• 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.

Icons of Evolution

Not playing this game. You said "The theory of common descent is irrelevant and useless to medical research and every other form of applied science."

You've not said how or why. Answer that question.
If no one is aware of any use for the theory of common descent in medical or biological research, it's a fair guess that none exist.
Upvote 0

Obama Judge Blocks Trump’s Big Beautiful Bill Provision Barring Medicaid Funding For Planned Parenthood

And considering the SNAP and Medicaid cuts, you probably will be even more upset at unplanned parenthood.
What unplanned parenthood? Don't want to be pregnant? Don't have sex. Simple.

And yes, I believe SNAP and Medicaid are very important, speaking as someone who used to rely on them.
  • Like
Reactions: Valletta
Upvote 0

Obama Judge Blocks Trump’s Big Beautiful Bill Provision Barring Medicaid Funding For Planned Parenthood


This was a major cut to Medicaid. I don't think taxpayers should be forced to pay for Planned Parenthood.
I hate Planned Parenthood with every fiber of my being.

Evil, evil organization.

I think it should be shutdown permanently, and NO TAX DOLLARS should EVER go to it!

Speaking as a proudly pro-life person.
Upvote 0

Is This The New Normal?

I hope this is the new normal. Round the illegals up and send them home. We are happy to have people come if they apply to come here legally.

Its not enforcing an agenda. Its enforcing the law and against lawlessness.
I do believe in compassion and have respect for those who are here legally.

If people are here illegally, it's their own fault.

Well said, sir!
Upvote 0

Being embarrassed about Jesus?

But why did Martin Luther King Jr (a famous pastor) and Bishop Shelby Spong not believe in a physical resurrection? Was it because they thought it seemed more likely that it didn't happen? Or were they tricked by Satan or something? It would have been easier for them to just go along with the belief in the resurrection.
I'm sure they believed a lot of things, but I'm not sure why their opinion holds extra weight on the matter since they don't seem to have a vantage point that would grant them unusual insight into the matter.
If there are any genuine contradictions then at least one of them must be wrong.
Well, yes. But that doesn't mean that any particular one has an increased likelihood of being wrong.
A think a key reason is it promises to give you an eternity in paradise and save you from an eternity in agony. I think that's why people were happy to face lions in arenas.
You think the original followers would have been willing to sacrifice their lives and livelihood for thin promises about the hereafter? That explanation doesn't seem to deal with the weight of the offense crucifixion carried in the ancient world or the lengths that the original Christians went to to maintain the claim. It appears to be a wholly anachronistic explanation built around the relative comfort of being a Christian in the European/United States world. Especially since those people would have been in the best position to know whether it was true or not, and the promise is rather worthless if you know its built on a falsehood.
Upvote 0

Which US President since 2000 has had the most hate directed at them?

Unfair, irrational hatred: Obama.

Well deserved and earned contempt: Trump.
Odd. I have a friend who screamed and complained about how sooo many people were hating on Obama and she wanted to pray for them. But she was fine for praying for Trump's death, per her own words.

So many double standards.

(Not pointing fingers at any political party. Just extremists).
Upvote 0

Which US President since 2000 has had the most hate directed at them?

Like the title says, which US President since 2000 has had the most hate directed at them?

I say it's Donald Trump.

What do you say?
Trump. In my humble opinion.

The claim that some Republicans are racist because they didn't like Obama is ridiculous IMO. What about Republicans such as the late Herman Cain? Or Ben Carson?

Most people respected Obama. Only those who were most radical were hateful and prejudiced against him, IMO.
Upvote 0

27 girls missing at Texas Christian summer camp as rescuers search through debris

We've had major flooding in the Brisbane and outlying areas three times in my lifetime. The first was 1974, again in 2011 and recently in 2022.

The 2011 caught everyone off guard in some areas. A town called Grantham was hit badly and several people died in the area. I don't think anybody expected the floods to hit as hard and fast as they did.

What surprised me the most was the flash flooding in Toowoomba which is at the top of the dividing range. I could understand flooding below Toowomba, but I was surprised at the ferocity of the floods which swept through the centre of town, considering it was at the top of the range.

Login to view embedded media
Login to view embedded media
There's not much anybody can do in these sorts of situations.
Upvote 0

Being embarrassed about Jesus?

I suppose it might help if He did something out of the ordinary, well beyond everyday human experience. Like being resurrected from the dead.
But why did Martin Luther King Jr (a famous pastor) and Bishop Shelby Spong not believe in a physical resurrection? Was it because they thought it seemed more likely that it didn't happen? Or were they tricked by Satan or something? It would have been easier for them to just go along with the belief in the resurrection.
I've never understood the whole "Well, there are a lot of messages that contradict each other!" argument...like, sure, there have been a lot of different ideas but when we boil it down the claims are fairly limited, and only a handful involve historical claims.
If there are any genuine contradictions then at least one of them must be wrong.
Most religions are either philosophical in nature, or speak of out-of-time characters. The historical ones are much rarer, and we can eliminate ones like Islam because even by their own admission Muhammad was just a guy with nothing really exceptional about him other than his military prowess. But how many human beings that lived largely mundane lives and died in ignomious fashion are we still talking about today? Just gotta wonder, how did He gain such a following from the grave?
A think a key reason is it promises to give you an eternity in paradise and save you from an eternity in agony. I think that's why people were happy to face lions in arenas.
Upvote 0

What's the use of faith alone?

