New Posts

Michie · Mar 21, 2023

Almost everything that a pope says is not. Pope Francis has never—not so far—taught anything infallibly. It’s possible he could, but I doubt he will. Pius X didn’t, Benedict XV didn’t, nor did Pius XI, John XXIII, John Paul I, or Benedict XVI. Pius IX taught the Immaculate Conception infallibly (Ineffabilis Deus, 1854); he also promulgated Vatican I infallibly. Pius XII taught the Assumption infallibly (Munificentissimus Deus, 1950).

Paul VI promulgated Vatican II infallibly. John Paul II taught the restriction of the priesthood to men infallibly (Ordinatio Sacerdotalis, 1994). That’s it, if you enumerate from Pius IX forward.

I know that some will dispute the presence of Vatican II and Ordinatio Sacerdotalis on this list. This is not the place to defend my inclusion of them—that will be later in the series. My point for now is that the list of infallible teachings since Vatican I is small. Contrary to what some of my critics want to believe, I am not a “papal positivist.” It was false witness then, it is false witness now, it will remain false witness no matter how long Mr. Sammons’ post remains uncorrected.

NARROW CRITERIA.

Be that as it may, it is worth reviewing the narrow criteria of infallibility, as that dogma was defined in 1870:

The pope must speak ex cathedra—invoking his authority a supreme teacher of the faith.
The pope must define a doctrine, or a dogma, concerning faith or morals.
The pope must bind the entire Church to this teaching.

Almost nothing qualifies. Popes say a lot; you can count on one hand the number of times infallibility has been exercised in 175 years. When Pope Francis said “Who am I to judge?” he was not infallible. Even when you interpret that statement correctly—and most people don’t—he was not infallible. None of Benedict XVI’s social justice encyclicals are infallible. John Paul II’s Theology of the Body is not infallible. Humanae Vitae is not infallible. Nothing that John XXIII taught is infallible. When a pope gives a homily, or teaches at a Wednesday audience, or speaks to a reporter, or engages in small talk during breakfast, or screams obscenities after stubbing his toe, he does not speak infallibly.
It’s possible, of course, that Pope Francis could utter an infallible sentence during breakfast. If he turns to his secretary of state and says, “Jesus Christ is the second person of the Trinity,” that’s infallible. But it is infallible only insofar as the original source of that teaching is infallible—not because the pope said it while eating an English muffin.

THE POPE IS NOT INFALLIBLE.

Continued below.

Not everything a pope says is infallible. [Part 3.2 of a series.]

Almost everything a pope says is not infallible, but some people treat infallibility as though it's inscribed in a pope's DNA.

henryscottalt.com

Michie · Mar 21, 2023

CanonLaw.Ninja will be able to continue its operations with a different translation owned by the Canon Law Society of Great Britain and Ireland.

Canon-law enthusiasts can breathe a sigh of relief.

A popular canon-law website will continue to offer its content to the public despite fears that it would have to shut down because of a copyright dispute over its English translation of the Catholic Church’s Code of Canon Law.

The website, CanonLaw.Ninja, owned by Father Paul Hedman, will be able to continue its operations with a different translation owned by the Canon Law Society of Great Britain and Ireland (CLSGBI).

As CNA reported last Thursday, Father Hedman shared the Canon Law Society of America’s Code of Canon Law on his website for years before receiving a cease-and-desist letter from the organization telling him to take that translation of the Code of Canon Law down by March 17. He was also instructed to destroy all copies on the website and all personal copies unless purchased from the CLSA.

Father Hedman told CNA that the British and Irish CLSGBI offered its translation free of charge, as long as their organization receives proper attribution.

Continued below.

Canon-Law Copyright Case: Priest’s Website Stays Online Thanks to New Translation

CanonLaw.Ninja will be able to continue its operations with a different translation owned by the Canon Law Society of Great Britain and Ireland.

www.ncregister.com

Michie · Mar 21, 2023

‘Our challenge is faith. People have lost their faith,’ he said March 19.

New York City Mayor Eric Adams on Sunday responded to critics of his recent statements on faith and spirituality.

In a March 19 appearance on MSNBC’s Inside With Jen Psaki, when questioned about those who “shorthand” what he has said about religion, Adams responded: “You can allow the loudest to get in the way, and all of a sudden you’re responding to the loudest. So, if people who took my innocent words of saying spirituality is crucial, then let them be.”

Adams, a Democrat and former police officer who has been in office a little more than a year, in recent weeks has raised eyebrows by talking about God, prayer and his ideas against the separation of church and state.

