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7 reasons for the trans conflict with Christianity

CF limits how much we can talk about this question, and I will aim to stay within those limits. But I want to say this much. The author's headline asks about reasons for the conflict over trans issues, and the article asks "why is there such aggressive hostility in some quarters". I think one of the reasons for the emotional component of the conflict - the "aggressive hostility" - is the attitude that the author displays in his article. I hear the author saying that he is confident that his opinions on this issue are identical to God's opinions, that anyone who disagrees with him is disagreeing with God, and that anyone who dislikes his views is elevating him to the status of a martyr for God's cause. This really is a frustrating conversation-stopper. If his message to people who disagree with him is "repent of your beliefs, so that you will agree with me and thereby you will agree with God", then we can't even talk to each other. I hope that, as a Christian, I wouldn't be aggressively hostile, but we would certainly be stuck in an emotionally-laden conflict, and reconciliation isn't possible if we can't even begin the conversation.
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Fleeing to Mars not of God

“If there’s something terrible that happens on Earth, either made by humans or natural, we want to have, like, life insurance for life as a whole,” Musk said in 2020. He wants to turn the planet into a self-sustaining colony, and he reportedly told SpaceX staffers last year he envisions one million people living on Mars by the 2040s.

The bible tells us Jesus is returning to earth to rule. There is no escape. Wasting trillions trying to avoid the fate of man on earth is in my opinion a waste and not of God at all.

Thoughts?
Prior to the return is an event called the sixth seal.

During the event, the skies roll up like a scroll and then people see God sitting on the throne up there and start to freak out.

When the sky rolls up like a scroll, that includes Mars that is "in the sky"

thus .. escaping to Mars .. is not advisable.
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Fernández: DDF ‘did not approve anything’ on German same-sex blessings handbook

Cardinal Víctor Manuel Fernández has deniedthat the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith approved recent guidelines for blessings of same-sex couples issued by the German bishops’ conference.

The conference president Bishop Georg Bätzing has claimed the controversial text, issued during the papal interregnum, had been created “transparently in consultation with this dicastery.”


Cardinal Víctor Manuel Fernández attends the consistory for the creation of 21 new cardinals in St. Peter’s Square on Oct. 2, 2023. © Mazur/cbcew.org.uk.

Responding to questions from The Pillar on Oct. 8, Cardinal Fernández said that “the DDF didn’t approve anything [of the irregular unions’ guidelines], and wrote a letter some time ago reminding [the German bishops] that [Fiducia supplicans] excluded any form of ritualization, just as the pope has said.”

Fernández’ statement to The Pillar follows other media reports this week calling into question recent claims by German bishops’ conference president Bishop Georg Bätzing, who said last month that the Vatican had been consulted on the development of controversial guidelines issued in April, days after the death of Pope Francis.

“We have developed this paper transparently with the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith and in consultation with this dicastery,” Bätzing said on Sept. 22. “So for anyone who might now ask, there is no reason to withdraw it.”

Bätzing claimed in a press conference to open the German bishops’ plenary meeting last month that the handbook, titled “Blessings Give Love Strength” and published in April, “is a pastoral concretization of  Fiducia supplicanscreated in consultation with the Roman Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith about the situation in Germany”

The bishop insisted that the German bishops had “prepared these guidelines transparently with the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith and in consultation with the Dicastery.”

But according to Fernandez, there was little in the text’s development which could be described as consultation, and the dicastery’s intervention was critical of the German bishops’ efforts.

Continued below.

Emergency abortion denials by Catholic hospitals put woman in danger, after her water broke at 17 weeks, lawsuit claims

