Aquinas and most theologians after him [answered] that [to be made in God's image and likeness means] we humans can know things, reason, and make choices [unlike every other animal on Earth].

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-- Pacwa, M (2011). How to Listen When God is Speaking. Frederick, MD: The Word Among Us Press. p. 16.

Other animals like DDR German Shepherds (and even other humans) exhibit intelligence suggesting rationality is a matter of degree not kind, that humans are the most advanced intelligence, not the only intelligence in the animal kingdom. For example, my dog knows he's going for a walk when I pick up the leash, can reason when he wants to return home when he's tired from the walk, and makes choices about whether to sit still for the leash to be connected to leave the house or when to turn towards the house and resist my pull of the leash when he's tired of walking (he will even stop walking in the neighborhood and turn around indicating he's ready to return home, completely unprompted, not trained behavior, and he remembers which roads to take to get there), or when to approach me with the toy or continue to maintain distance for keep-away play. How are these not plain demonstrations that Aquinas was wrong, that being able to reason and make choices is not limited to man?

We can't listen to God unless we agree with some very basic beliefs about him. First, we must believe that God exists. Second, we must believe that God is knowable to human beings. And third, we must believe that God wants humans to know him.

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Pacwa, M (2011). How to Listen When God is Speaking. Frederick, MD: The Word Among Us Press. p. 13.

I don't need to believe that any physical thing exists before I am able to hear it. How much more should God be able to make himself heard than something lacking omnipotence like a tree falling or an insect buzzing! This point is even demonstrated Biblically as, for example, Moses is attracted to the Burning Bush and then spoke with God. There is no indication from the text that Moses had to first believe in the god of Abraham to have his attention drawn or engage in conversation.

Please explain how Pacwa is being reasonable here, i.e. how this isn't evidence what's actually going on is self-persuasion, implicitly "assuming your conclusion" -- namely, "Tell yourself that ideas that come to mind that agree with the Bible are actually God speaking to you."

Media excuses for Biden’s senility aren’t just political favoritism, but an example of controlling what information reaches voters.
In 2020, corporate media blacked out coverage of the bombshell Hunter Biden laptop right before the presidential election. After the election, a survey of Joe Biden voters in swing states found that nearly half were unaware of the pay-for-play scandal evidenced by the laptop and nearly 1 in 10 said they would have changed their vote if they had known about it. That’s an election-altering percentage of voters.

Here we are one presidential election cycle later, and 62 percent of voters say “Joe Biden not having the necessary mental and physical health” for another term is a major concern of theirs heading into November. A full 89 percent say it is at least a minor concern.


But again, media outlets are telling voters to disbelieve their own eyes about Biden’s unelectability.

Rom 8:4 The Law of God "fulfilled IN US who do NOT walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit. "

Ex 20:7 "do not take God's name in vain" -- perfectly complied with by Christ in the New Testament
Ex 20:12 "Honor your father and mother" -- perfectly complied with by Christ in the New Testament
Deut 6:5 "Love God with all your heart" -- perfectly complied with by Christ in the New Testament
Lev 19:18 "Love your neighbor as yourself" -- perfectly complied with by Christ in the New Testament

Yet it does not tell us that as Christians we should no longer
love God with all the heart
Love neighbors as ourselves
Honor our father and mother Eph 6:2'

Or that we should start taking God's name in vain

1 John 2:1 - "these things I write to you that you sin not"
1 John 3:4 - "sin IS transgression of the LAW"
Rev 14:12 "saints KEEP the Commandments of God AND their faith in Jesus"

Lev 23 Passover predictive law -- -- prediction fulfilled by Christ in the New Testament
Lev 23 First fruits predictive law -- -- prediction fulfilled by Christ in the New Testament
Lev 23 Pentecost/"Feast of Weeks" Predictive law -- prediction fulfilled by Christ in the New Testament

No wonder the NEW Covenant is OLD Testament Jer 31:31-34 and writes the moral Law of God on the heart and mind
================================

No wonder we find that for all eternity after the cross in the New Earth "from Sabbath to Sabbath shall all mankind come before Me to worship" Is 66:23

Addresses two key points --- irrefutably
1. is the weekly Sabbath abolished at the cross? Answer: no - it is kept for all eternity after the cross.
2. is the weekly Sabbath for all mankind or "just the Jews"? Answer - "for all mankind.

