Hail Mary,
Full of Grace,
The Lord is with thee.
Blessed art thou among women,
and blessed is the fruit
of thy womb, Jesus.
Holy Mary,
Mother of God,
pray for us sinners now,
and at the hour of our death.
Amen

Most of us grew up learning about the crucifixion of Jesus with artwork. All would depict the nails through Jesus’ hands and one nail through his feet. Paintings, sculptures, and movies would show one foot placed on top of the other, on top of a wooden wedge.

Does This Really Matter?​

These images of Jesus’ crucifixion became tradition. However, for those with faith, these traditions were not the important realizations about Jesus sacrificing his life. What mattered was for us to know that Jesus suffered for our sins so we may have eternal life. His sacrifice shows that God knows about our suffering here on earth. Yet there are some who blame God for our suffering, failing to recognize that we are given free will. We have the choice to heal or to make war and crucify the Son of God.

So certain details, such as where exactly the Romans placed the nails, really do not matter for our lives here on this earth. Nevertheless, skeptics try to use enigmas such as this to claim—for example—that the Shroud of Turinis fake while ignoring the complete picture. Therefore, let us review and evaluate to have a better understanding and a probable conclusion to these questions.

When Did the Nail Controversies Start?​

Continued below.

essentialsaltes said:

‘She’s Trying to Take Down Trump’: Laura Loomer Slams ‘Despicable Traitor’ MTG for Joining Epstein Files Push​

Far-right provocateur Laura Loomer is going scorched earth on Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.), accusing the congresswoman of betraying Donald Trump by joining a bipartisan push to unseal the long-buried files of Jeffrey Epstein

Click to expand...

Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene says she will resign from Congress in January​

"Standing up for American women who were raped at 14, trafficked and used by rich powerful men, should not result in me being called a traitor and threatened by the President of the United States, whom I fought for," she said.

Greene, who has served in the House since 2021, came under attack from Trump last week, when the president announced that he was removing his endorsement of Greene's reelection campaign after she broke party rank and signed onto a discharge petition forcing a vote to order the Department of Justice to release its full Epstein files -- another issue that Greene has come to champion from the campaign trail to Capitol Hill in recent years.

A Devil's Advocate said:

Why are we to focus our efforts, any at all really, on confronting our sinful passions?

Click to expand...

Because Christ our True God literally exerted us to do so.

Note I am not advocating for Pelagianism or sinless perfectionism.

Earlier this week, President Donald Trump signed into law the Epstein Files Transparency Act, which requires the Department of Justice (DOJ) to publicly release the so-called Epstein Files, a cache of documents related to late financier Jeffrey Epstein, who is believed to have run a child sex trafficking ring.

While Trump, who is named in some of the files, has referred to the scandalsurrounding the documents as a “Democrat hoax” and previously rejected the idea of releasing them, he has relented to political pressure, including some from members of his own political party.

House Speaker Mike Johnson, a devout Southern Baptist, has expressed disappointment that the Senate did not amend the bill to include greater restrictions on what would be released to the public.

Continued below.

Christian hip-hop artist Derek Minor has weighed in on the concern that Christian artist Forrest Frank has about the top Christian album on iTunes being from an AI artist. Frank said it didn’t “sit right” with him and pointed out that AI does not have the Holy Spirit. In his response, Minor pushed back, noting that many Christian songs are written by non-believers or have contributors who are not Christians.

“Here’s the problem with that perspective,” said Minor, referring to Frank’s point that AI does not have the Holy Spirit. “There’s a lot of Christian songs that people love today that had people that weren’t Christians write the songs, that helped with the songs.”

Or it could have been that people who were not Christians “played guitar on the songs, or bass or drums.” Minor also brought up splice loops used in hip-hop. “What if an atheist made that splice loop that you took and put drums on and and, you know, made your Christian song to?” he asked.

Continued below.

Archbishop José H. Gómez of the Archdiocese of Los Angeles criticized President Donald Trump’s mass deportation efforts and urged lawmakers to find a bipartisan solution to fix the American immigration system.

