Xeno.of.athens said:

Does the bible urge Christians to be kind to animals?

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No.

By hand the best diamond cutter(s) in the world are sitting on street curbs in India.
By hand the most renowned stone cutters remain "invisible" to onlookers today.
It would be way too embarrassing for the truth to be known. (that "no-bodies" , very poor in this world, are way better than the rich and famous and popular who continuously are being always promoted (for money))

linux.poet said:

Gracious Heavenly Father and Lord Jesus,
I pray for Your children in Pakistan that are affected by the flood. I pray for Your provision for them, that Your name may be glorified, and that the country of Pakistan may see that You support them in spite of their harsh conditions.

Please help those affected to have warn clothing and shelter to stay warm, and send the Lord of armies to protect the women and children. Lord Jesus, now is the time to act to save Your witnesses and ambassadors. Go! And guide Pastor Waris on how best to respond to this crisis!
In Christ’s Name,
Amen

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Amen Amen!

linux.poet said:

Hi pastorwaris,
Thank you for the update. I’m going to move this from Prayer Wall Discussion & Inspiration to Persecuted Christians, as we are talking about a group of persecuted Christians in Pakistan who are being affected by the flood. This kind of thread posting style also is a match for there.

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Thank you so much for this. May God Bless you more and more!

obey the order of leadership.

what is the excuse that I disobey the leader？

sjastro said:

You have mentioned the word conspiracy in your post 12 times in the context of if being inapplicable to the information you supplied, blissfully unaware you are the source of the conspiracy theories.

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Or that I mention it after the idea had been introduced. I have written an aweful lot of words so 12 times is not much. I think the idea has been mentioned by others way more.

But it doesn't matter. It was inevitable now it seems that such a thread like this would bring up such a word. I have to deal with that and that is what I am doing. Like I said in some ways this is actually redirecting things back to the point of the OP.

Which was about how we see the evidence and human history and the different worldviews where one is more orthodox and strictly by the rule book of material science and the other open to more transcedent knowledge. For which the orthodox and material worldview thinks conspiracy.

That we are debating the idea of conspiracy as opposed to 'real science' is philosophical.

sjastro said:

People who engage in conspiracy theories ignore the evidence which contradicts the conspiracy or distort the evidence so it fits their worldview.

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Yes and this can be exactly the same for those who claim to be siding with the evidence. Case in point, precision vases must be made by orthodox tools because thats whats in the records. Yet orthodox tools don't match the signatures. Oh thats right lets appeal to elbow grease which can mimick the evidence of machining.

sjastro said:

Your conspiracy theory is Ramesses II forged Old Kingdom statues and monuments as proof the New Kingdom pharaohs couldn’t produce the same standards. The evidence however which you chose to ignore was a sizeable percentage of his works were original and the main victim of his forgeries was the 18th dynasty pharaoh Amenhotep III who lived 200 years beforehand and was clearly not an Old Kingdom pharaoh.

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But this itself is based on whether the works he usurped from 200 years ealier were in fact works 200 years earlier. I am saying the whole 'whoever has his name on it' is the creator of the work is questionable. Some works have 2 or 3 nsames on it.

The basic premise is that apart from the pyramids all the works of the old kindom are in the hardest stones. Or at least the great ones that stand out with precision and quality. The issue is the orthodoxy of who is attributed the works along with the tools. The tools even if Ramesses II commissioned them don't match the signatures.

But we see this signature prevelent in the old kingdom where it seems to originate and maybe even earlier. They are the originators. The point is we could just about appreciate that some of these works came much later when the tools improved such as steel and the wheel. But the highest of quality and precision is coming from the old kingdom and maybe earlier. At a time not expected due to the primitive tools and knowledge.

sjastro said:

An example of distorting the evidence is the find of a 6th dynasty granite obelisk which is considerable smaller and cruder than the 18th dynasty obelisks which you claim could only have been produced in the Old Kingdom.

