New Posts

Dreyma · 2025-11-30T16:51:40-0600

I liked A Separate Peace. I enjoy the prestigious-school-with-intense-friendships-and-rivalries "genre," so I'm gonna read another book in the same vein, Prep by Curtis Sittenfeld. (Though, judging by the review on the cover, this one might feature more identity politics than what I prefer.)

Synopsis from Amazon:

"Lee Fiora is an intelligent, observant fourteen-year-old when her father drops her off in front of her dorm at the prestigious Ault School in Massachusetts. She leaves her animated, affectionate family in South Bend, Indiana, at least in part because of the boarding school’s glossy brochure, in which boys in sweaters chat in front of old brick buildings, girls in kilts hold lacrosse sticks on pristinely mown athletic fields, and everyone sings hymns in chapel.

As Lee soon learns, Ault is a cloistered world of jaded, attractive teenagers who spend summers on Nantucket and speak in their own clever shorthand. Both intimidated and fascinated by her classmates, Lee becomes a shrewd observer of—and, ultimately, a participant in—their rituals and mores. As a scholarship student, she constantly feels like an outsider and is both drawn to and repelled by other loners. By the time she’s a senior, Lee has created a hard-won place for herself at Ault. But when her behavior takes a self-destructive and highly public turn, her carefully crafted identity within the community is shattered.

Ultimately, Lee’s experiences–complicated relationships with teachers; intense friendships with other girls; an all-consuming preoccupation with a classmate who is less than a boyfriend and more than a crush; conflicts with her parents, from whom Lee feels increasingly distant, coalesce into a singular portrait of the painful and thrilling adolescence universal to us all."

HARK! · 2025-11-30T16:37:55-0600

MOD HAT ON

MOD HAT OFF

another_lost_guy · 2025-11-30T16:25:23-0600

If you aren't a virgin or a widow/widower you should not get married.

another_lost_guy · 2025-11-30T15:56:21-0600

Dreyma said:
Uggghll, I'm irritated. So, I quickly pop into the school to grab some books I need for lesson planning. On my way out, I close my classroom door. It automatically locks. The moment I hear the lock click, I remember that my classroom and car keys are still sitting on my desk!

On Monday morning, I can ask a janitor to let me in—but until then, I can't re-enter my classroom or use my car. Now I can't go to church tomorrow I would walk, but the temperatures are below freezing and we've gotten a few inches of snow this weekend. I also considered asking for a ride, but I don't have a phone number for anyone who attends my church. I don't have any friends or family in town to give me a lift either. Isolation makes things so difficult...

My church was cancelled today due to the weather, so don't feel guilty about missing church, it was possibly cancelled anyway

Akita Suggagaki · 2025-11-30T15:52:11-0600

Servus said:
I thought the book was pretty boring.

I have read some boring books. I try to take my time and really engage.

Xeno.of.athens · 2025-11-30T15:51:59-0600

Dan Perez said:
And need you if you can explain ACTS 15:1 ??

As a help to one's memory, and to make sure we are on the same page, I shall include the verse as a quote.

[NRSVUE acts 15:1] The Council at Jerusalem

Then certain individuals came down from Judea and were teaching the brothers, “Unless you are circumcised according to the custom of Moses, you cannot be saved.”

Dan Perez said:
And certain ones having come down. from Judea were teaching the brethren , that you would be CIRCUMCISED after the

THE CUSTOM OF MOSES , you are NOT //. OV. IS A DISJUNCATIVE PARTICLE NEGATIVE and means you cannot EVER

BE SAVED ??

What say you. ??

dan p

I say that the "certain individuals" were wrong.

partinobodycular · 2025-11-30T15:45:21-0600

I just came across this person, and although our philosophies differ in their details they're definitely kindred in their spirit. Now if we could just get the rest of the world to agree then Christianity may at last have found its purpose.

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A Devil's Advocate · 2025-11-30T15:37:40-0600

None of my posts are me telling you what you need to believe. They are me giving you my perspective and the 'why' of that said perspective. This post will be different. This post is me still working out what it is I believe about Hell and the why of it. All based within the context of 'my' understanding of the Gospel. This is something I'm sure will continue to develop over time as I continue to discover more of God.

