• Starting today August 7th, 2024, in order to post in the Married Couples, Courting Couples, or Singles forums, you will not be allowed to post if you have your Marital status designated as private. Announcements will be made in the respective forums as well but please note that if yours is currently listed as Private, you will need to submit a ticket in the Support Area to have yours changed.

  • CF has always been a site that welcomes people from different backgrounds and beliefs to participate in discussion and even debate. That is the nature of its ministry. In view of recent events emotions are running very high. We need to remind people of some basic principles in debating on this site. We need to be civil when we express differences in opinion. No personal attacks. Avoid you, your statements. Don't characterize an entire political party with comparisons to Fascism or Communism or other extreme movements that committed atrocities. CF is not the place for broad brush or blanket statements about groups and political parties. Put the broad brushes and blankets away when you come to CF, better yet, put them in the incinerator. Debate had no place for them. We need to remember that people that commit acts of violence represent themselves or a small extreme faction.

Selfishness

When disenfranchised, people have the right to deviate from your venerable social contract.
? Why do you keep trying to make this exchange personal? Your social contract is the same as mine, and every other citizen of the USA.

Are there any grounds to justify the disfranchisement of human beings who are by nature political animals? Only two: infancy and pathological disablement by amentia or dementia. In addition, criminal behavior justifies a deprivation of political liberty, as well as liberty of action, either for a period of time or for life.
People are under no obligation to do any such thing.
? People have the freedom to emigrate.
The same entity that gave you yours. If you wish to claim some moral superiority take it up therewith.
You can say His name. It's in our Declaration of Independence. Hint: It's not the King of England.
Upvote 0

German Peace Movement

There are some real nutcases in this country. Some do not believe we should have an army at all. Is this naivety, well-meaning stupidity, or just fear, like in the eighties about war? Why are so many people so vulnerable to these leftists who see no threat in Putin but regard the German Bundeswehr and military industrialists as the enemy instead


Nutcases or Germany is under attack already.

If someone intends to attack Germany or the rest of Europe, these protests/movements would be very advantageous to potential enemies like Russia. Think Vietnam War.

I'm speculating that Russia could have planted seeds of these anti-war movement themselves.

And Germany has been "under attack" since the end of WW2. The war never really ended. It simply entered another dimension. A different battlefield that is well hidden from plain sight. A battle to crush morale and the soul.
Upvote 0

Israel and the New Covenant.

Are you unaware of the "faith in God" of Orthodox Jews which excludes faith in Christ, thereby condemning them (Jn 3:18)?
You can speak for yourself, I do not answer to you. If you want to add something after I rely to your post and than try to accuse me about it, its really a reflection about you, not me.

I know where my faith is, so does God, thats all that matters.
Upvote 0

God, omnibenevolent or omnipotent and omniscient?

The fall of angels, how did God allow that? What energies? What do you mean about God cutting?
Do you think angels are capable of overturning God's will? And the reference to surgeons was about purposeful pain, as God making evil possible as a way of creating a world without evil that contains more than just God/beings completely controlled by God
Why does God make evil possible?
How else could autonomous beings exist?
Why not just make us repent in our wills?
That would undermine God's purposes.
Upvote 0

The Schumer Shutdown

Im not so sure. Why would the costs go.down? What would happen in the medical community in order to drive cost down? Would anything suffer if it happened?

I feel there would need to be some major changes in the medical system to make costs drop.
Fundamentally, the larger the pool of insured people, the more you can spread out costs. Additionally, a larger base of customers brings more negotiating power when it comes to drug prices and contracts with hospitals, and if hospitals don't have to worry (as much, or potentially anymore) about treating uninsured (or underinsured) patients who can't pay their bills, then they don't need to charge as much for services. That's a big part of why medical care is so expensive in the US - hospitals have to structure their billing to account for the (quite high) percentage of bills that will go to collections and/or remain unpaid.

I don't disagree that moving to a single-payer system might necessitate major changes to our medical care system, but clearly those issues can be solved, given the number of countries that have implemented some form of national healthcare. We certainly shouldn't rush into it, but just because it might be difficult or it might take a while to figure out does not mean that it's not worth pursuing.
Upvote 0

Three ICE detainees shot, 2 dead, at ICE facility in Dallas; suspected shooter committed suicide.