In the interview with Psaki, Adams said he is concerned about America and that the root of the country’s problems is a failure to embrace spirituality. He likened the current state of affairs in the United States to a frog placed in cool water.

Continued below.

New York City’s Mayor Adams Responds to Critics of His Faith-Based Comments

‘Our challenge is faith. People have lost their faith,’ he said March 19.

www.ncregister.com

Michie · Mar 21, 2023

Such interventions are not to be performed because they do not respect the fact that God has created each person as a unity of body and soul or work toward the authentic good of the human person, the USCCB explained.

The U.S. Catholic bishops released a statement Monday offering moral guidance for Catholic health-care institutions, reiterating that “gender-transition” interventions are not to be performed because they do not respect the fact that God has created each person as a unity of body and soul.

“The body is not an object, a mere tool at the disposal of the soul, one that each person may dispose of according to his or her own will, but it is a constitutive part of the human subject, a gift to be received, respected, and cared for as something intrinsic to the person,” the U.S. bishops’ Committee on Doctrine wrote.

“As the range of what we can do expands, we must ask what we should or should not do. An indispensable criterion in making such determinations is the fundamental order of the created world. Our use of technology must respect that order.”

To that end, the bishops wrote, “Catholic health care services must not perform interventions, whether surgical or chemical, that aim to transform the sexual characteristics of a human body into those of the opposite sex or take part in the development of such procedures.”

Continued below.

US Bishops: Catholic Health-Care Providers Shouldn’t Perform ‘Gender-Transition’ Procedures

Such interventions are not to be performed because they do not respect the fact that God has created each person as a unity of body and soul or work toward the authentic good of the human person, the USCCB explained.

www.ncregister.com

Michie · Mar 21, 2023

Christi Hockel Davenport, who enjoys being a teaching assistant at a Catholic school, will speak at the Walk for Life West Coast Jan. 22.

“You don’t have to take this baby home if you don’t want,” Judie Hockel’s obstetrician and gynecologist told her shortly after the birth of her daughter. “She can be put into an institution,” he said.

It was Christmas Day 1978 in a northern California hospital, and her daughter, Christi, had been diagnosed with Down syndrome.

“I just laughed, Hockel said. “It was a ridiculous suggestion. Of course, I was going to take my daughter home.”

At the 18th-annual Walk for Life West Coast on Jan. 22, Christi Hockel Davenport will be a featured speaker. She will talk about her joy-filled life despite the loss of her beloved husband, Austin Davenport, due to a seizure last May — and how her life and all lives have precious value.

Christi and Judie spoke together with the Register this week about the preciousness of all life and the tragedy of abortion.

Continued below.

Pro-Life Advocate With Down Syndrome: ‘Being Loved Is What Makes People Happy’

Christi Hockel Davenport, who enjoys being a teaching assistant at a Catholic school, will speak at the Walk for Life West Coast Jan. 22.

www.ncregister.com

narnia59 · Mar 21, 2023

eastcoast_bsc said:
I dont hear much of this type of preaching in our church these days. I would submit that if a priest spoke like this at a lot of our parishes , he would be canceled. This deacon was canceled but he spoke the truth truth regardless.

that said, it was a great preaching.

It would depend on the parish. And yes, he got canceled as well. That's why I don't see a way to somehow imply the Catholic Church is somehow worse in this regard.

I appreciated what he said a lot but maybe more importantly the way he said it. He did it clearly without a lot of sensationalism and with a great deal of charity. Some of the priests I can think of who have spoken out haven't met that criteria. It makes it easy to cancel them when they speak without charity and I could argue with good reason. I fail to understand people who find that to be okay and even think it's great when a priest or anyone takes a strong stand but does so without charity. Even when the stand is right, it can do more to turn people away than draw them in. So I appreciated that about this deacon.

Christsfreeservant · Mar 21, 2023

Video Talk

2 Corinthians 5:17-21 ESV

“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come. All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation; that is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation. Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.”

Please pay attention to “if” words, for they usually introduce a conditional clause such as “if” this is true then it should result in this. So, when this says, “if anyone is in Christ,” it is not assuming that everyone who professes faith in Jesus Christ is indeed “in Christ.” And remember the words of Paul in Romans 8 where he describes those who are “in Christ” as those who are no longer walking (in conduct, in practice) according to the flesh, but now according to the Spirit, in righteous living, in obedience to the Lord.

Therefore, IF we are truly in Christ, by genuine God-given faith in him, then the old life of living in sin and for self should have died with Christ (passed away), and we should have been raised with Christ to walk in newness of life in him, no longer as slaves to sin but now as slaves to God and to his righteousness. And that is the new that should have come. And all this is from God, for we can’t even come to faith in Jesus unless God the Father draws us to Christ, and even the faith to believe in him comes from God.

