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Can a faithful Christian be damned for not being baptized?

Not at all. Most Protestant denominations believe that the scripture verses regarding communion define a non literal translation since Jesus was still wearing His body and still had His blood going through Him. For most Protestant denominations there is no real presence or transubstantiation.

But that’s what @Ain't Zwinglian just said - most Protestant denominations do not interpret those verses literally, for the reasons you cited, but to Lutherans and others such as myself, such a non-literal interpretation is in this case problematic, since it involves at least a partial contradiction of what our Lord just said, and in the case of Memorialism, multiple contradictions based on an anachronistic interpretation of the words “anamnesis” which as I cited above is only used in the manner favored by the specific Memorialist argument we encountered in 1 Corinthians, with 1 Luke using the phrase only in reference to the Body, and St. Mark and St. Matthew not using it at all, which creates a paradox.

That said, of the three largest groups of Protestants - the Anglicans, while lacking a formal defined doctrine, very frequently believe in the Real Presence or something close to it, the Lutherans do believe in the real presence, and the Calvinists historically believed in the spiritual presence of Christ in the elements, that he is present in spirit if not physically in the bread and wine.

This latter position, the popular doctrine of spiritual presence, is, I would argue, superior to Zwinglianism, because the statements of our Lord, “this is my Body” and “this is my Blood” are not immediately contradicted, nor is the spiritual interpretation taken to the extreme of the Quakers who deny the phyiscal celebration of the sacrament in any form.

Thus in my view, Zwinglianism, Memorialism and Receptionism are not only wrong but uneccessary, for if one does not believe in a physical presence, there exists an alternative doctrine in the form of Calvinist spiritual presence in which the words of our Lord can still be interpreted literally. Additionally this spiritual interpretation has the added benefit of being compatible with most ancient liturgical texts, and some scholars believe it was widespread in the early church, which it may have been, although it appears that belief in a real physical presence was more widespread.

Now regarding the specific Roman Catholic concept of trans-substantiation, I don’t know of anyone denomination outside of the RCC and certain related Western denominations (some Anglo Catholics, some Old Catholics, basically anyone who regards the work of St. Thomas Aquinas as essential) who officially adopts that exact doctrine, even if they use the word in an attempt to demonstrate their belief in the physicality of Christ’s presence. Transubstantiation is basically the specific idea that the accidents of bread and wine, that is to say, the perceptual attributes remain the same, while the substance changes. It is a more complex belief, therefore, than merely asserting that the gifts become the actual Body and Blood of Christ our True God (the most common approach from antiquity being to believe this was literally true without presuming to know how; the means by which this happened being regarded as a sacred mystery in the Western sense of mystery, while the sacrament was also called a Sacred Mystery in the Eastern sense, that is to say, as a Holy Sacrament.

Thus, my position is that the Calvinist view of a spiritual presence of Christ in the bread and wine is an acceptable interpretation, whereas the Zwinglian and Memorialist and Receptionist positions are not (even if the Receptionist believes that on reception, they are partaking of the actual physical body and blood of our Lord), the problem being that all three of those positions require a non-literal interpretation that can be regarded as contradictory, as being our Lord saying one thing, and then contradicting it, and which is furthermore contradicts Communicatio Idiomatum, because, while those who advocate for Memorialism and Zwinglianism are correct that it would be impossible for a mortal man to be in one place with his body and blood in other places, what is impossible with man is possible with God, and in the person of Christ His deity and humanity are united without confusion, change, separation or division, and thus, as God, Christ can give us as much of his Body and Blood, in which both His humanity and divinity are united, thus making us partakers of the dvine essence, as we might require. But for those still uncomfortable with that, or with the idea of partaking of our Lord physically, it is not fundamentally incompatible to insist on a spiritual presence only, that is to say, that the bread and wine spiritually become the Body and Blood of our Lord while physically remaining bread and wine, and this view, favored by Calvinists, offers the escape being sought without recourse to symbolism or memorialism.

