New Posts

The Liturgist · 2025-07-05T11:31:23-0500

boughtwithaprice said:
Little Office of the Virgin Mary

I love the Little Office of the Blessed Virgin Mary! It is sublime, like the Akathist. I frequently read it and the Office of the Dead, and other Roman offices, from diviniumofficium.com , which also has several historical versions of the Missal (and with regards to the Breviary, they have it in both the Monastic and Tridentine form). Their website sets up the propers automatically, except for the Dominican, Sarum, Mozarabic and other versions of the mass, where it only has the common of the mass.

By the way, is anyone aware of a website that has the entire 1969 Missal with propers set up automatically, and the entire Liturgy of the Hours, in the same format as diviniumofficium? i would find that very useful. I do have a printed copy of the Liturgy of the Hours, but due to my illness its becoming harder and harder to read printed books.

essentialsaltes · 2025-07-05T11:30:51-0500

Why is the dollar off to a weak start this year?

President Trump's trade policies are accelerating a weakening of the U.S. dollar, which is off to its worst start of a year in half a century, according to Harvard University economics professor Kenneth Rogoff.

"I don't think there's any question that Donald Trump is a catalyst and it may go much further with what he's doing," Rogoff told NPR's Michel Martin.

The dollar fell by 10.8% since the first half of this year, according to the U.S. dollar index, which compares the United States' currency with a basket of other world currencies like the yen and the euro. The drop makes it more expensive for Americans traveling abroad and increases the cost of imports.

[That's like a 10% tax/tariff that benefits nobody.]

essentialsaltes · 2025-07-05T11:26:40-0500

RFK's proposal to let bird flu spread through poultry could set us up for a pandemic, experts warn

Robert F. Kennedy Jr., the secretary of Health and Human Services, and Brooke Rollins, secretary of Agriculture, have floated the notion that instead of culling birds infected with the highly pathogenic H5N1 virus, farmers should let it spread through flocks. The idea is that by doing this, farmers can "identify the birds, and preserve the birds, that are immune to it," Kennedy told Fox News on March 11.

Now, a perspective piece authored by a group of virologists, veterinarians and health security experts argues that the plan would not only be ineffective, but could also increase the risk of the virus spilling over into humans and sparking a new pandemic. The researchers published their arguments July 3 in the journal Science.

Isolated human cases have been reported amid the ongoing outbreak in animals, primarily among farm workers, according to the CDC, although the agency states that the current health risk to the general public remains low.

Allowing widespread infection of commercial flocks would kill billions of birds, drive poultry and egg prices up, as well as destabilize local economies and global trade through import restrictions imposed on U.S. products, the authors wrote. Simultaneously, it could also foster reservoirs of H5N1, increasing the virus' odds of making the leap to humans — and gaining the ability for human-to-human infection.

While I can appreciate the Administration is solidly behind Darwin's theory of natural selection, I would point out that viruses have the power of speed and numbers behind them when testing out novel mutations in the wild.

Michie · 2025-07-05T11:18:16-0500

Pope Leo XIV has appointed Archbishop Thibault Verny of Chambéry as the new president of the Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors.

The prelate succeeds U.S.-born Cardinal Seán O’Malley, 81, the founding president of the safeguarding commission established by Pope Francis in 2014.

“I thank the Holy Father for my appointment as president of the Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors,” Verny said in a statement released on July 5.

“I am honoured by the trust he has placed in me, fully aware of the grave and sacred task entrusted to the commission: to help the Church become ever more vigilant, accountable, and compassionate in her mission to protect the most vulnerable among us.”

Continued below.

Pope Leo XIV appoints new president to lead Vatican’s child safeguarding commission

The prelate succeeds U.S.-born Cardinal Seán O’Malley, 81, the founding president of the safeguarding commission established by Pope Francis in 2014.

www.catholicnewsagency.com

Michie · 2025-07-05T11:14:58-0500

Editor's note: This article contains court details of alleged sexual assaults.

A former church pastor in Scotland has been convicted of sexually assaulting two women, including a parishioner he claimed was possessed by demons. Walter Masocha, 61, was found guilty of multiple offenses committed over six years while leading an international religious organization he founded.

