Open AI is a reasoning model which you can test at OpenAI it is really quite remarkable what it is capable of, able to write poems in a few seconds, or complex articles based on its knowledge base. I am interested in the topic of free will vs predestination, so I asked it to use formal logic to let me know which of the two arguments is most compelling.

I said: if you had to use logic which one is better supported

Open AI said: The debate between free will and predestination is a complex issue, and it is difficult to say definitively which view is better supported by logic. However, one could argue that the case for free will is stronger, based on several key points:

The Bible presents numerous passages that emphasize human agency and responsibility in the process of salvation. For example, in John 3:16, Jesus says, "For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life." This passage suggests that human faith and belief are essential components of salvation.

The idea of predestination raises difficult theological questions about the nature of God and the problem of evil. If God has predetermined the eternal destiny of individuals, then it raises the question of why he would allow some people to be created specifically for damnation. This view also seems to conflict with the idea of God's love and justice.

The concept of free will aligns more closely with our experience of the world. We experience ourselves as having the ability to make choices and to exert some degree of control over our lives. This view also aligns with the idea of moral responsibility, which is central to many ethical and religious traditions.

Of course, these arguments are not exhaustive and may not convince everyone. Ultimately, the question of free will vs. predestination is a deeply philosophical and theological issue that may never be fully resolved.
I said: could you provide me some example formal logical arguments for free will that are particularly strong

Open AI said: Sure, here is one formal logic argument that I think is particularly strong regarding free will:

Premise 1: If humans do not have free will, then moral responsibility and accountability are undermined. Premise 2: Moral responsibility and accountability exist (Romans 2:6-8, 2 Corinthians 5:10). Conclusion: Therefore, humans have free will.

This argument appeals to the concept of moral responsibility and accountability as evidence for the existence of free will. If we are not free to make choices, then it would seem unfair and unjust to hold us responsible for our actions. The Bible consistently emphasizes the importance of personal responsibility and accountability, suggesting that we will be judged according to our deeds and that our choices have real consequences.

Of course, this argument assumes that moral responsibility and accountability are indeed real and meaningful concepts. Some people may disagree with this assumption, or may argue that it is possible to have moral responsibility without free will. However, I think that this argument is a strong one that provides a compelling case for the existence of free will.


Here are a few more formal logic arguments that I think are particularly strong regarding free will:

1. Premise 1: If humans do not have free will, then God's commands and exhortations to choose good and avoid evil are meaningless. Premise 2: God's commands and exhortations are not meaningless (e.g. Deuteronomy 30:19-20, Joshua 24:15). Conclusion: Therefore, humans have free will.

This argument appeals to the idea that if God commands us to do something or avoid something, then we must have the ability to choose whether or not to obey. If we do not have free will, then God's commands would be pointless, as we would not have the ability to follow them. However, the Bible is full of examples of God calling on people to choose good and avoid evil, suggesting that we do indeed have free will.

1. Premise 1: If humans do not have free will, then prayer is meaningless. Premise 2: Prayer is not meaningless (e.g. Philippians 4:6-7, James 5:16). Conclusion: Therefore, humans have free will.

This argument appeals to the idea that prayer involves asking God for something and hoping that He will respond. If we do not have free will, then our prayers would be pointless, as God's response would be predetermined and unchangeable. However, the Bible is full of examples of people praying for specific things and experiencing answers to their prayers, suggesting that we do indeed have the ability to influence God's actions through our requests.

1. Premise 1: If humans do not have free will, then love is meaningless. Premise 2: Love is not meaningless (e.g. 1 Corinthians 13:4-8, John 3:16). Conclusion: Therefore, humans have free will.

This argument appeals to the idea that love involves choosing to care for and be committed to another person. If we do not have free will, then our ability to choose to love would be undermined, as we would be predetermined to either love or not love certain people. However, the Bible consistently presents love as a choice that we must make, suggesting that we do indeed have free will.

What were the most difficult sacrifices you ever had to make for your marriage? Do you think your marriage would have survived if you hadn't made those sacrifices? In marriage, when you want to make decisions that are best for both involved, how do you balance your choices to make sure one person isn't being drowned while "being the life vest/life boat" for the other person?

My only question/comment would be, why did they even have to do this?
I suspect it is because of widespread hiding of curriculum content from parents.
Not a single democrat voted for the bill.

Important, tragic message from Bishop Irenei of London and Western Europe regarding Ukraine. Please watch and pray. I was in tears watching this and will be adding this to my prayers.