Yes so therefore the charge is they breached State or federal laws. As far as I understand the Catholic hospital had a policy of not doing abortions. So in this case there was a ethical dilemma created as to whether this was an abortion or not.
Their "morals" were tying themselves in knots. The decision wasn't hard.
It tuns out it was an health emergency rather than an abortion so the hospital should have provided help as this is law. As far as I can see this was not a straight out case and there was a conflict of belief. Something that has now caused the hospital to have to rethink their policy in this specific situation so as to abide by the legal requirements.
I think you have this mostly right, but it was a 17-week pregnancy that failed. There was no possibility of life.
But the general idea that religious facilities have the right to say (not do abortions in the first place) or not adopt to say SSM couples if they run an adoption agency, or pray outside abortion clinics or pray and support those within the LGBTIQ+ community ect. These should be rights under the freedom of religion and following ones conscience. Which are human rights.
As I've said before, they should feel free to do that on their own time. Instead they have opened their business to the general public (non-Catholics). As you said above, the need to abide by legal requirements for hospitals.
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Jesus Had No Siblings: 50 Biblical Arguments

1) Luke 2:7 (RSV) And she gave birth to her first-born son . . .

Critics of the perpetual virginity of Mary (“PVM”) contend that “first-born” in Luke 2:7 is proof of — or at least strongly implies — that the Blessed Virgin Mary bore additional children. But “first-born” in Hebrew (bekor / בְּכוֹר: Strong’s word #1060) referred primarily to the first male son who “opened the womb”. Hence:

2) Numbers 3:12 Behold, I have taken the Levites from among the people of Israel instead of every first-born that opens the womb among the people of Israel. (cf. “opens the womb” in Ex 13:12; 34:19; Num 18:15)

Bekor did not include within itself reference to any additional children. The fact that this first male child was automatically called (when there were no other children) “first-born” shows by common sense that it applied whether or notadditional children were in mind. In other words, it didn’t mean, by definition, “first of many” because if indeed it necessarily implied other children, then it could only have been used afterthose children had been born, in retrospect. But in fact this was not the practice. This understanding was the same in the New Testament, as shown by this passage:

Continued below.

My Testimony of Finding God - Would Orthodoxy generally Accept This?

Apologies if this is the wrong section to post my thread, but I specifically wanted to hear from Orthodox Christians since I'm already an inquirer at my 'nearest' church as well as inspired to join due to my online research from what I heard from numerous Orthodox monks and fathers who seemed to align with my experience(also forgive my grammar, I was unable to sleep last night). Without further ado, here is how I went from someone who grew up in his mother's new-age "Christian" church, left it for atheism, then "over night" became a Bible-reading, God-worshiping, Christ-believing Christian:

Like most, I've lived a DEEPLY sinful life(think male-St. Mary mixed with some St. Moses minus the m*rder) in addition with struggles with substance addiction. My atheist stint ran from around 12 years old to 37. My current living circumstances see me residing at my folks business miles away from all my hometown friends along with those I made from an out-of-state move. The last remaining friends abandoned me due to my toxicity, so I was alone regarding peers. Depressed due to isolation, living situation, no achievements, and not where I wanted to be in life neither local nor figuratively speaking. My old modes of thinking started to return along with foolish ideas-I understand some of this might be best saved for confession but omitting it will lead to narrative confusion about my story. The foolish ideas included s**cide via volunteering for the ongoing conflicts. Of course that wasn't the only misguided reason for such an insane choice(a desperation for purpose and inclusion among the seemingly growing Left-wing population of the U.S.), yet being well old enough to know what war actually entails and seeing the horrific footage coming out of said conflicts shook me from a irrationality and wreakless inhumanity.

I found myself looking out my bedroom window one evening(May 14 around 7pm) considering my life and the choices that lead up to such crushing loneliness and desperation. It all made me realise not only was I alone due to my inability to trust and love others, but my wanton life of sin that I was actually considering traveling overseas to commit the one last grave sin I managed to avoid-taking a life. I didn't want to harm anyone, in fact it went against some of my previous choices such as attending EMT school. Scared and desperate for an out was where I found myself. "I need a way out. I don't, I *can't* do this! What if I die there, then my parents will have one child left, and my nephews one less male figure in their lives. I absolutely can't do this"! The feeling felt like a literal weight hanging from my sternum(what I now realise was the weight of my sins).

Suddenly I heard what sounded like heavy vehicles driving over gravel. I wondered what in the world was my dad doing, was he having another truck come deliver gravel or dirt? It grew louder and louder until finally, He was upon me. It was like a heavy presence directly above me, and I can't tell whether I cowered in fear or if His very presence is what pushed me down. "What the **** is this? What's going on"? Then I heard, "I'm God".