A jury at the High Court in Livingston this week convicted Masocha, originally from Zimbabwe, of attempted rape, indecent assault and sexual assault against one woman, as well as indecent assault against another, The U.K. Times reported.

Continued below.

Pentecostal pastor convicted of sexually assaulting woman while ‘exorcising demons’

A former church pastor in Scotland has been convicted of sexually assaulting two women, including a parishioner he claimed was possessed by demons

www.christianpost.com

Rose_bud · 2025-07-05T11:13:50-0500

Clare73 said:
The pastor's sin is not attributed to the congregation in any sense.

Hey Clare

I don't think anyone was suggesting that the pastor's sin becomes the congregation's sin or its their fault or that they are to blame. But rather that the pastor's sin has bearing on the congregation... i.e they suffer because of it. They are significantly affected by it, emotionally, mentally and spiritually (the lament, disappointment, confusion etc).

I don't know your family dynamic but I'll make another example. It's the same with any tight knit family... if your brother or sister is caught up in drug addiction. The entire family shares in that predicament whether it's the shame of it, whether its the addiction that robs them of the peace or finances. Its the shared experience of pain and suffering that's being referenced.

BigBunny · 2025-07-05T11:06:20-0500

Hi everyone, I'm trying to cut down the amount of alcohol I'm drinking and I'd appreciate any prayers. I use to only have a drink now and then but the last few months my body and mind have been craving more, I'm concerned about this as I don't want to become an alcoholic. I have an anxiety disorder and PTSD and I think I've been self medicating with gin, thanks for any responses in advance

Matt5 · 2025-07-05T11:02:07-0500

No visible invasion force entering the solar system. No mother ship. No known bases. They just show up and disappear. This all sounds suspiciously interdimensional, and interdimensional means demonic. Unless we have some Pacific Rim action going on, but with UFOs.

Interestingly, the Bible says there will be a full planetary takeover by demons shortly before the arrival of Jesus.

Massive Demonic Presence on Earth Before Jesus Returns | Christian Forums

Adventist Dissident · 2025-07-05T10:58:25-0500

Yesterday, the Seventh -day Adventist Church delegates elected a new president. He is a Brazillian Born German

Erton C. Köhler . SDA's What do you think of this new president?

Erton C. Köhler Elected as President of the Seventh-day Adventist General Conference

The official news channel of the Seventh-day Adventist Church.

adventist.news

Adventist News Network

Erton Kohler Elected President of Seventh-day Adventist Church — Fulcrum7

In a move that surprised only a few, Erton Kohler was nominated for president by the nominating committee today. He was later confirmed by a vote of 1721 to 188.

www.fulcrum7.com

Conservative/Traditional perspective.

Köhler elected GC president

First South American president accepts with gratitude and confidence in God.

record.adventistchurch.com

Aussie prespective.

Erton Köhler Elected GC President - Spectrum Magazine

Erton Köhler, the General Conference (GC) executive secretary since 2021, has been elected GC president.

spectrummagazine.org

liberal/ progressive

Erton C. Köhler Elected General Conference President – Adventist Today

atoday.org

Evangelical/liberal

BigBunny · 2025-07-05T10:55:22-0500

jacks said:
Please pray to give me and my wife strength during this difficult time. We have to put our dog (Jessie) to sleep, because of debilitating arthritis. We have had her on a variety of meds and therapies for over a year, but it has reached the point where she can no longer walk and has lost interest in food. She hasn't wagged her tail for months. It is just very hard and sad for us. Thank you.

sorry this is late, I hope you are doing okay. it's never easy letting go of a beloved pet but you are doing the right thing by Jessie ❤️

Christsfreeservant · 2025-07-05T10:55:17-0500

I know of this woman and her story. She married for love, but as the years passed by, she became sadly aware that her husband was addicted to sexual immorality and idolatry and adultery, and that this had been going on while they were dating and continued after they got married, and never stopped. Eventually the pain and the burden of it all led her to reach out for help.

In her husband’s presence, she reached out to the pastor of a church, and he listened, but he said that he and the elders didn’t know what to do, so they just recommended that her husband seek Christian counseling. So he did, but that failed miserably. And the pastor and the elders did nothing to help the woman. Then in her husband’s presence, again, she sought the help of a former pastor, and when she began to tell him her story, he stopped her, and he would not let her speak without her husband’s permission to tell him of her concerns and her need (cry) for help. He did nothing!

