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Catholics need a restorative justice approach to the church’s sexual abuse crisis

Wounds remain. This was a chief conclusionof an independent working group on the clerical sex abuse crisis in the U.S. Catholic Church that proposed the following measures last month:

—Develop a national center with experts and practitioners to equip the broader church with practices of restorative justice that would accompany those who have been directly and peripherally harmed by abuse, particularly forums in which victim-survivors tell their stories and receive love, recognition and empathy.


—Establish a national healing garden as a permanent site of healing, prayer and accompaniment for victim-survivors of sexual abuse by members of the clergy and for the broader church.

—Institute an annual day of prayer and penance for healing and reconciliation for victim-survivors of clergy abuse and for broader healing in the church.

—Create trauma-informed training for clergy, seminarians, lay ministers, lay leaders and parish communities to communicate the realities and effects of trauma in order to compassionately accompany victim-survivors.

Continued below.
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I've been extorted and I don't know what to do anymore

I have no proof, and it seems almost impossible to prove. I've been left alone after they got what they wanted from me.

I have never been the same after that.

I would like to hire a police officer that can be around wherever I go. So this can never happen to me ever again. How much would this cost me?

I will work as hard as I can so I can afford this, I will pray to God to bless me with the opportunity to be able to make this possible. I can't live like this in worry. I am afraid they will come back or this can happen again.

There is no good, justifiable or innocent lie!

There is no good, justifiable or innocent lie! Ha-Satan is the father of all lie (John 8:44), regardless its size to our eyes!

• “Lying lips are hateful to Jehovah, but those who deal truly are His delight.” (Pro 12:22)

When we speak in sin, the first thing that we think is on heinous crime. Nevertheless, did you peruse the Holy Scripture in order to see how the lie is seen before the Creator?

1 – He belittle and abhor the liar and promised to destroy them:

• "You shall destroy those who speak lies; Jehovah will despise the bloody and deceitful man.” (Psa_5:6);
• "These six Jehovah hates; yea, seven are hateful to his soul: a proud look, a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood,” (Pro_6:16-17);

2 – The liar are the tail of the Red Dragon:

• " The elder and honorable, he is the head; and the prophet who teaches lies, he is the tail.” (Isa_9:15);
• “And another sign was seen in the heavens. And behold a great red dragon, having seven heads and ten horns and seven crowns on his heads! And his tail drew the third part of the stars of heaven, and cast them onto the earth. And the dragon stood before the woman being about to bear, so that when she bears he might devour her child. ” (Rev 12:3,4)

3 – The liar won’t enter into the Kingdom of Heaven:

• "But the fearful, and the unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, will have their part in the Lake burning with fire and brimstone, which is the second death.” (Rev_21:8);
• " But outside are the dogs, and the sorcerers, and the fornicators, and the murderers, and the idolaters, and everyone who loves and makes a lie.” (Rev_22:15).

And the worst is that most of the people delight in such lies:

• "And will you profane Me among My people for handfuls of barley and for pieces of bread, to kill the souls that should not die; and to save alive the souls that should not live, by your lying to My people who listen to lies.” (Eze 13:19);
• “The prophets prophesy falsely, and the priests bear rule by their means; and my people love to have it so, and what will you do at the end of it?” (Jer 5:31);
• “For a time will be when they will not endure sound doctrine, but they will heap up teachers to themselves according to their own lusts, tickling the ear. And they will turn away their ears from the truth and will be turned to myths.” (2Tim 4:3,4)

The lie can look sweet, but only will make many people go astray and cheat on themselves:

• " Because with lies you have saddened the heart of the righteous, whom I have not made sad; and have made the hands of the wicked strong, so that he should not turn from his wicked way, by promising him life;” (Eze_13:22);

So, have a fine day abiding by the commandment given by Paul:

• “Therefore I solemnly witness before God and the Lord Jesus Christ, who is going to judge the living and the dead according to His appearance and His kingdom, preach the Word, be instant in season and out of season, reprove, rebuke, exhort with all long-suffering and doctrine.” (2Tim 4:1,2).

So Christmas is coming up. What’s going on with you? What is on your mind?

I noticed a few forums having what’s on your mind threads which can go on forever. I thought I’d give it a shot here. So what are you thinking about? What is going on with you?

