• 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.

Decomposed body in handcuffs, Nazi paraphernalia found in Stamford, Conn. gunman's home

CBS News New York has learned 63-year-old Jed Parkington, who died by suicide during the standoff, was fascinated with Nazi Germany and was dressed in camouflage and wearing Nazi lapel pins when state marshals came to his door on Oaklawn Avenue in an attempt to evict him.

Standoff and shootout in Stamford, Connecticut
Police said Parkington opened fire on police who were backing up marshals serving eviction papers.

Parkington fired dozens of AK-47 rounds at officers, police said. Some of the gunfire was captured on video that shows the spray of bulletproof glass as shots hit the 3-inch-thick windshield of an armored vehicle.

Pipe bombs and the decomposed body of a handcuffed male were also found, the latter likely involving foul play, CBS News New York has learned.

Is Europe facing civilizational erasure?

The new American national security review suggests Europe needs strengthening. Is Europe facing civilizational erasure? Is American policy good for Europe or not?

The report points to various weaknesses and issues to work with:

1) A declining share of global GNP - 25 --> 14% since 1990
2) Problematic cultural and civilization erosion - activities of the European Union and other transnational bodies that undermine political liberty and sovereignty, migration policies that are transforming the continent and creating strife, censorship of free speech and suppression of political opposition, cratering birthrates, and loss of national identities and self-confidence.
3) Despite possessing a greater hard power than Russia in every category but nukes Europe lacks self- confidence.

The policy of the USA should therefore be:

Our broad policy for Europe should prioritize:
• Reestablishing conditions of stability within Europe and strategic stability with Russia;
• Enabling Europe to stand on its own feet and operate as a group of aligned sovereign nations, including by taking primary responsibility for its own defense, without being dominated by any adversarial power;
• Cultivating resistance to Europe’s current trajectory within European nations;
• Opening European markets to U.S. goods and services and ensuring fair treatment of U.S. workers and businesses;
• Building up the healthy nations of Central, Eastern, and Southern Europe through commercial ties, weapons sales, political collaboration, and cultural and educational exchanges;
• Ending the perception, and preventing the reality, of NATO as a perpetually expanding alliance; and
• Encouraging Europe to take action to combat mercantilist overcapacity, technological theft, cyber espionage, and other hostile economic practices.

In that day shall the deaf hear the words of the book, and the eyes of the blind shall see out of obscurity, and out of darkness....

Peace in Christ.

Isa 29:18 KJV
(18) And in that day shall the deaf hear the words of the book, and the eyes of the blind shall see out of obscurity, and out of darkness.

The earth became without form….without the form of Christ….and void….void of the knowledge of the glory of God.

His people (who are attending man-based churches) are not currently shining the glory light of the Lord to the outside people of this earth who are sitting in deep darkness. They are "deaf" as they do not hear the Word of Truth from their preachers. The glory of God does not currently appear over His people who are void of His glory…..and so the entire earth is covered with a deep spiritual darkness. The people of the outside world are "blind" in the deep darkness where there is no light to be seen.

We are to manifest the life of Christ (the light) to their eyes….but right now, His view (visage) is being marred so that they cannot “see” Him through us. Isaiah 52:14 . The “blind” cannot see Him.

Gen 1:1-3
(1) In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.
(2) And the earth was (Hebrew: hayah = to become) without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters.

(3) And God said, Let there be light: and there was light.

Darkness was upon the faces (plural) of the deep. Darkness covers the earth and thick darkness the people of this earth. The people of the outside world who are in darkness do not “see” Him as His people are not manifesting His light and glory to them. Darkness is upon their faces because of the lack of the light of Christ in His people.

We are to “arise” and depart from out of the dead man-based churches where they are not shining His light to the people of the outside world who are in deep darkness. The glory of the LORD does not rise upon them.

We can then “shine” and the glory of the LORD will rise upon us so that the people in the deep darkness can see and come to His light shining through us. The “blind” shall then “see” and be saved.

Isa 60:1-3 KJV
(1) Arise, shine; for thy light is come, and the glory of the LORD is risen upon thee.
(2) For, behold, the darkness shall cover the earth, and gross darkness the people: but the LORD shall arise upon thee, and his glory shall be seen upon thee.

