• 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.

What are you watching right now?

I am watching the TV show Life Goes On. It's so wholesome! & it does it w/out being preachy. In the end the characters always end up making the right decision when faced w/ a conflict or temptation. Sometimes it takes a lot of time, you meet the adults where it's fallen apart & it clicks for them. It's motivational to make good decisions yourself. There's no bad episodes. A lot of the episodes focus on disability too. The family is Catholic so it brings that dynamic too (tho it rarely gets mentioned). But one thing you have to remember watching the show is, reality is harder then what TV makes it look to be.

I watched a lot of the MLB playoff series Detroit vs Seattle. Seattle won. I wanted Detroit

I've been watching a lot of college football
I am watching a Netflix series about the Roman Empire. It's called "Roman Empire". What a creative name.
That's when Jesus came!
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Republican Congressman Under Protection Order in Florida

Maybe, should he be forced out of Congress, he could get a job in the Executive Branch - sounds as if he'd fit right in....
I would support ANY Congressman being forced out of office for impropriety of any kind, Financial, legal and immoral.
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Trump sends troops to the 'warzone' of Portland...

It's not a conspiracy theory
You just love the conspiracy theories. I just dont have to listen or believe in them. It must be an interesting world you live in.
The immigrant studies are not bogus
Yeah they are.
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Great Tribulation and the "Climate" Agenda

God has told me to warn that the economy will soon collapse. In this way we might prevent war and death i guess.
The world canral church brought on all the wars and conflicts - never prevented one unless it was seen as advantageous to securing more power.
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Does anyone still receive the Eucharist by mouth?

Hi,

I've been back to Mass regularly now for the four straight weeks. I have only seen a couple of very old timers that still receive the Eucharist by mouth. I grew up in the church before the hand option was around. I did by mouth 1x and the priest did seem a bit surprised when I didn't extend my hands. Comments? Thx
I receive in the hand.
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Why do people hate ICE...

Again - who exactly hates ICE?

There are a whole lot of Voters who support them.
American citizens. And the fault is ICE being over aggressive and even arresting citizens.

Whoever trained ICE really did a poor job. I have never seen any police being this community tone deaf.
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The 2025 Government Shutdown Thread

The right truly are the masters of branding. The GOP holds all centers of power of the federal government and their leader is on record saying that a shutdown is always the fault on the president, and yet they immediately labeled this the "Schumer Shutdown".
I thought it was the "Epstein Shutdown" or maybe it is only the current "Epstein House Recess".
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Iran promotes itself as a tourism destination for cheap sex-change surgeries: report

Iran is luring trans-identifying tourists from around the world with the promise of cheap sex-change surgeries and luxury lodging in a nation where homosexual conduct is criminalized, and many have fled rather than be forced into such surgeries.

Due to the impact that war and sanctions have had on Iran's economy, the Islamic Republic is promoting its "expertise" in performing sex-change surgeries, The New York Times reported on Friday.

Iran has performed more sex-change surgeries than other nations after 40 years of forcing its gay or "gender-nonconforming" citizens to undergo operations to alter their bodies, according to the outlet.

A report from an Iranian state news outletsuggests that Iran is hoping to generate over $7 billion annually from medical tourism, touting its expertise in medical fields, including stem-cell therapy and organ transplants.

The country is drawing in foreigners from Australia, the United States, Britain and other countries with Iranian travel tourism companies advertising sex-change surgeries for $12,000 or less, according to the Times.

Continued below.

Do You Truly Understand the Sermon on the Mount?

