• Starting today August 7th, 2024, in order to post in the Married Couples, Courting Couples, or Singles forums, you will not be allowed to post if you have your Marital status designated as private. Announcements will be made in the respective forums as well but please note that if yours is currently listed as Private, you will need to submit a ticket in the Support Area to have yours changed.

  • CF has always been a site that welcomes people from different backgrounds and beliefs to participate in discussion and even debate. That is the nature of its ministry. In view of recent events emotions are running very high. We need to remind people of some basic principles in debating on this site. We need to be civil when we express differences in opinion. No personal attacks. Avoid you, your statements. Don't characterize an entire political party with comparisons to Fascism or Communism or other extreme movements that committed atrocities. CF is not the place for broad brush or blanket statements about groups and political parties. Put the broad brushes and blankets away when you come to CF, better yet, put them in the incinerator. Debate had no place for them. We need to remember that people that commit acts of violence represent themselves or a small extreme faction.

Don Trump Tilts at Windmills: Rescinds All Offshore Wind Energy Areas in the US; current leases up for review

Conservatives don't realize that gasoline prices would be a lot higher without the competition of hybrids and electric vehicles, and electricity generated by oil would be higher without solar.
The competition keeps prices down. Why do Republicans want a monopoly?
Gee, I can't imagine why.


-- A2SG, 'tis a conundrum, certainly.....
Upvote 0

There’s a Giant Flaw in Human History

Thanks Homer.

It has to do with the fact that he is a physicist and works with measurement down to the quantum level.

Not acording to him:

Dr. Fomitchev-Zamilov taught software engineering and computer science at Penn State for eight years before leaving academia to pursue his research. He wrote books on software engineering and holds an M.S. and Ph.D. in Computer Engineering from the National Research University of Electronic Technology.

That isn't physics.
He understands metrology lol. He has a scientific mind, thinks in deduction and empiriclism. He ain't a whacko and has performed the tests and found the precision. Just accept it and move on lol. Or write in and dispute his findings.
Did I call him a wacko? No, I did not. Is he Chris Dunn? No, he is not.

You are claiming credentials for people that are either irrelevant credentials or you get them wrong.
Man all this conflation. First you whinge these are not archeologists and now your whinging about them not being good metrologists. You will whinge about everything no matter what qualifications. Your aim is to discredit from the get go lol.
Assuming that he is legitimately experienced in the measurement of neutrons and gamma rays that has nothing to do with the measurements described for these vases. Yet, of all of the "reports" on the vases, his, though incomplete, is the closest to what I would expect from a professional analysis.
Here we go again. Any alternative ideas are relegated to whackery. Your only proving my point. Plus the point was that Max understands instrumentation and testing methods at that level. So basic metrology is well within his abilities.
Are you sure about that? What instrumentation does he know? Silicon strip detectors? Calorimeters? CCDs? Cloud chambers, Fabry-Perot cavities? Mass spectroscopy? PCR? Proportional counters? NMR? HPLC?

My point: instrumentation is not a general specialty. It is quite specific.

He has all the equipment so its been part of his research for years. He has taught this at Penn State for years.

What classes did he teach at Penn State?

He's a scientists who does good scientific work so stop trying to discredit him.

Does he? Again neither Google Scholar nor ADS shows a broad, well received research record. It is thin and poorly cited.
Just deal with the data, the hard numbers he has found and if you think they are wrong then refute them in writing to him and he will correct them lol.
I leave the analysis of the posted data to my comrades-at-arms.

Fusion energy gets a boost from cold fusion chemistry​

Chemists used an electrochemical method to enhance the rates of fusion in a desktop reactor
LOL

Cavitation-Induced Fusion: Proof of Concept​

Not the traditional "cold fusion", but not likely to be useful even if nuclear reactions happen.
Its obvious I think. First engineering which relates to measurement and design of physical objects. Computer science speaks for itself. As the metrology is now done in ditigal then expertise in digital applications of the hard data to properly reflect the physical environment.
You are just flailing around.
Computer Engineering Science can be related to
Civil engineer, Data scientist, Electrical engineer, Machine learning engineer, Software engineer and Mechatronic engineer. It seems to me considering Karoly wanted a specific software to crunch the data to relect the scans in the software that these skills are perfect.
I don't need your AI slop. The actual name of the department at Penn State is....


