genetically identical, because of mutations after the division of the fertilized egg.

Arcangl86 · 2025-11-15T18:19:33-0600

JimR-OCDS said:
They had no choice but to oppose removal of the 60 vote mandate.

Simple yes or no question. Regardless of potential consequences, did they have the power to modify the requirements for cloture and approve this bill with no cooperation from the Democrats?

JimR-OCDS said:
You obviously disagree, but I'm glad they stuck to the beliefs on this.

You right here are admitting they had the ability to address this.

JimR-OCDS said:
They voted for the CR, which essentially was the same with slight modifications made in the House.

The amendments made to the CR were made in the Senate. That means that the House will then need to pass it again.

JimR-OCDS said:
That bill could've been approved by Schumer and the Democrats then sent back to the House as it was.

If they had amended the bill, it would have been sent back to the House. The House that wasn't in session because Johnson had sent them home after passing the bill precisely to pressure the Democrats to approve the bill.

The Barbarian · 2025-11-15T18:19:18-0600

johansen said:
the covid vaccine was a big experiment and they had to make everyone get it so there wouldn't be a control group.

The only statistically valid control groups were in the actual testing. However...

Who go against odds like that?

Fervent · 2025-11-15T18:13:10-0600

Hans Blaster said:
No. No. No. This is exactly what the Trump admin is doing.

Trump is just the Boomer's last gasp.

Hans Blaster said:
That would never work and China doesn't even have democracy so "Chinese Democracy" is a nonsensical phrase.

That's kind of his point with the term.

Ave Maria · 2025-11-15T18:09:41-0600

Bradskii said:
I don't think that 'more peaceful' really conveys the situation. I can't imagine people who are walking over the rubble which has buried their family and friends saying to each other 'Gee, isn't it a lot more peaceful these days...'

Maybe I should have said less dangerous instead?

RileyG · 2025-11-15T18:08:10-0600

Glory to God!

Konnie King · 2025-11-15T18:06:28-0600

The Emperor's New School

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It has been happening for years:​

As Walmart shuts down four stores in crime-ridden Dem-led Chicago, DailyMail.com lists all the big box shops - from Macy's to Target - which have closed due to millions in losses from rampant theft​

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It has been happening for years:

As Walmart shuts down four stores in crime-ridden Dem-led Chicago, DailyMail.com lists all the big box shops - from Macy's to Target - which have closed due to millions in losses from rampant theft