(3) And the Gentiles shall come to thy light, and kings to the brightness of thy rising.

We are to “awake” out of our “sleep” and arise OUT OF the dead ones (the dead man-based churches who are all “asleep” and are not shining His light) and Christ shall give you light. We become His children of light to this dark world so that they may “see” Him through us. We are then made the light of this world …a city on a hill that cannot then be hid from them….in Him.

Eph 5:14

(14) Wherefore he saith, Awake thou that sleepest, and arise from (out of) the dead (dead ones), and Christ shall give thee light.

The Spirit of God moves upon the FACES (plural) of the waters (people). We all, with OPEN FACE, behold as in a mirror the glory of the Lord. We shine forth His glory to the darkened faces of the people of this world. The “blind” shall then “see.” Let there be light.

2Co 3:17-18 KJV
(17) Now the Lord is that Spirit: and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty.

(18) But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord.

We are to shine the light of the knowledge of the glory of God to the people of this darkened world in the face of Jesus Christ that our “open faces” (to the world) will reflect as in a mirror.

2Co 4:6
(6) For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.

Whenever
He shall appear (in our mortal bodies), then we shall appear with Him in glory (to the believing people of the outside world).

He shall “appear” to the eyes of those who are chosen among the people of the world to “see” Him….WHENEVER He appears.

Col 3:4
(4) When (WHENEVER) Christ, who is our life, shall appear, then shall ye also appear with him in glory.

“in that NIGHT”…in the deep darkness….one person of the outside world shall “see” Him as He “appears” (shines) to him or her and will be “taken”….that is, RECEIVED unto Him. He “appears” …shines…through us to them. "Whenever Christ shall appear" to those who will "see" Him shine/appear through us, we shall appear with Him in glory. The chosen people of the outside world who are "in the night" shall see Him and will believe and praise God.

The “other” will be left as Christ did not “appear” to them.

Luk 17:34-37
(34) I tell you, in that night there shall be two in one bed; the one shall be taken, and the other shall be left.
(35) Two shall be grinding together; the one shall be taken, and the other left.

(36) Two shall be in the field; the one shall be taken, and the other left.

Wherever the body…the living body of Christ (whom we manifest) is, there the eagles (who SEE the living body) shall be gathered together. They will come to His life that manifests through us to them. They will come to our light.

(37) And they answered and said unto him, Where, Lord? And he said unto them, Wheresoever the body (soma = sound body) is, thither will the eagles be gathered together.

continued in next post...

Please pray about a friendship at Church

After my husband divorced me, I struggled with depression. For a couple of years I've been siting next to a widower in Church. We are both elderly and he has recently moved into a flat for older people with a communal lounge and garden. Since then he has not seemed to want the sort of friendship I had been hoping for: a cup of coffee occasionally and maybe an afternoon out, for companionship and conversation.

Our Pastor spoke to me about my friendship with this man, thinking I wanted something more romantic than I do. There seems to be a complete disconnect between myself, my Pastor, and the man. As a result the man is going to other churches until after Christmas. I said if need be, I would change churches, but I really don't want to. (He's been a member for 40 years, so I would hate for him to have to change.)

Meanwhile my next door neighbour is having chemotherapy and I feel I need to tell her about the Lord. She's self-isolating atm so I can't visit her now. Also my very elderly cousin has Alzheimers and is against God. People's salvation is so important and I find it difficult to deal with all this.

Please pray that things get sorted out with this man and no-one will have to change churches. Also that the Holy Spirit will move in the lives of my neighbour, and my cousin, and I will have the courage to talk to my neighbour about the Lord.

Many thanks and God bless you. :)

Majority of pastors now using AI to prepare sermons amid rapid embrace of technology: study

A majority of pastors are now using artificial intelligence to prepare their sermons, with ChatGPT and Grammarly reported as the top two AI tools, new survey data shows.

"ChatGPT is the most visible generative AI tool that can engage in human-like conversations and assist with a wide range of tasks, from answering questions to generating content," researchers wrote in "The 2025 State of AI in the Church Survey Report" prepared by AiForChurchLeaders.comand Exponential AI NEXT.

“As the most popular AI tool among church leaders (26%), ChatGPT is being used for applications such as sermon preparation, research, and crafting church communications. Its versatility and ease of use make it a powerful asset for streamlining ministry work and sparking creative ideas."

