Sadly too common today and if you obey Chrust you're a "pharisee".

My prayers for this nation at the moment.

hedrick said:

First, it's more like 9%.

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Hello! You're right 1.5% was an old figure from a previous UK Census. The last UK census in 2023 gave 3.8% identifying as gay or queer, 10.4% of 18-24 year olds. Still hugely less than the 41% of content on Netflix which means Netflix are promoting an agenda not representing demographics. Their agenda seems to be working, the number of people identifying as homosexual is increasing. God Bless

JimR-OCDS said:

So you went to the vigil Mass and then the Sunday Mass the next day?

Priest usually gives the same homily at the Masses they celebrate that week-end.

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They do but I thought it was interesting how well-done the similarity was considering the length, and not reading off anything.

There is no hope if God is not omniscent.

The Bible uses anthropomorphic language to help us understand events regarding an infinitely glorious God.

You are also going by pure English, In Hebrew, the word used is נָחַם (nāḥam), which can mean:

to grieve

to be pained

to relent

to feel sorrow

This is truly a Christmas special and it would do our souls good to think of our brothers and sisters in Christ around the world at this time and remember that God works across the world in different cultures and contexts.

13-year-old Alaia and nine-year-old Manuela have fond memories of Christmas in Nicaragua, but this wasn't to last. As well as the usual festivities, her parents would share the Gospel with others.

One day Alaia and Manuela’s father received a phone call and the father said to the man on the phone he'd be there in a few minutes. The end of the day arrived and the girls and their mum heard nothing. Their mum said “Remember when I told you that something could happen to your dad or me because of preaching about Jesus?” “That day has come. Your dad has been arrested.”

The family didn't hear from the dad- days became months and they did not even know if he was dead or alive. Then he called them- he told them to flee the country.

Alaia, Manuela and their mum fled- miraculously they fled the border with zero papers and soon the father, by God's grace, joined them.

The family are now in a new Country- what a blessing they must be to their church family, they do however miss Nicaragua at Christmas.

I will finish with this quote BY A 13 YEAR OLD Alaia- unbelievably wise beyond her years by God's grace. “I learned that persecution teaches you not to cling to earthly things, one day we’ll die and won’t take anything with us. So, the best thing we can do is live – and even die – for Christ.”

Source:

Open Doors Prayer Diary Nov/Dec 2025

RBL72 said:

If pay diligent and close attention to the words of Yeshua we can see the Paul was on his own, starting from a poor foundation in Acts 15, as stated in the article. The Apostle John understood all this if you read 1 John 2:19: "They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would no doubt have continued with us: but they went out, that they might be manifest that they were not all of us." As stated in the article also, Paul never quotes Yeshua at all other than 2 Cor 12:8-9, where the context is questionable anyway. Since when does Satan have a duty to buffet people for being prideful? He is the very author of pride from the very beginning, if you look at Isaiah 14:12-14 and Ezekiel 28:17. And since when did Yeshua extend his grace to cover the sin of pride? These things don't make sense and I'm clearly not the one to say we need to discard Paul's gospel, but I do know for sure that we need to adhere closely to the words of Yeshua, and hold onto them steadfastly no matter what, especially if there are conflicts from other sources. Thanks. Bob

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This is what I think, too!

Paul holds a lot of clout in the bible for having never met Jesus and getting information second hand from apostles who were directly appointed and spent time with Jesus while He was on Earth.

Why, though? I don't have access to the Torah, I don't have access to the original language from which everything has been translated and I don't have Paul to talk to etc. Some things just don't add up with Paul and I think it is right to question this? I'm not saying he's wrong and I'm right, or there aren't things out there which confirm why he said what he said etc, but I can't take it on face value with the information I have?

A new in-depth study (Hebrew) by Israel's Meir Amit Intelligence and Terrorism Information Centre concludes that a significant majority of those identified as journalists and media workers killed during the Gaza war were not neutral news gatherers, but belonged to terrorist organisations, including Hamas and "Palestinian" Islamic Jihad.

