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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 auto-pen scandal is going to be massive

Well maybe it's his own fault but some criticize everything he does just because he's the one doing it
Maybe you want to reword that. You just said some people criticise everything he does for no reason. Maybe you can throw one or two examples out and we can investigate.
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Are professed Christians that worship our Lord on Sunday instead of Saturday sinning?

Great verses but spoken to Israel not the church. The church is not Israel.
The word "Church" appears nowhere in the Greek manuscripts.

I already showed you the etymology of that word.

Now let's seek the truth.

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(CLV) Lv 4:13
If the whole congregation of Israel, they should err inadvertently and the matter is obscured from the eyes of the assembly, and they do something departing from any of Yahweh's instructions of what should not be done, and they realize their guilt

(CLV) Num 15:15
As for the assembly, there shall be one statute for you and for the sojourner sojourning with you. It shall be an eonian statute throughout your generations. Like you so shall the sojourner be before Yahweh.

One assembly, one Israel, and no double standard, forever.

Again, Yahshua came for none but Israel.

Again, he renewed covenant is with Israel.

Yah said it. I believe it; and dogma was nailed to the death stake.
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the "blue wave" last night and the government shutdown

Unlike other issues, neither the media nor political parties can control the economic narrative, especially regarding inflation, because every voter experiences it firsthand. Whether buying gas, shopping, or dealing with job loss, people directly feel the state of the economy, making it impossible for any party to shape this narrative.

As a proponent of free-market capitalist, I believe government intervention only harms the economy rather than improves it. The Trump administration's tariffs have damaged economic growth, and added inflation to stay up, while removing them could help, it may be too late for significant recovery before November 2026.

The GOP is confronting several challenges. Notably, youth voters who supported the GOP in 2024 appeared to shift back to the Democratic Party during the last week election, as did Hispanic voters. President Trump made significant gains among Hispanic voters since 2016; however, results from Virginia and New Jersey indicate that the GOP lost nearly 25% of its Hispanic support in those states. While it remains uncertain whether this trend will continue in other swing states such as Arizona, Nevada, or Georgia, it was evident in New Jersey and Virginia.

Hispanic voters’ decisions were influenced not only by economic concerns and inflation, but also by immigration policies. Exit polls suggest these policies are a deeply personal issue for many Hispanic Americans. Millions of Hispanic American citizens are affected by immigration policy through family members who are not U.S. citizens or permanent residents. Many Hispanic communities are closely connected, often including both documented and undocumented individuals, making their experiences intertwined and inseparable. President Trump’s immigration policies have had a substantial impact on these communities. While some may discuss law and order from a distance, for Hispanic Americans these policies are personal, and they have responded by voting for Democrats in at least three states.

Historically, during mid-term elections, the White House typically loses seats to the opposition party. This pattern has been consistent throughout decades of American politics. The question for 2026 is the extent of losses that the GOP may experience, as well as what developments might occur following that year. If the economy rebounds, President Trump could receive recognition for this change. It remains uncertain whether Hispanic voters or younger will come back to GOP as they did in 2024.

They aren't losing Hispanics because they are wanting to deport undocumented people. It's the enforcement mechanism where citizens are getting caught up for simply looking Mexican. Also the administration lied when they said they weren't against legal immigration. They are targeting permanent residents, green card holders and asylum seekers who are following the process. They disregard legal paperwork. Even if someone gets released after a few days or a week, they can experience abuse, unsanitary conditions, job loss, children abandoned and the fear of not knowing what happened to missing people. Damage to cars. Towing costs. It's a mess.
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Shouldn't Creationism be taught at public schools?

I hold to the ANE view and theistic evolution, so idk if I'd call myseld a creationist in the normal sense of the word.

I'm not opposed to some form of intelligent design being taught in schools, just not the Ken Ham version. In other words, teach that some people believe that the universe was created by a higher power, or that God guided the process of evolution, but don't delve into the specifics.
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Not a lot of respect for men

Thank you very much.

