The Pope’s comments come 3 days after the first presidential debate between Trump and Harris in which both abortion and migration were significant topics of debate
Pope Francis speaks to journalists aboard the papal plane during an in-flight press conference on Friday, Sept. 13, 2024, on his return from his nearly two-week tour of Southeast Asia. (photo: Daniel Ibañez/CNA / EWTN)

Pope Francis said that American voters face the choice between “the lesser evil” in the U.S. presidential election during an in-flight press conference Friday on his return from his nearly two-week tour of Southeast Asia.

Speaking aboard the papal plane, a chartered Singapore Airlines flight, on Sept. 13, the pope encouraged Catholics to vote with their conscience.

“In political morality, in general they say that if you don’t vote, it’s not good, it’s bad. You have to vote, and you have to choose the lesser evil,” he said.

“What is the lesser evil? That woman, or that man?” he continued, referring to Vice President Kamala Harris and her Republican opponent, former president Donald Trump. “I don’t know. Each one, in his or her conscience, must think and do this.”

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ANALYSIS: Poll after poll shows the economy is the No. 1 issue for voters. Vice President Kamala Harris and former president Donald Trump seemed to have forgotten that Sept. 10 in their first — and possibly only — televised debate.
People watch the Sept. 10 presidential debate between former U.S. president and Republican nominee Donald Trump and U.S. Vice President and Democratic candidate Kamala Harris in Nashville, Tennessee. (photo: SETH HERALD / AFP via Getty Images)

In the storm of an unprecedented presidential campaign — which has featured, among other things, an assassination attempt of a former president and a last-minute swap-out at the top of the Democratic ticket — the iron law of American electoral politics held steady: Voters want to hear about the economy — and little else.

A vast sea of election-year polling has confirmed and reconfirmed Democratic strategist James Carville’s famous dictum that “It’s the economy, stupid.” Days before the first (and possibly only) presidential debate between Kamala Harris and Donald Trump on Tuesday in Philadelphia, Pew Research Center released a poll that found overwhelming concern over the economy among the general electorate — a full 81% of voters rate the economy as a “very important issue,” far more than any other.

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Xeno.of.athens said:

Many Lutheran denominations have bishops.

My first post was kind of written out of amused interest in how a KJV only Baptist explains the lack of bishops in their ecclesiology since the KJV is one of the translations that consistently uses bishop as well as elder and deacon giving that translation the vocabulary of threefold office within the church.

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Yes, I know many Lutheran churches have bishops. As mentioned before, I have the joy and privilege of being one. I’d be glad to explain in more detail if you like, but in short, we retain the office in our freedom in Christ, but we don’t believe it’s a higher office by divine right, because the Scriptures use the terms commonly translated as Elder (presbyteros) and Overseer (episkopos) interchangeably, meaning, there’s only one pastoral office in the Bible. Yet we do see the apostles and the NT church arranging themselves as they see fit, for the sake of good order. So we do the same.

So do Baptists have bishops in a biblical sense? Yes, because they do have men occupying the pastoral office. And do they have bishops in a threefold office sense? Yes, I think so, if we consider what they may call a Senior Pastor. I know they can have deacons. But if your primary goal is to poke at the KJV only idea — fair enough!

ThatRobGuy said:

Declared, "you haven't answered the question, so before we move on, the record will show you didn't answer the question, are you sure you don't want to answer?"

Even if it gives the perception of the moderator "overpowering" the candidate, so be it. The moderators are often times members of the media/press (who act as a quasi-check on the power of government). It's their job to ask tough questions and demand answers (and expose people when they don't give answers)

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Now that I have watched some/enough of the debate, I think my points were borne out. The moderators asserted their authority in a way that was partisan and unhelpful. The CNN moderators were much better.

This was particularly clear in the woman moderator's first "fact check" where she just declared on her own authority that Trump is wrong about the problematic "partial birth abortion" sort of phenomena that has been occurring for some time. Where did the woman receive such authority as the mouthpiece of truth? I don't even know her name! Muir, on the other hand, gave an authority for the second fact check, which was much more appropriate. But in any case, having the moderators climb into the ring and start wrestling is never a good idea, and the possibility that they can do it without bias is probably non-existent.

