• 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.

The Schumer Shutdown

Citation needed that he distanced himself for any reason, let alone the ones stated.

This has been discussed repeatedly. There was a grandfather clause in the ACA and Obama thought it would protect existing plans. He was wrong and has said as much. He did not intentionally mislead anyone.

You can thank Marco Rubio and the GOP for eliminating Risk Corridors for the higher pricing.

Healthcare costs rise yearly. They have risen at a slower rate since the ACA was passed than in the years before. I and other posters have repeatedly pointed that out but you keep repeating that lie.

Give it a year. If the funding for the ACA and medicare/Medicaid aren't put back, everyone's healthcare will rise and many more hospitals will close in the most vulnerable counties in the most vulnerable states. On the plus side, we may get government run/non profit/ single payer hospitals anyway if the government has to step in to provide services in areas private hospitals have walked away from due to costs. Hopefully medicare won't see even further cuts due to budget sequestration rules. We will see.
Presenting statistics or discussing the implications for health care does not seem to engage their interest. Currently, today's conservatives appear to have limited concern for health care policy; instead, their primary motivation seems to be opposition to the Affordable Care Act because it was enacted by Democrats.

Conservatives and liberals in the United States have historically proposed different approaches to health care reform. Both groups have introduced plans aimed at reducing health care costs and increasing affordability. For instance, when First Lady Hillary Clinton suggested universal health care, Newt Gingrich responded with an alternative proposal. During the 2000 presidential campaign, Vice President Gore supported a government-funded universal health care plan, while Governor Bush advocated for a market-based approach involving existing insurance companies. Proposals reflecting these differing philosophies also appeared in the 2004 presidential campaign. In the 2008 election, John McCain promoted a free-market solution aligned with conservative principles, whereas Senator Obama supported a single-payer system.

Democrats and Republicans have long disagreed over the health care system, but both sides proposed ways to make health care affordable.

However, after the ACA was implemented, the GOP largely abandoned health care reform and focused on dismantling the ACA. From 2010 to 2016, the GOP-led Congress attempted to repeal the ACA 42 times without proposing an alternative solution.

During the 2012 presidential primary, there were no alternative health care proposals as seen in other primaries. GOP candidates mainly pledged to dismantle the ACA and criticized Mitt Romney's Massachusetts program. Romney also distanced himself from his own state's healthcare plan.

Since then, the GOP has abandoned any healthcare plans entirely and instead focuses on criticizing President Obama’s comments like “you can keep your doctor” or “your insurance premium will not go up.” In other words, they offer only criticism.
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Cursed is the heart of this people

I didn’t say modern day, I said archetypical. It’s someone who, for instance, would let the poor and lame beg at their doorstep and walk by them each day.

I'm pretty sure @Maria Billingsley understood what you were saying. She was simply conjecturing as to what that 'archetypical' Pharisee would look like in the modern day. In the U.S. at least, they'd almost certainly present themselves as a Christian. In fact I'm pretty sure that I've had conversations with a few here on CF.
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MJT explains why she broke with Trump on Epstein

Washington — Republican Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene said Friday that President Trump's opposition to releasing files from the federal investigation into convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein is a "huge miscalculation." In an exclusive interview on "CBS Mornings," Greene said she doesn't believe the president has anything to hide, noting that some of Epstein's victims have said Mr. Trump "has done nothing wrong."

Greene, of Georgia, was among the four House Republicans who joined all Democrats in signing on to a discharge petition that forces a vote in the House on a measure compelling the Justice Department to release materials related to its probe into Epstein. The vote is expected next week.

Mr. Trump has slammed the focus on Epstein as a "hoax" pushed by Democrats to deflect the blame for the government shutdown, which was the longest in U.S. history and ended Wednesday.

"Some Weak Republicans have fallen into their clutches because they are soft and foolish," he wrote on Truth Social on Friday. "Epstein was a Democrat, and he is the Democrat's problem, not the Republican's problem! Ask Bill Clinton, Reid Hoffman, and Larry Sommers about Epstein, they know all about him, don't waste your time with Trump. I have a Country to run!"

