A growing number of Britons who leave Christianity are turning to paganism or other forms of spiritualism instead of converting to other major religions, a new study has found.

The survey, released by the Institute for the Impact of Faith in Life, questioned 2,774 adults who self-identified as having "experienced a change in their religious belief," seeking to provide insight into "how, why, and in what direction Britons are moving between faiths, spiritualities, and non-belief."

The researchers conclude that "Britain is not secularising in a straightforward way" but rather "undergoing a re-composition of belief, a shift away from inherited institutional structures towards personalised, practice-based, and wellbeing-oriented forms of faith."

Forty-four percent of respondents said they left Christianity, while only 17% said they had newly become Christians. Meanwhile, 39% of respondents said they had become an atheist or agnostic.

Continued below.

Ah, that's what I love about the Revelation. Everyone who reads it understands it perfectly (just ask 'em!), but no two of them agree. It's like a biblical Rohrschach inkblot.

Across the globe, Christians are enduring persecution and discrimination on a scale unmatched in the modern era. Recent assessments estimate that hundreds of millions of Christians — roughly 1 in 7 believers worldwide, and closer to 1 in 5 in Africa — live in places where their faith puts them at daily risk. In just the past reporting year, well over a quarter-million Christians were driven from their homes.

These are not just statistics. They are families. They are futures. And for my family, this crisis has a name: Ruben Vardanyan.

A personal story of faith under fire

As the world prepares to celebrate Christmas — a season of hope and freedom — my siblings and I are clinging to the hope of seeing our father again. My daughter has never met her grandfather; she was born after he was taken captive more than two years ago.

On Sept. 27, 2023, Azerbaijani forces captured my father as he attempted to leave Nagorno-Karabakh along with the last 120,000 indigenous Christian Armenians still living there — victims of one of the most severe campaigns of forced displacement against a Christian population in the 21st century. His “crime” was advocating for the right of Christian Armenians in Nagorno-Karabakh to live safely in their ancestral homeland.

Today, he and 22 other Armenian Christian detainees remain imprisoned in Baku — denied due process, denied spiritual support, and even denied the right to possess a Bible.

And yet, the world has not remained silent.

My father’s case has drawn bipartisan support in the U.S. Congress, as well as strong advocacy from the French Parliament, the European Parliament, and leading human-rights organizations such as Amnesty International — all calling for his immediate and unconditional release. These voices are united: his detention is unlawful and unjustified. And yet, despite these efforts, my father remains behind bars.

The United States has leverage — and a duty to act

Continued below.

12 yards long, two lanes wide, 65 tons of American pride!

Mercy Shown said:

Thi

This is a good point. We are incapable of righteous judgement unless we have been born again and are walking after the spirit.

Perhaps a righteous judgement would have us avoid the popular movements of social Justice in the world today and promote the Justice of God found in the cross alone.

Jesus did not come to condemn the world but that the world through him might be saved.

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Yes, and I think we might be over-complicating things a bit. Should we prefer to be socially unjust? And yet we necessarily live in societies, societies where injustices often occur due to the avarice and general selfishness of man. Social justice concepts at their best strive to identify and rectify those actions and systems that foster inequalities between our fellow man. With the onset of the industrial revolution, for example, labor was often woefully exploited, with low pay, poor and unsafe working conditions, sweatshops, etc. Some churches spoke out in support of unions and the right to strike. Were they being hypocritically judgmental against the poor industrialists? Similiarly the Geneva convention was a matter of setting forth social justice policies as they can be applied to the tragedy of war. Political involvement is sometimes morally demanded.

The secular Christmas songs were written by Jews, but the religious songs were written by
Christians. FYI, Hallelujah isn't a Christmas song.

JD Vance and Marco Rubio are Catholic.

