Anyone have an idea why trump would want the names, addresses of family members and their places of employment?



Anyone?

Everything about this seems like a bad idea from trumps perspective. I mean the judge had already gave her decision of an anonymous jury? What are his lawyers doing?

Hi again,

I wanted to ask about how experience of the Holy Spirit is understood by reformed christians. Is it the case that they say believers don't have direct or immediate experience of the Holy Spirit, or how is it understood? I just heard years ago there was a difference on this between Reformed and Pentecostal believers in how its understood. Just seeking to understand it again.

Another simple question.

When Jesus said this, do you suppose the Father said "no, Son" or "only if they do something more, Son" or "only those I've chosen, Son who were already forgiven before you did this"?

I feel consumed with the desire to see Isaac, Jacob, Abraham, Job, David and Adam and Eve, among others. It will be an eternal family reunion at the wedding feslast of the Lamb! I can't wait!

Hi everyone,

You may want to avoid probiotics. I found word on the internet that probiotics were effective for schizophrenia so I decided to try some, my mom let me try 1 dose of her probiotics which were a cocktail of like 20 different species. Within about 3 hours of taking it I started feeling sick to my stomach and also ill mentally, apparently your gut and your brain are linked and neurotransmitters such as serotonin and dopamine are manufactured in your gut by bacteria. I feel so ill mentally I feel like it changed my personality, I am hoping that it wears off soon, you do have to take it every day so if I never take it again I think I should be OK eventually.

From efficiency Wind farms take ( say) 40- 50 % of the available power.

A plausibility argument:
Wind is part of what is cooling land.
So with less wind , the land WILL be hotter.
That heat is part of the climate change problem.

so is wind power extraction - at best unreliable - causing greater temperature swings?

Ive looked for impact statements or science , I’ve not found much.

Is praying to Saints a biblical practice?

I invite you all to read this blog entry which is a deep dive into the topic (15 pages).

Before reading the blog I want to first get you thinking rationally and fairly.

So I will pose this question to you:
Where does the Bible say “pray to the Holy Spirit”?

There is no place where this phrase is found, yet we know that as God, the Holy Ghost can hear and answer prayers and deserves to be prayed to.
The reason I say this is because a common objection to “prayers to saints” is that the bible never says explicitly “pray to saints”. But as we can see from my question posed, the scriptures dont need to say some explicitly in order for it to be believed.

Now, read this blog entry with an open mind and weigh the evidence to see if a strong case can be made for this doctrine or not.

Here is the entry:

Anyone who comments on this post without first reading the blog entry above in its entirety has become the man in this proverb:
“He that answereth before he heareth sheweth himself to be a fool, and worthy of confusion.”
‭‭Proverbs‬ ‭18‬:‭13‬ ‭

The curiosity exhibited by many Catholics toward demonic activity is real — and troubling.

I’m going to begin this article with a disclaimer. I am not an expert on demonic possession or the occult. In fact, one of my goals in life — and I’m willing to work very hard on accomplishing this goal — is to never become an expert on such matters.

Though I cannot point to a specific survey to support this assertion, my goal seems to be increasingly in the minority. Novels, non-fiction books, Russell Crowe interviews, Catholic podcasts, and films about demonic activity and exorcism are all the rage among many Catholics lately. (Even writing about this subject from the counterpoint position, this blog is likely to receive exponentially more views than anything I have written about Mary, grace, the sacrament of Penance or Matrimony in the past five years.)

The curiosity exhibited by Catholics toward demonic activity is real — and troubling. Why troubling? Because while occult activity does not always originate in curiosity of the occult, it often can. Many years ago, St. Augustine warned against the “curiosity” of “seeking knowledge from the demons.” And curiosity can quickly grow into fascination. That’s trouble. And I’m speaking here about those shows that are generally friendly toward the Catholic Faith.

Of course, my point will be countered by some of those who listen and view various media presentations on the subject — especially those conducted by fellow Catholics. They may argue that it is helpful to the spiritual life to delve into the topic of demonic activity because, after all, these presentations illustrate that the Church wins the battle through exorcism. And exorcism is good.

Continued below.

Providing both the left-leaning and right-leaning links on this one.