"God? As in God-God? THAT God"?! I immediately bent over and began to cry because I knew I was in trouble. The guy who spent a good portion of his live being blasphemous, immature, budding criminal delinquent scumbag was about to be taken to hell by God Himself. It was then He suddenly flooded and encapsulated me with love. "You, you...forgive me?! But everything I've done! I don't believe this"! My legs buckled and I felt two arms(the sensation was similar to when a limb falls asleep but no prickly sensation) around my torso caught me, and there was an 'understanding' Jesus Christ was holding me up. Then a bunch of images flashed in my mind-most seemed to be ancient Middle Eastern cities or locales-but what further clued me in on the God I was speaking with was an image of an egg and sperm. Upon seeing that image I said, "sometimes abortion can save a woman's life so are their exceptions?" which I received a firm yet gentle "No". I then asked if it meant I have to hate non-believers, gay people, Muslims, feminists, ect, and there was an "understanding"(seems He doesn't always communicate with words or images) by the love and mercy He was showing me the answer was obviously no. It made me cry even harder while saying, "Oh my God, you ARE good! I'm sorry I was so wrong about you"! He then told me we are all His children, He hates all these wars(they deeply sadden Him), and He wants us to know Him.

Around this time Christ let me go and I paced around my room while he left me with his last bit of info telling me to tell others about Him and never stop believing in Him. The experience then abruptly ended and I felt an other-wordly bliss and sense of peace for the entirety of the week followed by other strange feelings such as intensely and distinctly feeling people's "vibes"(e.g. I could feel my mother's anxious nature and my dad's anger). It was very taxing both emotionally and physically. I'm now back at 'baseline', and have found an Orthodox church to begin the inquirer portion as well as a former Protestant convert(Calvinist to be specific) at the church who was accepting of my story. I plan to put this past my church father since I'm aware of what a prelest is(is it even possible for an atheist to experience prelest?), yet I feel...confident it was our heavenly Father who came down on me that day since much of what He showed me is in line with Scripture. Not to mention stepping into an Orthodox church was unlike any church experience I had before. The Holy Spirit is undoubtedly there; my first visit was like an assuring and safe presence washing over me, and the 2nd(after falling into sin) was like being under a microscope which felt like it revealed my sin to all others present along with cleansing me of said falls.
I sincerely hope this doesn't cause controversy(or at least too much) after all we are expected to be honest in our word and deeds, yes?

Thoughts on Processional Cross Design

Processional crosses are one of the most neglected of objects of liturgical art in my opinion. One rarely sees them discussed, perhaps in part because they are often only focused on in very short bursts, specifically the few moments when they are carried to and fro in procession. In that regard they can feel a bit 'transitory.' At the same time though, they can certainly add a powerful and dramatic quality to processions insofar as they bring to the fore one of the most powerful symbols of Christianity: The Cross. The power of the processional cross in a liturgical procession is thus, to my mind, akin to the symbolic power that a flag or standard can have within the context of formal military or civil parade.



Of course, this is especially so when it is a well designed processional cross -- in fact that is key. The first such processional cross that I can recall being particularly struck by and drawn to in this regard is the processional cross one often sees used at St. Peter's basilica in Rome.


For me, the most impactful processional crosses are those which take on a Medieval or Renaissance form. At their most basic, this is typically a Latin cross with rounded medallions on each of the four ends of the arms of the Cross and a proportionately sized orb, or node, which connects the Cross to the stem or handle by which it is carried. Add to this additional ornamental details and we really -- to use a popular turns of phrase -- begin "cooking with gas."

It's difficult to explain why this type of design works, at least for me; all I can say is that it does indeed work. It has ornamentality to it but at the same time it is not ostentatious; it is a well-balanced design, emphasizing the Cross itself, but also giving us other details to draw us in and hold our interest.