A few hours later, he posted again, calling for the Justice Department and FBI to investigate Epstein's ties to prominent Democrats and financial institutions.


But Greene told "CBS Mornings" she doesn't understand Mr. Trump's opposition to releasing the material related to Epstein.

"I think it's a huge miscalculation, and I truly just stand with the women, and I think they deserve to be the ones that we're fighting for," she said.

What really is "dividing the body of Christ"??

I need like a flow chart... If this, then that because that's how I feel when it comes to the idea of debate. In a perfect conversation and what I think is ideal, both parties should be open to being wrong. That means in both understanding and interpretation. No putting your allegiance or what you've been taught for 500 years above the idea that you could be wrong. Now, based off of that, several things happen for me..

1) If the person continually shows arrogance/superiority/patronizing tone/personal attacks/snappy attitude, in several conversations -----> stop the conversation + block them
2) If the person isn't interested/open to the possibility of being wrong and after a long conversation it seems this person is rooted in their interpretation ----> Stop the conversation

I do admit to losing my temper in some discussion/debates I've had but it's 100% because of number 1. I've also had some great discussions/debates that have ended in agreeing to disagree (number 2) and I've walked away going "that was fun!" but it's RARE.

I know beliefs are a touchy subject but we should all be looking to figure out what is true as iron is supposed to sharpen iron but if you're banging people over their head with your sword, that's doing nothing but harm. If you get to a point where you just don't see the other persons argument, fair, but some people get so dang defensive, that they start attacking the person instead of the argument. They start making insinuations against their motives, spiritual state, heart posture or even go so far as insinuate low IQ, just because you don't agree and that's where I draw a line. This goes back to the umbrella of "quarreling" which has no fruit and only sows division because now, I'm going to block that person and make sure I don't run across them again.

So I think it's good to debate, to sharpen iron but I understand there are some other issues at play here but my main point is we should be still having these debates in the correct way, and not try and hinder them or misquote scripture to stop them in the first place.

As a philosopher, I can generally jive with all you're saying here. In fact, I have little problem with it.
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Why Zohran Mamdani won and New York will pay a terrible price

But what Mamdani is advocating is not democratic socialism like in the Scandinavian countries. He's calling for the city to
abolish the police department, to take over the grocery stores and to tax white neighborhoods higher than minority
neighborhoods.

This is not an egalitarian society as they have in the Scandinavian countries.
There's going to be many people who will want to put their own interpretation on what Mamdani says and does, so if you want me to take this post seriously it needs to be backed up by up to date video evidence of him saying these things.

e.g.
As his opponents accuse him of trying to undermine public safety, Mamdani has disavowed his past calls to defund the police
https://edition.cnn.com/2025/08/30/politics/zohran-mamdani-police-nypd-defund

What have you got against egalitarian societies?

Many studies show that the larger the income differences in a society, the weaker local community life is. With more inequality, people are less likely to belong to local organisations and voluntary groups, they are less likely to take part in community activities and less likely to know their neighbours. Research also shows that people are not only less likely to feel they can trust others in more unequal societies but also that violence (as measured by homicide rates) becomes very much more common in more unequal societies. Together, the studies confirm what many people have recognised intuitively over the centuries: that inequality increases social divisions and weakens social cohesion. And as inequality increases, the social bonds of reciprocity and sense of community which, in more egalitarian societies, knit neighbourhoods together, give way to self-interest, status competition and a drive for self-advancement.

