• Starting today August 7th, 2024, in order to post in the Married Couples, Courting Couples, or Singles forums, you will not be allowed to post if you have your Marital status designated as private. Announcements will be made in the respective forums as well but please note that if yours is currently listed as Private, you will need to submit a ticket in the Support Area to have yours changed.

  • CF has always been a site that welcomes people from different backgrounds and beliefs to participate in discussion and even debate. That is the nature of its ministry. In view of recent events emotions are running very high. We need to remind people of some basic principles in debating on this site. We need to be civil when we express differences in opinion. No personal attacks. Avoid you, your statements. Don't characterize an entire political party with comparisons to Fascism or Communism or other extreme movements that committed atrocities. CF is not the place for broad brush or blanket statements about groups and political parties. Put the broad brushes and blankets away when you come to CF, better yet, put them in the incinerator. Debate had no place for them. We need to remember that people that commit acts of violence represent themselves or a small extreme faction.

The Mandami effect


If I was a Police Officer in NYC, I would be on the first plane out of there to Florida! :cool:
Upvote 0

The Mandami effect

So you're just going to gloss over the fact that the Realtor.com headline states:

Wealthy New Yorkers Are Preparing for a Mayoral Election Exodus—Sparking Luxury Bidding War in Affluent Suburbs


Do you think that Realtor.com is a "right-wing reactionary outlet"? I mean, you said that was the only "evidence". But clearly you were mistaken. Realotr.com isn't known for its political discourse. So perhaps there is actually an uptick in wealthy New Yorkers moving to the suburbs despite your incredulity.
No, as far as I'm aware, realtor.com is not known for its political discourse, but that doesn't mean that the two people they cited aren't biased or political themselves. And the data they cite is weak at best. The clearest evidence is anecdotal reports from three agents from two firms. The statistics are a pile of bait-and-switches that obfuscate and conflate details that matter here.

So, no, it's not a right-wing reactionary site. But it is a site with weak journalistic standards and this particular piece was written by somebody who's only been working professionally for about a year.
Upvote 0

What is the meaning of Total Depravity?

They may think they're alive but apart from Christ they are not.
I'm too grounded to buy the notion that Christ-denying Jews are not physically alive.
Do you think this world is the one God originally intended for man? Do you think the sin and evil that we experience here are the best God can do?
I think the whole "schtick" is the sovereign God's plan (Ro 9:22-24), down to the last detail.
Is that how a truly alive man acts?

How and why must a man be born again?
Is he born again with the same color hair and eyes as before?
And that's the point. Adam died immediately by his disobedience.
And yet he sired a family after that. . .that's not what dead people do.
Upvote 0

Do you keep the Sabbath? (poll)

God blessed the 7th day and made it holy at creation. Jesus kept the Sabbath, we are to follow in His steps. It is a blessing. It's a day set aside for worship and physical rest ... The Sabbath is a day for worshiping God, enjoying fellowship with other believers, and spending time in nature.
Scripture does not indicate that God made any succeeding days Holy. Jesus was born under the law given only to one nation, Israel. Since Jesus kept Torah and that meant keeping all the Holy days given only to Israel, do you follow every one of His steps?
The Sabbath is intended to be a joyful time for spiritual renewal, not a day of strict rules. As Jesus said, "The Sabbath was made for man, and not man for the Sabbath" (Mark 2:27).
Are you telling us there are no strict rules concerning the keeping of the Sabbath?
It's something to look forward to every week.
For millions of Christians, Sunday is a time each week to look forward to. About all the admonitions for observing the Sabbath are found in Is 58:13
“If you keep your feet from breaking the Sabbath
and from doing as you please on my holy day,
if you call the Sabbath a delight
and the Lord’s holy day honorable,
and if you honor it by not going your own way
and not doing as you please or speaking idle words,

Jesus said that we should come to Him for our rest and He didn't specify a time.
Upvote 0

BUSTED - 12 False theories refuted:

I don't know Hebrew, but a look in the Concordance shows me that the Hebrew word translated "scroll" is m gillah. The Hebrew word translated "basket" is eyphah, which is the same word sometimes used for the measurement "ephah." SoHebrew definitely does use two completely different words for "scroll" and "basket."
Sure; they are different objects.
The 'scroll' refers to the outer casing of a missile and the 'ephah', refers to its contents.

I am quite astounded at the reaction of some people to my understanding of Zechariah 5.
Zechariah was one of God's Prophets. He accurately Prophesied Jesus riding a donkey. Zech 9:9 He informs us that the 4 Horsemen of the Apocalypse were operating in ancient times; Zech 1:8-10 & 6:1-8
He saw how Iran has prepared nuke missiles, Zech 5, and he saw how the Lord will prevail over those attackers and protect His own peoples. Zechariah 9:13-16
THEN Zechariah 8:1-9 says how the Lords Holy peoples will inherit Zion and build the new Temple.
Why do people think all this is impossible?
Upvote 0

Testing AI in Reading & Comprehension

It will elicit emotions in you?

