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Belk · 2025-10-30T10:59:52-0500

Oompa Loompa said:
Like reducing supply by blowing up narco-terrorist drug boats on open water?

No, that makes the problem worse if you do not reduce the demand. If you reduce the supply then you end both increasing cost at the same time you reduce purity and reliability. A large part of the issue with fentanyl is that you need a specific dosage to be safe and if it has spikes or impurities it becomes more dangerous.

Bob S · 2025-10-30T10:59:38-0500

SabbathBlessings said:
Yes, because sin is a deadly disease and if its not exterminated, its going to keep spreading. God's judgments are always based in love, even if we do not understand them.

They seem to be very understandable to me. I am sure that if God had wanted to write the Ten as a love message to the Israelites He could have done so.

SabbathBlessings said:
The Ten Commandments started way before Moses, according to God. Exo20:11

What makes you think that? Certainly, Ex20:11 is not stating that. How do you take such a verse and completely obliterate it?

JustaPewFiller · 2025-10-30T10:58:15-0500

Because unless I'm talking about treats, my cat isn't very interested in my ramblings..

Belk · 2025-10-30T10:57:29-0500

RocksInMyHead said:
Badges?! We don't need no stinkin' badges!

You beat me to it.

rambot · 2025-10-30T10:56:51-0500

ThatRobGuy said:
Him wanting to start up nuclear testing or give some "show of strength" again wouldn't be a disqualifier for a Nobel peace prize (if prior winners are any indicator of the "caliber of peacemakers" they give it to)

Yasser Arafat
Henry Kissinger
Gorbachev
Aung San Suu Kyi

...are all former winners if memory serves

I can see where if there'd always been a high bar for peacefulness, decorum, and pacifism from the time of inception through present day, the prospect of Trump's name getting floated for the award would be out of sorts.

However, the awards been given to people who've been notoriously famous for leading terrorist orgs (that committed hijackings and the terrorist attack at the Olympics) and rejecting peace deals like Arafat, and people like Kyi who supported a literal genocide, and end up getting charged by the ICC for that debacle as well as prosecution of journalists.

And then you have others like Al Gore - who didn't necessarily do anything "bad", but whose nomination was a tad puzzling... while one may attach a certain level of virtue to climate advocacy and raising climate awareness, it's a bit of a stretch to suggest that it had much (if anything?) to do with "peace".

Just as an honest assessment, Trump wanting a Nobel for the "Gaza Ceasefire and Israel/Palestine Peace" would place it somewhere in the realm of Kissinger's win. (meaning, a very premature victory)

Kissinger received the Nobel in 1973 for "negotiating peace and a ceasefire in Vietnam"...but the conflict kept chugging along for another 2-3 years after he won -- including several US bombing campaigns. (and the war was finally ended when the bad guys won and Vietnam was re-unified under communist control)

We kind of have to pick our poison here...

Either the award means something, and as much as he's disliked, he's eligible based on the precedents set by prior winners.

Or we just acknowledge that the award itself is kind of a joke...at which point, we can simply say "who cares who won it"

Or, and here me out, maybe the award is almost always given to really great and worthwhile individuals and they've made a few decisions people disagree with.

The KYI one was fascinating to me. Not because she didn't deserve it before she got it (which I don't recall their being very much complaint over), but because of her behaviour AFTER she won it. Talk about trying to undercut a legacy......

RocksInMyHead · 2025-10-30T10:56:42-0500

chevyontheriver said:
The shutdown could have been avoided with a clean continuing resolution to keep the government funded at exactly current levels, no cuts and no new spending. Congress could have then addressed all the rest without brinksmanship. But it was not to be.

That requires people to trust that Congress actually would address "all the rest." That trust has been lost over the past couple decades, and the current Republican Party has done nothing to earn it back.

Strong in Him · 2025-10-30T10:54:05-0500

Apple Sky said:
The historical-grammatical meaning of raqiya' in Gen. 1:6–8 is very clearly a literally solid firmament.

So that would mean that your verse from Job is wrong.

Apple Sky said:
Job 37:18
Hast thou with him spread out the sky, which is strong, and as a molten looking glass?

As David has said, "Molten" is liquid.

Molten metal or rock is in a liquid state because of great heat:

The sky is not molten rock.
How can a liquid sky be strong?

The verse from Job also suggests that "firmament" and "sky" are different things.
But I said this to you some time ago, and you told me I was wrong. Rockets cannot go very far into the sky, you said, in case they hit the firmament.

Jerry N. · 2025-10-30T10:51:16-0500

Bob S said:
When Moses was with God and the Israelites were performing debauchery, was it love that God had for them when He told Moses He was going to destroy them?

God had a reason why He formulated the Ten Commandments about duty, and it is not for us to try to change what they meant. They certainly were not portraying love.

The first commandment is about loving God. The second, third, and forth expand on that. The other six commandments are about how we should treat others. Love is not just an emotion; it is also an act of the will. By willingly doing right by others, we express love in the most basic form. By not doing right by others and God, we are not showing love.

