Please tell me you're not confusing simple biologically-driven urges and need for sexual release with lust. It's not the same thing.

caffeinated.hermit said:

I am not counting gang-related drive-bys as mass shootings, though many do. I am referring to lone-wolf shootings, especially those that target schools. Something like Columbine.

I posted here, covering some incidents that did involve transgender shooters or would-be shooters. 4 examples over 7 years, with more examples for planned or threatened attacks that did not take place, is still worrying. Are transgender people more likely to carry out or plan these attacks than non-transgender people?

Again, maybe, if not likely. The question is, why? Bullying? Depression? The Annunciation shooter mentioned frustration with his transition. This is the second time in a few years that a transgender person has targeted children in a Christian school. I know many people do not want to see a pattern here, but I do.

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Maybe if not likely based on what? It looks like you are basing this purely off anecdotal data instead of any sort of systematic research.

Dan1988 said:

I believe the reason, so many don't teach the true gospel, is because it leaves them with nothing to boast about so they can't take any credit for saving people.

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This looks more like judgementalism than reformed theology.

I'm praying RFK actually gets a crack at an in-depth dive into the pharmaceutical industry and particularly combinations of SSRI's and ADD medications; specifically related to males between 13 and 30 years old. (This seems to be the vulnerable age group.) Albite now there's been at least 3 trans shooters in Christian institutions.

Saw a statistic on the site of a citizen journalist I follow. 100% of school shooters have been on some combination of psych / SSRI and ADD med.

Personal experience here:
My son has epilepsy. When he was... 14 or 15. His epilepsy meds needed adjusting and he was sleeping all the time; so his pediatrician decided to try putting him on Adderol to help him stay awake. (He'd been on it before; but was taken off all ADD meds because of severe weight loss.

Well it wasn't even but two weeks he was on it and he started hallucinating. Like paranoid hallucinations. Called the police because he thought someone was in the house. I was at the grocery store and got a text from him. The police came. House was clear. Called the doctor, took him to the ER. First thing out of the Nurse Practitioner's mouth was: "It's the adderol." (They know this. They know these combinations of meds are dangerous.)

Immediately took him off of it. Hallucinations went away.

Since this he's had like two other much milder quasi hallucinatory events. (Brief feelings of panic like something is wrong but not actual hallucinations.) Now I give him multi spectrum magnesium supplements; among a boat load of other supplements and the only pharmaceutical he's on is an epilepsy med. But yeah, I think certainly in some cases the psych meds do more harm than good. There've been at least a couple double blind placebo studies that have shown magnesium is just as effective antidepressant as SSRI's. (Except big pharma doesn't make any money off of magnesium!)

Though I agree with @RileyG - We got a sin problem. But we also have a pharmaceutical problem.

God help all of us!

Valletta said:

There are secondary allusions to Israel, but Israel is certainly not a woman. In Revelation real entities are spoken of. The one to rule with an iron rod is Jesus, the dragon is Satan, and the woman is Mary.

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Not so - you missed my important point - As Paul said - they are not all Israel who are Israel.

The spiritual Israel comprises of the sum total of all believers from both covenants, the true vine, with Abraham as their father.

This at the cross became the Body of Christ with the twelve at her head.

Bradskii said:

You're still avoiding the question. As the mob is literally breaking through the door, at what point do you take drastic action? Do you stand there as they all flood through heading for the Congressmen and women? I've already told you my position. The first one through the door is the first one I shoot. As opposed to...what? Do you run away and hide? Break for a coffee? Engage in a bit of push and shove with a few dozen hyped up morons?

Whoops. You took too long to decide You're already being beaten by the mob and you've failed in your duty to protect those now in extreme danger.

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At the time, there was one person who was climbing through a window. The other people saw the gun and backed off.
Deadly force should be the last option, not the first.
I hope you and the other posters here defending Byrd will be as enthusiastic when other officers use deadly force, not just when they're killing Trump supporters.

A lot of women don't really care as much about size as men seem to think. I've participated with a lot of other women online in women's groups about this. It is a topic that gets mentioned a lot. Most of them agree that average or smaller than average is preferable to larger than average due to concerns about pain.

