Perpetual Student said:

I try to understand that this is written by America's brightest and smartest.

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Why would you try to do such an inane thing?

Perpetual Student said:

I try and fail.

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Oh well. How about trying to understand what their actual point is, even if you disagree with it?

ViaCrucis said:

Can you name a single mainstream Christian tradition that believes that baptism makes a person sinless? The views of bizarre fringe sects or those of cults have no place in this conversation. There's no comparing the historic, traditional Christian view of baptism with the bizarre teachings of fringe groups and cults.

-CryptoLutheran

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I can’t even think of a heretical sect that believes that, except perhaps the Mandaeans, who use baptism to maintain ritual purity, but that’s not the same as sinlessness.

Today I tasted my first banana "heart." Which basically is the flower of the banana that can be cooked and eaten. It was wrapped in a salad dressing that looked like shredded chicken from a catfood can. I tasted this mainly Asian food, and found it to be quite good.

"A banana heart is the fleshy, teardrop-shaped flower that hangs at the end of a banana cluster. It can be eaten raw or cooked and is a traditional food in many parts of Asia and India. The edible parts, which have a meaty texture similar to an artichoke heart, require preparation like peeling the outer layers and soaking in an acidulated water solution to reduce bitterness and browning before use in dishes like salads, curries, and soups"

Here is someone else who blogged about it (with photo) Hearts of Banana

Hans Blaster said:

The problem is that it wasn't clear. Some of it comes down to the somewhat subtle differences between "model", "modeling", and "simulation". Then there are the differences in the usage of the term between fields. Since the two examples given in my post are from physics and that is my field I will stick mostly physics, but there is one more item very relevant to this thread that I will consider.

Model: (A) a mathematical representation of a general system or (B) a mathematical/numerical representation of a specific state.
Modelling: Construction of a model from first principles or from data
Simulation: A numerical representation of a physical system evolved in time from initial conditions and a set of modeled equations.

I've done modelling and simulation, and for me the principle difference is that some complex systems have time derivatives and require simulation, and others do not and are modeled.

The Higgs is a model of the (A) type as is the Standard Model of particle physics. The EM propagation calculated through the pyramid in that paper is a model of the (B) type.

There is a third kind of model, a digital model of measurements. This is what you get from those vase scans, a digital model that can be displayed or examined.

Some simulation is called "model" beacause "simulation" sounds too much like "fake". Climate and weather models involving moving air masses are properly speaking "simulations".


A model of type (A) described by a few simple equations with parameters. It describes the expansion of space.

Those are actually different models.

In the case of the cosmological models, new data demonstrated a missing component (dark energy) that had to be included. Other times the flaws in a model can no longer be covered by wide error bars as more precise data shows that the model doesn't quite match. This seems to be happening now with the simple model of dark energy as a cosmological constant.

Evolution is far off topic, but "genetics + random changes + NS" hasn't been the current model of evolution in quite some time.

That isn't the assumption.

Now we must come to the model of EM waves and pyramids that started all of this. I have no problems with the model itself, presuming that the authors knew how to make such a model and the dielectric properties of limestone for long wavelength waves are measured. That is a model of an objects properties using a simplified structure and measured material properties. It hasn't been "field tested", but that probably isn't an issue. The model is how rather uninteresting. We can be certain the Egyptians didn't give the pyramid those EM focusing properties on purpose as they demonstrate no knowledge of long wavelength EM radiation, something that would remain unknown for another 4500 years.

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I think that is the point, the same point that Steve was trying to make about vases--that they did have this knowledge, not in the way we usually get knowledge of that kind, by observation and experiment, but in some other way not accessible to "materialist science." What he calls, I think, transcendent knowledge or indigenous knowledge or something like that.

iluvatar5150 said:

No, what everyone knows is that you’re making claims out of your own ignorance and overconfidence in AI.

The two papers those authors wrote and cite on that page are freely available if you look for them (and you don’t have to look hard). Despite the more sensational headlines, the first one is about how white people are less likely to talk to their kids about race. The second one is a follow up after a year of heavy coverage of George Floyd and BLM. What alternate theories would you have liked them to examine?

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Personaly I would have liked the University to publicize their research with more descriptive language, rather than with language guaranteed to create a public backlash.

rjs330 said:

The studies are based on questionnaires only. All the other things I mentioned are not included. Its not real scientific research.