The causal process seems to be that bigger income differences make the divisions of class and status more powerful, increasing the idea that some people are worth much more than others. As a result, we come to judge each other’s personal worth more by status and, at the same time, worry more about how others judge us. Insecurities about our own self-worth increase so we feel more anxious about social comparisons and less at ease with other people. In short, social relationships become increasingly marred by the social awkwardnesses and fears which accompany considerations of superiority and inferiority. As George Bernard Shaw said, “Inequality of income takes the broad, safe, and fertile plane of human society and stands it on its edge so that everyone has to cling desperately to her foothold…”
For better or worse? - Equality Trust
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US Attorney's Office for SDNY was running an active investigation into Epstein and Maxwell's co-conspirators until it was killed by Trump's DOJ in Jan

Well you said for yourself Blanche got what he wanted. It's just a shame that what he went looking for wasn't the truth.
Thus why Congress should adopt many new "The Trump rules", where the rule in this case stipulates "DOJ can not be filled with a presidents personal lawyers."
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Italian ‘mystic’ faces fraud trial over claim Virgin Mary statue wept blood

Gisella Cardia allegedly made €365,000 in donations from pilgrims to shrine in lakeside town near Rome

A self-styled mystic who drew hundreds of pilgrims to a town near Rome by claiming a statue of the Virgin Mary wept tears of blood has been sent to trial for alleged fraud.

Gisella Cardia, who also claimed the statue was transmitting messages to her, will be tried along with her husband, Gianni Cardia, in April next year.

They are accused of staging fake apparitionsof the Virgin Mary and making false predictions of catastrophes to attract donations from their Catholic followers.

Cardia drew hundreds of people each month to Trevignano Romano, a lakeside town near Rome, to pray before the statue, which had been placed in a makeshift shrine on a hill. Over several years, the alleged scam generated €365,000 (£322,000) in donations from the pilgrims, who believed their money would go towards setting up a centre for sick children.

Continued below.

Georgetown Rises Over 100 Spots in Free Speech Rankings, Maintains ‘F’ Grade

Georgetown University ranked 129th out of 257 colleges and universities in an annual ranking of freedom of speech and expression on college and university campuses.

The Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression (FIRE), a controversial nonprofit dedicated to defending the freedom of speech and expression, released the sixth annual edition of its College Free Speech rankings. The 2026 report ranked Georgetown 111 spots higher than its 240th ranking in 2025 with a 57.3 overall score, over double the 2025 score.

A university spokesperson said Georgetown remains committed to protecting community members’ right to free expression and speech on campus.

Continued below.

Lost tribes of Israel

This statement touches the heart of many biblical stories, which portray both the historical House of Israel and the House of Judah as peoples who struggled to put their own interests above G-d's will. This is a theme that runs through their entire history. In Jeremiah 2 and Hosea 11, we find exciting insights into G-d's heart for His people.
Yet few learn from it.
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A Demon Screams via a Woman as a Eucharistic Procession Approaches Her

. Because demons always recognize what many humans ignore. A Catholic priest walked through a courtyard holding the Blessed Sacrament. When he approached a young woman, she collapsed and Show more

A Demon Screams via a Woman as a Eucharistic Procession Approaches Her

Does Daniel 9:24–27 support a dual 70-week fulfillment with a chiastic structure?

Dear brother in Christ,

Thank you for sharing such a thoughtful, diligent, and deeply researched study of Daniel 9:24–27. I truly appreciate the level of devotion and intellectual honesty that went into your analysis. Daniel 9 is one of the richest and most debated prophetic passages, and your attempt to trace linguistic, structural, and historical elements is commendable.
Let me offer a positive, encouraging response, while also providing a few biblical clarifications that may strengthen your study where needed.

1. Does Daniel 9 support a dual 70-week fulfillment?

A constructive and biblical “Yes but with caution.”

There is room within the prophetic genre for dual-layer fulfillment (what scholars call prophetic telescoping or typological fulfillment).
The Hebrew verb נֶחְתַּךְ (neḥtakh, “decreed / cut out / divided out”) in 9:24 can linguistically allow for a “set-apart period” without specifying strict limitation to a single cycle.
In Scripture, God sometimes applies a single prophetic pattern twice:
  • Day of the Lord, "historical (Isa 13) and eschatological (Joel 2–3)."
  • Abomination of Desolation, "Antiochus IV (Dan 11), Roman destruction (Matt 24), and an end-time antichristic pattern."
  • Temple imagery, "physical, spiritual, and eschatological (Ezek 40–48; Rev 21–22)."
So a dual 70-week structure is not impossible within biblical theology.