- I see in scripture two ages. The present age, and the age yet to come. The present age is understood as being only a temporary age. This is made evident by the fact that there is yet a second age to come.

- In this present, but temporary age, life is temporary. If life is temporary, then logically, death must also be temporary. Maybe this is why death is often referred to as sleep?

- The age to come is understood to be everlasting. If this age is everlasting then so must life be also. And if life is everlasting then, likewise, death must also be everlasting.

- At the end of the first age we will all be resurrected, believers and unbelievers alike. Now because I understand being created in the image of God to mean that we have three defining parts; body, soul, and spirit, I believe all three are essential for life. We cannot exist without all three. (With regards to spiritual death, I believe that our spirit has gone into a dormant state. It is not actually deceased) For this reason I am leaning towards the idea that both believers and unbelievers will receive new bodies at the time we are resurrected. And that these new bodies will be free of a sinful nature. Why?

- We will all stand before the full presence of God. Any corruption within us would likely be obliterated in the full presence of God. Just an assumption on my part. And this is only going to compound the coming judgment for an unbeliever.

- A new sinless body will most likely mean a clear understanding of one's purpose within creation. And it is for this very reason why I am coming to this particular conclusion of Hell, and what that may actually look like. (Again, this is still something I'm working out)

- Unbelievers will suddenly have full awareness of their purpose while at the same time recognizing where their rejection has led them. All the while standing in the full presence of God, the very purpose for their existence. At that moment nothing else will matter to them. All they will want and desire is standing right before them. But... with the knowledge they will never have it due to their former rejection.

- You will now have an unbeliever who's only desire is to worship and to be in the presence of God, but unable to carry it out. (there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth).

- I believe, that in the very beginning, man was created with physical death being a natural part of his existence. Hence the tree of life. As small a possibility as this may have been, a third option was always available: man could have not sinned, but also could have not eaten from the tree of life. Inevitably resulting in everlasting death. Extreme, I know, but hear me out.

- In the age to come, man again has access to the tree of life. So logically, death must still be possible, and dare I say, an option. However, highly unlikely a choice anyone would make after experiencing the full presence of God. Still, the option being there would align with God's character just as it would have in the beginning. And it's the reality of the possibility of death that now applies to unbelievers in this new age.

- If you were to stand in the full presence of God and then suddenly be taken out of His presence, any amount of time, out of His presence, would feel like hell to you.

- In the first part of Genesis, man lived upward of a thousand years. If we carry that over into the new age, you now have unbelievers with new bodies capable of living that same amount of time. This would be worse than any hell anyone could ever imagine. To an unbeliever, any amount of time is going to feel like an eternity. (the word 'Eternity' is often used as hyperbole in scripture since only God is truly eternal)

- An unbeliever will eventually face everlasting death (the second death/lake of fire). But not until after what felt like an eternity of hell for them. In this scenario, not only is God's justice served (experiencing time outside the presence of God in a sinless state where all you want is to be in His presence), but also His love and grace (He does not leave them there for the rest of eternity). I do not find any mention in scripture of man being sent to hell to spend eternity with Lucifer.

As I said, this understanding is something I am currently working out. So I do not hold dogmatically to it. If you do not agree but feel it necessary that I know you don't agree, then do me the respect of explaining why you don't agree, as it may help me in my understanding.

In the end does it matter if I/we understand what exactly Hell is? Not at all. But, everyone is different and being able to answer an unbelievers concerns or questions more confidently may be the defining point of whether they choose to believe or not.

Dreyma · 2025-11-30T15:10:29-0600

I finished reading A Separate Peace today. While reading it, I learned about something called a "Section Eight discharge." Here's what the character in the book says about it:

A Section Eight discharge is for the nuts in the service, the psychos, the Funny Farm candidates. Now do you know what I'm talking about? They give you a Section Eight discharge, like a dishonorable discharge only worse. You can't get a job after that. Everybody wants to see your discharge, and when they see a Section Eight they look at you kind of funny—the kind of expression you've got on your face, like you were looking at someone with their nose blown off but don't want them to know you're disgusted—they look at you that way and then they say, 'Well, there doesn't seem to be an opening here at present.' You're screwed for life, that's what a Section Eight discharge means.