The data, based on responses from 594 pastors and church staff members, shows that church leaders are now more concerned about "the weighty ethical and practical considerations involved" in the use of AI as they continue their rapid embrace of the technology.

Continued below.

Prayers for My Mother

My mother isn't saved and has a "heart of of stone" for a past hurt to where she lashes out at those closest to her. She currently isn't open to hearing anything to do with the Gospel of Christ and is currently in the latter stages of heart failure. I received a word that she will leave this earth as soon as her decision is secure and I have been holding on to that in spite of what I am witnessing from her.

I'm believing God for a miracle with regards to her salvation and ask that the saints on here stand in agreement with me to this end.

Blessing to you all and thank you xx

One Flock with One Shepherd

“I have other sheep, which are not of this fold; I must bring them also, and they will hear My voice; and they will become one flock with one shepherd. For this reason the Father loves Me, because I lay down My life so that I may take it again. No one has taken it away from Me, but I lay it down on My own initiative. I have authority to lay it down, and I have authority to take it up again. This commandment I received from My Father.” (John 10:16-18 NASB1995)

When Jesus spoke these words, his sheep (his followers) were primarily the Jews who had believed in him to be their Lord and Savior. So, the “other sheep” he was speaking of were the Gentiles who were soon to be included in the family of God, by faith in Jesus Christ, because of Jesus’ sacrifice on that cross for the sins of the world. And Jew and Gentile, by faith in Jesus Christ, were to become one people of God, no longer divided by Jew and Gentile, but now all one family, with Jesus Christ as their only shepherd.

For Jesus Christ made both groups into one and broke down the barrier of the dividing wall that stood between them, and he made the two (Jew and Gentile) into “one new man,” that he might reconcile them both in one body to God through the cross. For through Christ we both (Jew and Gentile) have access in one Spirit to the Father so that non-Jews who believe in Jesus Christ are now fellow citizens with the Jewish saints of God who have trusted in Jesus Christ to be their Lord, both of whom are now of God’s household.

For not all who are descended from Israel belong to Israel, and not all who are physical descendants of Abraham are the children of Abraham. For it is not the children of the flesh who are the children of God, but it is the children of the promise who are counted as offspring. So, if you belong to God, by biblical faith in Jesus Christ, then you are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise, because Jesus Christ is the seed of Abraham, and God’s promises were spoken to Abraham and to his seed (Galatians 3:16).

So, there is no more division between Jew and Gentile. We are all one people, one holy nation, by genuine faith in Jesus Christ. And all who deny that Jesus is the Christ are not of God, but they are antichrist, denying both the Father and the Son (Jesus Christ). So physical Jerusalem is no longer God’s holy city because she is of Hagar, the slave woman, and not of Sarah, the free woman. But spiritual Jerusalem, which is not a physical place, is the family of God by faith in Jesus Christ. We are God’s holy city, his people.

[Genesis 17:7-9; Genesis 18:19; Matthew 5:13-16; John 8:18-19,38-47; Romans 2:28-29; Romans 6:1-23; Romans 8:1-14; Romans 9:4-8,25-28; Romans 11:1-36; 1 Corinthians 3:16-17; 1 Corinthians 10:1-22; Galatians 3:16,26-29; Galatians 4:22-31; Ephesians 2:11-22; Ephesians 3:1-6; Titus 2:11-14; Hebrews 3:1-19; Hebrews 4:1-16; Hebrews 8:6-13; 1 Peter 2:9-10,24; 1 John 2:22; Jude 1:5; Revelation 2:9; Revelation 3:9]

But we are not included in God’s family merely by verbal professions of faith in Jesus Christ. So here is what it means to be of faith in Jesus Christ:

Jesus Christ taught that to come to him we must deny self, take up our cross daily (die daily to sin), and follow (obey) him. For if we hold on to living in sin and for self, we will lose our lives for eternity. But if we deny self, die daily to sin, by the Spirit, and we walk in obedience to our Lord and to his commands, in his power, then we have eternal life with God. For not everyone who calls him “Lord” will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one DOING (obeying) the will of God (see Luke 9:23-26; Matthew 7:21-23).