The study examined 266 "Palestinians" who were described as journalists or media workers in various press reports and official lists and who were killed between the outbreak of hostilities on Oct 7 2023 and the end of 2025. According to the findings, at least 157 of these victims, about 60 per cent, were members of terrorist organisations or had clear links to such organisations, including in roles involving both propaganda and operational activities.

Of these, 104 were affiliated with Hamas, 45 with "Palestinian" Islamic Jihad, and a smaller number with the armed wings of Fatah, the Popular Front for the Liberation of "Palestine", the Democratic Front for the Liberation of "Palestine", or the Popular Resistance Committees.

The analysis by the intelligence centre emphasises that these were not isolated or random cases. Rather, many of the individuals counted as journalists were involved in terrorist networks, they were employed by media companies run by Hamas or its allies, or were actively involved in military units. In a number of documented cases, individuals described as media professionals also acted as fighters or agents, reflecting a deliberate strategy by terrorist organisations to combine media work with operational objectives.

For decades, Hamas has invested heavily in its information apparatus and treats the media as a central front in its ideological and tactical campaigns. Its own publications and channels are strictly controlled by the movement and not by independent press associations, which reinforces the link between media work and political warfare.

International press freedom organisations and human rights groups have repeatedly cited the casualties among journalists in Gaza as evidence of disproportionate use of force or targeted attacks by Israeli forces. Last year, Reporters Without Borders claimed that Israel was responsible for a large proportion of journalist deaths worldwide, citing dozens of "Palestinian" media workers killed in the conflict. Such assessments have been used to portray Israel as particularly hostile to media workers.

However, the Intelligence Centre's study puts this portrayal into perspective by showing that a significant proportion of those identified as journalists were not independent or neutral reporters, but rather were affiliated with terrorist organisations. Many of those counted were associated with media outlets effectively controlled by Hamas or other militant factions, making them part of the political and military apparatus of those organisations rather than autonomous observers.

The category ‘journalist’ in Gaza can no longer be regarded as synonymous with neutrality without carefully examining the affiliation and role of each individual.

Dave... said:

I'll Quote Macarthur for context. on these passages in Acts. If you can give me your thoughts on this.


" the believers in Samaria who were converted under the ministry of Philip had to wait a short while to receive the baptism with the Holy Spirit, until Peter and John came up to Samaria and laid hands on the converts (Acts 8:17). In that unique transitional situation as the Church was beginning, those particular believers had to wait for the Holy Spirit, but they were not told to seek Him. The purpose for that exception was to demonstrate to the apostles, and to bring word back to the Jewish believers in general, that the same Holy Spirit baptized and filled Samaritan believers as baptized and filled Jewish believers--just a short while later Peter and a few other Jewish Christians were sent to witness to Cornelius and his household in order to be convinced that the gospel was for all men and to see that "the Holy Spirit had been poured out on the Gentiles also"(Acts 10:44-45). Those special transitional events did not represent the norm, as our present text makes clear, but were given to indicate to all that the body was one"....

"Why did the Samaritans (and later the Gentiles) have to wait for the apostles before receiving the Spirit? For centuries, the Samaritans and the Jews had been bitter rivals. If the Samaritans had received the Spirit independent of the Jerusalem, that rift would have been perpetuated. There could well have been two separate churches, a Jewish church and a Samaritan church. But God had designed one church, in which "there is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free man, there is neither male nor female," but "all are one in Christ Jesus" (Gal. 3:2.)...

By delaying the Spirit's coming until Peter and John arrived, God preserved the unity of the church. The apostles needed to see for themselves, and give firsthand testimony to the Jerusalem church, that the Spirit came upon the Samaritans. The Samaritans also needed to learn that they were subject to apostolic authority. The Jewish believers and Samaritans were thus linked together in one body....

