SURABAYA, Indonesia — As police and soldiers looked on, about 200 Muslims on Friday stormed a Christian youth retreat at a home in Indonesia, driving out participants and damaging property, sources said.

Carrying banners and shouting, “Destroy that house, destroy that house,” the Muslim mob, after Friday mosque prayers, attacked the home in Tangkil village, Sukabumi in Cidahu District, West Java Province, at about 1:30 p.m. local time, damaging windows, toilets, a gazebo and garden, according to Sukabumisatu.com.

Claiming that a house should not be used as a place of worship, the mob also reportedly threw a motorbike into a nearby river and damaged the main gate.

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'Musk, a top Republican megadonor, intensified his campaign in recent days with threats that he would form his own “America Party” and target lawmakers in upcoming elections who voted for the bill in 2026 primary elections.'

Is it a real threat? If it comes to pass, what will the effect be on the GOP?

Just one fruit of adherence to a godless theology:

Hopefully this us appropriate here. I got the blue screen of death. Windows cites critical process died and wont repair itself. I tried restore points to no avail. Asus troubleshooter says the hard drive is fine. Ive copied most my files using the cmd mode. Shops are not great near me. They always want a reinstall windiws solution. My question is if i just put in a new hard drive can i then plug the old one in and use apps like office or tax software from the old ssd drive? Thanks

I was--and am--very opposed to the big ugly bill. Throwing 15-20 million off Medicaid is immoral. Ending energy tax credits--and in the Senate, actually putting on a surcharge, will exacerbate climactic disasters, air pollution, and hurt farmers through droughts and temperature differences.
Billionaires don't know what to do with their money. The good ones give it to worthy causes--whether they are athletes, actors, or businessmen. Bill Gates and Warren Buffett are giving away everything they have over 20 years, but they and their descendants will still enjoy a very comfortable lifestyle.Some, however, are unable to feel joy from their good fortune,and many become addicted to power and control.

And when it was passed, I was horrified to see that it was ingeniously engineered. Social Security beneficiaries (getting their return on investment) will get an extra $6,000 tax exemption. Currently, 36% of Social Security beneficiaries have to pay income taxes on part of their Social Security benefits. With this additional $6,000 tax exemption ($12K for couples), only 12% will still have to pay income taxes on part or all of their Social Security benefits.

My husband and I will be part of the 12%, but the $12K exemption will protect an additional $12K of our Social Security benefits from taxation. And guess what? More Social Security beneficiaries will get this windfall--the extra senior exemption--than people who will lose Medicaid.

For lower income people with Social Security benefits, of course, they won't win or lose anything--it's the higher income Social Security beneficiaries they are trying to impress.

Then of course there is the "no taxes on tips" provision--seen as a windfall for service workers. But TBT, most service workers don't pay very much in taxes to begin with. And when customers have the expectation that these employees are getting a tax windfall, many will adjust their tipping habits downward.

A study showed in 2021 54% of diners tipped 20% or more. Now only 36% do. And that's due to every Starbucks and fast food employees having "tip" listed on invoices. In Florida we stopped at a Steak and Shake. We had to order on a machine. We had to get our own drinks and put away our trash. The employees handed us a tray that we walked up to the counter to get. What kind of tippable service did they perform?

My rule of thumb is if employees are getting paid minimum wage or more I don't tip, maybe a buck. That covers fast food. Subminimum wage workers in restaurants always get 20%. My hairdresser and nail technician always get more than 20%, because we have a relationship and I want to give them something extra. But I know that if some people feel their server is getting tax-free money, they will tip less.

This is long-winded, and the neediest people are being terribly hurt by these provisions. But by the devious engineering of this bill, more people will benefit. In the case of Social Security, the "haves" will have more, and income inequality will increase.

I don't have high hopes for tipped workers, because I know human nature.

Pray that The Holy Spirit comforts & heals all those affected by the deaths & injuries caused by the explosion at a pharmaceuticals factory in India:

@Michie recently posted an article in OBOB in which the author recommends lowering the recommended Confirmation age to 9 or 10. This is exactly the opposite advice from what I've been thinking lately. I thought it might be interesting to explore this in the Traditional Theology forum, to see how other folks felt about it. What do we envision Confirmation as being, and what role is it playing in practice (as distinct from what we envision in our theology books) in the spiritual lives of young Christians?

Original OBOB thread: Strengthening the Seal: Yet Another Diocese Returns Confirmation to Younger Children, Where It Belongs...

