• 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.

Trump dispenses with trials, orders military strike on alleged Venezuelan drug-trafficking boat (Now up to 2, 3, 4...)

Watch the video, it's only a minute and 45 seconds.

He calls for an "international strike force" to go after the "narco-terrorists where they live".
Login to view embedded media

"International Strike Force" could be the DEA or Coast Guard. He didn't say anything about the U.S. military.
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Chicago-Area Church Nativity Scene Features Zip-Tied Jesus and ICE Agents

A Chicago suburb church is making a political statement with its nativity scene this year, depicting the infant Christ with zip ties around his wrists and Roman soldiers as U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents.

Lake Street Church of Evanston, Illinois, is affiliated with the American Baptist Churches USA (ABCUSA) denomination and practices “a progressive Christian theology that embraces people from all different religious denominations and religious traditions.”

The church is actively involved in advocacy work for immigrants and racial justice. On Nov. 14, Rev. Michael Woolf, the church’s pastor, was one of 21 individuals detained during a protest at an ICE facility in Broadview, another Chicago suburb.

Continued below.

Trump to pardon Ex-Honduras President Guilty of Drug Trafficking and conspiring to import cocaine into the United States

What sense does it make at all, that Trump would pardon Hernandez, if there wasn't factual evidence that the Biden DOJ did something shady?

...A jury wouldn't know if, say, the Biden DOJ made some special arrangements with some witnesses, especially if those arrangements were kept classified.

When an action cannot be justified, yet a courageous individual steps up to defend it, that person may be mistaken—entirely in error for trying to support what cannot be defended. Nonetheless, their bravery and willingness to stand apart from the crowd to champion the indefensible should be acknowledged as a form of chivalry.
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Exclusive: The White House is looking to replace Pete Hegseth as defense secretary


It found that the information Hegseth shared had been marked "secret" and could have imperiled American troops had it been intercepted by a foreign adversary, the two people who have read the report said. The evaluation by the Defense Department Inspector General also concluded that Hegseth violated military regulations by using his personal phone for official business, according to those people.

The report also said that Hegseth, as the secretary of defense, is the “original classification authority” and in fact does have the authority to declassify intelligence based on his judgment.

But the inspector general did not address whether Hegseth took the proper steps to declassify the information shared in the chat, the two people said.


Signal gate report via Politico:

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YouVersion reveals top Bible verse of 2025

YouVersion, the most downloaded Bible app in the world, has revealed the top Bible verse of 2025 as its team reflects on a year of record-breaking Bible engagement worldwide.

In a statement shared with The Christian Post on Thursday, YouVersion identified Isaiah 41:10 as the most engaged-with Bible verse on its Bible app throughout the year. The verse declares: “So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.”

Bobby Gruenewald, founder and CEO of YouVersion, shared his views on the popularity of the Bible verse, which has taken the top spot in four of the past six years.

Continued below.

Now does everyone understand why the "right to refuse illegal orders" video was made?

@Oompa Loompa: So is this morally abhorrent?
I apologize for the late reply. I often get swamped with notifications and cannot keep track of it all. But to answer your question, if there were survivors and those survivors were positively identified, and those survivors were not still actively trying to resist (like trying to salvage drugs), it would be both morally and legally wrong to kill them. But as I get more information about the topic, it appears that the situation isnt so simple.
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Christian OU student flunked after calling gender ideology 'demonic'

Interesting video. For those who don't want to take 13 minutes to watch it...instructor placed on administrative leave; University decision that her "0" will not be averaged into her final grade for the class. University posted messages that it will not tolerate religious discrimination.
Good!
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Four unidentified military-style drones breached no-fly zone to target Zelenskyy's arrival in Dublin

FOUR UNIDENTIFIED MILITARY-STYLE drones breached a no-fly zone and flew towards the flight path of Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s plane at sea near Dublin Airport late on Monday night, The Journal has learned.

The plane landed, slightly ahead of schedule, just moments before the incident happened at about 11pm. The drones reached the location where Zelenskyy’s plane was expected to be at the exact moment it had been due to pass.