And I'm not answering a hypothetical like that. "If" is not worth talking about.

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I literally said put the studies aside. Your response is telling.

ViaCrucis said:

No. I do not believe it is necessary for the one ministering the Sacrament of Baptism to be a pastor. The historic Christian position is that it is ideal for pastors to be the ones performing the baptismal rite; but it is not necessary.

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Indeed, I believe this point is uncontroversial among traditional churches unlike, whereas in contrast, regarding Chrismation or the Eucharist, the consnsus is that clergy is required.

However the caveat does attach that such extraordinary baptisms are something done in emergencies.

Dan1988 said:

None of the doctrines that you hod to are based on Gods Word. All of them, without exception are based on the Gnosticism.

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I almost spit my coffee all over my monitor. You apparently are woefully ignorant of Church history. The Gnostics and all that they taught were widely condemned by the Church Fathers.

Dan1988 said:

You will never find ma single verse of scripture to support the Gnostic doctrine that the Lord Jesus taught "cannibalism" and that's exactly what you are suggesting here.

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This is the same problem that one has in dealing with atheists - you show them proofs and because they do not wish to humble themselves and admit that they were wrong, they find all kinds of reasons and excuses to not believe.

1 Jesus Himself said "This IS my Body." What part of "IS" do you not get? The Jews in John 6, when told by Jesus that they had to "eat my flesh" and "drink my blood," went away both disgusted and utterly confused at this statement because it implied cannibalism. They took Him quite literally.

2. The Apostles learned from Christ and in turn, taught the next generation what He had taught them. If you read the sermons and letters of these first pastors of the Church, they taught TO A MAN, that the Eucharist is the very Body and Blood of Christ. WHERE did they learn such a thing except that the Apostles taught it to them.

3. The entirety of Christianity, even the heretics such as Arias, nonetheless believed in the Real Presence of Christ in the Eucharist. It wasn't until the Protestant Rebellion that other heretical ideas came into being.

Dan1988 said:

The Lords Supper is celebrated to commemorate, what the Lord did on the cross, to purchase salvation for "Gods elect". The Lord said, at the last supper, "do this in remembrance of Me". So that's what we do, but we don't perform some kind of ritual, using black magic or witchcraft to turn the elements of the bread and wine, into flesh and blood.

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The word remembrance is the Greek word (ἀνάμνησις) anamnēsis means more than just to remember. It is a calling to mind with the idea that the thing being remembered is actually and truly present now. It is a making present in reality of that which is being called to mind. Rituals are extremely important in a covenant relationship. No covenant is ever made without a covenant-making ritual and no covenant is repair or experienced with out ritual. Your barren intellectualism of Protestantism has nothing to do with covenant, yet we live in the New Covenant and therefore must abide by covenant rules and rituals. And to associate the Eucharist with "black magic" is heresy in extremely bad taste.

Dan1988 said:

The Gnostics came up with "transubstantiation", it never existed in the Apostolic Church, neither did any of the other rituals that your Eastern Orthodox Denomination invented.

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As I said, ritual is part of covenant life. You are profoundly ignorant of what it means to live in the New Covenant of God. If you want to stop being uneducated about this most important facet of the Christian life, I highly recommend this book:



Written by a former Presbyterian Calvinist, he found that all of the rituals which he (and you) despised were actually part of the covenant relationship of God to man. And, of course, without any defense against the truth, he converted.

Dan1988 said:

To suggest that God is love, is another ignorant statement, because we know that God is hate. God said He hated Esau before Esau was born. How does that fit in with your "God is love" opinion. God not only hates people before they are born but He also hates their deeds while they live in this life. He said He hates the deeds of the Nicolaitans in Rev 2:15

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To hate something does not mean the same thing as to be ontologically hate. I am beyond stunned that you would make such a statement. You have no idea of ontological reality regarding God. And it is quite obvious that you are a Calvinist. You speak like one.

Dan1988 said:

You will never find a single verse to support this heretical view that God loves everyone and wishes to save everyone. But the opposite is true, God so hated the world that He killed every single man, woman, child and unborn babies in their mothers womb, with a flood. And He will cast that vast majority of mankind into the lake of fire to be tormented for all eternity. Now that's a God of love

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With that reasoning, then Hitler, Stalin, and Mao were some of the most loving people who ever existed on the face of this wretched little planet. Honestly, to suggest that someone who tortures another sentient being is a person of love is beyond the pale.

