• Starting today August 7th, 2024, in order to post in the Married Couples, Courting Couples, or Singles forums, you will not be allowed to post if you have your Marital status designated as private. Announcements will be made in the respective forums as well but please note that if yours is currently listed as Private, you will need to submit a ticket in the Support Area to have yours changed.

  • CF has always been a site that welcomes people from different backgrounds and beliefs to participate in discussion and even debate. That is the nature of its ministry. In view of recent events emotions are running very high. We need to remind people of some basic principles in debating on this site. We need to be civil when we express differences in opinion. No personal attacks. Avoid you, your statements. Don't characterize an entire political party with comparisons to Fascism or Communism or other extreme movements that committed atrocities. CF is not the place for broad brush or blanket statements about groups and political parties. Put the broad brushes and blankets away when you come to CF, better yet, put them in the incinerator. Debate had no place for them. We need to remember that people that commit acts of violence represent themselves or a small extreme faction.

Trump faces backlash from base for defending H-1B visa program: 'People have to learn'

To expound a little on Trump's words..."When Ingraham insisted the U.S. has "plenty of talented people here," Trump said, "No, you don't. No, you don't have certain talents, and people have to learn.""

There is a 2nd part to that which would be that US businesses would then need to actually hire those US citizens that have learned. Or, they could train some of the talented people they have now for those skills.

I'm recently retired from 35+ years in tech industry. 25+ of that in a fortune 50 firm.
Were there cases where a US worker with a certain skill couldn't be hired? Sure those existed.
Where there cases where US workers were either not hired or kicked out so jobs could be outsourced to foreign countries or replaced with H1B workers to use cheaper labor? Oh my goodness YES! way, Way, WAY more of these cases than cases where skilled US workers couldn't be found or existing workers trained.
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Attempts to stifle Church rights. Attacked ministry leaders struggle. Arrested, accused of evangelizing.

  • On September 14, 2025, government officials entered a church, began recording the service and ultimately arrested two church leaders. The officials first demanded to see documents authorizing the religious meeting. Two church leaders explained that the fellowship had been meeting since 1992 and that, under Article 34 of the Kyrgyz constitution, they were guaranteed "freedom of conscience and religion." Read More.
  • Nov. 13, 2025 | Burkina Faso​

    Ministry Leaders Struggle After Attacks

    [31] prayers in [5] nations have been posted for Christians in Burkina Faso.
    A Burkinabe evangelist explains the gospel to displaced individuals sheltering in a former school.
    As Islamists in Burkina Faso attack Christians and force hundreds of churches to close, ministry leaders and their families feel confusion and doubt, especially the women. Over 2 million Burkinabe have been displaced, and VOM provides emotional and spiritual support to ministry leaders among them, who sometimes struggle emotionally. "Many women expressed feelings of idleness, as they are no longer able to teach other women or engage in ministry," said a front-line worker. "Their identity, closely tied to their roles in the church, has been deeply affected." Read More.
  • Nov. 13, 2025 | Iraq​

    Christians Arrested, Accused of Evangelizing

    [26] prayers in [5] nations have been posted for Christians in Iraq.
    The small population of Christians in Iraq live and minister under constant pressure.
    An Iraqi Christian who often helps disciple Christian converts from Islam was arrested and detained alongside two other Christians. They were released after a few days but are being accused of evangelizing, which is a criminal act as the country's official religion is Islam. A front-line worker has requested prayer for the Lord to intervene in their cases and that all three Christians will be able to return to their families. Read More.

Furious Democrats Call for Schumer to Be Replaced After Shutdown Cave

If tax credits are not extended for the ACA, these turncoats will have to walk the walk of shame--along with 53 Republicans--for betraying their constituents.
turncoats? That is terminology that authoritarian governments use against those that do not walk in lock step with dear leaders...

What happened to bipartisan legislation?

FYI - the subsidies don't go to their constituents, but directly to the insurance companies who are making greater profit margins than ever.
Schumer will lose to AOC in the next primary.
Of course he will. The Party has spoken - they kill their wounded. (Politically speaking) Just like removing a sitting President from his re election ballot against his will. Democracy in action? I think not.