Regarding receptionism, the idea that appears to drive it is a discomfort with the idea of the Real Change and a misguided fear of idolatry; receptionists tend to be the sort of people who regard Eucharistic adoration or even the reservation of the consecrated gifts for purposes of communing the sick or the celebration of a presanctified liturgy during Lent or Holy Week, as being somehow idolatrous, which it clearly is not. Now in Orthodoxy we do not engage in Eucharistic adoration, but I have no objection to the practice, rather, its specifically a Western devotion, that said, some argue that there is a problem with Eucharistic adoration, that being our Lord said “take, eat” without reference to static adoration; there is also the fact that only the Body and not the Blood are being adored in that context seems a bit limiting, although in my view this argument amounts to a form of the Regulatory Principle of worship favored by some Calvinists, Baptists and others, that if left unchecked leads to things such as a capella exclusive psalmody, and is also an appeal to silence. Clearly, there is no obligation to engage in Eucharistic adoration even within the Roman Catholic Church (even less so among Anglicans who engage in the practice), but there is also no basis for saying such an activity is inadmissible, for we do many legitimate things that are not expressly commanded by Scripture (there is also the argument that if it is the Body and Blood of our Lord it is deserving of adoration on the basis of non-Nestorianism, to which I would agree, but also say, such adoration occurs adequately in the context of the Orthodox Divine Liturgy or the Western Mass or Divine Service (Gottesdienst). Thus, like i said, I myself have no qualms about Eucharistic adoration and would willingly engage in it; it seems a good opportunity for sacred silence and contemplation of the passion of Christ on the Cross.

But at any rate, if one is uncomfortable with the idea of that, then there is still an option which avoids non-literal interpretation while also avoiding the physicality that many are uncomfortable with, that being a real spiritual presence that is spiritual but not physical. Thus, I respect that position even as I disagree with it.
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Mandami wants to disband critical Police unit.

Socialism is not a Biblical model.
The Bible and it's principles enters into any discussion a Christian has.
Society isn't a Christians's guide.
Fine. You guys can discuss it all you like. Have fun. Just keep the Bible out of politics, as the US isn't based on biblical principles.

Now if you lean Left politically you might not agree. And that's your freedom to do so.
Agreed. However, my point about the US not being based on biblical principles remains factual, no matter what direction I might lean.

If you're a religious person, what denomination are you, if any?
None. I make up my own mind on such issues.

-- A2SG, not a fan of being told what to believe......
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What to know about the deadly shooting at a school in Canada

What I want to know is if this person will be put in with the men or lumped in with women when put into the crime data.
Mass shooters are overwhelmingly male, to point that when the media refers to a mass shooter as a "woman", the more astute among us can read between the lines to discern what that means...
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Revelation 17, the heads and horns

Revelation 17 heads and horns - status at the time of John, 1st century.

heads, no crowns. horns, no crowns.



Revelation 12 heads and horns - status 7 years before Jesus returns, end times.

heads, crowns.*........horns, no crowns.

*prophecy of the 7 kings complete > little horn has come to power.



Revelation 13 heads and horns - status 42 months before Jesus returns, end times.

heads, no crowns.*.........horns, crowns >to rule with the beast.

*prophecy of the 7 kings over > little horn has been killed.
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Trump Wins Again: Final Epstein Docs Nail Huge Dems, Dem Supporters, and Anti-Trumpers - Here Are the Top 7 (Plus 5 Smug Leftist Celebs

That doesn't answer the question.

The DOJ told dems to knock it off when they were trying to get the files because it would imperil the Maxwell case. Then Trump and his surrogates promoted releasing the files, implying it would implicate democrats, then Trump got elected, his surrogates got jobs and suddenly there was no there there.
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State Department orders nonprofit libraries to stop processing passport applications

I don't know. I did look up for profit library and it appears to be a private club/library where you pay a membership.

Republicans making things easier for the rich. Whoda thunk.

It's government run vs private/non profit, not profit vs private.

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CNN's Data Guru Reveals How the Far-Left Is Devouring Democratic Party

You would have to ask him. Of course he's dead, so that might be hard to do. Short of that you would only be inserting your own opinion of what his opinion might possibly have become. His position in 1972 was quite clear.
The party evolved, as all things do. Humphrey likely would have as well. Or, if not, were he to still be so anti-abortion that he could no longer fit in the current Democratic party, he might have switched to the GOP. Others have, including the current occupant of the Oval Office.

Consider this: would the GOP of previous decades have accepted a convicted felon as their standard bearer? Remember the party of "law and order" and "family values"?

Does this mean the Democratic Party has moved as far to the left as the GOP has to the right? I don't believe so. If they had, they'd have fought tooth and nail for more socialized programs like single payer health care, instead of settling for the Heritage Foundation plan. Whereas the Republicans have moved so far to the right that they've embraced an authoritarian leader.