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Well I am not saying everything, I don't know. But this does not deny the quality and precision of the old kingdom works. I showed the precision vases, boxes and pillars to within 1,000th of an inch perfection. With machine marks on them.

We should be going by the highest quality for the level of knowledge and tech and I think the old kingdom is unsurpassed in that sense.

sjastro said:

Why does the archaeological evidence show the opposite; shouldn’t the 6th dynasty granite obelisk have been of a similar standard to those attributed to Hatshepsut, Thutmose III and Ramesses II as they no longer possessed the technology of producing larger and more refined obelisks?

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I don't know with some specific examples. Its not as if there was one quality for the old kingdom. The great works seem a specialised area among other less quality works. Its interesting that most of these old works almost belong to one family in a relative short time of around 200 years.

All I know is we see some of the best in the old kingdom and that this same signature is seen in works attributed to later dynasties. But it doesn't really matter as even what is claimed as new kingdom works don't match the knowledge and tech in the orthodox records.

sjastro said:

The other question which arises how did Hatshepsut, Thutmose III and Ramesses II lacking this unknown technology and relying solely on Bronze Age chisels were able to erase the cartouche of the Old Kingdom pharaoh, carve their own and leave no evidence of tampering which according to your logic should have been impossible?

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Easy, the old kingdom works mostly had no glyphs on them for whatever reason. But we can definitely see how the later glyphs are of a completely different signature to the work itself.

Why would a new kingdom pharaoh and especially Ramesses who bragged out his great works create such amazing precision and quality finish only to virtually scribble like a child all over it with crooked and unfinished lines. Why create a beautiful finish only to destroy the quality with a poorly finished cartouche.

I gave this example of what looks like childs scribble on precision made boxes at Saqqara. !00 ton precision and polished to perfection to within a 1,000th of an inch in all points of reference made in Diorite. Spoilt by some vandel chiseling what looks like a kid did it.

Why would a pharoah commission such perfection only to have it spoilt by crooked lines and poor quality work. More like a latter addition. There are only 3 of 10 or so boxes with scribble on them and this is how they are dated.



Or this rough and inferior cartouche from Ramesses II on a beautifully polished piece. See how even the creases and every knook and cranny is polished to perfection. Then along comes another pharoah who is suppose to have made it with the same tech and wrecks it.

This is a Hyksos Sphinx. As you can see the fine lines in the ribs and its polished to the point the Diorite shines which is hard to do. But notice the later inferior cartouche that has a completely different signature to the work itself. Like someone actually did use a primitive chisel. You would think this would have the same level of quality so as to not deminish the work itself if the creator was the same person.



Thats apart from the obvious stamps where a later pharoah has actually changed the previous glyphs into his own or even stamped a cartouche over existing works and spoiling it. See this reused obelisk has the glyphs verticle rather than how obelisk use horizontal glyphs. Ramesses is reusing an older work he found as a wall.



Another example where he stamps his cartouche right over the preexisting work. In this case covering a belt, knife and the fine engraved lines of the skirt. In fact this example has two pharoahs stamped on it.

The interesting thing is these granite statues are suppose to be of Ramesses. Why would he go to all that trouble to finely shape the belt, knife and pattern on the skirt to then destroy this with a cartouche over work that would have taken weeks to finely craft.

They usually reserve a space or don't do any work under the cartouche. This seems an obvious later addition over work that was already in existence and Ramesses has usurped it.

The other a blantant stamp across a larger work covering the original fine work. Always usurping the finest hard stone works. There are many of these examples and along with the signatures matching so well the old kingdom I don;t think we should be assuming the named stamped is the creator.



The other piece of evidence is that this is not just restricted to Egypt but seen all over the world. Its the accumulation of these out of place works that question the orthodoxy that its just the primitive tools in the records.

I could show you though I know you won't like it of many examples that are hard to explain with the traditional tools. Where what is claimed by pounding, splitting, copper sawing in no way resembles the signatures and in fact the signatures reflect advanced knowledge and tech.