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Firstly, I'm not a USA citizen. But I am centre right with regards to fiscal policy. I believe in Capitalism, I believe in minimising government. I believe people should be afforded as much freedoms as possible.

But I am centre right rather than far right, because I don't accept anarcho-capitalism, I don't think companies left to their own devices particularly care about employees or the environment and so I think Government does need to intervene somewhat to help out those people that are at the mercy of the big wealthy companies.
I consider healthcare to be a human right, and think society/government should provide.

But, from what I can see (as an outsider to USA), the Republican party seem to be more focused on cultural nonsense rather than a positive economic policy.
They seem to be stuck in an ultra conservative, White Christian mindset. They seem to be mostly focused on fear of change, and fear of a non White Christian society.

I have none of these fears. I'm not worried about cultural changes, I'm not afraid to go outside my house, I'm not afraid of my neighbors sinning. I'm not afraid of people kissing on tv or in the streets, I'm not afraid of kids being taught about various sexual orientations or about transgenerism. I'm not afraid of brown immigrants or of efforts to improve the lot of impoverished minorities.

But if I were a USA person, I'd be keen to have a political party that represents a centre right position, but not a Christian White one.
My question is, does the Republican party appeal to people that are fiscally centre right? and if so, how?

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On "Christian" Forums ... you alway find an army of people who want to tell you about their confessing sin and trying to keep the law.

So, If you pay attention to Threads and posts, over time, you'll discover that the people who "sin and confess and repeat", also try to bring the Law to you.
That's not a coincidence.

Now, You can show them that Paul teaches...>"The law is the power of sin, and the power of sin is the Law".
And you can show them that "Christ has redeemed the born again from the CURSE of the Law".
And you can show them that "the born again are not under the law, but under Grace".

And what will they do next?
They'll post 40 more posts in a row, that have NO CROSS of CHRIST in them, while they post their LAW Keeping theology, instead., over and over.
Why?
Because that is their Real FAITH.

1.) So what is their issue?

Their issue is....They Believe that "Christianity" is "Law keeping" "commandment keeping" and "sinning and confessing".
Yet....That is exactly a denial of Christianity..... as Its what unsaved unsaved religious Jews believe and do.
And how do you know? Its because that is what they both teach, and that is what they do, so, you shall, "know them by their Fruit".
Their Fruit is......"Law and commandment keeping" and "sinning and confessing".
If you put them on the spot, they will take one of Paul's verses out of context and say.....>"im doing this....>"that which i would do i can't, and that which i hate i do".
And the reason they do that is to try to hide self righteousness and defend sinning and confessing.
But, had they studied all of Paul's teaching, they would have learned quickly that when he wrote those verses, he was giving testimony to the Grace of God that delivered him from trying to be righteous before God, by law and commandments.

See, Paul kept taaching, while their commentary or their cult didnt keep showing them the rest of Paul's doctrine.
Paul went from "what i do i hate", to..>"Christ always Gives me the Victory".
They never got that far and instead wasted 5-50 yrs "sinning, confessing, and repeat".

And, you dont have to., and i'll show you why.... as this is Paul's Theology.

Keep reading..

The issue with that failed discipleship these people have, , is that its a failed discipleship that didnt have to be so.
That's the tragedy of it.

So, why are they like that?
Why, are they doing that to themselves?

1.) They are not born again.
2.) They are born again, but have been deceived out of The Power of Jesus and into "SELF" "Righteousness"., and the majority of these believe they can lose their salvation, which proves they have no real faith in Christ to keep them saved, = which is why that are obsessed on Law and Commandments and works and water baptism...as they are trying to save themselves, which is exactly the same thing as trying to stay saved.
See that? That is BROKEN FAITH.

Now, how can they escape this deception that has ruined their faith that continues to ruin their discipleship?

The answer is clear and simple.
They have to "KNOW" something that they don't know, and once they know it as their FAITH, then God will deliver them from their deception...But not until. And until they are delivered from their SELF Righteousness (Trying to make SELF right with God by water, works, commandments and law).... they will continue to post about all that, and continue to sin, confess, and repeat.

Now if you are one of those and you want to stop being one of those, then start reading all my Threads carefully, and posts, as im teaching you how to get out of Hebrews 6:1 .
If you are a new believer, and want to never become this type of broken ruined discipleship then the first thing you have to do is study this verses, do what it says, and stay there for LIFE.

Hebrews 13:9


2.) Now, here is how you resolve broken discipleship, and get out of the law and commandment self saving deception, and get your faith right, as that is the issue that is the issue.
Your Faith is wrong......now, let me show you how to get it right.

