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  • 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.

The Mamdani Model: More Socialist Mayors to ComeBeware! The DSA will attempt to repeat Mamdani’s success in other Democrat strongholds.

I don't think there is such a society. Who sets the agenda then.
No one. It evolves naturally.
Yes this is the idea. This is what the US was built on. I disagree that the US and other western nations were not built on Christianity and the bible.
The US absolutely was not. I can't say about the other nations, and frankly I don't care.
The idea that a nation or society of people can be neutral and not rely on a religious or ideological belief about how society should be ordered is unreal. We are by nature moral beings. If its not God and the bible its going to be pagan, or some other worldly ideology and metaphysical belief about how society and the world should be ordered. Which will be imposed on all whether they agree or not.

We just seen the US come out of an era of radical and progressive ideology that was being enforced at the insitutional leveland justified as for the good of society. This was every bit a religious type belief and morality imposed by the State.

The fact is humans cannot detach themselves from morality and belief. As morality lies in the transcedent and of course deeply intertwined with religion. It is a subjective metaphysical belief. That is why opposing sides see the opposing beliefs and ideas as a threat to society and reality itself.

It was radical feminism that made the political the personal and in doing so made it the spiritial. Now we are either for God or opposed to Him. For Christ and against Him. You cannot have a society with conflicting beliefs exist in peace. Its impossible. Your more or less telling people to not live their beliefs whenever they conflict.
Simple reality is beyond your comprehension? Perhaps you should stick to Aussie politics. Your understanding of US politics and history is extremely poor.
Of course they do. The fact is as mentioned there is a ideological and moral basis for the policies and laws made. On one side abortion is promoted. On the other its murder. You cannot seperate politics from morality and belief. The academic ideologues made sure of than when they personalised politics.
The US government does not regulate belief and nothing in that paragraph even argues counter to that. To use your example of abortion, changing the legal status one direction or the other does not change the *beliefs* people have about it. There were major changes a couple years ago and my belief didn't change.
Sorry I mean 'progressive, liberal and socialism (cultural Marxism) is a strange mix. On the one hand there is a liberation and freedom. But on the other restrictions and uniformity of socilaims.
No wonder you think it is a strange mix, you are mixing things up in your head.
I think it use to be more within the center Left and Right. So when each party got in power it was not so different. In fact most people sort of accepted that over a generation each party would have a fair share and it balanced out. The conservatives paid down debt and got business going and the Left Dems or Labor supported the welfare and workers rioghts.

But now that the political has become the personal thanks to academic ideologues and identity politics the Left and the Right have polarised. Voters are divided and polarised. Its tribal and us against them. The opposing side is a threat and the language used is extreme like democracy is at threat, threats of Naxis and Fascism, calls for resistence ect.
It is still back and forth between some stream or strength of left and of right.
Its a culture war and way different to a couple of generations ago. Even 10 to 15 years ago. Thus resulting uprising, assassinations and attempts, antisemetism, radical gands rising, threatening and terror related language bcoming more common and a growing acceptence to use violence to stop the opposition.
The Christian Right declared war on American culture a few decades ago.
Its interesting that instead of acknowledge that there is a growing threat to Christians you turn it around and blame Christians. Thats the exact bias and descrimination that is happening.

Its also ironic that the very ideology that is doing this to Christians claims that they stand up for all minorities who are descriminated against. But it seems everyone and including Muslims over Christians in the more radical fringes except Christians.
I'm not interested in your persecution complex projection. This is pathetic Steve, you are projecting your self into persecution in a country where you don't live and there is no such persecution. Here in the US we have entered a month-long season dominated by a Christian religious claim. That isn't anti-Christian persecution. Not in the slightest.
People choose not to listen or believe Christians when they tell people what is happening and its dismissed.
Too bad.
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The NEA is pushing far left teaching upon children

I asked because we can have study battles all day long. I found those kinds of interactions here just aren't worth it. As your study notes what drives suicides; "Transgender individuals have a higher prevalence of depression across several age groups, often due to life experiences that include discrimination, harassment, violence, misgendering, and enacted stigma that may generate poor mental health outcomes and harmful behaviors." The hypothetical was meant to understand at what point would it take for others, who for example, mislabel what they experience as a mental condition. Even if one is take your study as gold, they are calling out the need of post procedure support.
Transgenderism is the one psychological disorder that depends on everyone else in order to be psychologically healthy apparently.

