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  • 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 End Time Puzzle

Combining the information from Daniel 8: 13,14 and Daniel 12: 11,12 with some texts from the book of Revelation, and taking into account the phases of the Moon (see - April 2141 Moon Phases Calendar - MoonPhases.org ), the possible date and time of the Second Coming is - Thursday, June 22, 2141 AD, about 17 minutes before sunrise (considered the city of Jerusalem, Israel). It is understood that the shortened days (see Matthew 24: 22) for there to be survivors are the 3 summer months, because the day of "Yom Kippur" originally always fell on the day of the autumnal equinox (Saturday, September 23, 2141).

P.S. - So, sisters and brothers, Christians, take courage! After about 6030 weeks (until this date - June 22, 2141) - We will be resurrected!
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Hell doesn't exist and there is no eternal suffering, instead bad peolle just cease to exist

Should we take Jesus words literally when he talks about eternal fire and The Cutting off of our hand? Mark 9:43

AI Overview
No, most theologians agree that Jesus' words about cutting off hands and feet were not meant to be taken literally. This is a case of hyperbole, or extreme exaggeration, intended to emphasize the seriousness of sin and the need to take drastic measures to avoid it.
The "eternal fire" is also interpreted metaphorically, not as literal fire that one could physically escape by self-mutilation.
...................................

Isn't it possible from the other scriptures: the Wicked will vanish and not be found or forgotten or rot or will be taken away or destroyed?
Psalm 37:10-11, 37:20; Proverbs 10:7, 10:29
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Trump suggests he’ll release Jeffrey Epstein ‘client list’ if elected: ‘I’d have no problem with it’

Trump to ask DOJ to probe Jeffrey Epstein involvement with Clinton, JPMorgan, Summers

President Donald Trump on Friday asked the Department of Justice to investigate relationships between notorious sex offender Jeffrey Epstein and former President Bill Clinton, JPMorgan Chase, former Treasury Secretary Larry Summers, billionaire tech investor Reid Hoffman, and others.

Attorney General Pam Bondi said later Friday that she had appointed Jay Clayton, the U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York, to lead the investigation.

Trump’s statement comes as he faces renewed pressure over his own past friendship with Epstein, who killed himself in August 2019 after being arrested on child sex trafficking charges.
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Congregation protests closure of Episcopal church amid sex abuse investigation, demands reopening

Such a stately building with average attendance of two dozen? Alleged assault in April. Police investigation in September? Diocese notified then? I have lots of questions. Oh my. Forgive me.
Only two dozen? Wouldn’t they merge with another parish or is that unheard of?
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Liberal Protestant churches proclaim 'holiness' of transgenderism, rebuke Catholic bishops

Several liberal Protestant and Jewish denominations declared transgenderism "holy" this week in direct rebuke of a vote by the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) to bar transgender procedures in Catholic healthcare facilities.

"During a time when our country is placing their lives under increasingly serious threat, there is a disgraceful misconception that all people of faith do not affirm the full spectrum of gender — a great many of us do," read the Wednesday statement, which included signatures of leaders from The Episcopal Church, the Presbyterian Church (USA), the United Church of Christ (UCC), the Unitarian Universalist Association, the Union for Reform Judaism, an association of Quakers and others.

“Let it be known instead that our beloveds are created in the image of God — Holy and whole," the statement said of transgender-identifying individuals.

Continued below.
If they’re holy and whole, mutilating their bodies would be sacrilegious. We are all broken, all need for repentance and the gospel! IMHO
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Liberal Protestant churches proclaim 'holiness' of transgenderism, rebuke Catholic bishops

As a slight correction to the headline, I don't see "transgenderism" or any other "ism" being labelled as holy in the statement. I see people being labelled as being holy, sacred, and in the image of God.
Indeed! We are made holy by our baptism.
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No Mayor - you cannot control privately owned businesses - if they want to leave, they can.

where does she get the authority to do so?
Presumably, she'll work with the city council to pass a law/regulation.
No Mayor - you cannot control privately owned businesses
The city can regulate them, though.
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Why Kat Von D Will Not Get Rid of an Item in Her Home Some Christians Think Is ‘Demonic’

Internet warriors of all stripes are insufferable imo. :rolleyes: Keep your historical piece of furniture Kat.
Maybe she should talk to her priest about that. (She’s a catechumen in the Orthodox Church), instead of random people she never met? Eh?
  • Agree
Reactions: RamiC
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Did the beginning of the IDL change the beginning of the Jewish Sabbath?