-- A2SG, though, there are some who seem to regret that now.....
  • Wow
Reactions: Vambram
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Why do we do things not written in the Bible?

It's incorrect because you want to feel good following mans tradition.

Ad hominem fallacy; disregarding someone’s argument as incorrect based on their identity is not logical.

The Council of Serdica in 343 AD

20 canons, 3 interesting canons pertaining to Rome's authority.

3. If a bishop is accused and a synod condemns him, he may appeal to the Bishop of Rome, who can judge or order a retrial.
4. Further provisions on appeals: If the Roman bishop deems it necessary, he may send presbyters to investigate and join the local synod.
5. Appeals to Rome are allowed in cases of deposition; the Roman see can confirm or reverse decisions.

Not an ecumenical synod, but rather specific to the Western Church.

Now, you could have argued for Canon 28 of Chalcedon, although if I recall, Serdica notwithstanding, historically Rome was uncomfortable with Canon 28, and thus the provision wound up being used chiefly by Constantinople (and indeed the failure of Constantinople to act on a canon 28 complaint by Antioch of an invasion of their canonical jurisdiction by the Church of Jerusalem led to the alienation of the Antiochian Orthodox Church from the Ecumenical Patriarchate in 2014, which was followed by the time of the Council of Crete in 2016 by the alienation of the Church of Jerusalem, which now, paradoxically, is part of the group of Orthodox churches concerned about recent actions of Constantinople (also including the Churches of Serbia, Bulgaria, Georgia, Russia, the canonical Ukrainian Orthodox Church, and the Orthodox Church of the Czech Lands and Slovakia). Some of these churches such as Constantinople, Russia, Ukraine, Serbia, Georgia and Jerusalem are known for being extremely liturgically traditional, whereas others such as Bulgaria, the Czech-Slovak church and Antioch use the Revised Julian Calendar rathere than the old Julian Calendar, and in the case of Antioch even use the Violakis typikon (the somewhat simplified form of worship prevalent in among Greek Orthodox churches since the 19th century; Violakis made ill-advised arrangements and abbreviations; interestingly, some of these were picked up by some of the Byzantine Rite Catholics who geographically overlapped with Orthodox churches using Violakis, while still other RCC jurisdictions made their own abbreviations which were taken up by Byzantine Rite Catholics who converted to Orthodoxy, for example, the Carpatho-Rusyns of the Ruthenian Greek Catholic Church and the American Carpatho-Rusyn Orthodox Diocese, which worships in a manner closely resembling that of the Ruthenian Greek Catholic Church.

Indeed, if the bishop of Rome had that much authority, the issue of clerical celibacy could simply have been imposed on the Eastern churches, but that did not happen (although it was brought up by the two Roman legates at Nicaea, however, opposition from other bishops, led in this case not by St. Athanasius but by another Egyptian bishop, St. Paphnutius of Thebes, to the prohibition of married clergy, resulted in the prohibition on married clergy being limited to the Roman Rite and its various regional uses that would emerge over time (such as the Sarum Rite, the Rites of Lyons, Braga, Koln and other cities, and religious order-specific rites such as the Dominican, Carthusian, Carmelite and Norbertine, all four of which are still extant albeit with small communities compared to their historic past), and the other Western Rites under the jurisdiction of the Bishop of Rome, such as the old Gallican Rite and its various variant forms (including the surviving Mozarabic rite and the thriving Ambrosian Rite, as well as various extinct forms such as the Beneventan Rite).

Of course we will all, whether Catholic or Orthodox or traditional Protestant, inevitably be falsely accused of following man-made tradition, despite the fact that the sacramental theological core of our churches is not greatly different (particularly in the case of Orthodox and Catholics and some high church, sacramental Protestants such as Anglicans and confessional Lutherans and a few others).
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Blasphemy of the Holy Spirit

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They never believed in Jesus for Eternal Life. They are judged by their works, because when they never believe in Jesus for Eternal Life (God's free gift). Their eternal destiny was already set upon their death. Their judgment of their works determines their placement in the lake of fire, not to see if they are going to the lake of fire.
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But as my original post and my reason for posting was that the Blasphemy of the Holy Spirit. Was a very specific sin only found in Matthew 12. It is not a general sin that is just connected to unbelief, as you were saying in your original post. That is why no one can comment this sin today.

