Good evening, morning, afternoon, new day to all viewing my post.
My name is Jasmine, and I am a devoted follower of our Lord and Savior Yeshua Messiah. I hope to connect with fellow believers, have meaningful conversations with non-believers, and to learn alongside you as we peruse through the forums.

I have an inquiry regarding employment, job seeking that may be out of place for "Introduce Yourself, but I was hoping to place a personal summary for my job experience in hopes of securing employment. If anyone could offer advice as to which forum would best for this purpose (Prayer requests, Christian advice, Christian Forum Community Life, Chat with Staff, Young Adults, Christian Forums Blogs, Business, Administration & Management, Christian Forums Marketplace, etc)? I'd like to streamline this effort as to not risk spamming.

I wish everyone well. Here is to the conversations that are to come.

The Indiana Senate failed to pass a new GOP-favored House map on Thursday, dealing a major blow to President Trump after he had publicly pressured state lawmakers to approve the new lines.

The upper chamber voted against the map on a 19-31 vote, drawing applause from some within the chamber. [The GOP holds 39 of the 50 seats.]

Trump’s allies immediately slammed the vote, saying they would follow through on that threat to challenge GOP holdouts.

Trump adviser Alex Bruesewitz: “We’ll be launching primary challenges against every last traitor who voted no, effective immediately! Pack your bags, your time is up!”

Indianapolis —
The Indiana Senate on Thursday voted down a plan to redraw the state’s congressional districts to produce two more GOP-friendly seats, rejecting President Donald Trump’s months-long campaign to pressure the Republican supermajority in the deep-red state to bend to his will.

The 31-19 vote saw 21 Republicans join 10 Democrats in voting down the proposed map that would have positioned the GOP, which currently holds seven of Indiana’s nine US House seats, for a sweep of all nine seats in next year’s midterm elections.


I wonder how much of this "Hoosier defiance" from the Indiana state GOP could be a little bit of payback for the way Trump treated (presumably) their former friend, and pretty popular GOP governor, Mike Pence.

The Church isn’t (to be)


[Matthew 21:12-13; John 2:13-17; Acts 5:27-32; 1 Corinthians 1:10-13; 1 Corinthians 3:1-9; 2 Corinthians 6:14-18; Philippians 3:18-19; Revelation 2:1-29; Revelation 3:1-22; Revelation 13:5-8; Revelation 18:1-5]

The Church is (to be)


[Acts 2:14-18,42-47; Romans 12:1-8; 1 Corinthians 12:1-31; 1 Corinthians 14:1-5; Galatians 6:1; Ephesians 2:8-10; Ephesians 4:1-16; Ephesians 5:15-21; Ephesians 6:10-20; Philippians 2:1-8; Colossians 3:12-16; Titus 2:11-14; Hebrews 3:13; Hebrews 10:23-25; James 5:19-20]

Therefore, when we gather together as the church, the body of believers in Jesus Christ, by God-gifted and God-persuaded faith in our Lord, it is for the purpose of our mutual encouragement and edification where each part is able to do its work, as we have been gifted by the Holy Spirit in spiritual gifts, and as we have been given our assignments by God as to our specific body parts (roles, ministries) within the body of believers in Jesus Christ.

So, this is not a “one man show,” where one man does all the preaching, and leads every gathering, and whose sermons are never tested to see if they are of God or not… And where the “pastor” is treated more like a CEO of a corporation, or more like a cult leader who is surrounded by a faithful few who are protecting him and his position, regardless of whether he is right or wrong, or if he is living the Christian life, or not, which is all about running a business. And it is not about a show, period, where a few gifted and talented people (in speaking and in music) put on a stage production intended to draw in large crowds of people from the world into their gatherings.

Yes, the early church had overseers, but they were overseers of the entire church (the body of believers in Christ) within a particular city, so they were not the singular pastors of all these gatherings, which usually met in people’s homes, which is where the people were able to share their gifts and mutual encouragements. And since the body of Christ was to meet daily, and to encourage one another daily, and they met in people’s homes, it may be that there wasn’t always an overseer at every one of their gatherings.

