What did Jesus mean when he said these words, "His master said to him, Well done, my good and faithful servant; since thou hast been faithful over little things, I have great things to commit to thy charge; come and share the joy of thy Lord." Did the servant do good?

It is a parable, of course, and some will see that as making it a story rather than reality, yet I wonder do any do good?

One simple question. Why is universalism seen as heretical, but neither Calvinist limited atonement and Arminian general atonement (which completely contradict one another) are not - except by 'hyper' calvinist/arminians? (incidentally, the "hyper" of those doctrines is just their logical conclusions, so I actually understand them better than the "tolerant" centrism of mainstream C and A doctrines)

To me, this just seems to be another soteriological discussion to be had. Not to divide over, but to explore the greatness of God in.

So, in a concise way, can someone tell me why UR is heretical? I'm not speaking of the Unitarian Universalists, which is nothing more than a liberal social justice group. I'm speaking of the doctrine of Universal Reconciliation/Restoration, also known as the "apokatastasis"

Thank you

EDIT: I don't mean "do you agree with it", or "this is how it's wrong". I mean HERETICAL as in someone who believes this is not considered a Christian.

Law enforcement arrested Jack Teixeira Thursday in connection with the leaking of classified documents that have been posted online, according to a US official familiar with the matter.

Teixeira, 21, is a member of the Massachusetts Air National Guard. His arrest comes following a fast-moving search by the US government for the identity of the leaker who posted classified documents to a social media platform popular with video gamers.

Teixeira was first identified by The New York Times Thursday ahead of his arrest as the leader of the group where a trove of classified documents was posted.

Some background: The FBI had narrowed the number of people who they believe could be responsible for the leaks and have been conducting interviews in recent days, two people briefed on the matter said earlier.

While there's a large number of people who had access to the documents, investigators have been able to home in on a small number for closer scrutiny, thanks to the forensic trail left by the person who posted the documents. Investigators are working on building a case for prosecution, people familiar with the matter say.


What we know about what happened: The documents appeared online last month on the social media platform Discord, according to screenshots of the posts reviewed by CNN.

The posts are photos of crumpled documents laid on top of magazines and surrounded by other random objects, such as zip-close bags and Gorilla Glue. It is as if they had been hastily folded up and shoved into a pocket before being removed from a secure location, a source familiar with these kinds of documents told CNN.

A Discord spokesperson confirmed in a statement Sunday that they are cooperating with law enforcement on the investigation.

In the world Justice is a public affair with occasional secret proceeding. With Christians Justice is almost always secret. Why is that?

I have a deep belief in one God—the Creator of all things. Every morning, I get on my knees and surrender myself to this higher power. This practice has been a source of comfort and strength for me.

However, I've recently been exploring Christianity and have encountered a challenge that I'm struggling to reconcile. Within Christianity, there is an emphasis on believing in Jesus. I'm grappling with the concept of Jesus being God, and how that aligns with my own belief in one God.

In my heart, I feel that if Jesus is God, then it should be the same thing as believing in one God. But I can't seem to fully grasp this concept, and I'm unsure of how to approach my faith from this perspective. It feels like a contradiction, yet I know that many Christians find harmony in this belief.

I'm hoping that some of you might be able to share your experiences and insights on this matter. How have you reconciled your belief in one God with the teachings of Christianity? Is there a way to understand Jesus as God that still aligns with my belief in a singular Creator?

Any thoughts or advice would be greatly appreciated. I'm on a journey of self-discovery and spiritual growth, and I'm eager to learn from others who have faced similar challenges.

and yet:

I don't think it's been discussed here, but there's been a dangerous leak of secret military documents mainly relating to the Russian invasion of Ukraine and also US intelligence activities spying on friends and foes alike.

Some of the material has already been propagandized with elements of the information changed to make Russia's position appear stronger and Ukraine weaker than the actual US intelligence reports.

