• Starting today August 7th, 2024, in order to post in the Married Couples, Courting Couples, or Singles forums, you will not be allowed to post if you have your Marital status designated as private. Announcements will be made in the respective forums as well but please note that if yours is currently listed as Private, you will need to submit a ticket in the Support Area to have yours changed.

NCAA barred LSU baseball player from using Kanye's 'God Is' as walkup song

The National Collegiate Athletics Association has caused a stir on social media after it declined to play Kanye West's "God Is" as the preferred walk-up song of Louisiana State University outfielder Derek Curiel during the College World Series.

In a post on X Tuesday, sports commentator Ben McDonald shared a screenshot of Curiel answering "yes sadly" when asked if the NCAA refused to play his walk-up song of choice during the College World Series in Omaha, Nebraska because it was a "Christian song."

McDonald, an LSU graduate and former major league pitcher who provides color commentary for Baltimore Orioles games, noted that the organization "allowed it all year" and during "Regional/Super Regional play."

Continued below.

Starting to Get Better

Last time I posted, I posted about how I’m struggling with finding a job and finding love. One of the two might’ve just been answered. I’m starting a business that has a lot of promise and I hope that it will be my first step to being ready to find love.

Please pray for my business to do well, brothers and sisters. Also, if any single women are willing to at least talk to me, I’d be happy with you DMing me. It most likely won’t get far, but it’s great practice for talking for both of us.

Do cancer stem cells actually exist in animals or humans?

Recently I've been listening to doctors talking about "alternative" cancer treatments, and the common theme they keep bringing up is this idea of cancerous stem cells.

I'm wondering if it is scientifically possible for these to exist. Wouldn't cancerous stem cells automatically be leukemia in humans since adult stem cells are stored in bone marrow and used to make blood?

References please, if you have any. :)

Plants That Do Not Need Soil

For some reason I am all of a sudden into this. The look so pure and lovely in clear vase with clean water. And almost no trouble to care for them.

1750885627873.png

Health and boundaries


Pastor Eric Tonjes talk about how we can set boundaries for people who keep crossing them

My life experience with people who cross boundaries, from toxic people to those who don't understand what healthy boundaries are, I have learnt that they won't stop unless you say no, and draw a line. Nice, friendly, but firm. If that doesn't work, to leave. Toxic people and people that don't understand healthy boundaries do not listen otherwise. Sometimes you have to, or you have to remove yourself.
It's essential to learn healthy boundaries and to set them in a healthy way.
Sometimes we are loving people by doing so, and we are also being loving towards self as to other.
Take for example people who have spent their childhood full of abuse, and not allowed to have or set boundaries, not allowed to say no, not allowed to say, I don't want you to.. Stop this.
They go through adulthood not knowing healthy boundaries, and how to set them and what is appropriate and when to be assertive, and that they are allowed to, because all their lives they have been told it's wrong and how mean they are or been punished for doing it. As a result, they go through adulthood attracting all kinds of abusive, disrespectful people, people who are toxic, people who are mean or narcissistic or psychopath. Those people are trained in spotting these people. The only way to protect yourself, and your health, is to be mindful about healthy boundaries.
We are often not loving by not settling them, because not doing anything will make it worse for all involved.
If we can't just leave, we can affirm, be assertive. It doesn't mean, we can't love them, but letting unhealthy situations continue doesn't serve anyone. Anyone who have experience that through their past know that.
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But What If My Loved Ones Are in Hell?

Does complete happiness in heaven mean rejoicing in the punishment of the damned?​


The Catechism of the Catholic Church (CCC) teaches that at the Last Judgment, “the truth of each man’s relationship with God will be laid bare” (1039). This means that the blessed in heaven will know which of their loved ones are in hell.

This seems to cause a problem. If heaven is a “state of supreme, definitive happiness” (1024), how can the souls in heaven be happy knowing their loved ones are in hell? It would seem that they couldn’t be happy, since, being animated by charity, they would pity the damned, and to pity the damned is to partake of their unhappiness in some way.