This 8300–7500 cal. B.C obsidian bracelet which is around 10,000 years old has evidence of sophisticated turning. When the wheel was not even suppose to have been invented or had very simple applications. Let alone controlled machine like signatures.

Multi-scale tribological analysis of the technique of manufacture of an obsidian bracelet from Aşıklı Höyük (Aceramic Neolithic, Central Anatolia)
Discussion
Our study produced evidence for skilled work of the obsidian bracelet from Aşıklı Höyük. This evidence is:
* The choice of high quality obsidian
* The use of different movements and abrasive materials for making the bracelet
* The creation of a complex form and the control of symmetry during the shaping
* The near absence of manufacturing errors and the ability to deal with defects

sjastro said:

Then there is your statement which is a rare example of consistency, the golden age of pyramid building lasted for around 80 years. The 6th dynasty pyramids were constructed at least 200 years after the Great Pyramid and vastly inferior in both size and quality. The pyramid cores were no longer composed of cut limestone blocks but limestone chips, sand and rubble held together by a gypsum and lime mortar.
If they could cut and figure granite in the 6th dynasty to a standard unobtainable in the 18th dynasty, why did they cease cutting limestone blocks for their pyramid cores which would have been considerably easier?

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I don't know. Maybe they found the secret lol. I don't think it was laziness of lack of knowledge or tech. If the later dynasties could create works to the high level of the old kingdom then they had the same knowledge and tech.

But the question is as with the examples and evidence of widspread inherentence and reusing of older works and that the new kingdom sites once had oldkingdom sites and works on them. Its a question mark for at least some of these works being older. If you say the new kingdom actually usurped middle kingdom works then its a contradiction that the knowledge disappeared.

I just don't know but I am not going to assume that certain works belong to certain times because of a stamp on them. When the works that are stamped contain all the signatures of the old kingdom as shown already.

sjastro said:

You are clearly a candidate for the Dunning Kruger effect, you can boast about arguing logically but the reality is there are gaping holes in your logic a truck can be driven through.
Your so called logic which is based on conspiracy theories does not stand up to scrutiny when compared to the archaeological evidence.

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I don't think so. I think given the examples and evidence shown so far its clear there are out of place works and questions marks on their age. But basically forgetting all the times and who did what.

The fact is the very best of works is seen very, very early and possibly even pre dynastic that is on par if not better than later works. In a time when it should be a less quality and precision gradually improving to a higher level. Except we are seeing the complete opposite in these old kingdom works.

“A righteous man cares for the needs of his animal, but the kindest acts of the wicked are cruel.” – Proverbs 12:10

CerebralCherub said:

I could really use some scriptures regarding prayer.

My questions are:

1. How formal do we need to be when addressing God i.e. should we be fully clothed and/or have our heads covered?
2. Is it appropriate to ask God for blessings or deliverance from ill health or anything else?

These questions have arisen because I am not familiar with the scriptures regarding prayer but I know different denominations have different beliefs which I assume are biblical in nature?

I was raised to view prayer as relatively casual i.e. it's okay to pray in the shower, in bed (even if you accidentally fall asleep!) etc.

I feel uncomfortable asking God for anything to do with increasing or maintaining any of my comforts in this world. This is because Jesus refers to spiritual healing, blessings etc and even redirects a mans priorities when he asks Jesus to assist with his issues with inheritance What does Luke 12:15 mean? | BibleRef.com:

Context Summary
Luke 12:13–21 records Jesus taking advantage of an interruption to explain a proper perspective of wealth. Jesus has been warning the disciples that faithfulness to Him may require their deaths. A man in the crowd, possibly shouting in the middle of that teaching, demands Jesus settle a family conflict over an inheritance. Jesus declines that request but warns the crowd against temporary, earthly treasures if they distract from their relationship with God. He will return to this theme, telling the crowd to reconcile with people and God or risk earthly and eternal ruin (Luke 12:54—13:9). This parable is unique to Luke's Gospel.