Years later she shared how she had been let down by these pastors, and how they would do nothing to try to get her husband to stop his addiction and to become a loving husband who is faithful to his wife. And the pastor of that church called her on the phone and spoke with both her and her husband, but her husband lied to the pastor, and the pastor would do nothing to correct the husband’s behaviors. Instead, he attacked the woman, treating her as though it was her fault that her husband was unfaithful and an adulterer and a liar and an addict to sexual sin. He did nothing!

Recently, when I was looking at YouTube, there was this video that came up, and it was by a Christian based sexual addiction recovery group, and it was a Q&A with a panel of wives whose husbands had been addicts to sexual sin, and someone was reading them questions which were sent in by women whose husbands were addicts to sexual sin (adultery/idolatry), and the panel of women were attempting to answer these women’s questions. But what stood out to me about this is how they were recommending that the women and their husbands seek godly counsel in order to restore their marriages.

And as I listened to this, immediately what came to mind was this woman’s story of how she attempted to seek godly counsel only to be treated badly by the “men of God” who were supposed to care about her and her husband enough to do what needed to be done, biblically speaking, to rescue her husband from his addiction and to show her mercy, compassion, kindness and love, and to support her in her cry for help. And it grieved me!

Then the Lord reminded me of the story in the Bible of a woman who had been someone who had a reputation for a sinful lifestyle. But she heard that Jesus was reclining at the table of a Pharisee, in his house. So she came to the Pharisee’s house, and she brought with her an alabaster vial of perfume. And standing behind Jesus, at his feet weeping, she began to wet his feet with her tears, and kept wiping them with the hair of her head, and she was kissing his feet and anointing them with the perfume. But the Pharisee treated the woman with contempt, for he looked down on her.

And Jesus answered him, “Simon, I have something to say to you.” And he replied, “Say it, Teacher.” “A moneylender had two debtors: one owed five hundred denarii, and the other fifty. When they were unable to repay, he graciously forgave them both. So which of them will love him more?” Simon answered and said, “I suppose the one whom he forgave more.” And He said to him, “You have judged correctly.” Turning toward the woman, He said to Simon, “Do you see this woman? I entered your house; you gave Me no water for My feet, but she has wet My feet with her tears and wiped them with her hair. You gave Me no kiss; but she, since the time I came in, has not ceased to kiss My feet. You did not anoint My head with oil, but she anointed My feet with perfume. For this reason I say to you, her sins, which are many, have been forgiven, for she loved much; but he who is forgiven little, loves little.” Then He said to her, “Your sins have been forgiven.” Those who were reclining at the table with Him began to say to themselves, “Who is this man who even forgives sins?” And He said to the woman, “Your faith has saved you; go in peace.” (Luke 7:40-50 NASB1995)

Now, I know this is not an exact parallel, but I believe the Lord is showing me here that the woman in the story that I shared parallels over to the woman at the Pharisee’s house. Yes, she was a sinner, but she humbled herself before the Lord, I believe in sorrow over her sin, and she worshipped the Lord and she ministered to him only to be treated badly by the Pharisee, and to be looked down upon as though she was not worth Jesus’ time. And the 3 pastors in the woman’s story parallel over to this Pharisee who treated the woman with disdain and who had no compassion for her whatsoever.

And what I find interesting about these two stories is how in the woman’s story she was rejected, cast aside, and treated with disdain by three pastors, who were supposed to be men of God, like the Pharisee was supposed to be, too, who she sought for help. And in the Luke passage this Pharisee failed three times to do for the Lord what should have been done, but he did not do, but that the woman who he disdained did do for the Lord. And so the Lord honored the woman who did the right thing, like the woman in this story who sought the help of 3 pastors to free her husband from his sexual addiction. She did what they should have done, but did not do.

So Jesus forgave her of her past sins because she loved much, and because she continued to love much even when reviled by pastors who treated her like dirt under their feet for them to step on, and who did nothing to lift a finger to help her and to get her husband to stop sinning against her. God honors the woman in this story for doing the right thing for her husband, which she did out of love for her husband and out of love for the Lord, in obedience to him. She loved her husband enough to die to see him be free!

