I have already ranted about my main issue(s), so Hello from a very warm Minnesota. Have no idea anymore of my faith as yes I love God but at the same time I hate God. But hopefully it is going good for all of you.

Hey Everyone!

I wanted to reach out to the community on here as something has been deeply weighing on my heart and mind. This past Thursday (February 15th) was my 29th birthday - I had a tonsillectomy. I had been ill since Christmas Eve of 2023 with recurring strep throat and 3 rounds of antibiotics. Now, that should all be gone! I am on day 5 of recovery in quite a bit of pain and agony, but am hopeful for a better future.
This past Saturday, something very scary happened. Now I want to add that I do have EXTREME anxiety/panic issues, and am currently taking medication for it. On Saturday, I noticed my heart was beating very strangely. My wife, who is a Paramedic, ran me by her station to run an EKG on me and discovered that I was throwing an arrhythmia (she called it 'Couplets'). From that moment on, I started shaking, crying, trembling...panicking! I thought I was GOING to die. Her coworker used words like "he has a second degree heart block, he needs to go to the ER NOW"; I had no idea what any of this meant. My wife reassured me it was something fixable, not to fret, and remain calm. The entire time in the ER, I could not stop shaking out of fear and adrenaline - I was praying to myself and I felt "Hopeless" in a sense. I was NOT ready to die. All I kept thinking about was my family, my wife and our baby boy who is due to be born in a couple of weeks, and how I have let God down with my sin and disobedience.
After a few hours of sheer panic, I finally started to calm down as most of my test results started coming back normal. At this point, I SOBBED. I have never felt such an intense fear of death in my life, and I feel like my faith has been shaken to my core. My wife re-assured me that God says 365 times in the bible to "Not be Afraid", yet I can listen to that and still feel utterly terrified of death.
A few weeks ago, our pastor had mentioned that you can tell someone is saved by the Life that they live. They will have a NOTICEABLE change...I thought to myself about this and realized that I had accepted Christ many years ago, but I don't really know if there was a discernible change?

I guess...how will you know when your heart is completely and utterly filled with the Love of Jesus, that not even Death can scare you? Does it mean that because of feeling I had Saturday, I am not saved?

In 1st place was Abraham Lincoln, who received a ranking of 93.87.

In 2nd place was Franklin D. Roosevelt, receiving a 90.83.

The president in 3rd place was the first president, George Washington, who received a 90.32 ranking.

Additional rankings:

12th, Bill Clinton (66.42)
14th, Joe Biden (62.66)
16th, Ronald Reagan (61.62)
22nd, Jimmy Carter (54.26)
32nd, George W. Bush (40.43)
35th, Richard Nixon (36.41)
45th, Donald Trump (10.92)



Measuring presidential greatness is, of course, both subjective and selective. Historians routinely reanalyze leaders' successes and failures — and in today's polarized political climate, those qualities can look very different, depending on whom you ask. It can also be difficult to extract distinct criteria for presidential greatness, other than helming the United States during critical moments in history — such as helping found the country or keeping the nation together.

The survey's goal is to give historians and experts on the presidency a chance to state their opinion of where today's leaders stand in a broader context. To do so, Rottinghaus and Vaughn sent requests to current and recent members of the Presidents and Executive Politics section of the American Political Science Association.

"Perhaps you would like to see “the offense” in question. Well, here it is, in all its naked criminality.

The video montage shows you contact in the Whitepine League, which is a strong and competitive league. While contact like this could be considered criminal on the sidewalk, it is not, never has been, and never should be treated as criminal on the court. The video then moves on to bad (but not criminal) behavior in college ball, and the same in the NBA. many of them not called as fouls, then fouls in college ball, and then fouls in the NBA. It concludes with the two Logos incidents in question."