Is there a way to reconcile the happiness of the blessed in heaven and their knowledge of the sufferings of the damned? Yes, there is.

One way is to see that knowledge of the sufferings of the damned actually contributes to the happiness of the blessed. In response to the question of whether the saints see the suffering of the damned, St. Thomas Aquinas writes,

Nothing should be denied the blessed that belongs to the perfection of their beatitude. Now everything is known the more for being compared with its contrary, because when contraries are placed beside one another they become more conspicuous. Wherefore in order that the happiness of the saints may be more delightful to them and that they may render more copious thanks to God for it, they are allowed to see perfectly the sufferings of the damned (Summa Theologiae Suppl. 94:1).
Knowing the sufferings of those in hell doesn’t take away from the happiness of the blessed. Rather, this knowledge contributes to that happiness.

Continued below.

Trump Justice Department goes after nonprofit founder, charged with stealing over 100 million from special needs victims


Now let's see if the federal judge will give him a long prison sentence.
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EU and Canada sign security and defence partnership at 20th summit


The leaders of the European Union and Canada – Presidents Ursula von der Leyen and António Costa for the EU, with Prime Minister Mark Carney for Canada – agreed to deepen their cooperation and partnership at yesterday's 20th EU-Canada summit.

Both parties signed a landmark Security and Defence Partnership that will strengthen Canada's contribution to Europe's rapidly evolving defence architecture. They also agreed to swiftly launch talks on a new bilateral agreement for Canada to access SAFE, Europe's joint arms procurement initiative. This would allow the channelling of investments in innovative defence projects.

One of the main things seems to be to allow Canada to take part in the rearm Europe initiative (SAFE) and for Canada acting as a pivot away from the USA regarding defense spending. Besides that, this list of topics was part of the deal signed.

  • Support to Ukraine
  • International peacekeeping and crisis management, including CSDP missions and operations
  • Military mobility and interoperability
  • Maritime security
  • Cyber issues and emerging disruptive technologies
  • Space security
  • Countering hybrid threats and building societal resilience
  • Foreign Information Manipulation and Interference (FIMI)
  • Counterterrorism and preventing/countering violent extremism
  • EU and Canada defence initiatives, including exchange of information on defence industrial related matters Capacity building and training in third countries
  • Peace mediation and conflict prevention
  • Arms control, disarmament and non-proliferation
  • Climate change and security nexus
  • External aspects of economic and human security
  • Women, Peace and Security

Catholics debate Church teaching on eternal punishment and hell

ROME (CNS) — Sent by his religious order to Hong Kong to share the Gospel in Asia, one Catholic priest’s missionary work is raising hell — but not with the Chinese Communist Party.
Not a Hope in Hell” is Dominican Father James Dominic Rooney’s 2025 book-length defense of eternal damnation — a Catholic doctrine he says is increasingly debated in academic circles, and one he’s frequently invited to speak on across Asia.
“Just a couple days ago I was in Singapore to discuss hell,” he told Catholic News Service June 3, adding that he receives several hell-related invitations each month, ranging from in-person talks across Asia to podcast interviews and article contributions.
People in Asia “think it’s a fascinating discussion,” he said, noting that atheists in particular are intrigued by the challenge of reconciling hell with Christian teachings on God’s love and mercy.
As one of Christianity’s most vividly imagined teachings — portrayed in foreboding scenes from Michelangelo’s fresco “The Last Judgment” to John Milton’s poem “Paradise Lost” — hell, Father Rooney said, remains a subject of both perennial and pressing debate.
“I have a few jihads that I’m on, and this is one of them,” he said.

He is not alone in seeing the doctrine of hell as under siege today. In March, Msgr. Charles Pope released his own book on the subject — also with a tongue-in-cheek title: “The Hell There Is: An Exploration of an Often-Rejected Doctrine of the Church.”

An ‘eternal fire’​


Continued below.

How does the idea that most of Gods creation he will have to burn forever bring glory to God?