Here is the main thing...
You have to KNOW something. And that means its not just info, its KNOWING... .which is coming to the knowledge of the Truth about one thing and embracing it with faith, so that it becomes your FAITH.
If you will do this, you can escape your "error of Cain"... or prevent yourself from becoming a Legalist.

Rememer this... If you are just water baptized, or sprinkled, and were taught that the water is your salvation...that it "washed away your sin", then you are not A Son/Daughter of God yet., as Jesus said "you must be BORN.....again", and water can't do that for you.

Now.....Look at these verses carefully....

Romans 6:6-7....

A.) """""We know that our old man of the FLESH, our sin nature was put to death on the Cross with Christ, so that the entire body of our sinful lusts and evil desires would be destroyed, and we should no longer be enslaved to sin. 7 For someone who has died has been FREED from sin."""""

B.) Romans 6:14 : """"For SIN shall not have dominion or control over you ever again, as you are not under the LAW, but under GRACE"

C.) Romans 6:11..... "Likewise and therefore, see yourself, reckon yourself to be DEAD TO SIN.....but (born again) ALIVE TO GOD, through Christ our Lord"


Now, Paul just taught you that your sinful SELF is dead, crucified with Christ, and that sin nature is gone, and it has no more power over you, and you are '"FREED FROM SIN"

"FREED FROM SIN"

Not being freed, or one day you hope to be. Understand?

Then Paul teaches it like this..>"Christ always gives me the VICTORY"< and "I can do all things Through Christ".

Now, Paul just taught you that you are already FREED from sin, yet you are sinning and confessing and repeating it?

Why?
Why is that?

Its Because you dont KNOW yet, that your OLD MAN = that sin nature is DEAD, Crucified, and you are "under Grace".
To know that is to BELIEVE IT.
To know that is to do what Hebrews 13:9 told you to do.

See all that?
That is the RIGHT MIND, the RENEWED MIND., and until you get that mind, so that you see yourself only as "the new creation", you will stay in the law, commandment obsessed, like this... = Jesus said..>"apart from me you can do NOTHING">...... and the Nothing He's explaining is...>"i still sin and confess and i dont have any power to live holy ", and "what i hate i do".
See that? That is Paul explaining it as "that which i hate i do". ...= what Jesus is telling you will happen to you, and has.....if you are sinning and confessing and repeat while you obsess on water, works, law, and commandments.

That is what happens to you and you will stay there for LIFE......, when you dont KNOW, who you have become for eternity as the "new Creation" "in Christ" "made righteous", because you are now "the righteousness of God, in Christ".......as a "SON/Daughter" of God.
= See that simple understanding you have to KNOW? That is the '"renewed mind" and that is God's perspective of you, always.
When you dont KNOW it by faith as the 'renewed mind"..., you will chase water, and works, and law, and commandments, INSTEAD" .....and you will continue to have a failed discipleship and broken faith that is the result of a carnal mind.

Reader.
Christianity is SPIRITUAL, and the Power of Christ is SPIRITUAL, and to enlist this power of deliverance and victory, you have to KNOW who you have become, as a born again, "Made righteous", "new Creation in Christ""".......Having become = "the righteousness of GOD, in Christ"....as who you are that God sees as you, for eternity.

Welcome to SALVATION as the renewed mind.

You have to get that RENEWED MIND and keep it... never let it go.....,and until you get that RENEWED MIND< you will continue to not understand the NT, .. and your walk of faith will be "sinning and confessing"<.... your prayer life will be failed,.... and your discipleship will be "apart from me you can do nothing", Jesus said.

Thanks, Obama! The hilarious reason why a judge just blocked Wyoming’s abortion ban.​

In many states, opponents of Obamacare effectively took the GOP’s talking points ['death panels' 'government takeover of healthcare'] and turned them into state constitutional amendments protecting patients’ ability to obtain health care that the government might not want them to have. Wyoming’s amendment, for example, provides that “each competent adult shall have the right to make his or her own health care decisions.”

Regardless of the political circumstances that led to this amendment being written into the state constitution, [Judge] Owens reasoned that the amendment “unambiguously provides competent Wyoming citizens with the right to make their own health care decisions,” and she was bound by that unambiguous text. “A court,” she wrote, “is not at liberty to assume that the Wyoming voters who adopted” the amendment “did not understand the force of language in the provision.”

Apparently, the state tried to argue that the amendment was only intended to thwart Democratic government, not Republican government.