“My brother bishops and I have seen how this deportation policy is ruining people’s lives and breaking up families; in our parishes and neighborhoods, people are now living in constant fear,” Gómez said in a Nov. 18 op-ed published in Angelus News.

Gómez — who serves the largest archdiocese in the country and a large Hispanic population — referenced the Nov. 12 special message from the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB), which conveyed unified opposition to “the indiscriminate mass deportation of people,” approved by 96% of bishops who voted.

In his op-ed, Gómez accused the Trump administration of carrying out deportations “in harsh and indiscriminate ways.” He criticized alleged quotas for arrests, raids on workplaces, limits to foreign worker visas and other legal pathways to the United States, and the revocation of some immigrants’ “temporary protected legal status.”

Continued below.

rambot said:

We do it "That way" because doctors job's are to treat illnesses and to keep people alive. Doctor's have discovered that treating gender disphoria gets the best results (least deaths, better mental health outcomes).

Click to expand...

This is categorically untrue. People who "transition" are actually more likely to commit suicide and more likely to have more mental health issues post "transition".

Here's the real issue:
Person for various reasons has extreme discomfort with the body they are born in. There's a high component of sexual abuse in the LGBTQ++ community in general. (Not everyone who identifies in this community; but the stats are pretty high.) There's a high degree of domestic violence in this community. (Again not everyone but stats do show higher rates of partner violence in homosexual couples.) Higher rates of depression, anxiety and suicidal ideations, attempts and "successful" suicides are also prevalent in LGBTQ++ populations.

And stats show that these psychological struggles remain high even in "LGBTQ++ friendly societies"!

Biological females who seek to pass as male, most have different psychological reasons for their gender dysphoria then biological males wishing to pass as female. One research stat I saw for sexual abuse in biological female trans individuals is close to 85%. That's really high. I think this is the highest of any subgroup in society. Interestingly though, the only stat I could find for biological males wishing to present as females, having been sexually abused as children was 17% (lower than the stat for homosexual men). This is an interesting stat when we get down into the prevailing psychological reasons for why biological males want to present as female.

The most recent stat for sexual abuse in the general population is 25% (1 in 4) of females before 18 years old have experienced some form of sexual violation. Some researchers say it's just as high for biological males (also prior to 18 years old); but others say stats for males is 14% (1 in 7) have been sexually abused as children.

Current stat for homosexual men having been sexually abused as children is 35%
Most recent stat I'd found for lesbians having been sexually abused as children is 50%

Highest risk of males being sexually assaulted is while in prison. 2nd is while in the military.
Highest risk of females being sexually assaulted (outside of something like being abducted or being a prisoner of war) is college campuses.

Now, biological females looking to present as male; the prevailing psychological reasons are generally related to body discomfort, body hatred, fear of men (or fear of continued sexual violence) coupled with a temperament / personality that isn't particularly conforming to society definitions of sex roles or meanings of "masculine" or "feminine".

For biological males wishing to pass as female though; the majority of their prevailing psychological reasons is a condition called autogynephilia. (They are sexually aroused by the thought of themselves as the perfect woman. Thus they seek surgery to turn themselves into their own ideal of "womanhood".) Autogynephilia in the psychological literature falls under "sexual fetish" category. Autogynephilia hasn't been formally studied since the late 80's but the last researcher who did research male to female transgenderism cited 90% of "late onset" male trans treatment seekers he classified as having autogynephilia. He was a psychologist who worked with these men in the 70's and 80's.

Next we have the category of prepubescent children with gender dysphoria. If left "alone" (though treated for things like depression, anxiety etc.) 85% of them, by the time they are 18, come to identify as their birth sex. This stat changes though when adults tell these children that they are really boys born in girls bodies or vice versa.

Now.... current gender dysphoria treatment model?

What is the real message when we tell people with gender dysphoria that they are "in the wrong body" and the only way to fix their psychological distress is to interfere with their natural biological / sexual development, make them life long customers of big pharma and charge them thousands of dollars to remove healthy body parts, effectively making them sterile and for the most part remove their natural ability to understand and experience what sex actually is. Transgender surgery does not produce sexually functional people.