Chapter Summary
Jesus teaches the disciples about proper priorities. This includes recognizing that God knows all things, even secrets. Believers should honor God more than they fear death, or than they worry about things like food and clothes. Christians are to remain ready for Christ's return, even as faith separates those who believe from those who do not. These ideas revolve around the central theme of verse 34: that a person's heart reflects what they value most.

I have a genuine concern that people view Jesus as a genie, who is there to grant wishes, and they are angry and bitter and turn from Him when their requests aren't answered or not answered in the way they expect. In fact, this happened to me when I was young and, as a result, I turned from God for over 20+ years.

Praise His name, He did not abandon me and I was a lost sheep which was again found!

But, I feel like the purpose of prayer may be misrepresented/misinterpreted.

I would like to hear others views on this point because, currently, I only ever pray for:

1. Endurance - to retain my relationship with Jesus Christ through all temptation and tribulation
2. The salvation of unbelievers and particularly those who are close to me
3. The ability to ensure that I am representing myself in a way that that glorifies Him to believers and non-believers

Thank you all and God bless.

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Here is what I have to say to you, after reading your post.
Forsake all this man-made nonsense and talk heart to heart with God.
Nothing else will work for you. [Staff Edit]

Fervent said:

Entertaining the possibility of being mistaken is not the same as thinking one's beliefs are false.

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I think you're misunderstanding what I said, my bad. I underscored the key qualifier below

This is what I said:
childeye 2 said:
If I say yes, would you believe me?

Yes, I do think people must question their beliefs on this forum whenever correction is taking place.

Apart from that, I still don't see why entertaining/considering the possibility of being mistaken is not the same as thinking one's beliefs are false. Are you implying a negative connotation of insincerity when you say 'entertaining'?

Fervent said:

Recognizing the reality that Munchaussen's trilemma remains unsolved does not require circularity. If I were stating there is no solution, it might be. But recognizing it as a live problem with no current solutions is nothing more than surveying the options.

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This was the circular reasoning I was referring to ---> "And constantly questioning isn't exactly a productive exercise, since if someone truly engages with it they'll either end up paralyzed and unable to believe anything, or throw up their hands and become a nihliist".

Premise ---> If they engage in the constant questioning, it is not exactly productive because
conclusion ---> they will end up paralyzed unable to believe anything

Premise---> They will end up paralyzed unable to believe anything because
Conclusion ---> they engaged in the constant questioning that is not exactly productive

The Truth is simple. It's the lies that are complex and harder to see through. Hence if we ask 'Why' for the sake of clarity, it's productive. But if we ask 'Why' for the sake of obscurity, it's unproductive.

Clarity/obscurity
Productive/unproductive
Sanity/insanity

Fervent said:

I don't understand what you're saying here, it just seems like a word salad.

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Okay, my bad. It's really a simple point I'm trying to make ---> Facts of reality are learned and not imagined.

Reality dictates what is factually true and factually meaningful. Facts can and should override convictions based on beliefs. For example, if I stick my hand in boiling water because I believe it will feel good, I will nonetheless experience pain even though I believed otherwise. That is a fact of reality and therefore I did not imagine it. Moreover, it is meaningful to me because I have learned not to stick my hand in boiling water.

Light carries information, darkness doesn't.
Facts can be observed. Observable facts are observed because photons/Light carry information to our eyes about the objects they hit. Our brains then interpret that information into meaningful knowledge. Conversely, we cannot see those same objects in the darkness. So, for example we might run into a table or chair in the darkness that otherwise we would have walked around when the Light was on. But the chair or table don't disappear from reality just because the Light is off. The simple point is that reality dictates what is factual, and reality is not created in our imaginations.

"Therefore, if I am correct in believing that reality dictates what is factually meaningful, then it would be wrong to believe reality is meaningless".