It was recently uncovered (though old video), that recently expelled (and reinstated) TN lawmaker Justin Pearson may be playing a bit of a character with regards to how he talks based on the audience he's talking to.





Now, obviously both outlets are putting their own "spin" on this. With the DailyBeast putting the focus on how bad Tucker Carlson is for the way he covered it, and RedState putting the emphasis on him being a "fraud" (thereby attempting to delegitimize the fact that he was the rightfully elected holder of that seat, and spin it into a broader condemnation of Democrats)



But I think the concept of Code-switching is an interesting one.

Obviously it sometimes makes sense to "speak the lingo" of people you're trying to connect with to a certain degree (for instance, it's not uncommon for politicians to sprinkle in a little southern lingo like "y'all" when they're campaigning in the south or in an area where certain slangs and expressions are different), but at what point does it leave that more benign realm and become nothing more than shameless pandering. Pandering, which, sometimes escalates to a person adopting something of a "phony" persona that can come across as a cringy, and could even be viewed by some as patronizing.

For instance, if I were in Australia and trying to "use the lingo" to connect with some folks, there's a big difference between saying "Cheers, mate" (when I would otherwise say "hello", even though it would still seem a little goofy hearing an american say it) ...and dressing up in a Khaki outfit and yelling "crikey!" (thereby implying "This is what I think Australians are like" in a way that would come across as insulting or even mocking)



Where this case with Justin Pearson is unique is that he's actually in the same group of the vernacular and persona he's trying to convey.

For instance, if a white dude (who normally talks the way Justin used to talk in the first video) started talking the way he was talking in the latter video, he'd like be accused of doing a distasteful "black guy impression". But, obviously Justin doing it isn't going to draw the same backlash.

What he's doing there, I would say, more comparable to someone who may be of Italian heritage (but was born and raised in rural Pennsylvania), putting on a persona where they start slicking their hair back, wearing a gold chain, and talking like an Italian character out of a 1970's movie because because they think "that's what'll help me connect to my fellow Italians in the big city"

What is your position on the End Times, Daniel and Revelation, etc.

Yours in the Lord,

jm

Hey everyone,

I’m posting here now because I’m absolutely terrified,terrified beyond belief.
So these past few days I’ve been suffering immense anxiety,but I didn’t want to burden anyone here so I kept to myself,fast forward to today,and as I was entering work I thought a thought,”this is the day I give up” or something like that,and as if almost instantly a massive train of panic and anxiety hit me and I immediately begged the Lord for forgiveness,I don’t want to Give up on Jesus,and since I feel like I have I’m having so much despair and hopelessness,all day I’ve been in constant prayer repenting and asking for forgiveness and help.But I feel no better,I’m feeling so scared and hopeless,I’m so scared at the possibility I level never been a Christian,or heaven forbid an apostate.I’m feeling so sad and hurt because God has always been faithful to me and I feel so hurt,so sad,like I feel like I can’t unthink that,even thought I desperately want to,I’m so scared right now.If anyone could pray for me,I’d be extremely grateful

I'm curious about something. My step kids dad is not in the picture, he's always skimped on his child support, when he lived near them he still faltered on picking them up on time every other weekend for an overnight visit (if he showed at all). His inability to be a father has left my wife with a lot of guilt which has compelled her to spoil my step son, and now he's grown up he has a spoiled attitude, rude behavior, he's lazy, entitled, and lacks integrity.

I shared a write up of some strict house rules I mean to impose to whip my family into shape (they all need it to varying degrees). They sleep too much during the day, don't get outside enough, and are too lax with their eating habits (including when they eat). I mean to change all that when I'm head of the household again and I told this person "I intend to make my step sons life difficult" because he needs it more than anyone.

As I was discussing this with that person, I noted that my wife doesn't think her son is spoiled because it's off-set somehow by the "hard life" he's had without a father. The person I was sharing this with countered that an absent father doesn't a hard life make, per se. That there are a lot of people nationwide who have grown up without fathers but their lives weren't hard, or if they were that's because they actually suffered whereas my step son hasn't. He's always had all of his needs met and plenty of luxuries given (I mean, when my wife and I were first dating I noticed the lengths she went to to find him a Playstation 5 - well beyond what most parents would do).