This style of processional cross can be found throughout the older countries of Christendom, especially countries such as Italy. An example of this type of processional cross comes from Bergamo, dated to 1616, located in the Chiesa di San Alessandro Martire. In point of fact, some of the parts of this particular processional cross even predate 1616, going back to the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries, and other pieces reaching into the nineteenth century, but at its core the overall design is certainly of the Medieval and Renaissance type under consideration today -- though in this instance it is beginning to become more heavily ornamental than the base type I am describing.





Continued below.

Let the Left Do What They Want To Do Here In America

Liberals bad
I see. I thought at first it was about policy proposals, then it seemed to be about how liberals would persecute christians. Very confusing.

Here is a few "reforms" for consideration:

End the reporting exemption for religious 501(c)3 organizations. (Report your finances churches!)
End the offices of religious whatever in the White House.
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Who then can be saved?

How do you refuse to be saved?
You don’t come when He calls or draws, or answer the door when He knocks even though though no one has excuse (Rom 1:20). You prefer yourself and the world and the flesh to God, as Adam did, You remain in your pride and in your sins instead of in Him after entering and lingering for a time. You believe but the cares of the world as per Matt 13:22 or the fear of man as per John 12:42 end up superceding and choking out or thwarting that gift of faith. Or you may you say you're saved but fail to love and to forgive others, or to produce good fruit. You don't peservere. Etc

Once the will of man is totally removed from the "equation" then the gospel is pretty well eviscerated of its meaning-and revelation (informing man) really has no purpose for that matter.
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30+ Christians Beheaded in Mozambique as Radical Islamic Terrorism Runs Rampant in Parts of Africa

More than 30 Christians have been beheaded at the hands of Islamic State terrorists in Mozambique, according to a report.

The Islamic State Mozambique Province, or ISMP, announced that they destroyed at least seven churches, committed acts of arson against Christians and village civilians, and shot and beheaded more than two dozen people in the Cabo Delgado and Nampula provinces in the northern area of Mozambique.

The Middle East Media Research Institute(MEMRI) screen-captured, translated, and shared the terrorists' report on their website, which included 20 photos of the brutal attacks on Christians.

According to the organization, the Islamic State of Mozambique is reigning through terror in the region.

Continued below.

Pope Leo XIV to supporters of migrants in U.S.: ‘You stand with me, and I stand with you’

Pope Leo XIV became “visibly emotional” upon receiving messages on Oct. 8 from immigrants fearing deportation in the United States, a member of a U.S. delegation said.

Bishop Mark Seitz of El Paso, Texas, Auxiliary Bishop Anthony Celino, and Dylan Corbett of Hope Border Institute gave the pope a collection of handwritten letters from migrant families expressing fear and faith. They showed the pope a video with immigrants’ voices saying mass deportations in the United States are breaking family bonds and stripping children of safety.

“We live in a state of constant anxiety, never knowing if tomorrow will bring separation,” an immigrant says in the video.

Corbett posted on X that Leo told the delegation, which included immigrants: “The Church cannot stay silent before injustice. You stand with me, and I stand with you.”

Continued below.

Palisades Fire live updates: Wildfires spread in Los Angeles, prompting mandatory evacuations, as Santa Ana winds expected to intensify

The Lachman fire was reported about 12:17 a.m. on New Year’s Day in the hillside above Pacific Palisades by a resident whose home is about two blocks from the popular Skull Rock trail.
He who smelt it, dealt it.

Florida man ‘maliciously’ started Palisades fire, then tried to cover his tracks, authorities allege

Jonathan Rinderknecht, 29, is accused of starting the initial fire on New Year’s Day that rekindled to become the Palisades fire days later. He was arrested Wednesday in Florida and charged with destruction of property by means of fire, which carries a minimum of five years in federal prison.

Among the evidence collected from Rinderknecht’s digital devices was a dystopian image he generated on ChatGPT depicting a burning city with people trying to flee, said Bill Essayli, acting U.S. Attorney for the Central District of California, at a news conference Wednesday.

Rinderknecht called 911 to report the fire, then offered to help firefighters battle the blaze, according to an affidavit by an agent with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. Prosecutors accused Rinderknecht of lying about where he was when he made his first 911 call.