Basically the message is:
"You are defective from conception." And the treatment being based in a lie that says "we can make you the opposite sex" will never psychologically square that circle. (In this treatment model; the patient can never psychologically reconcile their feelings with their binary biological reality.) And the result is that there is actually greater distress (more anxiety, more depression and more suicide attempts and completions) post transition than prior.

And that is bogus science! It violates the Hypocritic oath that says: "First do no harm."
(Certainly a "treatment option" that should never be offered to children!)

And now.... the lawsuits of people who were "transitioned" as children and teenagers have so hit the medical system in Europe that most of the rest of the world (outside the US and Canada) has already shut down the "gender clinics" for children.

Harvard tried sex change surgeries in the 60's and they were a dismal failure then! So much so that they stopped doing them; because the men (primarily middle aged biological males who were seeking the surgeries) were more distressed, more depressed and more likely to commit suicide than prior to the surgeries. (Same outcome we're seeing now!)

Transition surgeries do not change the psychological issues that caused the gender dysphoria to begin with!

Which, in the context of a Christian world view raises the "What would Jesus do" question!

The true theological answer is "Repent and believe the gospel" Although this certainly isn't a "simple" answer for people who've gone far down these roads into this deception. Of course coupled with all the psychological issues and traumatic life experiences that brought them there in the first place. To "turn from one's sin" in these contexts will require professional and compassionate counseling. Assistance that's rooted in truth and the message of mercy for wounded people who've been affected both by their own sin, as well as the sin of others.

He rules the universe; yet hears the humble cries; bringing comfort to the broken heart.
The power of His word can split the earth and sky; yet mend the lives that sin has torn apart!

Yes, repentance is a difficult process for most people. But when Christ said "pick up your cross and follow me"; the implication being: This will cost you something.

First thing first. I considered ignoring the post, but as a young zygote I didn't want to come into this world with my honor impugned by a personal attack left undefended.

gzt said:

Well, it's very "Tristram Shandy" so far, so your consultants are at least cribbing from a tried-and-true model.

Click to expand...

In the spirit of Proverbs 25:21-22 and Romans 12:20, I will thank my friend gzt for the literature lesson, and not even mention what a cheap shot it was to accuse me while knowing that I might not ever be able to defend myself, or at least not for three months.

I'd heard the name Tristam Shandy earlier in life, but have never read it, and had no idea of its content. I briefly skimmed the first thirteen chapters and found no mention of the character speaking from the womb, although AI tells me that he briefly does somewhere.

So, I didn't crib from that book. But even if I had, even if I had...are you aware that the novel Fight Club has so many cribs in it that it could fill a maternity ward? Direct lifts of exact scenes from G. K. Chesterton's ManAlive! and Dostoevsky's The Idiot, from Sartre, and many others. Almost the entire book and film are a patchwork of other people's ideas.

Do you know that the famous music from the film Jaws was cribbed from Dvorak? Do you know that Apocalypse Now is Heart of Darkness? That West Side Story is Romeo and Juliet? That Simba in The Lion King is Hamlet? That the Broadway play Hamilton is cribbed from Hamilton? Do you know Mighty Joe Young's real name is King Kong? Do you know...anything?

To be continued...

The best way to stand up to Trump and MAGA is to just give up and quit. After all, it worked for the Democrats in 2024. It really put Trump in his place and showed him who's boss.

The Diocese of Kontagora in Nigeria has described as “painful and disturbing” the Friday, Nov. 21, kidnapping of children and staff at St. Mary’s Catholic Nursery, Primary, and Secondary Schools.

In a statement shared with ACI Africa, CNA’s news partner in Africa, the diocesan secretary of the Nigerian episcopal see appealed for intensified national action against insecurity.

Father Jatau Luka Joseph said armed attackers invaded St. Mary’s Catholic Primary and Secondary Schools in Papiri, Niger state, in the early hours of Nov. 21, abducting “some pupils, students, teachers, and a security personnel who was badly shot.”

“The incident occurred between 1 a.m. and 3 a.m., causing fear and distress within the school community,” he said.

