• 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.

DeSantis brushes off Trump attacks: ‘All that’s just noise’


"Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) brushed off attacks from former President Trump while taking questions at a high school on Tuesday, saying the criticism he has received from the former president is “just noise.”

“I think what you learn is, all that’s just noise, and really what matters is, are you leading, are you getting in front of issues, are you delivering results for people and are you standing up for folks?” he said. “And if you do that, then none of that stuff matters.”



He then went on to say...
“go check out the scoreboard from last Tuesday night.”

  • Suggestion
Orange, boss, orange

The orange text on the top of quote boxes is too light, and it is obnoxious. Example:

1 Corinthians 29:2 said:
Now with all my ability I have provided for the house of my God the gold for the things of gold, the silver for the things of silver, the bronze for the things of bronze, the iron for the things of iron, wood for the things of wood, onyx stones and inlaid stones, stones of antimony and stones of various colors, and all kinds of precious stones and alabaster in abundance.

Previously, before the upgrade said text was a sensible gray. Also, the quote box had a gray background. Any way that can be fixed?

Also, in general all of the orange on the forum index is an assault on my optometrist-needing eyeballs. Is there any way that can be toned down, like made into a darker orange or replaced with a medium green? If all of the oranges are linked together, replacing them with #208735 Green would be amazing.

Agree/disagree? Any other color suggestions?

'We Have The Votes': The Senate Will Act This Week To Codify Same-Sex Marriage

There had been some action on this before the election, but now that GOP senators are free to vote their conscience, it looks like at least 10 of them will join the Democrats in making SSM the law of the land, assuming this report is accurate.

Same-sex marriage has been legal nationwide since 2015, when the Supreme Court ruled that same-sex couples are guaranteed the fundamental right to marry under the Constitution. But after the now-conservative court struck down Roe v. Wade in June ― tossing out nearly 50 years of precedent on reproductive rights ― Democrats and some Republicans are anxious about the court’s plans for weakening other civil rights.

And because the Senate plans to take the House bill [passed in July] and simply amend it, versus senators introducing an entirely new bill, the House only has to vote to accept the changes to their bill versus starting the process over again.

All 50 Democratic senators have said they’d support legislation to codify same-sex marriage. That means the Senate bill needs at least 10 Republicans to support it, too, in order to overcome a filibuster. So who are they?

So far, the only GOP senators saying anything about this week’s forthcoming bill are the three who are in the bipartisan group that helped get a deal on the bill in the first place: Sens. Susan Collins (Maine), Rob Portman (Ohio) and Thom Tillis (N.C.).

  • Suggestion
Search function, warnings, likes

#1 The search function still appears to be wonky. It works very nicely for 'search this thread', but more general searches seem to be missing anything post 2007.

#2 Not that I'll ever need it, um, but adding the Active Warnings count to the profile is a great addition.

#3 Others have alluded to the 'likes'. I think the former choices allowed more flexibility. 'Informative' is particularly useful. There's a new story about a bomb dropping accidentally in Poland. I certainly don't want to Like that, though I suppose I can be angry or sad about it.

I wonder also if the 'Angry' reaction might lead to goading or accusations of goading. The former set had the advantage of all being fairly positive reactions.

I think the 'Reaction score' now only counts literal likes, so that the number is very different (and lower) than it used to be. My fragile ego was so happy when my 'reaction score' surpassed my posting total. And now it's gone! It's called a score, and my score went down. Waaah!

If I were going to pretend this wasn't all about me.... that was also useful as a proxy for judging poster credibility. Do they have a ratio over 1?

Anyway, even if the old set of reactions is not restored, it would be nice if the displayed score was one-time-only brought up to match the 'legacy' score.

#4 Agree with others that showing at least more of the profile info on the standard post view would be better. Oh, looks like it's already been done.

Theistic Evolution, Catholicism or ND?

As you all know, I’m a theistic evolutionist. I was raised Catholic and long story short left Catholicism for Lutheran LCMS. I disagree with the LCMSs teachings on the age of the earth and Biblical Creation. So now where should I go? Return to Catholicism or go to a ND church that allows belief in theistic evolution and an old earth?

  • Poll
Red Flags in a 1 year relationship

Should I stay or should I go?

  • Stay

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • Go

    Votes: 9 100.0%

Hi all, I am new to this community but was desperately seeking a place that I can find Christian based advice on my dating life. I welcome any resources!