Oh, to Be Like Thee, Blessed Redeemer

Lyrics by Thomas O. Chisholm, 1897
Music by W. J. Kirkpatrick, 1897

Oh, to be like Thee! blessèd Redeemer,
This is my constant longing and prayer;
Gladly I’ll forfeit all of earth’s treasures,
Jesus, Thy perfect likeness to wear.

Oh, to be like Thee! full of compassion,
Loving, forgiving, tender and kind,
Helping the helpless, cheering the fainting,
Seeking the wandering sinner to find.

O to be like Thee! lowly in spirit,
Holy and harmless, patient and brave;
Meekly enduring cruel reproaches,
Willing to suffer others to save.

O to be like Thee! while I am pleading,
Pour out Thy Spirit, fill with Thy love;
Make me a temple meet for Thy dwelling,
Fit me for life and Heaven above.

Oh, to be like Thee! Oh, to be like Thee,
Blessèd Redeemer, pure as Thou art;
Come in Thy sweetness, come in Thy fullness;
Stamp Thine own image deep on my heart.

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A Woman’s Story
An Original Work / July 5, 2025
Christ’s Free Servant, Sue J Love

LoricaLady · 2025-07-05T10:52:54-0500

Hundreds of attacks on Nigerian Christians in the past few years have left many killed, injured, and bereft of homes and churches.

Please pray for protection for the Christians, healing and comfort for those who have lost the loved ones, healing for those injured, and that there will be legal justice for those who have perpetuated the attacks.

rjs330 · 2025-07-05T10:50:50-0500

essentialsaltes said:
ICE is arresting migrants in worksite raids. Employers are largely escaping charges.
Trump administration officials have vowed to hold companies accountable for employing people who are in the country illegally — no matter which industry they are in or how big or small they might be.

But the Department of Homeland Security’s enforcement operations have overwhelmingly focused on arresting workers rather than punishing employers.

Since the start of the year, Immigration and Customs Enforcement has posted news releases regarding approximately two dozen raids on the “Worksite Enforcement” section of its website. Local news outlets have documented dozens more. The Washington Post was able to identify only one employer charged after the raids ICE has publicized. The Post reviewed court filings and searched for records involving individuals named in corporate records of businesses DHS has raided.

[But they are not enforcing worksite rules, just using the locations as a means to hit those quotas.]

The raids immigration officers are conducting have largely targeted small businesses such as car washes. Some are carried out in a span of minutes. Two business owners said officers did not show a warrant, even when asked for one, raising questions about whether immigration agents are violating constitutional rights in their effort to drive up migrant arrests.

“The difference about these raids of the last six weeks is that this is not principally an action against employers,” said Muzaffar Chishti, a senior fellow at the nonpartisan Migration Policy Institute. “This is principally an action in pursuit of mass deportations. When they could not produce the number of arrests that they had been hoping for, they suddenly said, ‘Let’s raid employers.’ It was not, ‘Let’s penalize employers.’”

--

Trump is also still looking to give a pass to farmers and hotels. Faced with the reality of the business models that currently exist, he's offering amnesty, to the disgruntlement of his most nativist supporters.

And as usual, this is because their ill-conceived Plan A is leading to consequences that absolutely were foreseen, necessitating later makeshift corrections.

Also, if there had been any good faith in pursuing the bipartisan immigration bill, an allowance could have been made for additional guest worker visas.

Trump says the administration is working on a 'temporary pass' for immigrants in certain industries
The president's comments mark the latest shift in his administration's approach to immigrant workers in certain industries.

“What we’re going to do is we’re going to do something for farmers, where we can let the farmer sort of be in charge. The farmer knows. He’s not going to hire a murderer,” Trump said. “When you go into a farm and he’s had somebody working with him for nine years doing this kind of work, which is hard work to do, and a lot of people aren’t going to do it, and you end up destroying a farmer because you took all the people away, it’s a problem.”

There are a lot of things people dont understand about how things work. There is a lot of investigative work that goes into going after employers. ICE isnt doing that. The DOJ dies. ICE finds illegals and arrests them. Thats their job. So what if they raid a business. Thats what they are supposed to do.

The DIJ goes after the businesses. And that takes time because they have to prove the business knowingly hired an illegal. But they are working on it.