“The Catholic Diocese of Kontagora strongly condemns the attack and expresses deep concern for the safety of the kidnapped children and their families,” Luka Joseph said.

Continued below.

Michie said:

A trans-identified TSA officer has filed a lawsuit accusing the U.S. Department of Homeland Security of discrimination over its policy prohibiting men from patting down women at security checkpoints.

A man who goes by the name Danielle Mittereder, and works as a TSA officer at Dulles International Airport in Virginia, filed a lawsuit on Nov. 7 at the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia.

DHS Secretary Kristi Noem is named as a defendant in the suit that alleges TSA’s policy discriminates against Mittereder “on the basis of sex,” in violation of Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.

Continued below.

Trans-identified TSA officer sues DHS over female pat down ban

A trans-identified TSA officer has filed a lawsuit accusing the U S Department of Homeland Security of discrimination over its policy prohibiting men from patting down women at security checkpoints

www.christianpost.com

Click to expand...

We live in a very confused world. Hopefully this gets thrown out and not even waste tax payers money.

Many women in England and Wales who have abortions in their 20s may end up childless in their 40s, according to key research by a pro-life activist and former employee of Marie Stopes International.

A report issued by Catholic independent public health consultant Kevin Duffy titled “Abortion and Childlessness” shows that many women who have abortions in their 20s may be faced with the real risk of remaining childless at 45. However, Duffy states that this risk is rarely, if ever, highlighted by abortion providers to those considering abortion.

Duffy’s projections in the report suggest that, by 2045, as many as 1 in 4 women may reach the age of 45 having not given birth to any children, with abortion given as a major factor in about half of these cases.

While Duffy does not suggest abortion causes infertility, his data shows that if an abortion leaves a woman childless at 30, she may find herself in a situation where timing pressures and a natural decline in fertility become major factors, leading to a 50/50 chance she will still be childless at 45.

Continued below.

Sam266 said:

It looks like the philosophy section has been discontinued.

Click to expand...

Yes, but there's still 'Christian Philosophy & Ethics.' And the Kitchen Sink.

President Donald Trump and Democratic New York City Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani struck a conciliatory tone during a Friday meeting at the White House, stressing their shared concern for New Yorkers and their skyrocketing cost of living.

Mamdani, a 34-year-old self-described democratic socialist fresh off an upstart victory, echoed Trump's assertion that, despite their differences, the two found common ground about the city's affordability crisis.

Following a roughly 30-minute private meeting in the Oval Office, the two fielded questions from the press, with Trump downplaying the harsh rhetoric they hurled at each other during the mayoral campaign.

"We agreed a lot more than I would have thought," Trump said of their meeting, which they noted focused on populist issues affecting the average person in the city.

Continued below.

Years ago I read that judges are using AI to determine sentences in court. I think that's a horrible idea. If anything needs the human mind, it's certainly that.

Brother Del said:

In regards to airplane windows, they are all convex, much like the lens on a go pro camera. In other words, you are looking out a curved window, not at a curved earth.

Click to expand...

Airplane windows are not convex. They are curved to match the fuselage. They don’t distort the view. Also pilot’s windows are like any other windshield glass but much stronger. All passengers and pilots can clearly see the curvature of the earth at cruising altitude. Not to mention the fact that airplane routes can take them from the east side of Africa to the west side of South America by flying over the Pacific Ocean. How could that be possible if the earth is flat?

Brother Del said:

Ships don't disappear over the curvature of the earth, they advance beyond your visual perspective. Have you ever been on a long narrow highway lined with telephone poles on both sides? Look ahead or behind, the poles will grow closer together and closer to the ground from your perspective. Drive down the road a mile and those same poles will be at the same height and distance from one another as you originally perceived them. Aim a camera with a telescopic lens at the ship you watched disappear beyond the horizon, magnify the zoom and it will return to view.

Click to expand...

That’s perspective. A ship will in fact disappear from bottom to top. Even if you use a telescopic lens the effect will be the same. That is how the ancient Greeks attained the knowledge of a spherical earth.