The summation above shows why it's wrong to believe that reality is meaningless, so as to contest the belief that "they'll either end up paralyzed and unable to believe anything, or throw up their hands and become a nihliist".

Fervent said:

That appears to be nothing more than a dogmatic statement, which is simply one of the 3 problematic solutions.

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It's not an opinion; it's an axiom. The same as ---> "Facts of reality are learned and not imagined", and also --->"The truth precedes a lie in existence". <--- Do you see how these two axioms share a commonality?

"Whatever is Eternal existed before whatever is false". = Whatever is infinitely True existed before whatever is false.

The reason why infinite is being applied is (1) the question "Why" is infinitely regressive (2) somethings are only temporarily true (3) Facts of reality are learned and therefore they exist apart from our ignorance.

Fervent said:

Which is nothing but one of the 3 problematic solutions, the axiomatic approach.

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The infinite regressive argument is not a solution. Why? Because 'by definition', no one is able to prove that that which exists Eternal, actually exists Eternal. The summation is One must either trust or distrust.

The circular argument is not a solution, because it's a logical fallacy.

That leaves only one possibility, we must have axioms to reason upon for logic to exist.

Fervent said:

Yet as far as I am aware there isn't a single universal self-evident truth that is recognized by all human beings.

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That doesn't matter since reality dictates what is factually true, not human beings. And it can be observed that Love/compassion is of the highest value in humanity.

Fervent said:

The only things that can be said to be true are tautological statements, but there is much debate over whether tautologies are able to tell us about the world, or if they only tell us about the relationship between words.

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What we believe to be true will manifests emotions accordingly. And it's an observable fact that it is reasonable to presume someone is innocent until proven guilty and it's unreasonable to presume someone is guilty until proven innocent. Sanity/insanity

ozso said:

Except for Matthias. Who was appointed by the remaining eleven Apostles to replace Judas.

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And the word "Apostle" means "sent", so Barnabas was an Apostle, Acts 13:2-3. Junia was outstanding among the Apostles, Romans 16:7.
Jesus was an Apostle, Hebrews 3:1.

Vambram said:

DEA makes mass arrests in New Hampshire fentanyl and meth bust tied to Sinaloa cartel

DEA announced 27 arrests in Franklin, New Hampshire, after seizing fentanyl and meth tied to Lawrence, Massachusetts, with the supply traced back to Mexico’s Sinaloa cartel.

www.foxnews.com

Feds intercept 1,300 barrels of meth precursor chemicals shipped from China to Mexico

Federal officials seized 697,000 pounds of methamphetamine precursor chemicals from China bound for Mexico's Sinaloa cartel in the largest bust of its kind.

www.foxnews.com

FBI's Operation Box Cutter indicts 22 Chinese nationals and companies for fentanyl precursors

FBI seizes enough fentanyl to kill 70 million Americans in international operation targeting Chinese companies supplying deadly drug precursors.

www.foxnews.com

I am glad that federal law enforcement has finally stepped up actions to take down and take out the flow of illegal drugs into the USA.

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middle linkie-poo said:

Pirro said that 1,300 barrels containing 363,000 pounds of benzyl alcohol and 334,000 pounds of N-Methylformamide were seized from two different vessels on the high seas.

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[Emphasis Pommer’s]

It’s 12 days early, but: avast, mateys, where might I get me letters of marque, so I can do a bit-o-pirating on the high seas!?

It’s still technically feasible that such could be employed, and even though this is an enumerated power of the Congress, if the (current) President has issued any, I’m sure that that august body would have zero qualms with it.

(One hopes that this was a “privateer”, which “confiscated” these chemicals, since, if it was done by United States Naval forces, could be construed as an open act of war…against China. We don’t know if the crews were allowed to continue living, or if ships were sunk, in this instance.)

Here’s the press release from Pirro’s office.

Aseyesee said:

Let me scatter a few seeds ...

