Bradskii said:

This matter was raised in Australia. And it was proposed that when my wife and I shuffle off and leave out house to the kids then the value would be taxed.

Ain't no way. We worked very hard indeed to buy that house and we gave up a lot to pay the mortgage. Which went up to 17% at one point. All the money that went into that property was what was left after we had already paid a sizeable chunck of our wages in tax. Would the government want to tax me twice?

Granted that it's now worth a very large sum of money but the principle stands.

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And, at least in the US, so long as it was worth less than $14 million, it wouldn't be taxed.

Pepperdoodle said:

How would you answer your own post?

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I think of Stephen - He was full of the Holy Spirit delivering Truth to a resistant audience and continued on regardless of the response - they were offended to the point of killing him.

However the key point is being 'in the Spirit'.

Like Jesus could only do what He saw the Father doing, Stephen must have had the confidence that comes from such revelation.

So yes - the ability to see what the Father is doing is not commonly taught or experienced and this is why the Church has few 'Stephens' in this age.

childeye 2 said:

Okay these posts are getting way too long so I'm going to start limiting my responses. I have no reason to think that any of the assassination attempts have anything to do with trying to stop a dictatorship from happening.

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Two of the assassins wrote about stopping the fascists Trump and Kirk ie "catch this fascist".

Even the 'No Kings' protest was said to be about stopping fascism. This narrative has been going for 10 years now.

Millions rally against fascism in “No Kings” protests

So of course some of the more radicals will use violence to stop the Nazi and fascists. Thats how it works. If Trump is painted as a fascist and Nazi over and over again then some are going to believe this and act on it.

childeye 2 said:

And I don't know which violence acts you're referencing.

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You don't watch the news. You agree there has been an increase in violence against Trump and the government. The use of violence and terror is usually politically or religiously motivated. So those commiting violence are politically motivated. Call it stopping fascism, Nazis, a King, or dictator. They are using violence as a means.

Left-Wing Terrorism and Political Violence in the United States: What the Data Tells Us
The first half of 2025 was marked by an increase in left-wing terrorist attacks and plots in the United States, which continues a trend noticeable over the last decade. In absolute terms, left-wing incidents are on track in 2025 to reach historically high levels in the last 30 years

Anarchist/Left-Wing Violent Extremism in America: Trends in Radicalization, Recruitment, and Mobilization

childeye 2 said:

I don't recall any fears of a dictatorship when Trump was campaigning. I know that people noted that Trump spoke admirably of dictators. He talked over and over again about Putin and Russia, Russia, Russia beginning in 2014. It was in his third year in office when Trump's rhetoric started conveying that he was not going to give up power if he lost the election. And sure enough, he had crafted a plan along with fellow Republicans to try and overturn the election results.

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Ok so you have used his words and yet he has not become a dictator in reality. But the left have also used words to paint Trump as a want to be dictator that is actually a threat to democracy. This extreme rhetoric is fueling radicals after 10 years of constant narratives. What do you expect.

The left’s increasingly unhinged portrayal of Trump as a dictator

childeye 2 said:

There is recorded audio evidence on October 31, of Steve Bannon saying that Trunp planned to declare victory even knowing he had lost. There is video evidence of Roger stone putting a fake elector scheme in motion before the election was over. This is why I'm saying that there is factual evidence justifying fears of this administration becoming a dictatorship.

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Yeah he says stupid things that will come back and bite him. I reckon if you had a microphone behind the scenes on every politician you would be shocked. People would be forever hounded by their words.

I recall some controversy with Nancy Pelosi recorded words that were not meant to get out. We had a high profile politician say some pretty bad stuff when a mic was left on after an interview lol. Full of F bombs and hate. Everyone thought he was an angel lol.

He is kind of funny and different because of that. He sometimes speaks off the top of his head. But he has a team surrounding him that are froim different backgrounds. They keep him in check lol.

In some ways you get what you see and hear and theres nothing else. Which though sometimes brash and over the top is all there is. I would rather that then have some politicians with big smiles and charm secretly plotting evil behind the scenes.

Richard T said:

Given that the USA let the Ecuador citizen go back home, there must be a lack of intel on who is in the boats? If he were a narco-terrorist why let him go?

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Valletta said:

We don't know the internal discussions in regard to the two so all we can do is guess. To me it seems quite consistent with the effort to deport as many terrorists as possible. It's also a test to see what countries are willing to fight terrorism, of the two Columbia said they will prosecute and Ecuador said they will not. Finally, the current situation, where leaders in some states are defying our Constitution, might force Trump to invoke the Insurrection Act, and this is not the best time to dedicate resources toward internally handling terrorists.