A department he hasn't been associated with that department for over a decade according to his own "research gate" profile.
I think thats your mission now, to find fault. I don't think this would be done to any ideas you agreed with lol. Its a bit inconsistent and sort of proving the point about peoples worldview getting in the way of how they see things.
I'll stop when you stop posting garbage. Also, learn what your "experts" actual expertise is instead of passing off some puffery without knowing what and who they are.
Upvote 0

Men now surpass women in church attendance, especially among Gen X, millennials: Barna

Mass immigration is a global experiment that’s splintering societies and creating bastions of crime and unrest.
But as christians that is not our concern. If we are not to construct fences to keep our neighbors out, then what is it to us if our governments tear down their fences?
Upvote 0

How a man survived 2 cults and lived to tell about it (book review)

Journalist Ben Appel is on a remarkable journey, one that has taken him from being a disciple to a doubter to a full-blown heretic, but not in the way you might think.

You see, he is a “heretic” today not because he no longer ascribes to the quasi-Christian doctrines he was taught in his childhood, but because he dares to dissent from the tenets of what he calls the “Church of Social Justice.”

But first, let me pause and rewind a bit, as an interesting history is at work.

In 2021, a conservative Christian friend sent me Appel’s fascinating long-form essay in Quillette, and to date, it is one of the most memorable articles I have ever read. That essay from a truly gifted writer has now taken shape more fully in an upcoming memoir to be released next month (I was honored to read a preview copy).

The memoir is called Cis White Gay: The Making of Gender Heretic, and in case anyone’s wondering why a review of a book like this by a man who writes that his same-sex attraction “made [him] feel whole” and who campaigned for the legalization of same-sex marriage (and is in one) is appearing in a theologically orthodox Evangelical publication which does not hide its moral and spiritual commitments to historic Christian sexual ethics, I’ll gladly explain. First, it’s because I admire gutsy, transparent people, even those with whom I disagree on weighty moral and anthropological issues. Second, I also believe it’s vital for Christians to enter into, learn from, and understand the stories of those whom they might assume function as an ideological monolith. It is here where the author breaks the mold.

Appel poignantly details what it was like being a gender-nonconforming boy in a conservative religious covenant community called Lamb of God, a charismatic Catholic group, in a suburb of Baltimore that was formally investigated by the Archdiocese for “cult-like practices” in the early 1990s. When he was 12, his parents split up, and he moved to a new neighborhood. Although his new community was a relatively short physical distance away, ideologically it was far away from the tight-knit, insular context of his childhood. In the new environment, he would be bullied and tormented at his public school for being effeminate, develop an obsessive-compulsive prayer life, become addicted to drugs and alcohol, and wind up in a psychiatric hospital.

Continued below.
"It's not that I'm too smart to ever get sucked into a cult. It's more that I know I am unwilling to participate in anything even resembling a group project under any circumstances."
Upvote 0

The Nobel Peace Prize went to Venezuela’s Maria Corina Machado - why not Trump? He's solved 8 wars!

The Guard are just people being used to stage publicity stunts while being deployed needlessly. They are good people whose time is being wasted.
Many ICE are mercenaries working for $50K signing bonuses. They have accosted and detained friends fishing in the park. They racially profile. They zip tie children and toddlers. They beat up Senators who ask questions. They arrest citizens who accompany terrified immigrants to court.
They secretly monitor the police to get to traffic stops.
At best most are arrogant bullies. At worst vicious sadists.
Please note there are qualifiers in my narrative. My observations are from real life stories of immigrants in my town and video from reputable sources.
Re: extortion. Trump humiliated Zelensky and refused to help without being promised rare earth mineral contracts worth far more than the value of aid we gave.
If half of what you said is true about ICE, then CNN, MSNBC, and all of the rest of the liberal media networks would be broadcasting and shouting this out each and every day. Also, Trump did not extort anything from Zelenskyy.
Upvote 0