I am having serious doubts and trust issues in my one year relationship. I met my boyfriend on Upward (the Christian dating site) with much hesitation. I was engaged in 2018 and when that relationship ended it almost broke me. I chose to devote my energy on my relationship with God rather than seeking a new relationship. 3 years later I took a leap of faith and started dating again. I was instantly drawn to this man who I have now been with for a little over a year. I was terrified of starting something new but I felt that God brought us together. Half a year into our relationship I started to get the feeling that I couldn’t trust him. I decided to ignore the feelings and 3 months later I stumbled across several messages he was sending to other women. He was on a couple of different dating sites. I confronted him about it without showing any anger but he denied it until I showed him screenshots that I took. He told me that he couldn’t explain why he was talking to these other women, and that he has never gone out with them or physically connected with them. He told me that he only loves me. He then explained that this behavior was a type of distraction to not engage in watching pornography. He felt a sense of gratification from matching online with other women. He told me that “I’m too good for him.” I wanted to understand his bout with sexual sin and support him through it. I decided to forgive him with the promise that he would work on our relationship and come to me if he felt a moment of weakness. We started praying together more but it has still felt like a struggle. Fast forward, today I was helping him clean his apartment and I found a red blouse hidden in one of his drawers. I am trying to make every excuse in my head that this isn’t what I think it is. I’m questioning whether it was from a past relationship and was simply forgotten, but then I know I would’ve seen it a long time ago. He says that he loves me and he does all of these amazing things to “take care” of me. He goes to church with me and prays with me. I just don’t get why this is happening. I want to work on whatever the issue is but I feel like I am just in denial. The old version of me would have walked out of the relationship the moment she saw those messages months ago. I’ve changed, I seek to exemplify grace, but at what point does grace become naïveté. I carry a lot of guilt about how my last relationship ended. I felt like I gave up on that relationship and pushed my ex away. Now I feel like I have to do better in this relationship and fight for this person that I truly love. I just don’t know if I’m fighting in vain.
  • Prayers
Reactions: Joined2krist

The Spirit of Anti-Christ

John wrote, "Beloved, believe not every Spirit, but try the Spirits whether they be of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world" 1 John 4:1.

What is the Spirit of Anti-Christ?

Anything that subverts the deity of Jesus Christ is Anti-Christ. Many cults and religions teach that Jesus was just an ordinary man and was not divine, they are Anti-Christ.

Anything that subverts the Gospel of Jesus Christ is Anti-Christ. Many religions teach that salvation is by works and obedience to the law. Many religions teach a salvation of works or obedience mixed with faith; this is a subtle way of teaching a false Gospel. Calvinism is another Gospel of salvation by predestination, which is a false Gospel and is anti-Christ, because it bypasses the work and the person of Jesus Christ.

Anti-Christ is another Gospel. Paul said, "But though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other Gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed" Galatians 1:8.

There is only one Gospel, it is the Gospel that justifies the ungodly, Romans 4:5 and reconciles us and the world unto God, 2 Corinthians 5:18, 19. We are justified and reconciled unto God by the work and the person of Jesus Christ, plus nothing. No works, no obedience to the law. This work of salvation was done totally and completely outside of us. We had nothing, absolutely nothing to do with it. To say that we do is anti-Christ. All that we are called to do is to believe it, Ephesians 2:8.

Salvation is by faith alone, because it is by Christ alone. It is by Christ alone because man who is a sinner cannot save himself. God does not accept the works or the obedience of sinners, which we are all one of. If he did, that would make him a sinner. We are accepted only in Christ and because of Christ. Beware of the Spirit of Anti-Christ.

The Gospel is the entrance into heaven. Satan knows that if he can subvert the Gospel with works and obedience to the law that many will be lost. Salvation has always been by faith, even in the Old Testament. Nothing has changed, we are still saved and justified by Christ and by Christ alone.

Thinking about confession.

I recently wrote a short letter in response to a question from a Christian. The short letter is about confession. I think it may be useful for some in this forum too, if they wonder why one ought to confess and to whom. It is only a short letter, so do not expect an encyclopaedic treatment of the subject. Here it is, in a modified form for a modified readership.

The main purpose of confession is to receive both reconciliation with the Church and God as well as to receive advice and assistance for dealing with the serious sins that you wish to confess.
  • One seeks reconciliation with the Church if one's sins have caused harm within or to the Church such as a public scandal or harm of some kind to some within the Church.
  • One seeks reconciliation with God because every sin is offensive to God's justice, truth, and needs God's mercy and grace to be forgiven.
  • One receives assistance and advice from one's confessor, who God enables to perform this office by means of his grace and the gift of wisdom so that the confessor can help in practical ways, those who struggle with sins that cause them grief and guilt.