Well, if they aren't dealt with and they're allowed to continue their horrific crimes, then they ARE poisoning the blood of our country.

What horrible crimes would that be? Are they poisoning us to give us blood diseases?
Upvote 0

Trump’s Domestic Use of Military Set to Get Worse, Leaked DHS/DoD Memo Shows: LA "hasn't been perfect" but indicates what's coming "for years to come"

Trump officials discussed sending elite 82nd Airborne Army division to Portland, text messages show

A high-ranking White House official was indiscreetly texting about the Portland, Ore., planning last weekend, according to messages shared with the Minnesota Star Tribune.

Mediaite

Anthony Salisbury, a top deputy to White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller, was reportedly exchanging messages with War Secretary Pete Hegseth’s adviser Patrick Weaver over Signal in a crowded public space last weekend while traveling in Minnesota to a family funeral. [and the Signal chats were allegedly captured by someone who shared them with the MST]

“Between you and I, I think Pete just wants the top cover from the boss if anything goes sideways with the troops there,” wrote Weaver.

Another message acknowledged the political cost of such a move: “82nd is like our top tier for abroad. So it will cause a lot of headlines. Probably why he wants potus to tell him to do it.”

Hegseth wanted to send the National Guard instead, he added.

Elsewhere the exchange revealed information about other ongoing campaigns within the cabinet, according to the outlet, with Salisbury insulting FBI director Kash Patel as a “giant ████ canoe.”
Upvote 0

Elon Musk says he canceled his Netflix account — and urges his followers to as well

Literally every piece of media is created to share a perspective and influence the people consuming it. That is, indeed, the whole point of media.
And if the piece of content isn't intended to influence people, the advertisements that fund it are.
Upvote 0

AND HOW CHRIST FORMED THE BODY OF CHRIST !!

There is distinction, see it as two circles of different size. The smaller circle (kingdom of heaven) lies within the larger circle (kingdom of God). It is the difference between child of God and Son of God. See the two different promises made to Abraham in Gen. 22:17.

Aristarkos
AND POST #26 reply. is good. on. Matt 19:23 and 24.

dan p
Upvote 0

The Son of Man and the Throne Room

I said quote : - Jesus will come to the Mount of Olives just as God`s word said - (Acts 1: 11 & Zech. 14: 4) And that is to deliver Israel and bring vengeance upon the rebellious. So please read more carefully.

Jesus comes for His Body prior to the trib, and after the trib, He will come (with His angelic army) to earth for a time to deliver Israel, judge the rebellious and then set up His kingdom rule through Israel, (as promised).

Then the Lord returns to His own seat of power and authority in the third heaven, given by the Father. (Ps. 2: 6 Eph. 1: 20- 22) It is from there he will rule over all God`s great kingdom.
Sorry, Marilyn, I made a typo. I meant to say, "Clearly you're NOW admitting admitting that he comes to the Mt. of Olives!
Upvote 0

Awake Or Asleep?

I'm having a little trouble figuring out what you are after, here. Is there something about those two verses that is puzzling you?


John 3:36 "Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life, but whoever rejects the Son will not see life, for God’s wrath remains on them."

"Will not see life" harkens back to quotes and references all through the Bible—particularly in the New Testament—concerning spiritual life. Ever since Adam's disobedience in the Garden, we are spiritually dead, until we are "born again"—born from above, by the Spirit of God. (This is God's doing, and, it is evident that not all people experience it the same way; some may not even know at first that it has happened. Some say things like, "One day I just realized that I believed!")