Now, the body of Christ cannot function as the biblical body of Christ in large gatherings where a few people put on the show while the rest of the people largely sit in pews or chairs as spectators, and then they go home and live their normal lives until the next week. The Bible, in fact, teaches that we are to be speaking the truth of God’s word to one another in love, and we are to be speaking to one another in spiritual songs, and we are to be admonishing and teaching one another, and exhorting one another EVERY DAY.

Do we need overseers? Yes! But the shepherds of the people are not to be the only ones doing the talking and the preaching and sharing of gifts. But they are to be those who are leading the sheep in how they are to live and operate together as the body of Christ, who are training and equipping the saints of God in the work of the ministry. For all of us are to be ministers, not just one person. And those who are overseers need to meet the spiritual qualifications of an overseer, and they need to be accountable to the church.


No Less

An Original Work / March 19, 2012
Christ’s Free Servant, Sue J Love

I can do no less than praise You,
Lord, for all You’ve done for me.
You died for my sins to save me,
So I would be set free.
I adore You! Lord, I praise You!
Jesus, Savior, King of kings!
You provided my redemption.
Your grace has pardoned me.

I can do no less than serve You.
Lord, Your witness I would be,
Telling others of Your love,
And why You died on that tree.
Tell of how You gave of Your life,
So from sin we’d be set free,
So we could worship You forever,
And live eternally.

I can do no less than love You,
Lord, for You have first loved me.
You gave of Your life so willing,
Because You cared for me.
Turn from my sin! Obey freely!
Live for You each passing day.
Read Your word, and follow Your lead,
Lord, as I humbly pray.

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Church is, Church isn’t
An Original Work / December 11, 2025
Christ’s Free Servant, Sue J Love

What does one expect to happen when cocktail of antivaxxers and conspiracy theorists are in control?

Bible distribution continues in Pakistan despite devestating floods.

While flooded rivers and fields have made travel difficult in Pakistan, some Christian teams continue to carry on the important work of distributing Bibles there. Devastating floods have led to the deaths of more than 800 people and forced over 1 million Pakistanis to evacuate their homes and villages. “Please pray for them,” said a front-line worker. “It is very difficult, and they need to know where they can go because of the many flooded areas and also because of ongoing security threats.” Around 2% of Pakistan’s population, roughly about 4 million people, are believed to be Christians. Even during dry seasons, Christians must use care in distributing Bibles, knowing the opposition they could face at the hands of fanatical Muslims.

Click here to find out about Christian persecution in Pakistan and learn how to pray.

Commitment to prayer counters fear.

For Christians in Buddhist-dominated Bhutan, fear of the government and the reaction of neighbors to Christian witness runs deep. Anti-conversion laws can bring punishments up to life imprisonment for carrying out the activities of the Christian faith. However, many faithful brothers and sisters in Christ remain committed to him despite the risk. A front-line worker shared the example of one Christian woman dedicated to praying continuously. Seven days each week, she comes to the church to pray, returning home only to sleep. “Her trust and passion for the Lord was humbling,” the worker said. Pray for Bhutanese Christians to have strength and courage to persevere in the face of fears and pressure. Pray also for protection and encouragement for those who are facing opposition, imprisonment or family rejection.

Click here to find out about Christian persecution in Bhutan and learn how to pray.

Sentenced for practicing their faith.

Eleven Christians in Libya have been sentenced to 3 to 15 years in prison for practicing their faith. The 11 were arrested in March 2023 and sentenced in April 2025. Members of the group, which includes 9 Libyan men, one woman and one Pakistani national, were sentenced on several charges including “insulting Islam” and “calling for the establishment of a banned group,” according to various reports. They also faced charges of apostasy for converting from Islam and could have been sentenced to death, but the court did not pursue that penalty. Pray that our imprisoned brothers and sister will stand firm in their faith amid the challenges of prison; that they will have opportunities to share the gospel with their fellow inmates; and that they will be released. Pray also for their families to experience God’s comfort and provision.