At least the wording is correct in that "may" is used. They don't really know because its a serious disorder. They actually have no idea if the person's would no longer have depression if no one said anything to them. In fact at this time they are more accepted than they ever have been. And they arw still as depressed as rhey ever have been.

What they really need is psychological care and most likely for their entire lives. Because medical interventions for psychological conditions don't work at this point. We haven't found a drug that helps them not feel like they are the opposite sex.
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Trump Says US Will Permanently Pause Migration From 'Third World Countries'

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Login to view embedded media "We lead the world in only three categories. Number one the number incarcerated citizens per capita. Number two, the number of adults who believe angels are real and defense spending"

Add to that the number of amphetamines deaths per capita.
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Can an OCD person ever get assurance?

I have been struggling with OCD and struggling with the gospel for decades. I ask the question because of what I read in a book on Christians with OCD. The book is called Strivings Within by Mitsy VanCleeve. The author talks about how the author of Pilgrim’s Progress, John Bunyan, centuries ago, apparently had OCD. I have read about him and how he kept doubting his salvation and having other struggles. VanCLeeve said that he eventually gave up trying to seek assurance. He decided that come heaven, come hell, he was for ‘venturing all for the name of Christ.’ She said that only by making this decision was he able to continue ‘serving His Lord.’ This jives with other advice I’ve read which says that OCD people must learn to live with the OCD and its uncertainty.

If all of the above is true, then OCD people can never get assurance of salvation, right?. Yet one author I read said that your spiritual life will never really take off until you have assurance.

There’s a Giant Flaw in Human History

So if you saying its not an issue or if there was an issue with being able to field test the model. Why cannot the model stand on its own legs as the support for the potential for energy generation. Why can't this be the basis for how the Egyptians could generate certain effects that they utilised.
If the model is correct, then EM radiation will be concentrated, but that is but the first necessary condition. Other issues are that there isn't much energy in the radio waves hitting the Earth. Also, how does the focusing work with angle of entry for the EM waves? I haven't been able to read the article as I've had problems with the proxy server from home and I don't read this site from my office, but from the popular article they only show downward EM radiation.

So far we haven't even gotten to the question of Egypt even having technology to extract that concentrated energy, but we will...
Ah why does the material science verses transcedent immaterial knowledge come down to teleology and agency. I find this interesting. The creatures conscious choices are made out to be coincident or epiphenomena to the material. Everything has to be coincident or accident. There can be no purposeful knowledge.
This whole paragraph was full of words I didn't use or imply.

I didn't say anything about "transcendent immaterial knowledge" or contrast it with "material science".
I didn't say anything about "accidents".
I said absolutely nothing about "epiphenomena" or "creatures"
I said nothing about "purposeful knowledge".

Nor did I imply any of these things in any way, shape, or form.

None of these are relevant to any questions about the pyramid EM propagation models, the energy concentration, or whether the Egyptians had the technology to do so.

Why, because as you say its 4,500 years ago and there cannot be such knowledge at that time. So it has to be a coincident. An accident lol. The problem is the accidents and coincidents are building up and its looking beyond a mere blind accident. Your underestimatig the Egyptians and humans as a whole.
Not at all. To intentionally build the pyramid as an radio wave concentrator and collect electric energy from it would require knowledge of electromagnetism. There is no evidence that *ANYONE* knew about EM until the modern period.

EM (radio) waves were predicted for the first time by Maxwell in 1867 and confirmed by Hertz in 1887.

To do the kind of calculations required to design an electromagnetic wave concentrator *requires* EM theory. There is no way around it. It is impossible that any one in the ancient world had the knowledge to built an radio wave concentrator.
Your claim that they did not know about FM waves and all that is a subjective and person opinion based on your worldview today that all knowledge must be seen the way modern western science sees it.