Today, believers receive the Spirit at salvation (cf.1 Cor. 12:13). There was no need for delay after Jews, Gentiles, Samaritans, and Old Testament saints were already included in the church. (Macarthur)


Today...

"Being filled with the spirit must be distinguished from being baptized with the spirit. The apostle Paul carefully defines the baptism with the spirit as that act of Christ by which He places believers into His body (Romans 6:4-6; 1 Corinthians 12:13; Galatians 3:27). In contrast to much errant teaching today, the New Testament nowhere commands believers to seek the baptism with the Holy Spirit. It is a sovereign, single, unrepeatable act on Gods part, and is no more an experience than are its companions justification and adoption. Although some wrongly view the baptism with the Spirit as the initiation into the ranks of the spiritual elite, nothing could be further from the truth. The purpose of the baptism with the spirit is not to divide the body of Christ, but to unify it. As Paul wrote to the Corinthians, through the baptism with the Spirit "we were all baptized into one body" (1 Corinthians 12:13; cf. Galatians 3:26-27; Ephesians 4:4-6)

Unlike the baptism with the Spirit, being filled with the Spirit is an experience and should be continuous. Although filled initially on the day of Pentecost, Peter was filled again in Acts 4:8. Many of the same people filled with the Spirit in Acts 2 were filled again in Acts 4:31. Acts 6:5 describes Stephen as a man "full of faith and the Holy Spirit," yet Acts 7:55 records his being filled again. Paul was filled with the Spirit in Acts 9:17 and again in Acts 13:9.

While there is no command in scripture to be baptized with the Spirit, believers are commanded to be filled with the Spirit (Ephesians 5:18 ). The grammatical construction of that passage indicates believers are to be continuously being filled with the Spirit. Those who would be filled with the Spirit must first empty themselves. That involves confession of sin and dying to selfishness and self will. To be filled with the Holy Spirit is to consciously practice the presence of the Lord Jesus Christ and to have a mind saturated with the Word of God. Colossians 3:16-25 delineates the results of "letting the word of Christ richly dwell" in us. They are the same ones that result from the filling of the Spirit (Ephesians 5:19-33). As believers yield the moment by moment decisions of life to His control, they "walk by the Spirit" (Galatians 5:16). The baptism of the Spirit grants the power that the filling with the Spirit unleashes." (Macarthur)

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Macarthur said: " the believers in Samaria who were converted under the ministry of Philip had to wait a short while to receive the baptism with the Holy Spirit, until Peter and John came up to Samaria and laid hands on the converts.

But wait! The Bibles says prior to the apostles coming they were baptized: Acts 8:12 But when they believed Philip as he proclaimed the good news of the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ, they were baptized, both men and women.

So, why was that not Christian water baptism?

Look again since Macarthur does not address this: Acts 8: 15 When they arrived, they prayed for the new believers there that they might receive the Holy Spirit, 16 because the Holy Spirit had not yet come on any of them; they had simply been baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. 17 Then Peter and John placed their hands on them, and they received the Holy Spirit.

The Bibles does not say John and Peter baptized them, but prayed over them and laid hands on them, there is nothing about a “rebaptism”?

The example is still for us to baptize “someway?” in the name of Jesus and then some other way (this being by the laying on of the Apostles’ hands), receive miraculous powers of the Spirit.

They are also called “converts” prior to obtaining the miraculous powers of the Spirit.

Macarthur comes up with quite a story, but why would it not also apply to the Ethiopian Eunuch?

I do not agree with Macarthur’s “logic” concerning the Samarians.

Please go on and read further in Acts 8: 36 As they traveled along the road, they came to some water and the eunuch said, “Look, here is water. What can stand in the way of my being baptized?” … 38 And he gave orders to stop the chariot. Then both Philip and the eunuch went down into the water and Philip baptized him. 39 When they came up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord suddenly took Philip away, and the eunuch did not see him again, but went on his way rejoicing

This certainly sounds like water immersion baptism, so why do we not follow this example?