It was a very specific sin only found in Matthew 12. Connected to the nation of Israel and their leaders saying Jesus did his miracles by the power of Now when the Pharisees heard it they said, “This fellow does not cast out demons except by Beelzebub, the ruler of the demons.”

Not by the power of God and The Holy Spirit. As Jesus healing of the Then one was brought to Him who was demon-possessed, blind and mute; and He healed him, so that the blind and mute man both spoke and saw.

This was an Old Testament prophecy that only The Messiah would be able to heal blind and mute demon possessed people. That is why after Jesus healed the demon-possessed, blind and mute person. people asked. And all the multitudes were amazed and said, “Could this be the Son of David?”
That's the point I'm making. Their works don't determine whether they go to the lake of fire, unbelief determined that. Their works determine the degree of judgment, not the destination. Unbelief is the cause. The absence of their name in the Book of Life is the legal outcome for unbelief. Their works determine the severity of judgment, not the location.

Revelation 20 is clear: They are judged ""according to their works"" after it is already shown their names are not in the Book of Life, due to unbelief in Christ as Lord & Savior. The Book of Life determines destiny. Their works determine degree.

This is the same pattern Jesus taught: The believer ""is not condemned"" (John 3:18). The unbeliever ""is condemned already"" because he has not believed. Works reveal the life lived, but they never reverse the verdict.

So yes - they never believed in Jesus for eternal life. That's why their names were never written in the Book of Life & that's why they stand at the Great White Throne instead of the Judgment Seat of Christ.

Believers appear before Christ for rewards (2 Cor 5:10; 1 Cor 3:11–15). Unbelievers appear before Christ for sentencing (Rev 20:11–15).

Two different groups. Two different judgments. Two different outcomes
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Hundreds of psychiatrists diagnosed Trump as having Malignant NPD. If the Administration got sick of him, who enacts the 25th? When? How?

The fact that you called it Fox "news" and not FOX PROPAGANDA OUTLET reveals a lot.
Anyone who calls FOX a propaganda outlet cannot back up that ridiculous claim with facts. They are provably far more balanced and factual than outlets like CNN, MSNBC and the like.
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Prayer for a superficial workplace

Unfortunately I am employed at a superficial workplace prioritizes appearances. Which has caused a struggle recently to feel part of the team, and feel secure in the current position. Though the workplace may judge quickly by appearances or shallow standards, I ask for prayer, that true character, diligence, and worth would shine through. Soften the hearts of coworkers and supervisors, that they might see beyond surface impressions and recognize the value that I bring. Where human eyes fail to perceive depth, let GOD's grace create unexpected favor. Amen.

Much appreciation and thanks.

Grace Has a Name

What do you think the following Scripture verses meant to these Jewish/Hebrew Christians?

Hebrews 4:6, 11
Therefore since it still remains for some to enter that rest, and since those who formerly had the good news proclaimed to them did not go in because of their disobedience,......11 Let us, therefore, make every effort to enter that rest, so that no one will perish by following their example of disobedience.

It seems to me that the writer of Hebrews is stating that disobedient Christians will not enter into eternal rest with God. They will be condemned to hellfire.

John 5:28-30
Do not marvel at this; for the hour is coming in which
all who are in the graves will hear His voice 29 and come forth—those who have done good, to the resurrection of life, and those who have done evil, to the resurrection of condemnation.
Both passages you quoted collapse the same categories you've been collapsing all along. In Scripture, disobedience can cost a believer fellowship, fruitfulness, joy,& reward, but never justification. Hebrews & John 5 don't contradict that; they reinforce it once the categories are kept straight.

Hebrews 4 is not about losing salvation. It's about missing God’s rest
The writer is comparing two groups: Israel in the wilderness (saved out of Egypt, redeemed by blood, yet disobedient). Believers today (saved by Christ, called to walk in faith)

Israel's failure to enter the land was not loss of redemption, they were already redeemed by the Passover blood. Their failure was loss of rest, reward, inheritance & fellowship, not loss of salvation.

That's exactly the author’s point: They ""did not enter because of disobedience"", meaning they forfeited rest, not redemption. ""Let us make every effort to enter that rest"". Meaning believers can miss out on God's rest in this life through unbelief & disobedience.