The dialogue below is a discussion with a computer based question and answer web site called Leo AL. It is a search engine provided by Brave, my browser. My questions are in blue. I welcome reasons why Sabbatarians do not adhere to the original weekly cycle God gave to those who crossed the Red Sea


Did the beginning of the IDL change the beginning of the Jewish Sabbath?

No, the International Date Line (IDL) did not change the beginning of the Jewish Sabbath. The Jewish Sabbath has always begun at sunset on Friday and ended at sunset on Saturday, based on the biblical creation account and Jewish law.
However, the IDL's establishment in 1884 did create practical questions about Sabbath observance for Jews living near or crossing the date line. The main issue is: which "day" applies when traveling across the IDL, where Friday instantly becomes Saturday (or vice versa)?
Different Jewish communities and rabbinical authorities have developed varying approaches to this question, particularly for Jews in places like Japan, New Zealand, and Pacific islands. Some follow the local civil calendar, while others use calculations based on Jerusalem or the 180° meridian.
Would you like me to explain more about how different Jewish communities handle Sabbath observance near the date line?


I reject your reasoning because now the week ends and now starts at the IDL not at the longitude the Sabbath was given.


I understand your concern. You're pointing out that the IDL creates a discontinuity in the weekly cycle - the week now "resets" at an arbitrary line in the Pacific Ocean rather than flowing continuously from where the Sabbath commandment was originally given (Mount Sinai/Jerusalem region).
This is actually a legitimate halakhic (Jewish legal) debate. Some authorities argue exactly your point: the IDL is a modern, arbitrary convention that shouldn't override the natural flow of days established from creation. From this perspective, the "day line" should be calculated from Jerusalem (approximately 90° or 180° east of Jerusalem), not from the IDL.
Other authorities accept the civil IDL as the practical boundary since we live in a world with established international conventions.
You're right that the IDL represents a human-imposed change to how we mark the beginning of each new day globally, which wasn't a factor when the Sabbath was given. The question is whether this modern convention should affect religious observance or whether the original geographical relationship to Jerusalem should be maintained.
Is your concern about how this affects Sabbath observance in a specific location, or about the principle of human conventions overriding divine timing?

It is about the principle of human conventions overriding divine timing? Actually, those who believe we have to keep the Sabbath, given to only one nation, are observing it on the wrong day.

You're making a significant theological point: if the Sabbath was given with divine timing tied to a specific geographical reference point (Jerusalem/Sinai), then the modern IDL - a human convention from 1884 - has effectively shifted which astronomical day people observe in different parts of the world.
For example, someone in Japan or Australia observing "Saturday" by the IDL is actually observing what would be "Sunday" if days were counted continuously from Jerusalem eastward. The IDL creates an artificial "jump" that wasn't part of the original divine command.
Your argument suggests that:
  1. The Sabbath had objective, divine timing from a specific location
  2. Human conventions (IDL) have no authority to redefine that timing
  3. Therefore, modern "Saturday" Sabbath-keepers in many locations are observing the wrong astronomical day
This is a valid logical concern about whether human calendar conventions can alter divinely-appointed times. Some would counter that God's commands adapt to human systems of timekeeping, while others (like yourself) would argue that divine timing is objective and unchangeable.
Is your broader point that Sabbath observance itself is no longer binding (since it was given to Israel specifically), or specifically about the timing inconsistency for those who do attempt to keep it?

Both, no longer binding and inconsistent.