Right now, I’m pretty much recovered from Covid but not much is coming out yet. I think I’m dealing with a bit of Covid fatigue. We are bracing for an arctic blast that is on its way here. Been getting prepared for that for man and beast. So thankful I got the Christmas shopping done before I got sick. There is no way I could of swung it if I didn’t. Decided to have a glass of wine tonight since I have finished the anti-virals a few days ago and try to relax. I have to admit I’m very upset with the Church right now and struggling with that. I’m seeing things and thinking things that are really getting under my skin.

Anyway, what is up with you? Let’s chat. :)

Boebert v. Greene


theHill said:
“You know, I’ve been aligned with Marjorie and accused of believing a lot of the things that she believes in,” Boebert told conservative commentator Charlie Kirk at a Turning Point USA conference when asked about Greene’s support for McCarthy. “I don’t believe in this, just like I don’t believe in Russian space lasers — Jewish space lasers and all of this.”

Is Boebert calling Greene stupid?

Va State Senator Joe Morrissey

I always see plenty of threads of corrupt or hypocrites within the American GOP. To help being “fair & balanced” here is information on a corrupt Virginia state senator ( Joe Morrissey) who wants to go to the house of reps in DC & pursue the wonderful policies of the wonderful democrat party.

Discussion Being led by The Spirit of GOD

What are some of the things that The Holy Spirit has involved Himself with you on lately?

For instance, recently He wanted me to stop drinking coffee, so I did and noticed how my spiritual walk was increased with GOD. My overall attitude was much better, and I just felt better all around.

Then I picked up a cup of coffee a few days later,..... I never realized just how much it affected me in a wrong way. Needless to say, I won't touch the stuff ever again.

Humans continue to evolve: Study tracks the emergence of 155 new genes

Modern humans evolutionarily split from our chimpanzee ancestors nearly 7 million years ago, yet we are continuing to evolve. 155 new genes have been identified within the human lineage that spontaneously arose from tiny sections of our DNA. Some of these new genes date back to the ancient origin of mammals, with a few of these "microgenes" predicted to be associated with human-specific diseases.

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Three of these 155 new genes have disease-associated DNA markers that point to connections with ailments such as muscular dystrophy, retinitis pigmentosa, and Alazami syndrome. Apart from disease, the researchers also found a new gene that is associated with human heart tissue. This gene emerged in humans and chimps right after the split from gorillas and shows just how fast a gene can evolve to become essential for the body.

"It will be very interesting in future studies to understand what these microgenes might do and whether they might be directly involved in any kind of disease," says Vakirlis.

Read More...

Donald Trump Urges Congress to Take ‘Three Crucial Actions’ to Address Border Crisis

“By abolishing what remains of Title 42, Biden is willfully and deliberately triggering a cataclysm of illegal immigration like the world has never seen before,” Trump said.

In the weeks leading up to the December 21 end date for Title 42, upwards of 14,000 migrants were reportedly waiting in Tijuana to rush the southern border and enter the United States once the policy ended.

Biden administration officials previously admitted that without Title 42, as many as half a million migrants could arrive at the border each month.
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How Well Has Trump "Rendered to Caesar?"

The report reveals that Trump on his federal tax returns declared negative income in 2015, 2016, 2017 and 2020, and that he paid a total of $1,500 in income taxes for the years 2016 and 2017.

On their 2020 income tax returns, Trump and his wife Melania paid no federal income taxes and claimed a refund of $5.47 million, according to the report by the staff of the Joint Committee on Taxation.

How did this compare to the taxes that you and your family paid?
Could you have lived the jet setting lifestyle the Trumps do on the income they claimed to have earned?
Does this affect your opinion of his honesty, character, patriotism?
Do you wonder why the IRS didn't audit his returns until 2019, when they were requested by the (newly elected Democratic majority) Ways and Means Committee?

My answers FYI: He paid less income taxes than we do, and I say that as one half of a retired couple who receives non-taxable VA disability and partially non-taxable Social Security benefits. And he certainly paid a lot less taxes than we did when we were both working.
If we had "no" income, we would be relying on our children and shelters.
My opinion of his honesty, character and patriotism were always extremely negative, so it only confirmed my accurate opinion.
I was surprised that Trump obviously directed (prohibited) the IRS Director from auditing him, probably claiming "executive privilege."

Failure of Vega-C rocket launch in French Guiana

Failure of Vega-C rocket launch in French Guiana - The excitement happens around 4:00 into the launch after boasting of what a great rocket they had...

