I confess that I had never heard of Charlie Kirk prior to his death and even now do not know much about him. What I find curious and perplexing regarding the life and death of Mr. Kirk is that he is being marketed by the Far Right as a martyr not only of political freedom of speech but of (Protestant) Christianity. From what I know, he was, assuredly, a Catholic Christian who made lengthy speeches supporting the Far Right political narrative which is tinged with elements of Christianity. That he was a martyr of any sort is open to debate and I would be quite dumbfounded if he were to be declared a Catholic saint.

It says not to lie with an animal as with a woman. I think this means not to sexually join with an animal. It does not mean never to have an animal lying near to you.

glorib2 said:

This is unhealthy and filthy.

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Well, in case the animal has not been kept clean and sanitary . . . it would be. But if you keep your animal healthy and clean, then it is ok.

What I would be more concerned about is if we make too much of an animal. I have seen how very cute creatures can be mainly about their own selves. But they can be idolized, maybe because it is easier to get along with them and to control them . . . versus learning . . . discovering . . . how to live in a close relationship with a human.

Being made to feel good with an animal is not necessarily the same as deeply being strong in Jesus so we can't be hurt >

"and who is he who will harm you if you become followers of what is good?" (1 Peter 3:13)

wing2000 said:

Imagine that. Diverting federal resources from illegal drug investigations will naturally lead to less prosecutions. It will be interesting to see the annual data for 2025...

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On the other hand, deporting people who commit less crime, leaves a population that commits more crime, the rates of crime will go up, just based on that.
Winning.

RileyG said:

….neo nazis aren’t what i ever look up since they’re awful….no further comment

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Yes they are and its too bad we can't just arrest and lock them up just for being one. Far too many of these groups are violent and use violent rhetoric. Get rid them I say. If you belong to a known violent group you dont deserve to be in a free society to perpetuate violence.

iluvatar5150 said:

*snort*

k, buddy

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Boy, I bet he's Proud and feeling like a Patriot Fronting a message like that.

What seems to be missing in this thread is the Iranian Shi'ite view of Islamic eschatology. When the Shah was overthrown in 1979 there was immense anticipation that the long-prophesied caliphate centered in Tehran would be established encompassing the entire world leading to the imminent return of Mohammed in glory, preceded by Jesus. That was the primary impetus for the failed Iran/Iraq war. As time has gone on, however, none of these prophecies have come to pass; rather, Iran has steadily become a pariah nation with increasingly dire living conditions for the common people. At this point in time there is simmering discontent with occasional outburst as in the widespread rejection of women's headcoverings which are brutally repressed by an increasingly desperate political/religious bureaucracy. As with Mr. Putin and his quagmire in Ukraine, desperate times are leading to increasingly desperate measures. Having failed to "persuade" the Sunni regime in Iraq to submit to the Shi'ite caliphate in Tehran, Iran turned its attention to the perpetual bogeyman of Islam - Jews and the Jewish state. The Q'ran is quite explicit about the extermination of the Jews by the divinely led Muslims, such that Iranian mullahs determined that the rapid elimination of Israel via its allies in Syria and Palestine, would fulfill the long-expected prophecies. This is not happening; rather, Isreal seems to have the upper hand at this point against Islamic terrorism.

Islamic caliphates, of course, are nothing new at all and there have been many over the centuries of Islamic history, most of which have used varying forms of eschatological arguments to provide a theological motivation for their existence and aggression against enemies, both real and perceived.

‘War-ravaged’ Portland hits back on Trump — with crochet, chicken costumes and farmers markets​

It started Saturday when President Trump suddenly announced that he was sending the National Guard to “war-ravaged” Portland — where a small group of demonstrators have been staging a monthslong protest at an Immigration and Customs Enforcement building south of downtown.

Oregon officials have pushed back forcefully, flooding their own social media with images of colorful cafe tables, sun-drenched farmers markets, rose gardens in full bloom and parks bursting with children, families and frolicking dogs. Officials would prefer the city be known for its Portlandia vibe, and are begging residents to stay peaceful and not give the Trump administration a protest spectacle.

“We need federal help to renew our infrastructure, and build affordable housing, to help clean our rivers and plant trees,” said Portland Mayor Keith Wilson on his social media. “Instead of help, they’re sending armored vehicles and masked men.”