Sounds awful. Thankfully, it's no longer used. Here's some information from Wikipedia:

Section 8 was a category of military discharge employed by the United States Armed Forces which was used for service members judged mentally unfit for service. The term "Section 8" eventually came to mean any service member given such a discharge, or behaving as if deserving such a discharge, as in the expression, "he's a Section 8".

This type of discharge could be granted for a wide variety of perceived problems, including low intelligence, incompatibility with core military expectations or responsibilities, alcoholism or other chronic addictions, pathological lying, psychopathy, personality disorders, enuresis (then believed to be a mental disorder), psychosis, or antisocial behavior. A variety of sexual conduct could result in a Section 8 discharge, including cross-dressing, homosexuality, lesbianism, bisexuality and transgenderism; along with necrophilia, bestiality and pederasty.

Discharge under Section 8 is no longer practiced, as medical discharges for psychological or psychiatric reasons are now covered by a number of regulations. In the Army, such discharges are handled under the provisions of AR 635–200, Active Duty Enlisted Administrative Separations. Chapter 5, paragraph 13 governs the separation of personnel medically diagnosed with a personality disorder.

The Wikipedia page even mentions the character from A Separate Peace in its pop culture section:

In the 1959 war novel A Separate Peace, the character Elwin "Leper" Lepellier gets a Section 8 discharge from the ski troops because he was hallucinating due to sleep deprivation.

prodromos · 2025-11-30T14:58:20-0600

Apple Sky said:
@David Lamb @Strong in Him @prodromos & to who ever it may concern.

It was really nice getting to know you guys, you are really all so great but I am really ill (+ no it's not dementia) so I've decided to quit this thread and the forum for a while.

I may be back if I get any better so bye for now

May God bless you all

Rest, and get well. Don't waste time on foolish pursuits.

The Liturgist · 2025-11-30T14:47:05-0600

DamianWarS said:
ChatGPT usually agrees with me often praising my focus. AI is very agreeable and if you frame a question that presupposes an idea AI will happily be your echo chamber. It's there to trigger happy responses so you keep coming back.

This is true - to get more objective results you have to specify you want objectivity and ask an objective question where the answer is not A vs B but rather a distribution of probabilities, such as A = 0.3, B = 0.7, and also explicitly exclude data you don’t want it to consider. The question posed by the OP might seem straightforward to a human but to an LLM it is spectacularly ambiguous.

People need to understand AIs are computers using very beautiful neural networks to perform generative predictive transformations based on training data in response to human language, not a magical fusion of the best of von Neumann-type Turing-complete computers with human-like cognition and creativity. We are not yet at the level of Mr. Data or even HAL-9000.

For example, at present, AIs don’t literally understand in the human sense of the word, because they lack qualia, although some models are capable of reasoning (most operate by simple pattern matching, because its faster).

keras · 2025-11-30T14:41:15-0600

Douggg said:
verse 9 - not appointed to wrath
verse 10 - avoidance of God' wrath poured out during the great tribulation by the resurrection/rapture event.

The insertion of a 'resurrection/rapture event', is entirely an addition to scripture. Perhaps one interpretation, if only there was other scriptural support for it. But there isn't.
Matthew 28:19-20 is the definitive scriptural proof of how we must remain on earth until Jesus Returns.

BlessedDisciple · 2025-11-30T14:33:33-0600

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Michie · 2025-11-30T14:06:18-0600

Part of the New York Public Library’s Spencer Collection, the Tickhill Psalter is on view throughout Advent and Christmas at The Morgan Library & Museum in its exhibit “Sing a New Song: The Psalms in Medieval Art and Life.” A full-page Jesse Tree introduces the Psalms in the Tickhill Psalter, a 14th-century illuminated manuscript from the Augustinian Worksop Priory in Nottinghamshire, England.