They have not addressed Paul's comments re: Ephesus rather his at Corinth. They stated that Paul is not suggesting that women need to be quiet, submit or not have leadership or ministry roles in church but that it was contextual for the time and place Paul was instructing in Corinth.

Specifically, women in Corinth were leaders/owners of brothels and were used to positions of power within society and at home as they were the financial heads of the families. As a result, they were raucous at church which Paul felt was distracting and didn't allow for people to hear the message that was intended, hence, a set of societal rules laid out to assist a very specific situation.

They stated that Paul's words are misrepresented and misinterpreted because the verses are read out of context instead of read as a whole. I read the bible and didn't see where the information re: woman's job roles, financial status etc came from so was put into a position where I had to instruct the family to just 'trust' what was being taught at church. But, they are very educated and so this was not sufficient for them hence the quest for further information.

Regarding Pauls letter to Timothy re: Ephesus, I have not yet addressed this with my church given that we now see that Paul says the same about Ephesus and there is not an explanation regarding why the women, or exactly how the women, were behaving in whatever way initiated Pauls comments. I might possibly ask them but I have asked them so many things already and, much like this forum, I have to allow people to keep up with all the questions I fire off!

Many thanks!

Keeping in mind the basic questions I prompted in my post above, apply these to the following video where New Testament scholar, Michael Bird, discusses the cultural meaning (and challenge ) of Artemis of the Ephesians in the city of Ephesus during the 1st century with Dr. Sandra Glahn. The content of the video encapsulates her book, Nobody's Mother: Artemis of the Ephesians in Antiquity and the New Testament (InterVarsity Press, 2023).

As you watch and listen to the discussion (and yes, I know, it's about 30 minutes---my apologies, but it'll be helpful for you) then think about how what they discuss may affect your evaluation of Paul's direction given to Timothy as he worked in his ministry and dealt with certain troublesome women in Ephesus.

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The ANE perspective on creation & am I fence sitting?

I am also a recent convert to the ANE view, and an old earth Creationist before that.

I read on Biologos that you actually can think the days of Genesis 1 were actual 24 hours while still affirming the scientific consensus on the age of the Earth and the evolutionary process. This is because the creation account of Genesis 1 is concerned with function creation (assigning roles and purpose to objects) rather than material creation (ex nihilo.)

Thus, while the earth may be billions of years old, and mankind 10,000 years old or whatever, it only took God seven days to prepare his cosmic temple, just like how temple dedications in the Ancient Near East took seven days.

I'm personally undecided about whether the days of Genesis 1 are literal, long periods of time or poetic, but I also don't think it particularly matters.
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Cluttered room - too many books and clothes

Now that I’ve gotten a job, my room is now the thing that is overwhelming me - my closet and dresser drawers are very full. I have bags piled on top of my dresser in front on the mirror and carts in walkways.

I don’t just want to get rid of all of my stuff though. A lot of it is valuable clothes that I just want to wear and wear out, and other stuff I want to sell. I have unfinished sewing projects and other unfinished projects that I want to finish. And I’m tired from work.

If you all could pray about knowledge and strength for what to do with all of this stuff that God has over-provided me with, I would appreciate it. I start a better job in a week that is going to be even more exhausting that my current one, and so I’d like to tackle this problem the best I can before that happens. Thanks!

Jesus & Social Justice

Too late. The Christian Right have hijacked the Gospel to bring social order, not social justice. It looks like Marx was right about Christianity after all.

Billy Graham and other similar preachers did quite a bit of damage by preaching a message of salvation that was individualistic in that way.

It's not a widely known fact but Graham was largely anti-union and anti-solidaristic, and I'm more inclined to agree with Catholic social teaching that the ability to form unions is a basic right of workers, and that when people attack the rights of laborers to collective representation and bargaining, they are committing a sin.
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Ethics of Proselytization

Aversion to proselytism seems to be a secular and rather anti-religious dogma.
Nah. It's just a creepy thing to do. Bugging people on the street (or worse) to lure them over to another church. Pointless and annoying. If I couldn't avoid them or blow past them, there was always "Leave me alone. I've already got a church." as I did have one.

