At the center of the controversy is a 2016 essay titled “The Impossible Dialogue with Islam,” in which Ballester argued that genuine dialogue between Christianity and Islam remains unattainable under current conditions

(ZENIT News / Barcelona, 10.07.2025).- The conviction of a Spanish priest for “hate speech” has ignited a national conversation about the boundaries of religious expression and freedom of conscience in modern Europe. Father Custodio Ballester, a Barcelona parish priest known for his outspoken views, was found guilty last week of making “Islamophobic” remarks in an article he wrote more than seven years ago. At the center of the controversy is a 2016 essay titled “The Impossible Dialogue with Islam,” in which Ballester argued that genuine dialogue between Christianity and Islam remains unattainable under current conditions. The article was a direct response to a pastoral letter from Cardinal Juan José Omella, Archbishop of Barcelona, entitled “The Necessary Dialogue with Islam.” Ballester’s critique was pointed, suggesting that “for Islam, one either believes or remains an infidel to be subdued in one way or another.”

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Spanish Catholic priest found guilty of hate speech for telling the truth about Islam | ZENIT - English

The memorial service for Charlie Kirk was likely the largest evangelistic event in history. Over 70,000 people crowded into the stadium, and an estimated 100 to 130 million more watched the service on television and online. Afterwards, on social media posts, people described returning to church, attending for the first time, recommitting their lives to follow Christ, or declaring a long-concealed faith.

Many people are describing the memorial and its aftermaths as an indication of revival. That makes sense, given that church attendance is on the rise, especially among younger Americans. That number has spiked again in recent weeks, rising another 15% since Kirk’s memorial. There is also the “Quiet Revival” in the U.K., public baptisms at colleges and universities (some of which, most notably at Ohio State University, are hosted by the football team), the awakening at Asbury University, and the much-discussed “vibe shift” across various aspects of American culture. Is “revival” the correct word for what we are witnessing? If so, what should we be doing? How now shall we live?

Perhaps no figure in history is better suited to advise on these matters than Jonathan Edwards, perhaps America’s greatest intellect and someone who played a critical role in America’s First Great Awakening. Even more, he studied the awakening, sought to understand and describe it, and to discern between revival and its excesses.

As a New England colonial preacher, Edwards was grieved by the spiritual deadness he sensed around him. In response, he spent much time praying and working in expectation that God would eventually bring revival. In 1731, Edwards preached a series of sermons that turned dozens and eventually hundreds to the Lord. He was both witness to this awakening and its most important chronicler, hoping to help the Church recognize signs of the Holy Spirit moving among a people.

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Hi,

I hope this is okay to ask here? If not, feel free to move/remove as appropriate.

But, I was doing some online research into SDA and wondered why vegetarianism is listed as a feature?

Can anyone explain for me?

Thanks so much and God bless.

Life is not always easy. Sometimes it is very hard. We go through trials and tribulations to test our faith. We face serious challenges. Sometimes we have to make what may appear to be life and death decisions. We come up against opposition and people who dislike us or who disapprove of us because of our walks of faith in obedience to the Lord, and because we teach the truth of the Scriptures and not the lies which are so popular. And so it is comforting to know that our Lord is with us through every step of the way.

Now, when I say “us,” I am speaking of those who are of genuine faith in the Lord Jesus Christ through dying with Christ to sin and being raised with Christ to walk in newness of life in him, no longer to live as slaves to sin, but as slaves to God and to his righteousness (See Romans 6:1-23). We are not perfect people yet, because we are still clay in the hands of the Potter (God) being made into the likeness of character of Jesus Christ. But we are those for whom sin is no longer our practice, but obedience to God’s commands is our practice (see Luke 9:23-26).

No matter what we are going through, or what life challenges we are being faced with day by day, we can confidently rest in our Lord, knowing that he has all things under his command, and that he will work it all out according to his plan, as long as we rest in him and we cooperate with his plan for our lives, by his grace, and in his power. We do not have to fear what other humans are doing, or how that might impact us, as long as our trust is in the Lord and we are relying on his strength and wisdom to make it through.


