Many recognize Dec. 7, 1941 as the date the Empire of Japan attacked the US. And we, quite rightly, remember that date. But there is another date coming up, that represents events equally or more horrible.

On December 13, 1937, the Japanese invaded the city of Nanking. The defending forces scattered, and General Iwane Matsui in command of the Japanese Central China Area Army entered the city. The course of that army was marked by appalling atrocities, including killing contests and the massacre of whole villages. When they entered the city, it got worse. For example -

...the Nanqiantou hamlet near Wuxi was set on fire, with many of its inhabitants locked within the burning houses. Two women, one a 17-year-old girl and the other pregnant, were raped repeatedly until they could not walk. Afterwards, the soldiers rammed a broom into the teenager's vagina and stabbed her with a bayonet, then "cut open the belly of the pregnant woman and gouged out the fetus". A crying two-year-old boy was wrestled from his mother's arms and thrown into the flames, while the hysterically sobbing mother was bayoneted and thrown into a creek. The remaining thirty villagers were bayoneted, disemboweled, and also thrown into the creek.

Prince Yasuhiko Asaka was installed as temporary commander in the campaign. He issued an order - "kill all prisoners".

Estimates of the number slaughtered range from the most common of 100,000 to 200,000. And then there were the rapes. Tens of thousands of them.

Japanese soldier Takokoro Kozo recalled:

Women suffered most. No matter how young or old, they all could not escape the fate of being raped. We sent out coal trucks to the city streets and villages to seize a lot of women. And then each of them was allocated to fifteen to twenty soldiers for sexual intercourse and abuse. After raping we would also kill them.[86]

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The women were often killed immediately after being raped, often through explicit mutilation,[87] such as by penetrating vaginas with bayonets, long sticks of bamboo, or other objects. For example, a six-months pregnant woman was stabbed sixteen times in the face and body, one stab piercing and killing her unborn child. A young woman had a beer bottle rammed up her vagina after being raped, and was then shot.

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Pearl Harbor was bad enough, but at least it was a military target. Nanking wasn't war. It was demonic.

There were other casualties. Minnie Vautrin was a missionary in Nanking, who tried desperately to save as many as she could, sheltering them in the school she headed. She saved many, but she could do nothing for the others. In 1941, she was able to return to the US after 28 years of missionary service in China. But, haunted by the memories of those she could not save, she took her own life.

Over the entrance to Dachau it says, "Forgive, but never forget". On December 13, let's forgive. But we must never forget.

Regards,
Shodan

Apple Sky said:

Sorry I didn't mean to ignore your post, I was just getting carried away by other posts.

About your post - As you know I am a firm believer that we never went to the moon & so I have a hard time believing that these reflectors are actually on the moon -Sorry.

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But you have been presented with absolute truth that we did land on the moon. So even with the presence of proof you still are going to deny what can’t be denied? And you are ok with remaining in error?

prodromos said:

You still referring to the fictional lost diary of Admiral Byrd?

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I was gonna return it, really! But by the time I got back to the library with it the fine was $3,475,866.87!

DamianWarS said:

2 Corinthians 3:3 never says which law is written on the heart, only that it is not the law on stone.

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Its the only law being spoken of period. Its exactly what God said -HIS laws, who defines God's laws us or God- God. His laws now written in the heart. Heb8:10

DaisyDay said:

Pease porridge hot, pease porridge cold, pease porridge in the pot nine days old. I'm assuming that spelling was deliberate because it fits into the rhyme.

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psst... if you dun't realize I am doing it on porpose bye know - well.....

DaisyDay said:

Do you think that Donald personally had any part in negotiations other than to authorize it and to claim all credit?

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There are 18 nations no longer at war that say he is the one who orchestrated peace. As hard to accept.

Valletta said:

“The evil of human trafficking cannot be overstated. It’s modern-day slavery. By leaving our borders open and even encouraging people to come here illegally, Biden enabled the largest human-trafficking operation in modern history,” DHS Secretary Kristi Noem said after a rescue operation this past July.

NEW: Immigration Agents Have Rescued More Than 60,000 Children From Human Smugglers

Federal immigration agents under the Trump Administration have rescued more than 62,000 migrant children from situations involving sex trafficking and forced labor, White House border czar Tom Homan announced Sunday. “Over half a million children were smuggled into this country under Joe Biden,”...

trendingpoliticsnews.com

May God bless continued efforts to rescue victims of human trafficking.