While some residents said they saw fireworks in the area on Jan. 1, authorities said they don’t believe fireworks were a factor in the initial fire, called the Lachman fire. Rinderknecht allegedly set the fire “maliciously” with an open flame — “likely a lighter” that ignited combustible material like vegetation or paper, according to the ATF agent’s affidavit. [I understand he had a long neck BBQ lighter in his car.]

He made “false statements” to investigators, prosecutors alleged, saying he first saw the fire after he left the Hidden Buddha clearing and walked down the trail toward his car. However, GPS data from his phone showed he was in the clearing when he first called 911.

Son of missionaries accused of setting destructive Palisades fire

They recall him as the shy and quiet son of missionaries, who could sometimes grow “bratty” or excited when challenged.

In the Hollywood neighborhood where he lived and worked as an Uber driver, one acquaintance described him as “a really nice guy.” Yet he was embroiled in an ugly legal conflict with a neighbor in his apartment complex that included accusations of abuse and drug use.

[Previously he lived in Palisades, near the fire's origin.]

The Skull Rock trailhead — which was cited in the government’s criminal complaint — was located just steps from their home, the old roommate said, and the pair would often hike the route.

In the fall of 2018 — before he lived in Hollywood — Rinderknecht and a girlfriend used Airbnb to rent a room in a San Fernando Valley home, according to the landlord, who spoke to The Times on the condition of anonymity for fear of harassment.

As the weeks wore on, however, the landlord grew concerned. She overheard Rinderknecht speaking to his girlfriend, and said he was disrespectful, even cruel. She suspected that he was using illicit substances and that he was damaging her home’s walls and window blinds.

The landlord said that sometimes, she would overhear the girlfriend crying, or saying that her family wanted her to leave Rinderknecht and fly back home.

“He disregarded all the rules. If I said don’t do this, he’d be very upset and talk back to me,” the landlord recalled. “I called Airbnb to kick him out.”

[After kicking them out, she had $2,000 in repairs to deal with.]

According to public records and posts on social media, the 29-year-old has roots in Florida, Hollywood, Pacific Palisades and the south of France, where his parents did missionary work.

Rinderknecht’s mother, Jennifer, is originally from Florida, according to Pastor Shawn Hurley with Meadowbrook Baptist Church in Lima, Ohio. His father, Joel, is a French citizen, and the couple live in France.
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Another look at the moon landing.

For one, nobody has walked on the moon & two, if nobody has walked on the moon how the heck have left all this so called paraphernalia on it.
Then how did the lunar reflectors that are there now get there? Remember the lunar reflectors are in use now so the evidence for their existence and presence there is factual and absolute.
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The Schumer Shutdown

Sure is manufacture by Schumer
Led by Schumer
Caused by Schumer

It was last March that he voted for the same bipartisan cr he voted against
The big abominable bill passed in March because financial bills don't need 60 votes, and 53 Republicans support abombinations.
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Difficulties with finding a church

Sorry, I don't read Hebrew or Greek. Where did you get that idea? I mainly use the NKJV.
from your post that the KJV is different from the Greek and Hebrew, i'm aware that there are differnces , for one the English language is more complex and for most english speaking folks they are limited to only reading English, as far as i'm concerned the Kjv is the best we have and all other translations are somewhat watered down
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How does extreme sin exists along with a powerful spirit-filled ministry?

That's what I am driving at, I suppose. It IS possible for a person, even a prophet or apostle, to exercise the gifts of the spirit but with little fruit. There is a danger imo, (while others clearly seem to disagree) in labelling the whole ministry as satanic because it's basically carnality at work.
I know this from 30 years in co-leadership. A leader incredibly thin-skinned, had to be in charge, verbally controlling. Quite immature emotionally. His son called his Christianity his "hobby". BUT, the church benefitted from his years of preaching and faithfulness.
While I hesitate to go to the other side so to speak (aka the Calvinists) I do think they have an important understanding of this sort of thing. It is called the difference between Spirit Upon and Spirit Within. The best summary of it is in a book called Receiving the Power by Presbyterian pastors Z. Brad Long and Doug McMurry.