Anyway. Measured against our Catholic ethics and morals, would you say simply having an absentee father automatically makes for a hard life?

Video Talk

Jeremiah 18:1-11 ESV


I sense that the Lord Jesus would have me share some of my personal testimony here as one who is clay in the Potter’s Hands.

I was brought up from birth attending gatherings of the church, and for 63 years of my life (I am now 73) I weekly gathered together with the church in person, or with what is being called “church” in various cities and states and locations. But I also ministered within these gatherings in teaching the Scriptures, beginning at age 16, and in working with children, youth, college students, and women in various areas of ministry. I also did a lot of secretarial type of work both volunteer and for pay. And I sang in groups and directed ensembles and sang solos, etc.

At age 7 I trusted in Jesus Christ to be my Lord and Savior (I was born again of the Spirit of God) and I began following him with my life. But my home life was not good, so it was a definite challenge. Then, when I was in my early 20’s, our pastor recommended the NASB version of the Bible, and my husband and I bought it. And when I began reading it, the Word of God really began to come alive to me then, for I always struggled to understand the KJV. But when I began reading the NASB is when I really began to hear from the Lord and to follow his leading in my life like never before. And that is when I really began to grow in my walk of faith in the Lord Jesus.

Then, when I was close to age 40, I was going through menopause (I had a hysterectomy at age 31) and my hormones were going berserk and I was struggling in some areas of my life, and I ended up following my husband into sin, which lasted on and off over a span of about 6 years, with a 7 year gap, and then for about another year before the Lord brought me back for good. And then several years later the Lord called me to this present ministry of writing what he teaches me from his word each day and posting it on the internet, which I have been doing for the past 18 years.

Then the Lord Jesus had me go through the Scriptures one book at a time over and over again so that I learned the Scriptures and their context. And during this time he was teaching me so much, not just about the Scriptures, but about what is presently going on in our world in relation to prophecy of Scripture. And he was teaching me the difference between the true church, the body of Christ, and the institutional church of men. And during this time he also allowed me to go through much persecution at the hands of these institutional churches.

Long story, but the Lord then led me to gather with Christians on the internet, and that is my church. That is where I am able to meet with the body of Christ and minister in the areas of ministry to which my Lord has called me, which I was not able to do in these institutional churches because of the persecution, and because so many of them have now gone the way of the world and so they are altering the character of God and the gospel of Christ to make it more acceptable to the world. And I don’t fit with that.

Okay, so as followers of Jesus Christ we are all clay in the hands of the Potter (God). And he is working to make us into his likeness and to make us into the people he wants us to be for his glory. But if we do not cooperate with him, and we choose to walk in sin, instead, then he can’t use us. And he may bring upon us some disaster in order to get us to return to him. And so we must know that his promises only apply to us when we are doing what is required for those promises to be fulfilled. But if he threatens some type of divine correction because of our rebellion, but then we repent, he will relent, and he will rework us into another vessel which he can use.

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Oh, to Be Like Thee, Blessed Redeemer

Lyrics by Thomas O. Chisholm, 1897
Music by W. J. Kirkpatrick, 1897

Oh, to be like Thee! blessèd Redeemer,
This is my constant longing and prayer;
Gladly I’ll forfeit all of earth’s treasures,
Jesus, Thy perfect likeness to wear.

Oh, to be like Thee! full of compassion,
Loving, forgiving, tender and kind,
Helping the helpless, cheering the fainting,
Seeking the wandering sinner to find.

O to be like Thee! lowly in spirit,
Holy and harmless, patient and brave;
Meekly enduring cruel reproaches,
Willing to suffer others to save.

O to be like Thee! while I am pleading,
Pour out Thy Spirit, fill with Thy love;
Make me a temple meet for Thy dwelling,
Fit me for life and Heaven above.

Oh, to be like Thee! Oh, to be like Thee,
Blessèd Redeemer, pure as Thou art;
Come in Thy sweetness, come in Thy fullness;
Stamp Thine own image deep on my heart.