It is not subjective. It is the whole of ancient written knowledge and artifacts. There are no expositions on antennae. None on connecting electricity (like static electricity that they knew about) with magnetism (like compass).

EM waves come from the linkage between electric and magnetic fields. You need to know about both and how they interact to predict radio waves and you need to know about radio waves to concentrate this.

It is utterly impossible for any ancient human civilization to had radio technology.

As I said earlier I don;t think the ancients knowledge was like academic scholarship knowledge. Or Enlightened knowledge. It was more direct experiential. They lived closer and in harmony with nature and reality. So they actually experienced what they discovered and then utilised.
There is no way to "experience" radio waves. None.
All their attention was to reflect the natural geometry and forces within everything they did. That is why everything is aligned to the skies and nature.
The built them so they pointed "up"? So what?
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The End Time Puzzle

1Thessalonians5:9 says before God's wrath is poured out.

9 For God hath not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ,

10 Who died for us, that, whether we wake or sleep, we should live together with him.

11 Wherefore comfort yourselves together, and edify one another, even as also ye do.
You are well named! Just keep digging yourself deeper into error.

Not appointed to wrath,
does not say: removed from wrath. Many Prophesies tell us how the Lord will protect those who Call upon His Name, as they pass through the dramatic events yet to come.

It is sheer nonsense to think anyone can go to live in heaven before testing and Judgment.
And as for thinking you will return with Jesus, riding a white horse, that idea surpasses every fairy tale and fable ever imagined.
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Are there still Apostles today?

You would not know of either of them, nor are they of the Roman Catholic Faith -

You asked me and I responded.

Both called by Jesus of Nazareth (according to their own testimony) to a specific people group - both resulting in thousands upon thousands becoming believers (just like the Book of Acts), both with wonderful healings (like the Book of Acts), both with the result of churches being formed, (like the Book of Acts).
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What’s on your mind?

Hi all, hope life is treating you all well! Doing great here. We just got our Christmas tree up this weekend, and it just snowed a ton, so I’m happy! ^_^ I now have a nearly 1 year old daughter, it’s going to be fun to show her the snow!
Hi Owlette! :wave: Great to see you again! I'm glad you're doing well and enjoying the snow! Are you and your family enjoying the Christmas tree? I'm going to start putting up the Christmas decorations tomorrow! :christmastree:
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Struggling with scrupulosity

Thank you for sharing! I have scrupulosity as well. Fear of blasphemy is a very common obsession for Christians with religious OCD. I have found the blog articles at Scrupulosity.com to be very helpful. There are articles about committing the unpardonable sin on there, so you might find that useful. I am also part of the group coaching program on that website, and have found that to be helpful and encouraging as well.
I have been on there. I am going to check the group coaching out today.
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Trump dispenses with trials, orders military strike on alleged Venezuelan drug-trafficking boat (Now up to 2, 3, 4...)

Pete Hegseth denies he gave orders to ‘kill everybody’ on alleged ‘narco-boat’

Defense secretary called reports about his role in strike as ‘fake news’ intended to discredit US military

The US defense secretary, Pete Hegseth, has declared recent reporting that he may have illegally ordered all people to be killed in a military strike in the Caribbean as “fake news” on Friday evening, adding that the series of strikes of people on boats had been “lawful under both US and international law”.

I didn't do it, but it was legal!

Adm Frank M “Mitch” Bradley, head of Special Operations Command, reportedly ordered a second strike to kill the two survivors to comply with Hegseth’s orders.
As I've said before, I would bet that the orders as vetted by Pentagon lawyers skirted actually saying "kill everybody.

If Bradley presumed it that way...and transmitted the orders "more clearly" that way, then Bradley will take the fall, as will some or all of the officers below him, most especially the senior operations officer on the scene. Given today's thorough LOAC training, it's likely to get down to the person who actually pulled the trigger.
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Israel-Hamas Thread II

Who were the two men who fled from the tunnels?