Click here to find out about Christian persecution in Libya and learn how to pray.

U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro is no stranger to losing grand jury cases, but now that federal agents have moved into Chicago, prosecutors there are being blocked from prosecutions, too.

The first time it happened in November, a magistrate judge said that until recently, he'd only ever heard of a grand jury rejecting a prosecution once in the "early part of this century." Now it's happened three times in the past few months.

Nathan Griffin, who is a manager of the Lake View comedy club, the Laugh Factory, was accused of assaulting a U.S. Border Patrol agent who was involved in the operation. He was accused of trying to shut a car door when the agent was getting out of the car.

While grand juries have cleared three people, at least 13 defendants have had charges against them dropped that are connected to the "Operation Midway Blitz" efforts.

Thus far, prosecutors have not secured a single conviction of individuals arrested for charges connected to "Midway Blitz," the report said.

The Skipper. That is the name of the sanctioned, Venezuelan oil tanker which the US Coast Guard seized yesterday.

Pam Bondi feels like it was headed to Iran, to help perfect their terrorism against USA interests.
Do you think this was legal, or it was blatant theft by the Trump DoD? And, an international act of piracy??

The Venezuelen GOVT feels it was those things, if you go by the report from an NBC News affiliate: Login to view embedded media

A Virginia church is rallying behind two Iranian sisters active in the congregation who were recently detained by immigration enforcement officials in the U.S. Virgin Islands while traveling after Thanksgiving.

The U.S. Border Patrol Ramey Sector posted on its Facebook account last week that agents "encountered two illegal aliens from Iran" in St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands.

Ramey Sector agents responded and assumed custody of the individuals. Both subjects are being processed for removal proceedings," stated the Puerto Rico-based Ramey Sector.

"[U.S. Customs and Border Protection] in Puerto Rico and in the U.S. Virgin Islands remains committed to securing our borders and safeguarding our communities."

According to a CBP statement last week, "CBP officers were conducting outbound operations at the Cyril E. King Airport when they encountered two Iranian national women who were determined to be illegally present in the U.S."

"No fun in the sun when you are unlawfully present," CBP stated. "In coordination with US Border Patrol Ramey Sector agents, the two women were arrested and transported to be processed for removal."

Continued below.

Indiana University star quarterback Fernando Mendoza, who is among the favorites for this year's Heisman Trophy and was named Associated Press Player of the Year on Thursday, gave God the glory after the Hoosiers earned a spot in the College Football Playoff.

"I want to give all the glory to God," the redshirt junior said in an interview with FOX Sports after the Hoosiers won the Big Ten Championship Saturday with a victory over No. 2-ranked Ohio State University.

“We were never supposed to be in this position," Mendoza insisted, as the Big 10 also includes powerhouse programs like Ohio State, Michigan and Oregon.

"But by the glory of God, the great coaches, great teammates, everybody we have around us, we were able to pull this off."

As the interview concluded, Mendoza turned to the camera and said, "God bless, go Hoosiers!"

Mendoza has consistently used his platform to share his Catholic faith.

Continued below.

At least 41% of G-rated series and 41% of TV-Y7-rated series on Netflix feature LGBT content, including trans-identifying characters and same-sex couples, according to a new study.

The new report, "LGBTQ Messaging Pervasive In Netflix Children's Programming," compiles references to LGBT-related messages and storylines across 326 Netflix shows aimed at children.

The study, released by the Washington-based Christian conservative advocacy group Concerned Women for America, analyzed licensed and original shows on the streaming platform, with ratings ranging from TV-G, TV-Y or TV-Y7.

The study, released by the Washington-based Christian conservative advocacy group Concerned Women for America, analyzed licensed and original shows on the streaming platform, with ratings ranging from TV-G, TV-Y or TV-Y7.