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Richard T said:

Ecuador said there is no evidence of a crime so they declined to charge him. He never tried to enter the USA that I know of, so it was not about deportation. The USA released him because I guess he really was either not a "Narco-terrorist" or they had no proof or no jurisdiction in the case. You are right about the internals. There is a democrat Senator on record that says the evidence is not really there to blow up the boats. I know there are lawyers and experts watching this though.

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See post 94. I provided a short 1:19 video where Hegseth answers the question.

Sounds like Kyle wants to go back to the days when Stormont stomped all over Catholics and the Apprentice Boys threw pennies at the "Papists" locked up inside the Bogside slum.

Please put on pants, okay?!

PANTS

wing2000 said:

No one familiar with the laws of war accepts that interpretation.

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Not true.

bèlla said:

Everything he does in the name of christian principles will be blamed on them because they supported him.

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What do you suppose he's going to do in the name of Christian principles?

2PhiloVoid said:

Welcome to CF, CLTG! It's not often we see a new member on CF who expresses an interest in philosophy. Is there a particular topic or subject in philosophy you're interested in? Or are you wanting to know if there are any Christian philosophers who fall more or less within the more traditional and/or evangelical side of things where analysis and opinion are concerned?

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Traditional Protestant thought would be a pretty good pointer. Even fundamentalist if it's sane-minded. Been wondering if I'm a fundamentalist Christian. LOL.

Valletta said:

We don't know the internal discussions in regard to the two so all we can do is guess. To me it seems quite consistent with the effort to deport as many terrorists as possible. It's also a test to see what countries are willing to fight terrorism, of the two Columbia said they will prosecute and Ecuador said they will not. Finally, the current situation, where leaders in some states are defying our Constitution, might force Trump to invoke the Insurrection Act, and this is not the best time to dedicate resources toward internally handling terrorists.

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Ecuador said there is no evidence of a crime so they declined to charge him. He never tried to enter the USA that I know of, so it was not about deportation. The USA released him because I guess he really was either not a "Narco-terrorist" or they had no proof or no jurisdiction in the case. You are right about the internals. There is a democrat Senator on record that says the evidence is not really there to blow up the boats. I know there are lawyers and experts watching this though.

Remember ISIS?

Here's a short history of what happened when the international community clubbed together to defeat ISIS - a group that at one stage had more terrain than Great Britain. Unlike Israel's war on Gaza, the UN allowed reporters in, especially to Mosul - where the urban street fighting in the old city of Nineveh was intense. Everything was covered by journalists armed with video footage from civilian phones. Australian bombings that had significant 'collateral damage' (civilian deaths) were thoroughly investigated.

The international community tried to limit bombing as a result of accountability and the concern to limit collateral damage. As a result, they estimate the 'collateral damage' to be about HALF the number of militants killed.

Compare that to Israel, who...

1. kept journalists out.
2. bombed the entire area indiscriminately
3. demolished buildings while combat was actually occurring elsewhere
4. PM and others in government OPENLY saying the 'quiet bits out loud' in declaring they would NEVER let a Palestinian state exist!
5. Ended up with 'collateral damage' about FOUR TO FIVE TIMES the number of militants killed!

Yeah, right. Israel wasn't doing ANYTHING suspicious!


So what are the logistics of rebuilding Gaza?
Well - Mosul had vastly less buildings damaged, let alone completely destroyed.
Yet 8 years later - only 7% of Mosul has been rebuilt.

My favourite reporter compares that to Gaza!
Login to view embedded media
My only response?
Israel - who even are you these days?

Here's something I'm keeping a watch on: National Forecast Maps Scroll down to Short Range Forecasts and Medium Range Forecast. Notice the two cold fronts forecast to sweep through the Southeastern US about the 28th. I'm hoping that this will keep it off the US.

YeshuaFan said:

Peter C Dr seemed to nbe Grumpy Grandpa to me,. and hated it when gender switched out to a female, and then a Gay black man Nothing against those actors, just did not need to get woke, but was crammed down our throats by Disney

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Disney has international distribution rights (i.e., outside the UK and Ireland), but it's a BBC production. The LGBTQ themes in the post-2005 seasons of the show are probably due to the influence of Russell T Davies.

eclipsenow said:

My thing was reviews said the plots and character writing were just awful.

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I wouldn't say "awful", but I thought the writing was weaker during the Jodie Whitaker seasons. Unfortunate, because I thought she did well with the scripts she had, and I'd like to have seen her be given a really excellent script.

Russell T Davies returned to the show after that, and I thought the scripts in the more recent seasons were better. As he did originally in the 2005 pilot, he reached back into the classic series for some nostalgic characters (a treat for old-time fans). And I've really enjoyed watching Ncuti Gatwa; he brings that combination of over-the-top energy and moments of deep emotion that have characterized the Doctor since the days of the 23-foot scarf.

bèlla said:

According to the Kelly Book…

The average used car was listed for $25,825 at the end of September — up $454 from the month before. Prices sit 2% higher than a year ago. Price-conscious buyers have limited options for affordable used vehicles. Availability for used cars priced below $15,000 remains low, with only 34 days’ supply, which is 14 days below the overall industry average.