Christ is LORD of the Sabbath - Mark 2:28
The Sabbath was MADE for mankind -- Mark 2:27

Every Sabbath Paul was in the Synagogues preaching the gospel to BOTH gentiles and Jews - Acts 18:4
Gentiles ask for more gospel preaching to be scheduled for them "on the NEXT Sabbath" Acts 13 (request made by them AFTER the Jews leave the Synagogue)

The Bible clearly states that when a Righteous person prays, their prayers are Effectual for the person they are praying for.

Does the Righteous man’s prayer violate the subject's sense of free will if the change came about without his or her consent?

Please pay attention to the wording of this section of Scripture from the beginning where it begins with the phrase, “If God is for us…” for everything which follows is dependent on those five words being true. So, how do we know whether or not God is for us? We go back and we read the whole chapter of Romans 8, and we include Romans 6, as well. For the righteous requirement of the law is fulfilled in us who walk (in conduct, in practice) not according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit.

For in Romans 6 we read that those of us who are of true faith in Jesus Christ are all those who have been crucified and buried with Christ in death to sin and who have been raised with Christ to walk in newness of life in him, no longer to live as slaves to sin but now as slaves to God and to his righteousness. We, therefore, are to not let sin reign any longer in our mortal bodies to make us obey its passions (lusts), for if sin is what we obey, it will lead to death. But obedience leads to life eternal with God.

And those who live according to the flesh have their minds set on the things of the flesh, and to set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace. For the mind that is set on the flesh is hostile to God, for it does not submit to God's law; indeed, it cannot. Those who are in the flesh cannot please God. For if we live according to the flesh we will die, but if by the Spirit we are putting to death the deeds of the body, we will live. For it is all who are being led by the Spirit who are the sons of God.

For we are not saved from our sins so that we can go on living in sin guilt free. Those God foreknew he predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son (Jesus Christ). And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose. And what is God’s purpose? It is that we die with him to sin, not just once, but daily, and that we walk in obedience to his commands, in practice, in holy living, in moral purity, honesty, faithfulness, and in surrender to God.

And there is a reason that Paul then said, “If God is for us,” because what he just said prior to this lets us know the ones God is for and the ones he is not for. It is only those who are walking (in conduct, in practice) according to the Spirit, and not according to the flesh, and those who are putting sin to death daily, by the Spirit, and who are now being led by the Spirit of God in how we are to walk (live, conduct our lives), who God is for. And to love God is to obey him. In fact faith in our Lord is obedience. Disobedience is unbelief.

[Matt 7:21-23; Matt 24:9-14; Lu 9:23-26; Jn 6:35-58; Jn 15:1-11; 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 1:18; 1 Co 6:9-10,19-20; 1 Corinthians 10:1-22; 1 Co 15:1-2; 2 Co 5:10,15,21; 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 1:5-10; 1 Jn 2:3-6,24-25; 1 Jn 3:4-10; Heb 3:1-19; Heb 4:1-13; Heb 10:23-31; Heb 12:1-2; Rev 21:8,27; Rev 22:14-15]

Therefore, if God is for us, because we are for him, which is evident by our walks of obedience to him in holy living, in his power, which can only come about because of God’s grace to us, and because he persuades us to forsake our sins and to follow him in obedience, then he will provide for us all that we need. He will take care of those of us who are his own possession. Nothing will be able to separate us from the love of Christ if we are those who are walking according to the Spirit and not according to the flesh.

Now this is not teaching that bad things won’t happen to us. They will. If we are the Lord’s servants and witnesses, we will face persecution and rejection and we will be cast out of groups and gatherings because we obey the Lord and we no longer live according to the flesh, and because we take God and his word seriously and we believe what he says, and so we obey him, in his power and strength. But in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loves us. Nothing will separate us from God’s love.

