Latest activity

Colo Millz · Sep 6, 2025

Maria Billingsley said:
So poetic.

Yes well vileness is one of my special gifts.

Learning always · Sep 6, 2025

W

Michie said:
CAA also represents former President Joe Biden

Former Vice President Kamala Harris has signed with a Hollywood talent agency, according to reports.

Variety first reported Harris' alleged partnership with Creative Artists Agency (CAA) on Tuesday. The outlet wrote that CAA will "work closely with Harris on her post-White House initiatives, creating strategic opportunities that expand her platform in support of the issues she has championed throughout decades-long career in public service."

Harris will join former President Joe Biden, whose CAA deal was announced just two weeks ago. Biden was also represented by the agency before entering the White House.

Announcing Biden's re-affiliation with the agency on Feb. 3, CAA co-chairman Richard Lovett called him one of "America’s most respected and influential voices in national and global affairs."

Continued below.

Kamala Harris signs with major Hollywood agency months after failed presidential bid: report

Former Vice President Kamala Harris has reportedly signed with Creative Artists Agency, a Hollywood talent agency, according to a Variety report on Tuesday.

www.foxbusiness.com

What's she going to do? Acting?

Colo Millz · Sep 6, 2025

Xeno.of.athens said:
... it is not the only way because we have Christ who is God manifest in human flesh.

I don't want to get into the Eucharist yet.

but in any event it sounds like you are sympathetic to Aquinas' analogia entis, that is, speaking of God by analogy to creaturely things.

So what do you think of Barth's criticism?

That the analogia entis is a human presumption — the attempt to build a “ladder” from creation to God by natural reason?

The Liturgist · Sep 6, 2025

ozso said:
Where does scripture endorse separate exclusive communions?

Obviously it doesn’t, which is why I reccommend everyone attend one of the liturgical churches, of which there are a great many - the Anglicans, Antiochians, Armenians, Assyrians, Byzantines, Chaldeans, liturgical Congregationalists, Copts, Episcopalians, Eritreans, Ethiopians, Georgians, Greeks, Indians, Japanese Orthodox, Lutherans, Maronites, Mar Thoma Christians (Nasranis) Moravians, Norwegian Catholics, Polish Catholics, Reformed Catholics, Roman Catholics, Russians, Suroye, Traditional Methodists, Ukrainians, et cetera… there’s probably one for every letter of the alphabet, but these churches are in the process of reunification, whereas other denominations are moving further away from each other.

There has been a huge increase, for example, in polemics between altturgical Calvinists, Evangelicals, Baptists, Restorationists, Pentecostals and non-Denominational churches over a number of issues, even as the liturgical churches are uniting. Whereas almost all polemics directed at the liturgical churches from without involve attacks on the Roman Catholics and are predicated on a false dichotomy between Catholics and non-Catholics, which ignores the Orthodox and the liturgical Protestants and ignores the real harm it inflicts on our communities, for example the unwarranted allegation of idolatry.

Maria Billingsley · Sep 6, 2025

Colo Millz said:
If truth is indeed the truth presumably there are an infinite number of ways of expressing it?

Such as the "Ode to Joy" perhaps.

Or when Jesus ascended, was humanity's capacity to express the truth likewise replaced with only the ability to barf out turds forevermore?

(If you can forgive the vileness of that mixed metaphor).

So poetic.

Dan1988 · Sep 6, 2025

fhansen said:
Resistance is throughout the bible. God beckons and calls and appeals to us. We can be poor soil where the word first takes root and grows but is later left to wither and die. We are warned not to return to the flesh, as some were doing, that we must make effort to be holy in order to see God, that we must persevere. We are told what happens to the wicked and lazy servant who buries his gifts.

God beckons, with a choice:
Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in and dine with him, and he with Me. To the one who overcomes, I will grant the right to sit with Me on My throne, just as I overcame and sat down with My Father on His throne. Rev 3:20-21

“Therefore everyone who hears these words of Mine and acts on them is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. The rain fell, the torrents raged, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because its foundation was on the rock. But everyone who hears these words of Mine and does not act on them is like a foolish man who built his house on sand. The rain fell, the torrents raged, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell—and great was its collapse!” Matt 7:24-27

“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.” Matt 11:28

“We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ’s behalf: Be reconciled to God. God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.” 2 Cor 5:20-21

And He warns:
“I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. If you do not remain in me, you are like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned.” John 15:5-6

“It is impossible for those who have once been enlightened, who have tasted the heavenly gift, who have shared in the Holy Spirit, who have tasted the goodness of the word of God and the powers of the coming age and who have fallen away, to be brought back to repentance. To their loss they are crucifying the Son of God all over again and subjecting him to public disgrace. Land that drinks in the rain often falling on it and that produces a crop useful to those for whom it is farmed receives the blessing of God. But land that produces thorns and thistles is worthless and is in danger of being cursed. In the end it will be burned.” Heb 6:4-8