Almost every Christian has read the Sermon on the Mount, yet very few truly understand it. Today, I am writing this article in the hope of helping them. May God bless His people.
In this passage, Jesus first proclaims nine blessings to His disciples (Matthew 5:3–12), then provides teachings on conduct (Matthew 5:13–7:20), and finally emphasizes the necessity of putting these teachings into practice (Matthew 7:21–27). What Jesus said aligns with the Christian experience: grace comes first, making faith possible (Romans 10:14), and by abiding in faith and demonstrating corresponding actions, one can ultimately be saved (Romans 6:19; Romans 13:11–14; James 2:14–26).
Let’s begin with the nine blessings. Among them, the first two point to Jesus’ first coming, the next two point to His second coming, and the remaining five point to the conduct of Christians between these two comings.
The first blessing is given to those who are poor in spirit. They lack the Holy Spirit (the Spirit can also be translated as the Holy Spirit), belong to the flesh, are under the law, and do not receive God’s favor (Galatians 3:1–5; Romans 1:11). Jesus’ first coming brought the gospel of forgiveness; those who believe will receive the Holy Spirit, who is the believer’s guarantee of the kingdom of heaven (Ephesians 1:14).
The second blessing is given to those who mourn. They grieve over their transgressions (Joel 2:12–13), and the gospel can comfort them.
The third blessing is given to the meek. They keep themselves from evil and trust in God to do good (Psalm 37:1–11). Christ’s second coming brings righteous and comprehensive judgment, at which time these people will inherit the kingdom of heaven (Isaiah 57:13).
The fourth blessing is given to those who hunger and thirst for righteousness. Their longing will be satisfied through Christ’s judgment (Revelation 6:9–11).
The fifth blessing is given to the merciful. They forgive their brothers in Christ who have sinned against them, thereby preserving themselves in God’s mercy (Matthew 18:35).
The sixth blessing is given to the pure in heart. Their hearts are filled with truth, not loving false doctrine (1 Timothy 3:9; 2 Timothy 2:22–23). They know God (Galatians 4:9; 1 Corinthians 13:12).
The seventh blessing is given to peacemakers. They love their brothers in the Lord who hate them. Because they possess the nature of the heavenly Father, Jesus calls them sons of God (Matthew 5:44–45).
The eighth blessing is given to those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake. They are hated by the kingdoms of the earth, but they will inherit the kingdom of heaven.
The ninth blessing is given to those who are persecuted for Christ’s sake. They will receive a great reward from heaven.
After interpreting the nine blessings, it is time to interpret the Lord Jesus’ teachings. Jesus first instructed His disciples on how to preach the gospel (Matthew 5:13–16), then told them that the gospel does not contradict the law but fulfills it (Matthew 5:17; Jesus atoned for humanity’s sins on the cross, enabling the righteousness of the Law to be imputed to those who believe). Finally, by emphasizing that God’s righteousness — represented by the Law — remains unchanging, He required His disciples to practice righteousness (Matthew 5:18–20) and provided corresponding teachings (Matthew 5:21–7:20).
According to the teachings of the Lord Jesus, Christians have two roles in evangelism: one is salt, and the other is light. Salt symbolizes God’s righteousness and judgment (Genesis 19:26; Zephaniah 2:9), while light symbolizes God’s forgiveness (Matthew 4:16; John 1:4). Therefore, when sharing the gospel, Christians must first lead people to confess their sins before proclaiming God’s forgiveness. Some Christians, seeking to please outsiders, preach only God’s love without proclaiming confession. They are salt that has lost its flavor.
Regarding how to practice righteousness, Jesus offered teachings that diverged from the legal traditions of His day. These legal traditions instructed the Israelites on how to treat others under the same law, so Jesus’ teachings should also be understood as instructing His disciples on how to treat others of the same faith.
The first teaching was to avoid anger toward one’s brother. Jesus did not mean that those who became angry had no hope of entering the kingdom of heaven, but rather that they should make peace with their brother as soon as possible (Matthew 5:23–26).
The second teaching is to avoid lusting after women. Jesus meant to forbid disciples from worshiping idols in their hearts. In the Bible, adultery often signifies the sin of betraying God and turning to worship idols (Exodus 34:15; Numbers 25:1–2; Ezekiel 16:17; Matthew 12:39–42; Revelation 2:20). If a person worships idols in his heart, he has already betrayed God. Idol worship is a grave sin, and those who commit it will be cast off by God (Matthew 5:31–32), just as in Jeremiah 3:8, where the adulterous Israel was divorced by the Lord.
If we assume this teaching refers to matters between men and women, we cannot explain why the consequences of this sin are so severe — even to the point of gouging out an eye or cutting off a hand to avoid it. King David committed adultery with Bathsheba, yet God did not command him to inflict bodily harm. When a member of the Corinthian church committed sexual immorality by taking their stepmothers, Paul did not instruct him to harm himself. In Matthew 18:8–9, Jesus also taught to pluck out the eye or cut off the hand to avoid sin. There, the sin referred to causing a brother to fall away from the faith; here, the sin should likewise refer to causing someone to fall away from the faith. Idolatry is precisely such a sin.
The third teaching is to avoid swearing. Jesus meant for His disciples to steer clear of boasting. In 1 Corinthians, we see how boasting caused some church members to be esteemed while others were looked down upon, ultimately leading the church into division.
The fourth teaching is to avoid confronting evil people. Jesus meant that if a fellow believer wrongs you, you should endure it. From the text, the wrongdoing here is not grave sin (Matthew 5:39–41).
The fifth teaching is to love your enemies. Jesus meant that if a brother in the Lord hates you, you should love him and pray for him.
The sixth teaching is to avoid hypocrisy, concerning almsgiving, prayer, and fasting. When speaking of prayer, Jesus taught His disciples how to pray and warned them that if they did not forgive others’ offenses, the Heavenly Father would not forgive them either. Here, “offenses” does not refer to all sins, but specifically to those committed by disciples in daily life after believing in Christ due to fleshly weakness or momentary confusion (just like daily bread). Christians should forgive such offenses, for they themselves are not immune to committing them. As for grave sins, Christians have no obligation to forgive. Though some Christians may have committed them before conversion, they will not commit them after conversion unless their faith is false (1 Corinthians 6:9–11).
The judges and David showed no tolerance toward the nations seeking to destroy or oppress Israel (Hebrews 11:32–34). Even when Christians committed grave sins, the apostles showed no tolerance (1 Corinthians 5:13; 3 John 1:10). These instances of intolerance are recorded in Scripture as examples. The gospel is the gospel of forgiveness for sinners, but only those who believe receive forgiveness, while unbelievers are condemned (John 3:18). Jesus did not proactively forgive (heal) the Canaanite woman’s daughter until He saw the woman’s faith (Matthew 15:21–28). On the cross, He forgave those who crucified Him because they did not know He was the Son of God, but instead thought He had committed blasphemy (Luke 23:34; 1 Corinthians 2:8). As for the scribes who understood the Holy Spirit’s work yet went out to slander Him, Jesus showed them no tolerance (Mark 3:28–30). Therefore, for universally recognized grave sins like murder, rape, kidnapping, or robbery — regardless of who commits them against Christians — Christians bear no obligation to tolerate them. Brothers, let no one deceive you any longer!
The seventh teaching is to avoid coveting wealth. Coveting wealth leads to valuing money over the Lord. This is the same as idol worship. Idol worship is a betrayal of faith and will cause one to lose the light of life.
The eighth teaching is avoid judging others. Jesus meant not to judge brothers in the Lord. As for unbelievers, Christians should judge them so they may be saved.
The ninth teaching is to avoid casting pearls before swine. Jesus meant that Christians should value themselves. If someone rejects the gospel or goodwill shown by Christians and instead attacks them, Christians should not continue to offer these good things to such people.
The tenth teaching is to be kind to others.
The eleventh teaching is to guard against false prophets. Christians can recognize them by their deeds (Matthew 3:8). Any prophet who does not act according to Jesus’ teachings is a false prophet.
These are the teachings of Jesus. After reading them, we understand that Jesus’ burden is light (Matthew 11:30) and does not exceed human capacity. Some believe that since the Pharisees and scribes diligently followed the law, Christians must adhere to an even higher standard to surpass them. But did they ever truly practice the law? The hypocrisy (Matthew 23:23), the extortion of property (Mark 12:40), the oppression of the righteous (Matthew 23:34), and the slander of the true doctrine (Matthew 12:22–37) — even the upright among the Gentiles would not do such things. How much easier, then, is it for you to surpass them?
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God Worshiper or Law Worshiper?