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Here’s what was actually said about the 62,000 children by Tom Holman. “SOME OF THEM were in sex trafficking, SOME were in forced labor”.

Login to view embedded media
So after hearing it from Tom Holman himself, would you agree that the article you posted in the OP is incorrect?

A2SG said:

Well, that is certainly new.

-- A2SG, maybe it will start a new trend....

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His "base" would never stand for that.

Yikes! I'm so sorry. When I was a young adult, cell phones weren't in use yet, and long-distance calling was expensive, and I'm realizing what a blessing that was. My mom was pretty controlling too, but we agreed on a phone call once a week on Sunday afternoons, and that was it. I can't imagine what it's like to have a controlling parent who is able to text you 24/7 and expects you to respond to all those texts.

Are you an only child (I was), or do you have some siblings to help share the load of parental caretaking?

According to the FBI and CDC - the top ten cities for gun violence are:

1. Memphis, TN
2. St. Louis, MO
3. Detroit, MI
4. Baltimore, MD
5. Cleveland, OH
6. Birmingham, AL
7. New Orleans, LA
8. Kansasas City, MO
9. Philadelphia, PA
10. Chicago, IL

Of those top ten - five are open carry and five are not -

GoldenBoy89 said:

Cruelty is the point and the goal.

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It's a shame, really. ICE is actually doing good work (in cooperation with local police even in "sanctuary cities") rounding up actual criminal gangsters that they have to be shy taking credit for because MAGA isn't really about that. Trump wants them to show that they can rough up people on ideological grounds.

Thank you for your service.

partinobodycular said:

But if I buy the whole Orthodox Christian story of 'God the creator' then I have to ask myself... why in the heck did God do such a poor job? I mean just think about it, the earth that you and I live on is currently crawling with a 'multitude' of fallen angels and demons who are constantly trying to corrupt our very souls. Thank you God for the 'wonderful' world that you've created for me to live on.

That seems like a horrible plan to me, and therefore the Orthodox Christian God is somebody that I'm not really willing to accept as a worthy recipient of my undying praise and admiration. Surely that's not an unreasonable position for me to take.

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Don't concern yourself. Steve's ideas on the subject are certainly not orthodox.

I have prayed over each area mentioned in your post. It was long, but so worthwhile.

May you be blessed and encouraged and protected in the work you’re doing.

Around 2,000 Christians from across India gathered in New Delhi to protest rising, sustained and systematic violence against the religious minority community. Speakers at the gathering called attention to a 500% rise in reported violence since 2014, and largely with impunity.

Representing over 200 denominations, civil society groups and legal advocates, the Christians rallied under the banner of the National Christian Convention on Nov. 29, affirming their faith in the Indian Constitution, and calling for unity, justice and hope.

From 139 reported cases of violence against Christians in 2014, the number rose to 834 in 2024, with nearly 5,000 incidents documented over the past decade, according to the United Christian Forum, one of the organizers of the convention.

Continued below.

This year’s ozone hole over Antarctica ranked among the smallest since the early 1990s, reflecting steady progress from decades of global action under the Montreal Protocol. Declining chlorine levels and warmer stratospheric temperatures helped limit ozone destruction. Scientists say the layer remains on track to recover later this century.

According to NOAA and NASA scientists, this year's measurements support the conclusion that restrictions on ozone-depleting chemicals set by the Montreal Protocol and its later amendments are steadily helping the ozone layer recover.

One hundred children kidnapped from a Catholic boarding school in central Nigeria last month have been released by their captors and transported to the capital, authorities confirmed Sunday. The fate of more than 160 other students and staff members abducted in the same attack remains unknown.

The mass abduction occurred before dawn on Nov. 21, when armed men stormed St. Mary’s Catholic Primary and Secondary School in Papiri, Niger State, and seized 315 students and staff, most of them children aged between 9 and 14, at gunpoint.

On Sunday, Nigerian presidential spokesperson Sunday Dare confirmed 100 of the children had been freed, according to Agence France-Presse. They were flown to Abuja and were expected to be handed over to the Niger State government on Monday.

A United Nations source told AFP that arrangements were being made to transfer the children back to state officials. Reports did not specify whether the release was achieved through negotiation, ransom or military intervention, and no information was available on the condition or location of the remaining hostages.

Local church officials said they had not yet received formal notification from the federal government.