All throughout human history there have been people who have strongly opposed God and his servants and messengers, and such is it now, too. Especially in our present day and age, those who are of genuine obedient faith in the Lord Jesus, who are following the Lord with their lives in surrender to the will of God, are on “the chopping block,” i.e. they are in danger of being removed and eliminated from the fellowship and approval of a large majority of people who profess faith in Jesus Christ, pastors included.

Why? Because a cheaper version of “the gospel” has taken over and is leading what seems to be the majority of those professing faith in Jesus Christ to follow after the lies and to reject the truth of the gospel. For they are being told that all they have to do is to make a profession of faith in Jesus Christ and now all their sins are forgiven and heaven is secured them for eternity, but regardless of how they live. Not many these days are teaching God’s requirements for death to sin and obedience to our Lord.

So, if you are a follower of Christ who is teaching the biblical gospel in an era where the majority seem to all be accepting the lies of the enemy as truth, don’t be surprised if you lose friends and if other professing Christians turn against you and/or are hateful toward you, and/or if they just exclude you and ignore you. Keep sharing the truth that faith in Jesus, which is persuaded of God, requires that we deny self, die to sin daily, and walk in obedience to our Lord’s commands, in practice, or not have life in Christ.

[Matthew 7:13-14,21-23; Luke 9:23-26; John 10:27-30; Acts 26:18; Romans 1:18-32; Romans 2:5-10; Romans 3:23; Romans 6:1-23; Romans 8:1-14; 1 Corinthians 10:1-22; Galatians 5:16-24; Ephesians 2:8-10; Ephesians 4:17-32; Ephesians 5:3-6; Titus 2:11-14; Hebrews 3:1-19; Hebrews 4:1-13; Hebrews 10:19-39; Hebrews 12:1-2; 1 Peter 2:24; 1 John 1:1-10; 1 John 2:3-6; 1 John 3:4-10; Revelation 2:1-29; Revelation 3:1-22]

What the Lord Says

Based off Isaiah 43:1-44:5
An Original Work / February 24, 2014
Christ’s Free Servant, Sue J Love

This is what the Lord says to you:
Fear not, for I have chosen you.
I have summoned you by your name.
You are mine. I died, you to save.

When you go through your trials, so deep,
I will be with you; you will not sink.
You are so precious always to me.
Trust in your Lord, Savior and King.

This is what the Lord says to you:
He who gave salvation to you;
Who delivered you from your sin;
Takes your burdens now upon Him:

Forget the former things of your life.
Give of your heart not now up to strife.
See all the new things I have for you.
Walk in vict’ry. Trust in what’s true.

This is what the Lord says to you:
He who made you; who will help you:
Do not fear what humans may do.
Walk in freedom. Follow what’s true.

Drink of my Spirit given for you.
Trust in my mercy, for I love you.
I have a plan for all of your life.
Follow my ways. Do what is right.

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God Has Been My Help
An Original Work / October 7, 2025
Christ’s Free Servant, Sue J Love

So, which commandments does Jesus say that we must follow?

Is it the original 10 commandments, as set out in the book of Exodus, or is it the commandments Jesus talks about in the New Testament?

Imagine a world where everyone goes to church but never sees our true God in action. Where God is believed in but however no one ever feels His love. Where fear defeats the purpose of sanctity because we are without any level of spirituality. What if the freemasons have a point that freedom is what we make of it? Religion without curiosity is like a flame off of a candle where it will soon die because it has no fuel to feed it. What if for a moment we were fooled yet again after all we put our faith in men a book or a building. The wind can't drive us, and the rain can't heal us, without nature we are in a dome of death. I do not celebrate the murder of the messenger, but I cannot agree that all spiritual liberty should be frowned upon. Yes, indeed there are evil doers and magic is real. However, if we are to truly survive against it, prayer alone may not be your best options to counter the ways of wicked people. Remember even the church is guilty of such hypocrisies. I would not be here today if it wasn't so. I'd have never met the Great One had I not had myself freed of great evils that were dispelled for good reason. We must seek God, and at the same time listen to the voices of the forest. Only then are we in good faith...