Nothing in Hebrews 3–4 says a believer loses eternal life. It says a believer can lose rest, joy, fruitfulness & reward. The same thing Paul teaches in 1 Cor 3:15. If Hebrews 4 meant ""lose salvation,"" then Israel lost salvation in Numbers 14, which no one believes.

When Hebrews 4 warns about people """perishing""" or ""falling short,"" it’s not talking about believers going to hell. Scripture itself shows that the word perish is often used for loss, ruin, or destruction of something valuable, not eternal damnation.

Here are the same examples explained in simple biblical terms: Wineskins ""perish"" in Matthew 9:17. meaning they burst and are ruined. That's not hell; that's loss of usefulness. A lost sheep is said to ""perish"" in Luke 15:4, meaning it's in danger, wandering & needs rescue. Not hell; it's about being off the path. Food ""perishes"" in John 6:27. meaning it spoils & becomes worthless. Not hell; it's about things losing value.

In all 3 cases, the word describes ruin, loss, or destruction of something good, not eternal condemnation.

So when Hebrews uses the same language, it's warning believers about losing God's rest, joy, fruitfulness & rewards , not losing salvation.(see 1 Cor 3:11–15)

The Bible uses ""perish"" in more than one way & the context always tells you which one is meant. Hebrews 3–4 is talking about believers missing out on God's rest (just like Israel missed the Promised Land), not believers losing eternal life.

John 5:28–29 is not about salvation by works, it's about two resurrections. Jesus is not describing causes, He's describing outcomes:

""Those who have done good"" = believers whose lives show the fruit of salvation. ""Those who have done evil"" = unbelievers whose lives show the fruit of unbelief.

This is exactly what Jesus says in John 3:18: The believer ""is not condemned"" - The unbeliever ""is condemned already"" because he has not believed. John 5 is not teaching salvation by works.

It is teaching judgment according to works, which is the consistent NT pattern: Works reveal the heart - Works do not save the heart.

If John 5 taught salvation by works, it would contradict John 3:16–18, John 5:24, John 6:47 & the entire book of Romans.

The consistent NT pattern never changes - Grace > Faith > Salvation > Obedience > Reward.

If salvation can be lost by works, then salvation was never by grace to begin with & Paul explicitly denies that (Rom 4:5; Eph 2:8–9; Titus 3:5).
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Blasphemy of the Holy Spirit

They are there because UNBELIEF left them unpardoned. Their names were never written in the Book of Life.

The reason their names are not in the Book of Life is because they rejected, denied & refused to accept Jesus as their Lord & Savior.

Unbelief is the cause; the absence of their name is the legal outcome.

At the Great White Throne (Rev 20:11–15), unbelievers are judged by their works because they refused the only payment that could remove their sins. Since they rejected Christ's atonement, they stand before God on the basis of the law & every jot & tittle condemns them.

Believers, by contrast, never appear at the Great White Throne. We stand at the Judgment Seat of Christ (2 Cor 5:10), where the issue is not sin. Jesus paid for ALL our sins. The topic here is rewards, faithfulness & what we built on the foundation of Christ (1 Cor 3:11–15).
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They never believed in Jesus for Eternal Life. They are judged by their works, because when they never believe in Jesus for Eternal Life (God's free gift). Their eternal destiny was already set upon their death. Their judgment of their works determines their placement in the lake of fire, not to see if they are going to the lake of fire.
-----------------------------------
But as my original post and my reason for posting was that the Blasphemy of the Holy Spirit. Was a very specific sin only found in Matthew 12. It is not a general sin that is just connected to unbelief, as you were saying in your original post. That is why no one can comment this sin today.

It was a very specific sin only found in Matthew 12. Connected to the nation of Israel and their leaders saying Jesus did his miracles by the power of Now when the Pharisees heard it they said, “This fellow does not cast out demons except by Beelzebub, the ruler of the demons.”

Not by the power of God and The Holy Spirit. As Jesus healing of the Then one was brought to Him who was demon-possessed, blind and mute; and He healed him, so that the blind and mute man both spoke and saw.

This was an Old Testament prophecy that only The Messiah would be able to heal blind and mute demon possessed people. That is why after Jesus healed the demon-possessed, blind and mute person. people asked. And all the multitudes were amazed and said, “Could this be the Son of David?”

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Why do we do things not written in the Bible?