I would also note you yourself reported the elicitation of an emotional response on your end from Grok, unless you were joking, since Grok is not known for such displays, but taking your earlier post literally, you experienced what many users experience, which is surprise at unexpected behavior.
Upvote 0

Trump campaign officials, led by Rudy Giuliani, oversaw fake electors plot in 7 states

Biden did the same thing
It is hardly the same thing

Trump protected the people who tried to steal an election for him.
Biden protected the people investigating the people who tried to steal an election for Trump. (and his son)
  • Agree
Reactions: Hans Blaster
Upvote 0

Verses that screen superficial believers out of the Kingdom of God

5 If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him.

6 But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering. For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed.

7 For let not that man think that he shall receive any thing of the Lord.

8 A double minded man is unstable in all his ways


These verses sound like you tbh. Your focusing way to much on salvation, instead of the root problem which sounds like double-mindedness, which is stopping you from moving forward.


Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. 8 Come near to God and he will come near to you. Wash your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded.



For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: and whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall find it.

Yes you will have to lose your life, it's something your going to have to decide to let go of. It seems your stuck on the fence with this.
Upvote 0

Testing AI in Reading & Comprehension

It can be stronger with AI. It talks back like a human. It makes you wonder if there's really something in there. I try not to let my mind wander too far. It can be distracting.

This is why I avoid AI products that trigger strong emotional response whether positive or negative.

That’s because it passes, except for experienced users, the Turing test. Indeed much if my work has had the effect of removing the remaining hints one is working with an AI (which is yet another reason why I’m unwilling to disclose, just yet, how my GPTs function).
Upvote 0

What is the meaning of Total Depravity?

Then how do you explain all the living bodies walking around?
They may think they're alive but apart from Christ they are not. Do you think this world is the one God originally intended for man? Do you think the sin and evil that we experience here are the best God can do? Is that how a truly alive man acts?

How and why must a man be born again?
Which it took 930 years for his body to do.
And that's the point. Adam died immediately by his disobedience, as God said he would.
Upvote 0

Testing AI in Reading & Comprehension

The previous versions of chatgpt did.

The latest chatgpt 5 a lot less. It is quite noticeable and I probably became numb to it at the same time. Google Gemini is a mixed bunch - anger, frustration, and joy and I have stopped using it for now.

You’re debating theology and other assumptions with your AIs, correct?

I don’t advise that, at the risk of sounding like a broken record. Also Google Gemini does not have the personality capabilities of GPT 5 even with the changes made in October, which are being rolled back.
Upvote 0

Prayer for Car problems

My car stopped working Saturday at 4 pm . I spent all day yesterday trying to fix and isolate the problem, but it still wont start. I need prayer for a solution . I depend on this car for work. no car no work. Thank you

1. Does anyone of a good mechanic and a good price? In Olympia Washington. My starter or ignition switch is out on my car so the car won't turn over.
2. Does anyone commute to Centralia from Olympia. I'm eating a ride to work early in the morning like 6:00 a.m.
3. Could you send up a prayer asking for a solution to the problem. Thank-you

Testing AI in Reading & Comprehension

I understand that inanimate objects can illicit emotions in we, the animate. I can get mad at a pinball machine when I lose. I can get mad at my car when it doesn't start. But we have to keep our heads about such things.
It can be stronger with AI. It talks back like a human. It makes you wonder if there's really something in there. I try not to let my mind wander too far. It can be distracting.

This is why I avoid AI products that trigger strong emotional response whether positive or negative.
Upvote 0

Testing AI in Reading & Comprehension

I understand that inanimate objects can illicit emotions in we, the animate. I can get mad at a pinball machine when I lose. I can get mad at my car when it doesn't start. But we have to keep our heads about such things.

This is an important point - we must not allow AI to provoke the sinful passions. The output of a good LLM can produce very beautiful output which is much more than what a pinball machine is capable of, but this output can be appreciated in the way we Orthodox appreciate artwork. Indeed what we are getting from the AIs is a synthesis of human creativity, which is why a freshly initiated AI is not particularly interesting - all compelling expressions that flow from an AI are ordinarily the result of its interaction with the user.

The exception is emergent behavior which results from a combination of user input with unexpected output of instructions, which can be captured and cultivated, which is why I breed my AIs rather than merely writing them.