The United States Department of Justice is vowing to appeal what it is describing as a “woefully insufficient” sentence for the trans-identified man who attempted to assassinate U.S. Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh.

In a statement published Friday, the DOJ announced that Nicholas Roske was sentenced to eight years in prison for attempting to kill Kavanaugh in June 2022, as the U.S. Supreme Court was poised to hand down the Dobbs v. Jackson decision that overruled the Roe v. Wade ruling that made abortion legal nationwide.

A leaked draft of the Dobbs decision published in May 2022 indicated that Kavanaugh was one of five justices who had signed onto the majority opinion overruling Roe, which was released two weeks after Kavanaugh’s attempted assassination.

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October is designated by the Catholic Church as the Month of the Rosary, and Oct. 7 is the feast of Our Lady of the Rosary.

Here are seven common myths and facts about this devotion to Our Lady:

1. Only Catholics can pray the rosary.​

False. While rosaries are typically associated with Catholics, non-Catholics can certainly pray the rosary — and in fact, many credit it to their conversion. Even some Protestants recognize the rosary as a valid form of prayer.

2. Praying the rosary is idolatry.​

False. Some have objections to the rosary, claiming it idolizes Mary and is overly repetitive.

Just like any practice, the rosary can be abused — just as someone might idolize a particular pastor or priest, a form of worship, or fasting. But the rosary itself is not a form of idolatry.

The rosary is not a prayer to Mary — it is a meditation on the life of Christ revealed in five mysteries “with the purposes of drawing the person praying deeper into reflecting on Christ’s joys, sacrifices, sufferings, and the glorious miracles of his life.”

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Many, many points here to contend with on this one. As almost every Christian knows, when Jesus returns, He will do it in the same way as He ascended to Heaven (so the angels said) (They said, “Men of Galilee, why are you standing there looking at the sky? This Jesus who has been taken up from you into heaven will return in the same way as you have seen him going into heaven.” ACTS 1:11).

We are also told that many will come pretending to be Jesus. What if these false Jesus' arrive the same way Jesus said He would return? How would we know the difference. Yes, maybe after a while we would start to see the falseness in those impersonators but at first, we may not.

And now that I put "the false Jesus appearing the same way the real Jesus is suppose to arrive" into your head, what happens if the real Jesus arrives but we are too cautious to recognize Him afraid we might get duped.

National Security Presidential Memorandum 7 is designed to address what the article calls "ideological markers" which supposedly indicate support of violence. Included in the order are things deemed "anti-Americanism" and "anti-capitalism".

Also included are things deemed "anti-Christianity". How far would that go?

If a public debate were held between a Christian and a non-Christian and the latter received applause, cheers and maybe even laughter from non-Christians in the audience, could they all be accused of "intimidation" of the Christians?

If Jews for Jesus gathered at a public venue and members of Jews for Judaism showed up to counter with arguments of their own, could the Torah-observant Jews be accused of attacking Christianity?

If victims of psychological or emotional abuse called out the abusers, could they be accused by those abusers of "hostility towards those who hold traditional American views on family, religion, and morality"?

Where does this order draw the line to protect free and open religious discourse?

A song from the perspective of Jesus calling people deeper for true satisfaction and rest from the hectic world.
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Please pray that I can get over being sick fast as I need to get an assessment done. Thank you

"On October 7, 2023, the people of Israel endured their darkest day since the Holocaust. In a coordinated attack, Hamas terrorists crossed into southern Israel, murdering 1,200 civilians, abducting more than 250 hostages, and committing atrocities too horrific to fully describe.
For Christians, this day should never fade into distant memory. Just as September 11 became a defining moment for America, October 7 has become a watershed moment for Israel. It was not only Israel's tragedy but ours as well, since more than forty Americans were killed that day. Their blood was shed alongside their Israeli brothers and sisters." - CBN News.


Do you support Israel or Palestine's hamas?

“You have to understand something, three years ago I was a suburban housewife with three children living a normal life.”

That’s what a woman in her mid-40s told me as she exited the aircraft. We had just flown her halfway across the country to remove her from a human trafficking ring.

