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

God loved the world. Should we?

John 3:

16 For God so loved the world [G2889] that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.
1 John 2:

15 Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, love for the Father is not in them.
Pulpit Commentary:

Love not the world. Obviously, both "love" and "the world" are used in a different sense in John 3:16, where it is said that "God loved the world." The one love is selfish, the other unselfish. In the one case "the world" means the sinful elements of human life, in the other the human race. It is most important to distinguish the different meanings of κόσμος in the New Testament.
Right, κόσμος-world was polysemantic. BDAG:
① that which serves to beautify through decoration, adornment, adorning
② condition of orderliness, orderly arrangement, order
③ the sum total of everything here and now, the world, the (orderly) universe
④ the sum total of all beings above the level of the animals, the world
⑤ planet earth as a place of inhabitation, the world
⑥ humanity in general, the world
⑦ the system of human existence in its many aspects, the world
ⓑ the world, and everything that belongs to it, appears as that which is hostile to God, i.e. lost in sin, wholly at odds w. anything divine, ruined and depraved
⑧ collective aspect of an entity, totality, sum total

G2889 could carry a positive, negative, or neutral connotation.

James 4:

4 Friendship with the world means enmity against God.
God loved the world. Should we?

God loved ⑥-humanity. We should also. But we should not love the ⑦ⓑ-depraved-world.
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Pope Says All Religions are Path to God?

Could someone, preferably who is Catholic, break this down for me? Is the Pope promoting a Universalist Unitarian view where you can worship anyone/anything and be saved or is there some nuance the general public is not seeing here? How does the Catholic community feel about this statement? Article linked below:

  • Informative
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If anyone loves the world, love FOR the Father is not in them

NIV 1 John 2:

15 Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, love for the Father is not in them.
ESV:

Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him.
Which translation is better?

the
τοῦ (tou)
Article - Genitive Masculine Singular
Strong's Greek 3588: The, the definite article. Including the feminine he, and the neuter to in all their inflections; the definite article; the.

Father
Πατρὸς (Patros)
Noun - Genitive Masculine Singular
Strong's Greek 3962: Father, (Heavenly) Father, ancestor, elder, senior. Apparently a primary word; a 'father'.

The genitive of possession stressed the person who owned something. In this case, the person was the Father. It was the Father's love, not a human's love.

For this verse, ESV translation was more faithful than NIV.

In Biblehub, 17 versions translate it as "of the Father". Only 3 translate it as "for the Father".

My translation:

If anyone loves the world, the Father's love is not in him.
It is not your love for the Father that is not in you. The truth is that you do not have the Father's love in you. It is about the Father's love and not your love.

Indie Cover of Tom Petty - Stand My Ground by Christian & secular indie band

Hello folks. Tom Petty made some good music back in the 1970s-1980s. :) One of them was "I Won't Back Down", a classic from 1989. 30 years later, an indie band by the name of Judah & The Lion covered the original. The music was changed from 4/4 time to 3/4 or 6/8 time and slowed down into a ballad. Slow ballads make me tear up and get emotional, which is one of the reasons I like that genre.

My favorite slow ballads:
Chris Tomlin - Indescribable is one of my favorite worship ballads, while Dolly Parton - I Will Always Love You (Danish National Symphony Orchestra) is my favorite secular ballad. The Whitney Houston version and the original by Dolly Parton are good as well. The saddest ballad is Skylar Grey - Coming Home Pt. II (the original version without rap, cos most rap sucks).

Tom Petty - I Won't Back Down (Judah & The Lion Cover) [Indie, Folk, Pop Ballad] (2019):
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"The Parisian Beauty" (Has some Christian theming)

Ok, so months ago, I wrote this love poem, and I wanted to know your thoughts. While not the main focus, it does have some Christian themes, and the narrator is essentially a self-insert of me. I'd like to know what my fellow Christians think.

I have an unfinished poem that's essentially a longer version of this, and I might post at a later date. But for now, here's...


The Parisian Beauty

"If this great city is the city of love,

Then you are by far its greatest attraction.

Not due to gaudy fashion or feminine grace,

But the greatness and allure of France's heroes.



You are the spitting image of Joan of Arc,

A woman of tomboyish charm and manly virtue.

It's this about you that makes me swoon.

Catch me now, my sweet knightess!



Modest bangs and a cutely boyish face.

They turn my cheeks more red than any rose.

Your hair, face, and heart are in Joan's likeness;

I'm sure she's smiling at you from the kingdom of Heaven.



Toned arms that have the virile strength of Roland,

And a body fit for a chivalrous hero.

Your tears, I'm sure, are every bit as noble as his.

I'd be there to wipe them away with only my best handkerchief.



While you don't have his cheating and thieving heart,

Your chest is as strong as Lancelot's and his men.

Unafraid to wrestle boys or defend the weak,

You stand tall among the women of Paris.



If a fool calls me unmanly or a sodomite for loving you,

Then I hope Astolfo brings their lost wits back from the moon.

You deserve a gift on par with his lance and horn;

Besides my heart, that you so gallantly won.