Yet even though it is God who initiates our salvation and who draws us to Christ, and even though he is the one who reconciles us to Christ, we still have to believe in him, and we still have to be reconciled to God, and we still have to die with him to sin and live to him and to his righteousness, but in his power, for this is what it means to be reconciled. It means to change and to change to the same position as God with regard to sin and righteousness, and to change from being God’s enemies to now being his friends.

2 Corinthians 6:1-2 ESV

“Working together with him, then, we appeal to you not to receive the grace of God in vain. For he says,

“’In a favorable time I listened to you,

and in a day of salvation I have helped you.’

“Behold, now is the favorable time; behold, now is the day of salvation.”

If we receive God’s grace in vain, it means that it is futile, useless, ineffective, abortive, and/or worthless. And this can happen through false professions of faith in Jesus Christ, or professions in a false faith, or it can result from a superficial faith which never takes root, etc. But the point is that there are people who have received the grace of God (or a false grace) in vain, for it has taken no effect in their lives, for they are still living in sin, making sin their practice, and righteousness and obedience to the Lord are not what they practice, and so they have not changed.

The old has not passed away and the new has not come because they are not truly “in Christ.” They just think they are, probably because someone told them that they were. And so the encouragement here is to make certain you are truly “in Christ,” and the evidence is that you have changed, and you are no longer living in sin, but now you are walking in obedience to the Lord in walks of righteousness. But if you are still walking in sin, and sin is still your practice, then you will not inherit eternal life with God unless you repent of your sin and you follow Jesus Christ in obedience to his ways.

[Matt 7:21-23; Matt 24:9-14; Lu 9:23-26; Rom 1:18-32; Rom 2:6-8; Rom 6:1-23; Rom 8:1-14,24; Rom 12:1-2; Rom 13:11; 1 Co 6:9-10,19-20; 2 Co 5:10,15,21; 1 Co 1:18; 1 Co 15:1-2; 2 Tim 1:8-9; Heb 9:28; 1 Pet 1:5; Gal 5:16-21; Gal 6:7-8; Eph 2:8-10; Eph 4:17-32; Eph 5:3-6; Col 1:21-23; Col 3:5-17; 1 Pet 2:24; Tit 2:11-14; 1 Jn 1:5-9; 1 Jn 2:3-6,24-25; 1 Jn 3:4-10; Heb 3:6,14-15; Heb 10:23-31; Heb 12:1-2; Rev 21:8,27; Rev 22:14-15]

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Oh, to Be Like Thee, Blessed Redeemer

Lyrics by Thomas O. Chisholm, 1897
Music by W. J. Kirkpatrick, 1897

Oh, to be like Thee! blessèd Redeemer,
This is my constant longing and prayer;
Gladly I’ll forfeit all of earth’s treasures,
Jesus, Thy perfect likeness to wear.

Oh, to be like Thee! full of compassion,
Loving, forgiving, tender and kind,
Helping the helpless, cheering the fainting,
Seeking the wandering sinner to find.

O to be like Thee! lowly in spirit,
Holy and harmless, patient and brave;
Meekly enduring cruel reproaches,
Willing to suffer others to save.

O to be like Thee! while I am pleading,
Pour out Thy Spirit, fill with Thy love;
Make me a temple meet for Thy dwelling,
Fit me for life and Heaven above.

Oh, to be like Thee! Oh, to be like Thee,
Blessèd Redeemer, pure as Thou art;
Come in Thy sweetness, come in Thy fullness;
Stamp Thine own image deep on my heart.

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Landon Caeli · Mar 21, 2023

Is it just a coincidence that Sodom from Sodom and Gomorrah, sounds like Saddam Hussein?

Who are the ancestors of these murderous and perverted peoples? Who rape and take slaves?

SoldierOfTheKing · Mar 20, 2023

That Guy 11200 said:
Indeed. He was cowering in Kiev recently, not dodging all of the missiles Putin was too afraid to fire at him.

Putin a rational leader who knows that pulling of stunts like assassination attempts aren't going to come to anything good. If only we could have that kind of rational leadership in America...

Guojing · Mar 20, 2023

timothyu said:
Kingdom is Kingdom. Nothing to do with the petty differences of tribes.