[Matt 5:10-12; Matt 10:16-25; Matt 24:9-14; Lu 6:22-23; Lu 21:12-19; Jn 15:1-21; Jn 16:33; Jn 17:14; Ac 14:22; Rom 5:3-5; Phil 3:7-11; 1 Pet 1:6-7; 1 Pet 4:12-17; 2 Tim 3:12; 1 Thess 3:1-5; Jas 1:2-4; 2 Co 1:3-11; Heb 12:3-12; 1 Jn 3:13; Rev 6:9-11; Rev 7:9-17; Rev 11:1-3; Rev 12:17; Rev 13:1-18; Rev 14:1-13]

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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Trump may shrug this off as small change or he might ask his supporters to bail him out, or just use campaign contributions.

How do you think Trump will pay?

Ezekiel 37 opens with a vision that Ezekiel was given about a valley of dry bones that are restored back to life.

The valley of dry bones vision is not talking about the resurrection of individuals, but restoring the two kingdoms back into one kingdom.

Verses 12-22 make it clear that valley of dry bones vision is metaphorically referring to the restoration of the two nations of the northern kingdom and of the southern kingdom back into being one nation again.

Ezekiel was told to go and prophesy about the vision to his people.....

12 Therefore prophesy and say unto them, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, O my people, I will open your graves, and cause you to come up out of your graves, and bring you into the land of Israel.
13 And ye shall know that I am the LORD, when I have opened your graves, O my people, and brought you up out of your graves,
14 And shall put my spirit in you, and ye shall live, and I shall place you in your own land: then shall ye know that I the LORD have spoken it, and performed it, saith the LORD.
15 The word of the LORD came again unto me, saying,
16 Moreover, thou son of man, take thee one stick, and write upon it, For Judah, and for the children of Israel his companions: then take another stick, and write upon it, For Joseph, the stick of Ephraim, and for all the house of Israel his companions:
17 And join them one to another into one stick; and they shall become one in thine hand.

18 And when the children of thy people shall speak unto thee, saying, Wilt thou not shew us what thou meanest by these?

So in verse 18, God tells Ezekiel when Ezekiel speaks to his people about the vision, verses 12-17, - they are going to ask - What does the vision mean ?

Then in verses 19-22, Ezekiel is told what to say to them about the meaning of the vision. That it is that the two kingdoms will be reunited into one nation again.

19 Say unto them, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I will take the stick of Joseph, which is in the hand of Ephraim, and the tribes of Israel his fellows, and will put them with him, even with the stick of Judah, and make them one stick, and they shall be one in mine hand.
20 And the sticks whereon thou writest shall be in thine hand before their eyes.
21 And say unto them, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I will take the children of Israel from among the heathen, whither they be gone, and will gather them on every side, and bring them into their own land:
22 And I will make them one nation in the land upon the mountains of Israel; and one king shall be king to them all: and they shall be no more two nations, neither shall they be divided into two kingdoms any more at all:

That prophesy was fulfilled on May 14, 1948. Which also fulfilled Isaiah 66:7-8 about the nation being born in a single day.

Verse 23-25 is when the people of Israel are one nation again - they will turn to Jesus (not happened yet) and will be cleansed from their sins.

And when Jesus returns, He will be the one king over them, referred to as David my servant, in Ezekiel 37.

Hello, guys
I've been looking up internet to find some materials from Orthodox saints (specifically, commentaries on Psalms) but couldn't find much via search, so I'm here for some help and recommendations.

Long story short, I'm trying to find some online resource(s) where I could read works of Orthodox saints. Currently, I'm interested in commentaries on Psalms: works of Basil the Great, John Chrysostom, and Theophan the Recluse. But as a general rule I'd also prefer a more generalized source where I could find works of other saints and about different topics. Most of these writings should be centuries old, so I don't see a reason why they wouldn't exist in public access.

I've researched this a few weeks ago and checked some websites on the more popular websites (mostly some online Christian libraries). The ones I found didn't have all the texts I'm looking for or didn't have much from Orthodox sources at all.

Would appreciate if you could help. Thanks in advance.