If creation is to bring about Gods glory, how does it bring God glory, if he knows that most of his creation he will have to burn forever, but he goes ahead and creates anyway knowing what the outcome will be. All the pain and suffering that people go through, wars, famine, slavery, human trafficking, and all the rest of this fallen world, and in the end, a small fraction of creation comes out good in the end, and people say that this if for Gods glory?
Now what if Jesus was really the savior of the cosmos as John 4:42 says and what if God was really reconciling the world to himself not counting mens trespasses against them, 2 Cor 5:19 but the scripture that says where sin abounds mercy abounds even more.Rom 5:20. Now if Gods plan was to have a creation that would love him out of free will and the last 6000 years and till the end, were Gods way of bringing about the result that all his creation would worship him out of free will and in the end God will be all in all 1 Cor 15:28. Sin and death are no more, not just stuck in a place that God has to keep going forever and listen to the screams of his people for all eternity, what if God in the end would make a new heaven and new earth and the old is done and all is new, his whole creation living in him out of free will love, no more sin and death its gone forever.
I ask you how does God losing most of his creation and then having to burn it forever bring glory to God?
Does not the idea that God knew what he was doing, and had a plan, and had all that it would take to accomplish the plan, to bring all his creation into a love with him, forever and sin and death are no more, and God will be all in all. Does this not bring more glory to God?

Democratic socialist Zohran Mamdani defeats Andrew Cuomo, wins NYC mayoral primary

Zohran Mamdani, a New York state lawmaker and self-identified democratic socialist, has won the Democratic primary for New York City mayor, upsetting former Gov. Andrew Cuomo.

With 93% of the votes tallied by The Associated Press, Mamdani garnered 43.5% of the vote, with Cuomo getting 36.4%, community organizer Brad Lander getting 11.3%, and other candidates receiving the remainder.

Cuomo has reportedly called Mamdani to concede the race.

Continued below.

60 missing children rescued in 'most successful' child recovery operation in Marshals Service history

A joint law enforcement effort resulted in the rescue of 60 "critical missing" children as part of Operation Dragon Eye in the Tampa Bay area, which officials say may be the most successful missing child recovery operation in American history.

Federal, state and local authorities collaborated to locate the missing children between the ages of 9 and 17. Operation Dragon Eye resulted in the arrests of eight defendants, according to a Monday statement from Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier's office.

The U.S. Marshals Service led Operation Dragon Eye, which included efforts from 20 agencies, with the Office of Statewide Prosecution providing legal counsel. Uthmeier joined the U.S. Marshal for the Central District of Florida, William Berger, in announcing the arrests and the recovery of the missing children.

Continued below.
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Where is God? I feel like I am walking in darkness

I feel so weighed down. I went to confession yesterday and told the priest all of my sins, but I still cannot hear him. Even when I cry out to the Lord, he does not answer. I am sick both mentally spiritually and physically, yes I have schizophrenia and other physical health problems, problems that are seemingly impossible to resolve. I am despondent because I never wanted my life to come to this. I do not understand why God created me if he knew my life would become like this and the terrible state of my soul currently. I have become a mere shadow of myself. I wish God would help me and heal me and restore me but whenever I pray all I feel is his silence. I do not know why exist. I have prayed for healing so many times yet I received nothing. My soul is so darkened and my heart is probably hardened. I am the closest thing to an insane schizophrenic you can find on this earth. The last 10 years have just been sin, and a nightmare. I am afraid this depression will get the better of me and will do something stupid and sinful. What in the Lord's name am I supposed to do, when confession does not heal me and God does not answer my prayer? I feel like my heart has become infected with evil and I fear going to Hell. The Holy Spirit does not come back to me, and I do not know what to do to get him back. I think I have lost the Holy Spirit. I can't live in this darkness and suffering, I at least need to know that there is a light at the end of the tunnel, but I do not have the reassurance..