Brother Del said:

You plainly stated "the fact that the earth is a sphere is not up for debate". Then why may I ask are you debating it here? If you are convinced that your view of the cosmos is the correct one, and all other viewpoints are " absurd", then what is the point of further discussion?

Click to expand...

Because it amazes me that someone would actually believe a flat earth when the earth has been scientifically and visually proven beyond any doubt to be a sphere. It’s even quite entertaining to see the disjointed and desperate arguments. You have fallen for falsehood. It’s sad really.

Brother Del said:

You mentioned that it was God who created a spherical earth. It was also God who created the first humans, Adam and Eve. He created them in His own image and placed them in the garden called Paradise. They were perfect and innocent and had the presence of God Himself with them regularly. And yet, these magnificent creatures who were blessed beyond measure, and created in the very image of Almighty God, were somehow deceived by nothing more than a few simple statements and suggestions.

Click to expand...

Yes Satan deceived them. But we have Jesus now. We believers need to do like Michael the archangel and rebuke the devil in Jesus name. Many scientists are Christians and you are calling them liars.

Brother Del said:

We live in a fallen world, with fallen natures, not a paradise but a cesspool run by none other than Satan himself. Our enemies, the world and the devil, exist in complete opposition to everything that is holy and good and true. Our enemy the flesh is so easily tempted and corrupted that we must continually guard our hearts and minds against not only the world and the devil, but our own vain thoughts and imaginations. And yet, in light of these obvious spiritual realities, your average believer cannot even allow for the possibility that this evil and fallen world in which we live, just may be misrepresenting Gods creation, how such misrepresentations would obviously benefit them, or that ever falling victim to such a misrepresentation could ever be possible.

Click to expand...

First, we are Christians. Christ died in the cross so that we would NOT be fallen creatures. Not the whole world is fallen and 99.9% of the world knows that we live in a spherical earth. No one is deceiving 99.9% of the world. You are not enlightened beyond any one else. Believing in a spherical world, as it actually is, is not a sin. Satan is looking to keep us in sin not to keep us from knowing scientific truth.

Brother Del said:

I have already asked, why are you here if there is nothing to debate?

Click to expand...

I told you above. Your belief in a flat earth is like the carnival oddity.

Brother Del said:

Have you ever wondered why we are here? Do you think those of us who disagree with you come here because we enjoy the insults, being called idiots and wingnuts and repeatedly being accused of having no discernment or wisdom and many times even being told that we can't even possibly be true Christian believers etc etc? Are we masochists? Trolls? Enemies sent by the devil himself to stir up division? No to all of these.

I can't speak for anyone else, though I know enough people who share my views to confidently say, we are here because at some point in our lives we realized that this world is an empire of lies, ruled by none other than the father of lies, and that a great deal of what we have been told our entire lives served no other purpose than to distract and deceive us into accepting and believing even more lies which would eventually separate us from any knowledge of Almighty God, His creation, His divine purposes, and ultimately His very existence.

Click to expand...

In other words tin foil hats and fingers in the ears. My friend I am a Christian saved by the blood of Christ and am also an engineer. I can unequivocally tell you that your belief is absolutely wrong.

Brother Del said:

That what you call science, and established facts have already had this effect is beyond dispute. The theory of evolution being a prime example. How many people will never believe in God based upon that one scientific theory alone, how many others raised in the faith have abandoned that faith because of the things they were taught as facts during the process of higher education? God only knows.

Click to expand...

You really don’t give God enough credit. God already beat the devil. Christ already beat evil. No one can take His sheep out of His hands. No one. No theory of evolution, no scientific advances, nothing can take His sheep. In fact the more scientific advances happen the more it points to God’s creation.

Brother Del said:

We are here because at some point we realized that what we were told did not align with what we have observed. Do we claim to have all the answers, of course not. What we do have are a wealth insufficiently answered questions. And the God given ability to question those things which we can observably see as unsupported by the commonly accepted answers provided by the so called scientific community and generally accepted by the indoctrinated public at large.

Click to expand...