Two terrorists who had emerged from the extensive tunnel system in the east of Rafah were eliminated from the air. The question arises as to whether Israel has just caught the highest-ranking terrorist leaders in eastern Rafah.

From the outside, this skirmish may seem like one of many, but this time something was different. The two emerged alone from the depths, not as part of a group, as had been customary in the region in recent weeks. It is precisely this circumstance that has prompted the security authorities to investigate whether they could be the commander of the so-called East Rafah Battalion, known in Israel as ‘Magd Janina’ and his deputy. It would be a blow that would severely affect the entire remaining Hamas structure in the region.

Whether the two men killed in the morning were indeed the battalion commander of East Rafah and his deputy remains unclear for the time being. If this assumption is confirmed, the incident marks a turning point: not only would another part of the leadership be eliminated, but it would also show that the underground structures no longer offer protection. It is rare for high-ranking commanders to leave their positions and it is a clear sign of decline.

For weeks, Israel has been fighting in the depths beneath Rafah against a structure that Hamas has built up over many years. The tunnels of the eastern Rafah corridor were once a place of retreat, a weapons depot, a command post and a lifeline for terrorist cells seeking to evade the Israeli armed forces. But the systematic destruction of the underground passages is dramatically changing the situation. More than 44 terrorists were killed last month; many more have surrendered or been captured.

The night before the current operation, Israeli forces discovered four more terrorists who had also emerged from an underground tunnel in Rafah and were killed in a coordinated operation with the air force. The pressure is mounting, and it is becoming increasingly difficult for Hamas to protect its last enclaves.

At the same time, Israel has sent an offer to the terrorist organisation via intermediaries: those who are still in the tunnels can surrender, will then be imprisoned in Israel and allowed to return to Gaza after serving their sentences – on condition that they completely disarm and renounce violence. The proposal may seem generous, but it has a clear goal: to completely break the underground backbone of Hamas without putting soldiers at unnecessary risk. So far, the organisation has not responded officially, but several prisoners have stated that they have come to the surface because their situation had become untenable.

The situation remains serious, but it is moving noticeably in a direction that hardly anyone dared to hope for months ago: the underground in Rafah is losing its power.

These days will decide how long Hamas will remain capable of acting in this area. The signs indicate that its ability to fight in a coordinated manner is virtually non-existent.
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Hierarchy in Heaven and Virginity

“There is one glory of the sun, another glory of the moon, and another glory of the stars; for star differs from star in glory. So also is the resurrection of the dead.” - 1 Corinthians 15:41–42

Paul here speaks of different bodies or "bodies", the sun is different from the moon, each star has its own unique twinkle, its own glory different from the others, and different from the sun or the moon. In the same way the present body--mortal, corruptible, etc--is different from the body in the resurrection (immortal, incorruptible, etc). While this body dies and decays, when it is raised up it is glorified and made immortal and incorruptible; "sown in dishonor, raised in honor". So the glory of this present body and the glory of the body in the resurrection are different--we should not imagine that the future risen body will just be like this one, it has a distinct glory--mortal vs immortal, corruptible vs incorruptible, dishonor vs honor, etc.

One may ask exactly how we might look in the resurrection, what about those who had missing limbs? Or those who died as small children, will they still be small children in the resurrection? I think Paul would answer and tell us that in some sense we're missing the point. The bodily existence in the resurrection will be radically different than our current bodily experiences. We cannot look at our current bodily experience and attempt to read that into the future. Though we can know that it is the body--for Christ rose from the dead, the first fruits of the resurrection of the dead.

Luke 19:17
“Well done, good servant; because you have been faithful in a very little, you shall have authority over ten cities.”

This is part of a parable, where the faithful servant having been faithful with little, is given more. When we reach the end of our mortal days and stand before the Lord, how we lived with what what we had--our circumstances, the gifts we had, the people God brought into our lives, etc--how did we live? Were we faithful with what we had? Were you faithful as a parent? As a son or daughter? As a spouse? As a neighbor? Were you kind and welcoming to the stranger? If you were an employer were you just and fair to your employees? The good and faithful servant was faithful with the little they had, and so much more is given them. It's not about having authority in the future world, but rather that the faithful servant has done well with what they were given.

