essentialsaltes said:

Vance wrote the foreword not to Project 2025, but to Dawn's Early Light, by Kevin Roberts, who is president of the Heritage Foundation, which produced Project 2025.

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Oh. Never mind.

Hezekiah's religious reforms were in accordance with the will of God. 2 K 18:

3 He did what was right in the eyes of the Lord, according to all that David his father had done. 4 He removed the high places and broke the pillars and cut down the Asherah. And he broke in pieces the bronze serpent that Moses had made, for until those days the people of Israel had made offerings to it (it was called Nehushtan).

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Hezekiah was strict about where people could make offerings and to whom.

But his enemy Rabshakeh, an Assyrian official, said:

22 "But if you say to me, 'We trust in the LORD our God,' is it not he whose high places and altars Hezekiah has removed, saying to Judah and to Jerusalem, 'You shall worship before this altar in Jerusalem'?"

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This was Rabshakeh's psychological warfare against Jerusalem.

Is it not he whose high places and altars Hezekiah has removed?

No. According to the LORD, removing those high-place altars was a good thing. People did not worship the LORD in those high places.

According to Rabshakeh, people worshiped their God at those high places. People should not trust Hezekiah because he only allowed them to worship at the Jerusalem temple. Rabshakeh attempted to sow dissonance between Hezekiah and his people by causing them to doubt the goodness of his reforms.

Decades later, The Jews were exiled to Babylon. During this time, they learned how to worship without access to the Jerusalem temple. The local synagogue system developed, and there were no more gatherings at the high places to worship the LORD.

In his divine essence, God cannot be harmed or overwhelmed by emotions.

Does God experience emotions?

Yes.

John 3:

16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.

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1 John 4:

8 Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love.

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Exodus 20:

5 You shall not bow down to them or serve them, for I the LORD your God am a jealous God.

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Psalm 7:

11 God is a righteous judge, and a God who feels indignation every day.

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Ephesians 4:

30 Do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.

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Psalm 147:

11 The LORD takes pleasure in those who fear him, in those who hope in his steadfast love.

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Can God experience genuine emotions if God already knows how everything will unfold?

Our God is a relational God. He is our Father. He interacts with his children and experiences genuine emotions with us. However, divine emotions are not identical to our creaturely emotions. God is divinely impassive because he knows everything. His emotions are perfect. Human passions are not.

Fervent said:

Yes, this is a pretty accurate to my own viewpoint. Recognizing the importance of tradition both in Scriptural authority and in its application, but not putting it on a pedestal and making it unassailable. I like to call my approach Christian pragmatism, because I think of things in a fairly fluid way and focus on the process more than the end result and constantly try to improve my process.

Yes, and these are issues that require frequent visitation as tradition is prone to culture creep and syncretization.

Agreed, which is precisely why I don't subscribe to one of the traditional churches. The movement of the Holy Spirit is both an ecclesial reality and an individual one, and the ecclesial aspect is beyond the bounds of any single division or faction. Which is another distinction I make for tradition, as I see it as continually in development and include the schisms as part of an overall Christian tradition. The way I see it, we have 3 expressions of the church in Orthodoxy, Catholicism, and Protestantism. A church in captivity, a church in power, and a church in rebellion. And all of them have important things that we can learn from them and incorporate into our own journey.

I appreciiate the discussion, and your thoughtful insights as well brother(or sister?). Be blessed as well.

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Sounds more like people wanting to scratch their own itchy ears. Self centered is not Christ centred.

ThatRobGuy said:

It plays to the people who live there who've maybe been the victims of certain crimes, or maybe don't feel safe in their own neighborhood anymore.

When you think about it, if someone runs for mayor/governor/state senate/etc... They're usually running on "here are the problems we have here, here's what I want to do to fix it, and here's how policies like the one my opponent is pitching exacerbated these problems in the first place"

...so this really isn't that abnormal.

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Actually, he was saying that if Harris was president, the rest of the country would be like Detroit and it was insulting to Detroiters.

Meanwhile, Trump is in favor of making it easier for those impacted by Helene - to vote. As I recall, Trump supporters had a big issue with Pennsylvania and other states changing the rules for COVID......

"Former president Donald Trump’s years-long effort to restrict mail balloting and early voting has skidded into reverse in North Carolina, with the Republican presidential nominee demanding the kind of easier voting access that he labeled fraudulent when Democrats pushed similar measures during the coronavirus pandemic in 2020.

The changes include letting voters affected by the storm drop their mail ballot at any county or state election office in North Carolina; allowing counties to open new polling locations and modify their early voting hours to maximize voter participation; waiving county residency requirements for poll workers and observers; and allowing temporary structures to be used in place of damaged or destroyed polling locations."

Praying is always good, I'll pray for his family as well that they may receive comfort.

The Bible declares, “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge” (Proverbs 1:7). This profound statement reveals that true understanding and wisdom are rooted in reverence for God. For Christ’s followers, this means that Scripture must serve as the foundation for evaluating all systems of thought, including philosophy, ideologies, and worldviews.