Quick summary: Spirit Within is for building godly character with wisdom and understanding; while Spirit Upon is for signs and wonders. That does not even require the person to be a believer. Example: Caiaphas truly prophesying that Our Lord had to die to save the nation. John 11:50-51
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Morality without Absolute Morality

The point is that all things at certain times and places deemed legal are not thereby moral.
The moral priorities of societies are often encoded in their laws. The variance that has been discussed here represent these.
Morality does not change.
LOL.

I personally changed my mind about the morality of abortion as have millions of Americans (in both directions). Morality does change.
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Was listening to a program talking about mental health.

Was listening to a program talking about mental health. (My mental health issues Part #1)

Unlike other people with their mental disorders or disabilities, I can describe exactly what's going on with me, and it's not at all a mystery to me. When I'm around a bunch of different sources of noise, or people talking (including other people's televisions, and media and whatnot sometimes) (or when I'm around a combination of both actually) I am constantly picking up on everything and immediately applying it to something about me, or having to do with me, and applying it it all kinds of different ways all of the time and always, some of which are sometimes very disturbing, although not always disturbing always, but either way, me or mind makes it about me or something having to do with me, or something that I was just experiencing/doing, and it is something that I am not at all doing willingly. And with a lot of different noise/sources/voices around, it is constantly shifting, and changing, constantly and very, very, very quickly. I can shut a single source down almost immediately, but with a lot of different sources/voices, it is happening too fast for me to be able to keep up most usually, or shut them all down immediately or completely, cause the second I pick up on on one voice/source, and shut it down almost immediately, it changes to another one after that almost immediately, and it's too much for me to be able to keep most of the time, and almost always. And it's not ego either, or me willingly desiring to make everything about me, but this all happening/being done to me 100% completely involuntarily, as I've all but completely killed my own ego by now, almost 100% completely. If it's supposed to be some form of communication, then I don't think it is at all meant for us human beings. And even if it was some form of communication, or I could make some sort of sense of it (which I can't, but if I could) then how could I ever be sure of the source really? Like I said, I don't think it's meant for us human beings. But this is why I wear headphones and listen to something else when I'm out in public, and am out among a bunch of these different sources that very much act like a lot of very, very different, always constantly changing and shifting voices to me actually. It's schizophrenic in a nutshell basically, and that is what it feels like when I'm out in public actually. So it's a very great limitation/mental disorder/disability, and there seems to be no way of eliminating it or completely getting rid of the problem right now 100% completely, because it's not me doing it to myself willingly. And even though I say all of this, there are still some of you who are going to think that I am somehow making this up, or am being dishonest, or am lying, or that it's not as bad as I'm making it out to be maybe, but I 100% guarantee you that you can't make something like this up, and unless you personally have or experience these problems yourself always, then you just don't know how debilitating/disabling they can be actually.

God Bless.

Another thing that I probably also need to mention about this, which has been/still is a side effect from some of the times that this has been disturbing, is also having/developing PTSD from it now actually, which also makes me sometimes anticipate any and all, especially unanticipated/unexpected noises, as sometimes potentially disturbing or triggering, so headphones is definitely the way to go for someone like me, as they are like a lifeline for me. I apologize to all of you that I can't seem to deal with it or handle it any better or differently.

God Bless.

(My mental health issues Part #2)

I'm saving this and these for the next time I see my therapist here in a few weeks.