For by God-gifted faith in Jesus Christ, which is not of our own doing, we are crucified with Christ in death to sin and raised with Christ to walk in newness of life in him, no longer to live as slaves to sin but as slaves to righteousness in walks of obedience to God’s commands. We are no longer to permit sin to reign in our mortal bodies to make us obey its desires. For if sin is what we obey, it results in death. But if obedience to God is what we obey, it results in sanctification, and its end is eternal life with God (see Romans 6:1-23).

[Matthew 7:13-14,21-23; Luke 9:23-26; John 10:27-30; Acts 26:18; Romans 1:18-32; Romans 2:5-10; Romans 3:23; Romans 6:1-23; Romans 8:1-14; 1 Corinthians 10:1-22; Galatians 5:16-24; Ephesians 2:8-10; Ephesians 4:17-32; Ephesians 5:3-6; Titus 2:11-14; Hebrews 3:1-19; Hebrews 4:1-13; Hebrews 10:19-39; Hebrews 12:1-2; 1 Peter 2:24; 1 John 1:1-10; 1 John 2:3-6; 1 John 3:4-10; Revelation 2:1-29; Revelation 3:1-22]

Seek the Lord

Based off Isaiah 55
An Original Work / July 20, 2012
Christ’s Free Servant, Sue J Love
Musical Instrumentation by Mark Bradley


“Come to Me all you who thirst; come to waters.
Listen to Me, and eat what’s good today,
And your soul will delight in richest of fare.
Give ear to Me, and you will live.
I have made an eternal covenant with you.
Wash in the blood of the Lamb.”

Seek the Lord while He may be found; call on Him.
Let the wicked forsake his way, in truth.
Let him turn to the Lord, and he will receive mercy.
Freely, God pardons him.
“For My thoughts are not your thoughts,
Nor are your ways My ways,”
declares the Lord, our God.

“My word that goes out of My mouth is truthful.
It will not return to Me unfulfilled.
My word will accomplish all that I desire,
And achieve the goal I intend.
You will go in joy and be led forth in peace.
The mountains will burst into song… before you,
And all of the trees clap their hands.”

Login to view embedded media
One Flock with One Shepherd
An Original Work / December 7, 2025
Christ’s Free Servant, Sue J Love

88-year-old Army veteran working at grocery store receives over $1.7M in donations after viral video

Australian influencer Sam Weidenhofer tracked down Ed Bambas at Michigan supermarket​


More than $1.7 million has been raised to help an Army veteran retire after his story went viral online and a GoFundMe drew thousands of donations from strangers.

Australian social media influencer Sam Weidenhofer first learned about Edmund Bambas, 88, from a comment on one of his videos. Weidenhofer then worked with influencer Mike McKinstry to track the veteran down at the Meijer supermarket in Brighton, Michigan, where he works, WXYZ Detroit reported.

"May I ask how old you are?" Weidenhofer asks in the video.

"I'm 88 years old," Bambas responded.

“Why do you have to keep working?" Weidenhofer asks.

Bambas, who served in the U.S. Army in 1966, explained that he retired from General Motors in 1999, but everything changed when the automaker filed for bankruptcy years later.

“ I retired from General Motors in [1999]," Bambas says. "In 2012, they went bankrupt, and they took my pension away from me."

The veteran said his financial situation worsened when his wife became seriously ill.

"The thing that hurt me the most was my wife was real sick, and when they took the pension, they also took the health care coverage and all but $10,000 of my life insurance," Bambas said, "So, I sold the house, sold the property I had and we made it through."

Continued below.
  • Informative
Reactions: Pioneer3mm

Pastor outraged after friend jailed for refusing to apologize over drag queen story hour protest: 'Minions of Satan'

A Canadian pastor expressed outrage to The Christian Post regarding a fellow pastor who was arrested this week for not apologizing for protesting drag queen story hours with children at a public library two years ago.

"These people are sick in the head. They're demon-possessed. They're wicked, evil minions of Satan," Pastor Artur Pawlowski told CP on Friday from a court in Calgary, Alberta, where he was showing support for his friend, Pastor Derek Reimer, as he faced a bail hearing.