That has nothing to do with the point I was making

Antonio39 · Mar 20, 2023

only a sojourner said:
My wife received a recorded phone call that she must appear in court tomorrow or a warrant will be issued for her arrest. She was previously exempted from court because she has a critical appointment concerning her gums at the same time. She can't reach anyone by phone to resolve the situation. Please pray that this situation is resolved.

just did

Daniel9v9 · Mar 20, 2023

Hey, I went to a confessional Lutheran conference in Niigata, Japan. I was graciously invited to make a presentation on Lutheran Liturgical Worship, and I made a recording of the same speech when I came home, if anyone's interested:

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totallylovedbygod · Mar 20, 2023

Introduction
序言

A PSALM FOR YOU AND ME
一首献给你我的赞美诗

This psalm is awesome, I come to it, with a deep sense that what I am going to share, will benefit some people.
这诗篇是庄严的，我来到它，有一个深刻的感觉，我要分享的东西，会使一些人受益。

This is one of the psalms, that speak deeply to our hearts, I know it speaks deeply to me.
这是一首诗篇，深深地对我们的心说话，我知道它深深地对我说话。

Let me explain why it speaks to me:
让我来解释一下为什么它能打动我：

I had good parents and two older brothers, about 11 years older than me, I was a late arrival in many ways. My father was desperate for a girl after having two sons, but I came along.
我有很好的父母和两个比我大11岁的哥哥，我在很多方面都是晚一步的。父亲在有了两个儿子后，迫切地想要一个女孩，但我出现了。

I got the feeling that although I was loved, there was always a little disappointment, indeed in later years, my mother told me, she didn't want another child.
我觉得，虽然我是被爱着的，但总会有一点失望，确实，在后来的几年里，我的母亲告诉我，她不想再要一个孩子。

Although my earthly parents might have had a little disappointment over me, my birth was no mistake, this psalm sets out the comfort and love that God has for us.
虽然我的世俗父母可能对我有点失望，但我的出生并没有错，这篇诗篇表达了上帝对我们的安慰和爱。

So many people feel rejected, maybe you do, rejected by family, there are many people, who have been cold shouldered or called the black sheep of the family by other family members
很多人感觉被拒绝了，也许你是这样的，被家人拒绝了，有很多人，被其他家庭成员冷落或称为家庭中的败家子

You may not know where you were born, you may not know who one or more of your parents were, but God saw all that and the amazing fact is that he loves you, it is for those people that this psalm is written
你可能不知道你是在哪里出生的，你可能不知道你的父母是谁，但上帝看到了这一切，而且令人惊奇的事实是他爱你，这诗篇就是为这些人而写的

Let me assure you, that you are not a mistake, God was there at your conception, he knew you before you were born, he knows everything about you and yes although he knows everything about us, and get this..
让我向你保证，你不是一个错误，上帝在你受孕的时候就在那里，他在你出生前就知道你，他知道关于你的一切，是的，尽管他知道关于我们的一切……

HE STILL LOVES US
他仍然爱我们

If you have no family, if you are rejected by your family, God says that if you are his:
如果你没有家人，如果你被家人拒绝，上帝说如果你属于他：

You are my son or daughter.. you are my child..
你是我的儿子或女儿……你是我的孩子……

Amen
阿门

God bless you
上帝祝福你
Keith

vs 1-5
诗篇 139 1-5

1 O Lord, you have searched me and known me!
2 You know when I sit down and when I rise up;
you discern my thoughts from afar.
3 You search out my path and my lying down
and are acquainted with all my ways.
4 Even before a word is on my tongue,
behold, O Lord, you know it altogether.
5 You hem me in, behind and before,
and lay your hand upon me.
1〔大卫的诗、交与伶长。〕耶和华阿，你已经鉴察我，认识我。
2 我坐下，我起来，你都晓得，你从远处知道我的意念。
3 我行路，我躺卧，你都细察，你也深知我一切所行的。
4 耶和华阿，我舌头上的话，你没有一句不知道的。
5 你在我前后环绕我，按手在我身上。

HOW BIG IS GOD？
上帝有多大？

Do you wonder how big God is?
你想知道上帝有多大吗？

He knows everything, he sees everything, he knows every word we speak
他什么都知道，什么都看见，我们说的每个字他都知道

We are worried about data protection in our age, are all my details safe?
我们都在担心这个时代的数据保护，我所有的细节都安全吗？

Well, there is someone who knows all about you, it is God. To me this is a comfort, he knows all about me, he sees everything I do and hears everything I say. Every action of mine is seen by him.
好吧，有一个人了解你的一切，那就是上帝。对我来说这是一种安慰，他知道我的一切，他看到我做的一切，听到我说的一切。我的一举一动都被他看到了。