Bob S · 2025-10-30T10:49:03-0500

There is another command from God to the Israelites in the fourth commandment. He wrote that they were to labor six days. That part seems to have been eliminated or is not important

Hvizsgyak · 2025-10-30T10:46:50-0500

ViaCrucis said:
If I can doubt that it's actually Jesus, then it's not Jesus.

I agree with you that when Jesus does return, we (the faithful) will recognize Him. But this topic is about whether "you don't doubt that it's Jesus and it's not Jesus?" And maybe not you being the one deceived, but 10's of thousands of our fellow Christians being deceived. Have you thought about how you would convince a possible Christian friend of yours, who is falling for the false Jesus, to see the truth? Look at those rapture videos I posted. How many fellow Christians were fooled. I don't want that. I want everyone who loves Jesus to be saved. I don't want anyone falling for a false Jesus return. And I know many will say here, "Look out for yourself" and I will but I love my fellow Christians so much that I would do my best to help them with the truth.

The way the news and social media has made faithful Christians look like the people in the wrong, many fellow Christians will be blinded to the truth and switch to the wrong side. We need to prepare all Christians for what could happen (the trickery that Satan is capable of using).

PloverWing · 2025-10-30T10:46:43-0500

Here are the main reasons I participate on CF. (I've walked away from other social media platforms, as they don't seem a productive use of my time.)

1. It helps me get out of my bubble. I attend a mainline liturgical Protestant church in the United States, but there are many other kinds of Christians out there. I need to hear other Christian voices.

2. Sometimes people ask informational questions that I have the knowledge to answer.

3. Sometimes people say "The only Christian answer to X is Y", and I step in to say "Actually, some Christians think Y, but others think A, B, C, or D." This is mostly for the benefit of lurkers, who may not realize the breadth of Christian opinions.

4. And sometimes, once in a rare while, someone says something that really does change my perspective on something. It doesn't happen in the closed-minded food-fight debates, but it can happen in genuine, open conversations, which do occasionally occur on CF. Right at this moment, I can recall conversations with @Paidiske , @FireDragon76 , @2PhiloVoid , and @Bradskii that changed my perspective on something, that made me see some issue in a totally different way. There have been other conversations like that on CF that I could remember if I thought for a while longer. These are the moments that make CF the most worthwhile.

Rescued One · 2025-10-30T10:46:01-0500

Unmotivated due to incessant pop-ups!

fhansen · 2025-10-30T10:44:16-0500

Dikaioumenoi said:
I'm really not interested in the rhetoric. If my exegesis is wrong, show it from the passage. If you can't do so, then let's give someone else the opportunity.

Anyone can have at it all they want. I simply summarized some truths of Christianity, digested from years of study. I have no desire to argue the points now. Maybe later.

iluvatar5150 · 2025-10-30T10:43:53-0500

Always in His Presence said:
The first American President to be awarded the countries highest honor and all you can do is try to minimize it?

Well, yeah, when the claim is that an honor is especially high, it's perfectly valid to look at the conditions under which it's bestowed. It looks like it's handed out to each new SK president and then to various other heads of state whenever the SK president feels like it.

Bob S · 2025-10-30T10:41:56-0500

SabbathBlessings said:
I guess we will find out soon enough if the God of Love could personally write and unloving law that is His Testimony that He keeps in the Most Holy of His Temple, who He tells us who He shows mercy to Exo20:6 even when the death penalty is deserved.

To me, it shows a misunderstanding of the character of God which His law is a reflection of. Psa19:7 Rom7:12

When Moses was with God and the Israelites were performing debauchery, was it love that God had for them when He told Moses He was going to destroy them?

God had a reason why He formulated the Ten Commandments about duty, and it is not for us to try to change what they meant. They certainly were not portraying love.

Oompa Loompa · 2025-10-30T10:36:48-0500

Belk said:
Oh, the whole thing is horrific I grant you. That is part of why I think we should change our tactics to something that reduces the difficulties of addiction rather then increase it.

Like reducing supply by blowing up narco-terrorist drug boats on open water?

Oompa Loompa · 2025-10-30T10:35:16-0500

Bradskii said:
And this is what used to happen under Obama: U.S. Navy Grabs Suspected Pirates
ABC News - Breaking News, Latest News and Videos

'All of the captured suspects are middle-aged Somali men and all are now in the brig. Their fishing boat, weapons and other tools are being held as evidence.

The men were given food, medical attention and a quick shower as they were processed in the hull of the ship. Their torn clothes were replaced with orange jumpsuits as they began what will be a several-week stay with the U.S. Navy. From there, they will face trial on shore, most likely by Kenya, an African country that signed an agreement with the United States to prosecute suspected pirates.'

Do you follow? They weren't summarily killed. They were captured, evidence collected, they were processed and put on trial. That's what civilised countries do.