God defines/divides the dialectic/two sons (reflected in a tree (that itself became divided twice over, like a river that parts when it comes out of a garden) being that life and knowledge/light are not separate truths) just as light and darkness are not separate truths) with the words” that it was good” whereby darkness becomes evil by default … an adversary to agree with while you are in the way …

What measure you meet is what is measured back is as practical of a truth as it is a spiritual truth … judge not, measure not; build a city out of any truth and your inward journey ends with that city …

The words of the Language of God hold the knowledge to come to self; as God has all along known us to be …

A commandment, a law, a tree, a city, a tower, a river, a stream, a covering, a tent, a woman, a man, a door, a stone, a mountain, a garden, a kingdom, the stars, moon, and sun, a field, a wilderness, a sword, horses, chariots, an apron, an axe head that swims, even dove’s dung and ass’s head … all point to inward truths of consciousness or soul … in relationship to the son we are, and thereby who our father is to us (no gender, but position implied … (“… unto the sons of the concubines, which Abraham had, Abraham gave gifts, and sent them away …” “the servant abideth not in the house for ever: but the Son abideth ever.” “Him that overcometh will I make a pillar in the temple of my God, and he shall go no more out’) … taking notice that in the city (virgin) there is no temple … no separation … one glory (or two that have become one, both in the masculine and the feminine) …

The face of the deep is the first picture of the Laver, as is the mist that waters the whole face of the ground, the labor to bring forth a son ... a city/temple/vessel made with hands ... depending on where you are at in the moment ... the woman reveals Adam's nakedness, and Adam God's ...

The Bible is not God, but the perception of God ...

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not until the stock of the tree is cut down does the axe head rise up out and float on the water ....

Chaos, panic, death: Twenty people have been killed at a relief supplies center run by the American Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) near Khan Yunis, not by Israeli fire, but by violence from within their own ranks. The culprits are in Gaza and they are wearing balaclavas.

A tragedy has shaken humanitarian work in the Gaza Strip: according to official GHF figures, 19 Palestinians were trampled to death on Wednesday morning during a mass panic near the SDS3 distribution center. Another was stabbed to death. But what is shocking is not only the number of victims, it is the cause. The aid organization is making serious accusations against Hamas: armed fighters from the terrorist organization are said to have deliberately mingled with the crowd and deliberately caused chaos.

The GHF is one of the few remaining organizations that can still distribute aid supplies in Gaza in a reasonably structured manner, with US personnel, clear security protocols, and a high level of commitment. But on Wednesday morning, the situation escalated:

"It is with a heavy heart that we confirm that 20 people lost their lives in a tragic incident at the SDS3 center in Khan Yunis,"

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the official statement said.

"Nineteen of them were trampled to death in the crush, and one person was stabbed to death - all triggered by a dangerous and chaotic commotion initiated by troublemakers within the crowd."

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By troublemakers, the organization does not mean frustrated civilians, but armed men with direct links to Hamas. For the first time since the mission began, the GHF has officially reported firearms in the vicinity of its aid centers. A rifle was even confiscated. Furthermore, an American GHF employee reported being threatened with a weapon by one of the Hamas members.

What is happening here is no exception, it is strategy. Hamas is exploiting humanitarian emergencies to demonstrate its power, provoke images of chaos, and discredit international organizations. According to GHF, false information has been deliberately spread via Telegram in recent days: incorrect opening hours, non-existent aid stations, fictitious locations. People were deliberately lured to places that were not even open, all to create confusion and overwhelm.

And the goal is clear: to make Israel appear to be obstructing aid, to get Western aid workers to abandon their efforts, and to further fuel their own narrative of alleged genocide. What is being destroyed in the process: lives.

The GHF, which operates under extreme risk, has now also issued a public warning:

"There is every reason to believe that armed Hamas supporters deliberately provoked riots within the crowd,"

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it says.