Tree of Jesse (Psalm 1), from the Tickhill Psalter, England, Nottinghamshire, Worksop Priory, 1303-14, New York Public Library, Spencer 26. fol. 6v. The Medieval manuscript is on display in Morgan Library’s Advent exhibit. Credit: Courtesy of the Morgan Library

David appears in the historiated B of Psalm 1, providing a conceptual link to scenes from his life in the Jesse Tree on the facing page. “Beatus vir,” or “Blessed is the man,” the first stanza opens in celebration of the one who delights in God’s law, concluding: “That person is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither, — what they do prospers.”

Continued below.

Tickhill Psalter’s Jesse Tree shines in Morgan Library’s Advent exhibit

A full-page Jesse Tree introduces the Psalms in the Tickhill Psalter, a 14th-century illuminated manuscript on view through Advent and Christmas in New York City.

www.catholicnewsagency.com

Benaiah468 · 2025-11-30T12:53:19-0600

Who were the two men who fled from the tunnels?

Two terrorists who had emerged from the extensive tunnel system in the east of Rafah were eliminated from the air. The question arises as to whether Israel has just caught the highest-ranking terrorist leaders in eastern Rafah.

From the outside, this skirmish may seem like one of many, but this time something was different. The two emerged alone from the depths, not as part of a group, as had been customary in the region in recent weeks. It is precisely this circumstance that has prompted the security authorities to investigate whether they could be the commander of the so-called East Rafah Battalion, known in Israel as ‘Magd Janina’ and his deputy. It would be a blow that would severely affect the entire remaining Hamas structure in the region.

Whether the two men killed in the morning were indeed the battalion commander of East Rafah and his deputy remains unclear for the time being. If this assumption is confirmed, the incident marks a turning point: not only would another part of the leadership be eliminated, but it would also show that the underground structures no longer offer protection. It is rare for high-ranking commanders to leave their positions and it is a clear sign of decline.

For weeks, Israel has been fighting in the depths beneath Rafah against a structure that Hamas has built up over many years. The tunnels of the eastern Rafah corridor were once a place of retreat, a weapons depot, a command post and a lifeline for terrorist cells seeking to evade the Israeli armed forces. But the systematic destruction of the underground passages is dramatically changing the situation. More than 44 terrorists were killed last month; many more have surrendered or been captured.

The night before the current operation, Israeli forces discovered four more terrorists who had also emerged from an underground tunnel in Rafah and were killed in a coordinated operation with the air force. The pressure is mounting, and it is becoming increasingly difficult for Hamas to protect its last enclaves.

At the same time, Israel has sent an offer to the terrorist organisation via intermediaries: those who are still in the tunnels can surrender, will then be imprisoned in Israel and allowed to return to Gaza after serving their sentences – on condition that they completely disarm and renounce violence. The proposal may seem generous, but it has a clear goal: to completely break the underground backbone of Hamas without putting soldiers at unnecessary risk. So far, the organisation has not responded officially, but several prisoners have stated that they have come to the surface because their situation had become untenable.

The situation remains serious, but it is moving noticeably in a direction that hardly anyone dared to hope for months ago: the underground in Rafah is losing its power.

These days will decide how long Hamas will remain capable of acting in this area. The signs indicate that its ability to fight in a coordinated manner is virtually non-existent.

ViaCrucis · 2025-11-30T12:34:44-0600

another_lost_guy said:
“There is one glory of the sun, another glory of the moon, and another glory of the stars; for star differs from star in glory. So also is the resurrection of the dead.” - 1 Corinthians 15:41–42

Paul here speaks of different bodies or "bodies", the sun is different from the moon, each star has its own unique twinkle, its own glory different from the others, and different from the sun or the moon. In the same way the present body--mortal, corruptible, etc--is different from the body in the resurrection (immortal, incorruptible, etc). While this body dies and decays, when it is raised up it is glorified and made immortal and incorruptible; "sown in dishonor, raised in honor". So the glory of this present body and the glory of the body in the resurrection are different--we should not imagine that the future risen body will just be like this one, it has a distinct glory--mortal vs immortal, corruptible vs incorruptible, dishonor vs honor, etc.