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How shall Christians think about criminals and the way to treat them? In English speaking lands prison is still mostly seen as a kind of punishment by deprivation of liberty and other strictures applied to the criminals in the prison system. But God never mandated prisons, we have inherited prisons from the Romans and other pagan societies and we have modified the harshness of the ancients with a kinder and gentler sort of prison, but still maintaining a strong punishment ethos.

So, with the knowledge that God gave the Law to Moses and did not provide for prisons nor for executions on every sort of crime - yet there were many crimes that would end in an execution so the law looks like it is too harsh for our societies to adopt as it stands written in the Pentateuch - what are we to do as Christians?

First of all, I want to praise the Lord for the fact that I've survived this long with my condition, which I will just say is no small miracle (no, I won't go into details of my personal health online). But I really need Him to start reversing my condition. There's so much more I want to do to serve Him, and I really don't want to leave the people who depend on me behind. So I'm praying He'll see fit to heal me soon, and would appreciate any prayers for the same from others.

Thank you in advance, may His will be done.

2 Corinthians 4:1-2 ESV


This was the Apostle Paul speaking for himself and for Timothy. And these words were addressed to the church of God (not a church denomination, not of man, but the true body of Christ, which is of God) at Corinth. So, these words are for the church, the body of Christ, which is of God and not of man. For the true church is not of a particular church denomination, and it is not a building, and it is not a business, and it is not incorporated under the state. Yet that is what much of today’s “church” has been turned into.

The true church is the body of Christ comprised of believers in Jesus Christ who have been crucified with Christ in death to sin, and who have been raised with Christ to walk in newness of life in him, no longer living as slaves to sin but now as slaves to God and to his righteousness. But we are not perfect people, and some are not living as they ought to live, and so that is why so much of the New Testament is dedicated to exhorting the church, the body of Christ, toward holy living and away from living in sin.

Yet, within the gatherings of the church, at least here in America, or in what is falsely being called “church,” we have a mixture of genuine followers of Christ, believers who are not presently living holy lives, those who make false professions of faith in Jesus Christ, but who never truly died with Christ to sin, and people from the world who make no professions of faith in Jesus Christ at all. And from the content of some of these letters in the New Testament, I would assume not all were walking as true followers of Christ.

So, Paul and Timothy had a ministry of God in sharing the truth of the gospel of Jesus Christ with the people, and of encouraging and urging the body of Christ, the church, away from living in sin and toward holy living. So, they were not like many “gospel ministers” today who are flim-flam artists who fake their Christianity, and who put on a show for the audience, and who lie and manipulate and trick people into believing lies and rejecting truth. They were honest, not cunning and crafty deceivers and manipulative schemers.

In fact, they purposefully and willfully put to death such things as that, and they refused to engage in disgraceful and underhanded ways. Awesome! And they rejected the whole notion of manipulating the Word of God in order to deceive and/or to manipulate the people. But, instead, they were honest and forthcoming and they told people the truth, and they made themselves vulnerable and accountable to the people. Oh, that we had more like them in our gatherings of the church today!! We all need to be like that!

For so many pastors of church congregations today have compromised the truth and righteousness in order to draw in large crowds of people from the world into their gatherings. And so they have become more like the world and have adopted many worldly ways in order to attract the people of the world to their gatherings. And so they have altered the whole meaning of “church” and of “worship” and they have altered the message of the gospel to make it more acceptable and appealing to human flesh.

2 Corinthians 4:3-4 ESV


Now, because we have so many liars and deceivers serving as pastors of congregations, who are teaching lies in place of the truth, and who are rejecting the truth of the gospel in favor of the lies, we also have many people professing faith in Jesus Christ who are following after the lies and who are rejecting the truth. But that is not the only reason they are rejecting the truth in favor of the lies. It is because their consciences are seared by living sinfully addictive lifestyles, and they don’t want to give those up.

So, many of them are now willfully blinded to the truth by shutting out the truth and via adopting the lies and via living the lie in their daily practices. And we are not speaking here of just those who make no profession of faith in Jesus, but of those who are claiming Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior, and heaven as their eternal home. Many of them are following the lies, and they are deliberately rejecting the truth through allowing themselves to be deceived, because they do not want to forsake their sins.