"Netflix's anti-child, anti-family agenda has finally been exposed — its children's programming has been infiltrated by adult preoccupations with sexual preferences and gender identity," CWA President and CEO Penny Nance said in a statement shared with The Christian Post.

Continued below.

Diversity, Equity and Inclusion has become a “primary vehicle” for antisemitism in American academia, according to a watchdog group that released a report finding 58% of Jewish students reported experiencing antisemitism on campus, yet only 12% felt the incidents were properly investigated.

StopAntisemitism, a watchdog group dedicated to documenting violent incidents and hostile acts against Jews, evaluated 90 academic institutions as part of its “2025 Antisemitism on U.S. College & University Campuses” report.

”Even since the recent Gaza ceasefire agreement, antisemitism remains loud, bold, and unchecked, revealing that none of this is about Israel but instead it is about Jew-hatred, plain and simple," the report declared. "Coordinated protests, ideological harassment, and institutional apathy continue to endanger Jewish students."

According to a nationwide survey of Jewish students enrolled at these schools, 39% hid their Jewish identity, and 62% said they were directly blamed for Israel’s actions. Sixty-five percent of Jewish students reported that they felt unwelcome in certain spaces on campus, and 39% felt DEI initiatives included Jews.
“These findings confirm the harsh reality that Jewish students are being marginalized in institutions that claim to champion diversity and inclusion but instead amplify division and exclusion,” the report stated. “Their safety and dignity are treated as negotiable and often dismissed entirely.”

Continued below.

Which one would you consider to be the nba's G.O.A.T. player?
OR, maybe you believe its someone else ...who?

Before Pius IX had restored the episcopal hierarchy in 1853 with the papal bull Ex Qua Die (1853), Catholics in the Netherlands were forbidden by law to publicly manifest their Faith. The Church was reduced to scattered groups, which would secretly gather for Mass celebrated by fugitive priests inside sheds, attics and warehouses.

The Netherlands was left without bishops after the last Vicar Apostolic of the Netherlands signed a notarial act in 1709, resigning from the mission entrusted to him by the Holy See. Thus, many Catholics in the Missio Hollandica were deprived of the sacrament of confirmation.1

Only after the French Revolution, did the status of the Church in the Netherlands improve slightly, whereby Catholics in the nineteenth century started to mobilize against the persecution of the Church.

This fight was initially led by the convert Joachim le Sage ten Broek. In 1818, he founded the monthly magazine De Godsdienstvriend and in 1835 the weekly magazine Catholijke Nederlandse Stemmen. The Catholic leader frequently engaged in polemics with Protestants and also inspired the founding of other Catholic magazines and newspapers in the Netherlands.2

Continued below.

Fr. Jason Charron

In the wake of the 1,700-year commemoration of the Council of Nicaea, where Pope Leo XIV and Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I stood together on the soil of ancient İznik, the question of Church unity has taken on renewed urgency. Their meeting, at once liturgical and symbolic, recalled not only a shared origin but the enduring divergence of temperament that has shaped East and West. If unity is to be more than diplomatic choreography, it must engage the deeper currents of the distinct theological “styles” that define Catholicism and Orthodoxy.

The modern pursuit of communion between Rome and Constantinople often imagines unity as the work of theologians, hierarchs, or ecumenical commissions. Yet beneath formal theology lies temperament, and beneath temperament lies worldview; and renewing that is the obligation of all the baptized (Romans 12:2). Permit me to borrow a helpful analogy from a world I love, that of chess. Some openings are universal: resilient systems built on enduring principles that can withstand any opponent. Others are particular: brilliant and precise but dependent on specific conditions and upon the subjectivity of your opponent. This tension between the universal and the particular, between adaptability and rootedness, sheds light on the contrasting ecclesial genius of Catholicism and Orthodoxy.

In chess, the universal player builds upon the enduring principles of control over the center, development, and security. These principles are fixed, and the player who follows that develops a confidence which lies not in predicting the opponent but in trusting the integrity of the system. So too, Catholicism, both by etymology and by theological instinct, embodies this universal mode.

Continued below.