It's been known for a while that the initial leaks came from a private Discord server. While the FBI isn't talking, the Washington Post seems to have narrowed in on the culprit. His main motivation seems to have been to impress and inform his gaming buds.

Leaker of U.S. secret documents worked on military base, friend says​

THE DISCORD LEAKS | The online group that received hundreds of pages of classified material included foreigners, members tell The Post​

The man behind a massive leak of U.S. government secrets that has exposed spying on allies, revealed the grim prospects for Ukraine’s war with Russia and ignited diplomatic fires for the White House is a young, charismatic gun enthusiast who shared highly classified documents with a group of far-flung acquaintances searching for companionship amid the isolation of the pandemic.

United by their mutual love of guns, military gear and God, the group of roughly two dozen — mostly men and boys — formed an invitation-only clubhouse in 2020 on Discord, an online platform popular with gamers. But they paid little attention last year when the man some call “OG” posted a message laden with strange acronyms and jargon. The words were unfamiliar, and few people read the long note, one of the members explained. But he revered OG, the elder leader of their tiny tribe, who claimed to know secrets that the government withheld from ordinary people.

The gathering spot had been a pandemic refuge, particularly for teen gamers locked in their houses and cut off from their real-world friends. But OG also lectured them about world affairs and secretive government operations. He wanted to “keep us in the loop,” the member said, and seemed to think that his insider knowledge would offer the others protection from the troubled world around them.

“If you had classified documents, you’d want to flex at least a little bit, like hey, I’m the big guy,” the member said. “There is a little bit of showing off to friends, but as well as wanting to keep us informed.”

Both members [of the group that talked to the Post] said they know OG’s real name as well as the state where he lives and works but declined to share that information while the FBI is hunting for the source of the leaks.

In a video seen by The Post, the man who the member said is OG stands at a shooting range, wearing safety glasses and ear coverings and holding a large rifle. He yells a series of racial and antisemitic slurs into the camera, then fires several rounds at a target.
The member seemed drawn to OG’s bravado and his skill with weapons. He felt a certain kinship with a man he described as “like an uncle” and, on another occasion, as a father figure.

The member said OG wasn’t hostile to the U.S. government, and he insisted that he was not working on behalf of any country’s interests.

But OG had a dark view of the government. The young member said he spoke of the United States, and particularly law enforcement and the intelligence community, as a sinister force that sought to suppress its citizens and keep them in the dark.

He claimed, according to the members, that the government knew in advance that a white supremacist intended to go on a shooting rampage at a Buffalo supermarket in May 2022. The attack left 10 dead, all of them Black, and wounded three more. OG said federal law enforcement officials let the killings proceed so they could argue for increased funding, a baseless notion that the member said he believes and considers an example of OG’s penetrating insights about the depth of government corruption.

on Feb. 28, another teenage user from the ...server began posting several dozen photographs showing classified documents on another Discord server [and then another and then...]

On April 5, classified documents assessing the war in Ukraine were posted on Russian Telegram channels and the message board platform 4chan, and began migrating to Twitter.

The next day, shortly before the New York Times first reported on the leak, OG came into the server “frantic, which is unusual for him,” the member said.

“He said something had happened, and he prayed to God that this event would not happen. … But now it’s in God’s hands.”

[OG later] “seemed very confused and lost as to what to do,” the member said. “He’s fully aware of what’s happening and what the consequences may be. He’s just not sure on how to go about solving this situation. … He seems pretty distraught about it.”

In his final message to his companions, OG admonished them to “keep low and delete any information that could possibly relate to him,” the member said. That included any copies of the classified documents OG had shared.

The member said he’s confident the authorities will find OG. But when they do, he won’t be charged. Instead, he believes, OG will be imprisoned without due process at Guantánamo Bay or disappeared to a “black site,” if he’s not “assassinated” for what he knows.