Scripture is not merely one perspective among many — it is the self-attesting revelation of the Triune God. As such, it is the foundation upon which Christians are called to build their entire understanding of the world. Without this divine revelation, human beings are left grasping in the dark, unable to possess true knowledge of God, themselves, or the world around them. This is because, apart from Scripture, all human understanding is fallible, built on incomplete information and finite reasoning.

It is my objective to illustrate that all human reasoning is founded on basic beliefs or presuppositions that are taken on faith. Hence, there are no “neutral” assumptions; one’s presuppositions are either for or against the Christian faith.

At first glance, this may seem like circular reasoning — basing our belief in Scripture on Scripture itself. However, this is unavoidable for any belief system. Every worldview, whether secular or religious, operates from certain presuppositions. The key difference is that the Christian worldview is rooted in the revelation of the only objective and omniscient Being in the universe, the Triune Godhead. In contrast, all other systems are based on finite human reasoning, making them fundamentally incapable of providing the certainty and coherence God’s revelation affords. Therefore, we are called to trust in His Word rather than relying on the limited scope of human reason.

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Michie said:

Authentic feminism, as envisioned by John Paul II, empowers women to embrace their unique role in building a civilization of love.

Has feminism offered society a positive contribution? Or has it, as Carrie Gress says in her new book, The End of Woman: How Smashing the Patriarchy Has Destroyed Us, been so corrupt from its inception that it must be “slayed” as an “ideological dragon?”

Is there such a thing as “authentic feminism,” or is the tree of “feminism,” which the Oxford English Dictionary defines as “the advocacy of women’s rights on the basis of the equality of the sexes,” so rotten at its core that it must be cut down completely?

Before I address those questions, let me begin by saying that the history and impact of feminism that Gress presents in her book, particularly the “second wave” of feminism that came forth in the 1960s as a push for women’s equality in the workplace and for reproductive rights, rang extremely true to my own experience.

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Can John Paul II and Catholic Women Save Authentic Feminism?

COMMENTARY: Authentic feminism, as envisioned by John Paul II, empowers women to embrace their unique role in building a civilization of love.

www.ncregister.com

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This is a good article. It emphasizes for me how sin has so permeated and corrupted humanity, culture by culture, into shades of different "cultures of death." Men need women; women need men; God is a (sadly literally) "unbelievable" designer. We many feel free to pick and choose praise or blame upon God for our differences, man and woman. The Catechism is right, our differences are ordered to complementarity (CCC 2333), but our sins distort that reality into a huge "problem." Yet this temptation, born in pride, is overcome with true and holy love - holy charity.

DaisyDay said:

Flynn the pardoned criminal? This is an outrage! Even allegedly traitorous criminals should have an equal platform!

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Hmmm… can’t seem to find that in the Facebook rules. Can you pint it out?

DaisyDay said:

Did Facebook, Meta or Zuckerberg give any explanation?

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If they did it to a news organization and a private citizen with no explanation why would they explain it to the public

They certainly didn’t last elections where they silenced only one party’s adherents.

Stay away from bad people. Psalm 101:

7 No one who practices deceit shall dwell in my house; no one who utters lies shall continue before my eyes.

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Be generous. Lk 6:

30 Give to everyone who begs from you, and from one who takes away your goods do not demand them back.

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But also be wise. Matthew 10:

16 I am sending you out like sheep among wolves. Therefore be as shrewd as snakes and as innocent as doves.

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The Scriptures encourage believers to respond with grace, discernment, and trust in God’s ultimate justice. Exercise wisdom and caution in relationships. Take a balanced approach.

A majority of practicing Christians, including pastors, admit to viewing pornography and a large share say they are comfortable with the habit, a new study has found.

In Barna’s recently released researched report, Beyond the Porn Phenomenon, produced in partnership with Pure Desire Ministries, researchers found that pornography use is so prevalent among all demographics and the gap in use among Christians and non-Christians, as well as men and women, has grown narrower over the last eight years.

Even though practicing Christians were still found to view pornography less frequently than non-Christians, the gap between the two groups was only 14 percentage points. Some 54% of Christians reported viewing pornography compared with 68% of non-Christians.

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I haven't heard much about Trump's plan or concept of a plan beyond that he'll fix the economy with tariffs.

Ending taxes is ending revenue. It's hard to believe that he actually graduated Wharton. Is the institution ashamed of its alumnus? According to Philly Mag, "For instance, Penn has never had Trump deliver a commencement speech or conferred an honorary degree on him. In the wake of his election, Penn tour guides were discouraged from bringing up the T-word and issued simple instructions for handling questions about Trump’s tenure at Penn: Keep it short and sweet — “Yes, he graduated from Wharton in 1968” — and leave it at that. Tell Penn you’re writing an article about Donald Trump’s time there, and you’ll get the academic version of name, rank and serial number: “Donald J. Trump earned a B.S. in real estate, which was awarded on May 20, 1968,” says Ron Ozio, Penn’s director of media relations, declining my request for an interview. Which is peculiar, given that most universities make a lot of marketing hay out of an alumnus in the White House — and Trump is Penn’s first."