All across the city this week, residents echoed similar themes.

“Nothing is happening here. This is a gorgeous, peaceful city,” said Hannah O’Malley, who was snacking on french fries at a table with a view of the Willamette River outside the Portland Sports Bar and Grill.

The restaurant was just a few blocks from an Immigration and Customs Enforcement building where the ongoing demonstration has become the latest focus of the president’s ire against the city.

On Monday afternoon, a group of about 40 people including grandmothers, parents and their children, and a man in a chicken costume, held flowers and signs. A few yelled abuse through a metal gate at ICE officers standing in the driveway.

Many residents said they think the president may be confusing what is happening in Portland now with a period in 2020 in which the city was briefly convulsed over Black Live Matter protests.

She and other residents said they have noticed that clips of the riots and other violence from 2020 have recently been recirculating on social media and even some cable news shows.

As night fell, the retired women and children who had been protesting outside the ICE facility went home, and more and more younger people began to take their places.

By 10 p.m., law enforcement was massed on the roof of the ICE building in tactical gear. Black-clad protesters — watched over by local television reporters and some independent media — played cat and mouse with the officers, stepping toward the building only to be repelled by rounds of pepper balls.

[At one point] a group of officers burst out of a van and appeared to detain one of the protesters. Then the officers dispersed, and the standoff resumed.

Around the corner, a couple with gray hair sporting sleek rain jackets walked their little dog along the street. If they were concerned about the made-for-video drama that was playing out a few yards away, they didn’t show it. They just continued to walk their dog.

On Wednesday morning, the president weighed in again, writing on Truth Social, “Conditions continue to deteriorate into lawless mayhem.”

eclipsenow said:

Your attempts at brushing aside these studies are humorous exercises in magic hand waving words.
I'm sad that you seem to believe them.
You have not even looked at the studies to see how they gathered their data - and whose data is being analysed

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Actually I have. And I told you why the studies are not reliable. Just like all the transgender studies that were touted by transactivists were bogus. Just cause there is a study that says one thing doesn't mean there arent fatal flaws in it. The research in the immigration study has big flaws. The biggest being what I said.

eclipsenow said:

They don't - they work had, generated GDP for America, and generate LESS crime than American born citizens.

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They work illegally and drive down wages by working for less. There is no reliable evidence they generate less crime.

eclipsenow said:

Incorrect again. The USA ratified the UN protocol on refugees and is bound under international law to process them with all due diligence to determine their claim for asylum. Anyone with half a teaspoon of compassion should watch some of the documentaries

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If tgey meet the criteria I have no problem with keeping them here. However the VAST majority of them do not meet the criteria. They lied to get in. Just because some of these folks have legitimate claims doesn't mean all if them do. Thats your mistake. Having your emotions manipulated by by stories to the point you seem to think they all deserve to get in. The fact is the vast majority don't. Those that do, I'm happy to help.

eclipsenow said:

The international legal position on this matter is clear. The US must permit entry and afford refuge to anyone it has recognised as a refugee or to whom it has granted asylum. Moreover, it cannot return any person to a country where she or he may suffer torture or other persecution. No ifs, no buts, no qualifications on national security.

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Not every single person who crosses the border illegally claims refugee status. They have no right to be here. They should be deported.

eclipsenow said:

Merkel will have reminded Trump that the United States is a party to the 1967 Protocol Relating to the Status of Refugees. This prescribed the continuing application of the 1951 Convention relating to the status of refugees which was adopted to address the aftermath of World War II. That original convention was agreed in Geneva so it is sometimes referred to as the Geneva Convention.

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I would like to see this agreement revoked. WWII ended a ling time ago. It was a different time. Now any Tom, Dick, or Harry can claim asylum and they have to be let in and go through the system. Taking advantage of it even though they good and well know they dont meet the criteria. They just lie to get in knowing they will be here for years. Have children born here and then have people who's emotions can be manipulated, like you, call for them to stay. You are being manipulated.

I won't be. Someone who actually meets the criteria I'm happy to help. But we shouldnt be patsies for the rest.