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Are Best Days Ahead ?

This is what we call a double whammy. Is this true - are the best days ahead of us?
Also is this encouragement or just designed for people that have itchy ears?

First of all, let me address the issue: are the best days ahead of us. In a way yes, we grow closer to God and He gives me more strength. Like marriage, the longer you are with someone, the more you love them. We are stronger because we need more strength as getting older brings with it health issues. We do not always live right the way we should.

So is life getting better, or do we just have more strength and endurance to deal with life getting more difficult? I am listening to a Joni Erickson Toda on youtube. She has been in a wheelchair for a long time. Like me, she is in her 70's. She is very powerful, she opened for Billy Graham. She is also very humble. Still, she has a testimony because her life is difficult, yet she has the strength from God to endure what she has to overcome on a daily basis. Is her life getting better? Is she getting stronger. Someone must know.

2 Timothy 4:3 For the time will come when people will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear.

2 Timothy 4:3 For the time will come when men will not tolerate sound doctrine, but with itching ears they will gather around themselves teachers to suit their own desires.
Romans 12:2 We have different gifts ... if it is to encourage, then give encouragement; if it is giving, then give generously; if it is to lead, do it diligently; if it is to show mercy, do it cheerfully.
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Being a Christian, how should we see our ancestors and genetics?

I'm asking, because there really is no mention of this topic specifically that I can find Biblically. Maybe I missed it. How should we view our ancestors and the people we came from? If we're Scottish, Italian, or Chinese, or what have you, should we think about the behaviours and traditions and customs of those people are should we ignore them entirely and just live as an adopted in Christ's family now? Does G-d look at the people we come from as our tribe as in OT days? Is it a sin to admire and respect the folks we come from? Just looking for insight on this.

Report: Biden administration easing child protections amidst border crisis

‘Twitter Files Part 7’ Exposes ‘Organized Effort’ by FBI & DOJ to ‘Discredit’ Hunter Biden Allegations

Musk tasked independent writer Michael Shellenberger with releasing the latest installment of the “Twitter Files” on Monday.

Shellenberger delves into how the FBI, U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ), and intelligence community “discredited factual information about Hunter Biden’s foreign business dealings.”

The files show a direct effort by America’s taxpayer-funded federal agencies to suppress negative press on the Democrat candidate during the 2020 election.

The latest release also reveals that the intel community has taken action on a domestic level to influence Twitter’s content moderation.

Christianity and Reproduction

Modern European society is increasingly reproductively sterile. For example, Germany has not been having enough babies to naturally replace its population numbers since the seventies. Obviously this coincides with the widespread use of contraception and indeed more recently abortion. 20% of German adults never reproduce and these will die alone in the main. People live according to the principle of their own comfort and well-being and children are regarded as unnecessary lifestyle choices by many. Is this a symptom of a deeper crisis in the church and a loss of hope and conviction? Christians are called to evangelize and to go and make disciples of all nations. Yet many in Europe get very angry when attempts are made to convert the masses. Our churches should be growing not shrinking, they should be looking outward and not inward. What is the reason for current sterility? What can be done about it?
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Individualistic Existentialism and the loss of human connection

Modern existentialism, individualism, and emotional isolation have contributed to the bubble effect of society. People live in separate bubbles of consciousness and we have lost the human connections that traditional communities and organized religion used to provide.

Kierkegaard was one of the first philosophers to look at the world from an existential point of view. Though a Christian he addressed the ways in which the state church was too controlling and did not respect people's feelings and inner life and also the ways in which scientific objective truth had drowned out the significance of the subjective. Have we now swung too far the other way?

Nietzsche, an atheist, looked at the world also in a highly individual way and was proclaimed the first psychologist by Freud for example. His focus was arguably on individual creativity, on exceeding our limits and becoming superman. He was a force of destruction to existing structures and one of innovation of new ones. But has the continual will to power and to change without regard for God that he evoked become something that has destroyed essential communal values, good traditions, and the things that bound us together as people?

How can we find our way back to human society and connection from the existential bubbles that we currently live in?

Leper colonies in Australia

There was an item on the ABC news a couple of days ago about a young boy being killed in an accident at a shopping centre in Palmerston, which is about 15 minutes drive from Darwin. My wife and I spent a couple of weeks in Darwin in June / July this year, wiht a side trip to Palmerston, and I was curious as to where the shopping centre was.