The drones then orbited above an Irish Navy vessel that had secretly been deployed in the Irish Sea for the Zelenskyy visit.

Sources have said that the drones took off from the north-east of Dublin, possibly near Howth, and flew for up to two hours. Enquiries are being carried out to determine whether the drones took off from land or from an undetected ship.

It is not yet known who launched and controlled the drones or where the drones are now.

[I can make a guess!]

The incident mirrors similar drone incursions in Europe in recent months which led to the closure of airports in Brussels and Denmark and caused significant security tensions.

It is understood that the drones missed the approach of the Ukrainian leader’s plane and then turned their attention to the LÉ William Butler Yeats, the Irish naval vessel which was secretly deployed off Dublin.

Mere anarchy is loosed upon the world

Ex-wife of Hillsong’s first black American lead pastor claims he was extorted by transgender prostitute

The ex-wife of Hillsong Church's first black lead pastor insists his infidelity led to him being extorted by a trans-identified male prostitute, to whom she claims he paid $10,000 to keep quiet, even though he denies being unfaithful during his marriage.

During an interview on the “Girls Gone Bible” podcast in October, Toni Collier revealed that her ex-husband, Sam Collier, told her he was being extorted by a trans-identified prostitute months before she announced she was getting a divorce in 2023.

Toni Collier, who married Sam Collier in 2015, claimed she discovered her ex-husband had a pornography addiction and was paying women for sexual favors during the second year of their eight-year marriage, which was well before he was announced as Hillsong Church’s first black lead pastor in the U.S. in 2020.

“Our second year of marriage, I found out he had a porn addiction. He was hiring women for sexual favors, y'all. And then I would say I just was really isolated, and I was nervous to tell my parents and my friends, and then I didn't want to go through another divorce,” she revealed.

She said she tried to fix her marriage and assumed that conditions had been improving until 2023, when Pastor Collier told her he was being extorted.

Continued below.

Trump FBI, DOJ announce arrest of pipe bomb suspect after nearly 5 years at large

A suspect in attempted pipe bombings in Washington, D.C., has been arrested after remaining at large for nearly five years as an investigation into his motives continues.

United States Attorney General Pam Bondi discussed the details during a press conference at the U.S. Department of Justice headquarters Thursday alongside FBI Director Kash Patel, U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia Jeanine Pirro and other law enforcement officials to announce that Brian Cole Jr. was arrested early Thursday morning in connection with the placement of pipe bombs near the headquarters of the Democratic National Committee and the Republican National Committee in January 2021.

“We were going to track this person to the end of the Earth,” said FBI Deputy Director Dan Bongino. “We didn’t have to track him to the end of the Earth” because “he wound up in Woodbridge, Virginia.”

Woodbridge is located 23 miles from Washington, D.C.

“He has been charged with violating 18 USC 844, which is use of an explosive device,” Bondi said. Pirro clarified that Cole was arrested for “transporting an explosive device in interstate commerce” and “the attempted malicious destruction by means of explosive materials.” If convicted under the statute mentioned by Bondi, Cole could face up to 10 years in prison on the former charge and between five and 20 years behind bars for the latter charge.

Continued below.

Is Hell Annihilationism or Eternal Torment

How about as a starting point start with Psalms and work your way through Proverbs. Quite a few verses in there about what ultimately happens to the wicked.
I’ve read them as part of my many researches into scripture and there are written using a great assortment of literary devices. For example, psalms are mostly poetic and some of them were meant to be sang so a lot of symbolic teachings. I’ve yet to find support for annihilation there.
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I Commit To Pray requests.