--
More about the leak

Leaked Pentagon documents provide rare window into depth of US intelligence on allies and foes​

Highly classified Pentagon documents leaked online in recent weeks have provided a rare window into how the US spies on allies and foes alike, deeply rattling US officials, who fear the revelations could jeopardize sensitive sources and compromise important foreign relationships.

Some of the documents, which US officials say are authentic, expose the extent of US eavesdropping on key allies, including South Korea, Israel and Ukraine.

Others reveal the degree to which the US has penetrated the Russian Ministry of Defense and the Russian mercenary organization Wagner Group, largely through intercepted communications and human sources, which could now be cut off or put in danger.

Providing both left and right leaning articles on this one in the interest of keeping things balanced.


Yahoo, affiliate link for this DailyBeast article in case the paywall pops up on the first article:


And the right-leaning article about this as well:


For those who forgot the name, Jones is the data scientist who ran FL's covid 19 dashboard, and who made claims that the DeSantis administration was urging her to fudge the numbers...a claim that a lot of media outlets ran with, and a claim that ended up being false.

It would seem as if Jones was something of a grifter and is spinning false narratives again.

She claims her son was arrested as political retribution, when in fact,
Rebekah Jones, a prominent critic of “fascist” Ron DeSantis, is alleging that Florida police have “kidnapped” her son for political retribution.

The trouble for Jones is that her 13-year-old son sent some disturbing messages to his friends via Snapchat, including ones saying, “I want to shoot up the school” and “it’s been like 3-4 weeks since I got on my new….antidepressants and they aren’t working but they’re suppose to by now so I have no hope in getting better so why not kill the losers at school.”

As to the underlying charge that Jones and her son are being targeted for retribution? According to VICE, “there is currently no evidence to suggest that the arrest of Jones’s son is part of a broader vendetta against her by the DeSantis administration.”

"The Young Turks" co-host Ana Kasparian apologized to her far-left audience overnight for giving air time to the discredited Democratic activist and Ron DeSantis critic, Rebekah Jones.

"The only person that should be held responsible for that is me. I'm the executive producer of the show and I screwed up royally," Kasparian admitted.

"Part of the reason why I screwed up is because I had all these biases of course, against Ron DeSantis," Kasparian said.

She said she didn't feel bad about having a prejudice against DeSantis but admitted it became a problem in this case because it "blinded" her to the facts.

"I should've done my due diligence and I failed to do so. By failing to do so, I feel like I misled the audience into thinking that Rebekah Jones is some sort of hero," Kasparian confessed.

Sometimes I wonder if the much adored ivy leaguers are even worth the price companies pay for them. Latest example VP of marketing for Bud Light, Alissa Heinerscheid. In her infinite wisdom, she goes on the record to degrade the core consumer base of her brand with monikers such as "fratty" and "out of touch". The same attitudes she so unabatedly partake in during her younger days. It doesn't take a degree in social studies to know the outcome.

I personally don't work in any marketing capacity. I don't claim to be able to lead a company's marketing department. But at least I know from common sense alone that there are certain key principles you don't do in marketing. And on top of that list of principles is DO NOT INSULT YOUR CUSTOMER. Marketing is to grow the market share of the brand. The wider the demographic the more likely you're to get higher sales. Demographics changes over time. If you find your brand is going on a downturn, it is time to grow the demographics. That however doesn't mean throw away your old base in hope a new one will immediately replace them.

Also don't divide your own market by siding with any social cause. Like Michael Jordan once said "Republicans buy shoes too". Then again "modern progressive" ivy leaguers have less common sense than a celery stick. So much book smart yet so little wisdom. So let me leave a little nugget of sage saying I learnt when I was still a little schoolboy:

A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush.

Results are predictable. Good job Bud! You really show how them business is done.

This is a recipe from the South (USA), my mom's recipe.