Bruno Retailleau has only been in his job for a month but already France’s new Minister of the Interior has become the bête noire of the progressive Left. Why do they hate the 63-year-old former senate leader of the centre-right Republicans – where to start?!

As a practising Catholic, Retailleau represents “Old France”, the France that the progressive Left despises. Jean-Luc Melenchon, the leader of the far-left La France Insoumise party, has bragged about using mass immigration to build a “new France” (whether the new arrivals will ever share the Left’s views on LGBT rights remains to be seen).

Days after his appointment as Interior Minister, Retailleau appeared on primetime French television. The hysteria was palpable.

Instead of being asked about the country’s immigration and insecurity crises – both out of control –Retailleau was interrogated about his opposition to the gay marriage and adoption bill, which was passed into law a decade ago.

“I have convictions,” explained Bruno Retailleau, surprised and irritated at the question. “We’re replaying the battle of the past, forgetting the urgencies of the present. We’ve got a financial crisis on our doorstep, we’ve got disorder on the streets, disorder in our accounts, disorder on our borders too, and we’re talking about something that doesn’t exist…Where did you hear that Bruno Retailleau would like to revisit this

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wing2000 said:

....for 187 minutes, the POTUS sat in the White House watching a mob attack the Legislative Branch of our Federal Government.....doing nothing.

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Why would he? He sent them there to "fight like hell." And then they did his bidding. Only when it was clear that the insurrection had failed, did he do anything at all.

The Vatican announced Tuesday that it has renewed its agreement with China on the appointment of Catholic bishops for an additional four years.

The renewal comes days after a report from the Hudson Institute detailed how seven Catholic bishops in China have been detained without due process, while other bishops have experienced intense pressure, surveillance, and police investigations since the Sino-Vatican agreement was initially signed six years ago.

With the extension, the Sino-Vatican agreement will now remain in effect until Oct. 22, 2028.

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I heard this song years ago but no fix from either party. Social security tax needs an update, the threshold is too low when it comes to other incomes I personally wouldn't mind no taxes, but not at the expense of government debt.

Merrill said:

all of this is a consequence of bad fiscal policy by both parties going back to the 1970s

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Yes!
Maybe started when we got off the gold standard and allowed uncheck printing.

QvQ said:

Trump is promising to protect US Steel. That is what is important.
Watch the economic remarks Trump made in Pennsylvania about US Steel to see why he appeals to workers who have to work and buy products. Protecting America's Made in America.

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...which is no different than the Biden Adminstration which has used tariffs to protect steel (and other goods):

"Specifically, the White House raised rates on:

• Certain steel and aluminum products from 7.5 percent to 25 percent in 2024, which are on top of existing Section 232 tariffs;"

Harris has not specifically commented on the exisiting Biden tariffs.

And when you pursue fiscal progressivism along with social conservatism, gainsayers deride you as an 'enlightened centrist'.

I don't see things changing much unless there is some sort of crisis which causes people to start thinking about death and dying becoming real possiblities.

My old (Protestant) pastor thought God would eventually give us a revival as He was sick and tired of losing Australians. When I asked him where he thought such a revival might start he said he thought it would be in the Catholic Church.

I asked him why. He replied the Protestants were far too divided, saying "When it comes to theology Protestants couldn't agree how far to spit!"

He died over 32 years ago and there still hasn't been a revival. God's not in a hurry it seems, although there is plenty of opportunity for God (and the devil) to make trouble for Australia - our dependence on Middle Eastern oil, Asian neighbours with many times our population and growing military and economic power; Indonesia is Moslem and our nearest neighbour with over ten times our population; China is our biggest trading partner and throwing her weight around, while she squares off with the USA for local influence; indigenous land claims; burgeoning national and state government debt; burgeoning personal debt (almost half of Australians have less than $1000 in savings); climate change activitism threatening our coal exports; and so on.

I remember reading where a retired British military officer commented somewhere that he would be very surprised if Australia's defence forces were not "put to the test" sometime in the 21st century, and sooner rather than later.

Meanwhile we'll be waiting till the late 2030's and early 2040's for our AUKUS submarines to be built. By that time all I'll be able to do is give a weedy nonagenarian cheer and keel over. I'll be out of it!

We'll see what happens.

Leaf473 said:

Hi @AlexB23

May the Lord Jesus Christ lead you and guide you in his ways †

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Thank you

Gregory Thompson said:

I read somewhere that murderers have no eternal life in them. Fixing problems through murder creates a wide area effect that results in no eternal life being in a nation, state, province, town, village or household.

In that same piece of work I read that love is matured within us so we will have confidence on the day of judgment.

The point is to imitate God, because as it was said by someone, somewhere .. a man is filled with his ways. So be filled with good things.

Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good. It's not easy, but nothing worthwhile ever is.

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But I am less than 150cm tall. You are right it
would not be “easy” * to overcame with good the sadist
who grabbed me.
Or with anything else except maybe 9mm.

* see “ impossible”