The content of a gift can be the experience of doing something such as giving someone the opportunity to experience driving a Ferrari, where the gift intrinsically requires them to do the work of driving in order to have that experience but where doing that work contributes nothing towards earning the opportunity to experience driving it.
The gift would be the opportunity. If the person refused to drive the car, they would have rejected the gift; thus, the analogy would be if we do not do the good works God prepared for us beforehand, it would mean we have rejected his gift of salvation. The gift precedes everything. We do the good deeds because He has saved us and not to earn salvation. But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Romans 5:8 We are not saved in sin; we are saved from sin.
Similarly, the content of God's gift of eternal life is the experience of knowing Him and Jesus (John 17:3) and the gift of God's law is His instructions for how to have that experience, not for how to earn it. In Luke 10:25-28, Jesus affirmed that the way to inherit eternal life is by obeying the greatest two commandments and something that we inherit is a free gift (Exodus 33:13, Matthew 7:23).
Yes, and Jesus also commanded us to be perfect as God, so how is that working out for us? If we think this precedes salvation, we have already utterly failed. But it is by Christ's one free gift that we are perfected for ever while still being made holy.
Our salvation from sin would be incomplete if we were only saved from the penalty of our sin while our lives continued to be directed at being doers of sin, so there is an aspect of our gift of salvation that we are experiencing in the present by repenting and redirecting our lives towards be a doer of God's law. In Titus 2:11-13, it describes the salvation that grace brings as being trained to do those works, so that the aspect of our gift of salvation that we are experiencing in the present.
Our salvation would not have happened if we live lives of approving and practiceing sin. That would be a rejection of God's salvation as surely as Eve eating the fruit of the forbidden tree or Adam's distrurst of God's salvation because of his fear of losing Eve. Salvation is salvation from sin and it is a gift of God lest anyone should boast. Our actions are a result not a cause of salvation. The cause is Christ.
God graciously making us into a doer of good works is the aspect of His gift of salvation that we are experiencing in the present.