Continued below.

essentialsaltes said:

'We know that Jesus was born into a Roman imperial occupation, and pretty much immediately becomes a refugee in Egypt, has to flee and faces political violence,' the Rev. Michael Woolf said.

The pastor noted Department of Homeland Security agents have tear-gassed protesters in the area and that locals reported seeing children among those detained with zip ties by federal agents during a recent high-profile immigration raid in a nearby apartment building. DHS has denied the latter claim, although evidence of similar actions has been reported elsewhere.

[in his church's display,] Jesus, who typically is depicted lying in hay, is instead nestled in a reflective blanket often used by immigrants in detention, with his hands bound with zip ties. And behind the family stands three Roman centurions wearing vests with a very modern label: ICE, or U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

Churchgoers at Saint Susanna Parish in Dedham, Massachusetts, recently erected a similar immigration-themed Nativity just outside their building. The display includes traditional depictions of the magi, stable animals and other figures, but the banner above reads “Peace on Earth?” And propped up in the center of the arrangement, where Mary, Joseph and Jesus would normally appear, sits a sign that reads: “ICE was here.”

The same faith-fueled movement is inspiring another immigration-themed Nativity scene on Christmas Eve, this time featuring real-life participants. The Rev. Dave Woessner, an Episcopal priest and congregational coordinator with the Massachusetts Council of Churches, said his team is organizing a Christmas worship service outside of an ICE facility in Burlington that will feature a real-life recreation of Jesus’ birth — including, potentially, a donkey.

Woessner, who works with communities impacted by deportation efforts, said he and others have convened a weekly vigil outside the ICE facility for 33 weeks straight. The faith leaders have also attempted to accompany immigrants who are appearing for ICE check-ins, but have been repeatedly denied.

After Fox and other conservative media outlets picked up the [first] display, Woolf said his church has received an avalanche of calls — many supportive, but others decidedly not.

“There’s been some suggestions that I should kill myself,” Woolf said.

Josoma reported a similar influx of messages.

“You get a lot of support, but as it goes on, most — not all, but most — of the negative ones aren’t really conversational,” he said. “They’re just swearing and yelling.”

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It is about knowing the difference between immigrant and refugee. a refugee seeks refuge until the danger he is fleeing from is over,

relieved he returns. Matthew 2:13-14, Matthew 2:19-20.

Servus said:

I don't know. I'm not a secretary nor an admiral nor with military intelligence. I'm just an observer. And my observations usually don't come with the perfect solution to what I'm observing.

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Yet here you are defending it on Christian moral grounds.

Bob S said:

And when a change in the priesthood happens there are changes in the law.
Hebrews 7:12
For the priesthood being changed, there is made of necessity a change also of the l

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Yes, Bob. One of the most deceiving tactics used by deceivers, "Who come in Christ's name", is to quote some of God's Word to promote a philosophy or doctrine that would not stand if more of God's Word is considered. I have observed for many years, the promoters of this world's religions use "some" scripture, but omits the weightier parts because to include them would actually expose their religion as wrought in man, and not God. One of the more egregious examples of this evil tactic is concerning Hebrews 7:11. where the Spirit of Christ in the Hebrews author details for us the truth about the Old Priesthood covenant, and the New.

Heb. 7: 11 If therefore perfection were by the Levitical priesthood, (for under it the people received the law,) "what further need was there" that another priest should rise after the order of Melchisedec, and not be called "after the order of Aaron"?

In the Old Priesthood, a person received God's Laws and forgiveness of transgression of God's Laws through the Levitical Priesthood, that Abraham wasn't under because it wasn't ADDED until 430 years after him. But this was only a temporary Priesthood Covenant with corruptible Priests and animal sacrifices given them on Mt. Sinai that was Prophesied to change.

12 For the priesthood being changed, there is made of necessity a change also of the law.

The deceiver stops right here, and says, "See, we don't have to submit to God's Laws we don't like". Refusing to show others what is specifically spelled out in the very next 7 verses, which shows perfectly, in great detail, exactly what Law changed, out of necessity, and the reason why it was changed. This exact same evil tactic was used by the very first deceiver, "who professed to know God" in the beginning with Eve.

Gen. 3: 1 Now the serpent was more subtil than any beast of the field which the LORD God had made. And he said unto the woman, Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat "of every tree of the garden"?

And sure enough, when I go back and read God's Word for myself, I find:

Gen. 2: 16 And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, Of every tree of the garden "thou mayest freely eat":

So the deceiver preaches, "By God's Own Words", "See. God Commanded the man to eat of "EVERY Tree" in the garden".