I've mentioned here before that I do some barefoot walking... And now, with a little experience, I know the value of moisturising and oiling the feet. Otherwise very hard callouses form and are too hard.. when they split... Ouch!
There are stories in the Bible of Jesus having his head and feet anointed... and I can really see what a pleasant and loving act that would be, in a physical sense.
I even wonder if Jesus might have been a barefooter too? I figure shoes or sandals were expensive and would have only been used for longer, harder journeys?

*** Anyway, my question...
What is the spiritual significance of anointing?

Worries that Credit Suisse’s downfall would spark a broader banking meltdown left Swiss regulators with few good options. A tie-up with its larger rival, UBS (UBS), offered the best chance of restoring stability in the banking sector globally and in Switzerland, and protecting the Swiss economy in the near term.

But it leaves Switzerland exposed to a single massive financial institution, even as there is still huge uncertainty over how successful the mega merger will prove to be.

“One of the most established facts in academic research is that bank mergers hardly ever work,” said Arturo Bris, a professor of finance at Swiss business school IMD.

There are also concerns that the deal will lead to huge job losses in Switzerland and weaken competition in the country’s vital financial sector, which overall employs more than 5% of the national workforce, or nearly 212,000 people.

I got this off of a public Facebook group that I joined a few months back that deals with SDA and Ellen White. I think it is true based on what I've seen concerning what SDA claim about things like "The Great Controversy", and "the Investigative Judgement", where they believe the 10 Commandments existed before Moses in heaven and are eternal etc.

This is different compared to Christianity that sees the 10 Commandments as concrete standards and examples of Christian morals. The Law/Torah in general is a pedagogue / Kinder Garten instructor of the ways of God (literally at times but much more allegorically). The Commandments themselves are a handy summary of the things we should avoid. They are useful, specific examples to prevent "Sloppy Agapism" (aka Antinomianism), but the true life by the Spirit will cause people to exceed them based on going after what is in God's heart much like King David of old, rather than the letter of the Law.



It seems as if this needs to be aired again.
Many of you have heard the often shared message of the SDA about how the two stone tablets are the "How to" of Love. The SDA love to tell you about how Jesus just simplified the Ten into the Two greatest commandments.
But, what they completely missed, because of their man made ideas, is what Jesus was teaching to the Lawkeepers in Luke chapter 10.
First, let's post the Ten Commandments under the Two greatest according to the SDA version.

The Greatest commandment:
"Matthew 22:37 And He said to him, "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind"
Ten Commandments under this one according to the SDA:
1. You shall have no other Gods before me.
2. You shall not make for yourself and idol....
3. You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain.
4. Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy....

The Second Greatest Commandment:
"Matthew 22:39 The second is like it, 'You shall love your neighbor as yourself'"
Ten Commandments under this one according to the SDA:
5. Honor your father and your mother, so that your days.....
6. You shall not murder.
7. You shall not commit adultery.
8. You shall not steal.
9. You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.
10. You shall not covet your neighbor's house, wife, male servant, etc....


Is that what Jesus taught? Let's read and find out!
Luke 10:30-37 "Jesus replied and said, "A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and fell among robbers, and they stripped him and beat him, and went away leaving him for dead. And by chance a Priest was going down on that road, and when he saw him, he passed by on the other side. Likewise a Levite also, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. But a Samaritan, who was on a journey, came upon him, and when he saw him, he felt compassion, and came to him and bandaged up his wounds, pouring oil and wine on them: and he put him on his own beast, and brought him to an inn and took care of him. On the next day he took out two denarii and gave them to the innkeeper and said, "Take care of him; and whatever more you spend, when I return I will repay you." Which of these three do you think proved to be a neighbor to the man who fell into the robbers' hands?" And he said, "The one who showed mercy toward him." Then Jesus said to him, "Go and do the same."

So, let's compare the SDA version of "love your neighbor" to Jesus' version. The last 6 commandments...
1. Did either the Priest or the Levite dishonor their mother or Father? No.
2. Did either the Priest or the Levite murder the man? No.
3. Did either the Priest or the Levite commit adultery with the man's wife? No.
4. Did either the Priest or the Levite steal from the man? No.
5. Did either the Priest of the Levite bear false witness against the man? No.
6. Did either the Priest or the Levite covet the man's wife, or house, or servants? NO!