One may ask exactly how we might look in the resurrection, what about those who had missing limbs? Or those who died as small children, will they still be small children in the resurrection? I think Paul would answer and tell us that in some sense we're missing the point. The bodily existence in the resurrection will be radically different than our current bodily experiences. We cannot look at our current bodily experience and attempt to read that into the future. Though we can know that it is the body--for Christ rose from the dead, the first fruits of the resurrection of the dead.

another_lost_guy said:
Luke 19:17
“Well done, good servant; because you have been faithful in a very little, you shall have authority over ten cities.”

This is part of a parable, where the faithful servant having been faithful with little, is given more. When we reach the end of our mortal days and stand before the Lord, how we lived with what what we had--our circumstances, the gifts we had, the people God brought into our lives, etc--how did we live? Were we faithful with what we had? Were you faithful as a parent? As a son or daughter? As a spouse? As a neighbor? Were you kind and welcoming to the stranger? If you were an employer were you just and fair to your employees? The good and faithful servant was faithful with the little they had, and so much more is given them. It's not about having authority in the future world, but rather that the faithful servant has done well with what they were given.

another_lost_guy said:
Matthew 5:19
“Whoever does and teaches them, he shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven.”

In contrast to those who tell others to not bother with the commandments, for if one is lax in even the least commandment he shall be called least in the kingdom. Ultimately the point Jesus is making is found in the following verse, "If your righteousness does not exceed that of the Scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom". This requires a bit of unpacking, this is about the hypocrisy of those who claim to follow the Law; they claim to observe God's commandments but fail in the small things, they brag about how they tithe but fail to care for the elderly, they fail to show mercy. God isn't interested in religious showmanship, He wants sincere worshipers. It's not those who want everyone to think they are holy who are holy, it's those who do good in the dark of night, it's not the one who prays loudly in public for attention, but the one who goes into the closet and cries out to God, it is not the one who is wealthy publicly donating a large donation to the Temple, but the poor widow who gives her last coin.

In God's kingdom, that is to say, in the way that God is King, it isn't the hypocrites who want everyone to praise them for being devout who are called great, it's the tiny unimportant people who are sincere in their faithfulness, not calling attention to themselves, but simply and faithfully obeying God in the tiny little ways of their life. The one who snubs the homeless person and refuses to show compassion to the weak will be called least; but the one who is faithful to God's command--to love our neighbor, to show kindness even to the unthankful, to forgive those who hate us, etc--that is greatness in God's kingdom.

The way God is King--that's what Kingdom of God/Heaven means--is not like the way kings act here on earth; His Kingdom, His Kingship is found in the Meek Carpenter from Galilee who suffers--Jesus shows us the Kingdom. Jesus is the King.

another_lost_guy said:
1 Corinthians 7:38
“So he who marries his fiancée does well, but he who refrains from marriage will do even better.”

St. Paul argues that he believes it preferable (but it is not a commandment) to remain unmarried in this life; because being married means certain obligations--the one who gets married has obligations toward spouse and (almost certainly) children. Whereas the unmarried can focus on other things. Paul is clear that he does not regard celibacy to be a commandment; but he offers his opinion that celibacy is preferable to marriage. It's simply a matter of how and where one's energies are put. If I am unmarried, I could drop everything and go be a missionary somewhere if that was my calling (e.g.) but if I am married then my obligation is to my wife and kids, I can't just uproot myself that would be selfish and wrong. I owe my wife my time, my love, my energy--because I have made a sacred obligation and commitment to her and to our family. For Paul, who chose celibacy, he believed it was the best choice; but he does not dare command anyone refuse to marry, and indeed it is good to marry if you have promised to marry someone--marriage is good and blessed and holy.

another_lost_guy said:
Matthew 19:12
“There are eunuchs who have made themselves eunuchs for the sake of the kingdom of heaven. Let the one who is able to receive this receive it.”

Similar to the above, those who commit themselves to lives of celibacy and chastity choose a good calling. Those who can, do so; but not everyone is called to celibacy and chastity. Both the celibate life and the married life are holy and valid life vocations.

another_lost_guy said:
Revelation 14:4
“These are the ones who have not defiled themselves with women, for they are virgins… These follow the Lamb wherever he goes.”

what do all these verses mean?