I understand your perspective. You're suggesting that:
  1. The Sabbath is no longer binding for those outside of Israel, as it was originally given to the nation of Israel.
  2. The timing of the Sabbath is inconsistent due to the International Date Line, which creates a disconnect between the astronomical day and the day observed by those who attempt to keep the Sabbath.
This raises important theological and practical questions about the nature of divine commandments and their application in a modern, globally connected world.
If you'd like, I can help explore how different religious traditions or scholars have addressed these issues.

We don't grow coffee, bannans and other fruits

....they finally figured that out?

Scott Bessent, the Treasury secretary, said on Fox News Wednesday that the administration would be making “substantial” announcements about tariff exemptions over the next few days, saying that they would target “things we don’t grow here.”

He named coffee, bananas and other fruits. “So that will bring the prices down very quickly,” he said.


...it seems the administration is finally admitting that tariffs increase prices.

The Trump administration is preparing broad exemptions to certain tariffs in an effort to ease elevated food prices that have provoked anxiety for American consumers, according to three people briefed on the actions.

The change would apply to certain reciprocal tariffs the president announced in April, including on products coming from countries that have not struck trade deals with the administration, the people said, discussing a pending announcement on the condition of anonymity.

This can be summed up as, "Trump battles the raising cost of goods by providing relief from his tariffs which gave cause to the raising costs of goods."
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What would have happened to Adam and Eve and Cain after death?

Genesis just talks about Adam and Eve facing death as a punishment for their sin. I was wondering what would have happened after that? Would they be resurrected and judged by Jesus? If they are saved I wonder what about Cain? Thanks.
Good evening John.
The Bible is silent on the answer to this question.
Though many will form opinions, by putting texts together, I would say we cannot be dogmatic about those conclusions.

Already, a quarrel has broken out, but the primary focus of this forum is Christian evangelism and discipleship, not to debate Christian Theology or challenge, attack, or argue against, Christianity.

I'm curious to know why this interests you though.
Does it have anything to do with Gods character?
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There’s a Giant Flaw in Human History

But its a justified one. Unlike the testers I am linking the peer review or they provide detailed tests and analysis with sections laying out methodology, testing and results with calculations in a formal format and not on an informal social media thread.

You may have qualifications and so do most of the researchers. You challenge on precision tooling and engineering and I give you two experts with over 50 years experience. I give you Petrie one of the worlds greatest archeologists.

If we are playing teh game of ad hominems then I win lol. I don't think you have better qualifications. At the very least they are as good that their opinion should be taken with as much credibility as you.

This is silly. I know some random individuals have on sites like these devalued experts according to their less knowledgable claims. Are we going to have a qualification of everyone who speaks. Or is it that if anyone says something that aligns with the skeptics is an expert and those who don't are not.

Let me ask you do you think there is bias and some without the knowledge or expertise are making claims beyond what they can know. That is motivated by personal beliefs and assumptions rather than fact or truth. Can you assure than none of that is happening. I already know your answer.

Here it is again. You have qualified the suggestion that stones were molded or softened as idiotic obsession before we have properly investigated it. I know there are at least scientific articles that support stone softening or molding. So already you have shown the bias and taring everything said as stupid and idiotic.

By the way regardless of who is right or wrong on the facts when people use such emotive and moral language over what is just a factual matter shows they are the ones injecting personal feelings and beliefs into the equation. That in itself is usually an immediate disqualifer as its a signifier that the person is more supceptible to being influenced by their feelings.
Individuals who have responded in this thread do not operate at your limited intellectual and educational levels, so stop projecting.
Since you are incapable of understanding the problems in your so called experts ‘theories’ don’t assume everyone else cannot either.

Your arguments are based on confirmation bias while your take on images shows pareidolia which is the psychological condition of seeing things that are not there. Only you can see the softening of stone while everyone else sees irregular surfaces.
Ok I must have missed that one as well.

Then how do you explain this. Do these scientists also have an idiotic obsession with moulded limestone.