In between a bouquet of flowers, comes L'ongle de Dieu:

A now gilded knife with the name of "God's Fingernail."

Heavy and sharp enough to split the Tarasque's skull,

It bought many knights in my family victory in war.



Cutting through armored men as if they were boneless,

And castrating even the most violent boar,

L'ongle de Dieu was a blessing to my family,

One that I hope to see you join.



Be my bride, and I'll be the best husband in Paris.

I will love you as Christ loves the church.

We'll have a house full of cute little paladins,

And they'll never go a night without tales of their awesome mother."

'Very scary territory': Libertarian Party president fears what Harris could do to American Dream

A new survey from the Rainey Center, a D.C.-based policy-research think tank, found that only 9% of American voters think the American Dream is more attainable today.

"I think we're in very scary territory, especially if Kamala Harris is elected," McArdle said, referring to upward economic mobility and the American Dream. McArdle expressed better faith in Trump to revive a more optimistic view of the American Dream.

God's Order of Salvation

Most Christians don't believe that faith is a gift. They believe that faith is something they attained by their decision to believe the promises of God.

Ephesians 2:8-10
For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them.

The above verses confirm that salvation is by grace through faith. Most Christians accept that grace is a gift from God, but they don't accept that faith is also a gift that God gives to those He saves.
So if we are saved by grace through faith, and if both of these are gifts then we have nothing to boast about. But if faith is something the individual attains as a result of making a decision to put his trust in Jesus, then salvation is the result of a joint effort between God and man.

Romans 8:7-8 For the mind that is set on the flesh is hostile to God, for it does not submit to God’s law; indeed, it cannot. 8 Those who are in the flesh cannot please God.

The above verse is obviously referring to unbelievers, it confirms that those who have not been converted do not submit to God's law and neither can they. This confirms that they are unable to have faith, unless God first gives it to them.

Paul speaks of those foreknown by God as being predestined. Some have erroneously taken this to mean that God looks down the corridors of time and then chooses to save those whom he knows in advance will believe the gospel when it is preached to them.

This is not the case, because Paul has already told us that calling of certain people to salvation is not based upon foreseen faith, but upon the purposes of God, Romans 8:28 Those who are called according to Hi purpose.
Foreknowledge does not merely mean that God knows what we will do in advance, but rather that God knows us as individuals in the full sense depicted in Psalm 139–where God is said to know our thoughts before we even think them because it is he who has formed us in our mother’s womb.

All those whom God foreknows, He also predestines. Those foreknown are predestined, and those predestined are called, and justified, are at last glorified. That is, we are fully restored from the effects of sin on the day when the dead in Christ are raised. Paul’s point is that God begins our salvation and ensures that it is completed..

Most Christians don't like to deal with this doctrine, because it gives all the glory in salvation to God, and it leaves them nothing to boast about. Some would label this doctrine as "Calvinism", but it has nothing to do with any man made doctrine.

12 Christian colleges remove ties with Planned Parenthood as others increase support: report

While a substantial number of Christian colleges continue to maintain ties with Planned Parenthood, one pro-life organization is celebrating that over a dozen schools have taken action this year to address concerns about their ties to the nation's largest provider of abortions and cross-sex hormones for youth confused about their sex.

The Demetree Institute for Pro-Life Advancement, a project of the pro-life advocacy group Students for Life of America, released a report highlighting the findings of its 2024 Christian Schools Project.

The data for the report is based on research conducted throughout the 2023-2024 academic school year, culminating with outreach to each of the 87 Christian colleges and universities found to have ties to Planned Parenthood.

Continued below.

Violent crime has increased under Harris-Biden admin — after ABC’s David Muir disputed Trump’s claim that crime is ‘through the roof’: DOJ report

Violent crime has increased under the Harris-Biden administration, according to data from the Department of Justice published Friday — belying ABC News debate moderator David Muir’s correction of Donald Trump during his showdown with Kamala Harris Tuesday night.

The annual National Crime Victimization Survey (NCVS) showed total instances of reported violent crime — including rape, robbery and aggravated assault — is up from 5.6 per 1,000 in 2020 to 8.7 per 1,000 in 2023.


The highest recent rate of violent crime was in 2022, when the survey tracked 9.8 instances per 1,000 people over the age of 12.


The rate of rape increased from 1.2 per 1,000 in 2020 to 1.7 in 2023, while robbery went from 1.6 per 1,000 in 2020 to 2.6 per 1,000 in 2023, and aggravated assault rose from 2.9 per 1,000 in 2020 to 4.5 per 1,000 in 2023.

Kamala Harris backers launch $15 million pro-abortion ad campaign in swing states

Kamala abortion
Vice President Kamala Harris speaks about Florida’s new six-week abortion ban on May 1, 2024, in Jacksonville, Florida. Harris has made abortion policy a central issue of her presidential campaign. | Credit: Joe Raedle/Getty Images


A political action committee that supports Vice President Kamala Harris’ 2024 presidential candidacy launched a $15 million advertisement campaign in key battleground states that promotes the Democratic nominee’s pro-abortion political agenda.