Nowhere to Hide from God

“’Can a man hide himself in hiding places so I do not see him?’ declares the Lord. ‘Do I not fill the heavens and the earth?’ declares the Lord.” (Jeremiah 23:24 NASB1995)

The land is full of adulterers. Their course is evil, and their might is not right. Prophet and priest and pastor are polluted. Within the gatherings of the church is found their wickedness. Some of the prophets and priests and preachers and pastors are teaching what is of false gods, the gods of this world, and they are leading the people astray by their lies and by their deceptions, to what is false. The committing of adultery and the walking in falsehood is commonplace. And the pastors end up strengthening the hands of the evil doers, so that the sinners do not turn back from their wickedness.

That was a summary of Jeremiah 23:10-14, but updated somewhat to today. And it is just as relevant today as it was then. For this is a fair description of the church and its leaders and its people in the USA today, by the majority, but not including every church congregation or every individual Christian.

So, what is happening in the church (or in what is falsely being referred to as “the church”) in the USA today that makes this so relevant? It is that there has been a movement which has swept across our nation over my lifetime which has slowly and carefully been altering the character of God (Father, Son Jesus Christ, and Holy Spirit), and of his church, and of his gospel message, to make them less offensive to the people of the world and more acceptable to human flesh. And the most popular gospel now denies God’s requirements for death to sin and walks of obedience to the Lord.

So, combined with the invention of smartphones and personal computers, that has opened the door wide to the whole world of evil at one’s fingertips. And anyone driven by the lusts of the flesh can get to whatever source of evil they want on their handheld devices via the internet any time of day or night in the privacy of a corner of a room where no one else can see what they are viewing. And many children are now being handed these devices which they then take into the privacy of their bedrooms, and not all of them are being monitored by their parents. And this is just horrible!!

And pastors and elders and deacons of “churches” are engaged in the same stuff, not all, but possibly as many as half or more. And this is probably one of the determining factors in their willingness to compromise the truth of the gospel to make it not so strict to where a “Christian” can keep living in sin, in deliberate and habitual sin, in adultery against their spouses, and in willful defiance of God’s commands, only now without conscience, and without feelings of guilt, but with the blessings of “the church” which is catering to the sinful desires of the flesh to attract the ungodly to their gatherings.

So the hands of these pastors are indeed strengthening the hands of the evildoers, because so many of them are teaching that we don’t have to repent of (turn from, die to) our sins, and we don’t have to obey God and his commands, for they call that “works salvation.” And so they give the people the impression that all that is required of God is some profession of faith in Jesus and now all their sins are forgiven, and heaven is guaranteed them when they die, but regardless of how they live. But that is not the gospel that Jesus and his New Testament apostles taught. They taught repentance.

And so rather than confront the adulterers and the liars and habitual sinners with their sinful practices, and of their need to die to sin and to obey God, so many are teaching them that if they are steeped in sin, and they begin to feel guilty for their sin, that they should just “claim who you are in Christ.” But you aren’t in Christ if you have not died to sin and if you are not obeying the Lord and his commands, in practice. In fact, the Scriptures teach that you don’t know God, you are not born of God, and you don’t have eternal life with God unless you turn from your sin and you obey God in practice.

But many professing Christians are living on the assumption that because they made that profession of faith in Jesus Christ that God will not judge them for their sins. So even though they are sinning against God deliberately and habitually, they take comfort in the lie which guarantees them heaven as their eternal destiny. But please know that you cannot hide from God. He sees everything you do. And you can’t hide from the truth of the Scriptures, either. If you choose to continue in deliberate sin, and not in obedience to God, you will face the judgment of God, and hell will be your destiny.