“If indeed they have escaped the corruption of the world through the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, only to be entangled and overcome by it again, their final condition is worse than it was at first. It would have been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness than to have known it and then to turn away from the holy commandment passed on to them. Of them the proverbs are true: “A dog returns to its vomit,” and, “A sow that is washed goes back to her wallowing in the mud.” 2 Pet 2:20-22

Christianity rejects legalism but it also rejects lawlessness, sin, unrighteousness as inconsistent with being a child of God. When you can reconcile those truths, you’ll better understand the gospel. Gal 5, for instance, is a commentary on this very thing: the law will not justify you while sin will still condemn you. So the new covenant is not some carte blanche reprieve from man’s obligation to be righteous as long as he believes, but is actually the authentic means to achieving that very righteousness, with God, now grafted into the Vine by faith and fed by Him, inspired to do His will instead of being on my own and making effort to prove my “righteousness” by works of the law. IOW, I have no righteousness/justice on my own; God, alone, justifies or makes just the ungodly. My real sin to begin with is my separation/alienation from Him! He ‘puts His law in our minds and writes it on our hearts’-as I turn to Him, and as long as I remain in Him, as long as I continue to walk by the Spirit. It’s all grace, all from God, but grace that I must respond to:

“Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows. Whoever sows to please their flesh, from the flesh will reap destruction; whoever sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life.” Gal 6:7-8

Therefore, brothers and sisters, we have an obligation—but it is not to the flesh, to live according to it. For if you live according to the flesh, you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the misdeeds of the body, you will live. For those who are led by the Spirit of God are the children of God. Rom 8:12-14

Faith, hope, and love are all gifts of grace, and yet they’re gifts that we must accept, embrace, and express as we pick up our cross and follow daily.

“To those who by persistence in doing good seek glory, honor and immortality, he will give eternal life.” Rom 2:7

“Make every effort to live in peace with everyone and to be holy; without holiness no one will see the Lord.” Heb 12:14

So you don't believe the "saved by grace gospel", which Jesus preached. You believe on is saved by "works + grace". But this version of the gospel is not found anywhere in the Bible.

You are in good company, the vast majority of Christian Denominations teach this same "grace + works" gospel. It's very popular, because the "natural man" loves to have his ears tickled and he loves to boast about the wise choice he made, in choosing to spend eternity in paradise, while most people chose to spend eternity in hell fire.

The God + man, team effort salvation plan, robs God of His glory in salvation and it makes a mockery of the work Jesus did on the cross to save Gods people. It means Jesus failed to finish the work of salvation and He still depends on sinners to finish what He failed to do.

You claim that God requires a man to be willing to accept Him, before He can save him. But the Bible confirms that no man is willing, until God makes them willing. You claim that it's up to the spiritually dead sinner, to reject his sin nature and conjure up a new spiritual nature within himself and accept God offer of salvation.

It sounds like you haven't taken "original sin", into account when applying the above verses to support the "joint effort" version of the gospel. I'm sure you believe that the Bible teaches that there are only two kinds of people in the world, there are "believers" and "unbelievers". So when we read the above verses, we need to remember who they are directed at.
God never offered salvation to anyone, He either saves you or He leaves you dead in your sin. There is nothing in the Bible to support this idea that Jesus was like a door to door salesman offering eternal paradise for free, and most slamming the door in His face. To reduce Jesus down to a failed salesman, is highly disrespectful. That's why I reject the man + God version of the gospel.

I have never come across a single verse in the Bible to support your version of the gospel.

The Liturgist · Sep 6, 2025

Strong in Him said:
A person could become a Christian but die before they can be baptised, or receive communion. They would still be saved.

That is called the Baptism of Desire, or in the case of the Baptism of Blood. It is inadvisable to delay baptism relying on that, especially for an adult (I don’t believe children will be penalized by their parents refusing to baptize them due to the errors of the Credobaptist movement opposed by our friends @Ain't Zwinglian @ViaCrucis and @Jipsah with such eloquence, but for an adult to delay baptism seems to contradict the Nicene Creed. Even the Quakers who did not engage in physical baptism believed they were being baptized spiritually and connected it to an ecclesiastical context.

Intentionally avoiding baptism or delaying it was a common vice in the early church due to a belief that one would not be forgiven for sins committed after baptism, which even affected Emperor Constantine, but it is clearly wrong, and it is rejected now for the same reason it was rejected then.

The person who has not received Baptism has not received the sacramental grace and has not been born again of water and the spirit. Baptism enables one to safely partake of the Eucharist and will also remove any demons that might be oppressing someone (in a liturgical church at least, since we include a prayer of exorcism in the liturgy).