Self-rising cornmeal
buttermilk
2 eggs (1 egg for small skillet)
cooking oil (I use olive oil, but mom used liquid Crisco or Wesson Oil)
standard seasoned cast iron skillet

1. pre-heat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit
2. place about 1/4 cup of oil in iron skillet and put in oven, letting it get good n' hot.
3. in a bowl mix corn meal, eggs, and buttermilk to get a slightly liquid consistency, quite a bit thinner than pancake batter, but not real runny. You want it kind of 'sloppy' actually.
4. when the iron skillet is up to temperature, pull it from the oven and pour in the cornbread batter into the skillet, DO NOT STIR. You should hear the cornbread mix sizzle in the hot oil, as this is how the nice bottom crust is made. If you stir the mix you won't get that nice bottom crust.
5. place the skillet back inside the oven and bake until top of bread is light golden brown, roughly 20-25 minutes.
6. remove from oven and run around the edge of the cornbread with a knife, then turn skillet upside down onto a plate, the cornbread landing onto the plate.
7. cut and serve; if we ate it as a slice we always would put butter in it and eat it like that. Otherwise we'd break a slice up into our soupy pinto beans, and serve it with sliced onion and pickle relish, and Southern iced tea.

Got 11 years in prison. Had 2 children before the verdict. Hmmm, nice try. She bought a ticket to Mexico. Judge said she was ill advised. They are deciding whether she should make restitution. I don't understand that? Why wouldn't she? Her parents house was put up for bail spoiled creature.

Greetings to you all,

I was baptized, confirmed, and got my first Holy Communion in the summer of 2020. I can't believe that almost three years have passed since I was received into the Catholic Church. Since then, however, I seem to have fallen away from the Church and attempted to be an Evangelical Protestant sort of Christian. I've attended Non-Denominational churches thinking that maybe Catholicism wasn't the correct form of Christianity because I was looking at everything from a surface level. Not only that but I seem to suffer from a mental illness that causes me to have frequent and sometimes rapid shifts in my beliefs and identity. It's something I'm trying to get help for, but in the meantime, it has caused me much confusion in what I believe in. I'm here because I'd like to revisit Catholicism and see if maybe I could "come home" to the Church. I have a desire to return because the teachings of the Church seem a lot more set in stone than a lot of branches of Protestant Christianity. No hate to my fellow brothers and sisters in Christ, I'm just noticing a trend, at least where I live.

In order to try and help cement my beliefs in my brain, I'm going to have to look at answers to common objections that Catholics are faced with. Catholic Answers might be a good resource for me to check out, and this app one of the local parishes has a subscription to called FORMED, but aside from those resources, does anyone know of any books that might be good for me to look into? I especially love audiobooks because of my attention span issues, if that helps. Thanks!

Sincerely,
HoneyBee

It seems there are folks who cannot understand the concept of binding and loosing in scripture. Let's see if we can bring some enlightenment to it.

There are two sections of scripture that mention the binding and loosing,.... here is the first,...

Mat 16:16 And Simon Peter answered and said, Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God.
Mat 16:17 And Jesus answered and said unto him, Blessed art thou, Simon Bar–Jonah: for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven.
Mat 16:18 And I also say unto thee, that thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it.
Mat 16:19 I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt bind upon earth shall be bound by heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt loose upon earth shall be loosed by heaven.
Mat 16:20 Then charged he the disciples that they should tell no man that he was the Christ.

Here the concept is associated with the keys of the kingdom of heaven from Jesus. This makes perfect sense since it is an authority being given unto the believer from The Lord. This authority is part of Jesus building His church.

The second mention of it doesn't seem to make that much sense,....

Mat 18:15 And if thy brother sin against thee, go, shew him his fault between thee and him alone: if he hear thee, thou hast gained thy brother.
Mat 18:16 But if he hear thee not, take with thee one or two more, that at the mouth of two witnesses or three every word may be established.
Mat 18:17 And if he refuse to hear them, tell it unto the church: and if he refuse to hear the church also, let him be unto thee as the Gentile and the publican.
Mat 18:18 Verily I say unto you, What things soever ye shall bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and what things soever ye shall loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.
Mat 18:19 Again I say unto you, that if two of you shall agree on earth as touching anything that they shall ask, it shall be done for them of my Father which is in heaven.
Mat 18:20 For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them.
Mat 18:21 Then came Peter, and said to him, Lord, how oft shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? until seven times?
Mat 18:22 Jesus saith unto him, I say not unto thee, Until seven times; but, Until seventy times seven.