What to do with a troubled kid

My stepson was in and out of jail. He was a violent drug user. I finally told my husband that my stepson had to stay away until he could behave in a respectable way. (My husband was used to letting his sons run wild.) But, I couldn't live like that and I had a 5 year old who didn't need to be living in a dangerous situation. Given that his son was an adult (27), I didn't see a problem with banning him from the house. He tried to break in my house once in the middle of the night (scared the daylights out of me). I didn't call the police, but said I would next time. He pretty much stayed away after that. When my husband died, I lost all contact with my stepson, but I looked him up on the internet. He's still in and out of jail. Nothing has changed.
Not sure what you should do, but I had to put my foot down. It was live in a madhouse or move out myself and I had nowhere to go. So, as much as I didn't want to--I told him to leave and not to come back until he was off drugs for a year. My husband finally backed me.
Thanks Crystal, I think things might end up being similar with mine. I was playing it loosey goosey before because I assumed things were ultimately getting better and it seemed to make my wife happy, but not anymore. This revelation confirms a lot of things I thought were true about him so now I'm gonna tighten up and hold him accountable.
Upvote 0

Letita Jamews indicted for fraud

You are 10% right.

This highlights a major issue in America today: when President Trump was indicted, Democrats praised the justice system while MAGA supporters called it a nuisance and unfounded. Now, with a similar indictment against AG. James, Democrats are calling it unfounded and MAGA sees it as justice.

Even more concerning is that supporters on both sides openly exhibit bias and hypocrisy without expressing any remorse for their behavior in public.
Well, to be fair, there is a difference here. There was a significant amount of evidence shown even before the trial indicating Trump's guilt, but so far as we've seen, all that the DOJ has against James is one misstatement on a single form, that wasn't even an actual loan document. Plus which, several attorneys have said this was a weak case, and that they wouldn't have taken it to trial at all. It certainly does seem as if the only reason James was indicted was because Trump demanded it.

Granted, there may be more evidence presented at trial, so I will reserve judgment for the moment, but one has to admit, the preponderance of evidence in this case doesn't seem close to equal to Trump's.

-- A2SG, guess it all comes down to Halligan's skill and experience as a prosecutor....
Upvote 0

AI understands the Sabbath and Col 2:16

Is the pattern different?
I find some of the differences very puzzling.

These foe example:

(CLV) 1Ki 6:18
The cedar for the inside of the house had an embossing of colocynth gourds and open| up blossoms. It was all cedar; there was no stone to be seen.

(CLV) 1Ki 6:23
In the innermost sanctuary he made two cherubim of oil-tree wood, each ten cubits in its rise.

(CLV) 1Ki 6:27
He bestowed »the cherubim in the midst of the inner house, so that they |spread out the wings of the cherubim. The wing of the one |touched i the one sidewall, and the wing of the second •cherub was touching i the second sidewall, +while their wings were toward the midst of the house and touching wing to wing.

(CLV) 1Ki 6:32
The two doors were of oil-tree wood; he embossed on them embossings of cherubim, palm trees and open up blossoms; and he overlaid them with gold, hammering »the gold |down on the cherubim and on the palm trees.

(CLV) 1Ki 6:34
The two doors were of fir-tree wood: The two leaves of the one door on pivots, and the two leaves of the second door on pivots.

(CLV) 1Ki 6:35
He embossed on them cherubim, palm trees and open up blossoms and overlaid them with gold evenly over the delineation

Can you show me where these instructions were given for the creation of the tabernacle?

They were not.

.
Upvote 0

What's on your mind?

Today I was pondering how would Christians define sacrifice as opposed to the non-believers/unsaved/lost/pagan/the world's version of sacrifice. We all have to make sacrifices, so there must be a difference
Have I been with you so long, and you still do not know me? John 14:9
Upvote 0

Must watch video--Former Israeli diplomat calls Trump 'a man of his word' amid Israel-Hamas peace deal

Hilliary supporting Trump!? Maybe it is the end of the world. :D
  • Like
Reactions: Vambram
Upvote 0

Things none of ya'll have ever read about Revelation.