The Archdiocese of New York did not immediately respond to a request for comment from The Daily Signal as to why St. Patrick’s Cathedral hosted the funeral, “an event with no likely precedent in Catholic history,” as The New York Times described it. The cathedral referred The Daily Signal to the archdiocese.
After publication, the archdiocese released a statement condemning the funeral and announcing priests had performed a Mass of Reparation.
“That St. Patrick’s Cathedral would host the funeral for a high-profile transgender activist who was well known for her advocacy on behalf of sex workers, transgender people, and people living with HIV might come as a surprise to some,” The New York Times reported. The funeral appears to have been widely attended by media from top U.S. publications.
One of the organizers of the funeral said that St. Patrick’s Cathedral was not told that Gentili identified as a transgender woman. Gentili is also revered by those who identify as LGBTQ as a “transgender icon” and advocate.
“I kind of kept it under wraps,” organizer Ceyenne Doroshow, a man who identifies as a woman, told the Times, explaining that St. Patrick’s Cathedral is “an icon, just like her.”
The Rev. Fr. Edward Dougherty led the service, according to Time magazine, telling the funeral attendees: “Cecilia died with Christ.”

I was gonna single out Cardinal Dolan but then I realized the earlier incident was in Brooklyn which is a separate diocese and has it's own bishop. Just four months ago that disgraceful Sabrina Carpenter video was filmed in a Brooklyn Catholic church and now in Manhattan we have that repugnant funeral in the cathedral of all places. What's making it worse is they're gloating about the details of how they masked the whole thing to insure that it happened.

Am I the only one who thinks the responses in both cases have been too soft? I'd like to think the Church is "turning the other cheek" publicly but privately they're going to the mattresses, but the US Church has grown way too soft.

Headline is a question, therefore the answer is no.


A bill recently signed into law in Utah sets up a process for the state to overrule or otherwise ignore federal rules and decisions, the latest move in a Republican-led push against what they see as federal overreach.

The Utah bill, introduced as the “Utah Constitutional Sovereignty Act,” was signed into law by Gov. Spencer Cox on January 31.

Yet the push may stand in conflict with the US Constitution’s “Supremacy Clause,” which states federal laws take precedence over state ones. Robert Keiter, a law professor at the University of Utah’s SJ Quinney College of Law, said he was skeptical the Sovereignty Act was constitutional.

House Republicans were shocked by some of the recent high-profile retirements announced by their colleagues, which have included powerful committee chairs and rising stars inside the GOP.

“They’ve signed up to do serious things. And we’re not doing serious things,” said Rep. Ken Buck of Colorado, a conservative who is retiring after bucking his party on several key issues.

“When you’re divided in your own conference, the joy of the job is harder,” [NE Rep. Don] Bacon told CNN. “When you have folks on your own team with their knives out, it makes it less enjoyable.”

And Rep. Carlos Gimenez of Florida, an ally of deposed former Speaker Kevin McCarthy, said this is not how he or many of his colleagues imagined life in the majority, saying, “I thought that some of our members would be smarter.”

As the 118th Congress has been dominated by deep dysfunction and bitter divisions inside the GOP, a number of Republicans – particularly from the so-called governing wing – are heading for the exits. So far, 23 GOP lawmakers have decided to not seek reelection or resigned early, including five committee chairs, though some have cited personal reasons or are seeking higher office.

Energy and Commerce Chair Cathy McMorris Rodgers of Washington is not even term-limited yet in her plum post, while China select committee Chair Mike Gallagher of Wisconsin, a 39-year-old who was once seen as the future of the party, recently announced he was leaving Congress after facing intense blowback for voting against impeaching Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas.

“Those are big losses for us,” said Rep. Greg Pence of Indiana, who is among the [eight] members on the [Energy and Commerce] panel hanging up his voting card. “It is alarming. Especially for the institutional knowledge … So, that’s a big deal.”

[Other within the GOP see things differently.]

“Brain drain? Why don’t you survey the country and see if there is any brain to drain in Congress. Congress has a 20% approval rating. Most of what we do to the country is bad,” [Freedom Caucus Chairman Bob] Good told CNN. “I think the retirements are a wonderful thing … I have no concerns, zero concerns. We probably need a few more retirements.”

Democrats have also seen their fair share in retirements this cycle as they have been relegated to the minority. [However, the situation is obviously different if you're [at least numerically] in the majority. But the slim GOP majority in the House has been largely unable to work its will. The planners and compromisers are heading for the exit, leaving behind the 'my way or the highway' gang.]

"VATICAN CITY (ChurchMilitant.com) - Pope Francis has appointed as consultors to the Synod on Synodality three women who are pushing for the ordination of female deacons and priests."