Often these are sins of the passions, lust, adultery, or adulterous thoughts if one is married. But other serious matters also cause Christians to feel a need for help and confession.

So, Catholics view confession as serving two primary purposes,
  • the first is to unburden the conscience by discussing the sins that are troubling the Christian,
  • and the second is to receive advice and help to stop sinning in the same way so that the conscience will not be troubled again by committing the same sins over and over again.
A priest is involved primarily to advise and assist but also to represent God when absolution is given from one's sins.

Unconfessed sins will not condemn one to hell if one is repentant and has sought God's forgiveness and help to deal with them. It is not God's desire for any people to perish, he wishes all to repent and live (see 2 Peter 3:9).

So, confess your sins to God first and immediately, and then seek out an opportunity to confess to a priest as soon as practical.

If you have sinned but forgotten, then pray to God that he will help you to recognise your faults and sins so that you can confess them to him and receive grace to cleans your conscience (see Psalm 51).

Lastly, catechumens may confess to a priest, they are expected to do so before baptism as part of the process of conversion.

And no, a convert is not expected to write a list of every sin he/she ever committed and confess each of them individually, that would take a very long time and the priest, being only a man, would soon tire and need rest. It is better to confess those sins that produce grief and guilt in your own mind and conscience and then to ask for help from God to search your soul and cleans your conscience from hidden guilt. Psalm 51 is helpful to read for this purpose.

Anti-vaccination America’s Frontline Doctors Group Implodes over founder Dr. Simone Gold's spending

COVID-Denying Medical Group Implodes Over Founder’s Extravagant Spending

For months, AFLDS has been split between its board and Gold, the group’s charismatic founder and convicted Capitol rioter, over an internal audit into Gold’s personal spending. That dispute spilled into the open on Nov. 5, when the board sued Gold to try and force her to stop representing the organization, in a lawsuit first reported by Vice News. Now the lawsuit’s outcome could determine the fate of the group driving much of the medical disinformation on the pro-Trump right.

AFLDS is tearing itself apart in a fight over what Gold’s rivals describe as her extravagant spending using the group’s funds. The alleged purchases include $100,000 on a single private jet trip and $50,000 a month in Gold’s personal expenses. Much of the controversy has centered on AFLDS’s purchase of a $3.6 million mansion in Naples, Florida., where Gold lives with her boyfriend: a much younger underwear model and fellow Capitol rioter.

Gold ultimately pleaded guilty to one of her riot charges in June, and was sentenced to 60 days of incarceration. When she emerged from a federal prison in Miami this September, she was touted as a hero. As hard-right Rep. Louie Gohmert (R-TX) welcomed her outside the facility, Gold made a heart sign with her hands.

But the good feelings from Gold’s homecoming were short-lived. Soon after she left prison, Gilbert took her aside. While Gold was gone, AFLDS’s board had launched an internal audit of her spending


Well, at least this grift didn't hurt anybod... oh, wait, that's right.

As AFLDS’s leadership squabbles, the group’s rank-and-file employees are struggling to fulfill the organization’s basic functions, like connecting their supporters with prescriptions for ivermectin and hydroxychloroquine.

After Promising to Go Hard on China, Biden Takes a Soft Stance

Critics are calling out President Biden for failing to address some key issues facing the U.S. during his meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping Monday at the G-20. Rather than discuss the origins of COVID-19 or fentanyl coming from China, Biden opted to restart dialogue on climate change instead.
Biden called out for failing to bring up COVID with China’s Xi: ‘Stand up for families’

Fentanyl and Covid killed MILLIONS of Americans, but Biden fails to bring any of it up. I find this hypocritical. Not only did Biden lie when he made a campaign promise to go hard on China, the media and the left failed to hold him accountable. Yet, even though Putin did far less, did their best to destroy Trump and claim he was in Putin's pocket for not pressing him on election interference.

Republicans starting to turn on Trump

..and are saying the things Democrats...have been saying all along.

Pence blasts Trump over January 6 in harshest comments yet: 'He endangered me and my family'
Pence

Former Trump ally Mo Brooks denounces him as ‘dishonest, incompetent and crude’
MO Brooks

Chris Christie, the former New Jersey governor, said Wednesday on ABC’s “Good Morning America.” “It’s a huge loss for Trump. And, again, it shows that his political instincts are not about the party, they’re not about the country — they’re about him.”
Trump Under Fire From Within G.O.P. After Midterms

Now this is only 3. That's small. I expect that number to increase.

How can the republican party successfully unattached from the man without proving democrats right on their appraisal of him?

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