Well, maybe you have a little different take, but most people who throw in those 10 tribes try to say the RCC took Rome's place. This is not what happen. Rome was the Wounded Head. God took a Beast and turned it into a conveyor belt for the Gospel of Jesus Christ, thus the Church via its blood, which could not be overcome by the gates of hell, wounded the Beast. Only after the Rapture can the Beast come back to life or be healed, this happens when this 7 Headed Beast gets a NEW HEAD (The Little Horn/AC). All this trying to make Rome continue on is just very bad eschatology imho. 95% who go down this line say its the RCC that took the place of Rome.


NO....This just shows you need to listen and study more brother.
Well, Herod the Great and Octavian fulfilled that prophecy exactly as stated following the end of the Syrian section of the Greek Empire. Are people are just supposed to throw that fact out to fit folks end of the world prognostications?
Upvote 0

Jordan says ICE agents ‘doing the Lord’s work’

Are you calling the Jesuits criminals?
Defunding the police was another bald faced lie. Comprehensive criminal reform is well-thought out and successful.
ICE is providing ample evidence of sadism and cruelty. The public sees them objectively.
I remember the whipping story, those sadistic border patrol guys.
Upvote 0

Are the Jews Israel, or is the church Israel? Or does it depend on the context of the passage?

Consider the verse below when thinking about the modern nation of Israel.

Isaiah 54:9 To me this is like the days of Noah, when I swore that the waters of Noah would never again cover the earth. So now I have sworn not to be angry with you, never to rebuke you again.

The Apostle Paul declares the obvious in Galatians 4:26-27. That Isaiah 54 is a prophecy about the New Jerusalem. The context of that chapter is Old Testament believer’s being illustrated as the wife of God suffering at the hands of their own wicked kings and the gentile nations; someday winning the nations by the gospel and through that inheriting the world. This is why Paul called the New Jerusalem the mother of all New Testament believers. OT saints in Ancient Israel gave birth to NT saints, both Jew and Gentile.

Here is how Isaiah 54:9 ties into the debate over the two extremes between those who teach the name Israel IS ONLY referring to the Jews and modern Israel and God's covenant with them. Verses those who say Israel is now the church and God's NT covenant. In both the OT and NT we see God is almost continuously angry with Ancient Israel for its sin. The reason for this is God chose both the saints and sinners out of one nation, Ancient Israel, to bring his word and the Messiah into the earth. It was his Normandy beach head for his long-planned invasion of planet earth to spread the influence of his invisible kingdom.

Once the mission God chose all of Ancient Israel for was complete. His focus became the expansion of that influence worldwide. First through Jewish believers that naturally added Gentile believers to that mix. This new mix of believers, illustrated in the Bible’s prophecy was given a new name- The New Jerusalem

Isaiah 62;1 For Zion’s sake I will not keep silent, for Jerusalem’s sake I will not remain quiet, till her vindication shines out like the dawn, her salvation like a blazing torch. 2 The nations will see your vindication, and all kings your glory; YOU WILL BE CALLED BY A NEW NAME that the mouth of the Lord will bestow.

That is why God would no longer be angry with his people. They are no longer a mix of ethnic Israeli's who had the faith of Abraham along with the ethnic Israeli's who refused that faith. Instead, his people, illustratively spoken of as God’s bride and the New Jerusalem consist of a mix of ethnic Israelis and gentiles who have embraced the faith of Abraham- in and of the Messiah.

Speaking to both extremes about this issue. This IS the Bible’s OT and NT doctrine on the matter. God will not smile upon anything else that is taught.

Does this mean ethnic Israelis, or Jews, who do not have or refuse the faith of Abraham are no longer God’s chosen people? That would depend on narrative you look at Bible's prophecy through. Which by the way is the main point of friction between the two extremes. One extreme says yes because there is end of the world prophecy in the Bible that revolves around a modern nation of Israel. One says no because only believers count as the children of Abraham by faith so the modern nation is an aberration not mentioned in scripture.