I asked AI recently how many Christian denominations exist. It mentioned approximately 40k but hard to pinpoint an exact number.
Is an attempt to unify all Christian denominations into One worth undertaking if that attempt is well received and supported? It would require interdenominational conversation in attempts to find common ground. Does the Bible say we should be divided or does scripture indicate unity among all Christians? I’m just not sure Jesus intended his ministry to be disentegrated as it has been these past 2 millennia.

Foremost Group CEO Angela Chao died after car went into Texas pond, sheriff says

Foremost Group CEO Angela Chao, the sister-in-law of Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, was pronounced dead after her car went into a pond at a private property located about 40 miles west of Austin, Texas, officials said.

• Chao, a double Harvard graduate who became CEO of the dry bulk shipping company Foremost in 2018, was married to venture capitalist Jim Breyer.
• She is the sister of Elaine Chao, who served as Secretary of Transportation in the Trump administration and as Secretary of Labor in the administration of former President George W. Bush.

I was thinking about something in my life that I would do differently if I could go back in time. I mean, there are a few things really but one in particular. I don't necessarily consider it a "regret" because I made some good friends doing it and it still got me to where I am today. But if I could redo anything I think I would choose not to go to college.

I went later in life. I was born in 87 so most of my friends and peers graduated between 2009-11. Because of the path my life took I started community college after high school in 2005 but spun my wheels pursuing the wrong career for almost 10 years. In 2014 the opportunity came to go back to school after taking some time off and a lot of things clicked when I realized what I wanted to pursue (media). I finished my general ed courses and transferred to a four year where I got my BA in Communication Design. Now it was a fun time, but I had to go into debt to do it. $30,000 to be exact. It'd probably be less but I foolishly borrowed $10K privately so I could rent an apartment close to campus and live on my own, rather than staying with my folks (which being 28 and freshly divorced felt weird at the time, that's how I justified it) and just buying a $120 parking permit.

So long story short, I had 5 years of broadcast experience before going back to school, and when I graduated I dove right back into the same scene, starting at the bottom of the totem pole again. Within a year I worked my way up to video editor of our morning show, and two years after that I was hired at a global network as a video editor for the evening news show.

Three months after I started there I was having a friendly conversation with my supervisor when he let me in on a secret: they didn't hire me because of my education or degree, they hired me because of my professional experience. They were impressed that I edited all the video for the morning show all by myself. So I reflected on that for a while and realized I could've gone a much quicker and cheaper route. I could've simply pursued a certification, or at most an AA, from community college for about $1-2K that I could've paid out of pocket, I would've been able to get the same job at the station I worked at after graduating, and likely would've achieved the same promotions and obtained the job I have now.

Now I'm still dealing with $30K in debt for a degree that honestly doesn't have much value to me when my industry prefers experience. I also had to shovel a lot of crap taking extra "required" classes for stupid subjects that weren't related to my major.

That's what I'd change. Do you guys feel the same way about anything in your life? Not necessarily "regret" but just something you'd do differently if you had a chance to "edit" that season of your life?

The love that this is speaking of here is not human love. It is not based in human emotions and feelings nor in our circumstances. It is not dependent on the one being loved being lovable. And it is not based in our culture and traditions and in human interpretation and application. This love is “agape” love which originates with God, and which prefers what God prefers, which is all that is holy, righteous, godly, morally pure, upright, honest and faithful.

So, the one who is loving with this agape love will prefer to live through Christ, to embrace God’s will, to choose his choices, and to actively obey them in his power and strength and wisdom. And he is going to do to and for others what is for their good, as God defines good. And he (or she) will not deliberately and/or habitually and/or premeditatedly sin against others. So he will not lie to, cheat, or cheat on, slander, and gossip about them, etc.

So, when this says that “whoever loves has been born of God and knows God” this is speaking of those who are actively loving God and other humans with this agape love. And if we are loving God with this love which comes from him, we are going to obey him and his commandments under the New Covenant, and we are going to live holy lives, pleasing to him, separate (unlike, different) from the world because we are becoming like Jesus.

So, this is not saying that if you just go around being nice to people that it means that you know God and that you have been born of God. For to know God means that we have been crucified with Christ in death to sin, and we have been raised with Christ to walk in newness of life in him, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness, to live no longer as slaves to sin but now as slaves to God and to his righteousness, in his power.