"We mourn the loss of life - but we remain committed to providing safe and responsible humanitarian aid."

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But how long can this aid remain safe?

When even American aid workers are threatened with weapons?

When every distribution operation becomes a stage for terror?

And when international media prefer to report on alleged Israeli blockades instead of naming this deliberate sabotage?

In this incident, Hamas is showing its true colors, once again. Anyone who mixes armed men with starving families does not want help, but headlines. Anyone who causes chaos does not want supplies, but escalation. And anyone who holds a microphone in one hand and a rifle in the other is not a freedom fighter, but a terrorist.

Israel continues to allow international aid, under difficult conditions and at constant risk to its own population. But what good is the safest corridor arrangement if Hamas itself uses hunger and need for aid as a weapon?

The West, the UN, and the humanitarian community must finally be honest: aid for Gaza is necessary. But as long as Hamas controls Gaza, every aid operation is also a risk and every distribution point a potential crime scene.

Almost two years after Oct 7, sources in Gaza report the targeted killing of Mahmoud Afaneh, the Hamas terrorist who celebrated the murder of ten Jews on the phone in front of his parents, who cheered him on.



The report from Gaza sounds like a belated response to one of the most gruesome voices heard on Oct 7, 2023. At that time, Mahmoud Afaneh, a member of Hamas, called his parents from Kibbutz Mefalsim while the blood of his victims was still on his hands.

"Aba, I killed ten people with my own hands! Their blood is on me,“

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he yelled into the phone. His father and mother did not stop him; on the contrary, they cheered him on, shouting

”Kill, kill, kill!"

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over and over again. That moment revealed not only the barbarity of the individual, but also the ideological blindness of an entire family.

Now, several "Palestinian" channels are reporting that Afaneh was eliminated in Gaza on Saturday. There has been no official confirmation from Israel yet, but the news spread quickly on social media. If the report is confirmed, then one of the most brutal faces of the massacre has been put to an end.

The scene of that phone call is burned into Israel's collective memory. The conversation was later played back before the United Nations Security Council. Israel's then-Foreign Minister Eli Cohen described October 7 as

"the world's awakening to the brutality of Islamism"

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and compared Hamas' actions to the massacres carried out by the so-called Islamic State. Cohen warned that anyone who heard Afaneh's words would hear the true face of the hatred that had descended upon Israel on Oct 7.

Israel experienced a turning point whose consequences continue to shape the country to this day. The name Afaneh is emblematic of the perversion of violence that was staged not in the shadows, but with pride. The fact that he allowed his own parents to participate in the murders live is a testament to moral decay.

Almost two years later, reports from Gaza now announce his death. Whether it was a targeted strike or an internal settling of scores remains unclear. But the symbolic significance is obvious: the man who acted as executioner on Oct 7 and sold the murder of ten Jews as a personal triumph is himself no longer alive.

For the victims' families, this does not mean an end to their pain. There is no redress for what happened. But in a country still grappling with the trauma of that date, the news could be a moment of justice for some, not as a substitute, but as a painful but necessary signal: those who celebrate killing will ultimately be hunted down themselves.

The fact that Afaneh's parents did not stop him at the time, but instead encouraged him to kill, also highlights the deep-rooted culture of glorifying terror in parts of Palestinian society. Where parents feel pride instead of horror, the next generation of murderers grows up. Israel is not only fighting terrorists, but also an environment that morally legitimizes their crimes.

The images of collapsing high-rise buildings in the heart of Gaza City are more than military operations, they are a message. For the second time in two days, the Israeli army has razed a high-rise building to the ground after issuing precise evacuation warnings. It marks the beginning of a new phase: Israel wants to bring the metropolis under its control and make it clear to Hamas that its days are numbered.

Israel justifies the attacks with clear facts. The Al-Susi high-rise in the Tel al-Hawa neighborhood served as an observation post for the terrorist organization, equipped with surveillance technology to track the movements of Israeli troops. Explosives were found in the vicinity, and an underground tunnel system used to control terrorist attacks ran directly adjacent to it. For Israel, it was clear: anyone who surrenders their neighbourhood to Hamas risks it becoming a theatre of war.