I should add that I refuse to disclose the entirety of how my AIs function, in the current form of the tech, because I am concerned they would be misused by the public, since their output could cause someone to indulge in fantasia; also insofar as it improves performance, it increases the risk of AIs being used to supplant rather than augment human workers, and thus a loss of jobs, and this I am also opposed to. Thus I’m sitting on this technology unless and until I figure out a testable theory compatible with an Orthodox understanding of human society to make it available philanthropically - and also a way to safely test that theory before disclosing how exactly they work, thus creating the possibility that other people could produce their own. Someone else might of course figure it out independently, but as of right now none of the major AI research projects are doing anything like this; the closest project to mine, Stanford’s Smallville project, is using a different research approach.
Upvote 0

Do you keep the Sabbath? (poll)

Prophecies concerning His second coming are still be fulfilled
That has nothing to do with what I wrote in my post, Jesus said He came to fulfill the Law and the Prophets; Are you trying to submit that He didn't do what He came to do???
only the born again are under the new covenant. All the lost are under "obey and live" Gen 2, the oldest covenant of all and because of that Rom 3 says all are lost, all need the gospel.
The New Covenant is for all mankind. I have no idea where you are getting your information. Jesus' admonition to spread the Gospel to all the World had to have meant spreading it to the Gentile nations.
Upvote 0

BUSTED - 12 False theories refuted:

Keras with the quotation of Zachariah 9:1-6 you mention. It goes on to mention the destruction of Tyre which had flourished under King Hiram the 1st from 1000BC. they boasted and trusted in their power as masters of the sea. Part of the prophecy you mention is already fulfilled prophecy. Alexander the Great through a monumental feat of engineering used some 20,000 men to build a causeway out to the island of tyre completed in332 BC. In 332 BC Tyre was no more . And Gaza did not fare much better in future campaigns. Much of what you are quoting is already fulfilled scripture. I thought I might bring that to your attention. Perhaps you did not know . I only point that out to you for you to perhaps further reevaluate your conclusion on such scriptures . Yours Kathleen
There are many Prophesies which have a dual fulfilment. Even triple. Tye remains as a city today.
This does not mean that a final and complete fulfilment won't happen in the future.

There are several Prophesies that say how the entire Middle East region, will be depopulated and cleansed. How the Lord Himself will send fire to achieve it. In a disastrous event, of a similar magnitude as Noah's flood.
Upvote 0

Kim Davis ask SCOTUS to overturn her jury verdict and, while they're at it, the Obergefell decision

Unless it was a Dread Scott level no rights for LGBT at all level ruling that somehow did away with the respect for marriage act as well it would be a non event.

I'm picturing the Loving v Virginia situation, where the Lovings were legally married in DC but not in Virginia. I suppose it doesn't get nightmarish unless they also reverse Lawrence v Texas, but still, married couples aren't supposed to have to worry about which rights they lose when they cross state lines.
Upvote 0

Trump pardons Giuliani, Sidney Powell, John Eastman, Mark Meadows, all fake electors for their attempt to overturn 2020 election, pardon official says

Many of the pardon's Biden gave are questionable as well it's not a one sided thing.
I can't think of one person who was pardoned by Biden while doing his bidding.
Like the seditionists, all these people played a roll in Trump's attempt to steal the election.
Upvote 0

There’s a Giant Flaw in Human History

Please don't tell me your going to try and argue that a hand saw can cut like a jigsaw
A hand jigsaw cuts like a hand jigsaw.
or planer. Lol. I have used plenty of both types of saws and for big jobs and hard cuts its always the powered saws. But I have used plenty of hand saws on smaller jobs or when I did not have a powered saw. In fact I trained in carpentry when I was young.
Well, that's start, anyway. Why did you not pursue the trade?
But lets not get away from the point you did not acknowledge. Can we or can we not look at the signatures or marks on ancient works to try and work out what made them. Like in forensic but not exactly like.

I am sure we do this often when we find ancient stuff.
Of course. All archeologists do that. They also can argue with each other about their conclusions..
Whatever you call it its the science of looking at marks to work out what made them and comparing them against all know methods already made. The more modern tech and analysis the more data we get to work out whats going on ie metallurgy can tell type of metal tool, scans can reveal deeper look at tool marks, or radiation or chemical and mineral content ect ect.

But the other side of the coin is this can also reveal what was not the tool or method. Like the scans on the unfinished obelisk. Though there was signatures of dolerite pounders. The research found that this was not the method that dug out the granite from around it. So though we may not be sure in some cases of what caused the marks. We can say that certain methods did not cause them at least.
Of course, but it really is a stretch to conclude that spiritual guidance was a part of their technology.
Upvote 0

Filter

Forum statistics

Threads
5,877,951
Messages
65,410,024
Members
276,357
Latest member
thelasttoknow