Wolseley said:

Now there are reports coming out that Nick Reiner was attempting a "transgender conversion" and was pumped full of synthetic hormones in preparation for a sex change. Whether the hormones had anything to do with driving him over the edge is unknown.

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Really? I have not ran across that yet.

The last quarter century in Western cultural life has been wasted. Everything is a little bit mid, as the kids say. There have been impressive individual works of art and entertainment. But taken as a whole, the picture is bleak: our artistic output is derivative and cheaply didactic, either moralizing or starved for moral judgment and ideas. Now, as cultural criticism confronts this epochal failure, it’s easy to cast partisan blame, with a still-dominant Left critical establishment training its sights on the Right.
Easy — but inaccurate.

Cultural life in the 21st century doesn’t feel tortured or ecstatic so much as muted. We aren’t truly bored anymore; boredom has been technologically abolished. Every stray second can be plastered over with a feed, a notification, a video “For You,” an algorithmic recommendation tuned precisely to prevent mental calm. But neither are we animated. There are widespread predictions of a coming civil war and calls for a political uprising, yet neither is remotely on the horizon — because we aren’t passionate enough. Instead, we drift in a gray zone between stimulation and stupor, provoked but under-engaged, surrounded by infinite novelty that no longer feels all that novel.

Our clothes arrive in two days and fall apart in three. Travel is cheaper, but cities blur into one another, interchangeable landscapes of chain restaurants, and “authentically curated” coffee shops identical from Denver to Dublin. The internet, once a wild frontier, now feels like a series of endlessly recycled aesthetics: girl dinner, cottagecore, blokecore, everything a core, everything a remix.

It’s precisely this sense of living in a stagnant wasteland that Blank Space, W. David Marx’s wide-ranging survey of 21st century-culture, tries to map. In his previous polemic, 2022’s Status and Culture, the Tokyo-based culture-vulture took a sanguine approach to contemporary life, arguing that the omnivorous approach to cultural consumption in the West — where there is no more snobbery, and where elites enjoy “not just high culture, but pop and indie, niche and mass, new and old, domestic and foreign, primitive and sophisticated” — is by and large a good thing for the sake of flattening the class distinctions of old. We were slouching toward equality.

Now, Marx worries that the lack of pretense in contemporary culture is no utopia, that it might mean we’re all eating from the same trough of slop. Across nearly 400 increasingly exasperated pages, Marx convincingly argues that art, entertainment, and fashion since the year 2000 have been some combination of uninspired, recycled, soulless, corporatized, or plainly dumb — so much so that there is a blank space where a distinct cultural imprint should be.

Continued below.

Archaeologists in Turkey have discovered a fresco of a Roman-looking Jesus as the "Good Shepherd," which is being hailed as one of the most important finds from Anatolia's early Christian era.

The work of art was found in August in an underground tomb near the town of Iznik, where the Nicene Creed, a foundational statement of Christian belief, was adopted in A.D. 325. The tomb itself is believed to date back to the third century, when the area was still under the Roman Empire and Christians faced persecution.



Archaeologists clean and restore frescoes inside a 3rd-century tomb where a rare early Christian depiction of Jesus as the "Good Shepherd" was discovered, in Iznik, Turkey, Friday, Dec. 12, 2025.(Khalil Hamra/AP Photo)

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"I personally very much hope that such a process will be opened": Archbishop Georg Gänswein desires a beatification process for Benedict XVI. In an interview, he also commented on the pope's theology and the Traditional Latin Mass.​

Archbishop Georg Gänswein hopes that a beatification process will be opened for the late Pope Benedict XVI (2005–2013). "I personally very much hope that such a process will be opened," said the former private secretary of Benedict and current Apostolic Nuncio to the Baltic States in an interview with the television station K-TV.