Jerry N. said:

I didn't write that the "lead author doesn't know anything." I simply wrote that they didn't do much of the real work. Have looked recently at academic papers on science or engineering and notice that they sometimes have dozens of authors? I've seen it in action. The lead author often, not always, puts his or her name on the top of the lists after doing little more than getting the funding for the research.

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Maybe that's the case in engineering or other fields, but in my experiences in biology it's not. The lead author is usually the person who came up with the research idea, developed the proposal, secured the funding, hired the staff, oversaw the research, conducted the analyses, and led the development of the manuscript. I consider all of that to be "real work".

ThatRobGuy said:

In the case of this show, one of the central themes is that the trans boy left home and cut off family ties due to them not being adequately supportive (hence the reason they're living in some sort of haunted amusement park to begin with)... At which point, their sidekick is a BIPOC autistic lesbian named Norma who has a crush on a Muslim girl. Throughout the show, Barney (trans boy) is also gay in addition, and has another boy who is the target of his crush.
(and no, that's not meant to be an over-the-top facetious exaggeration, that's actually the backdrop from what I'm reading)
....

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I know. So much diversity that you almost think diversity is the point, which is annoying. I watch some of those youtubers culture-hawks who hate that sort of thing too. Like the black guy elf on Rings Of Power*. But its just not that important.

(*awful show all around - regardless of any diversity "issues")

fhansen said:

Yes, but the general readers of His word aren't so infallible.

But not faith alone (James 2:24).

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Setting James against Paul (Eph 2:8-9) is never the correct way to understand Scripture.
God does not contradict himself in his holy word (2 Tim 3:16).

fhansen said:

Until a person understands how faith saves, quoting verses means little.

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That's the cart before the horse.
It's the verses that give us correct understanding, not our "understanding" that gives the verses correct meaning.

And the verses are clear that salvation is by faith alone, not by faith's necessary works (Eph 2:8-9).

That works are necessary for true faith (Ja 2:24) does not mean that the works of true faith actually save.
The necessary works are only evidence of true faith, the works are not efficacious in themselves, only the faith is efficacious (Eph 2:8-9).

seeking.IAM said:

I prefer not to sign on with my email address to read the article. Can someone fill me in on the particular Netflix airing that is being talked about?

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I also did not want to sign into Business Insider, but there's a Wikipedia article about the show: Dead End: Paranormal Park - Wikipedia

Studyman said:

That's not what Paul is teaching. Please try and separate yourself from your adopted religious philosophy for just a minute, and read what Paul actually said about the "Gospel of Christ".

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First let me apologize for only addressing this part of your post because if you don’t believe in the actual gospel then we cannot in good conscience have a productive conversation. There is a misunderstanding so we first have to define what the gospel actually is. The gospel is not related to the Jewish covenant. Faith in God has always been a requirement so that has not changed. The promises to Israel remain intact and unfulfilled until after the time of the gentiles us over.

The new covenant for the Christian is strictly based on the redemptive power of blood spilled by Christ on the cross. The basic elements of the gospel include what Paul wrote in Romans 1:1-6. All men have sin, the death of Christ on the cross to pay for those sins, the resurrection of Christ to provide life everlasting for those who follow Him, and the offer of the free gift of salvation to all (1 Cor 15:1-4). Notice that Paul explicitly calls these the gospel that I preach to you. There is no different in gospel or what Paul calls the gospel in any other of his writings.

I don’t understand where you infer that the gospel the Paul preaches did not come to be until later in history. The gospel of Christ began at His crucifixion when He redeemed our sins.

So if you believe in a different gospel then you are missing out on the good news of Christ.

ChubbyCherub said:

Thank you.

Does the numerical significance arise from God putting significance on these numbers or man?

I can't help but admit that I feel cringe and foreboding when we discuss what I view to be numerology, mysticism etc as it pertains to the symbolic nature of numbers and how they are defined and thematic throughout the Bible.

Apologies if I'm not making sense. I've just returned from a 14 day trip which started out with a cold and has ended with a cold. I'm sleep deprived and ill but hope I'm making enough sense so that you can help me with your opinion.

Thank you.

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Well let's consider this angle: When God reveals something of Himself, how does He do it? He uses people, He uses human languages. Scripture is written by ordinary people living a specific time, a specific place, with their own language, culture, and unique context. So God is always coming down to meet us where we are to share something of Himself.