Hail Mary,
Full of Grace,
The Lord is with thee.
Blessed art thou among women,
and blessed is the fruit
of thy womb, Jesus.
Holy Mary,
Mother of God,
pray for us sinners now,
and at the hour of our death.
Amen

⭐ 1. GOD PURPOSEFULLY HIDES TRUTH Isaiah 45:15 “Truly, You are a God who hides Himself.” Deuteronomy 29:29 “The secret things belong to the LORD our God, but the things revealed belong to us and our children.” Two categories: secret things → God keeps hidden revealed things → for humanity to obey Job 28:21–23 Wisdom is hidden from every living thing… God understands the way to it. True wisdom is inaccessible unless God opens it.
⭐ 2. GOD CONCEALS SPIRITUAL TRUTH IN PARABLES, SYMBOLS, AND MYSTERIES Matthew 13:11 “To you it has been given to know the mysteries… to them it has NOT been given.” Jesus deliberately hides truth from the hard-hearted. Matthew 13:34–35 Jesus spoke in parables “to fulfill what was spoken… I will utter things hidden since the foundation of the world.” Parables = concealment and revelation at the same time. 1 Corinthians 2:7 “We speak the hidden wisdom of God in a mystery.” Colossians 1:26 “The mystery which has been hidden from ages and generations but now is revealed to His saints.”
⭐ 3. GOD HIDES FROM THE PROUD AND REVEALS TO THE HUMBLE Matthew 11:25 “You have hidden these things from the wise and learned and revealed them to little children.” A deliberate divine filter. Proverbs 2:3–5 If you cry out for insight… seek her like silver… THEN you will understand the fear of the Lord. Truth is found only through earnest searching.
⭐ 4. PROPHECIES ARE OFTEN SEALED UNTIL THE APPOINTED TIME Daniel 12:4 “Seal the book until the time of the end.” Daniel 12:9 “The words are rolled up and sealed until the time of the end.” Biblical apocalyptic literature often hides timelines, symbols, and meanings. Revelation 10:4 The seven thunders spoke… “Seal up what the seven thunders said.” Even John is not allowed to reveal everything.
⭐ 5. JESUS IS HIMSELF A “HIDDEN MYSTERY” Isaiah 53:2–3 “He had no majesty that we should desire Him.” The Messiah appeared ordinary, hiding His glory. 1 Corinthians 1:27–29 God hides the truth from the powerful and reveals it through the lowly. Luke 24:16 “Their eyes were restrained so they did not recognize Him.” Concealment is part of God’s strategy.
⭐ 6. GOD HIDES HIMSELF TO TEST HEARTS Jeremiah 29:13 “You will seek Me and find Me when you search for Me with all your heart.” Proverbs 25:2 “It is the glory of God to conceal a matter; the glory of kings to search it out.” God hides truth so that only the sincere find Him.
⭐ 7. GOD ORCHESTRATES HISTORY IN A HIDDEN WAY Ecclesiastes 3:11 “He has set eternity in the human heart, yet no one can fathom what God has done from beginning to end.” Psalm 77:19 “Your way was in the sea, and Your path in the great waters, yet Your footprints were not known.” He acts invisibly, leaving traces that must be searched.
⭐ 8. GOD HIDES TO PROTECT WHAT IS HOLY Matthew 7:6 “Do not give dogs what is holy; do not cast pearls before swine.” Divine truth is not for mockers. Proverbs 1:24–29 God refuses to reveal truth to those who reject correction.
⭐ WHY DOES GOD NOT PUT EVERYTHING IN THE OPEN? The Bible gives five reasons:
⭐ 1. TO SEPARATE THE HUMBLE FROM THE PROUD God reveals His secrets only to those who want Him. This preserves the moral dimension of revelation: Truth is a reward, not a triviality.
⭐ 2. TO PROTECT THE UNREADY If God fully exposed the spiritual realm: humans would be overwhelmed accountability would increase to unbearable levels rebellion would instantly receive judgment Concealment is mercy.
⭐ 3. TO TRAIN DISCERNMENT Truth is not just data. The search itself produces: wisdom transformation humility holiness Revelation is formative, not merely informational.
⭐ 4. TO PRESERVE FREE WILL If God revealed Himself in overpowering visibility: unbelief would be impossible love would be coerced faith would vanish Hiddenness creates space for genuine relationship.
⭐ 5. TO UNFOLD HISTORY IN STAGES Revelation is progressive: Old Covenant concealed Christ Christ concealed the Church Age Revelation conceals the future Things are revealed when the time is right. As Jesus said: “I have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now.” —John 16:12