So, what we all need to understand here is that we cannot walk in sin and still have the hope of eternal life with God. We can’t just give lip service to the Lord and expect him to let us into his heaven. And we can’t just make up our own faith, our own gospel, and our own salvation to suit our own lifestyles. And we are not to build our own doctrine of salvation out of Scripture verses taught outside their context and twisted to say what the Scriptures overall do not teach regarding faith and salvation from sin.

For Jesus Christ said that if anyone would come after him, he must deny self, take up his cross daily (die daily to sin and to self) and follow (obey) him. For if we hold on to (save) our old lives of living in sin and for self, we will lose them for eternity. But if for the sake of Jesus we die with him to sin and live to his righteousness (lose our lives), then we have the hope of eternal life with God. For Jesus also said that not everyone who says to him, “Lord, Lord,” will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one DOING the will of God the Father in heaven (see Luke 9:23-26; Matthew 7:21-23).

And the New Testament apostles taught that we must die with Christ to sin and live to his righteousness, and that we must no longer walk in sin, making sin our practice, but that righteousness, holiness, and obedience to our Lord must be our practice, or we will not inherit eternal life with God. And Paul taught this much, for he taught the whole counsel of God, not this diluted and altered fake gospel which is permeating the church today. And so they told people the truth in order to save their lives for eternity.

[Matt 7:21-23; Matt 24:9-14; Lu 9:23-26; Rom 1:18-32; Rom 2:6-8; Rom 6:1-23; Rom 8:1-14,24; Rom 12:1-2; Rom 13:11; 1 Co 6:9-10,19-20; 2 Co 5:10,15,21; 1 Co 1:18; 1 Co 15:1-2; 2 Tim 1:8-9; Heb 9:28; 1 Pet 1:5; Gal 5:16-21; Gal 6:7-8; Eph 2:8-10; Eph 4:17-32; Eph 5:3-6; Col 1:21-23; Col 3:5-17; 1 Pet 2:24; Tit 2:11-14; 1 Jn 1:5-9; 1 Jn 2:3-6,24-25; 1 Jn 3:4-10; Heb 3:6,14-15; Heb 10:23-31; Heb 12:1-2; Rev 21:8,27; Rev 22:14-15]

The Longer I Serve Him

William J. Gaither

Since I started for the Kingdom,
Since my life He controls,
Since I gave my heart to Jesus,
The longer I serve Him,
The sweeter He grows.

Ev'ry need He is supplying,
Plenteous grace He bestows;
Ev'ry day my way gets brighter,
The longer I serve Him,
The sweeter He grows.

The longer I serve Him, the sweeter He grows,
The more that I love Him, more love He bestows;
Each day is like heaven, my heart overflows,
The longer I serve Him, the sweeter He grows.

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Ask yourself, what crime - humanly speaking - could a human being commit that would warrant eternal punishment involving the discomfort of fire and torments of some kind?

GOP lawmakers demand answers over Walter Reed’s ‘cease and desist’ order to Catholic priests at hospital during Holy Week

Republican lawmakers penned a scathing letter Pentagon officials after Walter Reed National Military Medical Center sent a “cease and desist” letter to Catholic priests to stop providing care during Holy Week when their contract expired.

In a letter obtained by Fox News, 24 Republicans are demanding answers from Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and slamming the White House administration’s alleged “attack on Christian faith.”

Last week, Walter Reed terminated a contract for pastoral care for its patients and issued a “cease and desist” order to a community of Catholic priests just days before Holy Week, The Catholic Archdiocese for the Military Services said.

The hospital had ended a contract with Holy Name College Friary — a Franciscan community of priests and brothers that has served at the center for nearly two decades.

“Forcing priests to stop providing care during Holy Week is not only morally wrong, but also a violation of the First Amendment,” Republicans wrote in their letter on Wednesday, according to Fox News.

[…]

Continued below.

It felt really good going to confession for the first time in, I think, a little over a year. I got a lot of things off of my chest and did my penance before going to daily Mass at another church later in the day. When I tell you that I felt glad to receive the Eucharist once more, I really mean it... but I think something important for me to remember is that my emotions are often fleeting and intense in nature. So when the times come when I'm not feeling particularly excited about my faith, I need to remember that it's normal to feel that way and that I don't have to go with the sway of my own emotions every single time that there is a shift. That's what usually gets me into big messes in the first place.