It is also a challenge to me, as we know God is watching us, would we do all the things we do?
Would we see the things we, see?
Would we say the things we say?
这对我也是一个挑战，因为我们知道上帝在看着我们，我们会做我们所做的所有事情吗？
我们会看到我们看到的东西吗？
我们会说我们说的东西吗？

The attributes of God are to be studied, because they show us what God is like, he is omnipresent, he is all seeing and he is all knowing.
上帝的属性是值得研究的，因为它们向我们展示了上帝是什么样的，他无所不在，他无所不见，他无所不知。
That works itself out into our daily lives, if God is always watching us, we would live in a different way.
这在我们的日常生活中也有体现，如果上帝一直注视着我们，我们就会以不同的方式生活。

We live in the way we do, because we have no understanding of who GOD really is and his attributes. We think that God is like us and we can get away with it, but he is on a different level entirely.
我们以自己的方式生活，因为我们不知道上帝到底是谁以及他的属性。我们认为上帝和我们一样，我们可以不受惩罚，但他完全是在一个不同的层面上。

Be sure that nothing is hid from Him:
十分确定的是没有什么能在他面前隐藏。

Jc Ryle says this
Jc Ryle 这样说

Do nothing that you would not like God to see.
Say nothing that you would not like God to hear.
Write nothing that you would not like God to read.
Go to no place where you would not like God to find you.
不要做你不想让上帝看见的事。
不要说你不想让上帝听到的话。
不要写你不想让上帝读到的东西。
不要去你不愿意上帝发现你的地方。

Read no book of which you would not like God to say, "Show it to Me."
Never spend your time in such a way that you would not like to have God say, "What are you doing?
不要读你不希望上帝说“拿给我看”的书。
永远不要把时间花在你不想让上帝说：“你在做什么？”是事上。

Adam and others thought they could hide their sin, remember that God sees, hears and knows everything.
亚当和其他人认为他们可以隐藏自己的罪，记住上帝能看见、听见、知道一切。

That is a true antidote to sin.
这才是真正的罪的解药。

Amen
阿门
KK

SOAK IN SCRIPTURE

基督徒品格的建立（一）：彼此相爱的心 — 希伯来书13：1–3

Patrick Yan

Toronto Christ Gospel Church

sermonaudio.com/sermon/31423133594560

真基督徒的記號之愛心

Steven Shi | 約翰一書

Chinese Reformed Baptist

sermonaudio.com/sermon/3132314336465

约翰二书第三讲

芮牧师 | 约翰二书

真柱浸信教会

sermonaudio.com/sermon/1123221426301903

你的天父关心你 - 所以为什么你会焦虑？（翻译）

Rev. John Byl

圣传归正教会改革宗华语堂

sermonaudio.com/sermon/12223194831112

FERVENT PRAYER FOR CHINA

LESU

Lesu in China

SHE

She in China

TUSU

Tusu in China

SHANGRI LA TIBETAN

Tibetan, Shangri La in China

totallylovedbygod · Mar 20, 2023

Introduction

A PSALM FOR YOU AND ME

This psalm is awesome, I come to it, with a deep sense that what I am going to share, will benefit some people.

This is one of the psalms, that speak deeply to our hearts, I know it speaks deeply to me.

Let me explain why it speaks to me:

I had good parents and two older brothers, about 11 years older than me, I was a late arrival in many ways. My father was desperate for a girl after having two sons, but I came along.

I got the feeling that although I was loved, there was always a little disappointment, indeed in later years, my mother told me, she didn't want another child.

Although my earthly parents might have had a little disappointment over me, my birth was no mistake, this psalm sets out the comfort and love that God has for us.

So many people feel rejected, maybe you do, rejected by family, there are many people, who have been cold shouldered or called the black sheep of the family by other family members

You may not know where you were born, you may not know who one or more of your parents were, but God saw all that and the amazing fact is that he loves you, it is for those people that this psalm is written

Let me assure you, that you are not a mistake, God was there at your conception, he knew you before you were born, he knows everything about you and yes although he knows everything about us, and get this..

HE STILL LOVES US

If you have no family, if you are rejected by your family, God says that if you are his:

You are my son or daughter.. you are my child..

Amen

God bless you

Keith

vs 1-5

O Lord, you have searched me and known me!
2 You know when I sit down and when I rise up;
you discern my thoughts from afar.
3 You search out my path and my lying down
and are acquainted with all my ways.
4 Even before a word is on my tongue,
behold, O Lord, you know it altogether.
5 You hem me in, behind and before,
and lay your hand upon me.

HOW BIG IS GOD？

Do you wonder how big God is?

He knows everything, he sees everything, he knows every word we speak

We are worried about data protection in our age, are all my details safe?