[Matt 7:13-14,21-23; Lu 9:23-26; Jn 10:27-30; Ac 26:18; Rom 2:6-8; Rom 6:1-23; Rom 8:1-14; Rom 12:1-2; 1 Co 6:9-10,19-20; 1 Co 10:1-22; 2 Co 5:10,15,21; Gal 5:16-24; Gal 6:7-8; Eph 2:8-10; Eph 4:17-32; Eph 5:3-6; Col 1:21-23; Col 3:1-17; Tit 2:11-14; Heb 3:1-19; Heb 4:1-13; Heb 10:23-31; Heb 12:1-2; 1 Pet 2:24; 1 Jn 1:5-10; 1 Jn 2:3-6,15-17; 1 Jn 3:4-10]

My Sheep

Based off John 10:1-30 NIV
An Original Work / June 24, 2012
Christ’s Free Servant, Sue J Love


My sheep hear me. They know me.
They listen to my voice and obey.
I call them and lead them.
They know my voice, so they follow me.
They will never follow strangers.
They will run away from them.
The voice of a stranger they know not;
They do not follow him.

So, I tell you the truth that
I am the gate, so you enter in.
Whoever does enter
Will find forgiveness and will be saved.
Nonetheless whoever enters
Not by the gate; other way,
He is the thief and a robber.
Listen not, the sheep to him.

Oh, I am the Good Shepherd,
Who laid his own life down for the sheep.
I know them. They know me.
They will live with me eternally.
The thief only comes to steal and
Kill and to destroy the church.
I have come to give you life that
You may have it to the full…

They know my voice, so they follow me.

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Nowhere to Hide from God
An Original Work / June 25, 2025
Christ’s Free Servant, Sue J Love

Shepherds Scattering the Sheep

“’Woe to the shepherds who are destroying and scattering the sheep of My pasture!’ declares the Lord. Therefore thus says the Lord God of Israel concerning the shepherds who are tending My people: ‘You have scattered My flock and driven them away, and have not attended to them; behold, I am about to attend to you for the evil of your deeds,’ declares the Lord.” (Jeremiah 23:1-2 NASB1995)

Who are the shepherds today who are destroying and scattering the sheep of Christ’s pasture? They are people who call themselves pastors, reverend, elder, deacon, bishop, priest, pope, and teachers, and so on. But they aren’t just those who are in leadership positions within the gatherings of what are called, “the church.” But they can be political rulers of nations who call themselves “Christians,” who profess faith in Jesus Christ with their lips.

And how are they destroying and scattering the sheep? One way is by teaching the people lies convincingly enough to where they accept the lies as truth and they reject the truth as though it is the lie. And so they end up following after a human-created gospel which does not insist that they die with Christ to sin and that they now walk (in conduct) in obedience to our Lord and to his commands, in daily practice, in the power of God.

Not only do they teach the Scriptures out of context, and distort them, and twist them in the direction of what they want them to say, but they teach false doctrines of faith, and they teach that God said what he did not say, and they teach undying devotion and support given to a physical and political and godless nation, in the name of God, and in the name of Christianity, which is opposed to what the Scriptures teach we should do.

And sadly, it appears that the majority of those who call themselves “Christians,” here in the USA, are following the lies and the liars. And so many of them are giving their devotion and veneration to godless people and to godless nations which reject the authority of Jesus Christ over their lives, and who are antichrist by their denial and rejection of Jesus Christ as the Messiah who has come, and by their unwillingness to bow the knee to God.

But they don’t scatter the sheep of God’s (Christ’s) pasture by deception only. They also do it by rejection of those who are following the truth of the gospel, who are standing on the Word of Truth, and who are rebuking the lies of Satan, and who are proclaiming the truth of the gospel of our salvation to the people, as Jesus and his New Testament apostles taught it. Many of these shepherds are being trained to get rid of people like us with “strong convictions,” and to invite us to go where we will be a “better fit.”

So, let’s get this straight. The Israel of God today is not the political and godless nation called, Israel, who by the large majority are antichrist, because they have rejected Jesus Christ as their Messiah and Lord. The Israel of God today are all who believe in Jesus Christ, whether Jew or Gentile by physical birth. Collectively we are God’s holy nation, his beloved, and the sheep of his pasture. So you are not required of God to give your allegiance and support to the antichrist nation called, “Israel.”