Basically word for word, but it's stuck in the middle of a different subject. In fact, two differing subjects interrupt the flow of the original subject of brother sinning against brother. It sticks out like a sore thumb in this regard.

If we remove the two differing subjects from the text, the flow of the original subject then makes sense,...

Mat 18:15 And if thy brother sin against thee, go, shew him his fault between thee and him alone: if he hear thee, thou hast gained thy brother.
Mat 18:16 But if he hear thee not, take with thee one or two more, that at the mouth of two witnesses or three every word may be established.
Mat 18:17 And if he refuse to hear them, tell it unto the church: and if he refuse to hear the church also, let him be unto thee as the Gentile and the publican.
Mat 18:21 Then came Peter, and said to him, Lord, how oft shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? until seven times?
Mat 18:22 Jesus saith unto him, I say not unto thee, Until seven times; but, Until seventy times seven.

Anyways,...I will be using Matthew 16's mention of it, not chapter 18.

What do you think this means: "No man has ever seen God; but if we love one another, then we have God dwelling in us, and the love of God has reached its full growth in our lives."

Patience could be a virtue, I tried to post this but CF code said I had to wait 19 seconds; seems I was posting too fast! So, to fill the 19 seconds I typed this little footnote.

Republican Sen. Tim Scott of South Carolina launched a presidential exploratory committee Wednesday morning.

“I will never back down in defense of the conservative values that make America exceptional. And that’s why I’m announcing my exploratory committee for president of the United States,” Scott said in a new video.

Scott – the only Black Republican in the Senate – has been testing the waters for months. Since setting off on a listening tour in February focused on “Faith in America,” he’s made frequent visits to Iowa.


He’s scheduled to hold events in the early voting state on Wednesday.

“I’ve been doing a lot of thinking the past few months,” Scott wrote in a Tuesday night email to his supporters teasing a Wednesday morning announcement on Fox. “I’ve been thinking about my faith. I’ve been thinking about the future of our country. And I’ve been thinking about the Left’s plan to ruin America.”

Dear Brothers & Sisters,

I am so grateful for the journey that I have been on over the past year as part of the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults (RCIA) program in St. Ignatius Church. The program has helped me to grow and deepen my understanding of my faith, and I am now a confirmed Catholic Christian after receiving the sacrament of Confirmation on Easter Vigil.

Throughout the program, I was fortunate enough to have some amazing RCIA facilitators, including May Thong, Cat Yong, and Francis. Their instruction and guidance helped me to better understand the teachings of the Catholic Church, and I am extremely grateful for their dedication and commitment to my spiritual development.

I was also lucky enough to have some wonderful group members who supported me throughout my RCIA journey. Together, we shared our experiences and insights, and helped to create a sense of community and belonging.

As I reflect on my journey, one Bible verse that comes to mind is 1 Peter 3:15. This verse reminds me to always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks me to give the reason for the hope that I have. I strive to do this with gentleness and respect, and through my time in RCIA, I have been equipped with the knowledge and understanding to do so.

My RCIA journey has been an incredible experience, and I am grateful for the grace of God throughout the process. I have gained a greater understanding of the teachings of the Bible, and I have been able to strengthen my faith in ways that I never thought possible.

In fact, one of the most important lessons that I learned during my RCIA journey is that faith is not just about belief; it is about action. I learned that as a Catholic Christian, I have a responsibility to put my faith into action, to help those in need, to love my neighbor as myself, and to spread the message of God's love and mercy to others.

As I move forward in my journey, I am reminded of the words of Matthew 5:16, which says, "Let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven." I am committed to letting my light shine and to spreading the message of God's love and mercy to those around me.