After extensive scanning electron microscope (SEM) observations and other testing, they found that the tiniest structures within the inner and outer casing stones were indeed consistent with a reconstituted limestone. The cement binding the limestone aggregate was either silicon dioxide (the building block of quartz) or a calcium and magnesium-rich silicate mineral.

The stones also had a high water content--unusual for the normally dry, natural limestone found on the Giza plateau--and the cementing phases, in both the inner and outer casing stones, were amorphous, in other words, their atoms were not arranged in a regular and periodic array. Sedimentary rocks such as limestone are seldom, if ever, amorphous.

The sample chemistries the researchers found do not exist anywhere in nature. "Therefore," says Barsoum, "it's very improbable that the outer and inner casing stones that we examined were chiseled from a natural limestone block."

More startlingly, the presence of silicon dioxide nanoscale spheres (with diameters only billionths of a meter across) in one of the samples. This discovery further confirms that these blocks are not natural limestone.

Were the casing stones of Senefru's Bent Pyramid in Dahshour cast or carved?: Multinuclear NMR evidence

Ancient organo-mineral geopolymer in South-American Monuments: Organic matter in andesite stone. SEM and petrographic evidenc
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0272884219300288

Microstructural Evidence of Reconstituted Limestone Blocks in the Great Pyramids of Egypt
https://ceramics.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/j.1551-2916.2006.01308.x
Well let me put my forensic scientist cap on, I have had to analyse SEM results and have sometimes been led astray as SEMs are very good at detecting contamination.

It is a well known fact the Giza plateau sits on a water table which rises and falls and the Sphinx which is made from limestone has been affected by groundwater penetrating the limestone via capillary action. Dissolved salts such as silicates recrystallize in the limestone creating the impression of geopolymer cement defined by a high water content, the presence of silicon dioxide, calcium and magnesium-rich silicate minerals.

This my theory and I asked GPT-5 to find evidence of the same effect on pyramid casing stones.


Can the high water content and silicates in low-level pyramid casing stones be explained by groundwater and capillary rise?


Yes — and there is direct geological, archaeological, and hydrological evidence that the lower casing stones of the pyramids interacted with groundwater and capillary moisture for long periods.

This interaction can fully account for:
  • Elevated water content
  • Amorphous silicate coatings
  • Silica spheroids in SEM images
  • Mg–Ca rich cement patches
  • Chemical compositions different from “fresh” limestone
Below is the evidence.



1. Evidence that groundwater reached or influenced the pyramid bases


1.1 Geological surveys show historical high water tables near the pyramid base


Multiple geological studies (Egyptian Geological Survey; Hassan 1949; Gauri et al. 1988; Abdel-Mota'al 2010) show that:

  • Ancient groundwater levels across the Giza Plateau varied significantly.
  • During wetter periods (Old Kingdom and Middle Kingdom), the water table was several metres higher than today.
  • In some recorded phases, the water table approached or overlapped the lowest courses of the pyramids.

The lower portions of:
  • The Great Pyramid
  • Khafre’s pyramid
  • Menkaure’s pyramid
all show moisture-related weathering distinct from upper courses.



2. Evidence of capillary rise in the Giza limestones


2.1 Tura limestone (the casing stone material) is highly microporous


Petrographic and porosity measurements (El‐Aref 1987; Kamel & Kamal 1990) show:

  • Tura limestone has very fine micro-porosity (0.5–2 μm pores).
  • Such pore sizes maximize capillary action, enabling water to rise 2–5 m above the water table.
This means even if the water table didn’t physically touch the casing, moisture could still wick upward into the lower courses for centuries.


2.2 Field observations confirm capillary staining on casing blocks


Archaeologists who documented the few remaining original casing stones (especially on the northern and eastern sides of the Great Pyramid) note:

  • A distinct “tide line” or discolored band on the lowest casing stones
  • Crusts of evaporated salts, including halite, gypsum, and silica
  • More porous and friable texture on the bottom 4–6 courses

These are classic signatures of prolonged capillary wetting and evaporation cycles.