Child of someone is metaphorically someone who is in their likeness through being a doer of works that embody their character traits, such as with John 8:39 where Jesus said that if they were children of Abraham then they would be doing the same works as him. The Son is the radiance of God's glory and the exact likeness of His character (Hebrews 1:3), which he embodied through his works by setting a sinless example for us to follow of how to walk in obedience to God's law, so that is also what it means for us to be children of Abraham and children of God. This is why those who are not doers of righteous works in obedience to God's law are not children of God (1 John 3:4) and why Paul contrasted those who are born of the Spirit with those who have minds set on the flesh who are enemies of God who refuse to submit to God's law (Romans 8:4-14), so again it is about what is happening in the present.


There is not a disconnect between being righteous and being a doer of righteous works. If someone is not one, then they are also not the other.


That does not direct contradict Scripture because Scripture doesn't say that Christ fulfilled the law for us because we could not. According to Galatians 5:14, anyone who has ever loved their neighbor has fulfilled the entire law, so countless people have done that. If Christ fulfilled the law for us, then he would be experiencing the gift of salvation instead of us.
It is God that gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. 1 Cor 15:57

Romans 8:3–4​


“For what the law could not do in that it was weak through the flesh, God did by sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, on account of sin: He condemned sin in the flesh,
that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.”
Jesus saves us from sin (Matthew 1:21) and sin is the transgression of God's law (1 John 3:4), so Jesus graciously teaching to experience being a doer of it is the way that he securing our gift of saving us from not being a doer of it. If Jesus obeyed the law on our behalf, then he would be taking away his gift of us getting to experience fulfilling the righteous requirement of the law.