Article referenced in that thread: Understanding the Reality of the Sacrament of Confirmation | Knowing Is Doing

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A couple of weeks ago, I had a conversation with a fellow-Episcopalian friend of mine. They're in their 20s, and I'm a generation older. Both of us had the experience of exploring and questioning faith in our late teens and early 20s, and then coming to a point in our 20s where we were ready to commit to continuing in the Christian faith despite all the doubts and questions. I suspect that's a common experience, and it feels like there should be a sacramental rite that marks that adult commitment. Both of us thought of Confirmation as the natural candidate for this, which made us lean toward an older recommended age for Confirmation, something like 25 or 30.

So when I encountered the above article this evening, it surprised me by recommending a much younger Confirmation age of 9 or 10.

I suppose that's similar to the age at which many young Baptists express a desire for believer's baptism, so perhaps the author's idea is for Confirmation to be linked to the child's first ability to understand and commit to the faith. I can see this as plausible. But it still leaves us without a rite to mark the passage into informed adult faith.

Some questions to invite thought:

1) What role does Confirmation play in your tradition? It's laying on of hands by the bishop, and it's a means of grace (I assume we all agree on those points), but what transition or commitment or stage of spiritual growth does it mark for the young people in your church?

2) I've overheard conversations in my town that went something like this: "Yeah, I went to church until I was Confirmed, and then that was all done, so I didn't have to go back any more." Is that just people in my town, or do you encounter this too? Is there something different we should be doing with Confirmation, if it's viewed like that?

3) Does your church have a rite that marks entrance into informed adult faith? A person goes to college and reads the philosophers and learns about world religions and the Enlightenment and higher criticism and whatever other intellectual challenges are out there, and like Jacob wrestles with it all until they extract a blessing -- and decides to continue being a Christian. Is there a rite for that? Should there be?

Please pray for this woman's son, thank you! God hears and answers!

There is a distinctive pause the moment a parent witnesses their child's Baptism. This momentary pause of pure awe and wonder is quite natural because it reveals the intimate love a parent has for their child. It expresses a desire for their child to receive everything necessary to strengthen the awe and wonder that are witnessed by both parents, the child, and the community. When the Priest proclaims the words of Jesus Christ and proceeds to initiate the child into the Kingdom of God in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and the Holy Spirit, the gift of grace, which is the free and undeserved help that God gives to respond to his call to become children of God (CCC 1996) is immediately thrust upon the child and witnessed by all present. The child is now officially claimed by God through Jesus Christ, the Son, and confirmed by the Holy Spirit.

It should surprise no one that what was just described is a real event, the literal administration of a sacrament specifically meant to initiate a human being made in the image and likeness of God to permanently become part of the family of God in the Catholic Church. Hence, the seal of baptism can never be undone; it is permanently unbroken. Now, the journey takes a different turn; the newly baptized will require constant spiritual nourishment in the Catholic faith. A holy urgency exists to strengthen the faith of the child and not to allow the awe and wonder witnessed at baptism to diminish or, worse, become unrecognizable altogether.

As a child matures both in age and wisdom, the urgency to view the world through a Catholic lens becomes more important. The grace received at baptism serves as the initial step to help the child grow and mature in his awareness of God as Father and Creator, himself as a child made in the image and likeness of God, and his place in this world under the guidance of his parents, but even more by the Holy Spirit. The urgency to continue the child’s awareness of his faith takes a significant turn upon preparation to receive the sacrament of Confirmation and eventually the Holy Eucharist. The sacrament of Confirmation, which is part of the sacraments of initiation along with the Holy Eucharist, specifically completes the graces the child received at baptism by an outpouring of the gifts of the Holy Spirit through an anointing with chrism. Confirmation imparts a permanent seal and an indelible mark in union with Jesus Christ to go forth and actively live a life representative of the Apostles.

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Pray that the 60-day ceasefire is accepted by Israel & Hamas:

”Written down in this sacred scroll are the things the Great Spirit revealed to Creator Sets Free (Jesus) the Chosen One. This great revealing was given to the ones who serve him, to show them what will soon happen. He sent his spirit-messenger to He Shows Goodwill (John), his sacred servant, to make this message known to him through signs, omens, and sacred visions.He Shows Goodwill (John) as a truth teller wrote down everything he saw and heard as a witness to this message from the Great Spirit and the things told to him by Creator Sets Free (Jesus) the Chosen One. Creator’s blessing rests on the one who reads aloud the words of this prophecy, and on those who hear and take to heart what is written in it, for the time it speaks about is almost here.“
‭‭Book of the Great Revealing‬ ‭1‬:‭1‬-‭3‬ ‭FNVNT‬‬

Theologian N.T. Wright recently emphasized that while God transcends gender, using traditional male pronouns like “Father” remains theologically appropriate when understood in light of Scripture.