I do not think you follow. What part of drug cartels being designated as international terrorists while we are fighting a Global War on Terror do you not understand? They are no different than as if a boat full of ISIS fighters were on a boat full of explosives. Your defense of drug thugs, gangsters, and cartel members is why the democratic party is politically doomed.

Yarddog · 2025-10-30T10:35:00-0500

Always in His Presence said:
and yet - - - you are still missing proof -

Nope. I've seen the proof. I'm just not sharing it with you.

Sif · 2025-10-30T10:32:27-0500

Chesterton said:
Seriously? That's excellent. Nice work.

I thought they are all programmed to "do no harm" so to speak. Are you talking about some kind of private AI's or something?

The AI/LLM being used for illegal activity is likely private and/or hacked AI/LLM. I can only speak for what I have seen it used for. It can be used to create "virtual" child sexual abuse material (CSAM). How? The perpetrator takes a perfectly innocent image from social media and with AI/LLM they can create disgusting and disturbing images and videos. It is traded via the dark web primarily. Some jurisdictions have already created laws to specifically address the issue of "virtual" CSAM.

Delvianna · 2025-10-30T10:29:35-0500

WordSword said:
Hi! Some think the Decalogue is separate from all the other laws, but James is a good example that everything in the Pentateuch is Law: Jas 2:10 "For whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all."
Besides it must be realized that the Law was not only given solely to the nation of Israel, but that the entirety of it, including the Decalogue was "taken away" with the OT, when Christ said "it is finished." "Then said he, Lo, I come to do thy will, O God. He taketh away the first, that he may establish the second" (Heb 10:9).

You're applying the whole law just because of the word "whole" when the context of James is talking 10 commandments. What is verse 11 and 12?

"For He who said, “Do not commit adultery,” also said, “Do not murder.” Now if you do not commit adultery, but you do murder, you have become a transgressor of the law. So speak and so do as those who will be judged by the law of liberty."

You're applying your already pre-thought ideas instead of just reading the verse and looking at the surrounding verses for the context. The same in what you're doing with the word Law or Works from previous comments. When reading scripture, don't pre-apply anything. Instead, suppose you aren't sure what exactly they're talking about and read the chapter to give you context. When you talk to someone standing in front of you, do you refer to what they said a day ago in order to understand what they're telling you today or do you apply whatever they're saying to you right now? We got to do the same when we read letters and books.

WordSword said:
True, then God would be "trespassing!" The concept that God would only chooses certain people for salvation is not sensible, because He "desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth" (1Ti 2:4).

"The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance" (2Pe 3:9; ).

True, but desire and what happens is 2 different things. I can desire a lamborguini, but that doesn't mean I get it. God goes after and strives that no one will be lost, but he still allows us to make our own decisions and that includes the decisions that lead us to destruction.

Apple Sky · 2025-10-30T10:28:52-0500

Strong in Him said:
The verse that you quoted - presumably to prove David wrong - does not have the word "firmament" but the word "sky".
So that's the first thing. The second is that it does not say that the sky/firmament IS molten glass.

The historical-grammatical meaning of raqiya' in Gen. 1:6–8 is very clearly a literally solid firmament.

Always in His Presence · 2025-10-30T10:28:49-0500

President Trump says he'll cut tariffs on China after meeting with Xi Jinping

WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump said he reached an agreement with Chinese President Xi Jinping on soybean purchases, fentanyl precursors, and rare earth exports, paving the way for a finalized trade deal to be signed "pretty soon" that he said would last for at least a year and result in an immediate reduction in tariffs.

China will immediately begin purchasing "tremendous amounts" of soybeans and other agricultural products from the United States, the president told reporters flying with him on Air Force One.

A deal, Trump said, was also reached to keep China's proposed export controls on rare earth minerals from taking effect. "That roadblock is gone now. There's no roadblock at all on rare earth," he explained

Always in His Presence · 2025-10-30T10:25:55-0500

Yarddog said:
That sounds exactly like how a MAGAist would actually believe.

and yet - - - you are still missing proof -

Dikaioumenoi · 2025-10-30T10:25:13-0500

fhansen said:
I've done it many times. What you need to do is follow the advice I added to the end of my last post,. Then we'll have something substantive to talk about.

I'm really not interested in the rhetoric. If my exegesis is wrong, show it from the passage. If you can't do so, then let's give someone else the opportunity.

Oompa Loompa · 2025-10-30T10:25:08-0500

Bradskii said:
I guess we're at the same point as I got to above. You've now reached the point where the extra judicial killing of someone just because Trump says he can is acceptable. Shoot people on the street? If Trump says it's OK, then sure. Blow up a house because drug dealers use it? If Trump says it's OK, then sure. Take out a few people without having to produce any evidence? If Trump says it's OK, then sure.

Remember when he said he could shoot someone on Fifth Ave. And suffer no consequences? Now you're agreeing that he can.

Hard to do that when they've been blown up.

Emotional hyperbole because you discovered that you did not know where and when Miranda rights apply?

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