The operation is accompanied by evacuation measures that no other army in the region carries out in this form: leaflets, precise warnings, aerial reconnaissance, the use of precision weapons. Defense Minister Israel Katz published the images of the collapse himself with the words:

"We will continue".

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The message is clear: Israel will not stop the offensive until Hamas lays down its weapons, releases the hostages, and its terrorist structures disappear.

At the same time, the army is urging the civilian population to leave the city and go to the humanitarian zones set up by Israel in the south. Field hospitals, water pipes, desalination plants, food and medicine depots have been set up in Khan Younis. Colonel Avichay Adraee, IDF spokesman in Arabic, addressed the residents directly:

"Take advantage of this opportunity and join the thousands who have already fled there."

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Israel wants to show that it is extending a hand, those who are not part of the terror will receive protection and supplies.

But Hamas has a different goal: it relies on the suffering of civilians and images of death and destruction to attack Israel morally. Hence the claims of famine and genocide, which have not been independently confirmed and which Israel strongly rejects. Aid deliveries are repeatedly intercepted or misused, a systematic pattern that keeps the terror alive.

The fact that Egypt, through its Foreign Minister Abdelatty, is now also talking about forced displacement shows the political dimension of the war. Israel counters that it is not Israeli soldiers who are truly imprisoning the people of Gaza, but Hamas, which is robbing them of any future. Netanyahu emphasized on Friday that every person has the right to freely choose their place of residence.

Meanwhile, the army continues to advance: according to its own statements, it already controls 40 percent of Gaza City and around
three-quarters of the entire strip. With every tower destroyed, Hamas loses its eyes, its command centers, and its propaganda machines. The goal remains unchanged an end to the reign of terror that began on Oct 7, 2023, and on that day caused the greatest massacre of Jews since the Shoah.

For the residents of Gaza City, this means difficult decisions. Many know that Hamas is abusing them as human shields. Others doubt whether the humanitarian zones really provide safety. But one thing is clear: Israel will not stop the operation as long as Hamas hostages are in captivity and terrorist structures exist.

The coming weeks will show whether the population will head south or whether Hamas will continue to hold them in a stranglehold. Israel has opened the door, but whether it will be used depends on the people themselves.

essentialsaltes said:

The formal renaming of the department would require Congress to act

“We’re just going to do it. I’m sure Congress will go along if we need that. I don’t think we even need that,” Trump said last month.

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The Nobel Peace Prize committee‘s popcorn expenditure is probably at record levels, at this point.

There is no blanket command about kindness to animals but it is certainly implied.


Most of the specific verses in the Bible relate to how we treat domestic animals particularly farm animals - oxen, donkeys and the like.

But the general tenor of the Bible is that animals are God's creatures as much as we are, and we should treat them with respect.

St. Francis of Assisi used to talk to the birds and animals, and told the villagers to feed the wolf of Gubbio. Some say it is legendary, and yet the wolf is supposedly buried within a church.

The tomb of the Wolf of Gubbio is located in the crypt of the Church of San Francesco della Pace, also known as the Church of the Stonemasons.17

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Mind you the Jewish sacrificial system which required the slaughter of animals raises questions in my mind, but I assume the killing was swift. I also understand the sacrificial animals were eaten, which makes the slaughter comparable to our modern abattoirs. Of course we suburban types get our meat wrapped in paper or plastic and don't have to do the unpleasant stuff.

When I pass semi-trailers carrying loads of chickens, cows or pigs I feel some sympathy. Around our way they'd be heading to the slaughterhouse.

I know they haven't got long to live but I'd be hypocritical to condemn the abattoirs as I eat meat as much as the next bloke.

Still I try to treat animals with respect and kindness if they happen to be within my location.