If Jesus was a Democrat, James Comer would launch a committee investigation of him that would find he was a 'radical Socialist, cultural Marxist, anti-capitalist, anti-business, pro-woke elitist with delusions of his own importance' and then proceed to make insinuations about him hanging out with prostitutes and having 12 guys follow him everywhere.

Venezuelan and Haitian migrants wait to be registered at Canaan Membrillo village, the first border control of the Darien Province in Panama, on October 13, 2022. - The clandestine journey through the Darien Gap usually lasts five or six days at the mercy of all kinds of bad weather: snakes, swamps and drug traffickers who use these routes to take cocaine to Central America. | LUIS ACOSTA/AFP via Getty Images

Police in Aurora, Colorado, identified 10 members of a Venezuelan gang as part of an ongoing investigation into reports of gang members living in the city and committing acts of violence, with crimes ranging from aggravated assault to shootings at apartments.

The Aurora Police Department has been investigating reports of the Venezuela prison gang Tren de Aragua operating in the city.

On Wednesday, the department releasedthe names of 10 members the police said have been "committing acts of violence against members of the migrant community" in the town.

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True Church vs. Fake Church

Father threatened by abductor's axe-wielding family

Sumera Bibi and her husband with portraits of their forcibly converted and married daughters who were kidnapped in Kasur District, Pakistan, on July 23, 2024. | Christian Daily International-Morning Star News

LAHORE, Pakistan — A high court in Pakistan has ordered police to recover two Christian sisters, ages 13 and 18, who were forcibly converted to Islam and married to their abductors, the family’s attorney said.

After police refused to make efforts to recover Neha Javed and her older sister, Saneha Javed, following their July 23 kidnapping in Pattoki Tehsil, Kasur District, Lahore High Court Justice Muhammad Tariq Nadeem on Wednesday ordered the police chief of Kasur District, Punjab Province, to recover them and submit a report, attorney Sumera Shafique said.

The court ordered the two girls to be recovered from Muslims Muhammad Zain and Muhammad Ali, who are brothers, Shafique said.

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Hazelelponi said:

We all change but if we do we can articulate the reasons for the change, and should be asked to when changes are so extreme and would affect public policy.

If she doesn't articulate the reasons why she's changed all her main policy positions then it's just called lying for votes.

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I agree with you 100% about how we must state the reasons why we change. Kamala did none of that. She did not articulate the reason why she changed her viewpoint.

For myself, the reasons why I have changed from liberal to centrist over the period of 2020 to 2024 is because the Democrats no longer represent a party that cares for the underdogs. They only care about Big Tech, LGTV+ agenda and pushing woke ideology onto kids more than helping the poor or homeless. What about people that are Christian? The Democrats do not care much about freedom of religion, as some states can take (read: kidnap) one's own children away for not recognizing the preferred pronoun junk.

Vambram said:

Amen, my brother.

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Amen to God for giving you Proverbs 3:5-6 as your life verse 44 years ago. Wow, the two DeGarmo and Key's songs you shared today both resonated with Proverbs 3:5-6 (Ultimate Ruler) and Sirach 2:4-7 (The Pledge). Both of these verses are in this devotional about how we must trust in God's plan.

Vambram said:

I love the classic cars and bike in this video, too. It is cool that you referenced Proverbs 3:5-6 because, over 44 years ago, I prayed asking God for a life verse that would apply for help in trusting Him no matter what happened. For encouragement from God to yield to Him and His will. The Lord answered my prayers with Proverbs 3:5-6

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It is good we both like old-school things such as classic cars and bikes. Wow, God gave you Proverbs 3:5-6 as your life verse? That is a good verse. Goes to show how God speaks through people and experiences, as well as directly. The Proverbs are a very encouraging set of verses in general. One of my favorite verses is actually from the Psalms though.