In closing, I offer this prayer of gratitude and dedication to God:

Dear God, I am so thankful for the opportunity to have been part of the RCIA program and to have strengthened my faith through the process. I am grateful for the wisdom and guidance of our facilitators and for the support and fellowship of my group members. I ask that you continue to bless me as I journey in faith and guide me to put my faith into action. May my light shine before others so that they may see your good deeds and glorify you, Father in heaven. I dedicate myself to your service and pray for your grace and guidance in all that I do. Amen.

Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee, a Republican, signed an executive order Tuesday to strengthen background checks and called on the General Assembly to pass the equivalent of a red flag law.

Lee said at a news conference that the order would ensure that information-sharing “more closely guarantees the safe, lawful purchase of firearms in Tennessee.”


He also said legislation was needed to address shortcomings in existing gun laws.

“Our current law is proven and effective in many circumstances, especially with regards to domestic violence, but this new stronger order of protection law will provide the broader population cover, safety, from those who are in danger to themselves or to the population,” Lee said.



There's a couple different motivations at play here (and forgive me for being cynical)

1) Bill Lee honestly understands that a lot of voters want additional restrictions on guns, and is signaling to them that he cares about the issue as well. (and perhaps he does)

2) He's doing something that he thinks the General Assembly won't take up (so it's a "pretend to want to do something, while knowing that nothing will actually get done" type of thing...sort of like the Biden executive orders on climate action)

3) This is a ploy to use various "cherry-pickable" mental health & suicide statistics as a basis of stripping transgender people of their gun rights in response to more and more of them making a conscious effort to arm themselves for self-defense. Knowing that fighting against anything that's "a form of gun control" is a lose-lose for democrats, they can't really argue against it. In essence, a form of gun control (that's one of the few that some in the GOP would be on-board with) that's not sincere, but that the democrats can't argue against because it would be spun into "well, why don't want you want to stop dangerous people from getting guns?!?! I thought you guys wanted gun control???"

The Washington Post is reporting that the Special Prosecutor is investigating former President Donald Trump for Wire Fraud, specifically his fundraising of $200,000 based on claims of election fraud. The Special Prosecutor is subpoenaing private correspondence of those helping the former President to raise the money by publicly claiming there was election interference. If Pres. Trump knew the claims were untrue then that does meet the legal definition of wire fraud.

I'm curious what people think about the possibility of these charges -- particularly if the facts end up to be true -- would you view it as a political prosecution or a valid prosecution of fraud, and why do you view it that way?

After you ask God for forgiveness and receive it, or at least believe that you have received it, what do you do with the damage that your sin did in this world? Asking for forgiveness from God doesn't seem to help the people hurt by your sins.

I've had Solar power and a storage battery installed in my house and it has been incredibly successful.

Using energy from the sun rather than relying from mostly coal power we use here in Victoria is an inherent good, but in addition to that it's personally sabing me so much money that it will have paid for itself in under a decade (especially with rising power costs).

The solar cells charge my battery and then any excess is sold back into the grid at a very reduced cost.

I'm looking forward to my next bill to see how it runs from the darker winter months.

Just a few decades ago used to be the mascot of a major Jam brand.

But then the uk was still showing the Black and white minstrel show well into the 70's.

He says Cohen breached his duty as attorney to act in his client's best interests.
Cohen is a key witness in a New York investigation into Mr Trump, focusing on hush-money paid to a porn star.

According to filings from early March, reviewed by Fox News, the DOJ charged Nota with misdemeanor destruction of religious property, which carries up to one year in prison and $100,000 in fines. However, a week later, the Justice Department recommended no jail time and three years of probation for Nota’s sentencing on June 2, Fox News reported.
It's going to get worse and worse as long as the hard left is in control of our government. Don't wait until crime personally effects you to speak out. Do you want your neighborhood to be like Chicago or San Francisco?