For if we profess to be in fellowship with God/Christ, but we continue to walk in sin, we are liars. And if we profess to know God, but we do not obey his commandments, in practice, we are liars. For no one born of God, who abides in Christ, makes a practice of sinning. But whoever practices righteousness is righteous in the sight of God. Whoever does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor is the one who does not love his brother.

[Romans 6:1-23; 1 John 1:5-10; 1 John 2:3-6; 1 John 3:4-10]

Now our prime example that we have in human form of what this kind of love looks like is Jesus Christ who is God, the second person of our triune God – Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. When Jesus Christ lived on this earth he healed the sick and afflicted, raised the dead, delivered people from demons, fed the hungry, comforted the sorrowful, and he preached repentance and obedience to him for forgiveness of sins and eternal life with God.

But he also spoke the truth in love to the people, even strongly to some who were self-righteous and full of pride and who were hypocrites who did not live what they professed. They were big on looking good on the outside, but Jesus said that inside they were full of wicked deeds, greed, hypocrisy, and self-indulgence. They were those who did not practice what they preached who were leading others to hell on the promise of heaven (false teachers).

Jesus didn’t lie to people to make them feel good about themselves. He did not dilute and alter his gospel message in order to attract the world to “Christian” gatherings. He was not concerned about offending people with the truth. He was concerned about their lives here on the earth and where they would spend eternity. And he didn’t die on that cross just to forgive us our sins so that heaven would be secured us for eternity.

He died that we might die with him to sin and walk with him in holiness and in obedience to his commands so that we would have eternal life in him. And he died that we might live for him and no longer for self. And he shed his blood for us to buy us back for God (to redeem us) out of our lives of slavery (addiction) to sin so that we will now honor him with our bodies. And he died and rose from the dead to give us new life in him to be lived for his glory.

[1 Peter 2:24; 2 Corinthians 5:15; 1 Corinthians 6:19-20; Luke 9:23-26]

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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please pray for a job and wisdom re: which church to go to. thank you

What is the real purpose of being a missionary ? Is it not to reach those who are hungry naked sick to give them money to provide to also visit christians in prison and other prisoners to let others know their situation ? for isnt that what christ commanded to preach that one should be preaching the whole gospel. But actually it seems it is not God will for all to travel abroad as they are not protected. We should just support from where we are those in such situation which is the job of christians who are protected to reach all those to record them unless christ specifically calls us. How might we help support christian prisoners and other prisoners overseas is there anyway we can help ?

How might people help the needy if one is poor without money ? How can they fulfill matthew 25 even if they seek to work to help they may die before they make money

How can one know if someone made all their living ethically if for some example they cheated in high school to get into a better course or in college and made money after they graduated in college. Should they sell all money they made and start from scratch. And i am not sure if one somehow did anything illegal in business to make money. Must one sell it all to have no money. And what if one works for a company that in one time they cheated in life. Is all their money ethical.

We see Matthew only gave away most of his money but kept some.

Also I want to ask about piracy because some make a profit selling old items but how do you know if they somehow stole it and is it ethical to sell it for big price. If one downloads a thing illegally and pays the original company that made the item by buying one of their recent products but sometimes a product is made by multiple companies. But I think is wrong to support others to distribute things illegally.

Anyway I am just wondering but I will not make excuses that I will pay for item online if I want it but I am troubled as I wonder if some sometimes stole it and I should pay the companies also who made it.

I was going to use a strategy guide for a game I have that I downloaded illegally before but now want to pay for it but the price is about $90 aud

Though it will be expensive may be able to manage by not being occupied with too many possesions that i should only focus on one thing at a time than desiring many things. But I wonder anyway if the money I have which is some amount by my father to support me as I was not working but now am sometimes working as I did find job where I can choose hours to work not too big though to still not making enough yet I wonder if we would have that amount if it was all obtained ethically which I assume is.

I will be frank and say that I live in the world as a wordly person as I don’t see any alternative. Which is begrudging because I don’t really like it here. I don’t even see why anyone would want to be here or why people cling to their lives, as if it is important? What am missing?