But John 3:36 expands that fact of being given life by God, which is in THIS temporal existence of ours an "already-but-not-yet" sort of thing, into the eternal life aspect of Salvation. We (believers) are saved during this life, but that life we now to some degree experience will be SEEN when we see Him as He is, in Heaven. HE IS our life. (1 John 3:2)

John 3 begins with Jesus' conversation with the Pharisee, Nicodemus; it is a very well-known passage about being born of the Spirit of God (who is as unaccountable as the wind in this context, does what it does without reference to what people do), and about belief and condemnation, and about spiritual light and darkness. Then Jesus moves on to another place where he was with his disciples and baptized. John the Baptist speaks about Jesus then, and it is my opinion that the rest of that chapter (verses 31-36) is also John the Baptist speaking. It could have been John the apostle, to whom the Gospel of John is attributed, adding his own commentary after quoting John the Baptist, and, I suppose, it could have been Jesus—regardless, it is the inspired word of God, and fits the rest of that chapter, and fits the whole book of John.

The apostle John also wrote 1st, 2nd and 3rd John, in my opinion, because they all sound like the same author as wrote John 3, and focus on much the same issue, though different aspects of it. They are worth reading, even if only because they shed light on this verse you are asking about. (Keep any Bible verse in the immediate context and in the context of all of scripture. It is easy to be misled by considering any verse by itself. Scripture always agrees with Scripture; anywhere it seems to contradict it is either a language issue or teaching method or some other such thing, or (more likely) a misunderstanding by the reader.)


Matthew 7:13,14 “Enter by the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the way is easy that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many. For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few."

These verses were not written in English, and in translating, it is hard to make them 'mean' the same thing they do in the Greek. The versions that try to explain often do so to the detriment of plays on words and symbolism and so on that Jesus used. So try to hold any one passage loosely in your mind, and read the Bible voraciously to gain depth behind the single verses that you have questions about.

We know that elsewhere (John 14:6), Jesus said that HE is the WAY, the TRUTH and the LIFE. Nobody can come to the Father (the "Heavenly Father") but by HIM. And in John 10:9, he even uses the same "figure" of the gate through which one goes and is saved.

That few 'find it' is self-evident, I think. However, it is also worth considering it a play on words, in that, as I mentioned, some realize that they now believe, so it is with "finding" The Way. Some say, "Well, yes, but no! It found me!"

Our wills are totally involved in the faith, the desire for Christ, the work of obedience, repentance and thoughts concerning God. But it is not our wills that save us, nor even that drive us to Christ. We believe because GOD 'gives us to believe' —not because we considered it a practical good idea. We yield our will to him because GOD made us spiritually alive. "We do so because it is so."
Everlasting Life is a Free Gift from God, God's Son sacrificed his life for everyone's salvation, Jesus paid the price, Not anything that we've done ourselves.

So simply why are we obedient to all Jesus words, because the Bible says to be obedient to Jesus words and God's word in the scriptures several times.

I just like to share the scriptures and its information, I am not after anything in particular. I like to share Peace, Christian love and Kindness wherever I can find a friendly person.
Upvote 0

Can we talk about ADHD... and such ?

Yes - is 'real' all right, and Psychiatrists can't identify a cause, they just try to treat the symptoms with med's.

Then again Psychiatrists are not allowed to deal with a spiritual cause, that is why I hear of Christians leaving the profession and becoming counsellors or clinical psychologists so they can deal with spiritual causes when and if they arise.
I have found that it is difficult to find a good Christian psychiatrist, psychologist or counselor and as for medication it is a hit or miss as to whether it is going to work. I wish the Church would address this problem better. They could use a whole network of these professionals.
Upvote 0

What is ...

Possibly, Jesus means the name He has been given, now that He has obeyed God by dying and has risen from the dead.

Because Jesus has so humbled Himself by coming to us in human flesh and blood, now Jesus has been given "the name which is above every name" > in Philippians 2:9.

The name possibly is not only some label, of what to call Jesus. But one's name can mean your position because of who you are and how you have proven yourself.

And by obeying Jesus, we share with Him in all He has and pleases to share. Part of our name . . . our standing with God . . . is that our Father loves us as He has loved Jesus > John 17:20-23. This is a new thing which has to do with our name we have with God . . . Jesus sharing this with us.
Upvote 0

It seemed so easy for the thief on the cross to be saved.