The campaign, launched by American Bridge 21st Century on Thursday, will air television, radio, and digital advertisements promoting Harris’ support for abortion and criticizing former President Donald Trump. The advertisements will air in three important swing states: Michigan, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin.

“American Bridge’s program to defeat Donald Trump has always been about three things: abortion, democracy, and freedom,” Bradley Beychok, co-founder of American Bridge 21st Century, said in a statement.

Continued below.

Pope in multi-faith Singapore says ‘all religions are a path to God’

1726267685021.jpeg


Pope Francis is welcomed by dancing children as he arrives at Singapore Changi International Airport, Wednesday, Sept. 11, 2024. Pope Francis is heading to Singapore for the final leg of his 11-day trip to Asia and Oceania. (Credit: Gregorio Borgia/AP.)

SINGAPORE – In a line that may once again stir reaction in more traditional Catholic quarters, Pope Francis on Friday wrapped up a three-day visit to Singapore, a country with large pockets of at least five different faiths, that “all religions are a path to God.”

“They are like different languages in order to arrive at God, but God is God for all,” the pope said, who had set aside his prepared text and spoke largely off the cuff. “Since God is God for all, then we are all children of God.”

The pontiff made his remarks during a interreligious meeting with young people held at a Catholic junior college, just prior to departing Singapore for his return flight to Rome.

Such rhetoric has stirred controversy in the path among more conservative Catholics who fear that it calls into question Catholic doctrine on Christ as the lone savior of the world and also undercuts missionary efforts to bring people to the faith.

Continued below.

The Pope Denies John 14:6.


If Jesus said he is the ONLY WAY to the Father, but the Pope says all religions lead to God, then the Pope is denying the Bible and centuries at least of Christian theology.

The Problem is "Out There" or is it?

It has become common to blame things on other entities other than personal responsibility.

I can imagine people blaming church attendance on who is president or Covid or whatever else.

I can see people blaming the lack of charity on it being an election year or the economy or church programs or whatever else.

I can see people blaming not reading their Bibles on the church not being relevant or yoga or whatever else.

And on it goes.

When are we going to wake up? When will we realize that the reason for a lot of the moral problems we are having today is not because of external things, but because our society in the West (and elsewhere) is just not Christian? We don't have a Christian mindset in the West. Maybe we used to years and years ago, but we certainly do not any longer. If you want to blame something, blame the rising demographic of "spiritual but not religious" or the "nones" or the cancer of individualism (everyone has a tattoo today).

The Truth is that we do not live in a Christian society. We live in a post-Christian society as Barak Obama has said.

Do you want to make a difference? Of course, you do. So get on your knees and pray for revival. Pray for a move of the Holy Spirit in our society like the Asbury Outpouring. That is the only thing that is going to save our country.

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Trump promises to deport all the Haitians to Venezuela.


I wonder where he's going to deport the Mexicans?

Samuel Rodriguez outlines 5 ways Harris-Walz ticket could 'push Latinos to Trump'

The Democratic presidential ticket of Vice President Kamala Harris and Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz is embracing "extreme" positions that will push more Hispanic and Latino voters to vote for Republican former President Donald Trump in the 2024 presidential election, prominent Hispanic Christian leader Samuel Rodriguez believes.


Rodriguez, a California pastor who leads the National Hispanic Christian Leadership Conference, published an op-ed in Fox News titled "5 Ways Harris, Walz push Latinos to Trump and could hand him the White House."

"The Democratic Party's misunderstanding of the Latino voter remains evident," he wrote. "For years, we have tried to convey that their extreme, progressive, hard-left policies do not resonate with our community."

Continued below.

Do you feel led to pray?

Hi everyone, a question- when you pray does God tell you what to pray for or do you just feel led to pray? I personally just feel led to pray, I know of others that hear God's voice and He tells them what to pray for, I also know of people that are like me, they just feel like they should pray and God leads them without their realizing it.
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Bomb threats reported at City Hall, multiple other buildings in Springfield, Ohio


Gosh, I wonder what could possibly cause such an unhinged reaction by someone to some small, insignificant town that no one ever thinks of? It's such a mystery!

Trump Promises to End Taxation of Overtime Pay

Trump promises to end taxation of overtime pay: 'Your overtime hours will be tax-free'​

Trump has also promised to end the taxation of Social Security benefits and tips for service workers


Former President Trump promises to eliminate taxes on overtime pay as part of a series of proposed cuts he said would mean more disposable income for workers.

"That gives people more of an incentive to work. It gives the companies a lot," Trump told a crowd Thursday at a campaign rally in Tucson, Arizona.

"The people who work overtime are among the hardest-working citizens in our country. And for too long, no one in Washington has been looking out for them.
"Those are the people, they really work. They’re police officers, nurses, factory workers, construction workers, truck drivers and machine operators."

The pitch came as Trump seeks to turn Arizona, a state President Biden won by just a few thousand votes in 2020, red again.

"So, that's why we will be saying that if you're an overtime worker when you're passed 40 hours a week, think of that," he added. "Your overtime hours will be tax-free."

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