Three Language Groups Will Soon Have Bibles

Front-line workers in Nepal report that three language groups will soon have Bibles available in print for the first time. Praise the Lord for the years of faithful translation work that have been completed and for the culmination of this work. Pray for the next steps of the printing and distribution of God’s Word to people who have long waited to have it in their own languages. Finally, pray that every Bible produced in these new translations will reach fertile ground and lead to spiritual maturity and church growth among all of Nepal’s people

Call For Unity

Front-line workers request prayer for unity amonG Kyrgyz Christian communities, especially those including Muslim-background believers. Converts from Islam are often beaten, and the small Christian minority is generally oppressed by society. Due to this constant pressure, church groups often have trouble trusting each other and working together. “Pray for the unity of the persecuted body there,” a front-line worker requested, adding that unity among Christians will help to advance God’s kingdom.

Emotional Healing For Survivors

Kemi, her husband and several others were abducted in 2017 by radical Islamists. The militants killed most of the Christians, including Kemi’s husband, but spared Kemi. Instead, they marched her into the forest and abused her. For nine months she prayed that God would rescue her. One day, while fetching water, she was able to escape her captors. After living on wild fruit for three weeks, she finally stumbled onto a road, describing it as a miracle. Later she learned she was pregnant, and her community rejected her and the baby. Kemi became depressed, and she had trouble sleeping and taking care of herself and her child. With the help of VOM and a local counseling ministry, Kemi has received spiritual and emotional care. She can now sleep, work and serve in her local church. Front-line workers requested prayer for spiritual and emotional care for others like Kemi who have suffered for their faith.

Game based on Bible passage about killing everything that breathes

Holy hand grenade???
How far we have fallen.
It's from Monty Python and the Holy Grail and Worms
Satan loves to make what is bad good, and the scriptures warn... Woe to those who call evil good and good evil, who turn darkness to light and light to darkness, who replace bitter with sweet and sweet with bitter. Isaiah 5:20

What do you think about this:
View attachment 373987
Well it is in early access and 35,000 people have put it in their library, 7,300 people have played it, and 213 have bought the DLC. Chris says having a good capsule image (that costs $300+) is extremely important but I don't have a very good capsule image.
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What are some of your guns own and use then for Hunting and target practice?

yeah but I got tired of working it and not enough bang. I mean it I need a certain amount of recoil.


some had accelerated rifling. Are you referring to the 6.5x55 Swedish Mauser?
was referring to that with faster twist rate barrels and copper bullets, calibers such as 270 win/30 06 can kept very well with the latest and greatest ones such as the creedmoors, and western and Prc rounds
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State leaders speak out about plans to expand the Islamic Academy of Alabama

Plans proposed by the K-12 school were denied by a Hoover zoning commission.

In a statement, the Academy said objections to their plan were “…unrelated to zoning criteria and instead reflected harmful stereotypes and conspiracy theories about Muslims and Islamic institutions.”

[Article provides ample evidence of the harmful stereotypes and conspiracy theories]

“We really just don’t have a place for such here,” said Rep. Butler. “Where you’re screaming ‘kill the infidel, death to America.’ That’s just not welcome here. There are plenty of Muslim countries that would welcome that.”

“What they’re doing is going against our Constitution,” said Sen. Tommy Tuberville (R-AL) in an interview with Breanna Morella on Infowars, speaking out against the Academy. “I mean, you can’t preach hate, you can’t preach death. ‘Kill all infidels. Kill all Christians.’ You can’t do that.”

Zions New Children

I quoted Daniel 12:10b..... only the wise leaders will understand.
Half a verse.
The context is Daniel 12:8.....The Words are to be kept secret until the time of the end.
The context is the whole chapter - if not the whole book.
Daniel 12:1: "at that time" - at what time?
In verse 6 Daniel is asking how long it would be before all these things would be fulfilled.
Daniel 12:7 - "when the power of the holy people is broken". Then Daniel said that he heard but did not understand, so he asked what the outcome of those things would be.
Daniel 12:9, he was told to go on his way.
Daniel 12:10 - all of it, not just the bit you quoted:
Many will be purified, made spotless and refined, but the wicked will continue to be wicked. None of the wicked will understand, but those who are wise will understand.
Future tense. Many WILL be purified, those who are wicked WILL continue to be wicked, the wise WILL understand.
You seem to be applying that now - you've already judged which category I am in.
Also, your rejection of a viable explanation of Zechariah 5, without any sensible alternative, is unreasonable and shows extreme bias, as well as just ignoring the present realty of the Middle East situation.
I've given you an explanation of Zechariah 5; the fact that you keep asking suggests that either you reject it, or that you are actually looking for a viable application to the world situation today.