And there is likewise a reason why he waited 4000 years.
And we're still waiting. The plan is still on progress. The purpose from the beginning of creation even before our universe, was to eliminate the misuse of the knowledge of good and evil, the adversarial spirit in both elohim and man. Christians like to make it about us, but it is sooo much more.
Upvote 0

The Ten Commandments are the Covenant, did you know?

Just as a general comment in this ridiculous thread, even though it has been repeated for years on end here,...


- We have a new covenant, not a re-newed one.

- We are children of Abraham, not children of Moses.

- Jesus fulfilled all of the law, not part of it. It is finished/completed.

- We obey Jesus and "His" commandments, not Moses and the law.


Sometimes things are just too simply for people to understand and they hold onto personal beliefs instead of seeking the truth from GOD (even though the truth is staring them right in the face).
Upvote 0

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

The soup kitchens of the Little Sisters of the Poor are open to the public as well. There is nothing in the Constitution that says religious freedom is thrown out the window for hospitals and soup kitchens.
How much do they charge for soup?
Upvote 0

There’s a Giant Flaw in Human History

Lol trust you to make a political issue out of what is basically a thread about lost advanced knowledge. Maybe western governments can pay back all the cultural knowledge they forced Indigenous peoples to lose by imposing their ideology on them lol.
Nope. That's the way antiquities have worked for DECADES. One of the objects you mentioned above was claimed to be acquired during a war. When the war is over you have to give back any stuff you temporarily possessed -- land, antiquities, people, etc. It's the way it is. (Though Israel does seem to be ignorant of that law.)
Your beginning to sound like some kid whinging over every little thing they can find and never happy or acknowledging anything good lol. So are you saying the vase is genuine and the gold leaf on handles isn't. Or the whole thing is not genuine.

There are several of these gold leaf handle vases in museums which are genuine. This one is exactly the same in many respects. Has machine marks on the inside exactly the same as genuine ones ect. Measures the same ect.
The gold is at least restored. Modified objects put more and more question into the overall quality of the collection. I didn't say the vase was a fake, only that the gold is not plausibly original.
Like I said why would a fake antiques dealer bother making such precision and going to the hassel and expense when no one would have any clue that the vase was not as precise as it needed to be. No one was asking for scans to authenticate them in 1962.
The qualities of these best vases with provenance to the 1960s or 70s are *completely* within the technical capabilities of the contemporary craftsmen to make and far far cheaper than the price of sale as a genuine antiquity.

Its all one sided and bias towards the negative in assuming its all fake and whackery without one bit of neutrality or fairness in that any reasonable person would say its neither proven or disproven. Or that there is a reasonable case that this level of precision would not be the result of forgery in the 60's. But no its straight for the juggler thats its all fake lol. Which shows the bias.
Your sources are filled with cranks and "true believers" in some crazy stuff on the backend. They discredit themselves.
Upvote 0

The "Paradise" thread failed...

Well . . . Jesus told that man next to Him on the cross that that man would be with Jesus in Paradise.

What would matter most of all is the man would be with Jesus. So, I would say this answers what maybe is the main concern about Paradise. And it seems it would be good enough for God's own Son; so-o-o-o . . . that's the main thing I think you would want to know.

So, where is it and what is it? I have not read any scripture which spells out what and where Paradise was or still is.

I think ones believe it is where the saved people go while waiting for Jesus to return and take us with Him.

I see also how it could mean Heaven, just another term for it.
Upvote 0

Hell doesn't exist and there is no eternal suffering, instead bad peolle just cease to exist

Edit: I could be wrong but you may want to clarify your position. I take your post to mean your current position on those who die in their sins without faith to mean they die an eternal death, that is, to no longer exist. I say this because your post received a “like” from our brother Hentenza whose position is the same as David Lambs. Perhaps maybe brother Hentenza was looking liking your post for a different reason? Just an observation …

In my understanding, since I have separated myself frown this world's religious system and the philosophies it promotes, there are many false teachings that exist in this world God placed you and I in. The whole "eternal life for humans in torture" is only one. It's not uncommon at all for different religious sects of this world believing and promoting different doctrines, some of them even true. For me, I didn't believe "everything" promoted by any religious sect. But I was still deceived into believing some of them. Even the religious sect of the Pharisees, perhaps the most popular religious sect of this world religious system of that time, who Jesus said were children of the devil, believed some of God's Teaching, but omitted some very important Word's of God, as it is written.