Best thing that could happen to America is an AOC/Sanders ticket for President - pretty much guarantee Republican leadership for the next eight years. With all my heart - I hope she runs.
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Which denomination do I belong to?

The local congregation in every city, as taught in the Bible, is God's will. One should not even think of adding denominations, associations, or even meeting places classified as holy, so-called sanctuaries.
The congregation is WE, the people who believe in the Bible, even though we are imperfect.

more writings: In English
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Two-thirds of Americans think Trump is covering up Epstein evidence

And this. People don't buy it...
That's the thing. More and more people see it. Even MAGA is coming to realize it. And all the denial and deflection in the world won't stop it from being known. This is Trump's legacy; more than the insurrection to overturn an election, more than his public decline, more than his constant lies. This is what he will be in history.

Trump faces backlash as 69% believe Epstein details concealed, Reuters/Ipsos poll finds

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Appointed to Eternal Life - Acts 13:48

Are you suggesting they were appointed because they believed? Can you argue for that?

Koine word order is pragmatic, not temporal. It prioritizes emphasis and thematic prominence; it does not establish sequence.
How do you interpret Acts 13:46? Do you think the Jews who rejected the gospel that Paul and Barnabas preached to them did not believe because the choice of whether they would believe or not was God's alone and they were not appointed by God to believe? If so, why does it say they judged themselves unworthy of everlasting life rather than saying God judged them unworthy of everlasting life? It should be clear that the reason the Jews who rejected the gospel did so was because of their own choice rather than it being God's choice to not appoint them to believe. So, why would we think it was any different for the Gentiles that Paul and Barnabas preached to?
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Pope Leo instructions now is Jesus apparition not true.

Yes, absolutely. I just gave you an example. The acceptance of the four Gospels as being inspired by God is a Tradition and not contained in Scripture. There is no mention of it in the Bible.
Is there any mention in the OT of the OT being inspired?
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Morality without Absolute Morality

Semantic regress isn't genuine regress, nor does it show that regress of an ontological or explanatory variety can be benign. Given that we weren't discussing semantics, but ontology and epistemology, it remains to be shown that such regress is truly possible to be benign.
It remains to show that all infinite regresses in ontology and epistemology are vicious. Or that this one is at least.
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I write resources for small groups, churches, and personal devotions

Good day all. Long time Christian and a well-established author for fiction and technology (you can find my stuff on Amazon and at my blog https://RodsFictionBooks.com) but with everything going on in the world, feel I need to refocus my experiences on more important matters. I have recently turned my focus on devotionals for personal, small group, and church use with topics I believe are timely. Each book has its own free Resource Kit and the ability for everyone to directly improve it.

Happy to share they are available on Amazon and the Resource Kit is housed on GitHub (can't take the geek out of me completely, lol)

Divine Design Devotionals: Amazon.com

Resource Kits: GitHub - rod-trent/DivineDesign: This is the repository for the electronic resource kits for Rod Trent's non-fiction, faith-based work

Take a stand on political violence

So, your take on this is that only extremists are violent. Interesting. I associate "extremists" with individuals who are deeply committed to changing matters forcefully and who are involved in thinking and planning how to proceed. Individuals, whose daily focus revolve around this. I think of extremist as very similar to activist.

From that perspective there is a large amount of political violence that can occur from the non-extremist, on both sides of the fence. That would account for very many more incidents that the number present in your smaller extremist Venn diagram, potentially distorting the validity of your conclusion.
Extremist activists are the ones who are violent in the political realm. Everyone else either writes to congressmen or peacefully protests somewhere, standing around with signs.

No one who is committing violence, assaulting officers, attacking others, spitting on or screeching at anyone is a "deeply committed" rational person. Irrational people commit violence (unless they are just psychopaths/sociopaths and know full well what they are doing- get them off the street).

