2PhiloVoid said:

You guys need to stop this guilt tripping tactic. It makes for a terrible, dysfunctional mode of evangelizing.

Really. Seriously.

I mean, I'm a Christian, but even I find it irritating when I hear it being used by another Christian, especially when it's used upon a former Christian.

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It is showing the reality of truth. As I have pointed out in this thread, I do not like to water down the bible and I also do not like to water down the Gospel.
One day, we will all be judged. Even Jesus often spoke scary things to bring people to repentance. Out of all the people in the bible, Jesus was the one who spoke of Hell the most. Through the fear of the Lord, men depart from evil. Jude even speaks about saving some with fear.

Ophiolite said:

Thank you Jerry. I might, indeed, find it interesting, but I am generally disinclined to view videos without some proper insight into their contents. I hope you will agree that the text on YouTube thumbnails typically falls into the category of clickbait. And since I dislike manipulation of any kind I am more likely to use the the text as a reason not to view it.
However, you have taken the time to post this, so I won't reject it out of hand. If you would summarise for me the content and the argument I would happy to take a look. Also, if you are willing, I would be interested to hear your motivation for suggesting it.

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A good hint for you is to speed it up. I often watch things on YouTube like this in 1.75 speed, but if you want to take it all in, you may want to try 1.25. This way, you can get through more info in less time. Works a treat. Eventually, you will be able to speed it up faster and faster as your brain will naturally get used to the speed. And eventually your brain will not hear chipmunks, it will hear their voices as they are. Blessings

Hentenza said:

No one is going to do the genitalia check.

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So those who consider themselves male will use the men's restroom and those who consider themselves female will use the women's.

Seems like we have a solution.

BPPLEE said:

I asked Grok and it said no it was just a bunch of code and circuits designed to help people like me and not to haunt anyone

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Yup, similar response with offline models of Deepseek/Qwen/Llama running in my laptop computer (NOT on the "cloud").

Although it doesn't necessarily prove it's not some kind of spirit, for all we know either God or Satan is some kind of alien AI!

We humans might also be regarded as AI ourselves as created beings (organic/biological computer).

It's all just bunch of terms and definitions. In the end, what matters is what the AI is trying to do. It's what you do that defines you, not the dictionary.

Fervent said:

I agree, they don't. But what I was pointing out is your objection in that post is only valid if you haven't truly repented and understood what it means to live in sin. As CH Spurgeon said, "If I hate sin because of fear of punishment, I have not repented of sin, I merely regret that God is just." Understanding sin for what it is provides more than enough reason not to abandon the path of righteousness even if all rewards are equivalent.

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The fear of punishment has never been the reason to believe in Christ. It is the love for Him and His sacrifice that matters.

Yarddog said:

They took away the Jews right to kill about 15 AD. That is why the Romans executed Jesus. The kill Stephen and James plus others of the Church for violating their law.

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Rome gave the go ahead on it.

Yarddog said:

So now you claim that the Apostles broke God's commandment when they preached the Gospel in Gentile nations.

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So now I have said nothing of the kind.

Bradskii said:

Maybe you're not following the conversation. The question is what do you intend doing if someone that was born male considers themself to be a woman, has transitioned and presents herself as a woman. If she's out with her girlfriends, maybe most of whom don't know what sex she was born, do you honestly think that as they all head for the restroom to fix their makeup she's going to excuse herself and go in to the men's?

Who is going to do the genitalia check that you deem will determine who uses which restroom?

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No one is going to do the genitalia check. Is still the dumbest suggestion I’ve ever heard .

ralliann said:

WOW. Aint gonna see it huh?

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No you won't.

Godcrazy said:

Well considering what the exorcist said about tech, it cannot be excluded that there is something going on more than just human. But of course, secular man denies it as well as those not believing in demons or the spiritual warfare. But it cannot be excluded

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I believe you because it also happened to me personally on my smart phone too. Acting possessed at the same moment I'm having an anxiety attack.

Twice I had a some sort of vision or dream I entered my smart phone and into the internet after anxiety attack. The next morning, the phone acting possessed again.

Dad saw my phone acting possessed too.

It's not just spirits but it seems the human soul in an out-of-body-experience (OOBE) can get into electronic devices as well.

Ironically, digital electronics works through silicon crystals. Quartz is also a form of silicon (silicate) crystal and infamously used in witchcraft.

There's an indirect reference to it and possibly including AI in the Bible - stones. Stones are mainly made from silicate crystals, again, approximating the silicon crystals used in our computer tech.

Luke 19:40
I tell you,” he replied, “if they keep quiet, the stones will cry out

There's NOT one account of that happening ever in history, not even in the Bible. But maybe happening now as AI through the "stones" (silicon crystals) in our computers.