So the Priest and the Levite did not break any of the commandments that are supposed to be "how to" love your neighbor!
Which means that according to the SDA, both the Priest and the Levite were following God's given directions on "how to" love your neighbor. Yet Jesus clearly showed that neither the Priest or the Levite proved to be a neighbor to the man who had been robbed. Instead it was a Samaritan, a Gentile who had not the Law, who was not observing a seventh day sabbath; it was this man who Jesus said proved to be a neighbor. It was this man who Loved according to God.
Sounds like the SDA missed the meaning of what Jesus was really trying to teach!

Amid a clash Thursday over President Joe Biden's beleaguered student loan forgiveness plan, one theme emerged that at least some members of Congress could agree upon: Colleges need to take more responsibility for the debt crisis.

The House Subcommittee on Higher Education and Workforce Development, chaired by Republican Rep. Burgess Owens of Utah, held a hearing aimed at examining the implications of Biden’s student loan proposals for students and taxpayers. One of those – broad relief of up to $20,000 in debt for borrowers making less than $125,000 – is held up in the U.S. Supreme Court.

The two-hour hearing, the subcommittee’s first meeting this session, consisted largely of the usual partisan talking points. Republicans decried the burdens debt forgiveness places on “hardworking Americans” and the prospect of creating a culture of overreliance on loans. Democrats lamented the declining value of a Pell Grant amid skyrocketing tuition and the disproportionate rates of low-income Americans who have struggled to complete their degrees but are stuck with ever-mounting debt they can’t afford.

The general idea of better holding colleges accountable for the outpaced growth in tuition and student debt, however, appeared to garner bipartisan consensus.


On the aspect they seemed to agree on (holding the colleges, themselves, accountable), I like the sound of some of the proposals.

Salerno broached the idea of requiring colleges to co-sign the loans students take out. They would then be financially responsible if a borrower is unable to make good on their payments after graduating.

Gadkaree said the first step is clear: reinstating the gainful employment rule.
The rule, revoked under former President Donald Trump, required any program whose typical graduates’ debts exceeded a certain percentage of their income to improve their outcomes or risk losing access to federal funding. The vast majority of schools affected by the rule were for-profit colleges, which account for half of all student-loan defaults.


I would extend the second provision even further, and instead of just primarily hitting the "for profit" colleges (or as they also called them "low quality institutions"), I would also hit the "respectable" institutions as well when they're knowingly admitting people into programs (that are known to have a low job placement rate) and gleefully taking the federal loan money, and then leaving the borrowers out to dry when they get to the real world and realize their degree isn't very marketable.

For instance, every year in the US, there are 90,000 degrees conferred in Visual and Performing Arts, and 90,000 conferred in Journalism.

According to the Bureau of Labor statistics, the job forecast for those two fields are
Journalism: 4,600 openings per year over the next 10 years
Visual and Performing arts: 2,700 per year over the next 5 years (much of it not full-time salaried work)

If you do the math on that, that's not a great job outlook (and the colleges know that). But they're happily taking the money for enrollment into programs that they know have lower than a 10% job placement rate at 12 months. I think the colleges should take responsibility for that. It's their admissions advisors who talked the 18 year olds into pursuing non-viable degree in a "longshot" field.


I think that's likely why in countries where public colleges are free (to those who get accepted) like Scandinavia, they set very strict entry requirements for those specialized fields and enforce maximum quotas on them. They understand that "hey, everyone is chipping in on this, we don't need tens of thousands of kids emerging 4 years from now with theater degrees who end up working retail after society footed the bill"

For years, President Biden has maintained a Sgt. Schultz defense ("I know nothing, nothing!") to counter allegations that his family has profiteered on influence peddling with foreign countries and companies.

Despite mounting evidence to the contrary, Biden maintains that he "knows nothing, nothing" about son Hunter Biden's business deals. He recently doubled down on this defense by even denying that family members received money from foreign sources. He repeated his denial even after the release of financial transfer reports from his own administration showing millions transferred from China.

Now, emails have emerged that show that Biden personally helped draft responses to the controversial deals in 2015 when he was vice president. It also appears that Biden officials like former White House communications director Kate Bedingfield knew of his role even as the president continued to deny any involvement.

Click to expand...

Thoughts?

A Springfield-area church is claiming that prayer re-grew a woman's amputated toes last week. During a livestream of James River Church's March 15 service, Pastor John Lindell explained that a "creative miracle" took place the day before at the Joplin James River Church campus.

James River Church and the woman involved, Kristina Dines, have not returned the News-Leader's requests for comment. As of publication of this article, there are no photos or videos of the event taking place or the aftermath.

The alleged toe-regrowth event has drawn considerable attention on social media, with many expressing skepticism of the claims. A website urging anyone with proof to share it has popped up at ShowMeTheToes.com.