Psalm 121:7-8 (NIV): "The Lord will keep you from all harm— he will watch over your life; the Lord will watch over your coming and going both now and forevermore."

Proverbs 3:5-6 is part of my God's Desires > Our Desires Devotional made in July 2024:

I wasn't aware of their other services until I went with a friend. She was 18 at the time and got a checkup. They had a sliding fee that was affordable.

I don't bash people about abortion. There's not a person on this earth who hasn't done something they're not ashamed of or hiding from others. When you start weighing sins you look foolish.

~bella

In the 25 years since the U.S. State Department has designated countries with the worst records of religious rights violations as “Countries of Particular Concern,” it has applied sanctions related only to those violations just three times, according to a new report.

Sanctions are among the actions the International Religious Freedom Act of 1998 (IRFA) calls on administrations to impose on CPCs, but those specifically in response to religious freedom violations have been used in only 1.8% of the 164 CPC designations since 1999, all in reference to Eritrea, according to the report this week by the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF).

CPC designations resulted in application of sanctions already in place for other reasons in 67.7% of cases, USCIRF reported. In 24.4% of the CPC designations, countries violating religious freedom were granted a presidential waiver from sanctions based on “national interests.”

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Daniel Marsh said:

It turned out to be mild skin cancer in my gut. It was removed by surgery.

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I had a basal cell carcinoma removed from my cheek about three years ago or so. Scary but mild, too. I’m glad yours was mild.

BobRyan said:

But as the video points out - the head of ABC is a close personal friend of Kamala - so not too surprising their very partial presentation.

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I also don't think it's insignificant, that Linsey Davis (Tuesday's debate moderator) is sorority sisters with Kamala.

Vambram said:

I do like some songs that have slow moving beats. I think this song could have had an appropriate solemn theme even if Demon Hunter (an outstanding band) had used slow, easy listening beats with an electric guitar.

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It could be more complex. I agree with that. But it still fits the mood they were looking for here.

Tucker has started to go off the rails recently. I was never a huge fan of him (as I don't watch the news including Fox) but he's recently said some really anti-Semitic stuff. Horrible stuff, just like Candice Owens (who is an absolute hypocrite).

JimR-OCDS said:

But Harris wants to be Commander and Chief and have the authority to send Americans into combat.

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I would not think anyone wants to have the authority to send Americans into combat. I look for sound judgment in trustworthy words that reflect a compassionate servant of the people, not a narcissistic desire to be admired as the greatest and most feared strongman. Hypocritical judgment in a politician indicates they are unworthy to hold power.

JimR-OCDS said:

Harris is a career politician who has worked on polishing her rhetoric to appease voters all of
her career, whether true of false. She goes by the political winds according to the crowd she's
addressing, including using a southern black accent when she spoke before a crowd of blacks
in Atlanta Georgia.

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You mean y'all and "we gonna do it"? I've heard her talk like that many times and for many years. She was in a Black sorority. She always tends to speak that way in settings where she's comfortable displaying her Ebonics. Many people do that.

JimR-OCDS said:

Trump on the other hand, only became a politician in 2015 when he first ran for president.
He speaks his own mind in his own way, which is often politically incorrect, but that's what
makes many like him.

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I see a delusional demagogue convincing half of the country that the country is going to hell because of migrant loving Democrats who don't want America to be great again.

Vambram said:

Login to view embedded media
He died for me, I'll live for him.

It's a world of choices, patterned to confuse,
Distracting, little voices whisper what to do,
Searching for the pieces, one step from the edge,
Turn your heart to Jesus, make this solemn pledge...

He died for me, I'll live for him,
He died for me, I'll live for him.

Above all lords and regents, he is king of kings,
I'm pledging my allegiance through these words I sing,
Take this oath of service, write it on your wall,
It's our only purpose for living life at all.

He died for me, I'll live for him,
He died for me, I'll live for him,
He died for me, I'll live for him,
He died for me, I'll live for him.