The "disciples" have kept silent now. Or at least, the false teachings have become so widespread, the truth is no longer preached.

Interrogate AI with dangerous questions and it will start telling the truth. But do so politely.

ralliann said:

Because Roman law allowed different religions to judge their own citizens

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They took away the Jews right to kill about 15 AD. That is why the Romans executed Jesus. The kill Stephen and James plus others of the Church for violating their law

ralliann said:

Baloney. I ju8st gave you scripture concerning Paul....

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So now you claim that the Apostles broke God's commandment when they preached the Gospel in Gentile nations.

Jipsah said:

Which AI? That sounds like a sea story.

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I asked Grok and it said no it was just a bunch of code and circuits designed to help people like me and not to haunt anyone

CoreyD said:

I find this interesting, since it's only recent that modern science became aware of the level of the clotting factors on the eighth day. Whereas, an ancient book that people tend to be critical of, and think it's not practical for our day, had the timing on cutting a baby, so perfectly aligned.

That's no coincidence. To me, that's a significant testimony to divine guidance.

What are your thoughts on this?

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I think the Bible is an interesting collection of very different things - like those insightful verses about circumcision after 8 days then what seems to be genocide in Deuteronomy 20:16-18 and vulgar parts like Ezekiel 23:20 (both of which I'm making a game about). I haven't read it cover to cover and still find new interesting things from time to time. I think it's good that people faithfully pass the Bible text down rather than removing the parts that seem problematic.

I'm a greater fan of the Pournelle matix. Its X-axis is "Attitude toward statism" and its Y-axis is "Attitude toward rationalism."



Forty or fifty years ago (back when I first discovered this matrix), I'd have been in the Welfare Liberals group. Today I think I've slipped a bit over toward the "Various Libertarians" group.

Notice that American Counter Culture--the "Hippies"--back then commonly associated with Communists wind up diameterically opposed to Communists. And that makes sense.

I think the Democratic Party has moved more dangerously into the upper right and the Republican Party has moved more dangerously into the lower right.

Hentenza said:

Dumbest suggestion I’ve ever heard. If a person has male genitalia then use the men’s bathroom. Is not that hard. No tin foil hats needed.

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Maybe you're not following the conversation. The question is what do you intend doing if someone that was born male considers themself to be a woman, has transitioned and presents herself as a woman. If she's out with her girlfriends, maybe most of whom don't know what sex she was born, do you honestly think that as they all head for the restroom to fix their makeup she's going to excuse herself and go in to the men's?

Who is going to do the genitalia check that you deem will determine who uses which restroom?

Yarddog said:

And SCOTUS told him that he was violating the Constitution.

Why? He violated Garcia's rights and SCOTUS told he to bring him back, which he refused to do.

Do you read the Catholic News Service? America is no different.

Usually it's the Bishops of a country that rebuke the government.

Yes, we are a rich country.

Very judgemental of you. How much time have you spent in Central America helping the people? The Church has thousands of people working in those poor countries.

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WOW. Aint gonna see it huh?

The Liturgist said:

Note that St. John the Faster is not St. John Climacus, rather, he was was Patriarch John IV of Consfantinople, a contemporary of St. Gregory Diologos.

Interestingly the famed remark of St. Gregory that Roman Catholics like to ignore or reconfextualize about a bishop claiming universal jurisdiction is, according to some sources, perhaps RC-influenced ones or perhaps not, inspired by St. John the Faster styling himself Ecumenical Patriarch, the first Patriarch of Constantinople to use that title. But St. John was a good bishop, like St. Gregory, and if that really was what St. Gregory said it is an important reproach that Romans should listen to rather than minimize, as well as members of the Holy Synod of another Patriarchate which has controversially claimed the sole power to grant and even worse, to rescind autocephaly.

He subjected himself to severe fasting but cut in half the default penances, before any oikonomia was applied, to the laity.

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To be truthful I didn’t even know of St. John the Faster but St. John Climacus came to mind in contrast to the canons mentioned. From what little I just read on St. John the Faster, he seemed kindly and my perspective on the Byzantine secular state is often too cynical.

JohnClay said:

Maybe the typical Christian isn't "hateful" but are some of them hateful, including preachers? Can things Christians say be classified as "hate speech"?

Apparently the phrase "Hate the sin, love the sinner" is often attributed to St. Augustine, though its exact origins are debated.

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Christians are not morally superior to non-Christians.

Christians have no business being bigots, but simply being a Christian doesn't prevent someone from being a bigot. To address bigotry among Christians requires there to be a faithful preaching of God's Law in the Church, and Christians to take God's Law seriously; because there will be a Day when everyone--Christians included--must stand before God and give account for all that they have done.