I have the faith of The Son of GOD, but I'm not sure how it would be alone.
True, James indicated Faith cannot be alone. But the Protestant formula "Faith Alone" always intended to have a context, and not be taken insensibly and without context.

In context, "Faith Alone" is speaking of the means of Justification. We have faith in Christ who alone did the work of our Justification.

Our own works did not justify us. Hence, "Faith Alone" is the basis of our Justification--not our own works of Self-Justification. It is our faith in Christ that enables our Justification because his works alone was able to justify us.

There are works we do that contribute to our being justified, but these works are not the basis of our Justification. One of our "works" is to simply believe that Christ is our means of Justification.

Another "work" that we do, in our approach to "being justified," is repenting. We repent in order to give Christ the place in our life where otherwise there is only independent initiative.

So, we must believe in Christ and we must repent, making him the primary inspiration in our life. These works do not justify us but they approach Christ who alone did the work of justifying us.
Upvote 0

Being embarrassed about Jesus?

But how do people know it is directly from God when there are so many contradictory messages?
I suppose it might help if He did something out of the ordinary, well beyond everyday human experience. Like being resurrected from the dead.

I've never understood the whole "Well, there are a lot of messages that contradict each other!" argument...like, sure, there have been a lot of different ideas but when we boil it down the claims are fairly limited, and only a handful involve historical claims. Most religions are either philosophical in nature, or speak of out-of-time characters. The historical ones are much rarer, and we can eliminate ones like Islam because even by their own admission Muhammad was just a guy with nothing really exceptional about him other than his military prowess. But how many human beings that lived largely mundane lives and died in ignomious fashion are we still talking about today? Just gotta wonder, how did He gain such a following from the grave?
Upvote 0

No person can come to Christ by their own freewill !

You said, in post 132, "I have never talked about following Jesus, when i am addressing receiving God's free gift of Eternal Life. As following Jesus does not give a person God's free gift of Eternal Life, only belief in Jesus gives a person Eternal Life."

What does that even mean? How can you NOT follow Jesus when speaking about receiving God's free gift of eternal life? Jesus IS the way to eternal life. That is what following Jesus means. You are splitting hairs by separating following Jesus and believing in Jesus. They are the same thing.

But since you asked:
Mat 8:22 But Jesus *said to him, “Follow Me, and allow the dead to bury their own dead.”
Mat 9:9 As Jesus went on from there, He saw a man called Matthew, sitting in the tax collector's booth; and He *said to him, “Follow Me!” And he got up and followed Him.
Mat 16:24 Then Jesus said to His disciples, “If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross and follow Me.
Mat 19:21 Jesus said to him, “If you wish to be [fn]complete, go and sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me.”
Mar 1:17 And Jesus said to them, “Follow Me, and I will make you become fishers of men.”
Mar 10:21 Looking at him, Jesus felt a love for him and said to him, “One thing you lack: go and sell all you possess and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me.”
Jhn 1:43 The next day He purposed to go into Galilee, and He *found Philip. And Jesus *said to him, “Follow Me.”
-
I sure am, because The Bible splits hairs when it come to what a person must do and what God requires to receive God's free gift of Eternal Life. And The Bible never states to receive Eternal Life follow Jesus. The Bible always states to receive Eternal Life believe in Jesus.

I could write another 500 words on this, but i will just post a link to an article about this and you can read it if you like.

The New Testament Understanding of Following Jesus – Grace Evangelical Society
Upvote 0

Being embarrassed about Jesus?

That's a great episode, though not sure how sound that theology is.
Well that exact quote is repeated in the credits so they thought it was important. Apparently Matt Groening is an agnostic and that quote sums up how a person could not be sure whether or not God exists.
BTW I expanded on that "God" quote and came up with this:
"I think ALL evidence of God and the paranormal can be explained by skeptics as coincidence, delusion, hallucinations, or fraud"
(that way people can't be sure whether it was God/paranormal or not)
Like Futurama I think the intelligent force is probably some kind of AI.
But if there is a non-obvious intelligent force as the explanation of human life,
I think I'm probably in a simulation. Simulations don't require outside forces to interact in supernatural ways though it is possible.
wouldn't it make sense that that force would seek some sort of connection with it's creations?
Yes BTW I have a few examples but here's a significant one:
Login to view embedded media I was reading a Bible upside-down in a mental ward then a day or two later I received a sealed upside down Bible from my wife. There are also other significant things about that Bible.
And what better way to make a connection than to express it's identity in human form with a human personality?
But how do people know it is directly from God when there are so many contradictory messages?
Of course you don't love your image of God very strongly, he's basically a benevolent stranger at best. You don't really present anything that you'd be able to sink your teeth into to know Him, so how could you love Him?
Yeah.
BTW if this is a simulation I guess you'd realise that when you "wake up" like after the Roy game in Rick and Morty.
Upvote 0

Jeffrey Epstein died by suicide and there’s no ‘client list,’ Justice Department says

The one who fell out of a window, right?

Tragic how these things just happen.

a while ago there was some weird report that there would be a series of housekeeping events in the news, and then a bunch of bankers, 40-50 of them all died.

one of them..


shot himself 7 times with a 2.5" finish nail gun.

yeah.. right...
Upvote 0

Filter

Forum statistics

Threads
5,871,243
Messages
65,296,630
Members
275,906
Latest member
f9430879