Florida Charter School Principal fired after not warning parents in advance 6th grade class would see Michelangelo's David

Warning: article contains full frontal statuary!

Florida school principal says she was fired for teaching children about Michelangelo’s David​

A parent called the lesson ‘pornographic’​

​

The former principal explained that the school is required by law to teach lessons on Renaissance art to sixth-graders — typically 11 and 12-year-old children — as a small portion of the annual curriculum. She said that three parents complained that their children were made uncomfortable by the lesson, which included a section on Michelangelo’s David.​

​

The school board enacted a rule two months ago requiring parental notification two weeks before the teaching of any "potentially controversial" information. [through miscommunication, this advance warning was not given.]​

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[another parent was concerned] there may be a "paradigm shift" at the school, noting an increase in non-secular language.​

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[The school chair who fired the teacher] is a lobbyist and has embraced Governor Ron DeSantis' educational agenda with enthusiasm, noting that Tallahassee Classical would be on the "cutting edge" of adopting the state's rules. ​

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“We agree with everything the governor is doing in the educational arena. We support him because he’s right,” Mr Bishop said. “The whole woke indoctrination going on about pronouns and drag queens isn’t appropriate in school."​

To keep a long story short, I grieved the Holy Spirit 8 years ago with sins of the flesh and had a very painful spiritual experience. As a result of this, I developed a mental illness and my life has gone in a downward spiral. Between the years of '15-'18, I received what I believe to be graces from the Holy Spirit. These were in the forms of dreams, locutions and visions. Now, I am no longer sure if these were authentic revelations of the Holy Spirit, since being diagnosed with mental illness has made me doubt my sanity over and over again. Everything took a turn for the worse when I (shamefully) persisted in my sin and I felt how the Holy Spirit... left me. With all of his gifts. Ever since then, I've been depressed, feeling like I am lost, hospitalized due to recurring psychotic episodes, s**cide attempt. I feel like life is not worth living anymore. I don't even understand myself anymore, and I am afraid that I've committed the blasphemy of the Holy Spirit. I cannot feel or sense anything when I pray, and I cannot hear God's voice no matter how hard I try. The passages of Hebrews 10:26-31 and Heb 6:4-6 terrify me, since they describe the exact kind of person that I am. Now, when I commit a sin, I no longer feel the pangs of conscience or guilt, I just feel dead inside. And what's even worse, is that I have fornicated and committed even more sins of the flesh since the time the Spirit left me, since I don't feel any guilt. But now I am starting to fear for my soul, and perhaps realizing that I am in spiritual danger. So, tell me: did I cross the point of no return? Or is there still hope for me? KR, a lost sinner.

The American Library Association (ALA) today released new data documenting* 1,269 demands to censor library books and resources in 2022, the highest number of attempted book bans since ALA began compiling data about censorship in libraries more than 20 years ago. The unparalleled number of reported book challenges in 2022 nearly doubles the 729 challenges reported in 2021.

A record 2,571 unique titles were targeted for censorship, a 38% increase from the 1,858 unique titles targeted for censorship in 2021. Of those titles, the vast majority were written by or about members of the LGBTQIA+ community and people of color.

The prevalent use of lists of books compiled by organized censorship groups contributed significantly to the skyrocketing number of challenges and the frequency with which each title was challenged. Of the overall number of books challenged, 90% were part of attempts to censor multiple titles. Of the books challenged, 40% were in cases involving 100 or more books

Polling conducted by bipartisan research firms in 2022 showed that voters across the political spectrum oppose efforts to remove books from libraries and have confidence in libraries to make good decisions about their collections.

ALA will unveil its highly anticipated list of the top 10 most challenged books in the U.S. on Monday, April 24 during National Library Week, along with its full State of America's Libraries Report.

Hi everyone, I would greatly appreciate your prayers. I need a miracle! I am on a prescription medication that causes you to lose the enamel on your teeth, I am now having severe dental problems, I already have 4 fillings and the dentist said there are many more spots in my mouth that may become cavities soon. I need a miracle healing or I will have to have my whole mouth drilled out and the cavities will keep coming. Many years ago I was on the same med and I was praying when God spoke to me and told me then enamel on my teeth was thin and He was correcting it, I felt a sensation in my mouth and I was healed, no cavities. I need for God to do this again, after many years on the med the problem has come back! Thank you for your prayers!

The Post-KFF poll is the largest nongovernmental survey of U.S. transgender adults to rely on random sampling methods. More than 500 people who identify as trans answered questions about their childhoods, their feelings and their lives post-transition.