Reimer was arrested in Calgary on Wednesday after he refused a court order to write and sign an apology to the library manager of Calgary Public Library regarding his 2023 protest at a "Reading with Royalty" event, which featured male drag queens reading to children, according to the Western Standard. Reimer told the Canadian outlet that he felt he had nothing to apologize for.

Continued below.
  • Like
Reactions: Delvianna

Prayers for my sister in law

Please pray for her peace and strength of mind. She is getting where she is not sleeping and is in the midst of trying to adjust to some new meds. She keeps thinking in loops and is obsessively worried about everything. Usually when she gets like this she ends up in the hospital. Please pray for her peace and strength of mind where she can get through this without the hospital stay. :praying:

Thank you!

Can a young child become a Christian?

Can a young child truly be saved and on their way to Heaven? Can he or she be in the Kingdom of Heaven here on earth, one of those who is a genuine believer?

A Christian educator once said that the faith of a child — up to age 12 — could be called a “borrowed faith”; this faith could be borrowed from his parents or a Sunday school teacher. Then, in his early teens, the child would develop their “chosen faith,” ultimately moving on to their “owned faith.”

Now, when we think of a borrowed faith, do we also think of it as a saving faith? Not exactly, and not something you’d want to count on when you’re not totally confident.

Let’s see what Jesus had to say about children’s salvation. “At that time the disciples came to Jesus, saying, ‘Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?’ And calling to him a child, he put him in the midst of them and said, ‘Truly, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children, you will never enter the Kingdom of Heaven. Whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven’” (Matthew 18:1-4).

Okay, so the disciples have a different question than I originally posed; they want to know who’s the greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven. Jesus calls a little child. In case you question whether this really is a young child, the Greek word is paidión, which means “little” or “young.” So, he didn’t just call a child, he called a little child. Now remember, in that culture, a 13-year-old boy enters manhood. Young people were married at 16. So, if they are calling a child little, they mean little.

Continued below.

Prayer request for removal of sins

I have a lot of unresolved anger in me. A lot of thoughts of revenge on people who have hurt me. I have also struggled with addiction to pornography for many years. I have used it as a stress relief. I want these sins gone from my life forever. Please pray for me. Thank you.

Persecution in Pakistan, A pastor is killed Yesterday

Pastor Kamran Michael was brutally killed yesterday in Pakistan in front of his daughter. The attacker shot him multiple times to make sure he died, simply to stop him from proclaiming the Good News of Jesus. I just spoke with his mother-in-law on the phone to offer condolences, and it was heartbreaking to hear more details.

Pastor Kamran was the father of two daughters and one son. These young children all love the Lord. A few months ago, he was shot in the leg in Islamabad, where he served his church and congregation. Extremists had been pursuing him and threatening him everywhere he went. He moved from Islamabad to Gujranwala, but they were still not satisfied. They wanted to stop his passion for preaching the Gospel.

This is heartbreaking. The man of God, Pastor Kamran Michael, has given his life for his faith in Jesus. This martyr for Christ has finished his race. Please keep his children, his wife, and all the grieving family in your prayers.

Pastor Waris

Attachments

  • Pastor Kamran.jpg
    Pastor Kamran.jpg
    168.1 KB · Views: 16

Being wrong often is a blessing. Here's why

Most of us hate being wrong. We associate it with failure, embarrassment, and weakness. But the Bible treats being wrong very differently — not as a sign of defeat, but as the starting point of wisdom.

Proverbs reminds us that “the way of a fool is right in his own eyes, but a wise man listens to advice” (Proverbs 12:15). The greatest obstacle to growth is not ignorance; it’s arrogance. The wise person isn’t the one who never errs, but the one humble enough to admit when they do.

That’s what repentance really is — not shame, but reorientation. It’s the courage to turn around when you’ve been sprinting in the wrong direction.

Why admitting wrong feels so hard

It’s uncomfortable to confess error, especially in a culture that prizes certainty and self-assurance. Social media rewards the bold declarer, not the humble learner. We’d rather double down than backtrack, even when we know we’ve missed the mark.

But every time we resist correction, we cut ourselves off from the very wisdom that could save us. Solomon says, “Whoever loves discipline loves knowledge, but whoever hates correction is stupid” (Proverbs 12:1). Strong words — but necessary ones. Correction, though painful, is one of God’s greatest tools for shaping our hearts.