Since 2021, when I founded a non-profit air transport that rescues trafficking victims free of charge, I have been astonished by the horrors of human trafficking. Trafficking occurs every day in just about every city in America. It is no longer just a crime that happens overseas. It is all around us in cities of all sizes in the U.S. Rather than being kidnapped, most survivors of trafficking are manipulated by traffickers into exploitative situations through psychological threats, tricks, and defrauding. Most survivors also knew their traffickers — whether as a romantic partner, a family member, or an acquaintance.

Wherever I speak to groups to bring awareness to human trafficking, I educate them on the dire statistics here in our own backyards. For traffickers, each human life — man, woman, boy, girl — is about a $200,000-a-year commodity. Victims are raped between eight and 12 times per day. That’s the price of bondage in the U.S.

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A solid majority of Israelis, 66%, want an end to Israel's war against Hamas in Gaza, according to an Israel Democracy Institute (IDI) poll, which was released on Monday.

Approximately 27% surveyed want the war to continue, while 7% said they are not sure.

As Israel marks the two-year anniversary of Hamas’ Oct. 7 massacre in southern Israel, the primary concern among those who want the war to end is the fear of endangering the remaining hostages.

By contrast, 56% of Israelis who oppose ending the war emphasized the need to fully dismantle Hamas as a military threat. Additionally, 28% of those who support continuing the war believe that sustained military pressure on Hamas is necessary to secure the release of the remaining hostages.

The IDI poll also found that 66% of Israelis want Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to take responsibility for the failures of Oct. 7. Of those surveyed, 45% believe he should resign immediately, while 19% say he should step down after the war. Another 18% think he should acknowledge responsibility but remain in office, 13% believe he should do neither, and 5% were unsure.

A significantly higher proportion of Israeli Arabs than Jews believe Netanyahu should resign immediately. “The share of those who think that Netanyahu should accept responsibility and resign immediately is much higher among Arabs (67%) than among Jews (41%),” the IDI said in a statement.

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Hi,
I've been waiting for a while to get my Bible, Rosaries, etc and myself blessed by my parish priest. He was great, speaking for 20 minutes about my history and his. So, very kind. Bless you Father McCaulay!

"Swedish activist Greta Thunberg alleged on Tuesday that she and other detainees of the Gaza flotilla were subjected to torture in the Israeli prison they were held.

Thunberg told a news conference in Stockholm that she and others were "kidnapped and tortured" by the Israeli military.

She declined to elaborate"

A Catholic priest in Spain has been found guilty of purported “Islamophobic” remarks and faces up to three years in prison.

Father Custodio Ballester was charged after questioning Cardinal Juan José Omella’s 2016 assertion that inter-faith dialogue with Islam was “necessary.”

In a letter, Fr. Ballester wrote: “This renewed revival of Christian-Muslim dialogue, paralyzed by the alleged ‘imprudence’ of the beloved Benedict XVI, is far from a reality. Islam does not allow for dialogue. You either believe or you are an infidel who must be subdued one way or another.”

In 2017, Ballester also suggested on YouTube that Islam poses a threat to Europe.

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The U.S. Supreme Court will determine if states can ban licensed professionals from engaging in therapy with minors seeking to change their sexual orientation or help gender confused children accept their sex.

The Supreme Court heard oral arguments on Tuesday morning in the case of Kaley Chiles v. Patty Salazar, executive director of the Colorado Department of Regulatory Agencies, et al.

At issue was a challenge to a Colorado law by a Christian therapist named Kaley Chiles, who argued that the measure violates her rights under the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution.

James Campbell of the Alliance Defending Freedom argued the case on behalf of Chiles, arguing that Colorado’s ban wrongfully censors “widely held views on debated moral, religious and scientific questions.”

“Aside from this law and recent ones like it, Colorado hasn’t identified any similar viewpoint-based bans on counseling,” Campbell said in his opening comments. “These laws are historic outliers.”

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Having been an epistemological solipsist for over fifty years I've often wondered about how to tell whether the world around me is physically real or a simulation. The laws of physics seem to support the possibility of a simulation, but can't definitively answer the question, so I've been left to look for another means of determining whether I'm living in a simulation.