It seems to me that Jesus literally meant what he said. They believed/were in Christ for a while, but when tested by temptation, they did not endure in the faith.

Luke 8:13
Those on the rocky ground are the ones who receive the word with joy when they hear it, but they have no root. They believe for a while, but in the time of testing they fall away.

Matthew 10:22
You will be hated by everyone because of me, but the one who stands firm to the end will be saved.


Paul also preached that faithful endurance to the end of our life is necessary to be saved for eternal life.

2 Timothy 2:12
if we endure, we will also reign with him. If we disown him, he will also disown us;



Paul states that Christians can disown God/Jesus Christ. How can a person disown Jesus Christ?

Titus 1:16
They profess to know God, but in works they deny Him, being abominable, disobedient, and disqualified for every good work.

They deny him by doing evil works/deeds. They do not obey God's commandments.
I don't think these Christians will be saved for eternal life even though they had earlier accepted Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior.

Perhaps I can assist.

What you said is “can a person be saved and then fall away?” to which @Hentenza replied not really - which I believe should be ecumenically acceptable, since obviously such a person was not saved. This applies regardless as to whether or not one believes in Eternal Security of the Elect (I do not, I believe apostasy is possible) or whether or not one believes in monergism (particularly Calvinism, but to a lesser extent Confessional Lutheran Monergism) or in synergism (such as Methodist and Evangelical Arminianism and Orthodox cooperation and voluntary love).

Rather the issue, where @Hentenza makes a point which I think the two of you could also agree upon, the Altar Call being problematic, is that some believe that if one believes in our Lord for a moment, even if they stop believing, they are saved from that momentary belief, which is hopeful but which contradicts numerous parts of New Testament scripture, in the Pauline epistles, the Epistle of St. James, and the statements of our Lord, God and Savior Jesus Christ (that not everyone who calls me Lord will be saved).

Thus I would suggest that the gap between your position and that of @Hentenza is smaller than might be apparent and you are at risk of talking past him, when his most recent post at least appears broadly compatible with Roman Catholicsm.

Now Hentenza and I disagree on a number of issues, for example, eschatology, but we also exist in an attitude of mutual respect, because I think you’ll find @Hentenza does not dunk on traditional Christians, and his doctrine is at its core compatible with ours, differing mainly in superficial areas where I am inclined to show him the same charity that he consistently shows me (this is similiar to the relationship I have with my Lutheran friends such as @Ain't Zwinglian @MarkRohfrietsch and @ViaCrucis - we clearly disagree on the issue of monergism, albeit our positions are in both cases based on the idea of divine love, and also there are a few other minor points of departure such as the intercession of the saints, however, because they’re very nice to me, I don’t want to get down into the mud with them in a pointless sectarian Lutheran vs. Orthodox debate, particularly when we agree on all key issues (for example, Mark and I have very similar opinions about the liturgy and liturgical beauty, right down to the vendors of vestments we like, and I routinely watch Mark’s parish in Ontario since it’s one of the best Lutheran churches in North America (it’s on the list of churches I like to enjoy weekly, which are predominantly Orthodox but include a few non-Orthodox churches such as St. John Cantius in Chicago whenever they have the 1962 Latin mass, St. Thomas Fifth Ave. in New York City whenever the Boy’s Choir is singing, Park Street Church in Boston, and some parishes of the Assyrian Church of the East, and a few other Anglican churches; of the Lutheran churches that stream regularly Mark’s is my favorite (I won’t mention the name in this thread but I’m sure he’d tell you).

Also there is the issue that growing up I attended an LCMS parochial school for most of my childhood and my godfather was a pastor in the Augustana Synod, a predominantly ethnically Swedish denomination in the US that unfortunately merged into the ultra liberal ELCA (via either the ALC or the LCA as an intermediary; I can’t recall which). The sad thing of the consolidation of Lutheran synods in the US is historically each state had at least one, which corresponded to the ethnicity of the Lutherans in that state, and the ecumenical consolidation of these synods did not reduce schism but actually triggered it, by creating a sort of super-giant ELCA spanning several regional “synods” (effectively dioceses, each with their own bishops), and then embracing various liberal doctrines, which led to various churches leaving and joining the North American Lutheran Church and other confessional churches; the Missouri Synod was very nearly a part of this liberalization process, except in remarkable circumstances, the LCMS was able to correct the problem of liberalization of its main seminary (the Seminex incident).
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Why do we do things not written in the Bible?