According to the station, Gänswein also emphasized the central element of Benedict's understanding of faith in the interview. A key word in this regard is "joy." For the German pope, faith was both the source and the measure of joy. If faith doesn't lead to joy, "something is still not quite right with the life of faith. Ratzinger, Benedict XVI, is a theologian of joy," said Gänswein, who also reaffirmed the importance of continuity in faith: "We mustn't cut into the substance; rather, we must allow ourselves to be shaped by the Lord, by the faith of the Church."

Extraordinary Rite: Back to Benedict's "wise arrangement"

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This image making also includes a nude Pieta. Their website has more.

And if you thought that was shocking, the exhibition has been praised by the Artists' Bishop Glettler, the Parish Priest of the Cathedral Parish and a Jesuit even writes in its praise in the programme.

"'Du sollst Dir ein Bild machen' exhibition at the Vienna Künstlerhaus – well-deserved rating: a must-see! [...] The exhibition is evidence of the endless struggle to somehow do justice to the mystery of God, who has inscribed himself into a wounded world." – Bishop Hermann Glettler, Innsbruck (on Instagram)



Bishop Glettler who was thought in the running for Vienna

samaus123456789 said:

Didascalia Apostolorum

Didascalia on Early Christian Writings: the New Testament, Apocrypha, Gnostics, and Church Fathers: information and translations of Gospels, Epistles, and documents of early Christianity.

www.earlychristianwritings.com

This text internally is written by the apostles in Jerusalem. It contains phrases like I Peter, me Peter, I Mathew , we apostles.
Epiphanius Salamis 300s AD said it was written by the apostles like it said. So I believe it was written pre 70 AD, and is inspired scripture. It is a lot like the Didache which also internally dates to before 70 AD but Didascalia is a lot longer. It is on audiobook here

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Here is chat GPT summary of the teachings of the text

The Didascalia Apostolorum presents itself as apostolic instruction, spoken in the collective voice of the apostles with Peter as chief spokesman, addressing how Christian communities are to live faithfully before God; it teaches that believers are no longer bound to the ritual requirements of the Mosaic Law, emphasizing instead moral obedience, repentance, mercy, and care for the poor, while portraying the bishop as a shepherd and physician who must govern gently, restore sinners, and guard the community from injustice; the text regulates church order, family life, sexual conduct, the roles of women and widows, almsgiving, and discipline, consistently stressing that authority exists for healing and salvation rather than punishment, and that Christian life replaces temple sacrifice with prayer, charity, and faithful endurance amid opposition.

It uses the word Catholic which means universal. There is no Mary worship in the text. It says Peter was buried in the Vatican

Chat GPT

In the first century, there was no “Vatican” as an institution and no St. Peter’s Basilica. The area now called the Vatican was simply Vatican Hill (Mons Vaticanus)—a low hill outside Rome’s sacred boundary (pomerium) on the west bank of the Tiber. It was largely non-urban, used for gardens, cemeteries (necropolis), and imperial leisure. Under Caligula and Nero, a large chariot-racing stadium—the Circus of Nero (or Circus of Caligula)—stood there. According to early Christian memory, Nero executed Christians in this area, and Peter was martyred nearby, traditionally buried in the adjacent necropolis. That grave became the focal point for later veneration, which—centuries later—led Constantine to build the first basilica over it (4th century).

Summary: In the first century, the “Vatican” was a geographic location tied to imperial Rome and early Christian martyrdom, not a church state or headquarters; its later significance grew because of Peter’s burial, not because it already held authority.

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This is not part of the canon of Scripture, so whatever merits it may have, even however 'inspired' it may be, it does not belong in a Bible.

As to your ChatGPT, well, ai;dr

BPPLEE said:

I didn’t say anything about 20 million. If you believe that is the total amount of illegal immigrants in the country I believe that the number is higher than that. I wouldn’t try to guess what the actual number is

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Oh okay. I misunderstood when you said you suspected that the actual number [of what? total or recent arrivals?] was "higher rather than lower" without specifically saying higher or lower than what. I just assumed you were referring to the number mentioned rather than some unspoken, unknown. My bad.