In spiritual life, humility is not optional. God designed truth to be discovered through community — through counsel, Scripture, prayer, and yes, even rebuke. That’s why repentance, not self-defense, is at the center of the Gospel.

Jesus began His ministry not by saying, “Believe harder,” but “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near” (Matthew 4:17). Repentance is not a punishment for being wrong; it’s the gift of being invited back on course.

The blessing hidden in correction

Continued below.

Do other Christians have trouble making friends?

I was wondering if any other Christians are having trouble with making friends. Friendships you're actually happy with and are good for you. It can be with other Christians or non-believers.

I feel like I have trouble. I don't really know where to find other Christians that are like me.

At work I'm around people I do not trust. They lie, they gossip, they're out to get others, etc. So I have to watch what I say and do, and protect myself.

I also haven't been to church in 6 years. I know that's bad. But I'm not impressed with the churches in my area.

Dear Pete Hegseth, I’m Grateful the Japanese Navy Spared My Grandfather’s Life

My grandfather Frank Gustaferro got the word at his uncle Carlo’s Bakery in Hoboken, New Jersey. His orders said that he was to report to the SS John Barry departing in a few days. The ship, secretly carrying millions of silver coins to support wartime operations in Saudi Arabia, was torpedoed by the German submarine U-859 on August 28, 1944. Two crewmen died in the blast. The rest, including my grandfather, ended up in the water — temporarily blinded from oil, injured, terrified, clinging to whatever wreckage they could find. They heard Japanese aircraft overhead as they floated in the Indian Ocean. My grandfather braced for the strafing run he assumed was coming. It never came. Even in the brutal logic of total war, there were limits. A line existed — a line older than the Geneva Conventions, older than the United Nations, older even than the modern idea of “war crimes” itself. You did not kill shipwrecked men in the water. You did not kill survivors who were out of the fight. You did not shoot the wounded clinging to debris. My grandfather survived because even America’s enemies in 1944 understood that basic rule of humanity.....
...The Imperial Japanese military, for all its many and well-documented atrocities, still had pilots and sailors who chose not to fire on American sailors who posed no threat. There are cases of American Navy sailors being spared by Japanese pilots and ship crews, as documented in James D. Hornfischer’s The Last Stand of the Tin Can Sailors.
The international conflict law prohibiting such attacks, known as hors de combat, doesn’t care whether the people in the water were alleged drug smugglers, enemy fighters, or simply unlucky. America is built on the premise that “all men are created equal” — even those we fight. Humanity is the line that prevents war from collapsing into a massacre.....ROLLING STONE

We as the United States of America can do better. We need to do better.

Finnish Orthodox Church Endorses LGBT And Gender Rights


Kirkolliskokous 2025: Viidennessä täysistunnossa yksi pöydällepano, viiden asian käsittely päätökseen - Suomen ortodoksinen kirkko (Item 24)

Ok, wow... what are the thoughts of EO folks on here? Is this nothing of any real consequence and the Church is just trying not to get into trouble with the government, or is this coming closer to formal approval?

I can see how these statements could be taken either way; as stating compassion without affirmation or stating a possible approval, depending on how one wanted to view them.

~ ~ ~

Item 24 (General Synod initiative on recognizing and safeguarding the rights of sexual and gender minorities and other minorities in the Church)​

The General Synod decided to approve the initiative.

Rationale:

The General Synod's initiative on recognising and safeguarding the rights of sexual and gender minorities and other minorities in the Church states: "The Church is the body of Christ. The exclusion of certain parts of the body – the denial of their identity – not only hurts these individuals, but cripples the community itself, wounds the church and makes it less of a church, weaker. In the church, everyone – absolutely everyone, regardless of gender, sexual orientation, ethnic background, skin colour, health challenges, social status, etc. you have to feel safe and genuinely be heard and encountered."

The General Synod considers that the objectives of the initiative – to strengthen the security, dignity and equal encounter of church membership – are in harmony with the pastoral tradition and educational mission of the Orthodox Church.

The General Synod considers it necessary for the Church to develop training, guidance and communication that support the comprehensive encounter and inclusion of all members belonging to minorities.