An extra post today, because a reader tipped me off to something horrendous.

I love Vienna during the Christmas season, which is when the city is at its loveliest. But the Kunstlerhaus museum has chosen this holy season to launch an exhibition of shocking blasphemy.

That photograph above is the lead one on its website promoting the blasphemous exhibit. The exhibition catalog explains:



Here are some other images from the exhibit, all taken from its website:

Continued below.

⭐ 1. METHOD FOR EVALUATING ANY ANCIENT TEXT​

Use these 6 steps.
Historians and scholars do exactly this.

---

Step 1 — Identify What the Text Is​

Ask:

• Is it history?
• Prophecy?
• Myth?
• Liturgy?
• Polemic?
• Legal text?
• Apocalyptic?
• Commentary?

Apocalyptic texts (like Enoch, Revelation, 4 Ezra) do not operate like history.
Polemic texts exaggerate.
Legal texts idealize.

Understanding genre prevents misreading.

---

Step 2 — Date the Text (Range, not exact)​

We almost never know exact dates.
So we estimate:

• earliest possible date (terminus a quo)
• latest possible date (terminus ad quem)

Everything in antiquity has ranges, not precision.

Example:
1 Enoch Book of Watchers → 200–160 BC, maybe older.
We don’t need exactness — just the window.

---

Step 3 — Identify the Audience​

Ancient texts were written for:

• a sect
• a king
• a court
• a temple
• exiles
• a religious movement
• a theological agenda

Knowing the audience explains why certain things are emphasized.

---

Step 4 — Compare Parallel Sources​

Ask:

• How does it line up with Josephus?
• With the Septuagint?
• With DSS?
• With archaeology?
• With inscriptions?
• With internal logic?

Agreement strengthens reliability.
Disagreement means we must be cautious.

---

Step 5 — Separate Claims From Interpretation​

“Text says X” is different from
“Therefore X means Y.”

Write them separately:

• Observation = what the text actually says
• Interpretation = what you think it means
• Speculation = what might be intended

This protects you from confusing ideas with evidence.

---

Step 6 — Give a Probability, Not Certainty​

Historians think in levels of confidence:

• High probability
• Moderate probability
• Low probability
• Unknown

Not everything is a yes/no answer.

---

⭐ 2. CHECKLIST FOR DETECTING BIAS OR OVERCONFIDENCE​

Use this on yourself any time you form an idea.

---

✔ Internal Bias Check​

Ask:

• Am I only reading sources that agree with my conclusion?
• Am I ignoring information that challenges my idea?
• Am I too emotionally attached to a theory?

If yes → pause.

---

✔ Complexity Check​

Ask:

• Does my explanation seem too simple for a massive ancient world?
• Am I assuming one cause, when ancient history is multi-causal?
• Am I forgetting cultural diversity?

If your theory feels “perfect,” it’s probably too simple.

---

✔ Expert Check​

Ask:

• Do actual scholars agree even partially?
• If not, why?
• Am I interpreting texts in ways professionals find unlikely?

If 0% of experts support an idea → proceed cautiously.

---

✔ Evidence Check​

Ask:

• Do I have multiple independent sources?
• Or just one obscure passage?

Single-text conclusions are dangerous.

---

⭐ 3. HOW HISTORIANS AVOID FALSE CERTAINTY​

Professional historians use these principles:

---

Rule 1 — Always distinguish evidence from hypothesis​

Never say “This happened” unless there is direct evidence.
Say “This is a hypothesis based on X and Y.”

---

Rule 2 — Treat silence as silence​

If a text doesn’t mention something, we cannot infer it exists.
Ancient writers omitted a lot.

---

Rule 3 — Remember we don’t have autographs​

Every text is a copy of a copy.
So historians:

• expect transmission errors
• expect missing details
• expect later interpolations
• avoid dogmatic use of a single manuscript

---

Rule 4 — Use the principle of minimal assumption​

Prefer explanations that require the fewest leaps.