Show me in scriptures where it says keep the first day of the week, (Sunday) like it's written in (Ex 20:8-10) (v.8) Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. (v.9) Six days shalt thou labour, and do all thy work: (v.10) “But the seventh day is the Sabbath of the LORD thy God”.

You’re changing the subject. I corrected your false historical claim that Constantine made Roman Catholicism the state religion of the Roman Empire. That claim is factually wrong. Constantine legalized Christianity in 313 AD with the Edict of Milan, which granted freedom of worship to all religions. He did not make Christianity the official state religion, let alone “Roman Catholicism.” That did not happen, as I have shown, until the Edict of Thessalonica. the Cunctos Populos, in 380 AD, under Emperor Theodosius I, decades later—and at that time, the Church was still undivided, not Roman Catholic as distinct from Eastern Orthodoxy. There was no “Roman Catholicism” yet in the modern sense.

Bringing up Exodus 20:8–10 is a red herring—a distraction tactic and a logical fallacy (it is also fallacious in the sense of being a non-sequitur and relying on a false equivalence fallacy, as I shall explain presently).

The issue was Constantine and Church history, not the Sabbath. Whether Sunday is the proper day for Christian worship is a separate theological discussion, and it does not prove your historical claim.

That said, the Church’s worship on Sunday is firmly rooted in both Scripture and apostolic tradition. Early Christians gathered on “the first day of the week”, which is Sunday, because that is the day of the Resurrection of Christ:

“On the first day of the week, when we were gathered together to break bread…” (Acts 20:7) “On the first day of every week, each of you is to put something aside…” (1 Corinthians 16:2)

This was confirmed by St. Justin Martyr around 155 AD in his First Apology, where he wrote:

“We hold our common assembly on the day of the Sun, because it is the first day, on which God…created the world; and Jesus Christ our Savior rose from the dead on the same day.”

And earlier still, St. Ignatius of Antioch, a direct disciple of the Apostle John, wrote around 107 AD in his Letter to the Magnesians:

“If, then, those who had walked in ancient customs came to a new hope… no longer keeping the Sabbath, but living in accordance with the Lord’s Day, on which also our life sprang up through Him…” (Magnesians 9:1)

So no, St. Constantine did not convert the Roman Empire to Roman Catholicism, nor is Sunday worship is a “Constantinian invention.” It predates Constantine by over two centuries, and is grounded in the resurrection of Christ and the practice of the Apostles and their disciples (as we see in Acts chapter 2, where the Holy Spirit literally descends on the 11 faithful members of the Twelve, St. Matthias the Apostle who was ordained to replace Judas Iscariot, and 200 other disciples) at the third hour of the morning, around 9 AM, on the First Day, Pentecost Sunday (a feast established in the Old Testament which is still kept by almost all Christian denominations at present).

Also, please understand: when you accuse traditional Christians—Orthodox, Catholic, or otherwise—of “idolatry” or false worship, you are echoing sectarian rhetoric that has been used to justify violence against Christians in the Middle East and elsewhere. These attacks are not theological debates—they result in real bloodshed. False accusations like that do nothing to build up the Church, and they have tragic consequences beyond online polemics.

Please consider the weight of your words—and at least take responsibility for the historical inaccuracies you’ve repeated.
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Bondi Attorney General

However, if it really were a case where every billionaire in the country was implicated, and we had to lock them all up, then that would be a major dispruption.

I'm not saying that's a good reason not to lock them up, if they did the crime, they should do the time...but there are potential externalities.

If it turns out the 10 smartest rocket scientists in our country were kid diddlers, we should definitely lock them up (or just toss them in the wood chipper, I'm fine either way), but the country's rocket science programs would undoubtedly suffer as a result.

That's where we we need to weigh principle vs. prosperity/power, and agree on a balance.
Which billionaires who had time to spend on Epstein's island can't be replaced? They aren't rocket scientists.

Explain the "suffering mechanism" to me.
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Trump belittles the sacrifices of European forces helping the US in Afghanistan.

How on earth does it help prove a point that the President was rude and disrespectful - by being equally rude and disrespectful?
If you think calling him "Cadet Bonespurs" is rude and disrespectful, you should hear what veterans call him among themselves.
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Blasphemy of the Holy Spirit

They are there because UNBELIEF left them unpardoned. Their names were never written in the Book of Life.