Matthew 5:19
“Whoever does and teaches them, he shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven.”

In contrast to those who tell others to not bother with the commandments, for if one is lax in even the least commandment he shall be called least in the kingdom. Ultimately the point Jesus is making is found in the following verse, "If your righteousness does not exceed that of the Scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom". This requires a bit of unpacking, this is about the hypocrisy of those who claim to follow the Law; they claim to observe God's commandments but fail in the small things, they brag about how they tithe but fail to care for the elderly, they fail to show mercy. God isn't interested in religious showmanship, He wants sincere worshipers. It's not those who want everyone to think they are holy who are holy, it's those who do good in the dark of night, it's not the one who prays loudly in public for attention, but the one who goes into the closet and cries out to God, it is not the one who is wealthy publicly donating a large donation to the Temple, but the poor widow who gives her last coin.

In God's kingdom, that is to say, in the way that God is King, it isn't the hypocrites who want everyone to praise them for being devout who are called great, it's the tiny unimportant people who are sincere in their faithfulness, not calling attention to themselves, but simply and faithfully obeying God in the tiny little ways of their life. The one who snubs the homeless person and refuses to show compassion to the weak will be called least; but the one who is faithful to God's command--to love our neighbor, to show kindness even to the unthankful, to forgive those who hate us, etc--that is greatness in God's kingdom.

The way God is King--that's what Kingdom of God/Heaven means--is not like the way kings act here on earth; His Kingdom, His Kingship is found in the Meek Carpenter from Galilee who suffers--Jesus shows us the Kingdom. Jesus is the King.

1 Corinthians 7:38
“So he who marries his fiancée does well, but he who refrains from marriage will do even better.”

St. Paul argues that he believes it preferable (but it is not a commandment) to remain unmarried in this life; because being married means certain obligations--the one who gets married has obligations toward spouse and (almost certainly) children. Whereas the unmarried can focus on other things. Paul is clear that he does not regard celibacy to be a commandment; but he offers his opinion that celibacy is preferable to marriage. It's simply a matter of how and where one's energies are put. If I am unmarried, I could drop everything and go be a missionary somewhere if that was my calling (e.g.) but if I am married then my obligation is to my wife and kids, I can't just uproot myself that would be selfish and wrong. I owe my wife my time, my love, my energy--because I have made a sacred obligation and commitment to her and to our family. For Paul, who chose celibacy, he believed it was the best choice; but he does not dare command anyone refuse to marry, and indeed it is good to marry if you have promised to marry someone--marriage is good and blessed and holy.

Matthew 19:12
“There are eunuchs who have made themselves eunuchs for the sake of the kingdom of heaven. Let the one who is able to receive this receive it.”

Similar to the above, those who commit themselves to lives of celibacy and chastity choose a good calling. Those who can, do so; but not everyone is called to celibacy and chastity. Both the celibate life and the married life are holy and valid life vocations.

Revelation 14:4
“These are the ones who have not defiled themselves with women, for they are virgins… These follow the Lamb wherever he goes.”

what do all these verses mean?

There are a lot of interpretations of the 144,000. I tend toward the view that this refers to the collective whole of the Faithful of all places and times. And they are called undefiled and virgin because they are pure from the world. Not that they are literally virgins. The Church is called out from the world--Ekklesia--to be faithful to her one Lord Jesus Christ.

Though, of course, the Revelation is always difficult to try and interpret. And different opinions and interpretations abound.
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Trump plan for peace in Ukraine leaked; calls for Ukraine to cede additional territory, cut military forces. US Ukraine envoy to leave role

By letting Russia have what it wants in Ukraine. How clever!
25,000 dead soldiers just last month. Joe Biden said he would permit a small incursion and there have been over a million casualties, many civilians.
Trump is doing what no Democrat, no person, has been able to do and that is getting the two countries to negotiate for peace. Everyone in the world should support such humanitarian efforts. Russia and Ukraine may or may not come to an agreement, that is up to their leaders, but at least Trump is putting forth the effort.
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The ANE perspective on creation & am I fence sitting?