In a wide-ranging conversation on the "Ask N.T. Wright Anything" podcast, the theologian and former bishop of Durham addressed the question: Is it appropriate to refer to God using male pronouns?

The question came from a listener in Minneapolis, Minnesota, who noted the tension between the use of male language for God — such as “He” and “Father” — and the theological understanding that God transcends human categories, including gender. The listener acknowledged Jesus’ own references to God as Father and wondered whether using male pronouns for the Trinity remains valid today.

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Under the terms of “Keeping Men Out of Women’s Sports,” the stated policy is to “oppose male competitive participation in women’s sports more broadly, as a matter of safety, fairness, dignity, and truth.” The “Defending Women from Gender Ideology Extremism” order directs the Department of Education to enforce Title IX based on biological sex, threatening to withhold federal funding from educational institutions that allow transgender women to compete in women’s sports. If the Department of Education is dismantled, other agencies will take over.
UPenn must also ban men from participating in women’s sporting activities and from occupying female athletic facilities such as locker rooms. This means no more men undressing themselves in front of unsuspecting women.

Making America great again.

Are Christians having real fellowship according to Biblical fellowship. Please share scriptures?

The CDF report confirmed Benedict’s intuition, expressed in Summorum Pontificum, that younger people would find in the traditional Roman liturgy “a form of encounter with the mystery of the Holy Eucharistic particularly suited to them.” It notes:

“A constant observation made by the bishops is that it is young people who are discovering and choosing this older form of the liturgy. The majority of the stable groups present in the Catholic world are composed of young people, often converts to the Catholic faith or those returning after a time away from the Church and the sacraments. They are drawn by the sacredness, seriousness, and solemnity of the liturgy. What strikes them most, also amid a society that is excessively noisy and verbose, is the rediscovery of silence within sacred actions, the restrained and essential words, preaching that is faithful to the Church’s doctrine, the beauty of liturgical chant, and the dignity of the celebration: a seamless whole that is deeply attractive.”

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Am I imagining it or have the news articles and headlines become more negative. It seemed as when Joe Biden was in office there was an aire of happiness in alot of the news stories and the only negative stories were coming from Fox News and their conservative companions. Now, practically every news feed I have on my computer is either someone famous dying, shootings all over the US and in other countries, nations arguing about taxes, immigrants or some other political dilemma, economic turmoil, war.

It is very discouraging. But what makes me mad is if this is just a mainstream media attempt at making the Trump Admin. the cause of all these woes. Surely happy stories couldn't have just disappeared just like that. Where is the positiveness of our space program, where is the positiveness of our cultures coming to together and celebrating life. Yes, our country is forcing immigrants to come to America the legal and proper way and it looks messy but Spanish, Latinos, Asians, Africans and Europeans have never been this close before in America. Don't let the negativity of the liberal media separate us. Remember E. Pluribus Unum. Follow God and He will lead us to goodness.

If a person's patron saint is commemorated more than once on the calendar, which day is the person's name day? I've been told by another parishioner that you just have multiple name days, but I've pretty much only heard of a name day talked about as a singular event throughout the year.

I wouldn't label this a Jeopardy! controversyat all. It's just a crazy coincidence, one that producers and others could never have foreseen.

In a recent episode, contestants were given the Final Jeopardy clue of "Collections." Here's the clue: In 1896 the Vassar-educated wife of this man wrote, "Thousands of dollars may be paid for a copy of Shakespeare."

We'll give you 30 seconds to answer, as they do on the show. And the answer? Who is Henry Clay Folger?

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The One Big Beautiful Bill Act passed with Vice-President JD Vance casting a tie-breaking vote after more than 24 hours of debate. Senate Republicans narrowly pass Trump's 'big, beautiful' spending bill

NATO Leader Lauds Trump as ‘Man of Strength’, ‘Man of Peace’​

“I just want to recognize your decisive action on Iran,” Rutte said at the 2025 NATO Summit. “You are a man of strength, but you are also a man of peace. And the fact that you are now also successful in getting this ceasefire done between Israel and Iran — I really want to commend you for that. I think this is important for the whole world.”

Rutte also sent messages to Trump, thanking him for doing “something no one else dared to do.” Trump then shared the message on social media.

NATO rally's around Trump

Long before T. rex, the Earth was dominated by super-carnivores stranger and more terrifying than anything dreamed up by Hollywood.