So this thread goes to show how many are actually focusing on the Nativity versus divisive political messaging. People often put their politics ahead of the Faith.

Michie said:

Some Protestant scholars who spoke with CNA welcomed a Vatican document that clarified titles for the Blessed Virgin Mary that discouraged the use of Co-Redemptrix/Co-Redeemer and put limits on the use of Mediatrix/Mediator.

The Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith (DDF) issued the doctrinal note Mater Populi Fidelis on Nov. 4. It was approved by Pope Leo XIV and signed by DDF Prefect Cardinal Víctor Manuel Fernández on Oct. 7.

According to the document, using “Co-Redemptrix” to explain Mary’s role in salvation “would not be appropriate.” The document is less harsh about using “Mediatrix” and says “if misunderstood, it could easily obscure or even contradict” Mary’s role in mediation.

The document affirms Mary plays a role in both redemption and mediation because she freely cooperates with Jesus Christ. That role, it explains, is always “subordinate” to Christ, and it warned against using titles in a way that could be misconstrued to mitigate Christ as the sole Redeemer and sole Mediator.

Catholic reactions have been mixed, with some seeing the clarification as helpful and others defending the titles as consistent with the understanding of Mary’s role as subordinate and asking the Vatican to formally define the doctrines themselves rather than simply issue a note on the titles.

Positive reactions from Protestants​

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Some Protestant scholars welcome Vatican document clarifying Marian titles

Some Protestant scholars welcomed a Vatican document that clarified titles for the Blessed Virgin Mary.

www.catholicnewsagency.com

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The 'clarification' muddied the waters considerably AND actually backfired in raising interest in a very tiny aspect of Marian devotion. Sure, some Protestants will be excited. But it is not an 'advance' as much as a confusion from a very confused and confusing prelate. Diane Montagna asked Fernandez about this in an interview and he retreated to say that we can believe what we want about Mary but for Vatican purposes they just won't say it. It would have been far better to do exactly what pope Benedict did, to rather quietly say that nothing new could yet be defined. OR to have the balls to say that it was just wrong to even think Mary was a co-redemptrix if they thought that to be the case. What we got was weaselly doublespeak confusion. Not an advance. One of the worst sorts of retreats.

“It’s never too late to fulfill a dream.”​

Photo credit: Caldas Newspaper

A century of waiting finally came to an end—wrapped in emotion, deep faith, and even a few tears.

100-year-old José Francisco recently received Baptism, First Communion, and Confirmation all on the same day!

The ceremony took place at the Church of A-dos-Francos in Portugal and was celebrated by Father João de Brito with support from the Parish of Caldas da Rainha.

José was born in the same town and spent his entire life working in agriculture. A father of seven—six daughters and one son—he made sure all his children were baptized, even though he himself never was. The desire, however, remained quietly alive in his heart for decades.

How did it all begin?​

The dream began to take shape thanks to an initiative of the Rotary Community Development Center (NRDC) of Caldas da Rainha and the Academy of Dreams. This past July, José participated in an activity that offered seniors immersive experiences through 360-degree virtual-reality glasses.

He “attended” a dance through virtual reality and, deeply moved, symbolically stepped out of the isolation of the room where he spends most of his time.

During a conversation with the team, he opened up about an old regret: never having been baptized.

He explained that the hardships of rural life—long days, exhaustion, and lack of time—kept him from receiving the sacraments. Now at 100, he felt it was “no longer worth it.” But the team encouraged him, insisting,

“It’s never too late to fulfill a dream.”

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Spiritual Preparation​

Continued below.

André Rieu - Out standing.