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This dealer, along with the rest of the industry, was saturated with cars. They weren't selling. He got stuck with inventory.(according to another of his relatively recent videos)

He does not rely on Kelly; and he explains why. He knows what his customers will actually pay for a car.

The bubble has burst, and he is making sales again.

LARGEST CAR BUBBLE In US History POPS - What I'm Paying For Cars NOW​

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eclipsenow said:

Because me Gramps Gramps Gramps doesn't really cut it when scientists out in the field go looking for a mediaeval warm period or little ice age in Australia or New Zealand or South America somewhere or Africa somewhere and just can't find it.

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New Zealand stalagmites show indications of the Medieval Warm Period, There's evidence in South America for the Little Ice Age, as well as in Africa. In North America, two major events are tied to both. The end of the Medieval Warm Period coincides with conditions that forced the migration of the Creek Indians from the Southwest, and the Little Ice Age with the collapse of the Mound Builder Culture. We know that during the Little Ice Age, the Hudson River froze solid enough to move cannon across it.

The Medieval Warm Period and the Little Ice Age might be an inconvenient, but existed, and were far more than "local" events.

DragonFox91 said:

I agree. I agree especially you're not really being a witness 'spreading God's love.' I see that a lot, but the pagans believe that too. A Christian is called to spread God's love AND the truth

But is it possible a lot of us just don't really have the evangelism gift to the extent of others? Sadly, one thing I noticed even in 'evangelical churches', most of the actual body isn't very evangelical. I wish I was more an evangelist.

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I also think that many who go to church and claim to be Spirit filled are either not Spirit filled, or if they are, they have squashed the Spirit within them. This is why "evangelical churches" are not every evangelical.
There are a few reasons that the Holy Spirit came. But the main reason for the Holy Spirit coming was so that we would speak and not keep quiet. Jesus even said that when we receive the Holy Spirit, that we would speak to others of Him. He said this in Acts 1:8. "But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth."

Here is a breakdown of the word "Power", "witness" and what the Holy Spirit does in us:
The word power comes from the Greek dýnamis, meaning strength, force, or ability.
When we receive the Holy Spirit, we are strengthened for the task ahead. There’s a power within us that pushes, stirs, and equips us for the battle. When He fills us, silence is no longer an option; witnessing becomes the overflow of His presence within us.

The Holy Spirit here (to Pneuma to Hagion) is the same Spirit Jesus promised in John 14:16, where He’s called Paraklētos, the Helper, or in Old English, the Comforter. Not comfort in the soft sense, but comfortare; “to strengthen.” He is the One who strengthens and sends us forward into the fight.

The word witnesses is "mártys" in Greek (pronounced Mat-toos), from which we get the word "martyr". A martyr is one who gives their life for a cause. But notice, if a martyr never spoke, there’d be no cause for death.
To be a witness means to speak, to declare, to testify.
And because of that testimony, we may face persecution, even death.

So, in Acts 1:8 it says that the Holy Spirit is given to us so that we would have the boldness to speak and tell others of Him. The Spirit was not given so that we would be nice to others but so that we would speak.

In fact, in all the instances in the bible where the Holy Spirit entered people, over two thirds of these times, the person spoke. The Spirit entered them, and they could not stay quiet.

Here are some great verses that show this:

Exodus 4:10–12 Moses expresses fear about speaking; God tells him that He will put His words in Moses’ mouth.

Numbers 11:25–26 The Spirit rests on the 70 elders, and they prophesy.

Judges 6:34 The Spirit of the Lord comes upon Gideon; he begins to act and speak with authority.

1 Samuel 10:6, 10 The Spirit comes on Saul, and he prophesies.

1 Samuel 16:13 The Spirit comes upon David from the day of his anointing. (He is empowered to act and later speak boldly.)

2 Samuel 23:2 David says, “The Spirit of the Lord spoke by me; his word was on my tongue.”

1 Chronicles 12:18 Spirit comes upon Amasai, the leader of men, and he speaks boldly.

Micah 3:8 “But as for me, I am filled with power, with the Spirit of the Lord, and with justice and might, to declare to Jacob his transgression…”

Zechariah 7:12 – The Spirit’s influence on prophets to deliver God’s message.

Job 32:18 "For I am full of words; The spirit within me compels me."

Matthew 10:19–20 "But when they hand you over, do not worry about how or what you are to say; for what you are to say will be given to you in that hour. For it is not you who speak, but the Spirit of your Father who speaks in you."

Luke 1:67 (Zechariah) "His father Zechariah was filled with the Holy Spirit and prophesied..."

Acts 4:8 (Peter) "Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, said to them..."

Acts 4:31 "They were all filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke the word of God boldly."