Show me news articles of non-extremists charged with/convicted of violent crimes.
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Teens Who Savagely Attacked Well-Known DOGE Staffer Avoid Jail Time

Trump pardoned a thousand criminals who brutally attacked others while trying to assassinate the Vice President and Speaker of the House.
A "thousand criminals" did not attack anyone. There were a small bunch who did, all arrested for violent acts.

The large majority walked around the building, took video, and left. The large majority were charged with "being in an unauthorized area" or "parading". Look it up if you don't believe me.

That said, no one who actually committed and was convicted of a violent act should have been pardoned, especially if sentence was not completed. That part is accurate.
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what is Calvinism answer to how God works?

Hello John, yes, the "L" in Calvinism's TULIP acrostic (as well, really, the other two middle "petals") teach (in various ways) that the atonement that the Lord Jesus secured for us on the Cross is "limited" to the saints alone.

That said, here are a couple of things to consider about that.

1) Do you believe that God knows what's going to happen long before it actually happens (just like the Bible tells us that He does) and that He is able, thereby, to "declare the end from the beginning"?​
Isaiah 46
9 "I am God, and there is no other;
I am God, and there is no one like Me,
10 Declaring the end from the beginning,
And from ancient times things which have not been done,
Saying, ‘My purpose will be established,
And I will accomplish all My good pleasure"
2) Do you agree with Protestantism's "other position" (or systematic theology), Arminianism, that God looks down through a tunnel of time (so to speak) and "chooses" or "elects" unto salvation those who He sees (via His "foreknowledge") responding positively to the Gospel message?​

I'll stop here and wait for your reply (to the two questions that I just asked you above, that is).

Thanks :)

God bless you!!

--David

T - Total Depravity
U - Unconditional Election
L - Limited Atonement
I - Irresistible Grace
P - Perseverance of the Saints
God exists throughout human time at the same time, so there really is no past or future for God, so when we talk about the future, it is only future for us and not God.

It is not that God knows what future you will chose in the future (suggesting the future, is also God’s future), but God knows the free will choices you did make in the future (it is history for God).



The reason God knows a free will choice you will make tomorrow is because you already made that choice for the God which exists at the end of time, so with God being outside of time the God at the end of time is communicating (within Himself) to the God of today the choices you made tomorrow.

Yes, tomorrow’s choice has not been made as far as you are concerned but has been made as far as God is concerned.

Time is totally “relative” for God and for the last 100 years now, time has been shown to be relative, and nothing has even gone against the Theory of Relativity.

Think for a moment about this: If you got an actual video recording of a free will choice a man in China made one hours from now, that choice is set in history, so he cannot make any other choice, yet does that mean the choice will not be a free will choice? You cannot get in touch with him to change anything in the next hour. What you have is the history of his choice ahead of time and history does not keep the choice from being a free will choice.

The idea of a “Block Universe” is held by many non-Christian scientist, since it would explain a lot.
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Questions and Answers

You should have told James that, after he wrote James 2:24.
Told him what exactly?

Strange you are now using Pauline epistles to talk about OSAS to the Body of Christ, when you were against that same claim of mine, in another thread.
I am doing no such thing. Paul never taught OSAS at all. I'm afraid you have very poor reading comprehension skills.
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Why do people hate ICE...

The network used five-year-old footage, mislabeled other dates and implied footage from elsewhere was in Portland.

Trump questioned perception of Portland before approving military plan: 'Am I watching things on television that are different from what's happening?'

"I spoke to the governor, she was very nice," Trump said. "But I said, 'Well wait a minute, am I watching things on television that are different from what's happening? My people tell me different.' They are literally attacking and there are fires all over the place...it looks like terrible."
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US has struck three Iranian nuclear sites, Trump says

Of all the faults man possess Arrogance can be the most insidious.- me.

  • "The only thing more dangerous than ignorance is arrogance." - Albert Einstein
  • "Pride goes before destruction, a haughty spirit before a fall" - Proverbs 16:18
Einstein didn't say that: Did Einstein Say 'The Only Thing More Dangerous than Ignorance Is Arrogance'?
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