The sabbath was the last day of the week. The disciples met the first day of the week. Early Christian, and Roman writers said sabbath was saturday (well it was friday sunset to saturday sunset) , and the disciples met on Sunday (unsure if it was defined as saturday sunset to sunday sunset or not) so within the bible there is that transition from saturday to sunday. Ask chat GPT. Hebrews explains for those first century Israelite Christians once they believed in Jesus they rested from the works of the law of Moses.

The Liturgist said:

chatGPT (which you did indicate in your initial post you were using). I’ve executed exactly the prompt you told me to, and as you can see, your denomination is absent.

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Using strict rules, identify the largest Trinitarian Christian denominations that claim (1) scripture is a sufficient test of doctrine and no extra-biblical document is necessary for testing all doctrine, (2) possess a single global administrative authority, (3) maintain one unified set of binding official doctrines for all members, and (4) contain no doctrinally autonomous subgroups within their membership.

Is the more refined query adding one word to avoid AI being confused

============================================

AI responds:

"Based on the refined and strict criteria provided, the Seventh-day Adventist (SDA) Church is the largest Trinitarian Christian denomination that meets all four of the specified conditions, provided that its official statements regarding the Bible as the sole and sufficient creed are taken as the definitive measure of belief.

Here is how the SDA Church meets each of the criteria:

1. Scripture is a sufficient test of doctrine and no extra-biblical document is necessary for testing all doctrine: The official position of the SDA Church, as stated in its Fundamental Beliefs and various church documents, is that the Bible alone is the "only creed" and "supreme standard" by which all teaching must be tested. Ellen G. White's writings, while considered inspired and authoritative for "comfort, guidance, instruction, and correction," are explicitly described as a "lesser light" meant to lead back to the Bible and not a substitute for Scripture or a basis for doctrine itself.
2. Possess a single global administrative authority: The church has a highly centralized, worldwide organizational structure headed by the General Conference, which has final administrative authority for the global church.
3. Maintain one unified set of binding official doctrines for all members: The 28 Fundamental Beliefs are uniform across the global church and are considered binding for all members. These beliefs were developed through the study of the Bible and are revisable only by a vote of the world delegation at a General Conference session.
4. Contain no doctrinally autonomous subgroups within their membership: The church structure emphasizes unity and does not officially permit doctrinally autonomous subgroups to exist within its official membership. Groups that develop significant doctrinal differences typically form independent offshoots and are no longer considered part of the main SDA body.

Other major denominations, such as the Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox Churches, fail the first criterion because they consider both Sacred Scripture and Sacred Tradition (extra-biblical documents/teachings) as necessary authoritative sources of truth. Most large Protestant bodies fail the second and fourth criteria due to decentralized governance (e.g., the various Baptist or Pentecostal conventions) or autonomous national churches/subgroups (e.g., Anglicanism).

Peace in Christ.

This is the “death” that we are to die: bearing about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus so that His life might be made manifest in our body….in our MORTAL FLESH. This is the keeping of His “daily” sacrifice as we are to ALWAYS do it. We then manifest the Son of man to the outside world by doing so. The people of the outside world who are sitting in deep darkness will then "see" Him made manifest through us by looking at us. They will come to His manifestation through us. They will come as a "cloud" as the Son of man comes upon a cloud of EYEWITNESSES of His glory that they will see through us who manifest it to them.