Well, there is someone who knows all about you, it is God. To me this is a comfort, he knows all about me, he sees everything I do and hears everything I say. Every action of mine is seen by him.

It is also a challenge to me, as we know God is watching us, would we do all the things we do?
Would we see the things we, see?
Would we say the things we say/

The attributes of God are to be studied, because they show us what God is like, he is omnipresent, he is all seeing and he is all knowing.

That works itself out into our daily lives, if God is always watching us, we would live in a different way.

We live in the way we do, because we have no understanding of who GOD really is and his attributes. We think that God is like us and we can get away with it, but he is on a different level entirely.

Be sure that nothing is hid from Him:

Jc Ryle says this

Do nothing that you would not like God to see.
Say nothing that you would not like God to hear.
Write nothing that you would not like God to read.
Go to no place where you would not like God to find you.
Read no book of which you would not like God to say, "Show it to Me."
Never spend your time in such a way that you would not like to have God say, "What are you doing?

Adam and others thought they could hide their sin, remember that God sees, hears and knows everything.

That is a true antidote to sin.

Amen
KK

SOAK IN SCRIPTURE

Witnessing to Loved ones

Darren Rogers | Witnessing to

John 7

sermonaudio.com/sermon/1213171541237

How to Witness to Buddhists

Darren Rogers | Witnessing to

sermonaudio.com/sermon/96171532531

FERVENT PRAYER FOR CHINA

TUJIA

Tujia in China

Tibetan Gtsang

Tibetan Gtsang in China

Mark Dohle · Mar 20, 2023

That place of ‘rest’

It is always very humbling for me to meet those who come here. They teach me a great deal and I find it interesting that
some people think that just because I live in a monastery I am for some reason ‘closer’ to God…..
not sure anyone can get ‘closer’ to God than they already are. We just need to believe
it and live in that space. I often do not live in that place. Though, as the years
pass ever more quickly; I find that grace is slowly and patiently bringing me to that place of ‘rest’.-Br.MD

essentialsaltes · Mar 20, 2023

disciple Clint said:
all of which has nothing to do with the subject he was supposed to be investigating but if some people feel they got their moneys worth I am happy for them.

I am happy We The People got $25 million of Paul Manafort's money's worth for his tax and bank fraud. Speaking of banks, that's the topic of the thread.

disciple Clint said:
IG report shows Russia hoax a coup attempt: Devine

Inspector General Michael Horowitz finally damned the FBI during his testimony Wednesday when he said he would be “skeptical” that there was anything accidental in the egregious catalog…

nypost.com

Neither Horowitz nor his report said that; that's the opinion of a NY Post opinion writer.

What the IG report actually said (p. iv) was:

We did not find documentary or testimonial evidence that political bias or improper motivation influenced the decisions to open the four individual investigations

[into:
Papadopoulos (guilty)
Page (not charged)
Flynn (guilty)
and Manafort (guilty)]

linux.poet · Mar 20, 2023

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This thread has been permanently closed for goading Calvinists.

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Diamond7 · Mar 20, 2023

I usually get an old plastic shoe container, fill it with soil and throw seeds in that. They sprout in a week or so and I transfer them to a plastic glass 3 or 5 ounces. If it is warm outside I will put them out in the sun. If it is cold I keep them by a window where they get sun. Then when it is warm enough outside I plant them. I get a lot of flowers for a dollars worth of seeds and a little bit of potting soil. I keep the cups in the same plastic contains so they are easy to handle and move around. The seeds almost always grow. One year we planted a lot of sun flowers that got 6 or 8 feet and attracted a lot of birds, bees, and butterflys that I photographed. I still have a lot of photos but they are not well organized.

Jeff Saunders · Mar 20, 2023

Michie said:
Who wouldn’t want to believe everybody wins — that in the end, God doesn’t have the heart to leave anyone behind?

That my non-believing uncle who drank himself to death and my friend who worships the sun god and even my neighbor who believes in nothing but who’s really nice and serves at the soup kitchen every Thursday … who wouldn’t want to believe that all of them will end up in Heaven one day?

It would make life simpler, wouldn’t it?

Universalism cloaks itself in love and acceptance, accusing those who don’t agree with it of being narrow, rigid, angry, unloving. “Love wins,” it urges. “Can’t we all just get along?”

We ought to be all for it. It would be a whole lot easier on all of us if we could skip that part about truth being absolute, basing our choices instead on moment and mood. It would free up a lot of time in my week. Church is fun, but not that fun. Coffee and a good newsfeed in yoga pants is also fun; so is sleeping late.