7thKeeper said:

Actually, being the first and only word of the sentence, it should be capitalized.

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LOL's

rjs330 said:

No. Because she isn't. She can refer to herself as he, and other people can call her a he if they wish. But I'm not going to lie about it.

I would like everyone to just live and let live on something like that.

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Why is it a lie and not just a social convention?

durangodawood said:

But I dont view illegal immigrants who just want to live, work, and be good neighbors as criminals in the same way as people who steal, kill, harass, intentionally defraud others, etc.

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They are not the same. If they come here illegally and live as a resident with no criminal record besides being illegal, then they are not the same. However they are still illegal and should be deported. It doeant matter how long they have been here or how what they have done. They are illegal.

We don't have immigration law that offers different deportations for those who commit those crimes and those that don't. It is ultimately the most consistent law we have. If you are here illegally, you have to go.

iluvatar5150 said:

If such a showdown could take out both of them, that’s a risk I’m willing to take.

View attachment 373807


Trump’s obviously in decline, too. It’s easy to miss if you don’t compare him now to him from the past, but I’ve been randomly getting fed content of his from 2016 and the difference isn’t subtle.

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A contest would only be of any consequence for Trump.

Benaiah468 said:

Jerusalem lay in ruins for seventy years until G-d brought his people back from Babylon. The land was desolate for two thousand years until 1948, when Jews from all over the world returned and brought the land back to life. Why has there been such fierce opposition to Israel since their return?

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The Bible gives a clear answer:

when Sanballat, and Tobiah, and the Arabians, and the Ammonites, and the Ashdodites, heard that the walls of Jerusalem were made up, ..., then they were very wroth, Neh 4:7

This verse and others in the Book of Nehemiah (2:10) not only tell us who was angry about Israel's return, but also the actual reason for their anger, the restoration of Jerusalem. There were no political or human reasons for the hostile attacks. After all, they had only just arrived in the land and had not yet had the opportunity to harm their neighbours, annoy them or give them any reason for this anger. No. It was then, and still is today, spiritual resistance: the enemy recognised that the restoration of Jerusalem and the land of Israel was advancing G-d's plan and the first coming of the Messiah, and tried to prevent this by means of attacks.

Even today, Israel faces massive resistance, not only from neighbouring countries, but worldwide. The growing hatred is not a political phenomenon, but has spiritual roots: according to Paul, the restoration of Israel is a prerequisite for the return of Jesus. ‘Whom the heaven must receive until the times of restitution of all things,’ (Acts 3:21a) It is not political decisions or media narratives, such as settlement policy or the fabricated genocide, that are the reason for the attacks on Israel, but G-d's plan of salvation.

Just as Nehemiah's builders experienced ridicule and resistance back then, the State of Israel today is also exposed to attacks through wars, the media, politics and even parts of the church. It is hardly surprising that the world allows itself to be influenced by deception, it does not know the truth of Scripture. But the silence of many churches in the face of slander and attacks on Israel is a tragedy. Those who love G-d cannot remain indifferent in the face of condemnation and attacks against His people.

We are visibly living in the time of Israel's restoration: every Jew who returns to Israel, every tree that is planted and every house that is rebuilt testifies that G-d is fulfilling His promises to Israel today. With every step of this restoration, the return of Jesus draws nearer.

timothyu said:

It seems that His chosen people will rebel until the end. The Hebrew people were given a mission that the elohim had failed to carry out three times previously, in Eden, pre-flood and after Babel. The, the chosen people, failed also. Jesus was given the mission and succeeded. He is Israel.

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Jesus is identified with Israel and is the true and ultimate Israelite. However, this identification serves as the basis for the restoration of the nation of Israel, not for the assumption that Israel is insignificant in G-d's plan.

I reject the author's generalization that anyone raised in America is subject to the "whiteness pandemic." There are quite a few areas where whites are a minority. There also are some areas where everyone is white. The latter is odd because how can special rights exist for white people when everyone is white? So is there white privilege in those communities? I do agree that those at the top in leadership or wealth should work to flatten the economic curve, though certainly not too far where regulations stifle growth and output. Anyway, an interesting thread.

The waters on earth are not curved.