Acts 6:10 (Stephen) "But they could not stand up against the wisdom the Spirit gave him as he spoke."

Acts 7:55 (Stephen) "But Stephen, full of the Holy Spirit, looked up to heaven and said..."

Acts 9:17–20 (Paul) "Brother Saul... be filled with the Holy Spirit... At once he began to preach in the synagogues that Jesus is the Son of God."

Acts 13:9–10 (Paul confronts Elymas) "Then Saul, who was also called Paul, filled with the Holy Spirit, looked straight at Elymas and said..."

Acts 19:6 (Ephesian disciples) "When Paul placed his hands on them, the Holy Spirit came on them, and they spoke in tongues and prophesied."

Ephesians 6:18–20 "Pray in the Spirit on all occasions... that whenever I speak, words may be given me..."

And there are many more.

This next passage stands out to me because it highlights that our primary desire should be to prophesy. And when we look at Revelation 19:10 ("For the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy.”) we see that to tell others about Jesus is to prophesy, or at least to walk in the same essence as prophecy. In other words, to evangelise is to walk in the same essence as prophesying. We are to desire that we evangelise.
1 Corinthians 14:1–5 “Follow the way of love and eagerly desire the gifts of the Spirit, especially prophecy… the one who prophesies speaks to people for their strengthening…”
Put simply, to prophesy is to speak under the inspiration of the Spirit, and when we share the message of Jesus, we are doing exactly that. So, the desire we should most pursue as believers is to evangelise, to speak about Jesus under the guidance of the Holy Spirit.

You can also save a lot, by just buying what is on sale.
The answer to the question: What's for dinner? Can be: Whatever is on sale.
Coupons are your friend!

NBB said:

God doesn't ask impossible things, also i believe what the bible calls perfect is not perfection like people think, is just doing what God ask of humans. Which shouldn't be impossible, if you can maintain your communion with God that is good enough without quenching the Holy spirit, look at David, after he sinned, he felt dry and was afraid the Holy spirit may leave him, he suffered and needed to repent etc.

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Yes, it is the same with us. Whenever we need to repent, it is because we have failed to do what God wants us to do. God does not want us to have even a single impure thought or selfish motive, yet in our fallen nature that is impossible. Scripture teaches that if someone claims to be without sin, they are a liar and the truth is not in them. At the same time, God commands us to be holy, even as He is holy. I have never met a human being who is as holy as God Himself, and those who have claimed such holiness have usually been a poor testimony to it. It is this deficit in us that will drive us as it did David to repentance and growth.

ThatRobGuy.

Great points and examples. It explains a lot.
Thanks.
I guess the nut to address is "What are your priorities?" Then a dialog can begin.

HARK! said:

MOD HAT ON

MOD HAT OFF​

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THX!

eclipsenow said:

OVERBUILD CAPACITY
This RADICALLY reduces storage on the grid by Overbuilding the amount of wind and solar in the first place.

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Having seen what happens when adverse conditions affect available electricity over a wide area, good luck with that.

ARBITER01 said:

Was Peter plague with sin? Was John?

"THEREFORE, leaving behind the teaching of the beginning of Christ, let us press onward unto perfection,.."

Perfection in this regard is pointing to Jesus and His example for us. If the first century Apostles were able to do it, why can't we?

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In Hebrews 6:1, the Greek wording offers helpful nuance regarding whether the verse should be understood as “unto perfection” or “toward perfection.” The key phrase is ἐπὶ τὴν τελειότητα φερώμεθα. The preposition ἐπὶ with the accusative most often expresses movement toward a goal. The noun τελειότητα refers to fullness, maturity, or completeness, not an already-achieved state of flawless perfection. The verb φερώμεθα is a subjunctive form meaning “let us be carried” or “let us move,” which emphasizes the process of progressing forward.


When these elements are taken together, the Greek suggests a journey of spiritual growth rather than a state of perfection already obtained. Many English translations reflect this by rendering the phrase as “let us go on to maturity” or “let us press on toward perfection.” The context reinforces this sense of ongoing development, since the author urges his readers to leave behind elementary teachings and advance into deeper understanding.


Therefore, while the traditional wording “unto perfection” is not wrong, the Greek grammar and context most naturally support the idea of pressing forward toward maturity or perfection, highlighting direction and growth rather than arrival. This is probably why Paul gave this mea culpa in Romans 7

We know that the law is spiritual; but I am unspiritual, sold as a slave to sin. I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do. And if I do what I do not want to do, I agree that the law is good. As it is, it is no longer I myself who do it, but it is sin living in me. For I know that good itself does not dwell in me, that is, in my sinful nature, for I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out. For I do not do the good I want to do, but the evil I do not want to do, this I keep on doing. Now if I do what I do not want to do, it is no longer I who do it, but it is sin living in me that does it.