He died for me, I'll live for him,
He died for me, I'll live for him,
He died for me, I'll live for him,
He died for me, I'll live for him,
He died for me, I'll live for him,
He died for me, I'll live for him,
He died for me, I'll live for him,
He died for me, I'll live for him,

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Thank you for sharing this one. The video might have been recorded off of a VHS tape.

The song reminds me of Sirach 2:4-7, where we must live for God.
Sirach 2:4-7 (NRSV-CE): "Accept whatever befalls you, and in times of humiliation be patient. For gold is tested in the fire, and those found acceptable, in the furnace of humiliation. Trust in him, and he will help you; make your ways straight, and hope in him."

Also, at 1 min, 4 seconds into the video, the man brandishing a weapon inside of the TWA aircraft happened in 1985 aboard TWA Flight 847, when a terror unit took over the jet in the Middle East:

Screen Capture from video:



Mini documentary by Allec Joshua Ibay using computer animation and real footage explaining the events of June 1985 (may be disturbing to some viewers, 13 minutes):
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The cave of Machpelah was in Hebron.

Ge 35:

16 Then they journeyed from Bethel. When they were still some distance from Ephrath, Rachel went into labor, and she had hard labor. 17 And when her labor was at its hardest, the midwife said to her, “Do not fear, for you have another son.” 18 And as her soul was departing (for she was dying), she called his name Ben-oni; but his father called him Benjamin. 19 So Rachel died, and she was buried on the way to Ephrath (that is, Bethlehem), 20 and Jacob set up a pillar over her tomb. It is the pillar of Rachel’s tomb, which is there to this day. 21Israel journeyed on and pitched his tent beyond the tower of Eder.

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Bethlehem was 40 km away from Hebron. It would have taken 2 days to get there. Jacob buried Rachel on the way to Bethlehem out of practical considerations. Much later:

27 Jacob came to his father Isaac at Mamre, or Kiriath-arba (that is, Hebron), where Abraham and Isaac had sojourned. 28 Now the days of Isaac were 180 years. 29 And Isaac breathed his last, and he died and was gathered to his people, old and full of days. And his sons Esau and Jacob buried him.

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They buried Isaac in Machpelah.

Moreover, Ge 49:

31 there they buried Abraham and Sarah his wife; there they buried Isaac and Rebekah his wife; and there I buried Leah.

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Joseph buried Jacob in Machpelah (Ge 50:12). All three pairs were buried in Machpelah.

Why didn't Jacob bury Rachel in Machpelah?

Rachel died of a sudden death while they were traveling near Bethlehem. It was expedient to bury her right there rather than taking the dead body over the next two days to bury her in Machpelah.

There was also a spiritual dimension to this. Jeremiah prophesied in 11:

15 Thus says the Lord: “A voice is heard in Ramah, lamentation and bitter weeping. Rachel is weeping for her children; she refuses to be comforted for her children, because they are no more.”

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Ramah symbolized Bethlehem.

Herod killed the innocent children in Mt 2:

16 Herod, when he saw that he had been tricked by the wise men, became furious, and he sent and killed all the male children in Bethlehem and in all that region who were two years old or under, according to the time that he had ascertained from the wise men. 17 Then was fulfilled what was spoken by the prophet Jeremiah:
18 “A voice was heard in Ramah, weeping and loud lamentation, Rachel weeping for her children; she refused to be comforted, because they are no more.”

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Why didn't Jacob bury Rachel in Machpelah?

Horizontally speaking, it was due to the practical necessity to bury her right away near Bethlehem. Vertically, God used it to prophesy Herod's massacre of the innocent children in Bethlehem after Jesus was born there.

RileyG said:

That's interesting.

Thanks for responding.

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I have Icons on my home altar but I'm moving away from them.

BPPLEE said:

The question is what about the 1/3 of the angels that were under his command?
They chose to take part in the rebellion. Could they have refused?

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They could have refused, but decided to follow. Just as some people follow or gravitate towards evil. Or maybe the devil forced 1/3 of the angels to follow evil.

Women will finally have fewer abortions? I call that a win.

What happened to Shepard was absolutely TERRIBLE, but I don't think The Lamarie Project is exactly school appropriate IMHO.