Job 37:10 By the breath of God frost is given: and
the breadth of the waters is straitened.
Psa 136:6 To him that stretched out the earth above
the waters: for his mercy endureth for ever.

The sun is the largest luminary. Stars
are not suns.

1Co 15:41 There is one glory of the sun, and
another glory of the moon, and another glory of the
stars: for one star differeth from another star in glory.
Psa 147:4 He telleth the number of the stars; he calleth them all by their name.

There is no such thing as a supernova.

Always in His Presence said:

no need to capitalize.

gotta' love' the' grammar' police'

It was sarcasm's - I don't take it seriously and neither should you's guys

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Actually, being the first and only word of the sentence, it should be capitalized.

Nithavela said:

I don't know. I don't think anyone (incuding Biden) knows.

Besides that, who cares? Trump can just terminate any Biden executive order he likes and keep any he wants to keep, just like any president after Trump can do the same with Trump's EOs. That he just stresses the autopen part is nothing but a publicity stunt.

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Yes Trump most certainly can cancel every EO by Biden. He can also cancel every EO that was signed by autopen.

Which is just fine. I hope he does. His tweet is theater, like almost all of them.

Landon Caeli said:

You're wrong and everyone knows it

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No, what everyone knows is that you’re making claims out of your own ignorance and overconfidence in AI.

The two papers those authors wrote and cite on that page are freely available if you look for them (and you don’t have to look hard). Despite the more sensational headlines, the first one is about how white people are less likely to talk to their kids about race. The second one is a follow up after a year of heavy coverage of George Floyd and BLM. What alternate theories would you have liked them to examine?

For the first time in years, all perpetrators who murdered Israelis were arrested or eliminated. This is a turning point that shows how determined Israel is to crack down on terrorist structures in Judea and Samaria despite international criticism.

The final blow was dealt by the targeted operation against Sultan al-Ghani, the terrorist who killed security guard Gideon Perry in 2024. He hid in the Jenin area for over a year, changing safe houses and using the rugged terrain, local structures and proximity of armed groups to aid his escape. Then Israeli forces returned to the area and this time his escape came to an end. The man who destroyed a family was eliminated. His house near Kedumim had already been evacuated and demolished as part of measures against those who misuse their surroundings for terrorism.

Just one day earlier, Israeli forces had killed Ala Raouf Shetiyya, who was responsible for the murder of two soldiers from the Kfir Brigade, Eliya Hilel and Diego Shvisha Harsaj. He, too, had long evaded capture. The arrest and elimination operations of the past few months were complex, risky and characterised by precise coordination between the army, intelligence services and border police. But they followed a clear line: the perpetrators must no longer be allowed to find a safe haven.

At the same time, Israel carried out a broad campaign in Judea and Samaria against arms trafficking, terrorist cells and logistics chains. Within a few days, more than 60 wanted persons were arrested, including 18 operational members of Hamas. In villages, towns and rough terrain, the forces encountered explosive devices, weapons caches, means of communication and cash flows, a dense network that enables and finances terrorism. The operations aimed to curb these structures before they could produce new attacks.

While European governments morally pressure Israel, consider sanctions and bow to political campaigns, Israel works tirelessly to ensure the safety of its citizens. Every step, every night-time raid, every precision operation, every arrest, serves to protect the people of Jerusalem, Samaria, the Jordan Valley, Gush Etzion and all the places that have been targeted by "Palestinian" terrorist groups for years.

Anyone who sees Judea and Samaria merely as a map is misjudging the reality. The area is a network of civilian populations, strategic transit points, arms flows and ideological tensions. Terrorist groups use it as a breeding ground, Israel is trying to stabilise it.

Those who know the region know that the danger has not disappeared. New cells are forming, old networks are waiting for opportunities. But Israel's success in recent weeks demonstrates a principle that has proven itself time and again: terrorism is not defeated by incantations, but by determination. And for the first time in years, this determination has produced a result in Judea and Samaria that gives cause for hope, a rare moment that will remain.

One footnote to the last post. The whole concept of temple prostitution has recently been questioned. It turns out that ancients were just as inclined to accuse opponents of sexual misconduct as modern people are. Our people are moral. Your people are sexual deviants. It is very questionable whether there ever was actual temple prostitution, etc, in Israel. Things that have been translated as references to it in many cases really aren't.

You’re fine. Welcome to the forum @Dave...