What DOJ’s New Focus on Immigration Enforcement Means for Businesses

https://visaserve.com/how-dojs-increased-immigration-enforcement-affects-employers-and-compliance/

fhansen · 2025-07-05T10:45:14-0500

Hentenza said:
Human nature. As I stated you see it in your church and I see it in mine. People just like to boast. Also, Paul tells us that the works we are supposed to to do are those prepared beforehand by God so that we could walk in them. Do you know what works are those?

This really doesn't quite make sense to me. You're saying that, even if you do a work prepared for you in advance that you'll probably run out and boast about it? Those works are compelled by compassion, love-and love doesn't boast (1 Cor 13). It doesn't boast when it gives, when it forgives, when it is patient, when it consoles, when it is does the right thing. Are the Pharisees, praying in public so all can see, motivated by the same reason as those who pray in private, Matt 6:5-15?

Hentenza said:
There is no reason to reconcile Eph. 2:8-10 unless you simply don’t believe it. According to Paul we, those that have been given eternal life by the grace of God through faith, are created in Christ for good works. This subset of people, the believers, the sheep that no one will snatch from His hand, will do good works because it is natural. There is no forfeit or loss of freedom. God can soften or harden the hearts of the people according to His plan.

You're putting the cart ahead of the horse. Those who are working out their salvation have the ability to do so by virtue of their vital connection with God. They may or may not persevere in that endeavor.

Hentenza said:
Actually is God coming to be with us as He sent His only Son to become man and die for our sins.

An unncessary distinction- without a difference. Jesus came so that we may be with God.

Hentenza said:
Since we are saved by grace through faith and are His workmanship the penalty for building in the wrong foundation is loss of reward not loss of salvation. His sheep hear His voice and are His and no one will snatch them from Him.

"If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. If you do not remain in me, you are like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned." John 15:5

So: "...apart from Me you can do nothing": As per my quote about our coming to be with God, Jesus tells us about this vital connection to the Vine that we must enter into- and remain in-or be without life.

"If some of the branches have been broken off, and you, though a wild olive shoot, have been grafted in among the others and now share in the nourishing sap from the olive root, do not consider yourself to be superior to those other branches. If you do, consider this: You do not support the root, but the root supports you. You will say then, “Branches were broken off so that I could be grafted in.” Granted. But they were broken off because of unbelief, and you stand by faith. Do not be arrogant, but tremble. For if God did not spare the natural branches, he will not spare you either. Consider therefore the kindness and sternness of God: sternness to those who fell, but kindness to you, provided that you continue in his kindness. Otherwise, you also will be cut off." Rom 11:17-22

Paul is speaking above to believers, whose destiny is still potentially in question. You want salvation to be a one-time permanent event because you've believed. But faith, itself, is something that can be "made shipwreck" of. We must pick up our cross and follow daily, doing God's will to the best of our ability with the grace we're given throughout our lives. God gave man freedom so that he might use it rightly. Adam used it wrongly at the beginning, abusing that freedom instead. God's been all about patiently steering man back to right use of his freedom, for his own highest good, and the first step in that is faith, which then opens the door to the life of grace, the life of God in us. If we remain in Him we will produce much fruit. If we don't, if we fail to continue to use our freedom well even as it's now affected and influenced and drawn by grace, then we're dead already, no better than the heathens, and sin, bad fruit, will follow, incidentally; we end up being poor soil. The idea that a believer can live a life not pleasing to God and just loose some reward things in heaven is to seriuosly misread Scripture.

Amo2 · 2025-07-05T10:45:07-0500

CHAPTER 21

Persecution of Heresy.—The Schism of the Donatists.—The Arian Controversy.—Athanasius.—Distracted State of the Church and Empire under Constantine and his Sons.—Toleration of Paganism.