However…

The Hebrew text does not explicitly state “two distinct 70-week cycles.”
Your view remains interpretive, not grammatical necessity.
Still, you are right that the text invites deep structural exploration.

2. Chiastic structure (A–B–C–D–C′–B′–A′): Is it defensible?

Yes, chiasm is very common in Hebrew literature, especially prophetic and poetic texts.
Examples:
  • Psalm 1
  • Daniel 2–7 is a well-known Aramaic chiasm (A–B–C–C′–B′–A′).
  • Lamentations 1–5
  • Isaiah 6
Your proposed chiastic layers for Daniel 9:24–27 have merit, particularly:
  • A: Purpose clauses (v.24)
  • B: Starting points / Jerusalem (v.25)
  • C: Messiah & destruction (v.26)
  • D: The covenant / final week (v.27)
Scholars such as Goldingay, Collins, and Waltke affirm that Daniel frequently uses chiasms, so your proposal is not out of place.
The only caution is that some connections (such as “second 60th week = 1967”) rely more on historical correlation than textual markers.

3. Hebrew objections? Single-cycle vs dual-cycle

Here is where we must be careful. The Hebrew grammar, taken on its own, naturally leans toward one 70-week unit, because:

• The number “seventy” (שִׁבְעִים) appears only once (v.24)

Hebrew typically repeats the number if a second unit is intended.

• The “seven weeks + sixty-two weeks” (v.25) grammatically forms a single continuous chain

שִׁבְעָה שָׁבֻעִים וְשִׁשִּׁים וּשְׁנַיִם
This is one long span in classical Hebrew.

• The phrase בַּשְּׁנַיִם שִׁשִּׁים


You interpreted as “the second sixty.”
However, in Hebrew syntax it is normally read as:
“In the sixty-two” (the same period mentioned previously).

So the standard Hebrew reading supports a single timeline grammatically, even if theologically one might argue for dual fulfillment.
Your interpretation is innovative, but the Hebrew text does not require two cycles.

Dear Brother, your study shows hunger for truth, deep respect for the Word, and a willingness to wrestle with difficult prophecy just like Daniel himself (Dan 9:2–3). Whether one adopts a single-cycle or dual-cycle view, your focus on holiness, righteousness, covenant faithfulness, and the triumph of God’s Kingdom is exactly what prophecy is designed to produce (Rev 19:10).

Daniel’s message whether fulfilled once or twice points us to:

✓ The finished work of Messiah (v.26)

✓ The coming final cleansing (v.27)

✓ The triumph of everlasting righteousness (v.24)


Greek parallels in the New Testament reinforce this:
Paul speaks of ἀνομία (lawlessness), ἀποκάλυψις (revealing), and καιρός (appointed time) in 2 Thess 2, echoing Daniel’s motifs.
So your emphasis on an eschatological completion is thoroughly biblical.

My Dear Brother,

Keep digging. Keep refining. Your love for Scripture honors the Author of Scripture.
Even where interpretations differ, the spirit of your study is upright, humble, and God-seeking.

If you continue polishing the linguistic foundations, especially the Hebrew syntax. you will bless many believers with this work.

Shalom and blessings in Messiah,
Pastor Waris
Thank you, and God bless
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anyone know anything about Gematria?

Starting from the 153rd digit in π, the following 3 digits are 111

1763141139569.jpeg


The letter A in Hebrew, Alef, has a gematria value of 111 when written out in full

1. א Alef 1 80-30-1 אָלֶף 111

Alef is a symbol for G-d.

Psalm 111 states in verse 1

Praise ye the LORD. I will praise the LORD with my whole heart, in the assembly of the upright, and in the congregation. Ps 111:1

The word

LORD

read from right to left yields the tetragrammaton with the gematria 26.

Alef is composed of the letters Yud-Vav-Yud, which equals 26, the numerical value of the tetragrammaton YHVH

1763143680440.jpeg


The first 26 numbers in π add up to 126

,14159265358979323846264338

The 126th Fibonacci number has 26 digits!

f126 =
96151855463018422468774568

The first time the Tetragrammaton appears in the Torah, it is the 477th word (Codex Leningradensis).