I was ordained alongside someone who called himself a universalist and was stunned that no one in the hierarchy of my United Methodist tribe had a problem with that. He also considered himself a Christian (a Christian pastor, at that) but didn’t believe Jesus cared what choice we make about truth. That’s the thing about universalism. It is predestination’s odd other half. Jesus will send you to heaven whether you want to go or not. Choice is out the window just as surely as if your salvation was determined before your birth. As a theology it isn’t Christian.

Continued below.

Who wouldn't want to be a universalist? (and why I'm not) - Art of Holiness

Who wouldn't want to believe everybody wins -- that in the end, God doesn't have the heart to leave anyone behind?

artofholiness.com

you really do not understand biblical universal redemption at all, I don't understand why so many people speak about what they have no knowledge about . biblical universal redemption is not the same as universalism the two are not compatible.

Presbyterian Continuist · Mar 20, 2023

Alexpro said:
You should start a deliverance forum. Many Christians believe in the casting out of evil spirits to heal the sick, as it is evident throughout the Bible. Jesus healed the sick by casting out demons from people. Here are some scriptures to support this: Mark 16:17, Matthew 10:1, Luke 9:1, and Acts 8:7. In addition, Paul the Apostle removed an unclean spirit from a woman who had a demon of divination (Acts 16:16-18).

CF once had a deliverance forum. It was closed down because it was often hijacked by those who wanted to use it as a soapbox to persuade people that there was a demon under every bush and to make people believe that anything that was out of the ordinary involved a demon. Therefore it got closed down because it was doing more harm than good.

Deliverance is a specialised ministry, requiring maturity and sound training. It is not for novices in the faith who think they can get on an online forum and achieve wonders with people they have never met and have no knowledge of their personal circumstances.

For the same reason, the prophetic forum was also closed down. It was also hijacked by those who used it as a soapbox for their own religious views tacking on to them, "Thus says the Lord", when the Lord wasn't speaking to them at all. The wise staff members recognised that the forum was going nowhere, and also doing more harm than good, so they quite rightly closed it down.

Christsfreeservant · Mar 20, 2023

littleangelone said:
great perspectives & points today

Thank you. Glory to God.

eleos1954 · Mar 20, 2023

newton3005 said:
In Isaiah 1:18, God allows us some flexibility. That is, He permits us to use reasoning in our understanding of Him. He seems to allow that there are Passages in the Bible which may seem ambiguous at first glance, so He lets us interpret these Passages in terms of what we know from the Bible and other sources, so long as our conclusions are in line with what God wants from us. But there is also an understanding, emphasized in Passages such as 2 Timothy 3:16-17, that the Bible is the final Word; we are to accept the Bible in terms of its principles and premises, since it is the Word of God.

Some may say that people wrote the Bible, but that’s like saying that, for instance, Lincoln’s secretary wrote the Gettysburg Address. Did Lincoln’s secretary not write what Lincoln wanted her to write? In the same sense, did not those who penned the Bible not write what God wanted them to write? Now some may say that God did not dictate to those who penned the Bible, but does the Bible not infer that God is in the hearts of those who love Him? I tell you that God dictated to the hearts and souls of those who penned the Bible.

So, at first glance, John 10:30-39 brings up an idea that we who love God are gods ourselves, albeit not as most high as He is. In John 10, Jesus says things that the Jews who listened to him pretty much find palatable at least. But when he says in Verse 30 “I and the father are one,” the Jews pick up stones to throw at Jesus in Verse 31.

When Jesus asks in Verse 32 why they want to stone him, they answer in Verse 33 that it’s because Jesus makes himself the equivalent of God. What is Jesus’ response? He says in Verses 34-36, “Is it not written in your Law, ‘I said, you are gods’? If he called them gods to whom the word of God came—AND SCRIPTURE CANNOT BE BROKEN— do you say of him whom the Father consecrated and sent into the world, ‘You are blaspheming,’ because I said, ‘I am the Son of God’?

It is believed that the Verse that Jesus quotes is Psalms 82:6 in which God says “You are gods, sons of the Most High, all of you...” But who is God speaking to? Jesus seems to imply that God is speaking to men. But is it men that God is speaking to? In the very next Verse, Verse 7, it says “nevertheless, LIKE MEN you shall die, and fall like any prince.” The insertion “like men,” strongly implies that God is not speaking to men. So who is God speaking to?

Some context is warranted regarding Psalms 82. In verses 1-5, God severely criticizes what the Bible refers to as his “divine council.” He calls out this council for failing to act and judge in a righteous manner, so He says in Verse 7 that they “shall die, and fall like any prince.” This comes to mind Satan, who is considered a fallen angel. In that regard, was not God speaking to a divine council of angels?