When I looked at the map of Palmerston online and then shrunk it on-screen, I noticed a road going to a place called Channel Island. We weren't aware of it when we were in Darwin.

So I looked up Channel Island on Google, and came up with the fact it used to be a leper colony before treatment became available. It's can be surprising where a train of thought can lead sometimes.


This reminded me that Peel Island off Brisbane also used to be a leper colony.


This got me curious about leper colonies in Australia and there were a couple more.


Several leper colonies, or lazarets, existed throughout Australia. Notable examples included Peel Island, off the coast of Brisbane, Fantome island, near Townsville (exclusively for Aboriginal patients), and Mud Island and Channel Island, in the Northern Territory.

Unfortunately, as per the above article, it seems "leprosy isn't quite done with us yet".

  • Poll
Does Jesus speak to you?

Does Jesus speak to you?

  • Yes, through the bible

  • Yes, through dreams, visions or signs

  • Yes, internally (thoughts or in the spirit)

  • Yes, audibly

  • No, the bible (His Word) is the only way God speaks to me


Results are only viewable after voting.

I am interested in how many may be divided on this topic. So many Christians seem to have differing views on what the scriptures mean.

For example, these passages indicate that followers of Christ are His sheep, and being his "sheep" they "hear" his voice. There are different wordings depending on the version.

John 10:27
English Standard Version
27 My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me.

John 10:27
New International Version
27 My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me.

My question, is this to be taken literally or figuratively? How many actually believe it's possible to "hear" God's voice? Can we hear it audibly? In our thoughts? In our spirit? Dreams and visions or signs? Or just by reading scripture alone?
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The Relevance of Creation Doctrine Today

Are there built-in limits to our existence that we need to respect?

Can gender or sexuality, for example, be a fluid concept? Can we abuse the planet without consequence? In an age where people obsess over superheroes on TV are there limits to our humanity that we need to respect? If God created us in his image whether quickly or slowly what limits has he imposed on us as finite, mortal beings who know only a little of what is out there?

Is respecting medical advice respecting how we are made and the limits that that configuration imposes on us. Or is medical advice now politicized by ideology and profit into something else? We cannot live by chocolate alone. Can a profession that profits from transitioning and abortion be trusted?

Have we lost sight of the boundaries offered to us by the doctrine of Creation?

Did sin fundamentally alter our relationship with Creation in such a way that the old boundaries are now beyond repair and destined to degenerate further?

This is not a specifically Creationist topic. I invite anybody who believes that God created the universe to participate however you think he did that.

Why did Paul talk about tongue speaking only in 1 Corinthians?

Here is my view.

Acts 18
After these things Paul departed from Athens, and came to Corinth;

2 And found a certain Jew named Aquila, born in Pontus, lately come from Italy, with his wife Priscilla; (because that Claudius had commanded all Jews to depart from Rome:) and came unto them.

3 And because he was of the same craft, he abode with them, and wrought: for by their occupation they were tentmakers.

4 And he reasoned in the synagogue every sabbath, and persuaded the Jews and the Greeks.

5 And when Silas and Timotheus were come from Macedonia, Paul was pressed in the spirit, and testified to the Jews that Jesus was Christ.

6 And when they opposed themselves, and blasphemed, he shook his raiment, and said unto them, Your blood be upon your own heads; I am clean; from henceforth I will go unto the Gentiles.

7 And he departed thence, and entered into a certain man's house, named Justus, one that worshipped God, whose house joined hard to the synagogue.

The Corinth "church" was mainly in Justus's house, which if you read Acts 18:7, shared a common wall with the synagogue.

Once you are able to see that, you can understand better why Paul only talk about tongues in his Corinthian epistles and how he stated categorically that "Tongues are for a sign, not to believers but to unbelievers".

The Corinth church is the gentile church that is so close to the Jewish synagogue.

You can imagine if I am a Jew who rejects Christ as my messiah, as I visit the synagogue every Sabbath, I will keep hearing gentile believers speaking in actual foreign languages that they have not learnt.

I will recall Isaiah 28:11-12, as Paul cross referenced in 1 Corinthians 14:22, and understood that God is proclaiming judgement to my nation, just like it was for my rebellious ancestors who had to listen to the Akkadian language when they were in exile.

This is something that only Jewish unbelievers would have understood, not gentiles, the latter whom would have thought that that the Corinth church was full of mad believers. (1 Corinthians 14:23).

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