This is what I've been asking all along: why do you think that you have the authority to apply prophecies to today?
Why do you read them and say; "this applies to ......" , "X situation is this passage being fulfilled"?
Why do you speak so scornfully of clergy and theologians - apparently they have it wrong and you, alone, are right?
It could be that many others, throughout the ages, have believed those verses were for their day. What makes you think you have it all sorted out - given that you've been wrong at least once already?
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Trump said he’s looking into an Australian-style retirement program for America. Here’s how it works

...curious to see what our Aussie friends have to say.
This one thinks it's excellent. My wife and I made a point of putting a little extra into our super fund over the years via what is called Salary Sacrifice. That's where part of your salary goes into your super and you don't pay tax on tax on it. So we retired with quite a decent amount. And we don't pay tax on the super fund when we access it.

Employers contributions are mandatory and you can pick your own fund managers or DIY. Our fund manager is doing a great job. We live very well on it. We've been drawing on it since we retired 7 years ago and there's actually more money in the fund now then there was when we retired. Not being able to spend it fast enough is just the sort of problem you want.

The federal pension is not accessible to us as it's means tested. So a decent super fund means you're totally self sufficient. That seems fair. If people do spend most of it (maybe I'll get that Harley and we'll start flying everywhere first class) then the government eventually steps in.
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FBI makes arrest in investigation into pipe bombs placed in DC on eve of Jan. 6 riot, AP source says

Werent people right here at CF saying it was a female LEO
That's what The Blaze went with:

or federal intel employee ?
Probably. 'Fedsurrection' seems to be trending again on twitter as the tinfoil hat crowd adjusts their headgear.
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TRUMP "MISSED THE DEADLINE" TO CALL OFF TX GERRYMANDERING; CALIFORNIA WILL NOW DRAW NEW, MORE “BEAUTIFUL MAPS”

I may not have the highest opinion of Trump's intelligence, but I expect he's aware that Democrats can and will gerrymander, given that plenty of Democratic-controlled states have done so. For just one example, take Illinois's notorious congressional district map (source):
View attachment 373978

More plausibly, he (or whoever was the one who suggested it to him) thought that the Democrats had already gerrymandered so much in their states that they really couldn't gerrymander harder enough to make up for the gains the Republicans hope they'd with their Texas gerrymander, but overlooked the way California could increase it, or thought it unlikely that its citizenry would embrace gerrymandering so much as to actually deliberately vote for it.
Ooh ooh, can I play?

Check out our last couple iterations:
(2003-2013)
lossless-page1-1200px-United_States_Congressional_Districts_in_Maryland_%282003%E2%80%932013%29.tiff.png


(2013-2023):
lossless-page1-1200px-United_States_Congressional_Districts_in_Maryland%2C_since_2013.tif.png


They've since been made normal, but it was pretty wild for a while.
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Why do people hate ICE...

That costs us money. It doea not give us money.

Who said this?

I have no problem with this. Particularly when we know that rye vast majority are not granted asylum and rhere is a large percentage who don't follow through with their hearings.

Probably because rhey don't really what their names are because the people aren't being honest.

But I still think its ridiculous that we are holding illegals for 5-6 months or more. As you pointed out its costing us money. Have them sign the paperwork or get them to a hearing if they want to fight deportation and get them deported.

I never said "we" got money. I said follow the money. They are being detained because people are making money off the detentions, as explained by GoldenBoy.