And a man can be deceived by this, unless they follow Jesus instruction and consider Every Word inspired by God.

You don't have to fall for this tactic Bob. Read what Law changed in the New Priesthood Covenant. Set yourself free from the deception promoted by the "course of this world".

Bob S said:

Is that something new? That is what I was taught and as far as I know most of Christianity believes that, so where is the lie you say we are living under?

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The "LIE" is the popular deceitful practice of quoting only "Some" of God's Word for the purpose of defending and promoting a falsehood. In this case, that a man can reject any Law of God they don't like, and live after the imagination of their own hearts, and they "Shall surely not die". The Spirit of the Christ, "of the Bible" warns us of this in Jeremiah 23.

16 Thus saith the LORD of hosts, Hearken not unto the words of the prophets that prophesy unto you: they make you vain: they speak a vision of their own heart, and not out of the mouth of the LORD.

17 They say still unto them that despise me, The LORD hath said, Ye shall have peace; and they say unto every one "that walketh after the imagination of his own heart", No evil shall come upon you.

Bob S said:

The "old Priesthood Law" you are referring is was the Sinai Covenant.

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To make this statement true, it should read "The "old Priesthood Law" you are referring is was the LAW that was ADDED "Because of Transgressions" on Sinai Covenant. And it is the Covenant that changed. As the Scriptures just laid out for you.

Bob S said:

No, it was the Law that was the schoolmaster not some priesthood as you have implied. Be careful what you are trying to teach.

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All men have sinned, and are in need of salvation. The Levitical Priesthood sacrifices for sin, was to lead men to the Prophesied Christ, without whom there is no forgiveness.

I will ask you another question and see if you will answer. Were Zacharias, Simeon and Anna, (Luke 1&2) led to Christ for their salvation before HE was even born? Was David not led to this same Christ?

This temporary Law was designed in the very beginning, to foreshadow Christ's saving Life (Blood), and put in place, "Till the Seed Should come".

You don't know this Bob, because you are taught by the religions of this world.

Bob S said:

What does all you have written have to do with where we stand today?

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You are promoting a philosophy that God, His Son Jesus, and the Apostles God gave to His Son, all promote a religion where men are free to just reject any of God's Laws they don't like, and as long as they offer to God the Blood of a perfect innocent being, as per God's Law even to this day, they are justified.

The Pharisees religion was exactly the same. They full well rejected God's Commandments that they might live by their own religious traditions. They rejected God's judgments and definition of Holy and Righteousness, and went about establishing their own. And yet every week they would offer the blood of an innocent life, as per the Law, to justify their sins. There is no flesh justified by "works of the Law".

Bob S said:

Today we are under the New and Better Covenant Jesus ordained at Calvary, What the priesthood did or didn't do has nothing to do how we can come directly before Jesus and get remission for breaking His Law of Love, the command He gave all mankind to live by.

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That sounds all churchy and all. But according to what is written, mankind's love and God's Love are two different things. Just as mankind's definition of Holy is different than God's definition of Holy. All I advocate for is submitting to God in search of HIS Righteousness, not submitting to this world's religions who have gone about establishing their own.

But none of this matter unless a man has a repentant, AKA, "Circumcised" heart.

CoreyD said:

When I read the Bible, what I see is that none of the wars God waged had anything to do with the soldiers. ‘Not by valiant troops, nor by might, but in my spirit, says the Lord of hosts. Zechariah 4:6

In fact, God didn't even want them to think it was due to their mightiness that they won, because God was the one fighting for them. Then the LORD said to Gideon, “You have too many men for Me to deliver Midian into their hands, lest Israel glorify themselves over Me, saying, ‘My own hand has saved me.’ Judges 7:2

These righteous wars were either God's judgment on wicked people, or his delivering his people from their enemies... his enemies.

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You remember that time when God chose 300 of the Israelites?

CoreyD said:

So, what wars are you fighting?

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Like I said, Reformation era or the Sack of Constantinople (First Crusade/Calling of the Varangians) would be fun. Given the right historical sources.

Edit: the right historical sources:

CoreyD said:

That is a question I would ask myself if I were playing FPS games.
In fact, when I was playing a turn based strategy game, shooting and killing aliens, and my brother was playing a FPS, hearing the gunfire, the slashing of flesh, the screams and groan, caused me to ask myself, 'What's the difference between what he is playing, and what I am playing"'
The only difference was third person, as opposed to firs person.