There are a lot of interpretations of the 144,000. I tend toward the view that this refers to the collective whole of the Faithful of all places and times. And they are called undefiled and virgin because they are pure from the world. Not that they are literally virgins. The Church is called out from the world--Ekklesia--to be faithful to her one Lord Jesus Christ.

Though, of course, the Revelation is always difficult to try and interpret. And different opinions and interpretations abound.

jonojim1337 · 2025-11-30T12:23:45-0600

Landon Caeli said:
So, you're saying I'm a fake Republican, and I should be cut off from the Church?

That’s one way to interpret it.

BelieveItOarKnot · 2025-11-30T12:21:49-0600

NotreDame said:
Indeed, membership into Mensa, IQ of 130 or higher, isn’t a prerequisite to “connect the dots.”

Those “dots” involve the conspicuous absence from those verses in Genesis of Eve lusting. As I illuminated previously, there are at least 3 words if not 4 words in the Hebrew for lust and lusting

Perhaps a Herculean effort on your part to not connect desire to lust?

I'll leave that to your eyes

mourningdove~ · 2025-11-30T11:56:58-0600

godisagardener said:
Just received "We Who Wrestle With God" by Jordan B. Peterson. Hope to start it in the next day or so.

Some months have passed since you posted the above. Have you finished reading the book? Did you find that you liked it?

(Thinking of you! Best wishes for a blessed holiday season. )

lismore · 2025-11-30T11:56:23-0600

Thanks for raising awareness of this. For some reason the genocide of Christians in Nigeria isn't generating much coverage in secular media and Western denominations. God Bless

mourningdove~ · 2025-11-30T11:44:12-0600

Words of wisdom today, from John Piper ...

essentialsaltes · 2025-11-30T11:26:22-0600

essentialsaltes said:
The biggest winners of Biden’s green climate policies? Republicans.
The Inflation Reduction Act, which contained the largest climate investment in US history, would “throw money at woke climate and social programs that won’t work ..."

More than three quarters of announced clean energy investments are in Republican districts

That was not Trump in the quote, but it might as well have been. Those woke investments in red states are mostly history.

‘Deeply demoralizing’: how Trump derailed coal country’s clean-energy revival

Biden earmarked billions for former coal communities in Appalachia – and his successor came and took it away

For a moment, Jacob Hannah saw an unprecedented opportunity to make Appalachia great again.

In 2022, the Biden administration earmarked billions of dollars to help revitalize and strengthen former coal communities. The objective was to lay down building blocks for the region to transition from extractive industries like coal and timber to a hub for solar and other advanced energy technologies, with a view to long-term economic, climate and social resilience.

But on his first day in office, Donald Trump scrapped Biden’s clean energy and environmental programs, which he lambasted as woke, anti-American liberal hoaxes.

Hannah runs Coalfield Development, a non-profit organization headquartered in Huntington, focused on rebuilding south-west Virginia’s economy and social fabric through workforce training, job creation and revitalizing abandoned buildings and mines in some of the most forgotten corners of coal country.

Coalfield Development has trained more than 4,000 people – including many formerly incarcerated and/or in addiction recovery – over the past 15 years in everything from solar installation to drywalling and first aid.

Rural communities in Appalachia were on the verge of breaking ground on projects [sparked by the availability of funding in 2022] when the grants were paused or terminated by the so-called “department of government efficiency”, or Doge, led by the billionaire Trump donor Elon Musk.

Bro.T · 2025-11-30T11:01:14-0600

Jesus warned us that the road to salvation is straight and narrow and that only a few of us will find it. Many are traveling down the wrong road, which leads to destruction. This is because many of us have heard about salvation but few of us want to do what is necessary to get salvation (many are called but few are chosen). (Matthew 7:13, 14)

Many contend that Jesus did it all and now all we have to do is have faith. It’s starts off with repentance, that’s one of the first thing Jesus says when he got started in his ministry, Jesus says in Luke 5:32 I came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.