But right now, I'm really hoping to put some kind of a plan into place to keep myself from straying from God again like I always seem to do. I think continuing to do my homework on the wisdom of Catholic Church teachings is a good step to help cement my beliefs in place, but also perhaps being more diligent in my prayer life would be a good option too. Going to Mass and confession are good practices, but without daily prayer, I know I'm likely to teeter off of the edge of my faith again. Also, though it may sound counterintuitive, I think that taking things slowly would be a good option as well. I have a habit of always jumping into the deep end with both feet whenever I make a strong emotional decision (meaning that I'm an impulsive person), so maybe training my brain not to be so impulsive would be a great start. And as time passes and I find my people, I can start to pick things up to a normal level again, like reconnecting with old friends, certain family members, etc.

I'll be writing this list down for my own reference as well, but in the meantime, these are my thoughts on next steps to ensure that I don't fall away again. Hopefully, with the help of God, I can find stability and peace within again.

Jeremiah 17:15-18 People say: Where is the fulfilment of God’s Word? Let it come, if it can! It isn’t just the prospect of the coming disaster that makes me follow the Lord. I do not wish for Your judgement, You know all my thoughts and desires. On that evil day, be my refuge, may my persecutors be confounded, may they, not I be terrified. Bring onto Your enemies Your Day of vengeance and destroy them utterly.
Psalms 2:1-4 He who sits enthroned in Heaven, laughs at the wicked who conspire against Him and His people. Angrily, He rebukes them with His wrath.


Jeremiah 25:30-38 The Lord roars from on high, He thunders from His dwelling place, against His Land and those who dwell in it. This great noise reaches to the ends of the earth, for The Lord brings judgement to all the nations and indeed to all mankind. The godless and evil will be fuel for the fire. Ruin spreads around the world from this mighty tempest and those killed on that Day will lie scattered as dung upon the earth. Cry out, you leaders and shepherds of My people for this is your time to go to the slaughter, you cannot flee from the Lord’s fierce anger.

Jeremiah 4:23-28 I looked at the earth, it was in chaos, reeling to and fro, in darkness. Nobody could be seen and the land was a desolate wilderness, the towns ruined and deserted, because of the fierce anger of the Lord. The whole world will be affected but not completely destroyed. The earth will be in mourning for this. I have made known My purpose, I will not relent or change it.

Jeremiah 10:17-18 My people, gather up your goods and flee the country, for you are living under siege. The Lord says: This time, I shall throw out the whole population of the Land. I shall press them and squeeze them dry. Jeremiah 12:14

Isaiah 26:20-21 Go, My people enter your rooms and shut the door after you, withdraw for a little while, until the Lord’s wrath has passed. The Lord is coming from His dwelling place to punish the inhabitants of the earth for their sins, it will hide its transgressions no more.

Jeremiah 29:11-14 I alone, know My purpose for you, it is wellbeing and not misfortune, for you and your descendants. If you call Me and pray to Me, I shall listen to you. When you seek Me, you shall find Me, if you search wholeheartedly, I will let you find Me, says the Lord. I shall restore your fortunes and gather you from all the nations and all the places to which I have banished you and then I will restore you to the place from where you went into exile. Ref: REB, NIV, KJV. Some verses abridged.



The Lord has ‘made known His purpose’, that is to bring disaster onto the godless and the enemies of His people. This coming terrible Day of judgement will ‘affect the whole world’ and millions will die from the effects of the huge CME sunstrike that he will use. The Middle East will be cleared and cleansed and His Christian people who listened to His warnings and kept safe under shelter, will repopulate the Holy Land. As so clearly stated in Ezekiel 34:11-16 and in many other prophesies.
All the faithful Christians, the Israelites of God will gather and live in all the Land promised to Abraham. They live in peace and prosperity, in the new nation of Beulah, Isaiah 62:1-5, sending out 144,000 missionaries to proclaim the forthcoming Kingdom of Jesus.

Pax, Ειρήνη, שלום! Christ is Risen!!!