I stopped playing. Why?
I asked myself two questions:

1. How does God feel about these games, and would I feel comfortable if Jesus came to my house and saw me playing these games?
   
   I did not have to guess at the answer. It was right there in Psalm 11:5 The LORD examines both the righteous and the wicked. He hates those who love violence.
   
   
2. Paul wrote at Romans 2:21-24 21 you, therefore, who teach someone else, do you not teach yourself? You who [a]preach that one is not to steal, do you steal? 22 You who say that one is not to commit adultery, do you commit adultery? You who loathe idols, do you rob temples? 23 You who boast [b]in the Law, through your breaking the Law, do you dishonor God? 24 For “the name of God is blasphemed among the Gentiles because of you,” just as it is written.
   
   So, how can I be witnessing to people about what the Bible tells us about God, and at the same time not doing what it says? That's hypocritical.

That did it for me. I did not try to rationalize playing the games.
I know it's hard letting go pf the things in Satan's world. After all, he is a skillful bird catcher, and knows what the bird will enjoy nibbling on.
However, as I was saying in the other thread, it's really commendable that persons really make the effort to gibe up things they cherish, just to please God.

You sure you don't want to make a game instead?
Adventure games are fun.

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I’m probably sick, but Soldier of Fortune: Payback is my favourite game right now.

That being said, I think a medieval FPS game has a lot of potential for adventure, history and a lot more.

Factotum said:

You mean like how a "reasonable" determination can be what officials want, to suit their purposes --while an official determination is another thing altogether?

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No, I mean it the way I said it.

Factotum said:

We could use that to lay out the vast difference between the Trump DoD and the Biden DoD...

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Im not intending to expand the discussion to cover so much ground as that.

ARBITER01 said:

These are basic NT understandings,.... why don't you understand them?

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There is nothing "basic" about "Christians" understanding of baptism, which is all over the board.

Servus said:

Beats me, that's where one of the posted images traced to.

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The confusion comes from the observation that the photo is about the Mexican navy seizing boats in the Pacific (which the US Coast Guard is also doing, in active cooperation with the Mexican navy). Somehow that is supposed to prove that blowing them up instead of seizing them in the Carribean and then killing survivors in the water was a righteous act. That certainly is confusing to me.

Chesterton said:

I checked on it, and yes they allegedly contributed (nothing's been proven yet), but it did not produce and fund his show.

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The case is still ongoing, but according to the indictment, they paid Poole $100k per episode. In media production world, the title "producer" is annoyingly ambiguous and can have a bunch of different meanings with one of them being "financier." That's how Trump's first Treasury Secretary, Steve Mnuchin, had so many EP credits - he didn't make the films; he financed them. Even if the Russians provided no guidance on the content (which would be odd since they allegedly sought him out as part of a deliberate propaganda campaign and paid him a couple million dollars to develop content), financing is still "producing."

Chesterton said:

What was this Russian propaganda saying?

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I don't know. The indictment didn't say.

Chesterton said:

Tim Pool's never been charged with any wrongdoing, so I have no idea why you put that in this thread.

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I was making a joke about his being a Russian stooge. That he was doing so unwittingly makes it even funnier IMO.

ThatRobGuy said:

Given the backdrop of several recent events...

That seems less likely than "zealot nutjob who views heterodox viewpoints as threatening trying to take matters into their own hands"


If we're going to go down the rabbit hole of entertaining "bordering on conspiracy" theories about why someone would shoot at him, given his more recent rhetoric, Mossad would be a bigger culprit than Russia, wouldn't it?

Admittedly, I haven't listened to Pool in a few months (I listen to a pretty big variety of various podcasts and and shows spanning the spectrum), but the last time I did listen to him, he was still on the thought train of being critical of Ukrainian funding, and suggesting that Western nations were provoking Russia by crossing red lines.

So not sure why they'd want him whacked.

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I was making a joke.

Without knowing who did the shooting, it's impossible to know why. Maybe it was just some randos getting drunk and firing out their windows. Maybe it was somebody with a vendetta against guys in knit hats.

Michie said:

The fixation on criminals for some has been going on for a very long time.

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Yes, very true...
It's why I tried to address this by bouncing off of your accurate post when I disseminated the issue's variable element, and not the constant element applying to all infamous/polarized murder defendants.