As a sidenote, I've seen I could buy these as individual books on Amazon but that's a band-aid solution. It's not scalable at all.

In a legal saga spanning six years, a federal judge in Atlanta is poised to deliver a crucial ruling on the vulnerability of Georgia's Dominion voting machines to hacking and whether their usage violates voters' constitutional rights. The outcome carries significant implications for the state's election procedures as the 2024 presidential campaign looms, injecting fresh uncertainty into the battleground state and fueling debates over election integrity. If this judge rules with the plaintiff and determines the Dominion voting machines violate Georgia’s Constitutional Law, this case with serve to have significant implications nationwide.

Plaintiffs contend that the Dominion system poses a significant burden on voters and presents easy opportunities for fraud. The controversy revolves around concerns about the security of the paperless system and the utilization of ballot-marking devices. In a courtroom demonstration, cybersecurity expert J. Alex Halderman executed a machine hack in under 5 minutes, overriding machine coding and swapping votes. This vividly illustrates the vulnerability of electronic voting systems, including Dominion, to virtually undetectable election tampering. Importantly, during this test, observers were only aware of tampering because it was disclosed to them. On election day, malicious actors, whether in person or remotely, could potentially hack into these voting systems and alter election outcomes without detection—an issue that demands immediate attention and resolution.

Immigration experts have warned that the unprecedented number of illegal immigrants entering the United States could have a significant impact on the apportionment of seats in the House of Representatives, as well as Electoral College votes.
After Biden’s inauguration in January of 2021, the president signed an executive order requiring the U.S. Census Bureau to determine the population of each state in the United States “without regard to whether its residents are in lawful immigration status.”
Experts have warned that both electoral votes for presidential elections and the apportionment of seats in the House of Representatives could be impacted by the inclusion of illegal immigrants in the decennial census, which could diminish the power of the American voter.

“Illegal immigration has all kinds of effects and among them is that it distorts the mechanics of democratic government,” Center for Immigration Studies Executive Director Mark Krikorian told Fox News. “Illegal immigrants aren’t even supposed to be here, so their inclusion in the census count for purposes of apportionment really is outrageous.”

The Biden Administration’s broader immigration strategy has come under scrutiny amid record border crossings and the impeachment of DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas this week. Newly discovered emails may intensify that scrutiny.

In the emails obtained by the watchdog group Protect the Public’s Trust in a Freedom of Information Act request, one DHS official told a Washington Post reporter off the record he could not say how many immigrants are settling in Northern states via border state busing programs because the agency does not track those released from their custody.

“Are more people deciding to settle in DC/New York or, more recently, Chicago as a result of the program where they might have previously been inclined to remain in Texas or Arizona?” the reporter asked in a September 2022 email reviewed by Just the News.

“Off the record, that’s hard for us to say because they’re getting on those buses after they’re already out of our custody,” the official answered.

“That said, anecdotally including what I hear from other reporters, it does appear that word is spreading and they are looking for those buses for the free transportation. I’ve also heard many people are getting off along the way, so they’re using the buses for as long as it is convenient, but again, because they are out of our custody by then, it is hard for us to be able to answer that,” the official added.

Tucker Carlson Claims Groceries Are Cheaper in Russia Despite a Russian Food Inflation Crisis​

Tucker Carlson's latest attempt at pro-Putin propaganda completely backfires

Former Fox host and Vladimir Putin apologist Tucker Carlson aired a segment on the most recent episode of his show on X which attempted to show that quality of life is better for Russians than it is for Americans. So much so that Carlson claims his experience "radicalized" him against U.S. leaders.

The segment came as part of Carlson's trip to Russia to interview Vladimir Putin. Carlson filmed himself and his crew shopping for groceries for the week at a Russian grocery store. Carlson and his crew estimated that the amount of food they purchased for the week would run about $400 in an American grocery store, but the bill was around 9,400 Russian Rubles, about $100 American.
...
"Coming to a Russian grocery store...and seeing how much things cost and how they live; it will radicalize you against our leaders," Carlson continued.
...
According to the most recent economic data, the average monthly wage in Russia is 73,383 Rubles, the equivalent of roughly $800 a month in the United States. That comes out to 18,345 Rubles per week for the average Russian, around $200 American. This means that Carlson's grocery bill of roughly 9,400 Rubles represented more than 50% of a Russian weekly salary.