[Genesis 17:7-9; Genesis 18:19; John 8:18-19,38-47; Romans 2:28-29; Romans 6:1-23; Romans 8:1-14; Romans 9:4-8,25-28; Romans 11:1-36; 1 Corinthians 10:1-22; Galatians 3:16,26-29; Galatians 4:22-31; Ephesians 2:11-22; Ephesians 3:6; Hebrews 3:1-19; Hebrews 4:1-16; Hebrews 8:6-13;1 Peter 2:24; 1 John 2:22; Jude 1:5; Revelation 2:9; Revelation 3:9]

Also, you are not to give your veneration, allegiance, and support to any physical nation of people, in the sense of worship of them and their leaders with a blind trust that believes whatever lies they feed you. The USA is not “one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.” For, even though the majority religion in our nation is “Christian,” not many are literally surrendered to Christ as Lord of their lives, following him, obeying him, and dying to sin daily, by the Spirit. Many give lip service only.

And with regard to the gospel, Jesus taught that if we are going to come after him that we must deny self, die daily to sin, and follow him in obedience to his commands. For if we profess him with our lips, but sin is still what we practice, and not obedience to God, then we don’t know God, we are not in fellowship with Christ, we are not born of God, we do not have salvation from sin, and we do not have eternal life with God in heaven. So please know and believe and live the truth, for your life depends on it.

[Matt 7:13-14,21-23; Lu 9:23-26; Jn 10:27-30; Ac 26:18; Rom 2:6-8; Rom 6:1-23; Rom 8:1-14; Rom 12:1-2; 1 Co 6:9-10,19-20; 1 Co 10:1-22; 2 Co 5:10,15,21; Gal 5:16-24; Gal 6:7-8; Eph 2:8-10; Eph 4:17-32; Eph 5:3-6; Col 1:21-23; Col 3:1-17; Tit 2:11-14; Heb 3:1-19; Heb 4:1-13; Heb 10:23-31; Heb 12:1-2; 1 Pet 2:24; 1 Jn 1:5-10; 1 Jn 2:3-6,15-17; 1 Jn 3:4-10]

My Sheep

Based off John 10:1-30 NIV
An Original Work / June 24, 2012
Christ’s Free Servant, Sue J Love


My sheep hear me. They know me.
They listen to my voice and obey.
I call them and lead them.
They know my voice, so they follow me.
They will never follow strangers.
They will run away from them.
The voice of a stranger they know not;
They do not follow him.

So, I tell you the truth that
I am the gate, so you enter in.
Whoever does enter
Will find forgiveness and will be saved.
Nonetheless whoever enters
Not by the gate; other way,
He is the thief and a robber.
Listen not, the sheep to him.

Oh, I am the Good Shepherd,
Who laid his own life down for the sheep.
I know them. They know me.
They will live with me eternally.
The thief only comes to steal and
Kill and to destroy the church.
I have come to give you life that
You may have it to the full…

They know my voice, so they follow me.

Login to view embedded media
Shepherds Scattering the Sheep
An Original Work / June 25, 2025
Christ’s Free Servant, Sue J Love

ICE Arrests 11 Iranian Nationals Amid Sleeper Cell Threat


There were a lot of "gotaways" during the Biden administration besides all of those unvetted. We will be dealing with the problem for decades.

Pray Jesus Christ Miraculously upholds Christian concerns in the social culture war in New York city despite results of the city's election for mayor

Pray Jesus Christ Miraculously upholds Christian concerns in the social culture war in New York city despite results of the city's election for mayor:

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What an Openly Catholic Pro-Life, Pro-Family President Means for Poland

While secularization is making inroads in the homeland of John Paul II, the recent election results are encouraging.

Despite the perception that the Church in Europe is fading into oblivion, earlier this month an openly Catholic pro-life, pro-family politician was elected president in the heart of the continent. For at least the next five years, Poland’s leader will be Karol Nawrocki, a guarantee that the nation’s current left-liberal government will not be able to push forward its progressivist agenda.