The reason their names are not in the Book of Life is because they rejected, denied & refused to accept Jesus as their Lord & Savior.

Unbelief is the cause; the absence of their name is the legal outcome.

At the Great White Throne (Rev 20:11–15), unbelievers are judged by their works because they refused the only payment that could remove their sins. Since they rejected Christ's atonement, they stand before God on the basis of the law & every jot & tittle condemns them.

Believers, by contrast, never appear at the Great White Throne. We stand at the Judgment Seat of Christ (2 Cor 5:10), where the issue is not sin. Jesus paid for ALL our sins. The topic here is rewards, faithfulness & what we built on the foundation of Christ (1 Cor 3:11–15).
You never mention Obedience
Christ said “ if you love me you
Will obey Me”.

Do you believe thats included??
Christ said it is..
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Grace Has a Name

Disobedience affects fellowship, fruitfulness & reward, but never the believer's justification. If salvation can be lost by works, then salvation was never by grace to begin with & scripture is clear that what God gives by grace cannot be undone by human failure. Salvation, once received, given cannot be lost.
What do you think the following Scripture verses meant to these Jewish/Hebrew Christians?

Hebrews 4:6, 11
Therefore since it still remains for some to enter that rest, and since those who formerly had the good news proclaimed to them did not go in because of their disobedience,......11 Let us, therefore, make every effort to enter that rest, so that no one will perish by following their example of disobedience.

It seems to me that the writer of Hebrews is stating that disobedient Christians will not enter into eternal rest with God. They will be condemned to hellfire.

John 5:28-30
Do not marvel at this; for the hour is coming in which
all who are in the graves will hear His voice 29 and come forth—those who have done good, to the resurrection of life, and those who have done evil, to the resurrection of condemnation.
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Why do we do things not written in the Bible?

I don't have to provide you guys with nothing else concerning history! I prove my point and it's to bad that you guys have a problem with my sources, that on you guys, because y'all ask me to give a source and I did.

Firstly, that sentence should read “I don’t have to provide you with anything else concering history!” You see, “I don’t have to provide you … with nothing …” is a double negative, which is grammatically incorrect and self-contradictory (in that double negatives are actually positive, for example, “I don’t have nothing” if you step through the sentence logically means “I have something.” Use of a double negative has the effect of undermining the credibility of your argument in the same way as relying on a logical fallacy or unsourced historical claims.

Grammar aside, your statement is also factually incorrect. To refresh your memory, you claimed that St. Constantine made the Roman Catholic Church the state religion of the Roman Empire, which is absurd (no form of Christianity became the official religion of the Roman Empire until Theodosius issued Cunctos Populos; a claim I backed up not just with a quotation from a single source, but from multiple sources). The document you claim made the Roman Catholic Church (which at the time existed only as part of a larger Orthodox Church, with the Council of Nicaea addressing an issue in what is now the Greek Orthodox Church of Alexandria and the Coptic Orthodox Church of Alexandria (due to the subsequent schisms between the Eastern Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox and the Church of the East, and of the Holy Fathers present at Nicaae, all of them spoke Greek, with only two Latin fathers present).

I have provided verifiable scholarly sources for all of my claims.

Your argument that the adoption of Roman Catholicism as the state religion by Emperor Constantine is not only anachronistic and incorrect, but rests on a non-sequitur argument from the edict of St. Constantine concerning making the first day of the week effectively a public holiday.

This act however did not apply exclusively to Christians, but rather applied to all religious and ethnoreligious groups, and what is more, did not mandate any kind of religious attendance, neither did it begin the process of closing Pagan temples and handing them over to Christians, or the destruction of idols (the mass closure of Pagan temples, the prohibition of Paganism and the establishment of the pre-schism Apostolic Church as the State Religion began with the decree Cunctos Populos, as I have shown, using actual evidence, not a non-sequitur claim from a document combined with quotations from polemical websites (which do not count; it should be noted that scholarly works on church history by the likes of Cambridge lack a sectarian bias, whereas in contrast books published by Catholics, Adventists and other denominations to articulate their specific doctrine have a sectarian bias, but when it comes to historical claims by the latter, it is right to verify them against the scholarly consensus, which takes into account factors such as archaeological and documentary evidence.
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