N.B. Feel free to share with or without attribution...but be warned: You may lose "friends" over it!!

The mass shootings are becoming an issue of sheer & utter folly. "The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge; fools despise wisdom and instruction." (Pr. 1:7). That's apparent now for both for the shooters & the legislators. *Both* of them have lost fear of the Lord's love for human life, especially children. The shooters, more obviously, but many legislators more perniciously, greedily, and spinelessly.

Historical knowledge is our greatest ally here: The 2nd Amendment (going by the Federalist Papers & other Founding Fathers) had three primary origins/purposes:

I. To maintain in theory the right of Englishmen to bear arms in Common Law according to the English Bill of Rights (A.D. 1689).

II. For American citizens to bear arms for self-protection against sporadic Native American raids (especially Iroquois in the northeast & Cherokee in the South), protection against slave revolts & maintenance of the chattel slavery economy (a disgusting fact!), and a more ethereal Jeffersonian, almost Anti-Federalist ideal – touted by modern gun rights advocates, quite often – of being able to successfully overthrow a tyrannical government.

III. To provide for the establishment of State militias (another early republican ideal) that were well-ordered (i.e., drilled in 18th century line infantry & cavalry tactics) and capable of being raised quickly in times of war by Congress as Federal militias. Only later did the Founders & their wise successors finally concede for a standing U.S. military over the milita ideal.

None, absolutely *zero*, of these conditions exist any longer. For good or ill.

The English, Scots, & later British Constitution never recognized an unlimited interpretation of the A.D. 1689 Bill of Rights; this especially when the revolts of the 18th century occurred (including in the American Colonies!!). Thus, I. is done away with easily.

There are no longer Native American raids (due to our racist subjection of the First Nations), the abomination of chattel slavery & thus slave revolts are happily a thing of the past (praise God!), nor does the average American citizen have *any* real capacity to overthrow the Federal government. Not only are US Federal modern military resources fully capable of easily putting down even the best, most well-equipped State militias (if they even existed), the War Between the States proved the superiority of Federal government's control of the United States economy & military against any even-footed rebellion. This is not even to mention that we are now a nuclear state! So, this ideal of many gun rights advocates – attractive in many ways to a republican heart as I can attest – is increasingly becoming amorphous & meaningless. So ends II.

Thirdly, the militia ideal of early republicanism died long ago. State militias barely exist now, and have been eclipsed by the Federal-controlled National Guard & Coast Guard. The modern interpretation, insofar as it is still viable, of the 2nd Amendment therefore leans heavily towards the initial clause understood as the US military and National Guard/Coast Guard.

Naturally, the 2nd Amendment still does give American citizens the right to have weapons – but to argue this is unlimited & includes weapons of modern warfare or semi-warfare is not just a *huge* stretch (based on writings of the Founding Father's alone!), but arguably great folly. Modern versions of ordinary rifles, shotguns, & handguns are more than sufficient for self-defense. These weapons have even been shown, when used well, to deal with things like gang violence. For myself, I collect swords & pre-modern weapons for self-defense...to each his own. But does anyone truly, really believe that ordinary citizens *need* grenade launchers, assault, assault-style rifles with large magazines, or armored vehicles like tanks?!

As the famous conservative Republican Chief Justice, the Hon. Warren E. Burger, in A.D. 1990 put it so well:

"The Constitution of the United States, in its Second Amendment, guarantees a 'right of the people to keep and bear arms'. However, the meaning of this clause cannot be understood except by looking to the purpose, the setting and the objectives of the draftsmen ... People of that day were apprehensive about the new 'monster' national government presented to them, and this helps explain the language and purpose of the Second Amendment ... We see that the need for a state militia was the predicate of the 'right' guaranteed; in short, it was declared 'necessary' in order to have a state military force to protect the security of the state. [...] If I were writing the Bill of Rights now, there wouldn't be any such thing as the Second Amendment ... that a well regulated militia being necessary for the defense of the state, the peoples' rights to bear arms. This has been the subject of one of the greatest pieces of fraud – I repeat the word 'fraud' – on the American public by special interest groups that I have ever seen in my lifetime."