Jerryhuerta said,​

You aren't a historicist, so you should be posting on my thread.​

As to your statements on Israel,



Quote. Not only do I disagree with dispensationalism but I disagree with what you are saying also. Israel, the lost sheep, went into dispersion/captivity, at least 100 years before Judah went into captivity in Babylon; The difference between Israel and Judah was Israel had abandoned God, to the point of Keeping Sunday; Judah was still in covenant even when in captivity, and when Jesus arrived all they had to do was repent and anoint the most high; it was Mary Madeleine who anointed Jesus and less than 200 repented. Unquote



the OT affirms Christ came to punish the shepherds and scatter the sheep. In Ezekiel 34, God is angry with the shepherds for failing to care for the sheep, some of which are lost, driven away, and scattered.

.......

I am certainly a Historicist, You may not be, I think you do not know what the word and practice is; or you practice an Orwellian version. You may also be confusing method with result.

A Definition and Short History of Historicism as a Method for Interpreting Daniel and Revelation (andrews.edu)

While I often disagree with the SDA, I do not disagree with their method.

Jesus fulfilled Ezekiel 34, as he fulfilled half of those things said of him in the Law and the Prophets before he was cut off; as any good Jew could tell you about half of those prophesies the Messiah was to fulfil are outstanding; but still to come.

How would you refute this argument? Would you share resources online or citations for further study?

1. All the history and miracles in the Christian Bible (including Hebrew Scriptures, both Old and New Testament) can be explained by aliens with advanced technology who deceived humans, rather than a supernatural God telling the truth.
2. This theory has more explanatory power as it accounts for suffering, God's absence today, lack of miraculous answers to prayer today, reports of alien sightings, etc.
3. The only problem this theory appears to introduce is how to explain cause-and-effect, i.e. the reliability of the universe enabling the scientific method. (See Ed Feser's Aquinas, The Last Superstition.) However, just as Christians say God or God's nature is a brute fact, we are free to likewise say the universe being reliable and intelligible in this way simply is a brute fact. Thus there is no loss of explanatory power. Other issues: Exorcisms are explained through power of suggestion and imagination; other miracle claims are simply due to natural phenomenon or contain falsehoods in their reporting (or could be the same aliens operating again).
4. Thus "it was aliens" accounts for more of the facts (namely, suffering, unanswered prayer, God's absence) than the God-claims of Judaism or Christianity and is to be preferred rationally.

Please note the argument is not declaring that aliens exist. Rather, the supposition is that, since both God and aliens are not certainly known to exist, aliens provide more explanatory power. (I have studied philosophical proofs for the existence of God, and they all rest on uncertain premises, so remain uncertain arguments.)

Problems with an earlier attempt to refute this argument:

Consider the facts that Jesus of Nazareth is a historical figure, a man, born of Mary and was crucified under Pontius Pilate. This is firmly embedded in human history and rules out the possibility of Jesus being an alien.

Click to expand...

It is not at all certain Mary wasn't abducted by aliens, inseminated via IVF, and brainwashed, for example. It's simply not true that it's an obvious fact that the Gospel is literal historical truth: It's merely what Luke wrote or was told to write.

Furthermore, it‘s also a fact that Jesus reveals Himself to be God.

Click to expand...

Yes, and Jesus may have been an alien lying to us. This explains His silence and absence and false promises e.g. 'seek and you shall find', 'knock and the door shall be opened', 'believe that you receive it and it shall be yours.'

if you study Jesus’ words and actions, His character, you’ll also have a hard time making this case [that Jesus lied to us].

Click to expand...

The previous comment shares my experience already that Jesus does not keep His promises, and even apart from this despair, it is not difficult to make a Biblical argument. The Gospel says for example 'to them Jesus only spoke in parables, speaking plainly only to His Disciples', i.e. he was not concerned that the general public understand him correctly from the outset, indicating a cunning manipulation strategy rather than telling everyone plainly the truth of the matter. He also spoke ambiguously so as to deliberately deceive and mislead, as for example when he discusses 'tearing down this temple and I shall raise it up again' referring to His Body while causing his hearers to naturally understand he was referring to the Jerusalem Temple. So it is plausible his moral code was consistent with deceiving all of mankind, especially if He determined it was 'for our own good' to survive as a species, sentient life being so rare in this universe.

These days, we see way too many freshman attempts to discredit (or sometimes buttress) the Biblical conceptions of God by way of mere deductive arguments.