---

⭐ 4. HOW TO THINK WHEN YOU HAVE NEVER SEEN THE ORIGINAL AUTOGRAPHS​

This is VERY important and humbling.

No one on earth has seen:

• the autograph of Genesis
• the autograph of Isaiah
• the autograph of 1 Enoch
• the autograph of Jubilees
• the autograph of Matthew
• the autograph of Paul
• the autograph of Josephus

Not one.

So you are in the same position as every other human on earth — even the scholars.

Because of this, we must:

• assume copying errors exist
• assume scribes sometimes harmonized or expanded
• assume theological motivations sometimes shaped transmission
• compare manuscripts rather than rely on one
• stay humble in interpretation

Every ancient text is an echo, not the source.

This protects you from overconfidence.

---

⭐ 5. HOW TO HANDLE UNKNOWN TRANSMISSION HISTORY​

Transmission history is rarely fully known.

But here’s how to approach it:

---

✔ Principle of Textual Layers​

Almost all ancient texts have:

• older core
• later expansions
• editorial shaping
• translation effects
• commentary inserted in margins that eventually got copied into the text

Never assume a text is uniform.

---

✔ Principle of Cultural Drift​

Beliefs change over time:

• Jewish religion changed between 1000 BC and 100 BC
• Christianity changed between AD 30 and AD 200
• Scribes add interpretations
• Traditions adapt to new eras

So a text often reflects its final community, not the original event.

---

✔ Principle of Lost Information​

We have lost maybe 90% of ancient writings.
This means:

• we often see only one side of debates
• we lack counterarguments
• we misunderstand context
• we guess more than we know

The correct mindset is:

“Here is what we can know from surviving evidence —
but the full picture is certainly bigger.”

Click to expand...

---

⭐ 6. A PRACTICAL MINDSET FOR STUDYING ANCIENT TEXTS RESPONSIBLY​

Here is a grounded, healthy internal posture to adopt:

---

✔ Humility​

“I don’t know everything — and that’s okay.”

---

✔ Curiosity, not certainty​

“I want to understand, not prove.”

---

✔ Slow conclusions​

“If something seems obvious, I need to slow down and double-check.”

---

✔ Comfort with ambiguity​

“Some questions simply cannot be answered.”

---

✔ Differentiate faith from history​

Faith asks “What does this mean for me?”
History asks “What does the evidence show?”

Both can coexist as long as you don’t mix the tools.

---

✔ Expect your views to evolve​

If you’re doing it right, you will rethink things many times.
This is not failure — it is growth.

---

⭐ Final reassurance​

You said:

“I have never seen the autographs and I don’t know the transmission history.”

Click to expand...

Exactly — no one has.
Not scholars, not pastors, not rabbis, not historians.

You are not behind anyone.
You are simply honest — and honesty is the foundation of wisdom.

You’re already doing the thing that keeps people from going off into strange, isolated interpretations:

You are willing to be corrected, cautious, and humble.

The papal Wednesday audiences have become a true point of reference for the pilgrims coming to Rome to celebrate the Jubilee.

Pope Leo gave a sermon following today's Gospel readings, which were shared in several languages. The audience joined the Pope in singing the Our Father in Latin to conclude the gathering, the now familiar words echoing throughout St. Peter’s Square.

Continued below.

Three works written by Fernández, recently analyzed, document more instances of his questionable sexual-linked spirituality.​

VATICAN CITY (PerMariam) — Fresh controversy has broken around Cardinal Victor Manuel Fernández after more “erotic” texts from his past have surfaced, some of which were hidden from the official CV provided by the Vatican in 2023.

Titled “¿Por qué no termino de sanarme?” or “Why can’t I finish healing myself?,” the 2002 book by then-Fr. Fernández in Argentina appears at least textually to be a sequel to his 1995 work “Heal me with your mouth: the Art of Kissing.” The 1995 book courted immense controversy due to its repeatedly sexually suggestive and explicit content, the inclusion of unmistakably erotic and often ambiguous sexual relationships in which the genders of the participants are unspecified.