I would also note that baptism like the Eucharist is extremely enjoyable, and is an example not of an unpleasant ritual but of Christ dispensing his grace to us in a way that gives us pleasure now and delivers us from death in the future. The sacraments, when done properly, are not drab rituals but are means of accessing a joy that is beyond description.

In my childhood, I was blessed to receive the Eucharist for the first time around age four (had I been an Orthodox I would have received it from infancy). I remember being amazed by how delicious it was I attempted at home to recreate the taste using the exact same bread and juice without success. I later discovered that even in rites where the Eucharist is formulated with slightly different matter, for example unleavened bread in the case of the Roman church or in the case of the Orthodox, our liturgical rites which usually use fermented bread except for the Armenian Apostolic Church among the Orientals, the surreal taste is still the same - it is because I am not consuming ordinary bread and wine, but the very Body and Blood of Christ our God.

Thus, what I don’t understand about the anti-sacramental position is why people would object to doing what is both scripturally commanded by Christ of all Christians in the case of Baptism and the Eucharist (with limited exceptions for those unable to be baptized before dying, for example of martyrdom), and which is at least in the liturgical churches, extremely pleasurable.

What is the logic of “Oh, let’s not spend an hour or two listening to the most beautiful music with the most beautiful words ever written before experiencing pleasure given by God as a gift directly analogous to the nuptial bliss of Holy Matrimony”? It baffles me that anyone would wish to deprive themselves from that.

Colo Millz · Sep 6, 2025

Maria Billingsley said:
Actually, Jesus Christ of Nazareth did not teach theology , He taught the"Good News", the Kingdom of God. It takes a childlike mind and a humbleness heart in order to understand and enter into His Kingdom. That said, I don't blame humanity for commig up with so many versions of this simple truth. Why? Because our creativity always gets the better of us.

If truth is indeed the truth presumably there are an infinite number of ways of expressing it?

Such as the "Ode to Joy" perhaps.

Or when Jesus ascended, was humanity's capacity to express the truth likewise replaced with only the ability to barf out turds forevermore?

(If you can forgive the vileness of that mixed metaphor).

Vambram · Sep 6, 2025

Sadly, the progressive liberal city of Austin, Texas moved away from Christian values a long time ago.

Vambram · Sep 6, 2025

FAITH-IN-HIM said:
Notably, seven out of ten cities with the highest crime rates in the United States are located in red states.

Did you know that the politics of all ten of those cities have been dominated by liberal mayors and liberal city councils?

Amo2 · Sep 6, 2025

Job 33:6 said:
Did God ever say "let there be a formless earth and darkness over the face of the deep"? No? Ok, that's not part of the 6-days of creation.

Never said it was. Nor do the scriptures ever attempt to explain exactly what is meant by the state described before the creation account. Accepting that it was chaotic emptiness or such of course. A far, far cry from Big Bang deep time evolutions unto order and apparent design from utter chaos.

Maria Billingsley · Sep 6, 2025

Colo Millz said:
Very well.

For a start how do you separate "human-driven" theology from "God-inspired" theology"?

Actually, Jesus Christ of Nazareth did not teach theology , He taught the"Good News", the Kingdom of God. It takes a childlike mind and a humbleness of the heart in order to understand and enter into His Kingdom. That said, I don't blame humanity for commig up with so many versions of this simple truth. Why? Because our creativity always gets the better of us.

Vambram · Sep 6, 2025

camille70 said:
Vance basically said on twitter that he doesn't care if blowing up that boat was a war crime. I think the direct quote would be a violation of forum rules.

That is not what Vance said on X. He was directly responding to a progressive liberal commentator who said it was a war crime in response to Vice President Vance posting, "“Killing cartel members who poison our fellow citizens is the highest and best use of our military."
Brian Krassenstein replied calling this a war crime. The Vice President replied to Krassenstein telling him that he doesn't care what Krassenstein's opinion about this is. Note, the Vice President did NOT say that this was a war crime.

Bradskii · Sep 6, 2025

zippy2006 said:
To believe something to be false is to not-believe it, and therefore this is not possible. The question has to do with one's justifications for one's beliefs, and whether they are intellectually honest. A justification that is not intellectually honest is a justification that is not proportioned to the belief, generally because it is based in emotional grounds and emotional grounds are not adequate for determining what is true.

I'd agree with that. If we reject evidence because it doesn't align with our pre determined position then yes, we're not being intellectually honest.

zippy2006 said:
That's called an argument from authority. Everyone does it and it is perfectly rational. The whole notion of "sourcing one's claims" is built upon the validity of such arguments.

If someone has a position on vaccines/climate change/immigration/miracles etc then there's a tendency for them to accept authorities that agree with them and reject those that don't.