The General Synod does not take a stand on doctrinal issues, but emphasizes that the Church's policies must be in harmony with Finnish legislation and that the Church's educational and pastoral work requires clear practices that support equality. The Church must walk alongside every person and support them in all situations of life until the end.
  • Informative
Reactions: PloverWing

RFK Adjusts Hepatitis B Vaccine Recommendations; Democrats Lose Their Minds

Democrats are having existential meltdowns over RFK's department issuing revised recommendations for Hepatitis B vaccines in children. Instead of the current recommendations that have Hospitals as a matter of course inject all infants with Hepatitis B vaccines on the day of their birth, the new recommendations are that infants whose mothers have Hepatitis B be given the vaccine for protection at birth, but the others who have no risk getting the disease, instead delay until 2-3 months after birth before getting the vaccine. Apparently this will cause all sorts of death and destruction according to dems. The reality is there's nothing wrong with the recommendations at all, and there's no reason we should be injecting newborn infants who are not at risk, with something that they don't need, on the day they're born.
Screenshot 2025-12-06 090437.png

Screenshot 2025-12-06 090526.png


https://ground.news/article/us-vaccine-advisers-say-not-all-babies-need-a-hepatitis-b-shot-at-birth_014461

Is Amazon Renewed a good place to find an iPad?

I'm considering using Amazon Renewed to find a good quality cheap refurbished iPad. I am wondering how reliable a refurbished device would be, because one time a friend bought a refurbished Samsung Galaxy phone from Walmart and it had severe charging problems. So I have a distrust of buying refurbished, and wonder if I want to go with a brand new device. I have a brother who has autism and lives at a care center, and I can FaceTime him if I have an Apple device, and the care center is overly restrictive on not allowing any cross platform apps (not allowing Zoom or WhatsApp for Windows or Android).

Most self-identified Christians think doing 'good things' is enough to get to Heaven

New research reveals that most self-identified Christians think doing “good things” for others is enough to secure them a spot in Heaven, in what one leading researcher laments as the latest example of a widespread embrace of “unbiblical beliefs” among American Christians.

A recent report released by the Cultural Research Center at Arizona Christian University examining Americans’ views on the afterlife constitutes the latest installment of the American Worldview Inventory 2025, a survey of 2,000 American adults conducted in March.

Overall, majorities of all Christian subgroups believe that every person will be judged personally by God, with 95% of theologically identified born-again Christians, 86% of Pentecostals, 84% of Evangelicals, 84% of independent and non-denominational Christians, 83% of Protestants, 82% of Mainline Protestants, 78% of self-identified Christians and 74% of Catholics embracing this belief.

Continued below.

fears over Islam often a political maneuver against migrants, says Pope

"Questioned about a growing trepidation among western Christians about the growth of Islam outside of the Middle East, especially in predominantly Christian nations in the West, the pope said this was something touched on in his discussions with interfaith leaders in Turkey and Lebanon.

However, he cautioned that oftentimes these fears are “generated by people who are against immigration and trying to keep out people who may be from another country, another religion, another race.”

Pope inflight says fears over Islam often a political maneuver against migrants | Crux https://share.google/S89I3mLpZGSSx9eTv

Trump Admin Removes MLK Day, Juneteenth From National Parks Fee-Free Days (but adds Trump's Birthday!)

The Department of the Interior (DOI) recently announced its "resident-only patriotic fee-free days" for 2026, and missing from the list were MLK Day, which has been a National Park fee-free day since 2018, and Juneteenth, which was introduced as a fee-free day in 2024.

In place of these days commemorating American history, civil rights and equality, the Trump administration has instead opted to celebrate additional former presidents' birthdays and Flag Day, which is also President Donald Trump's birthday.

The removal of these days as fee-free National Park days follows the Trump administration's pause on certain days of remembrance, including MLK Day and Juneteenth, earlier this year, as part of the president's ban on diversity, equity, and inclusion programs.

For next year, the days chosen seem to fall in line with the Trump administration's "America-first" policies.

The department also announced the launch of new digital "America the Beautiful" passes, which will allow Americans to buy and use their passes on mobile devices ... The new passes also feature Trump's face, according to People

Filter

Forum statistics

Threads
5,879,347
Messages
65,432,573
Members
276,436
Latest member
GoodNewsSoldier