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Please pray that my son Jakeb will have a good day mind and body and get to his Doctor appointment. Please pray that he can handle the stress and come home happy. Please pray that he even has the courage to go. I also ask that the Doctor can help him and God shows us what to do and that there is nothing seriously wrong with him and that Jesus will put his healing hands upon my son. I pray that him and his dad get there and home safely. Dear God, please let this go well and heal my son. Please Dear God. I love You Dear GOd and I love You Dear Jesus. In Jesus name I pray. Thank you for prayers and God bless you.

The perennially popular representation of the passion, death, and resurrection of Christ, held every Holy Week in the Iztapalapa sector of Mexico City, has been declared a Cultural Heritage of Humanity by the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).

The decision was made during a UNESCO meeting in New Delhi, India, where the nomination of the Iztapalapa Way of the Cross was reviewed and approved.

Speaking at the event, Edaly Quiroz, deputy director of Mexico’s National Institute of Anthropology and History, said that Holy Week in Iztapalapa is not merely a theatrical performance but a manifestation “of unity, faith, and resilience that brings together thousands of people in a collective exercise of memory, identity, and participation.”

On its website, UNESCO states that this list includes “practices, knowledge, and expressions that communities recognize as part of their cultural identity” and emphasizes the need to protect them for future generations.

Continued below.

Tom8907 said:

Great points!

We don't need to grow spiritually by going on a 'pilgrimage' to Israel, we are fully equipped to spiritually grow through reading God's word, prayer and joining a local Gospel church.

The body of Christ is Israel, not the nation that calls itself Israel.

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I don't think there's anything wrong with going on a pilgrimage to Israel. Some people will draw closer to God just by physically seeing places that are in scripture and walk where Jesus walked. Is it "required", no but I wouldn't condemn people who want to do it either.

Christsfreeservant said:

And let the Holy Spirit guide you into all truth. And do not give your worship and undying devotion to any human being or people group, but give all your worship and devotion to God alone, to Jesus Christ who is the one who gave his life up for us on that cross so that, by God-persuaded faith in him, we will now die to sin and obey our Lord and his commands in practice, and have eternal life with God.

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I agree. People give Pastors/Priests/People FAR too much credit and treat them as if everything they scripturally say is truth instead of letting God teach you. And I also agree that this idea that ethnic Jews are somehow superior/better is gross. It's propping up a country that is 98% lost (and that's being considerate) and condoning behavior that you wouldn't give to anyone else. We should be praying for their salvation, for them to turn to God, for them to see that just because they are born Jewish, does not automatically mean they are the "light of the world". They lost that title when they failed to do what they were supposed to do, which is why the torch was passed to the gentiles.

"Again I ask: Did they stumble so as to fall beyond recovery? Not at all! Rather, because of their transgression, salvation has come to the Gentiles to make Israel envious." - Romans 11:11

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That doesn't mean Gentiles can now go to heaven, it means that gentiles are now the ones who teach salvation. Hence why Paul was sent to the gentiles and taught how to start churches. Our view towards Israel should be to try and save them so when Jesus comes, He can claim His inheritance that was started all the way back in Exodus and rule and reign from Jerusalem. All of Israel will eventually be saved:

"I do not want you to be ignorant of this mystery, brothers and sisters, so that you may not be conceited: Israel has experienced a hardening in part until the full number of the Gentiles has come in, and in this way all Israel will be saved. As it is written:

'The deliverer will come from Zion; he will turn godlessness away from Jacob. And this is my covenant with them when I take away their sins.'" - Romans 11:25-27

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Meaning, spreading the gospel to the Jews via the gentiles will eventually save them. This is the meaning of the blooming of the fig tree (Matthew 24:32-33, Mark 13:28-29, Luke 21:29-31). When their faith blooms and they finally turn to Christ.

So, if we continually prop up an unsaved nation, that is never going to help save them in the end. We need to pray for their salvation, and back efforts to spread the gospel in Israel.

Q: Who changed the Sabbath?

DamianWarS said:

this is a loaded question. The Sabbath is not Sunday. Sunday is not the Sabbath (so please stop presenting it this way).