RileyG · Sep 6, 2025

O Holy Night

RileyG · Sep 6, 2025

Goliath

RileyG · Sep 6, 2025

Michie said:
He has been released from the hospital and is back home. He has a catheter temporarily. I do not know much more than that at the moment. Thank you all for the prayers.

May God continue to bless him!

RileyG · Sep 6, 2025

Tropical Wilds said:
Again:

In the context they were discussing, the law and government.

Got it! I’m aware.

Hvizsgyak · Sep 6, 2025

peter2 said:
What kind of energy does God want people to use so as to feed, clothe, or build themselves a roof where to live underneath ?

Would Jesus today choose to stay a carpenter, only using his own muscles of arms and own neurones of brain ?
Or would he choose easy options with petrol, electricity, etc.., even if polluting ?

Let's remind he resisted temptation (of easy option) to make stone become bread, even if probably not polluting

Jesus likely didn't look either for his disciples' affection through the gift of fossil fuel energy, the breakthrough of an oil deposit. Neither did he teach petrol extraction. If he did, it seems it's was not valuable enough to be written in the Gospel

Do you think, please, i go astray thinking quest for petrol, or any polluting energy, is a wordly quest that bears false testimony as regards christianism ?

The best solution to saving the Earth and stop exploiting its beauty is to head to the stars. There are thousands of people (if given a realistic chance) who would love to live on the Moon, Mars, or one of the moons of Jupiter or Saturn. You've got asteroid belt just screaming natural resources. Pack your bags, Ethel, we're going to the Moon.

I kind of agree with you that progress has made things easier for mankind but at the same time damaged our planet trying to get the materials needed to make things easier. And one of the worse things man has created was the personalized means of transportation - the car. The most inefficient way to travel. If only the train, subway, trolley were given more of a chance to develop we wouldn't have had this pollution, overuse of natural resources and traffic nightmares that we have today. The bicycle was one of the greatest invention - it kept you healthy and it got you places.

Amo2 · Sep 6, 2025

River Jordan said:
Only in the same way scripture doesn't "support or even suggest" that mountains are formed by tectonics, even though Amos tells us God creates mountains.

No, not the same scenario at all. Holy scripture absolutely does address creation in six days, and contains historical record of about 6000 years. Scripture does not address tectonics or deep formation of mountains at all. Though the globally catastrophic events of the flood described therein, are of course highly suggestive of mountain formation in relation to that event.

River Jordan said:
Only in the same way most of us interpret parts of scripture that seem to indicate a flat earth, as saying something else.

Not so. Same problem. The bible says nowhere that the earth is flat. It plainly states that the earth and all in it were created in six days, and records around six thousand years of history since then.

River Jordan said:
Jewish and Biblical scholars have been advocating and debating about non-literal interpretations of Genesis for centuries, so it's not as simplistic as you're trying to make it and it certainly isn't limited to just two options (literal or allegory).

Yes it is as simplistic as the bible plainly stating that which I have already stated twice, and nowhere stating deep time scenarios. Yes some have suggested as you state for centuries, but they were a minority, and had no scriptural support for those views either.

River Jordan said:
However, I often wonder why those in the literal camp seem to be so upset or offended when they encounter someone who interprets scripture differently than they do. I understand you read Genesis differently than me and it doesn't bother me one bit. Does it bother you that some Christians read it differently?

People believing as they wish does not bother me at all. People making false claims that holy scripture supports views that it does not even suggest or address anywhere, is slightly irritating though. Especially when connected to such fairly tale theories as natural undirected random chance evolution, as the mechanism of our existence.

Indentured Servant · Sep 6, 2025

Neostarwcc said:
With ai being the center of mainstream technology now it would be kind of interesting if they would also be firsthand witnesses to the second coming of Jesus alongside humans. And Whether they would have a purpose after the second coming would ultimately be up to God.

With the high level that AI has achieved, developers are also successfully integrating human brain tissue functions to improve AI function.

I have seen various articles that claim the complete merging of human and AI technology can become a reality within the next 3-6 years.

I wonder if God even likes the idea of people people being linked via manmade technology, and not His Spirit.

The Liturgist · Sep 6, 2025

MarkRohfrietsch said:
No, not yet, we are searching for him, and are as ready as we will ever be. While we just don't use Holy Water, it is used in our Exorcism rite; it's preparation is also clearly instructed within the rite; as is the use of Holy images, incense, and particularly prayer.

Are the laity in your parish opposed to holy water fonts? Because I have seen those in Lutheran churches. I would note the Orthodox usually don’t use fonts except for baptism, rather, laity receiving Holy Water receive it in a container and it is treated as a holy thing. This also avoids sanitary issues, since unlike the Eucharist, Holy Water can be contaminated.

Latest activity

Latest activity

CAA also represents former President Joe Biden​

Filter

Forum statistics

Share this page

CAA also represents former President Joe Biden