THE grateful applause of the clergy has consecrated the memory of a prince who indulged their passions and promoted their interest. Constantine gave them security, wealth, honors, and revenge; and the support of the orthodox faith was considered as the most sacred and important duty of the civil magistrate. The edict of Milan, the great charter of toleration, had confirmed to each individual of the Roman world the privilege of choosing and professing his own religion. But this inestimable privilege was soon violated; with the knowledge of truth, the emperor imbibed the maxims of persecution; and the sects which dissented from the Catholic church were afflicted and oppressed by the triumph of Christianity. Constantine easily believed that the Heretics, who presumed to dispute his opinions, or to oppose his commands, were guilty of the most absurd and criminal obstinacy; and that a seasonable application of moderate severities might save those unhappy men from the danger of an everlasting condemnation. Not a moment was lost in excluding the ministers and teachers of the separated congregations from any share of the rewards and immunities which the emperor had so liberally bestowed on the orthodox clergy. But as the sectaries might still exist under the cloud of royal disgrace, the conquest of the East was immediately followed by an edict which announced their total destruction. After a preamble filled with passion and reproach, Constantine absolutely prohibits the assemblies of the Heretics, and confiscates their public property to the use either of the revenue or of the Catholic church. The sects against whom the Imperial severity was directed, appear to have been the adherents of Paul of Samosata; the Montanists of Phrygia, who maintained an enthusiastic succession of prophecy; the Novatians, who sternly rejected the temporal efficacy of repentance; the Marcionites and Valentinians, under whose leading banners the various Gnostics of Asia and Egypt had insensibly rallied; and perhaps the Manichæans, who had recently imported from Persia a more artful composition of Oriental and Christian theology. The design of extirpating the name, or at least of restraining the progress, of these odious Heretics, was prosecuted with vigor and effect. Some of the penal regulations were copied from the edicts of Diocletian; and this method of conversion was applauded by the same bishops who had felt the hand of oppression, and pleaded for the rights of humanity. Two immaterial circumstances may serve, however, to prove that the mind of Constantine was not entirely corrupted by the spirit of zeal and bigotry. Before he condemned the Manichæans and their kindred sects, he resolved to make an accurate inquiry into the nature of their religious principles. As if he distrusted the impartiality of his ecclesiastical counsellors, this delicate commission was intrusted to a civil magistrate, whose learning and moderation he justly esteemed, and of whose venal character he was probably ignorant. The emperor was soon convinced, that he had too hastily proscribed the orthodox faith and the exemplary morals of the Novatians, who had dissented from the church in some articles of discipline which were not perhaps essential to salvation. By a particular edict, he exempted them from the general penalties of the law; allowed them to build a church at Constantinople, respected the miracles of their saints, invited their bishop Acesius to the council of Nice; and gently ridiculed the narrow tenets of his sect by a familiar jest; which, from the mouth of a sovereign, must have been received with applause and gratitude.

(The History of the decline and Fall of the Roman Empire, Vol. 2, Chap. 21, pgs. 295 -297 of the Everyman's Library edition)

The beginning of Catholic persecutions against dissenters and or heretics as the Roman Church would declare. Persecutions which would last in greater or lesser degrees for well over a thousand years. With estimates ranging from as high as 50 to 125 million casualties along the way. Revealing the unquestionable blight and curse the unification of the "Christian" religion, and the various civil powers that be of this world actually represents.

Michie · 2025-07-05T10:44:36-0500

Visitor looking in the kitchen window.

When will you be coming to visit Riley? lol!

rjs330 · 2025-07-05T10:41:10-0500

JSRG said:
Why do you think your opponent in an argument should be the one to try to support what you are arguing?

And if it is so easy to do so, why do you not just do it yourself and offer the sources? A "20 second google search" on your part presumably would have taken less time than the multiple posts you've offered refusing to offer sources.

At some point I quit providing sources for most things. I used to spend a ton of time locating, saving and logging sources and proving my points. I quit doing that for most things.

I finally realized it was a waste if time. People didnt read them nor did it change their minds or opinions.

Ive learned that we are all pretty stuck on our opinions on things and believe what we believe. I come here to debate. And if my words aren't good enough to alter someone's opinion, any sources wont either because my opinions are based on the sources.

Ive also discovered a lot of what people post as sources are also opinion pieces and are often nothing more than journalists spinning something.

So now, I'm pretty much if you think I'm wrong about my argument, prove it or move on. Or we can discuss it.

My arguments are based upon what ive seen, read, and heard. Take it or leave it. Or prove me wrong.