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In other words, the 2nd Amendment is not considered a right of natural philosophical law so much as a republican political belief & ideal situated in a specific time & technological period. These words here are not easily swept aside by sophistry or bygone arguments suited to a past, long-gone era.

Lastly, I am a Romano-Byzantine Catholic Christian. I believe that all human life is absolutely sacred & God-given – from the womb to the tomb. I'm "pro-life for the whole life" as, frankly, Holy Mother Church teaches. I do believe that both Divine (cf., Lk. 11:21, 22:36; Rm. 13:4; 1 Tim. 5:8; Gn. 9:5-6; Ps. 82:3-4; Pr. 24:11, 25:26; Neh. 4:14; Est. 8:11-12; Jl. 3:10; 1 Macc. 3:20-21, 3:58-59, etc.) and natural/philosophical laws allow for self-defense & even just wars in certain conditions (CCC §2259-2267; §2302-2317). So I'm no pacifist nor an idealist unable to see reality. Evil does exist in the hearts of men...and sometimes it must be resisted by force, even deadly. But all the verses above do not stand alone: They must be interpreted in light of the New Testament, the Words of Christ, and even the prophetic calls for peace in the Old Testament. One way the Church does this is via the universal Catechism & the oft-forgotten Compendium of the Social Doctrine of the Church. They are *not* Biblical prooftexts.

But wanton proliferation of weapons for no substantive reason is not a moral good. Hoarding of weapons, especially destructive ones, in some fantasy of overthrowing a modern government is not a moral good. Guns can be, like anything, idols which lead us to demonic & evil activity or ends. This especially since they are weapons designed to harm or kill. It was demons, fallen-angels, that taught us to make these artifices, as ancient Jewish & Christian texts and Church traditions teach (cf. Gen. 6:1-8; 1 Enoch). And it was the wicked Men of Cain who were the first to bring weapons & violence into the Creator's world (Gen. 4:19-24, 6:5).

Our Lord Jesus Christ came into the world to destroy the works of the Devil (1 Jn. 3:8), and He said clearly to His Chief Apostle & Disciple: "Put your sword back into its place. For all who take the sword will perish by the sword." (Mt. 26:52). This is, of course, not a universal statement...but it is worth pondering in prayer. As a historian, I can assure you that Jesus' words have been proven countless times...over, and over, and over. Ad nauseam.

This is call by a feeble, unworthy American Christian & a Reader of the One, Holy, Catholic, & Apostolic Church to seriously, courageously, and piously rethink how we interpret & implement the 2nd Amendment of our Great Country, and the role of self-defense & violence in our society *today,* as it currently exists in a Catholic worldview faithful to the living Magisterium.

Greetings, I am in a rough patch. Please pray for me to be able to find some work. Thank you.

From the Lutheran Prayer Companion,

I give thanks to You, my dear Lord Jesus Christ, that You, as the stronger One, have attacked and overcome the strong, armored man, taken away his weapons and armor in which he trusted, spoiled his kingdom, cast out the prince of the world, and made a show of all my enemies, triumphing over them through Yourself. And I beseech You, O most beloved Lord Jesus Christ, mightily to curb and restrain the condemned, shameful filth, that he may not cast me down in presumption and doubt, nor wound me with his murderous arrows of predestination apart from God’s revealed Word and make me fearful and desperate because of the weakness of my faith or some other reason. O dearest Savior, grant me power and strength hereby to overcome and beat back these and all his fiery arrows, and finally to obtain the crown of life and the imperishable wreath of glory in life everlasting. Amen.

Demographic replacement, pro-life people being spotted as domestic terrorists, institutions infiltrated by evil, how the heck does this happen in a nation that is supposed to be "Christian". If Conservatives or Christians do anything to resist, they are the ones punished. It is going to take a very high-energy event to reverse that status quo and make our civilization great again.

The Muslim world has it's own problems, but at least everyone fears attempting to subvert Muslim culture, destroy their demographics, brainwash their children, etc. Christians are softened and pacifist. And not just the US, but all the other traditionally Christian countries.

Please pray for my fathers health. He has to get a biopsy to check for prostate cancer. He is 67, and I want him to be in good health. Please pray for good outcomes for him, and that he may live a long healthy life