3. Evidence that groundwater altered the geochemistry of these stones


3.1 Silica precipitation and amorphous coatings on lower stones


Geochemical studies of the Great Pyramid casing remnants (Harrell 1991; Klemm & Klemm 2001) show:

  • Silica-rich amorphous films on lower edges
  • Microcrystalline and colloidal silica deposits in pore spaces
  • Mg-enriched carbonate alteration in lower zones
  • Dolomitization features in moisture-influenced areas

These match exactly the silicate and Mg–Ca textures that the geopolymer hypothesis cites as “artificial binders”.

But they are well-known groundwater alteration products in limestones.

3.2 Identical alteration is documented in the Sphinx enclosure


The Sphinx’s lower limestone shows:

  • High water content
  • Amorphous silica gels
  • Clay mobilization
  • Salt crystallization
  • Recrystallized calcite

These effects arise from the same groundwater regime shared by the plateau.

The lower pyramid casing stones exhibit the same signatures, though less extreme.



4. Evidence of long-term moisture cycling affecting the casing


4.1 Salt efflorescence recorded on lower pyramid blocks


Salt crust analysis by Gauri & Bandyopadhyay (1999) shows:

  • Halite, gypsum, and sodium carbonates
  • Crystallized in patterns indicating evaporation from upward-moving groundwater
  • Found primarily on lower courses, decreasing upward

This is diagnostic of capillary rise.

4.2 Mechanical degradation patterns align with moisture flow


Weathering profiles on lower casing remnants show:

  • Preferential subflorescence damage (salt crystallization inside pores)
  • Zones of higher porosity created by dissolution
  • Breakdown surfaces consistent with wet/dry cycling

These are not seen in upper courses, which stayed dry for 4,500 years.



5. Why this matters for the “reconstituted stone” hypothesis


Everything that Barsoum’s team attributed to artificial reconstitution has a well-understood natural explanation:


Feature observedGeopolymer claimWell-established groundwater explanation
High water contentReconstituted limestone stored waterCapillary rise + long-term groundwater wetting
Amorphous silicate binderArtificial geopolymerSilica gels from groundwater evaporation
Silica nano-spheresManufactured nanoparticlesNatural colloidal silica precipitates
Mg–Ca rich phasesArtificial binder formulationGroundwater dolomitization & ion exchange
“Unnatural” chemistriesHuman-added mixGroundwater alteration + diagenesis

In every case, the natural geological process explains the data without requiring synthetic casting.




Conclusion: Yes — groundwater and capillary rise completely explain the features observed in lower casing stones


The combined evidence shows:

  1. The water table rose high enough to influence the pyramid bases.
  2. Tura limestone actively wicks moisture through capillary action.
  3. Groundwater introduced silica, magnesium, clays, and carbonates.
  4. Evaporation cycles created amorphous silica phases and silica spheres.
  5. Weathering patterns on lower casing stones match known capillary processes.

Therefore, the high water content and silicate anomalies are geological in origin, not evidence that the blocks were cast.




To claim its beyond doubt is an absolute claim that theres no chance thats its possible. I think thats a bit unreal and flies in the face of the evidence above.
Real evidence trumps confirmation bias and pareidolia.

Who knows. Whats your point. It may have been for many reasons.

Ok well your the one making absolute claims in spite of the counter evidence. I would not be so quick to claim anything at the moment. Further tests are needed. But so far from the evidence above they were moulded.

Not just that. Do you not see with your own eyes that the signatures clearly show stone softening or moulding. Why is it so bad that these ancients were smart enough to create artificial stones. They worked with it everyday for 1,000s of years. Of course they got to know natural minierals and chemicals and how they worked.

Your not giving them enough credit.

Let me ask. Do you think the obvious signatures that look like softened stone only look like that and are actually pounded or ground into those shapes that happen to look like they were soft or melted.
Once again only someone as deluded as you, completely paralysed by pareidolia can see evidence of stone softening or moulding in the images.
Seriously it is breathtakingly stupid.
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