Amo2 · 2025-07-05T10:34:44-0500

The colonists, including their philosohy in their religion, as the people up to that time had always done, were neither skeptics nor sensualilsts, but Christains. The school that bows to the senses as the sole inerpreter of truth had little share in colonizing our America. The colonists from Main to Carolina, the adventurous companies of Smith, the proscribed Puritans that freighted the fleet of Winthrop, the Quaker outlaws that fled from jails with a Newgate prisoner as their sovereign-all had faith in God and in the soul. The system which had been revealed in Judea- the system which combines and perfects the symbolic wisdom of the Orient and the reflective genius of Greece- the system, conforming to reason, yet kindling enthusiasm; always hastening reform, yet always conservative; proclaiming absolute equality among men, yet not suddenly abolishing the unequal institutions of society; guaranteeing absolute freedom, yet invoking the inexorable restrictions of duty; in the highest degree theoretical, and yet in the highest degree practical; awakening the inner man to a consciousness of his destiny, and yet adapted with exact harmony to the outward world; at once divine and human-this system was professed in every part of our widely extended country, and cradled our freedom.

Our fathers were not only Christains; they were, even in Maryland by a vast majority, elsehwere almost unanimously, Protestants. Now the Protestant reformation, considered in its largest influence on politics, was the awakening of the common people to freedom of mind.

During the decline of the Roman empire, the opressed invoked the power of Christianity to resist the supremacy of brute force; and the merciful priest assumed the office of protector. The tribunes of Rome, appointed by the people, had been declared inviolable by the popular vote; the new tribunes of humanity, deriving their office from religion, and ordained by religion to a still more venerable sanctity, defended the poor man's house against lust by the sacrament of marriage; restrained arbitrary passion by a menace of the misery due to sin unrepented of and unatoned; and taught respect for the race by sprinkling every new-born child with the water of life, confirming every youth, bearing the oil of consolation to every death-bed, and sharing freely with every human being the consecrated emblem of God present with man.

But from protectors priests grew to be usurpers. Expressing all moral truth by the mysteries of symbols, and reserving to themselves the administration of seven sacraments, they claimed a monopoly of thought and exercised an absolute spiritual dominion. Human bondage was strongly riveted; for they had fastened it on the affections, the understanding, and the reason. Ordaining thier own successors, they ruled human destiny at birth, on entering active life, at marriage, when frailty breathed its confession, when faith aspired to communion with God, and at death. (History of the United States, Bancroft Vol. 1.)

LoricaLady · 2025-07-05T10:34:20-0500

05 July 2025 – Burkina Faso

Thank God for the 45 students who recently completed their baccalaureate qualification thanks to our project funding schooling for displaced Christian children. Pray for God’s guidance and encouragement for them as they seek work, training or higher education.

04 July 2025 – Burkina Faso

Give thanks for the displaced pastors and widows of martyrs who have been able to establish new livelihoods through our projects. Pray that their livestock and new businesses will provide enough support for them and their families as well as others in need.

03 July 2025 – Burkina Faso

Pray for the Christian children our partner is supporting through schooling despite having been displaced from their homes and communities. Pray that they will make new friends, enjoy a fresh sense of belonging and grasp the opportunity to fulfil their potential in the places to which they have been displaced.

02 July 2025 – Burkina Faso

Pray for protection, wisdom and blessing on our partner, Pastor S and his team, especially as they travel in and out of dangerous parts of the country to meet persecuted and displaced Christians and to administer the projects that help them.

01 July 2025 – Burkina Faso

As Burkina Faso once again tops the Institute for Economics & Peace’s Global Terrorism Index, please pray for comfort for those Christians who mourn loved ones lost to Islamist violence and pray for peace in this nation, and throughout the wider Sahel region from Mali to Sudan.

30 June 2025 – Cameroon

Pray for those ministering to Christians who have been traumatised by Islamist attacks in Cameroon. Pray that those who grieve and mourn would find healing and renewed hope.

29 June 2025 – Cameroon

Pray for unity and protection for the church in Cameroon, especially in the northern part of the country which has been beset by civil conflict and regular attacks from Boko Haram and other militant Islamist groups.

Aseyesee · 2025-07-05T10:34:00-0500

CoreyD said:
In 1820, Joseph Smith, who was 14 years old at the time, claimed to have been visited by God the Father and Jesus Christ. He reported seeing a pillar of light and within that light, he saw two personages, one of whom spoke to him and identified the other as His Beloved Son.

David Koresh claimed to have had religious experiences that he attributed to being visited by God. He claimed that God had spoken to him and told him, "You're the chosen one. You are my messiah".