On June 1, the second round of Poland’s presidential election, conservative Nawrocki defeated his opponent, liberal Warsaw Mayor Rafał Trzaskowski, by a slender margin of 50.89% to 49.11%. Turnout was among the highest in post-communist Polish history, as 71.63% of those eligible cast a vote.

Continued below.

Is Gender Identity a modern social construct?

The reason I have placed this in a science forum is the evidence from Egyptology which is a science/humanity hybrid field of study, statues of the 18th dynasty pharaoh Akhenaton who was the father of Tutankhamen is represented in a feminine form with breasts and wide hips and in some cases appears to pregnant.

Akhenaton.png

Akhenaton's claim to fame is being the first individual in history attested by archaeology as a monotheist (OT individuals don't count as none have been attested).

Interpretations of these statues fall in three broad categories.
(a) Akhenaton had some medical disorder, maybe was an intersexual.
(b) A disgusting evil pervert (unfortunately a POV expressed in modern day circles).
(c) The statues indicate the ancient Egyptians differentiated between one's biological sex and gender identity which therefore contradicts the idea of gender identity being a modern construct.

I posed point (c) to the Egyptologist Dr Chris Naunton who responded as follows.

response3.png



ChatGPT4 on the other hand gave a different response.
The short answer is: Yes — the feminine traits in Akhenaten’s depictions suggest a deliberate blur between biological sex and political/religious gender, not simply a literal portrayal of his anatomy.




1. Medical/biological theories​


  • Some scholars, like Irwin Braverman (Yale), have argued these feminine traits might reflect genetic conditions — e.g., aromatase excess syndrome (leading to breast tissue), or craniosynostosis (elongated skull), possibly even Marfan or Klinefelter syndromes (medicine.yale.edu).
  • However, attempts to confirm these theories through genetics, including a 2010 study, failed to support them .
  • Many Egyptologists now think it’s unlikely Akhenaten actually had such a medical condition (en.wikipedia.org).



2. Symbolic/gendered religious expression​


  • Another dominant view is that Akhenaten’s androgynous portrayal was symbolic — reflecting the theology of Aten, which portrayed the sun disc as both “father and mother of all humankind.” Thus, he was shown with feminine and masculine traits to visually embody that union (glam.ox.ac.uk).
  • Amarna art broke previous norms not only in style but in gender imagery: Akhenaten appears with wide hips, breasts, a rounded stomach, long-limbed figure — in stark contrast to the muscular ideal of earlier pharaoh portrayals (en.wikipedia.org).
  • Scholars of gender in ancient Egypt discuss how this is a deliberate androgyny, meaning sex (biological characteristics) and gender (social/religious identity) were distinct and could be articulated differently .



✨ What this tells us about gender/sex perception in ancient Egypt​


Yes — the evidence strongly implies that the ancient Egyptians understood gender as socially and symbolically constructed, separate from merely physical/biological sex. Akhenaten’s unique portrayal shows they were willing to fuse and recombine male and female traits in visual media for powerful ideological purposes, rather than just record anatomy.




Summary​


TheoryExplains Feminine Traits?Widely Accepted?
Genetic disorderPossibly reproductive traits, skull shapeLess favored
Symbolic/ideological artEmbodies theological union of male–female divineMore favored



✅ Final Take​


Akhenaten’s portrayals offer compelling early evidence that gender can be fluid and distinct from physical sex, especially in a high-profile ideological system with religious undertones. It’s an example of ancient visual culture blending gender expressions to convey divine meaning — not merely picturing what he “really looked like.”

Biden aides lined up to appear before House Oversight Committee in autopen investigation

Biden aides lined up to appear before House Oversight Committee in autopen investigation

The House Oversight Committee has lined up dates for interviews with former President Joe Biden’s aides as part of an investigation into whether his declining health while in office made him incapable of running the country.​
The committee will conduct four interviews from June 24 through July 18 with four former aides who will appear voluntarily for transcribed interviews. House Oversight Chairman James Comer (R-KY) also subpoenaed Biden’s physician, Kevin O’Connor, to appear for a deposition on July 27.​
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