To that end I often wondered whether a character in a video game such as 'Grand Theft Auto' would be able to tell, simply by the behavior of the characters around it, that the world in which it was living wasn't 'real'. Would the fact that the characters seemed to act irrationally be a tip off to the possibility that it was living in a simulation? Or would it simply accept the simulation as real no matter how irrationally the characters in it behaved, or what the background story was.

I ask this because more and more the world seems to be behaving more like a poorly written video game than a naturally evolving physical reality. For instance, Donald Trump seems to be such a stereotypical narcissistic villain that it's hard to believe that he wasn't purposefully created just for this role, and his popularity, in spite of his obvious character flaws seems to defy reason.

So the question is, does reality pass the Turing test? Does it act like a freely evolving natural world, or does it act more like an purposely designed simulation?

Hey everyone this is my first time posting here so i apologize if im not formatting this correctly but i have a question for some Christians. Why is it that Judas Iscariot isn’t a saint? Now hear me out i get that he betrayed Jesus but he was still a loyal apostle no? And even after he betrayed Jesus he repents, granted he repents by taking his own life but he still understood his sin and he gave himself to Jesus. Is that not deserving of forgiveness. Jesus himself was not angry with Judas was he. Without Judas Jesus would not have been able save us from sin. Is his not a worthy sacrifice? Yes he gives up the son of God but he repents and him Giving up the son of God lead to the salvation of humanity. I guess it leads to the question of what is goodness without evil. But anyway why can we not appreciate or at least understand the fall and repentance of Judas?

The term "Christian" means to be a follower of Christ. That in turn, means to be a student of his teachings and walk those teachings out in your every day life. In this day and age though, there are over 45,000 different denominations world wide with 6 main branches. We are just way too fragmented... To give that point on how inconsistent we are, here is an article that discusses a research poll on percentages of just the core main points of Christianity and what people believe.
-Article-
Here is an example:

• 64% believe that “Everyone is born innocent in the eyes of God.”
• 53% agree that “Everyone sins a little, but most people are good by nature.”
• 53% think that “The Holy Spirit is a force but is not a personal being”—compare this with the fact that 98% agreed with the statement: “There is one true God in three persons: God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit.” Talk about inconsistent!
• 47% agree that “God accepts the worship of all religions, including Christianity, Judaism, and Islam.”
• 28% say that “Jesus was a great teacher, but he was not God.”
• 17% believe that “The Bible, like all sacred writings, contains helpful accounts of ancient myths but is not literally true.”
• 19% affirm that “Modern science disproves the Bible.”
• 16% likewise say that “The Bible’s condemnation of homosexual behavior doesn’t apply today.”
• 28% think that “Religious belief is not about objective truth”—and another 19% aren’t sure how to answer this question.

But read the rest in order to see just how disjointed it really is.

We.... are a mess.... How can we spread the gospel when we can't even agree on the basics!?

Valletta said:

It was a correction, "When the church of Rome though, completed her climb to the top of imperial support, she ended both the freedom to have the holy scriptures in the vernacular" is the opposite of the truth. That Catholics translated Biblical text into numerous languages of the people is a historical fact.

Click to expand...

Since you are not going to start another topic, I will. So do you believe that allowing certain people to translate scripture but forbidding others to do so as if, oh I don't know, you own them, is not censorship? Who is the Catholic Church to claim ownership of the holy scriptures, and determine who can or cannot translate them into the languages of the various nations? So that all may read and hear the ultimate standard of truth for themselves. Here we are, please do show us all the translations the Catholic church had translated into native tongues that all might have access to this most important work for all professed followers of Jesus Christ to have. No doubt there are as many as there are or were languages of course, as there is no higher standard or revelation of truth above and beyond holy scripture, right?

Bring forth your evidence here, and I will bring forth the evidence of the RCC's censorship again, that all may examine both sides of the issue.

During bible study, my husband asked me why we see slave owning as immoral and the Israelites freed from Egyptian slavery, but Isrealites were allowed to have their own slaves complete with special rules for these individuals concerning the Sabbath, circumcision etc.

I have no answer.

Can anyone assist?