According to the Russian news agency TASS, Russia is experiencing a massive food supply crisis. Food inflation is one of the most frequently referenced quality of life issues for everyday Russians.

In a survey of 5,000 people aged 20-55, TASS found that 60.4% of Russian citizens spend about half of their monthly income for food, 16% spend almost all their earnings on food, and 14.8% about a third of their income. Only 8.8% spend no more than 20% on food.

Carlson's attempt at pro-Putin propaganda functions on multiple levels. Carlson is not only attempting to destroy American faith in our own institutions based on a lie, to the extent he says Americans should become "radicalized" in the effort to make the U.S. more like Russia, but it also callously ignores the hardships faced by everyday Russians under Putin's regime. Carlson is sending the message to Russians that they are living better under the dictatorship of Putin than Americans live in a democracy.

Carlson's lies harm both America and Russia. His loyalty to Putin above his own nation is now more obvious than ever.

Lenin referred to ignorant Americans who praised Russia as "useful fools." But in this case, it appears that Carlson knows very well what he's doing.

The main dangers Trump poses for Putin are the Republican’s unconventional nature, his personal unpredictability, his push for NATO allies to increase their defense spending, and his unorthodox approach to strengthening the alliance, which guarantees vigorous opposition to the aggressive Kremlin.

Biden’s main advantages for Putin are his old age, incapacity, predictability, and lack of decisive resistance to Putin’s aggression.

Significantly, Putin tried to disguise his support for Biden with routine objections to White House actions: “I believe that the position of the current administration is extremely harmful and erroneous. And I told President Biden about this at one time.” But Putin’s public support for Biden means that his words are a cheap ploy to hide the fact that even Biden’s stated “harmful and erroneous” position is less dangerous for Putin than Trump’s unpredictable policies.

Days earlier the author explained in a Newsweek article why Putin the Wolf turned into Putin the Sheep:

It’s worth remembering: Putin launched new wars under every coinciding U.S. president except one.

A coalition of Democrats in the U.S. House, led by self-proclaimed atheist Rep. Jared Huffman, has written to Speaker Mike Johnson to express members' rage over a Christian pastor's recent House invocation, and to express their intolerance for his views.
It was Pastor Jack Hibbs of Calvary Chapel in Chino Hills who had been invited to deliver the invocation and, as a Christian, spoke of a "coming day of judgment."
Democrats responded by claiming Hibbs is "radical Christian Nationalist who helped fuel the January 6th insurrection and [who] has a long record of hateful vitriol toward non-Christians, immigrants, and members of the LGBTQ community."

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Please share your favorite gospel songs

This one sends me back to my mountain home

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It so reminds me of the parting clouds after a storm up there

"The results of the study, which dates the cultural layer at Shiyu to a period between 45,800 and 43,200 years ago, reveal an Initial Upper Palaeolithic (IUP) archaeological assemblage. This assemblage includes laminar technology, Levallois points, tanged and hafted projectile points, tools made with obsidian from hundreds of kilometers away, and a perforated graphite disk."

Shiyu site in northern China reveals evidence of an advanced material culture 45,000 years ago

This is just crazy --what was she thinking?

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It is clear to me that 2021 was a year that in which Joe Biden's failures as a president began.

So, the Exodus. What can I say? Here's the short of it. As many of us already know, the tendency among secular historians today
is to firmly recognize that there is no evidence for the Exodus account in the Book of, Exodus. They don't see any evidence, and thus, they don't feel confident that any of it ever happened. They often simply take it as an ancient interpolation that a few Semitic groups were jumbled around and moved.

The following video, though, seems to offer up some interesting historical items for our consideration, and it applies to the possible historicity of the Exodus.

Let's watch, and feel free to comment:

Signs of Israelite Slavery in Egypt - The Exodus​

Prayers for his surviving family.

Wouldn't it be great if all the NATO countries would put as much into their defense budgets as they are supposed to do?