In fact God's Chief Revelation is Jesus Christ, God Incarnate, God the Son taking on human nature, born of a human mother, as a human being, with a human body, a human soul, a human mind, etc. God's greatest act of telling us about Himself is the act of the Word made flesh (John 1:14); the Word who is Himself God (John 1:1), the only-begotten of the Father (John 1:18).

God doesn't tell us to climb up to meet Him in the glorious heights of His incomprehensible Divinity--but rather God climbs down to our lowliness and humanity. That is most true in the Incarnation, but it is also true of Scripture itself: God speaking to us through ordinary human beings in human history.

God has no use for letters and numbers, He's God. He's way beyond that. But things like language, the use of letters to write down words, or the use of numbers to make sense of the world around us--that's very human. God freely engages with us on a human level to tell us about Himself.

Even the Hebrew word "el" which means "mighty [one]" (and usually translated as "god", usually in Hebrew we see the plural form Elohim used, along with the occasional singular construction of Eloah) was used by Canaanite Pagans to refer to their false chief god; but the word is used freely by God's people, as God Himself reveals Himself as the true "el", the true God. So even when talking about Himself He uses words which, in the broader context, were already used. God isn't the Canaanite "El", but rather He reveals Himself as the true el, the true God, and reveals Himself with the name YHWH (the exact pronunciation is lost to us today, but possibly was pronounced something like Yahweh, which is how it is usually transcribed today). These four letters, YHWH (specifically the Hebrew letters Yod, Hah, Vav, Hah) also happen to share a semantic connection with the Hebrew verb hayah or heyeh, "to be" as in the famous phrase God spoke to Moses "'ehyeh asher 'ehyeh", ("I AM that I AM"). Which has led to a somewhat broad consensus that YHWH means something like "He is" or "The One that Is" or "The One that Exists" etc. So we see God HImself operating within the language and context of the time and people; He uses these things to say something of Himself.

So in a culture where the number 7 already had some level of meaning (and we do not need to go to number mysticism or numerology, just a recognition that numbers sometimes have a meaning within a culture), it isn't a great stretch to imagine that God, working through human writers and speakers, would use this too. Not that 7 has an innate divine significance (it's just a number), but for the people God was speaking to, the number has symbolic value, and so it is used that way.

We have number symbolism in our modern culture too, for example we often use "a million" to simply speak of "a very large number", especially for exaggeration. "I have a million things to do today" simply means "I have a lot of things to do today". We, obviously, don't literally have a million tasks that need to be accomplished. There's nothing mystical about the number, but it is culturally significant.

-CryptoLutheran

I prefer not to sign on with my email address to read the article. Can someone fill me in on the particular Netflix airing that is being talked about?

fhansen said:

No, and its been clearly shown in the past why your rendering of the Greek word for justifed is not the only possible one. Plus,
your understanding conflicts with the theme running in Rom 5 to begin with.

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Ro 5:1-11 deals with the fruits of righteousness.
Ro 5:12-21 deals with the imputation of Adam's sin to all those of Adam (Ro 5:17)
as the pattern (Ro 5:14)
for the imputation of Christ's righteousness to all those of Christ (Ro 5:15-21).

Feel free to Biblically demonstrate otherwise.

fhansen said:

Rom 5:12-21 is comparing like for like. Man became really truly unrighteous, sinful, by Adam's act-while becoming truly righteous by Jesus' act.

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Man became guilty by imputation of Adam's sin (Ro 5:17), just as he became righteous by imputation of Christ's righteousness (Ro 5:18-19).

Hans Blaster said:

I am well aware of "funders" tacking their names on papers, but it is never as the first author.

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Different countries in Europe operate in different ways. I thought it was a leftover from Soviet times, but I now think it has more to do with “publish or perish.” There are also citation reports of various types. Even infamous papers get high ratings while being debunked. Obviously, some famous name on a paper helps improve its success.

That Guy 11200 said:

Cruelty is the point.

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Relevant OpEd

There’s no nice way to deport someone. But Trump’s ICE is hosting a cruelty Olympics​

When my father was crossing the U.S.-Mexico border like an undocumented Road Runner back in the 1970s, la migra caught him more than a few times.