Unless there’s a translation issue that muddies the waters, it seems that Jesus is equating men with the angels that God was talking to. So, it seems that Jesus extends to men what God says to His angels that they are gods as well. A question might come up as to what basis Jesus might believe that angels and men are the same? But something like this may very well be one of the things that are beyond explanation, so in showing our faith and love in God through Jesus, we can only accept what the Bible tells us. If the Bible says that to Jesus, God’s divine council is a council of men, then it is what it is. If the Bible infers that Jesus equates men with the angels, then it is what that is.

Angels and man are created beings .... not "gods" of any kind (that's serpent talk) ..... angels will remain angels and humans will remain human .... both (except for the fallen) seek the council of God and serve Him .... God is all knowing .... He imparts HIS wisdom to His creation ... wisdom comes from Him alone.

Michie · Mar 20, 2023

The soon-to-be new priests of the Legionaries of Christ come from Germany, Colombia, Chile, South Korea, Canada, Brazil, El Salvador, Spain, the United States, Italy, Mexico, and Venezuela.

In 2023 the Legionaries of Christ religious order will provide 32 new priests for service to the Church. Twenty-nine of them will be ordained in Rome in the papal basilica of St. Mary Major on April 29 by Cardinal Fernando Vérguez, president of the Governorate of the State of Vatican City.

The other three will receive priestly ordination at different times of the year.

The soon-to-be new priests of the Legionaries of Christ come from Germany, Colombia, Chile, South Korea, Canada, Brazil, El Salvador, Spain, the United States, Italy, Mexico, and Venezuela.

The April 29 ordination in Rome can be viewed live on the congregation's website at 10 a.m. Rome time.

Continued below.

Legionaries of Christ to Ordain 32 New Priests in 2023

The soon-to-be new priests of the Legionaries of Christ come from Germany, Colombia, Chile, South Korea, Canada, Brazil, El Salvador, Spain, the United States, Italy, Mexico, and Venezuela.

www.ncregister.com

Michie · Mar 20, 2023

Wyoming has become the first US state to ban abortion pills after its governor signed a bill that made prescribing or selling them illegal.

Violating it is punishable by up to six months in jail and a $9,000 fine.

Women "upon whom a chemical abortion is performed or attempted" will not be prosecuted.

As Mark Gordon signed the bill on Friday, a Texas judge was considering a lawsuit that could effectively ban a common abortion pill nationwide.

Abortion pills are the most common method of pregnancy termination in the US.
The Wyoming bill, which was passed by the state's Republican-controlled legislature earlier this month, makes it illegal to "prescribe, dispense, distribute, sell or use any drug for the purpose of procuring or performing an abortion".

The law is scheduled to take effect on 1 July.

Continued below.

Abortion pills banned in Wyoming as Texas judge considers nationwide decision

The ban comes as a Texas judge considers revoking nationwide approval of a common abortion pill.

www.bbc.com

Michie · Mar 20, 2023

The Synodal Way, which has come to an end, has made it clear with great matter-of-factness that the doctrine and the faith of the Church are considered negotiable. If this conviction is shattered by Rome, one can only hope that it will not tear the German Catholic Church apart.

The consequences of the Synodal Way cannot be gauged yet. Much was decided: The dioceses in Germany are to enable the blessing of homosexual couples. They are to allow lay people to preach at Mass. They are to propagate an image of man that complies with gender ideology and ask the Pope to lift the obligation to celibacy and to examine whether women can be admitted into the ministry after all.

The discussion of all these topics was justified with the prevention of abuse. Officially, the Synodal Way had been established for this purpose. Since then, however, that purpose has merely served as an all-too transparent fig leaf. Whoever expressed doubts regarding the legitimacy of the process was reminded that the goal was, after all, the prevention of abuse.

But just how the discussion of lay preaching, for instance, would serve that goal, why the celibacy of priests should be lifted, even though the MHG-study*, to which the Synodal Way refers, explicitly sees no connection between abuse and celibacy (which is in line with other studies on the subject): none of these things were taken into consideration.

Instead, the abuse scandal serves as a vehicle for interested parties to enforce what some church officials, a part of the Federal Association Catholics and of Academic Theology, have demanded for decades: a comprehensive self-secularization, the abandonment of central beliefs and traditional faith practices. Here we also find the reason why it is so hard to explain what the Synodal Way actually consists of: anyone with a minimal understanding of religion must find this process absurd. For religions revolve around truth. But how is one supposed to vote on truth?

Continued below.

A view from Germany: The Synodal Way abuses the Catholic Faith

www.catholicworldreport.com

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