In the following video, Christian philosopher, Greg Ganssle, briefly explains 'why' it is the case that so many merely deductive arguments don't effectively provide the conclusive punch line that their proponents assert they do, either way ...

... trust me, this beats me having to pull off several Logic textbooks from my shelf and attempt a pedantic and no frills explanation.

PHILOSOPHY - Epistemology: Argument and Evidence​

House impeachment investigators are seeking to uncover what role, if any, Joe Biden played in his son’s foreign business dealings. After repeated denials of ever having met Hunter's business partners, evidence of meetings, key payments and witness testimony tell another story.
Evidence including sworn impeachment inquiry testimony, confirmed emails and financial records increasingly show that President Joe Biden’s meetings with his son’s foreign clients were closely followed by payments and agreements that advanced his family’s business deals.

House Republicans on Thursday subpoenaed new financial records belonging to Hunter Biden, his associates, and companies in a growing effort to find evidence that Joe Biden benefited personally from his son’s foreign dealings.
Rep. Greg Steube agreed on the "Just the News, No Noise" television show on Thursday that Joe Biden played a “rainmaker” role in Hunter Biden’s business ventures.
“We’ve known that all along and now we’re getting corroborating witness testimony,” Steube said. “Thankfully, for the subpoenas that have been issued to the financial institutions, we now have financial evidence of the money that was laundered from the Chinese Communist Party or Russian oligarchs, or the Ukrainian government and entities through the Biden family members, his brother, James Biden, and Hunter Biden.”

“And we know that obviously, Joe Biden was the impetus behind all of that,” Steube claimed.

The White House did not respond to a request for comment from Just the News.

Hi everyone, there has been word on the news lately, apparently the Amazon rainforest is nearing collapse and they are saying it may collapse by 2050. The Amazon is a natural treasure that God has given us, it would be very sad if anything happened to it. I think that the body of Christ needs to say NO to this! Please agree with me in prayer!

Lord God we agree right now for the Amazon Rainforest, we pray that the ecosystem will not collapse and there would be no profound climate change on the earth! We forbid the rainforest to collapse in the name of Jesus and we speak life into the Amazon rainforest now in the name of Jesus! Lord show mankind what to do to combat climate change on the earth, show us what to do to prevent a catastrophe! We pray for an end to climate change, an end to global warming, and an end to the destruction of the natural environment in Jesus' name!

A group of truck drivers who support former president Donald Trump have announced that they will not be driving to New York City to express their disappointment with the civil fraud judgment that fined Trump more than $350 million.
This all comes in response to Trump being barred from operating his business in New York for three years and being found liable for more than $350 million in damages in the civil fraud case brought against him, his family and the Trump Organization by New York Attorney General Letitia James.
New York Judge Arthur Engoron handed down his ruling Friday after a months-long trial beginning in October and stemming from James' lawsuit alleging the former president inflated his assets and committed fraud.
As a result, many pro-Trump truck drivers across the country have not taken the ruling lightly.
"I'm just one of the many millions of Truckers who believe in God and love this Country," a trucker known as "Chicago Ray" wrote on X, formerly Twitter. "I stand with Trump because Trump stands with me. Truckers for Trump ain't just a slogan, it's real," he wrote.
Chicago Ray took to X on Feb. 16 when the ruling came down, calling on fellow truckers to boycott taking shipments to New York City.

listening to God is not as simple as listening to our MP3 players or cell phones. How do we even learn to listen to God? How does someone know whether God is speaking or whether they are hearing a little voice in their own heads?

Click to expand...

-- Pacwa, M (2011). How to Listen When God is Speaking. Frederick, MD: The Word Among Us Press. p. 11.

Why is this not practically a stand-alone 'proof by contradiction' argument? It needs only a little fleshing out:

1. If God created us for relationship with Him and intends to speak to us, he would give us all the intrinsic ability to hear Him, not something to be learned by other humans.
2. He has not done so.
3. Thus God either did not create us for relationship with Him or doesn't intend to speak to us.

Why would God make our ability to hear Him dependent on humans teaching other humans?

To 'have good works' for us to do? Are we really to believe God created some people whose purpose is to get others to listen to Him? How is that compatible with "God's love for all mankind" if people go to hell if they are not taught to listen to Him? and compatible with God's wisdom as there seems to be far fewer teachers available than those who need to learn.