The Codex Leningradensis is the oldest known complete manuscript of the Hebrew Bible.

The first 100 digits of π add up to 477!

,1415926535 8979323846 2643383279 5028841971 6939937510 5820974944 5923078164 0628620899 8628034825 3 421170679

The 477th Fibonacci number has 100 digits!

f477 =
2175802127 4948561167 1367242642 5688880595 2197244764 1960096626 7302098624 9549513976 1419931685 8899137282

Mathematics is the language of nature and the essence of reality. The universe is written in the language of mathematics. The Fibonacci sequence can be found in our solar system, both in space and time, and continues on Earth down to the smallest molecular structures.

The number π is known to us as the circle number on the spatial level. Its significance on the temporal level, however, is largely unknown.

The first appearance of the number 888 in both π and f477 is strikingly similar. In both cases, the same two numbers 80 follow!

1763141607485.jpeg


f477 =
2175802127494856116713672426425688880595219724476419600966267302098624954951397614199316858899137282

Praise ye the LORD. I will praise the LORD with my whole heart, in the assembly of the upright, and in the congregation. Ps 111:1

The expression

with my whole heart

has the gematria 86,

Total = 86
Original Text
Hebrew Value Inc
בכל 52
לבב 34

which corresponds to the name elohim

elohim
אֱלֹהִיםה
1. א Alef 1
12. ל Lamed 30
5. ה He 5
10. י Yud 10
24. ם Mem-sofit 40
Σ 86

The 18 numbers of the 86th Fibonacci number add up to 80!

f86 =
420196140727489673

Starting from the 86th digit in the 477th Fibonacci number, the following 4 numbers are 3168!

f477 =
21758021274948561167136724264256888805952197244764196009662673020986249549513976141993168

1763141906206.jpeg
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Why do people hate ICE...

Ah, I see. See, I consider anti-immigration to mean you don't want immigrants period. No immigration. I don't know of anyone that feels that way. At least any MAGA folks.
Read these threads.
The most that could be said is that rhere are MAGA people who want it heavily restricted, but not ended. So, I don't know who you are referring to.
I think I know who you are referring to.
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Is purgatory a Biblical or extra biblical teaching?

Actually they do since the entire point of Purgatory is to complete our sanctification so we are indeed perfected and ready for heaven.
The teaching of purgatory - as already linked and shown - did not exist for 1,200 years of Christianity.

You also have not answered my question regarding 1 Corinthians 3:12-15 that tells us that at the time of our judgment, when all our deeds are disclosed and those not worthy are burned off, and that we will be saved, but only as through fire, what do you think that means?
It means EXACTLY what it says - our works - the things we do, what we say - are judged. We are saved.

Romans 10:8 But what does it say? “The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart” (that is, the word of faith which we preach): 9 that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. 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.”
What does that mean? Does it mean after we leaving this life we are judged and then might have to spend sometime in jail (purgatory) until we get our act right? or does it mean exactly what it says?

Matt 16:27 For the Son of Man will come in the glory of His Father with His angels, and then He will reward each according to his works.
One time - not after a jail sentence - one time.
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What happens if someone dies before they became a believer, is it their fault?

I agree completely with your words, but not with what you mean by some of them. There is no such thing as people who never had the opportunity to reject God, so, no, the Bible does not address them. We all reject God continually, all day long, with every breath we breath, even when we think we are accepting him, until he changes us, born again, 'born from above', raised from life to death.
How does an unborn baby "reject God"?
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What video games are you currently playing?

Oblivion Remaster, while we're all still waiting on Fallout 5, and Elder Scrolls 6. Already did everything I could possibly do in Skyrim (Platinum Trophy, and all of that) and Starfield was starting to get boring, so I'm playing the Oblivion Remaster, since I didn't get to play the original that much, but it's a really good game that is more than equal to Skyrim, and I'm throughly enjoying it though. Newly Remastered Graphics are great, etc.
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