Jan:

Feb:

That's a huge number of people, and it takes a lot of resources, a lot enforcement actions typically take a lot of planning, especially if you're focused on trying to get sort of people with significant criminality, criminal histories, which historically is who we've focused on, who ICE has focused on. I think the the aperture is broader now and it, honestly, it has to be to get that many arrests every day. Typically, if you're trying to conduct an enforcement action, you would surveil them. You would figure out patterns you would try and identify. You would make sure you know where they're going to be and when, so that when you conduct the enforcement action, you are conducting it in as safe and secure a manner as you can possibly do, both for the safety of the person you're picking up and for the ICE agents. By opening the aperture of numbers this way, it requires people to focus on who can we arrest quickly, rather than who is the most important person for us to arrest, which isn't necessarily the way they're talking about it. They're trying to focus on, you know, picking up the serious people with serious criminal histories. But it just doesn't stand to reason that you can arrest that many people around the country every day and be focused on the worst, the people with the worst criminal histories. You're going to be focused on the people who you can arrest most quickly, and those are the people who you have good addresses for.

June:

Top Trump aide Stephen Miller set a quote of 3,000 undocumented migrant arrests per day, in a meeting with ICE officials, according to two people who spoke with attendees. It comes as protestors confronted ICE agents during an immigration enforcement operation at a restaurant in San Diego. NBC News’ Liz Kreutz reports.


Today:

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How is the Economy Doing Right Now?

Layoff announcements top 1.1 million this year, the most since 2020 pandemic, Challenger says


Announced job cuts from U.S. employers moved further ahead of 1 million for the year in November as corporate restructuring, artificial intelligence and tariffs have helped pare job rolls, consulting firm Challenger, Gray & Christmas reported Thursday.

The firm said layoff plans totaled 71,321 in November, a step down from the massive cuts announced in October but still enough to bring the 2025 total up to 1.17 million. That total is 54% higher than the same 11-month period a year ago and the highest level since 2020, when the Covid pandemic rocked the global economy.
I expect that layoff number to continue to rise as the use of AI and robots continues.

The open questions are the number new jobs and labor participation rates.
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Swatting Trolls v. Encouraging Saints—Who Wins When Threads Go Sideways?

I remember when I was younger and just reflecting on how the gospel was preached it was simple. There wasn't all the counter and alternative ideas and rationalisations for not believing in God.

It was a case of 'oh well if thats what you believe in, good for your'. People were more open to at least hearing the gospel and it was often framed as one of the ways people could find what they were looking for compared to other ways.

So if a person is lost and had no hope they were open to at least hearing the hope and life Christ offered. This was how I came to God.

But now the culture is full of all these voices proclaiming a better way. Along with the fact that the church was exposed for abuses and coupled with the fall away from God in the public square its become a mindfield of counter ideas and skepticism against religion and especially Christianity.

Thats why I think the simple gospel is more important than ever and not engage in the semantics and arguements over its truth. It is a truth and we are speaking and living that truth exactly as it was taught.

Today I think churches want to water this down to try and accommodate the world because the same gospel and teachings that had previously saved many was not as appealing today due to all these counter arguements and modern norms encroaching on the church.

But really its the very thing that has always saved. It may seem more outdated or in conflict today but the message is still the same. It still works the same way. People thirst for the truth even if it may seem too hard to believe or outdated to todays ears.

So telling that truth just like it is is exactly how we should preach the gospel and not be afraid of embarrassed about it. If people reject it that is up to them. But to then try and water it down to appease others is selling the gospel short.
Steve, I’ve seen the same injection of cultural relevance from NZ to Japan—lights, smoke, slogans—yet the house can feel full while God’s throne room stays empty.
The simple Gospel is still scandal + simplicity: “We preach Christ crucified… not with plausible words of wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power” (1 Cor 1-2).
Scandal produces decision; simplicity leaves no wiggle-room.
Our job is one clear witness; the Spirit’s job is conviction; the listener’s job is accept or reject.
Keep telling it straight, mate—thirsty souls still drink when the water’s not watered down. May the Lord bless your day—and thanks for staying around to chat; it’s a rare gift in these hit-and-run times.
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