2Co 4:10-11 KJV
(10) Always bearing about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus, that the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our body.
(11) For we which live are alway delivered unto death for Jesus' sake, that the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our mortal flesh.

But currently, the Son of man is “going away”…sinking out of view from this earth…as His life is not being made manifest in the man-based churches as the Son of man is being given up/betrayed into the hands of sinners. The people of the outside world are in complete spiritual darkness as they do not see the form of Christ nor do they have the knowledge of the glory of God.

We are “asleep” to this fact in the man-based churches and we need to “awake” …to “behold”…to perceive… what is really going on in them: He is being betrayed (PRESENT TENSE) now in the man-based churches who know not what they are doing. The man-based churches will not believe in this knowledge when they will hear it.

Mar 14:41-42
(41) And he cometh the third time, and saith unto them, Sleep on now, and take your rest: it is enough, the hour is come; behold, the Son of man is betrayed (present tense) into the hands of sinners.

We are to “awake” (RISE UP= awaken) to this fact and take action and GO away from them: “let us go.”

We must come out from among them and be separate and be no longer attached to the unclean body of the man-based churches where His life is being given up.

(42) Rise up, let us go; lo, he that betrayeth me is at hand.

The Son of THE man is being betrayed PRESENT TENSE)!

Mat 26:24
(24) The Son of (definite article: THE) man goeth as it is written of him: but woe unto that man by whom the Son of (THE) man is betrayed (PRESENT TENSE)! it had been good for that man if he had not been born.

The people of the outside world who are sitting in deep darkness cannot now “see” His life shine through us for He is being currently given up so that His life is not being made manifest in the mortal flesh of any of the man-based church goers.

The Son of THE man (man = Anthropos - From aner and ops (the countenance; from optanomai). Aner = man and “ops” = EYE.

Optanomai = the first a (middle voice) prolonged form of the second (primary) which is used for it in certain tenses; and both as alternates of G3708; to gaze (that is, with wide open eyes, as at something remarkable;

The outside people (the anthropos) are to SEE….to GAZE with wide eyes at something remarkable: the manifestation of the life of the SON of God made through the flesh of His people. The Son of the "man"...the anthropos...as the outside people of the world will see the Son and consider what they are seeing.

They …the anthropos…will “see” Him manifest through us and will consider. Kings will SEE something remarkable with their eyes. They will see the King of kings and the Lord of lords through us. He makes us kings and priests through His manifestation of His glory in us to them.

Isa 49:7 KJV
(7) Thus saith the LORD, the Redeemer of Israel, and his Holy One, to him whom man despiseth, to him whom the nation abhorreth, to a servant of rulers, Kings shall see and arise, princes also shall worship, because of the LORD that is faithful, and the Holy One of Israel, and he shall choose thee.

Kings shall SEE His "visage"...His view....and they will consider Him at the VIEWING of the Son whom we manifest to their eyes. They will see the Son of the man…the seeing man that will consider what he is seeing with eyes wide open to this remarkable sight of Him at their viewing of Him made manifest through us.

Isa 52:14-15 KJV
(14) As many were astonied at thee; his visage was so marred more than any man, and his form more than the sons of men:
(15) So shall he sprinkle many nations; the kings shall shut their mouths at him: for that which had not been told them shall they see; and that which they had not heard shall they consider.

I can remember when FBI de- escalate meant shooting the wife, kid, and dog.

Postvieww said:

My only reason for responding the way I did is the fact that many anti gun proponents use scripture to try and make the gun the problem. My only point was the weapon is not the problem it is the person using it . If it was the weapon that was bad I do not believe Jesus would said to get one in any context.

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Yeah I agree, there is nothing wrong with carrying a weapon it all depends on what you intend to do with it.

No, you, unilaterally, would not be allowed to do that. We The People can do that.



I don't know if it's enhanced our National Security, but Trump has enhanced China's access to more advanced chips.



Well, at least we're getting our $25%.

wing2000 said:

Hernandez is believed to be in the United States after Trump pardoned him.