The Bible contains the truth, and the truth is the Word of God, which is the real life of man. "I have manifested thy name unto the men which thou gavest me out of the world: thine they were, and thou gavest them me; and they have kept thy word. For I have given unto them the words which thou gavest me; and they have received them, and have known surely that I came out from thee, and they have believed that thou didst send me. Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth." (St. John 17:6, 8, &17) And Jesus answered him saying, "It is written, that man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word of God." (St. Luke4: 4) "It is the spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing: the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life." (St. John 6:63)

So we have to believe the word of God and do it. "Seek ye out of the book of the LORD, and read". (Isaiah 34:16)

Man disobeyed and brought death into the world; Jesus came and restored life unto man. "For since by man came death, by man came also the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive." (1Corinthians 15:21-22) How did Jesus restore life to man? By coming into the world, living a perfect life before God the Father as an example to this disobedient and sinful man. "Save me, O God; for the waters are come in unto my soul. I sink in deep mire, where there is no standing: I am come into deep waters, where the floods overflow me. I am weary of my crying: my throat is dried: mine eyes fail while I wait for my God. "They that hate me without a cause are more than the hairs of mine head: they that would destroy me, being mine enemies wrongfully, are mighty: then I restored that which I took not away." (Psalm 69:1-4)

The Lord gave all of his commandments, laws, and statues to the children of Israel to live by and to teach all of the other sons of Adam. "Now therefore, if ye will obey my voice indeed, and keep my covenant, then ye shall be a peculiar treasure unto me above all people: for all the earth is mine: And ye shall be unto me a kingdom of priests, and an holy nation. These are the words which thou shalt speak unto the children of Israel.” (Exodus 19:5-6)

"Now therefore hearken, O Israel, unto the statutes and unto the judgments, which I teach you, for to do them, that ye may live, and go in and possess the land which the LORD God of your fathers giveth you. Ye shall not add unto the word which I command you, neither shall ye diminish ought from it, that ye may keep the commandments of the LORD your God which I command you. Your eyes have seen what the LORD did because of Baalpeor: for all the men that followed Baalpeor, the LORD thy God hath destroyed them from among you. But ye that did cleave unto the LORD your God are alive every one of you this day. Behold, I have taught you statutes and judgments, even as the LORD my God commanded me that ye should do so in the land whither ye go to possess it. Keep therefore and do them; for this is your wisdom and your understanding in the sight of the nations, which shall hear all these statutes, and say, surely this great nation is a wise and understanding people. For what nation is there so great, who hath God so nigh unto them, as the LORD our God is in all things that we call upon him for? And what nation is there so great, that hath statutes and judgments so righteous as all this law, which I set before you this day? Only take heed to thyself, and keep thy soul diligently, lest thou forget the things which thine eyes have seen, and lest they depart from thy heart all the days of thy life: but teach them thy sons, and thy sons' sons; Specially the day that thou stoodest before the LORD thy God in Horeb, when the LORD said unto me, Gather me the people together, and I will make them hear my words, that they may learn to fear me all the days that they shall live upon the earth, and that they may teach their children.” (Deuteronomy 4:1-10)

Exodus 12:49 One law shall be to him that is homeborn, and unto the stranger that sojourneth among you.

Numbers 15:16 One law and one manner shall be for you, and for the stranger that sojourneth with you.

"I say the truth in Christ, I lie not, my conscience also bearing me witness in the Holy Ghost, That I have great heaviness and continual sorrow in my heart. For I could wish that myself were accursed from Christ for my brethren, my kinsmen according to the flesh: Who are Israelites; to whom pertaineth the adoption, and the glory, and the covenants, and the giving of the law, and the service of God, and the promises; Whose are the fathers, and of whom as concerning the flesh Christ came, who is over all, God blessed for ever.” Amen. (Romans 9:1-5)

God also made this proclamation: "So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it.” (Isaiah 55:11)

RileyG · 2025-11-30T11:00:25-0600

yourwayisbetter said:
Thank you

Welcome!

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The biggest winners of Biden’s green climate policies? Republicans.​

More than three quarters of announced clean energy investments are in Republican districts​

‘Deeply demoralizing’: how Trump derailed coal country’s clean-energy revival​

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The biggest winners of Biden’s green climate policies? Republicans.

More than three quarters of announced clean energy investments are in Republican districts

‘Deeply demoralizing’: how Trump derailed coal country’s clean-energy revival