I think this is why Jesus said "Man shall Live By Every Word that proceeds from the mouth of God". Which makes sense. If God gives me instruction to build a house, and I follow only SOME of the instructions, even though I obeyed a little, the entire house is corrupted and will not stand.

Perhaps Hentenza has already looked into the whole "every soul is immortal" foolishness and discerned it as we have. Perhaps he will be encouraged to discern other poplar religious philosophies, and therefore "grow" in the knowledge of God.

That would be my hope for everyone, even for me because God is still revealing to me the darkness that surrounded me, that I had loved for so long. Knowing it exists, even if men can't always see it, I Seek God's Truth through the Light of the Gospel, for the very purpose, that my deeds may be made manifest, that they are wrought in God. (And not man)
Upvote 0

Israel-Hamas Thread II

Spain recognises Palestine, but the embassy remains in Israel: diplomats refuse to move to Ramallah with their families. Officially, it is a matter of security and quality of life, in reality, there is an unspoken admission behind it.

Several international media outlets unanimously report that the embassy opening has failed because Spanish representatives and their families are unwilling to leave the safe environment in Israel.

The reality cannot be glossed over: Ramallah is not simply an administrative centre for the Palestinian Authority. It is a city where violence, unrest and power struggles are part of everyday life. For diplomats, this means restricted freedom of movement, constant threats and no security or supply infrastructure comparable to that in Jerusalem or Tel Aviv. For families, it is unacceptable.

Norway has also already backtracked. Almost all countries that have recognised Palestine continue to maintain their embassies in Israel or operate only minimal offices in Ramallah, small, secure branch offices without families, without normal diplomatic residences. This is no coincidence, but rather an unspoken admission that it is a dangerous environment.

And this is precisely where the irony lies: Spain's government wants to make a name for itself on the international stage with grandiose decisions, but its own diplomats are refuting the political theatre. Because in the end, security is stronger than symbolic politics.

So anyone who talks about an ‘independent Palestine’ today should be honest: a place that Western diplomats avoid is not ready for state normality. Sánchez may be playing power games with his policies, but his diplomats have long since spoken the truth by remaining silent in Israel.
Upvote 0

Megachurch Pastor Ed Young: Half-hour sermons are 'way too long'

My pastor drags sermons out a little too long. He once said even his dad who was a pastor told him he went on too long. Too long in my opinion is when it gets to the point where it seems like the pastor is stretching out the sermon. There's a point were most have gotten the message, and from that point forward they're just wanting for it to end while their mind wanders.

How long was the Sermon on the Mount?
Upvote 0

Trump Orders Flags to Half-Staff for Charlie Kirk

Were people who spoke ill of Floyd fired from their jobs and doxxed? Did the military scan the ranks' social media postings looking for bad thoughts towards Floyd and punish any found?
They would have if they could have.

I don't give a vicious small dog moral credit because it can't maul me as badly as a vicious big dog.

The level of capability is different, but the immorality of the intent is the same.
Upvote 0

Gibbons Decline & Fall & Christianity

First, the various religions of a ruler often in history became the religion of the people by mandate. Second, realize the the vast majority of the people were illiterate. Likewise the medium used for writing was extremely fragile and expensive, certainly not regularly passed around amongst barbarians. While Catholics did, of course, select the books of the Bible, and translate Biblical text into numerous languages of the people over the centuries, certainly at least until the printing press the main means of communication of providing the Gospel to the people was oral communication.

We've already had this discussion, which was cut off when they locked the thread. I'll be happy to take it up again with you, under a new topic. But don't really want to change this topic into that one. If you do not start another topic on the history of censorship, let us say since we are in the Christian history topic, I will as time allows. As I do consider it an important topic to be discussed.
Upvote 0

Filter

Forum statistics

Threads
5,876,099
Messages
65,377,064
Members
276,244
Latest member
Meakaiame