The Post-KFF survey finds that trans adults hold widely different ideas about what it means to transition. While most trans people have socially transitioned, meaning they’ve changed their clothing, names or pronouns, far fewer have medically transitioned. Less than a third have used hormone treatments or puberty blockers, and about 1 in 6 have undergone gender-affirming surgery or other surgical treatment to change their physical appearance.

Most trans adults say they knew when they were young that their gender identity was different from the sex they were assigned at birth. About a third (32 percent) say they began to understand their own gender identity when they were 10 or younger

One in 4 trans adults say they attended religious services as a child or teenager that tried to change their sexual orientation or gender identity, and about 1 in 10 say they attended conversion or reparative therapy.

29 percent of trans adults say they experienced homelessness or got kicked out of their home while they were growing up, rising to 38 percent among trans people of color.

One in 4 trans adults say they have been physically attacked because of their gender identity, gender expression or sexual identity, and more than 6 in 10 (64 percent) say they have been verbally attacked.

The poll reveals that most adults who identify as trans or transgender prefer the terms “nonbinary” (40 percent) or “gender non-conforming” (22 percent), while 22 percent identify as a “trans woman” and 12 percent identify as a “trans man.”

Among those who present themselves differently from their gender assigned at birth, the Post-KFF poll finds 78 percent say that living as a different gender has made them more satisfied with their lives. More than 4 in 10 say they are “a lot” more satisfied.

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What is the difference between a Christian, and an unbeliever?
There are a few.

You, if you are born again, and not just water baptized (sprinkled) and religious) are going to heaven, and they are not.
You are born again, and they are not.
They have their sin, and Christ has all of yours.

2 Corinthians 5:21

Hebrews 10:14


Listen,

When you are working out your salvation, you are learning how to exist within it.
This is how you "work out". You work out, what you already possess. = "The Gift of Salvation".
Only The BORN Again have received this Gift, that is the "Gift of Righteousness".

Jesus said : ""You MUST be born.........again">........and water can't do that for you.


If you are born agian, then you HAVE Salvation.....You are not tryng to keep it, you are trying to learn how to exist within its particular rules....
= "work out your salvation".""...

Law Keeping and Commandment keeping are not involved., as this is the NEW Covenant.

The 1st rule, and most important, is to learn how to see yourself only as God sees you after you are born again.
This is a must do. As if you don't, you will never understand the New Testament, and you will never walk in the Spirit.
So, you have to get that "renewed mind" as Paul teaches.

Now, before you were born again, you had a "body that is dead because of sin".. and you still do..... and you were what Paul defines as the "old man". and your mind is Carnal. ("in the Flesh").
The carnal nature that is "flesh", is actually the nature of the devil. The devil's nature is "sin", and you were a sinner, before you were "saved" from this situation., as To be a sinner, is to have the devil's nature., and that is why Jesus said.."You are of YOUR Father, the devil, and the lusts of YOUR Father, you will do".
See that?? That is the SIN NATURE. That is the "fallen Adamic nature".
And THAT, is the "old man", or the carnal "Mind of the flesh.""

When you are born again, this carnal flesh old man dies with Christ. It , this flesh nature, the "old man" is "crucified with Christ" and is dead.
Paul tells you to understand that and to never again see yourself as that which is "dead". You are to "reckon it Dead".
And.....When you believe this, and you exist in the mind of this understanding, you faith is correct, and you are working out your salvation according to this Truth regarding who you have become as a born again, "New Creation" "In Christ".
You are learning to SEE YOURSELF as only God sees you, and THAT is how you learn to walk in the Spirit.
If you are just water baptized (sprinkled) and religious, then you are not working anything out. You are in fact, ... Lost.

Now where are you sins, if you are born again?
They are all gone.
You have no sin. None. ... See, If you had any, you would be the same as an unbeliever, and Christ would not have them, and you would still be damned.
However, because you are born again, this has happened.

2nd Corinthians 5:21
"For God made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, and we have become the righteousness of God in Him.""

Notice who has your sin.
Christ has your sin. He actually became and bore all your sin. He has them all, and you have ZERO.
When Jesus came out of the Grave, your sin stayed there., dead.
You are "the righteousness of God", because Jesus became your sin.
See that? That is SALVATION.

And because you have no sin , you are become these verses....

Romans 6:6....""For we know that our old self was crucified with him so that the carnal nature (the old man) that was previously ruled by sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves to sin-- and......

6:7 .."For he who has died has been freed from sin."""