The reason someone within a secular culture would be averse is because they would be taught by secularism that proselytism involves insincerity and an objectification of persons.
Ha! I didn't need a "secular culture" to teach me it was creepy and insincere. It didn't even try. They proselytizers made it clear with out any help from "secular culture" to reach that conclusion.
But anyone who is a Christian believes in evangelization and arguably proselytism,
Nope. It seemed pointless at best. Why bother me? I already had a church. I wasn't going to join yours mr. evangelist. I also wasn't going to go out and harangue my friends and neighbors to join our church. Their religion was a private matter as was mine.
and there is no reason to believe that evangelization must be insincere or involve objectification.
I can believe it isn't always insincere.
Many would take it as a compliment that someone cares enough about them to broach a subject they deem serious. That someone cares enough about you and the faith to take it all seriously.
But, that's a really creepy, objectifying way to interact with people. It is seriously condescending to tell people you are concerned about their "souls".

That was all when I did believe. Now that I don't believe any of that stuff a quick "Souls ain't real man" works just fine.
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Trying to find a part time job

Gracious Heavenly Father and Lord Jesus,
Please help HeartofSilver to find the part-time job You want her to have, and help her to persist until she obtains her employment. I pray for relief for financial strain in Heart’s marriage.
In Christ’s Name,
Amen

P.S. Keep applying, this is a good retail hiring season. Maybe try grocery store cashier, less competition for that position, but they still need people.
  • Prayers
Reactions: Pop D.
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Pardon For Ghislaine Maxwell?

That's interesting to know.

He still does some extremely... Interesting... Stuff that makes me think he's one of their sects.
Trump? Who's "sects"?
The well-known "creepy comments about Ivanka" and others.
The word you were looking for is sex. It sounds kind of like "sects" but it is quite different.
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Is purgatory a Biblical or extra biblical teaching?

If doesn't appear in medieval literature before AD1300 and the French medievalist Jacques Le Goff believed it was invented then to compete with the pagan cults.

I used to be really into classic literature (which I can't recommend because some of it's kind of dark.)

Purgatory in the older medieval literature isn't RARE.
It's non-existent.
Um, no. Not at all the point Le Goff was trying to make.

"In his 1984 book, The Birth of Purgatory, he argued that the conception of purgatory as a physical place, rather than merely as a state, dates to the 12th century, the heyday of medieval otherworld-journey narratives such as the Irish Visio Tnugdali, and of pilgrims' tales about St Patrick's Purgatory, a cavelike entrance to purgatory on a remote island in Ireland.[2] Alexander Lee argued in History Today, "This innovative use of popular culture to uncover the roots of a central idea in the religious thought of the Middle Ages was firmly within the Annales tradition, but extended the boundaries of the Annalistes’ approach in such a way that its broader potential as an historiographical methodology was almost beyond question."[3]"

Point is purgatory has long been recognized as a state of being, even a 'central idea in the religious thought of the Middle Ages'. His point was that it was being newly imagined as a physical place starting in the 12th century.
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James 5:16 - What does confess your sins to one another mean?

I think it's meant to be on a personal basis just to help with one another. Like, if I were to tell you I was struggling with alchohol. The point is to give me guidance that might help me overcome this sin and not like it's going to absolve me of the sin itself. I think some people believe that it does (catholics for instance), but the context tells me it's just supposed to be a helpful thing and nothing more. Specially because of the last verse:
remember this: Whoever turns a sinner from the error of their way will save them from death and cover over a multitude of sins.

That being said, I am reading that many are embarrassed or ashamed so this once popular action is not very popular, anymore?
I think it is, it's just mostly used within intimate circles. Friends or people that you know, instead of like just a random stranger. Might be why it isn't so apparent. Just a guess though.


And yes, this verse among a few others is what Catholics use as to why they confess to a priest.
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