Jim Jones claimed to be a "prophet" sent from God to properly interpret his teachings.

Do you believe any of these guys?
What makes you any different to them, and why should anyone believe you? Why do you believe you, for that matter?

Isn't that asking people to believe something that has no scriptural backing, or support?
The Bible does not tell us that God will personally visit anyone, and deal with them in a special way like the prophets, and apostles.
It does tell us that there will be false prophets.

So, can you even prove what you said to be true?
Should people take your word for it, that God visited you, or should they see you as a false prophet?
What would you have done if Joseph Smith, David Koresh, Jim Jones, and others like them, told you that they were visited by God, and know exactly who visited them?

Would you have believed them, or stuck to what the Bible tells us?
Hebrews 1:1-3

1 God, who [a]at various times and in various ways spoke in time past to the fathers by the prophets, 2 has in these last days spoken to us by His Son, whom He has appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the [b]worlds; 3 who being the brightness of His glory and the express image of His person, and upholding all things by the word of His power, when He had [c]by Himself [d]purged [e]our sins, sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high,

I hope you would have done the later, because that's what I am doing here.

You assume my angels are someone else’s (or that I have to prove that I am) … they are not, but they do have one voice in all matters, and they are to me, and for me alone … always speaking of one son, and the process of the revealing of this one son in me … which is the only truth that is relative to all, yet as individual as a stone with a name no man knows but the one who has received it …

The Barbarian · 2025-07-05T10:34:00-0500

rjs330 said:
It doesn't do as much damage to society as killing millions of children who would benefit society in untold ways.

It's true that starving them is less criminal than killing them. But the cost to society to have millions of damaged people, who might have benefited society in untold ways, is much higher than if they just didn't exist.

zippy2006 · 2025-07-05T10:33:52-0500

chevyontheriver said:
Here is the underlying summary document

Thanks. There are obviously a lot of theories swirling around, so it's nice to have actual documents instead of hearsay.

The problem with this from the beginning was that Pope Francis made a claim about the opinion of the worldwide bishops without releasing any evidence for his claim. Imagine if Trump conducted a secret poll of all the American people, made a drastic change based on that poll, and refused to release the poll data. That's actually called "tyranny," however we want to sugar-coat it.

LoricaLady · 2025-07-05T10:30:08-0500

Life in the Central African Republic (CAR) has been dangerous for more than ten years. A civil war engulfing much of the country began in 2013, with violence along both ethnic and religious lines. Christians are often caught in the middle: if they speak out against the atrocities committed by any of the warring factions, believers can be targeted, churches burned and entire communities displaced. Some of the armed groups also target Christians, so followers of Christ are caught up in conflict simply because of their faith.
Additionally, converts from Islam can face persecution from family members and the surrounding community. New believers can be ostracised, and violence has been used to pressure Christians to recant their faith.

Meet Pauline

“I ask the Church to pray for me so that I may find peace of heart. And that my faith be strengthened.”
Pauline, a mother in CAR who lost two children to a bomb blast.

What does Open Doors do to help?

Open Doors works through local partners to support believers in the Central African Republic with persecution survival training, economic empowerment projects and trauma care.

Please pray

Pray that God will bring peace to CAR and healing for Christians traumatised by the civil war.
Pray that God would protect His people from harm as they’re targeted by extremists.
Pray for emotional, physical and spiritual healing of Christians who survived sexual assault by rebels.

Belk · 2025-07-05T10:27:42-0500

The albatross is dead. Congratulations. Thank goodness there is no way it will ever get tired around the parties neck.

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Why is the dollar off to a weak start this year?

RFK's proposal to let bird flu spread through poultry could set us up for a pandemic, experts warn

Erton C. Köhler . SDA's What do you think of this new president?

ICE is arresting migrants in worksite raids. Employers are largely escaping charges.

Trump says the administration is working on a 'temporary pass' for immigrants in certain industries

05 July 2025 – Burkina Faso

04 July 2025 – Burkina Faso

03 July 2025 – Burkina Faso

02 July 2025 – Burkina Faso

01 July 2025 – Burkina Faso

30 June 2025 – Cameroon

29 June 2025 – Cameroon

Meet Pauline

What does Open Doors do to help?

Please pray