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Sadly all the Confessions of Faith of major Christian groups claim you are wrong. I can't ignore all of Christianity just because you don't like their claim that in the first century the Sabbath commandment was edited by traidition to point to Sunday instead of Saturday. This is true of the example list I provide in the signature line in every post I make here.

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Almost every Christian denomination on Earth affirms the continued *"unit of TEN" for Christians today, and the ones below claim the Sabbath commandment was edited to point to week day one in the first century.

[*]The Baptist Confession of Faith section 19
[*]The Westminster Confession of Faith section 19
[*]Voddie Baucham
[*]C.H. Spurgeon
[*]D.L. Moody
[*]Dies Domini by Pope John Paul II
[*]D. James Kennedy
[*]R.C. Sproul
[*]many others as well..

BobRyan said:

The Faith Explained (an RC commentary on the Baltimore catechism post Vatican ii) states on Page 242 that
====================begin short summary
"we know that in the O.T it was the seventh day of the week - the Sabbath day - which was observed as the Lord's day. that was the law as God gave it...'remember to keep holy the Sabbath day.. the early Christian church determined as the Lord's day the first day of the week. That the church had the right to make such a law is evident...

changing the Lord's day to Sunday was in the power of the church since "in the gospels ..Jesus confers upon his church the power to make laws in his name".

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BobRyan said:

page 243

"nothing is said in the bible about the change of the Lord's day From Saturday to Sunday. We know of the change only from the tradition of the Church - a fact handed down to us...that is why we find so illogical the attitude of many Non-Catholics, who say that they will believe nothing unless they can find it in the bible and Yet will continue to keep Sunday as the Lord's day on the say-so of the Catholic church"

I have a new thread on the antinomian idea that some are so fond of. You might enjoy that thread

Antinomianism, definition and a Question "is this you"?

Definition for "Antinomianism" AI: Antinomianism is a term used in Christian theology to describe the belief that, because salvation is granted by divine grace through faith, believers are not bound by the moral law of God, including the Ten Commandments. The word itself comes from the Greek...

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DamianWarS said:

Using the NT to preach a 10 commandment system is counter-gospel

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I have a new thread on your antinomian idea above. You might enjoy that thread

dogs4thewin said:

Trump was stupid if he thought he could deport tens of millions of people in four years anyway. What he should do is just deport if they get caught otherwise breaking the law, OR if they apply for assistance as long as they are pulling their own weight and being productive let them be.

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It’s not four years, but one year. The White House will undergo some reshuffling and restructuring by mid-January next year. It will be interesting to see which side of the political spectrum prevails—whether true believers like Stephen Miller and Kristi Noem succeed, or pragmatists like JD Vence and Marco Rubio, who have ambitions beyond the Trump presidency.

Seventy percent of Hispanic voters disapprove of the Trump administration, reversing Republican gains with this group that have occurred since 1996. This majority of Hispanic voters oppose the current administration’s immigration policy, which they view as affecting them directly in their homes and communities—making it a personal issue unlike economic or other domestic policies. As a result, these voters are unlikely to return to support the GOP in the near future.

Recent Miami mayoral election results indicate that Cuban Americans are shifting away from the GOP for the first time in 60 years, despite historically being steady Republican voters.

In January, three groups within the Republican Party are expected to engage in significant political debate: Trump MAGA supporters such as Stephen Miller, ambitious figures like Vance or Rubio, and Republicans campaigning in swing states.

If Stephen Miller prevails in the debate, it will diminish the GOP's prospects of securing another congressional or presidential victory for at least the next 15 years. This perspective is understood by JD Vance, Marco Rubio, and the majority of Republicans.

If Stephen Miller and MAGA prevail, it won't be another three years; it will be another 13 months. By January 2027, Congress will be controlled by Democrats. Miller and his associates will spend more time appearing before Congress and answering questions than pressuring ICE.