That being said, sex aids and toys are an option that some Christians feel peace about. It's really going to come down to what you and your wife want and feel you need. What matters is the comfort of you and your spouse.

A New Dawn said:

Are you not reading what I am saying? I said specifically that what they wrote was not the same as the completed doctrine that Augustine or the Reformers laid out, but they were discussing the concept of total (yes, total) depravity/ability. Let me repost them here so you can see them again instead of just ignoring them.

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I wonder how well read Dr. Michael Davidsson is on the Church Fathers. I couldn't find any information about him. It seems like he has been looking for quotes that support his position, without closer studying the whole letters.

From your Reformed lenses it may seem these quotes describe total depravity/total inability, but it's far from the truth. I made some comments under each quote.

Clement of Rome
“All therefore are glorified and magnified, not by themselves or their own works of righteous actions, which they have wrought out, but by his will,” (Clement, Ep. 1, ad. Corinth. p. 72.).
“‘not by ourselves, nor by our wisdom, or understanding, or piety, or the works which we have done in holiness of heart,’ but by faith by which God Almighty hath justified all from the beginning, to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen,”

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Clement is saying we can not be righteous through out own actions, rather we need to turn to God through faith. He is demonstrating it's not by our righteous actions, but by faith.

Ignatius of Antioch
“They that are carnal,” says he, “cannot do the things that are spiritual, nor they that are spiritual do the things that are carnal, as neither faith the things of unbelief, nor unbelief the things of faith,” (Ep. ad Ephesians p. 22.).

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This is the Pauline teaching the flesh is against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh. He is however not saying a carnal man can't turn to God to be a spiritual man.

Justin Martyr
“Mankind by Adam fell under death, and the deception of the serpent; that ‘we are born sinners;’ and that we are entirely flesh, and no good thing dwells in us; he asserts the weakness and disability of men either to understand or perform spiritual things, and denies that man, by the natural sharpness of his wit, can attain to the knowledge of divine things, or by any innate power in him save himself, and procure eternal life,” (Epist. ad Zenam, p. 506.).
“Having sometime before convinced us to of the impossibility of our nature to obtain life, hath now shown us the Savior, who is able to save that which otherwise were impossible to be saved,” (Epist. ad Diognet. p. 500.)

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Justin is saying we can't obtain eternal life on our own, we need Christ. He believes humans, aided by God’s grace can respond to Him. He's a strong proponent of free will.

Irenaeus of Lyons
Man, “will be justly condemned, because being made rational, ‘he has lost true reason,’ and lives irrationally, is contrary to the justice of God, giving himself up to every earthly spirit, and serves all pleasure,” (Adv. Haeres. 1. 4, c. 16, p. 460.).

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Irenaeus is describing the situation of mankind. All have fallen in sin, and they will be judged accordingly (unless they repent).

Origen of Alexandria
“In Adam,56 as saith the word, all die, and are condemned in the likeness of Adam’s transgression, which the divine word says not so much of some one, as of all mankind — for the curse of Adam is common to all,” (Contr. Cels. 1. 4, p. 191.).
“Because our free will is not sufficient to have a clean heart, but we are in need of God, who creates such an one; therefore it is said by him, who knew how to pray, Create in me a clean heart, O God!”(Contr. Cels. 1. 5, 1, 7, p. 354.).

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Origen describes the whole mankind fallen in sin through Adam. We can't by our own free will have a clean heart. It's only by the help of God, therefore we are to pray to God to create a clean heart in us.

Lactantius
“We, who before as blind men, and as shut up in the prison of folly, sat in darkness, ignorant of God and truth, are enlightened by God, who hath adopted us in his covenant, and being delivered from evil bonds, and brought into the light of wisdom, he hath took into the inheritance of the heavenly kingdom,” (Divin. Institut. 1. 4, c. 20, p. 328.).

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Lactantius says everything is given by God. It's He who enlightens us, adopts us, gives us the inheritance and it's not by ourselves. It's through God and it's to Him we need to turn.