They chased him and his friends through factories in Los Angeles and across the hills that separate Tijuana and San Diego. He was tackled and handcuffed and hauled off in cars, trucks and vans. Sometimes, Papi and his pals were dropped off at the border checkpoint in San Ysidro and ordered to walk back into Mexico. Other times, he was packed into grimy cells with other men.

But there was no anger or terror in his voice when I asked him recently how la migratreated him whenever they’d catch him.

“Like humans,” he said. “They had a job to do, and they knew why we mojados were coming here, so they knew they would see us again. So why make it difficult for both of us?”

“The way they treat immigrants now is a disgrace,” Papi said. “Like animals. It’s sad. It’s ugly. It needs to stop.”

Under Noem’s leadership, Homeland Security’s social media campaign has instead produced videos that call undocumented immigrants “the worst of the worst” and depict immigration agents as heroes called by God to confront invading hordes. A recent one even used the theme song to the cartoon version of the Pokémon trading card game — tagline “Gotta catch ‘em all” — to imply going after the mango guy and tamale lady is no different than capturing fictional monsters.

La migra regularly harass U.S. citizens even after they’ve offered proof of residencyand have ignored court-ordered restraining orders banning them from targeting people because of their ethnicity. Border Patrol sector chief Gregory Bovinocontinually squanders taxpayer dollars on photo ops, like the Border Patrol’s July occupation of a nearly empty MacArthur Park or a recent deployment of boats on the Chicago River complete with agents bearing rifles as if they were safari hunters cruising the Congo.

Our nation’s deportation Leviathan is so imperious that an ICE agent, face contorted with anger, outside a New York immigration court recently shoved an Ecuadorean woman pleading for her husband down to the ground, stood over her and wagged his finger in front of her bawling children even as cameras recorded the terrible scene. The move was so egregious that Homeland Security spokesperson Tricia McLaughin quickly put out a statement claiming the incident was “unacceptable and beneath the men and women of ICE.”

Nevertheless, CBS News reported that the agent is back on duty.

Clare73 said:

And the word of God is infallible.

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Yes, but the general readers of His word aren't so infallible.

Clare73 said:

It is not the works of that faith which save, it is only the faith itself. (Eph 2:8-9).

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But not faith alone (James 2:24).

Clare73 said:

Are you disagreeing with Eph 2:8-9: "For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith. . .not by works."?

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Until a person understands how faith saves, quoting verses means little.

FAITH-IN-HIM said:

Clearly you don’t have any respect for democratic process in Israel.

I disagree with Benjamin Netanyahu and the policies of the Likud party. It is unfortunate that over the past 25 years, Likud has remained dominant in Israeli politics, and no viable alternative has emerged to form a coalition capable of challenging Likud's leadership.

However, the Likud has been legitimately elected for the past 25 years, consistently coming to power through the expressed will of its people. Comparing them to Hamas show how little you value democratic process in Israel.

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I'm not comparing the democtratic process....

I'm saying Likud is AS RESPONSIBLE for what's happenning there as Hamas...likely moreso.

Do you agree with that point or not?

BCP1928 said:

Kids shows often feature characters whose lives are shaped by the fact that they are different in some way. It's a common theme.

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Yeah the orphan / outcast kid(s) theme is perennial.

Why are taxpayers funding huge manatees?
This is disgraceful; let them find their own food!

essentialsaltes said:

Trump targets states that voted for Harris in shutdown fight​

The White House is targeting Democratic states with its first wave of cuts to federal projects following the government shutdown, impacting billions of dollars in funding for energy and infrastructure in New York, California and elsewhere.

The cuts will impact 16 states — all of which voted for former Vice President Kamala Harris in last year’s presidential election. Vought did not identify exactly which programs would be cut in the social media announcement.

The moves reflect Trump’s intent to undermine programs benefiting Americans in blue-leaning states, while leaders from both parties work to negotiate a government funding agreement. Trump has suggested the shutdown could offer a pretense to cut programs he doesn’t like.

“We can get rid of a lot of things that we didn’t want, and they’d be Democrat things,” Trump told reporters on Tuesday ahead of the shutdown.

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Remember when that one FEMA worker tried to deny a couple Trump-voters disaster benefits and the Right lost their mind, even though that person was quickly fired and their decision reversed? lol