But what says the scripture? Well, according to many chapters of prophecy like Isaiah 54, 60, 61, 62, 65 Rev 20-22. Daniel 2 & 7 They say billions would come to Christ after the Roman Empire ends which happened in 1453 AD; and the natural result of that would be a world transforming for the better. We now know this was due to the general public, (illegally) beginning to gain access to their own Bibles to read themselves right when that empire ended. This is what the Bible means when it said the meek, or the saints, shall inherit the earth. It's why we went from the perpetual rule of kings and emperors to a growing free world of republics as it states in the passage below.

Isaiah 29:18-20 And in that day shall the deaf hear the words of the book, and the eyes of the blind shall see out of obscurity, and out of darkness. The meek also shall increase their joy in the LORD, and the poor among men shall rejoice in the Holy One of Israel. For the tyrannical oppressor is brought to nothing…….

Now we have the key to understanding why modern Israel exists. The process of meek inheriting the earth would providentially lead to the world having mercy on the Jewish people and bringing them back to the land promised to Abraham. NOT for some end of the world apocalypse. But rather as part of the process of the meek inheriting the earth. As stated in the prophecy below. The regions future is 10’s of millions of Jews, Arabs, Egyptians and Syrians finding the faith of Abraham in Jesus their savior. The natural result of theirs and the Bible’s influence will be the transformation of the region. It's how the prophecy below is being fulfilled. All the war, death and destruction is Satan’s doings through darkened hearts to try to stop this from happening. Over the long run, it is not going to work.

Isaiah 19: 23-25 In that day shall there be a highway out of Egypt to Assyria, and the Assyrian shall come into Egypt, and the Egyptian into Assyria, and the Egyptians shall serve with the Assyrians. In that day shall Israel be the third with Egypt and with Assyria, even a blessing in the midst of the land: whom the LORD of hosts shall bless, saying, Blessed be Egypt my people, and Assyria the work of my hands, and Israel mine inheritance.

Good news is it not? Peace on earth, good will towards men news.

Can man, without the light of faith, by his reason alone, know that God exists?

St. Paul writes to the Hebrews (11:6): “He that cometh to God must believe that He is, and is a Rewarder to them that seek Him”. It is asked by many: “Can man, without the light of faith, by his reason alone, know that God exists?” He certainly can. For the 18th Psalm says: “The heavens show forth the glory of God”; and St. Paul writes to the Romans (1:20): “The invisible things of Him (of God) from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made; His eternal power also and Divinity”. Hence the Vatican Council, in 1870, defined that it is possible for the existence of God, the Beginning and the End of all things, to be gathered with certainty from created things, by the aid of the natural light of human reason (Sess. III, Ch. 2).

Charles Coppens, A Systematic Study of the Catholic Religion, Nineteenth, Twentieth and Twenty-First Editions (St. Louis, MO; London: B. Herder Book Company, 1917), 117.

Perhaps. Perhaps not. To some degree, how we interpret what we think we see in the world around us depends on the epistemological position (or paradigm) we inhabit.
Upvote 0

"Under Title X of the US Code, the President has plenary authority..."

I call a spade a spade. If you find that disrespectful, then there's the ignore button. Now - back on topic?
How is that disrespectful? It's an accurate description.
No it's ad hominem personal attacks which derail threads.
Upvote 0

Where Do TLM Devotees Go When Their Liturgy Gets Banned?

Members of Charlotte’s Latin Mass community are torn between the liturgy they love and the parishes they belong to

What does a Catholic do when the liturgy he or she has attended — in some cases, for more than a decade — is banned from their parish church?

That’s a question that is being answered in different ways by the roughly 1,500 Catholics in the Diocese of Charlotte, North Carolina, who, until last week, regularly attended the traditional Latin Mass (TLM) at one of four parish churches.

The practice came to an end on Oct. 2, when Bishop Michael Martin, Charlotte’s leader for less than a year and a half, restricted celebrations of the form of the Mass used before the reforms of the Second Vatican Council to a single chapel just over 30 miles north of Charlotte.

Bishop Martin said the move was about bringing the diocese into compliance with Traditionis Custodes, a 2021 apostolic letter from Pope Francis that called for severely restricting the TLM for the sake of Church unity.