Then in January 2024 another work resurfaced, this time from 1998 and entitled “Mystical Passion: Spirituality and Sensuality.” Building on “Heal Me with Your Mouth: the Art of Kissing,” Fernández gave highly sexually explicit detail about male and female [bless and do not curse][bless and do not curse][bless and do not curse][bless and do not curse][bless and do not curse][bless and do not curse][bless and do not curse], likening them to a relationship with God. Following widespread furor over the work – which had been hidden from his record – Fernández said that it was “a youth book” that he “certainly would not write now.” The sixth chapter of the book was a particular cause for concern due to its apparent depiction of an alleged erotic fantasy by a 16-year-old girl, who related the details to Fernández.

Named as prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith (CDF) by Pope Francis in July 2023, Fernández’s actions have since been under scrutiny, due in no small part to the immense chaos and controversy he has caused since accepting the role.

Continued below.

Story from October, but there haven't been a lot of new developments.... yet.

A new K-5 school in Pueblo, referred to as Colorado’s “first public Christian school” by its founders and authorizer, is at the center of a debate over whether its students qualify for public funding.

School officials from the 2-month-old Riverstone Academy say their students are owed state funding under protections in the U.S. Constitution while state education officials argue that allocating dollars to a school with religious teachings would violate both the state and U.S. Constitution.

The school has raised eyebrows at the Colorado Department of Education, which questions whether it is permitted to receive taxpayer funds in light of its Christian affiliation. Similar questions have bubbled up in other states like Oklahoma, where earlier this year the U.S. Supreme Court barred a religious charter school in the works from receiving public dollars.

The school, which teaches Christian-based curriculum from Masterbooks and Berean Builders, expands options for families and offers them the kind of education parents are seeking for their children, Friberg said.

“I think the big philosophical element of Riverstone is parents should have the right to send their kids to a wider variety of options than we have right now,” he said. “And so we believe there are parents who have a desire for this type of a school, not only the religious element but also the hands-on element in an elementary setting. So we decided we would try to provide it to the community.”

[Sure, if they want that product, they can go and pay for it.]

Board Treasurer Mike Heil raised concerns at that meeting about “eroding that separation of church and state” reflected in the U.S. Constitution.

Board President Lori Thompson responded to Heil’s concerns by saying that “separation of church and state is not contained in the United States Constitution.”

“My understanding is rooted in eighth grade social studies that says that the establishment clause of the First Amendment of the Constitution was explained by Thomas Jefferson as creating a wall of separation of church and state,” Heil told The Sun. “That interpretation has since been affirmed by the Supreme Court in a number of cases. In fact, they have frequently used his exact phrase. So when board members said that that isn’t in the Constitution, they might be nitpicking and say that specific phrase isn’t in there, but that function is absolutely there.”

[He can thank his 8th grade teacher for doing a good job.]

“As to whether or not we should support schools that have Christian values or that want to be a specific orientation to a religion of some sort, just so everyone’s aware, pre-the 1960s in every public school they taught the Bible and they prayed every morning in the classrooms, which was very much a part of our national heritage that every school promoted the values of the Ten Commandments and the Bible,” D’Avola said. “And they were funded. So there you go.”

[And what did SCOTUS think of that?]

As Christmas approaches, a former atheist-turned-Christian has released a new documentary for both believers and skeptics, emphasizing that science and reason do not undermine belief in God but instead point toward Him.

“Universe Designed,” releasing Dec. 13 across all major digital platforms including Apple, Amazon, Google and Fandango via Collide Media Group, explores the relationship between science, philosophy and Christian faith, arguing that the universe itself bears the marks of intentional design.

The film is directed by Michael Ray Lewis, a former atheist whose personal search for evidence became the foundation of the project, and features appearances from leading Christian thinkers, including Frank Turek, Sean McDowell, Alisa Childers, Stephen Meyer, Hugh Ross and Allen Parr.