And yet the indoctrinated one is you. Has it not occurred to you that you are the one that is wrong? Why are you, a sinful finite being, questioning the wonderful creation of an infinite omnipotent being? What makes you think that your belief gives you any special gnosis beyond what is observable and has been revealed? You have fallen with the false teachers and I exhort you to pray and realize the falsehood of your belief.

Brother Del said:

God bless you.

Click to expand...

May God bless you and guide you as well.

22 November 2025 – Sri Lanka

Pray for Christian teachers in Sri Lanka who are supported by our partners. They are uniquely placed to help young believers to remain steadfast in the context of significant hostility.

21 November 2025 – Laos

Pray for our partner in Laos, who organises regular Bible training seminars for pastors, many of whom are experiencing persecution. They provide teaching on a range of subjects as well as the much-needed skills opportunity for fellowship.

20 November 2025 – Laos

Pray for ‘Nyok’ and all the workers involved in the distribution of Bibles, Christian literature and worship materials. Pray that these consignments will not be intercepted or confiscated by the authorities (see Voice, April-June).

19 November 2025 – Laos

Give thanks that the church in Laos is growing despite determined opposition in several regions. Pray that the minority people groups, in the country will have the opportunity to hear the gospel.

18 November 2025 – Laos

Pray for Pastor ‘Somsak’, who was removed from his position as a village leader because of his faith and has been threatened with eviction. He said, ‘If God wants me to stay in the village and be salt and light, then God will make a way’ (see Voice, April-June).

17 November 2025 – Laos

Pray for Pastor ‘Vong’, a former witch doctor, who leads a village church. He has been threatened with eviction because of his preaching (see Voice, April-June).

16 November 2025 – Laos

Pray for Pastor ‘Phouang’, who has been harassed and threatened by the authorities because of his Christian work. Pray that he and his family will experience the Lord’s special protection (see Voice, April-June).

Sign up for email prayer alerts:

info@releaseinternational.org

bob121 said:

So, worldwide friends, hit reply with one sentence: what can you see outside your window right now

Click to expand...

My dog taking a poop, but I shall not share a photo.

bob121 said:

—and does it make you smile, sigh, or pray?

Click to expand...

None of the above.

SAAN said:

Isaiah 56, isnt referring to the 7th day Sabbath, it is referring to the Day of Atonement, which is a Sabbath itself, as you will find no where in the Torah where it forbids you of doing anything of the pleasure of the Sabbath, BUT the Day of Atonement is the ONLY day in which your are told to afflict your soul and turn from all things of your own pleasure. So it is very clear Isaiah 56 is taking about that day and not the 7th Day Sabbath.

Click to expand...

There are no passages in Isaiah 56 showing Sabbath being mentioned that are referring to just the Day of Atonement, that it is from Sabbath to Sabbath is indication that it is Sabbaths a seven day week apart. "My righteousness will be revealed. Blessed is the man who does this, and the son of man who lays hold of it, who keeps from defiling the Sabbath, and keeps his hands from doing any evil." This is any Sabbath, not at all just the Day of Atonement, and it is for any foreigners who join, as shown in the passages in this context, Isaiah 56; any gentiles are included, when they do join in doing this.

keras said:

Palestinia, as designated by Emperor Hadrian;- 135 AD, was part of the Holy Land. Genesis 15:18
Today, it is just a figment of some peoples imagination.

Click to expand...

You mean to tell me, the Holy Land stretches from the Nile to the Euphrates, as shown here?

I pray for God to direct me to the passages, scriptures, books and/or chapters that He wants me to read. I have a study bible. I have a daily devotional. I think, sometimes, we just need discipline and we need to remember that we read to get closer to God.

We don't read to tick a box off a chore list or to feel that we did something which is 'better than nothing'.

Could you wake a little earlier or go to bed a little later and spare some time with God?

I lock myself into a private room at night and pray and then read some of the bible. There are study guides out there that might assist, too? I'm sure lots of people can recommend some but in the meantime, I find this site useful: Our Daily Bread Ministries

I think reading verses are okay but sometimes verses are just snapshots of a broader context and I'm not sure how you can obtain understanding with small snapshots each day. Personally, I'd probably forget what I read by the next day but maybe you're better at this than me..ha.