The two animals circled each other, both assessing their rival's robust, hairless body. With sabre-teeth like steak knives, piercing claws and skin as thick as a rhino's, they snapped their jaws open nearly 90 degrees – and launched into battle. From the right-hand side of one animal, the other's teeth crunched down from above. In a split second, it was over.

Sinking its five-inch (12.7cm) canines into its opponent's boxy snout, like hot needles through wax, the attacker claimed victory. This actually happened – or something like it.

Around a quarter of a billion years later, on a sunny day in March 2021, Julien Benoit was handed a rather unpromising container and invited to take a look. He was working in a pleasantly cool office at Iziko Museum of Natural History in Cape Town, South Africa, where he had been invited to visit the university's fossil collections. The vessel was a very old, simple cardboard box.

"It hadn't been opened for at least 30 years," says Benoit, an associate professor of evolutionary studies at the University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg. Inside was a jumble of bones, including countless skulls, many of which had been mislabelled. As he was sorting through and re-classifying them – assigning them to long-extinct species – he noticed a small, shiny surface.

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Cardinal Raymond Burke said he has asked Pope Leo XIV to remove measures restricting the celebration of the Traditional Latin Mass (TLM) in dioceses.

Burke spoke at a London conference organized by The Latin Mass Society of England and Wales, telling attendees that he hopes the new pontiff will “put an end to the persecution” of Catholic faithful who want to celebrate Mass using the “more ancient usage” — “usus antiquior” — of the Roman liturgy.

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Carolyn McCarthy, whose husband was murdered and son partially paralyzed by Long Island Railroad gunman Colin Ferguson in 1993, passed away last week.

She was a personal hero to me. Although we had moved to St. Louis before the LIRR massacre, we had lived a few blocks away from the McCarthys. They had attended the same church. From 1973-76, my husband had ridden the same train, the 6:06 out of Penn Station, that was attacked. My sister was trying to catch that train out of NYC that day, but fortunately she missed it. My good friend's husband was on the train and was so traumatized afterwards that he sought a transfer with his company and moved the family to Florida's Atlantic coast.

But McCarthy's husband and son, who had worked in the financial district, were hit. Her husband died. Her son was paralyzed on one side of his body, and McCarthy, a nurse, was by his side during his long recovery.

And when she saw her Republican Congressman, Norman Lent, vote "yes" on a vote to allow plastic gun manufacture, she ran for Congress and served in her district until retiring in 2013.

McCarthy said she was embraced and throughout her 18-year career helped pass 15 pieces of major legislation through three presidents. She was also devoted to making changes in education and health care, with some voters telling her she had inspired them to become nurses.

"I get chills when I think about how many lives I was able to change because God put me on this path," McCarthy. "I just wanted to make a difference."

In January, President Biden honored McCarthy with the Presidential Citizens Medal, the second-highest civilian honor in the United States.

"Our nation and our Island have lost a fierce champion"​

"I was proud to serve with Carolyn McCarthy in Congress. After losing her husband and nearly losing her son in the 1993 LIRR massacre, Carolyn turned tragedy into a lifelong fight to end gun violence. Carolyn was kind, principled, and strong. She will be deeply missed," Gov. Kathy Hochul wrote on social media. Carolyn McCarthy, former N.Y. congresswoman and staunch gun control advocate, dies at 81

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She became my role model, showing me that one ordinary citizen can make a difference, as I traveled around the country following my husband's career, trying to use my talents to make the world a better place. Thank you, Rep. McCarthy, for turning your personal tragedy into triumph.

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We Pentecostals love to constantly remind Christians to be attentive to The Baptism of the Holy Spirit. And are on guard to defend the HSB against the notion that the Baptism into the Body of Christ and Baptism of the Holy Spirit are one and the same which they are not. All for another thread. For the baptisms of Christ are all one, all Christ's; baptized into His body, baptized into water and baptized in the Holy Spirit. These three are continually confused by attempting to combine to this day, which the scriptures do not, (be careful of the slight of hand) again, another thread. But the commission does not select any, but calls on them all,


But the wonderful mystery of water baptism (WB) has been revealed so vividly to the child of God, they receive it sub-consciously, yet, remains a mystery to the world's most prudent, even if it was told to them. For to all He said,


The problem for the carnal is when trying to rationalize the combination of these two verses. They are left holding it raw, is WB of the flesh, or Spirit? Again, thanks be to God who has revealed it to the child of God who received it from the beginning.

Jesus Christ, King of kings and Lord of lords.