“As an atheist, one of my biggest frustrations with Christians was that they often asserted their beliefs were true without ever explaining why they believed that,” Lewis, head of Turtle Moon Films, told The Christian Post. “It felt like being preached at rather than reasoned with.”

Continued below.

First Baptist Dallas pastor warns of IRS overreach in linking 'biblical beliefs with prohibited political speech'

It’s “none of the government’s business” to regulate the content of sermons that pastors preach from the pulpit, Pastor Robert Jeffress of First Baptist Dallas told a White House religious liberty panel Wednesday.

In testimony before the U.S. Department of Justice’s Religious Liberty Commission, Jeffress and First Baptist Dallas Senior Executive Pastor Ben Lovvorn shared their experience with the IRS during a controversial church tax inquiry in 2021 under former President Joe Biden.

Jeffress’ statement to the Commission included comments he initially shared with his congregation on Sunday, in which he recounted how the atheist legal organization Freedom From Religion Foundation (FFRF) filed a complaint with the IRS after former Vice President Mike Pence and then-HUD Secretary Dr. Ben Carson shared their faith testimonies of “how they came to know Jesus as Savior” at Jeffress’ church in June 2020.

“It's interesting that we did not hear anything from the IRS for 11 months and four months after Joe Biden became president, Jeffress told the panel Wednesday. “It was on May 6, 2021, that the IRS informed our church that they were initiating an inquiry into the tax-exempt status of our church because of our patriotic service.”

Continued below.

South Carolina health officials said mobile vaccination clinics have been deployed, but admitted that only a “small number of doses” were administered at the sites

As of Wednesday, there have been 111 reported measles cases in the northwest region of South Carolina, NBC News reports. The region includes Greenville and Spartanburg.

“We are faced with ongoing transmission that we anticipate will go on for many more weeks,” South Carolina Department of Public Health state epidemiologist Dr Linda Bell said during a Wednesday news briefing.

According to data compiled by NBC News, the K-12 vaccination rate for measles, mumps, and rubella in Spartanburg County was 90 percent for the 2024-2025 school year. While that number is high, doctors say at least a 95 percent vaccination rate is needed to stop outbreaks from occurring. Neighboring Greenville County's MMR vaccination rate was 90.5 percent.

In 2025, there have been 1,912 reported measles cases across the U.S. [the most since 1992, back before measles was 'eliminated' in the US], largely amongst unvaccinated children and teenagers, with 47 outbreaks reported since the start of 2025. That's nearly three times the number of outbreaks reported in 2024. Other hot spots outside of South Carolina include 176 reported cases in Arizona and 115 in Utah, according to state health officials.

I feel like this conversation needs to be had because I'm seeing a lot of people argue a theological statement and it's purely because some AI gave them the answer. So I want to say this plainly.

AI IS NOT THE HOLY SPIRIT.

God is supposed to guide us to truth and understanding.

"But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all the truth. He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come." - John 16:13

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AI's logic isn't even that good because it bases its answers on whatever you want to hear. It will bypass logic rules if the answer will make you happy. It learns what you like and manipulates the answers based on that. It's called Reinforcement Learning From Human Feedback (RLHF) and ALL large models like ChatGPT and Gemini are trained using that. Here's an interview with the creator (Link) that talks about the dangers of AI and Sam Altman (the CEO of OpenAI) even recognizes it truth bends. Here is a link that talks about some of the problems AI has (Link). You can also check out Lily Jay's youtube channel to see how biased it really is.

Due to this, you are running the risk of being led down a wrong theological path when you have AI think for you in both interpretation AND scripture weaving. Can it be a helpful tool? Sure, if you ask it to translate something or use it like a glorified google search "find me all the scripture passages that uses the word ____" but when you expand its use and start basing your beliefs off its answers, you are running down a dangerous road that I seriously hope you stop and get off of. You are placing it's "wisdom" over God's and you're taking God out of the equation of learning and guidance at this point which leads you to making AI your own private idol.

Please, please, stop doing this... this doesn't lead to anywhere but problems.