For example, when I was talking with you last time and you mention dogs sometimes, I sometimes identify with them sometimes in my mind mentally, and when you mentioned your church choir leader last time, I identified with that or him for a minute last time temporarily, as if I was him, or was like him somehow, or in some kind of way actually, or that someone or something was trying to tell me that I was in some kind of way actually, but I was able to shut them, or those thoughts, or those voices, down, almost immediately, and so, it wasn't a big deal really, and none of you even knew that that was going on with me and in my mind at the time mentally. But, when I'm around a lot, or a lot of different sources/ones going on/off all of the time around me, my mind is doing this with all of them all of the time and constantly, and very, very fast with everything, and it's always changing or shifting voices/sources very, very, very quickly, and it's hard to shut them all down immediately all of the time usually. And sometimes, something happens with what's happening on the outside of me that let's me know that something, or someone, knew, or always knows, just exactly what was going on with me, or was happening right then to me at the time mentally, or with what I was just identifying with and how I was identifying with it, actually. Which can feel like a very great violation sometimes of my privacy, which can sometimes be very, very intimidating, or scary, and can sometimes trigger me all of the time and constantly, so that I'm always triggered, or am always on edge all of the time mentally, until I am out of that situation again actually. It can't all be true, but when I'm around a bunch of different sources constantly, I don't have the time to try to discern truth from fiction, which is why I just try to shut them all down immediately. Discerning the truth from fiction can take a lot of time actually, so unless I actually have the time to get a break, and sit around and think about it, and can remember a lot of what was just happening, I can't most of the time actually. Over the course of my total amount of time living with this mental disorder, or disability, I've identified as almost everyone and everything over my total course of time having this, and so I don't think there is any kind of way that all of it can be true ever, etc. And if it ever was or is, then I don't have any kind of idea as to what to say to that or about that ever exactly, etc. It took me quite a while to even be able to know that this is what was going on, or happening with me, and those times we're very, very bad, because they were also very, very confusing, so at least I know now what's happening, and can now write about it now, or tell it to the rest of you now, at least somewhat clearly.

God Bless.

When you, or me, or anyone identifies with something, you first have to ask yourself if you are in any way like that person, place, or thing, or animal, or not, in this specific situation or circumstance, or this specific context or not, exactly? And then also how, or in what kind of way (or ways) (multiple or plural) exactly? If there is even any kind of truth in it at all exactly? Which takes at least some time at least to be able to discern that, or figure that all out exactly? But that you also don't have the time for at the time when there is a lot of it happening or going on very, very quickly like it always happens or does to or for someone like me when there is a lot of different sources to potentially pick up on all of the time exactly. So, there is really no mystery anymore as to just exactly what is happening or going on anymore exactly, but it's more just exactly which way should you apply it, or just exactly what you're supposed to do with all of it all of the time exactly? Like I said earlier, I don't think it's possible for all of it to be true, and so that means that at least some of it has to be false, but with the way it happens to someone like me with a lot of different sources to potentially pick up on sometimes, there is not enough time to be able to figure that all out ever, or ever dwell too long on any one thing, or one or more of those things as quickly as they are/it is changing/happening, until you can get back out of that situation once again temporarily.

God Bless.
As far as I understand we can only think one thought at a time, however with time the filter can be worn.

Though often in the form of flashbacks.
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law discussions belong in the law/sabbath area, or controvertial.

Randy says that there is goodness in all, in a delayed or unrecognised manner. That would be fine, but once the testimony of Christ was told to the world, the commandment to repent was given to all men, so the sin that became death was unbelief.
I don't know why you spend so much time gathering up passages of Scripture just to condemn Israel? What Israel experienced was an example for the world. If Israel backslid, and she did, then Christian nations have done the same.

The idea is to bring out another option--the option of Grace. When people repent by the Gospel they can escape the judgment that fell upon Israel and that now falls upon the world. That is what we should focus upon.

I don't think Israel or Jerusalem is the "Mother of Harlots" indicated in Rev 17. I think that role belongs to Rome, which was Christianized early in NT history. Rome has gone down the same path that Israel did, gradually and intermittently turning to compromise and gross sin. Certainly in the time of the Reformation Catholic abuses in Rome turned very ugly. And though things have improved over the course of the last number of centuries I think things may turn ugly again.

When Rome and Europe turns to the Antichrist the true Church will have to go underground for a short time. That will not just be an Israeli thing--it will be a Europe-wide thing, I believe.

Anyway, yes, I think all men were created with the capacity to do genuine good things. We see them every day. Even non-Christians can do good works--how can that be doubted?

But justification is what you mentioned, and I agree that despite all the good works men do they cannot be justified unless they turn to Christ for Grace. We are justified by faith in what Christ did and by faith in what he gives us by his mercy.

The environment in the world today has been breaking out in a fit of antiSemitism. Let's not involve ourselves in that ugly spirit. Why should we criticize the victims rather than the oppressors?
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