Athanasius of Alexandria
“The devil wrought sin from the beginning in the rational and understanding nature of man; for which reason it is impossible for nature, being rational, and willing, and being under the condemnation of death, to restore itself to liberty,” Athanas. contr. Arian. orat. 2, vol. 1. p. 358. de Salutar. adv. Jes. Christ. vol. 1. p. 638.).
“Concerning being one with God, ““This phrase in us is the same as if it was said, that they may be made one by the power of the Father and of the Son; or without God it is impossible that this can be done,” (Athanas. de Incarnatione, orat. 4, p. 474.)

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Again it's the same theme. We our helpless without God and need to turn to Him. It's impossible to restore oneself to freedom and it's only through the aid of God.

Plasticity

Tuur said:

Then what changed? It's harder for a US citizen to buy a firearm than it's ever been, so why are such incidents more frequent now than 60+ years ago?

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I’ll take a serious punt.

A relatively prosperous working class with guns everywhere and relatively low gun deaths.

Now we change the levels of prosperity and income inequality and erode safety nets and education. Turn religion into a political tool, flood the media with fear, allow corporations to put profit over people’s lives, physical health, mental health and wellbeing. Reduce education equality and social mobility disenfranchising whole generations.

Take this this confused, angry, scared population without the ability to modulate their emotions or the communication ability to ask for help and allow them to retain access to the guns that their previous generation were emotional, intellectually and socially competent to own without going crazy eight bonkers.

Just what else would anyone reasonably expect to happen?.

The fix is a long term fix; change American society. The rugged individualism of “screw you I got mine” and the crushing soul destroying lives many Americans have to endure at the hands of the super rich needs to change.

Actual gun control where people are denied access to guns is only a part of what needs to change; but you have to start somewhere.

That’s just my take but as regular listeners might know my thoughts on things are unto finely spun ribbons of truth in the flaxen hair of the maidens of accuracy who live in the bang on glade of the bullseye dell.

I think I need to go to sleep.

BPPLEE said:

No, I said that didn't preclude Byrd from using deadly force.
It just wasn't necessary.
There was a tactical team there in seconds after Babbitt was shot,

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You're still avoiding the question. As the mob is literally breaking through the door, at what point do you take drastic action? Do you stand there as they all flood through heading for the Congressmen and women? I've already told you my position. The first one through the door is the first one I shoot. As opposed to...what? Do you run away and hide? Break for a coffee? Engage in a bit of push and shove with a few dozen hyped up morons?

Whoops. You took too long to decide You're already being beaten by the mob and you've failed in your duty to protect those now in extreme danger.

Valletta said:

The governor was joined by Mayor Johnson, who insisted that Chicagoans do not want a “military occupation” and that the city is being unfairly targeted. Both leaders argued that what Chicago truly needs is “investment,” not federal intervention.
The message from the city’s leadership, however, rings hollow to the families of the victims of the Labor Day weekend violence. The shootings, which began Friday night and continued through the weekend, left a trail of tragedy across the city.

Illinois Gov. Pritzker Says Chicago Is Safe As 35 Shot, 5 Dead Labor Day Weekend

While Illinois Governor JB Pritzker and Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson presented a united front last week to reject President Donald Trump’s proposal to deploy

www.tampafp.com

The situation speaks for itself.

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Sounds like we need stricter gun control.

ozso said:

What about Vatican II and the Lumen Gentium of 1964? Isn't that what's in force today?

But even still, at least according to Tim Staples, there's only a slim chance, under very specific circumstances.

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Vatican II doesn't undo anything from Trent or previous Councils.

I haven't heard what Tim Staples has said, but I am not surprised if he did say what you said he said.

DennisF said:

I do not know the specific means by which Joseph's genetics was obtained by angels, but it is clear that something extraordinary happened to bring about the conception of Mary.

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I'd consider those 2 separate and not necessarily connected statements. Joseph's DNA alteration is nowhere to be found other than imaginations.

We do know a virgin conceived, which rules out Joseph