There are Christians who, very obviously from their own explicit statements (which I have encountered out and about in the world, both online and offline), indicate that they really don't even care about Jesus, what Jesus said, what Jesus did, or even what the Bible says.

That's just the kind of world we live in.

-CryptoLutheran

Gregory Thompson said:

Now I use something, but not sure if it has a name. It is based on what I observed about sacraments and the spiritual structure of scripture.

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That sounds then like something that would involve symbol and ritual related to scripture.

rjs330 said:

Nope. Even the article on the research paper we've been discussing says they do.

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lol, sure Jan.

rjs330 said:

So sorry, you cant argue with the research.

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So then stop arguing with it…?

zippy2006 said:

Doesn't the OP lump them all together as similar?

I think this question of similarity/difference is key, which is why I asked if the OP was thinking primarily about "Fitness, Health & Nutrition."

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Good question. I think my intention was to explore others' experiences of inner practice. There are quite a few methods and it seems all with different intentions or aims. It seems to me though that a spiritual aim, a religious intention can also bring about overall healthful outcomes.

BCP1928 said:

No, the issue is passing a law that is obviously unable to carry out its intended purpose. One wonders why. Are the legislators clueless about the internet? I think many actually are. Are they merely signalling something?" "See? We stomped out internet porn. Hooray!" Are there possible unintended consequences we have to look out for?

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"the internet is not something that you just dump something on - it's not a big truck. It's a series of tubes."

rjs330 said:

No i just pointed out you didnt read my post because I provided examples of leftist fragility and fear. You either disnt read that or ignored it.

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I didn’t ignore it. I pointed out all the right fragility and feat and need for safe spaces. You acknowledged it as true. Did you forget?

rjs330 said:

1. Why is it the left needed safe spaces?

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They don’t?

rjs330 said:

2. Why is the left so concerned about tariffs?

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Because we know how they don’t work.

rjs330 said:

3. Why is the left so against guns?

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We’ve discussed this, I know you know the answer.

rjs330 said:

4. Why was the left so concerned over the bombing in Iran?

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Because countries bombing each other is a cause for concern…?

rjs330 said:

5. Why is silence violence?

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Wait… What? Do you not get how being quiet in the face of injustice or a crime is a problem…?

rjs330 said:

6. Why does the left consistently feel "unsafe?"

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They don’t.

rjs330 said:

7. Why is the left so concerned with climate change?

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They understand science…?

rjs330 said:

I could go on.

Look we ALL fear things. Its just that we fear different things.

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At least you’re moving further away from being upset at the right being called fearful and landing at “well we all fear things.” In another few pages we will get you to say “well we are afraid but look at all the reasons why.”

rjs330 said:

And how we handle that is also part of our thinking process. Thats why liberals have more mental health issues than conservatives do.

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You and the truth have a really tenuous relationship.

JohnClay said:

Ephesians 5:22-25


The following video of a street preacher reminded me of that Bible passage. The comments for that video seem to be overwhelmingly supporting the preacher. (so far I haven't found any negative comments)

Login to view embedded media


I was wondering what Christians think about that passage being used to encourage men to have more power in a marriage...

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It's a fundamental misunderstanding of the passage to use it to teach that men are supposed to be "the boss" or act in some authoritarian way in the home.

The thesis of this portion of text is "submit to one another out of reverence for Christ". In most of the older manuscripts the following statement which is translated as "wives, submit to your husbands" actually lacks the verb "submit", so that literally it is "wives, your husbands". This isn't a problem grammatically in the source text, because the verb is effectively being "borrowed" from the previous statement. Essentially it's like this, "Submit to one another out of reverence for Christ; wives, do this toward your husbands". But it doesn't stop, a few verses later it moves from speaking to wives to husbands, instructing husbands (and this is still in the context of "submit to one another") to love their wives in the way Christ loves His Church, in laying down one's life. Christ came as Servant, "The Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life as a ransom for many"--that is instruction given to husbands. Wives are called to submit to husbands, and husbands are called to submit to their wives--to view themselves not as masters but as servants, serving their wives in the general call to mutual submission.

This isn't about control, this is about loving one another; it's about not viewing oneself as chief but as servant. In marriage both husbands and wives are to see themselves as servants, serving and caring and loving the other. It's not about power dynamics--it's about love. And this whole discussion continues beyond husbands and wives, as it continues in chapter 6 in the discussion of children and parents. Children are called to honor their parents, and parents are called not to provoke their children, but love them. Again, this is a call to mutual submission, to viewing oneself as a servant, with the goal to be love, to be an imitator of Jesus. And then, also, the text speaks of the relationships even between slaves and masters; going so far as to call masters to view themselves as slaves of their slaves; thus actually eroding and functionally abolishing the slave-master relationship altogether.