So, Saint.. that is you now., if you are born again, and not just water baptized (sprinkled) and religious.
Christ has all you sin, died for them all, and you are made free from them, because they are on HIM.
He's already been JUDGED for them all, 2000 yrs ago.
And your carnal nature, that was your previous SELF, is now DEAD, and you have become a "new Creation". = Born again... And this New Creation is sinless. Your born again SPIRIT has no sin in you or on you, and your previous carnal nature is DEAD, DEAD, DEAD.

You are FREED.
You are freed from sin, because your old "sinning self is DEAD" and all your sin is taken by Christ, and you are no longer "under the Law" that previously defined you as a sinner.
You now remain, RIGHTEOUS, SINLESS, and born again.,, as a "new Creation" "In Christ"...."made righteous", as "the righteousness of GOD, in Christ".

That's the REAL You, if you are born again., and there is no other that GOD sees or knows.
He's only sees you as that SON/Daughter of God, at all times....."made righteous", "in Christ"...>"seated in Heavenly places"...>"ONE with God".

So, when you read verses that talk about having sin, and sinning, and confessing... then recognize that these verses are not directed at the born again.
The born again are :

1 John 3:9

The Born again are "complete in Him",... The BORN AGAIN are become the Righteousness of God, with no sin in us, and no sin on us.
We are "made righteous", "blood bought", and remain as pure as the Blood of Jesus for as long as God lives, as we live IN HIM....."One with God, and Christ".

That is our :

= ETERNAL LIFE

I am seeking examples in Scripture where God the Father or God the Son makes a REQUEST of any created being.

I have found none yet.

I have often heard preachers’ exhortations to do what God/Jesus asks of us. But, thus far, I have only found, in Scripture, what God REQUIRES of us.

The days we feel empty, and all around everything seems meaningless, and it’s difficult to find something to care about, realize this is just the “old man.” You can’t get use to this reoccurrence, and all that can be done is to just wait it out until it passes; yes it will pass regardless of how long it takes.

But know this; this trial is also “for good to those who love Him” (Ro 8:28), as all things are. The fact that the old man (sin nature) is allowed to indwell saints and act upon its own to distract is a testament to the power of God to sanctify (separate) the believer from the sin and its source—the old man (we “are not in the flesh” or sin nature – Ro 8:9)!

Every time a believer endures with patience (Rom 12:12; 2Th 3:5) there is something being taught and learned. It is that we can always entrust all to God (1Pe 5:7) until our “care” comes back; then keep trusting God. Thankfully, most of the time we are not tested is this way, but you can be assured, it will always return for testing.

At this time the devil likes getting in his licks, to make us feel guilty; but there is nothing to feel guilty about, for there’s nothing we intentionally chose to do wrong, and we realize it’s just a distraction!

The test is difficult but the resolution is simple—we just know that it’s God’s way of causing us to continue to trust the Lord Jesus’ for the expiation of our sins and its source (old man). You see, as we feel the emptiness of this type of trial, is causes us to exercise our faith in the atonement of Christ!

Mar. 22—In light of yet another shooting at East High School, the topic of school resource officers from Denver police in schools again moved front and center.

In June 2020, the Denver School Board unanimously voted to cut ties with Denver Police, following the murder of George Floyd.

But Denver Superintendent Alex Marrero told the Denver Gazette's news partners Chalkbeat Colorado Wednesday he will have an armed officer at each of the district's comprehensive high schools — a step that he acknowledges likely violates school board policy.

Click to expand...

This is very interesting and it proves two points.

1) The anti-police rhetoric embraced by the Democratic party after the murder of George Floyd was and continues to be absurd.
2) To solve the issue of school shootings, gun control, safe spaces, gun-free zones, etc, does NOTHING to prevent them.

Crime continues to skyrocket and it's 100% a result of Democratic policies. They are making it so the police are the bad guys while taking a soft stance on the actual criminals doing the crime. It appears it's backfiring and schools consider the police a vital tool to keep their kids safe.

FERVENT PRAYER FOR CHINA

MANDARIN CHINESE

Han Chinese, Mandarin in China

A CHE

A Che in China

A'OU

A'ou in China

A-HMAO

https://joshuaproject.net/people_groups/18388/CH

"Absolution is a sacrament, “If we call Sacraments ‘rites that have the command of God [1], and to which the promise of grace has been added [3],’ it is easy to decide what are true Sacraments… Therefore, Baptism, the Lord’s Supper, and Absolution (which is the Sacrament of Repentance) are truly Sacraments” (Ap XIII, 3-4)"