For a big part of my life I have been confident in the young earth creation model but one thing that has sort of been a sticking point for me is the ancient near east (ANE) interpretation of creation. It was first pointed out to me in talking about day 2 of creation, the idea that the writer is making reference to a solid firmament. It is further reasoned that the people in those days only knew of a flat earth cosmology, so they were just speaking in terms that everyone would understand. Just because they got something wrong does not mean God’s word is not true. It’s not a science textbook after all. And I have thought about this and wondered if there is any validity to it. The other thing that has really captured my attention is ideas surrounding behemoth and leviathan found in the book of Job. I have been persuaded that these are references to dinosaurs until I saw this video of Ben Stanhope’s critique of Answers in Genesis. He makes a compelling argument that these are descriptions of a mythological creature that symbolizes a false god, such as the followers of the Canaanite deity Baal. The comparison may have been a way of showing people that the true God is omnipotent and has no fear of them. And while I may want to entertain the idea that humans lived alongside dinosaurs, it is a weak argument to suggest Job makes mention of it.





It leads me to ask, if I am wrong on these things, what else am I wrong about? Most people who espouse this view about creation week, saying that it was a polemic to the pagan nations who say their gods took part in creation, tend to also be theistic evolutionists. In a wikipedia article “Firmament” it reads,

But one thing I found interesting is that John Hancock believes the ancients did believe the earth was round.


Login to view embedded media

Maybe the way to reconcile this is to say that philosophers in those days were more split on the issue and many thought it was flat before the time of the Middle Ages.





But if I cede the argument and say it had an ANE context, wouldn’t I be inconsistent to still believe in young earth creationism (YEC)? I have argued before that the Bible is inerrant and infallible and that no contradictions exist, only apparent contradictions. And I do feel in some way it would be a compromise to say that the Bible was wrong about the firmament being a solid dome that separated the heavenly waters above. I understand that the Bible is not a science textbook, but I believe that it has to be right whenever it does talk about science.
Even though your statement "ancient near east (ANE) interpretation of creation" is hypothetical....what does that have to do with Creation given to us in Genesis by Moses? Its not like he made Creation up...the information was given to him by God. Do you think God had a ancient near east interpretation of Creation?
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Eve and the Fallacy of Moral Choices

Indeed, membership into Mensa, IQ of 130 or higher, isn’t a prerequisite to “connect the dots.”

Those “dots” involve the conspicuous absence from those verses in Genesis of Eve lusting. As I illuminated previously, there are at least 3 words if not 4 words in the Hebrew for lust and lusting
Perhaps a Herculean effort on your part to not connect desire to lust?

I'll leave that to your eyes
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Why we are not supposed to keep the Sabbath

You can mock God where His Friend Abraham is concerned if the spirit in you leads to such behavior.

I would remind you that Abraham is dead, and will remain that way, because HE sinned, just as the Righteous God of Abraham says. And Abraham, like all obedient, Faithful Servants of God died in Hope that the Lord's Christ, whose day Abraham saw and was glad, will return one day, and raise Him from the dead.

That you would exalt yourself over Abraham, judging him as an adulterer, a judgment that neither God, nor Moses, nor any of the Prophets, nor Jesus nor any of the Apostles of Christ made, suggested or even implied, is proof positive that the Spirit that guided them in their discourse concerning Abraham, is not be the same spirit as the one directing your preaching concerning him.

You are free to continue in your judgments against Abraham, which are contrary to God's Judgments of Abraham, if your human heart directs you to. But I don't have to partake in them.

So long.
False accusations against me is not an answer to questions put to you. All you are doing is attempting to make a false accusation against me because you have no answers. Carnal minds do things like this to avoid being cornered by the truth. If you really want to be a law keeper then you had better keep the whole law because if you offend in just one point of the law you are guilty of all.
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