❤️ Romans 5:6–8 — Christ died for the ungodly


“For when we were still without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly.
For scarcely for a righteous man will one die; yet perhaps for a good man someone would even dare to die.
But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

Meaning:
We had no strength to save ourselves — no righteousness to commend ourselves — and yet that’s exactly when God showed His love.
Salvation begins not with our worthiness, but with God’s mercy.




✝️ Romans 5:10 — Reconciled while we were enemies


“For if when we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life.”

Meaning:
We were not neutral toward God; we were opposed to Him.
And yet reconciliation was accomplished before we sought Him — He took the initiative.




Ephesians 2:1–5 — Made alive while we were dead


“And you He made alive, who were dead in trespasses and sins,
in which you once walked according to the course of this world, …
But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us,
even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved).”

Meaning:
Dead people can’t make themselves live again — salvation is entirely an act of divine grace.
We didn’t climb up to God; He stooped down to us.




Titus 3:4–7 — Not by works of righteousness


“But when the kindness and the love of God our Savior toward man appeared,
not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us,
through the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit,
whom He poured out on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Savior.”

Meaning:
Our salvation is not a reward for good behavior — it’s the overflow of divine kindness toward those who least deserve it.




1 John 4:9–10 — Love defined by His initiative


“In this the love of God was manifested toward us, that God has sent His only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through Him.
In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins.”

Meaning:
Love didn’t start with us — it began with Him.
God didn’t wait for our affection; He loved us first and paid our debt completely.




John 1:29 — The Lamb who takes away sin


“Behold! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!”

Meaning:
The mission of Christ — to remove sin’s guilt — was set in motion before anyone repented or believed.
Grace is always proactive, never reactive.
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Are the Jews Israel, or is the church Israel? Or does it depend on the context of the passage?

eretz Israel is the land of Israel, the nation of Israel.

The promised land of Israel began when the 12 tribes in their Exodus from Egypt, crossed the Jordan river, to populate the promised land in the areas designated for each tribe. And thus the nation of Israel begun.
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Missing pages from one's bible

No I have not.
I'll let others reading the thread make up their own minds whether that is true or not.
In fact I am at the point of repeating the same thing over and over.
You passed that point from the start of our interaction.
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What denominations believe in the Rapture?

Since I am not Orthodox, Eastern or Oriental, I'm not sure if I have much opinion on a unification. With that said, I would love to learn more about it.

Peace

It should be of interest to you vis a vis the prospects for EO and OO reunion with the RCC.
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Who was the president??

No, he has not always had a problem with incoherent speech. He is in a lot of videos throughout the decades - look at his earlier ones and you'll see that he used to speak in whole paragraphs with complex clauses without meandering off subject. His vocabulary has been drastically decreased while his repetitious ranting has increased.

I am likewise baffled.

Right... I guess I wasn't thinking that far back. I was thinking more about his first term (especially during the COVID pandemic), which wasn't that long ago. And even when compared to then, the frequency seems to have increased.

I wasn't aware of his father's dementia and Alzheimer's. That's... concerning.
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Kilauea Volcano is spectacular today.

Episode 35 is in preliminary activity mode as of this morning (HST). Spatter and pooling in the north vent. (The one that has fountained at an angle for the last few episodes and the primary focus of the eruption since at least mid summer.)

The south vent had very little activity going back several episodes, but in episode 33 it had a few large overflows while the north vent was sending out its tilted fountain. In the last episode (34) the south vent started fountaining not long after the north vent and sent up the highest fountains yet at 400 m. For the first time since activity moved to the North vent, the South vent has had the first overflows starting about 8 hours ago at 7:30 am HST visible in "V3" cam linked in post #20. Other view are available in post #12 and #68. Big show expected in the near future.
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