Continued below.
I guess I would think it appropriate if all 1500 of them, and well wishers too, went to that tiny little remote chapel on a given Sunday. With media in tow to report on how the bishop failed to provide for these people in his fake solicitude.

Actually they are between a rock and a hard place. The bishop won. But then again that bishop will face a judgment some day. Their obedience to this bad bishop will be rewarded. His hatred of his sheep might not be rewarded.
Upvote 0

Curious as to what precisely makes Full-Preterism considered an non orthodox heresy?

Here's why, and your question proves that the following is the case to this very day.

The Nicene Creed becomes state law.
The Roman Emperor Theodosius I's Edict of Thessalonica in 380 CE did not make all forms of Christian practice illegal, but it condemned and outlawed all forms of Christianity that did not conform to Nicene Christianity. This had severe consequences for Christian groups considered heretical, particularly Arianism.
Background: The Arian controversy
The Edict of Thessalonica came during decades of intense theological dispute in the Roman Empire known as the Arian controversy.
Arianism: Led by Arius, a priest from Alexandria, this school of thought argued that Jesus Christ was not co-eternal with God the Father but was a created being, subordinate to him.
Nicene Christianity: This orthodox position held that Christ was consubstantial, or of the same divine substance, as the Father. This was first established at the First Council of Nicaea in 325 CE.
The controversy was deeply political and religious, with different emperors and regions supporting opposing viewpoints. Emperor Theodosius's predecessor, Valens, was an Arian, which had allowed Arianism to flourish in the East.
The Edict's prohibitions
With the Edict of Thessalonica, Emperor Theodosius I formally mandated adherence to Nicene Christianity throughout the Roman Empire and designated all other Christian interpretations as heresy.
Specifically, the edict declared:
Marginalization of heretics: The law branded non-Nicene Christians as "foolish madmen" and decreed that their places of worship could not be called "churches".
Exclusion from cities:
Later decrees, beginning in 381 CE, forbade heretics from meeting for worship within city walls, effectively banishing them from urban centers and their social and religious life.
Confiscation of property: The state began seizing the property of heretical Christian groups, including their churches, and turned them over to Nicene bishops.
State-sanctioned punishment: Theodosius's edicts authorized imperial authority to punish those who deviated from Nicene doctrine. While early punishments were non-lethal, the legal basis was established for later, more severe persecution. In 385, the bishop Priscillian became the first Christian to be judicially executed for heresy, though the sentence was condemned by some prominent bishops.
The aftermath
The Edict of Thessalonica effectively ended the Arian controversy by using imperial power to crush theological dissent. Theodosius's actions, and the subsequent First Council of Constantinople in 381 CE, ensured that the state and church would enforce a single, orthodox interpretation of Christianity. All other Christian groups, no matter how large their following, were cast as illegal and dangerous enemies of both the church and the state.

Whereas, all the prophecies, all the promises and all the grammar point to a first century fulfillment, futurism has it narrowed down to eternity.
Jesus said in the book of Revelation He was coming quickly using the present tense 4 times. I guess believing Him is considered a damnable heresy. Well, I'm going to believe Him anyways.
Seems beside the point. But I think we can agree on the state not having authority to determine truth.
Upvote 0

The law, the commandments, and Christians.

The New covenant is also for Israel, not gentiles. (Romans 9:4, Hebrews 8:8).

It all boils down back to my original question to you, "do you consider yourself as Israel"?

If your answer is still no, then the Law of Moses and the New Covenant is not given to you, like the commandment to build an ark in Genesis 6:14.

If you still want to obey the Law of Moses, be my guest.
The question makes no sense; the new covenant is for all, and that’s what Jesus preached, not two gospels, not two ways. All must still obey the commandments, whether or not they’ve even heard them. Rom 2:13. But in the new way, by the Spirit.

Therefore, brothers and sisters, we have an obligation—but it is not to the flesh, to live according to it. For if you live according to the flesh, you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the misdeeds of the body, you will live. For those who are led by the Spirit of Godare the children of God.” Rom 8:12-14
Upvote 0

Filter

Forum statistics

Threads
5,876,579
Messages
65,385,372
Members
276,278
Latest member
CursedChristian