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Is he here illegally? Can he be deported?

-- A2SG, asking for a friend....

Why Senate Republicans aren't uniting behind a health care plan​

Three days before a high-profile vote on a Democratic proposal to extend expiring Obamacare subsidies, GOP senators are nowhere near coalescing behind any single alternative that could be put up alongside it.

For Republicans, the risk of proceeding Thursday with a side-by-side vote is clear. While Democrats say they will have their entire 47-member caucus behind the three-year extension, any GOP plan right now is likely to fall well short of complete unity — and highlight the divisions in their party.

“What signal would that send if Republicans say, ‘Yeah, we’re going to say no to the Democrats’ plan, but we’re not going to offer anything?’” Sen. Josh Hawley(R-Mo.) said. “The message that will send is, good luck to the American people, and we don’t really care.”

[Isn't that what motivated you to cut the subsidies in the first place?]

One of the aides said Republicans will be prepared to make the case they have plenty of ideas and are ready to talk with Democrats once they move off a proposal that won’t get the 60 votes needed to advance.

[Well, plenty of concepts of an idea, anyway.]

Hentenza said:

You even told me in a previous post that you did not like Paul.

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Show my post to me where I ever said this. If you can't I would recommend repenting for false testimony against another.

Gracious Heavenly Father and Lord Jesus,
I pray that catz boyfriend’s new owner would simply rent the flat back to him and that he would be allowed to stay. Please guard catz’ mind from relying on him, for it is You who saves, not us, though sometimes You work through us to help. Guard her with Your strength, and help her to walk in Your power. Show her ways these two can improve their financial situation, and open up opportunities for them.
In Christ’s Name,
Amen

Brother Del said:

Better yet, what does it matter what Calvin thinks about good works, and why spend anytime debating it?

Are we really that uninterested in the "weightier matters"?

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Yes,...... a lot of people are more worried about theology than a relationship with Jesus.

Some folks are not able to move on to those "weightier matters" in their walk with Jesus simply because they like to argue. They get caught up in man's teachings and think they need to defend the faith at every juncture.

There is no such thing as a ministry of an apologist in scripture, but you look around youtube and how many so-called Christians live to have debates with folks on there,...... they must think there is.

We ate lunch in an Asian buffet on the city centre in Munich. The waitress was trying to be personable and asked me if I was Australian! Apparently handsome white blokes who wear ear flap hats and speak good English are Australian. I was amused.

CLEEB said:

I believe the church is taught by GOD through Jesus Christ. Jesus said , John 6:45 , John 14:26 , John said , 1 John 2:27
we have the anointing that teaches us. This is saying we are taught by divine revelation just like the prophets and Apostles were. I do not think that any man or woman can reach anyone spiritual things, only GOD can do this. These shepherds in the churches today think they can do what only GOD can do. The early church was not a one man show. 1 Corinthians 14:29 since we are taught by divine revelation then we must be prophets and prophetesses because no man can teach us. This idea is in the scriptures if you look for it. I believe that that after the deaths of all the Apostles massive deception began and many false churches came and took the name of Christian and perverted it. There is a prophecy in Ezekiel 34 about these false shepherds and what GOD said HE would do about it. This is a hard thing to see but this too is in the scriptures if you search for it.

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Thank you for sharing your beliefs on this subject.

“The universe is a dark forest. Every civilization is an armed hunter stalking through the trees like a ghost, gently pushing aside branches that block the path and trying to tread without sound. Even breathing is done with care. The hunter has to be careful, because everywhere in the forest are stealthy hunters like him. If he finds other life—another hunter, an angel or a demon, a delicate infant or a tottering old man, a fairy or a demigod—there’s only one thing he can do: open fire and eliminate them. In this forest, hell is other people. An eternal threat that any life that exposes its own existence will be swiftly wiped out. This is the picture of cosmic civilization. It’s the explanation for the Fermi Paradox.”
― Cixin Liu, The Dark Forest