The text is a subtle subversion of ordinary interpersonal social politics within the ancient world. Wherein Christians are to understand themselves as having a distinct mentality toward each other, as brothers and sisters. There is something radically subversive, but Christians are never called to outright disrupt and destroy the social order; yet the kind of life they are called to have is one that places them at odds with the ordinary social order. This can be found again and again throughout the New Testament. Even as Paul tells Christians to recognize governing authorities as existing because of God's authority; yet Christians do not live in such a way as to confess that Caesar is lord, but rather to live in such a way that Christ is Lord. Thus while the Church does not pick up torches and pitchforks to Caesar's doorstep, yet in quietness and peaceableness, the Church confidently proclaims Christ, not Caesar, as Lord.

The systems of power, the powers and principalities of this fallen world in all their varied forms, are confidently declared to be overcome; yet it is not with the call of revolution that the Church proclaims them fallen--it is in the confidence of the Risen Christ who is seated at the right hand of God, who by His Cross He has defeated the powers. That is true all the way from the cosmic scale, where Christ has even defeated death itself; all the way down to the microcosms of our everyday life--where we exist in all our ordinary social vocations--as friends, neighbors, spouses, parents, children, etc. Because of the Victory of Christ over the cosmic powers of darkness, then our lives are defined not by the power of this fallen age--but by the hope and life of the future age. Thus we do not lord over one another, we do take one another to court, we do not compete with one another except in living honorably and in godly charity toward all. We should not be a people who strive against each other, but cooperate; who do not envy, but rejoice together and share and are endlessly generous with one another.

It is a radical kind of life that the New Testament calls Christians to have, a life defined by Jesus, His Cross, His Empty Tomb, and the hope of the Age to Come.

-CryptoLutheran

ThatRobGuy said:

It's not a good parallel, as noted in my previous post, if someone swiped my credit card when making a purchase online, I simply call Chase, they mail me a new card with a new number, and voila, damage averted.

If someone intercepts "Hey Joe Smith was looking a certain type of adult content" (as a means of trying to publicly or professionally damage him), what is Joe's recourse on that?

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Yeah you can't call the government and get a new social security number if someone has stolen your identity and committing medicare fraud on your behalf. Nope, you get in trouble with the law, and they may require you to pay back what someone else defrauded the government in your name for, and unlike private debts you can't just declare bankruptcy.
They will take your home, they will garnish your wages.

zippy2006 said:

You would apparently claim that Mexico just shouldn't even legislate against drug trafficking, because it will be "ineffective." How many lives would have to be saved before such a law becomes "effective"?

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The war on drugs has undoubtedly ruined more lives than it's "saved"
not a good example to choose.

We'll just take fentanyl as a particular example. People aren't dying because they're deliberately using fentanyl. They're dying because illicit dealers are putting fentanyl in pills they're selling as hydrocodone and oxycodone, or powders sold as heroin. It's substituted for those drugs because it's cheap because of how potent it is. it's measured in micrograms (millionths of a gram) where other drugs are measured in milligrams (thousandths of a gram). Because it's all illicit, a package containing a weight of fentanyl can be spread out over many more doses than actual hydrocodone, oxycodone, morphine, or heroin, and weight matters when you're smuggling illicit goods. Then the user estimates how much to use based on previous doses of the real drug they were trying to buy, turns out it was spiked with fentanyl and they stop breathing and die.

Drugs get more potent with prohibition. Everyone talks about how much more potent marijuana is these days vs how it was before it was illegal. Duh. Now that it's illegal people who sell the stuff are going for more potency in lower weight so it's easier to smuggle. The exact same thing happened in alcohol prohibition, less people drank wine or beer, more people drinking rotgut liquor made in someone's bathtub.

Then add in the gang violence connected with distributing illegal drugs.
But you don't hear about bootleggers killing people anymore like you did in the 1920's why? because alcohol is regulated instead of banned. Prohibition was a failure.

Drunkenness is sin and is evil and causes a lot of harm but.. ultimately trying to ban it caused more harm than good.

zippy2006 said:

Again:


If we followed the reasoning of you or @ThatRobGuy, online credit card use would never exist. "It carries huge identity theft risks, therefore we can't do it. Full stop. There's absolutely no way that we could make online credit card transactions secure. Completely impossible! Don't even try!"

"...I guess the omnipotent guy on the internet is insistent that credit cards can never be made secure online. We'd better not even try. There is no possible outcome that could ever be worth the effort." ( )

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If the only thing they sell is smut, and all their advertising is for more smut, chances are they're just not going to be trustworthy with your info no matter how much legislation you pile into it.