AV1611VET said:

Even one of your colleagues went "calling occupants of interplanetary craft."

(And they answered her too! )

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I work in retail!

RileyG said:

(If it's ok to ask)

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You betcha it is ok to ask - feel free to ask me anything anytime.

RileyG said:

You are an Assembly of God's pastor, correct? If I recall correctly, and understand correctly, Pentecostalism descended from Methodism, which had an emphasis on personal holiness and sanctification.

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Pentecostalism did not descend from Methodist The Assemblies of God traces our roots back to Azuza Street revival and before that. From a doctrinal position it started on the Day of Pentecost (hence Pentecostal). There is a commonality with John Wesley and his early works, but that is for another thread.

RileyG said:

Does Holiness descend from Wesleyan Churches?

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Not a clue - But Holiness is part and parcel of our Sacerdotal office and pledge

RileyG said:

No drinking at all? Not even social drinking? What about Holy Communion?

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My oath is no drugs, no tobacco, no alcohol period. For Holy Communion we use the fruit of the grape (juice)

RileyG said:

Anyway, are you required to say certain prayers everyday or do some sort of service work daily?

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I am not required to pray everyday, but I cannot picture a day without praying. I typically pray about four to six times a day. Sometimes more, sometimes less. My typical day starts at 5:30am and ends when I am finished - mot times between 7pm and 9pm. My off day is Thursday, though most times that changes with need. I spend time in sermon preparation for Sunday's and Wednesdays, I study for my international work, visit the sick, do hospital visitations and oversee the projects of the church. When I get a free moment I work on my third book. (already published two).

RileyG said:

I think this is an important distinction, priests (as well as nuns, monks, deacons, bishops, the Pope himself) are required to pray the Divine Office (AKA Liturgy of the Hours AKA The Hours) daily. Nuns/Monks often say it in community with others.

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We are not liturgical

RileyG said:

Essentially, celibacy allows priests (and nuns and monks) to experience their lover in a broader way by being fully committed to God's people. If I am making any sense?

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IMHO - so does being married - the difference it that I do it most time with my wife. We pray, minister to others 24/7 as needed. Just last week my wife drove to another town and prayed with a woman who needed comfort. Those are people I cannot meet privately with, but she can. My wife heads our woman' ministry and worship ministry.

She is my help meet - she is an extension of my flesh and my ministry. Like in the Garden - God said plainly, it is not good for man to be alone - them formed Eve from his flesh - after that, Adam's ministry (service to God) started.

RileyG said:

And yes, married priests do exist, but they are the exception.

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Thank you

RileyG said:

ALSO, it's DISCIPLINE priests aren't married, NOT doctrine, so it can indeed change.

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Perhaps if it did - the church wouldn't be in such a great need? Possible?

Jipsah said:

Your point being?

Jesus is God Incarnate.
The Blessed Virgin is His mother
Ergo, The BVM is the Mother of God

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Do you know what incarnate means?

7thKeeper said:

Well, looking from the outside, I would kinda agree with that. You guys are taking several small steps away from democratic norms and lawfulness and at an increasing pace and a decent portion of the US population is welcoming this. And yes, the US is a democracy.

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No, the US is a Constitutional Republic. The founding fathers purposely made sure that we were NOT a democracy because democracies always end in totalitarianism or communism. Mob rule is the norm in a democracy, and we see how that was starting to happen under the left’s push for “democracy” over the Constitutionally guaranteed republic.

The only place “democracy” is utilized in our nation is that is how our representatives are elected. Otherwise we are NOT a democracy.

AV1611VET said:

Oh, well.

I tried.

We're Latinos or Teutons ... Martians or Venusians ... animals or humans ... stardust or dust of the ground ... take your pick, I guess.

In my time, things were said to be either "animal, vegetable, or mineral."

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2PhiloVoid said:

This is why I don't get into these sorts of debates with other Trinitarian Christians. I'd rather just see us as one big, potentially happy family, if folks will just let it be.

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See where that took us in the other thread.

WordSword said:

Hi, and appreciate your reply and concern! With me, the footnotes just discredit the Word because they indicate that the information (Scripture) listed should not be included. Also, many of the passages in the modern versions are changed by the scholar using interpolations (adding new materials) and transpositions (rearranging the position of
words, often resulting is an entirely differently thought). These are the most difficult because most readers are that familiar with these type of changes.

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It was a shock to my system when I found out that we have no original works (except maybe one scrap) for any Scripture. All we have are copies and copies of copies which for centuries were copied by hand. Obviously, they are not all identical. So necessity dictates that we must choose among the variants which is most trustworthy. And transparency dictates that we must include footnotes where significant variants exist. How else could we do it?

AV1611VET said:

The Latin brain is too intelligent to be archaeologists, and the Teutonic brain is too archaeologist to be intelligent.

Did I get that right?

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No.

RileyG said:

Indeed. Many priests are very busy due to the shortage of priests. I know of one priest that is in charge of seven, yes seven, parishes.

Many parishes have to accommodate and no longer have weekly Mass or their Church was turned into a chapel- where only special Masses can be held, or it can only be held for a wedding or funeral.

Unfortunately that happened in the Archdiocese where I grew up. BUT things are looking hopeful, we are getting more seminarians and men ordained to the priesthood.

My own current diocese where I live is blessed with many vocations to both the priesthood and religious life.

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What are the factors causing the shortage?

A cursory search on Grok showed the top three to be:

The shortage of men entering the priesthood in the Roman Catholic Church, often referred to as a vocations crisis or priest shortage, has been attributed to a variety of interconnected factors based on analyses from Church sources, sociological studies, media reports, and public discussions. These factors span theological, cultural, social, and structural issues. Below is a comprehensive list of the primary contributors, drawn from diverse perspectives including Catholic publications, secular media, academic insights, and recent online discourse. I've grouped them thematically for clarity, with supporting evidence from sources.

1. Celibacy Requirement​

• The mandatory celibacy rule for Latin Rite priests is frequently cited as a major deterrent, as it prevents marriage and family life, which many men desire in modern society. This has historically reduced the pool of heterosexual candidates, with some arguing it attracts individuals seeking to suppress personal impulses rather than those fully committed to the vocation.
• Relatedly, the Church's prohibition on gay marriage combined with celibacy has been noted to draw disproportionate numbers of gay men to the priesthood in the past, though scandals have reduced this trend.

2. Clergy Abuse Scandals and Loss of Prestige​

• High-profile sex abuse scandals have eroded trust in the institution, damaged the priesthood's social capital, and created a negative perception that deters potential candidates. This includes fears of reputational risk and association with corruption.
• The scandals have also led to fewer same-sex attracted men entering seminaries, as exposure of abuse has heightened scrutiny.

3. Secularization and Cultural Shifts​

• Broader societal changes, including emphasis on science over faith, evolving views on sexuality, materialism, and modern distractions (e.g., pursuit of pleasure, money, or self-focused lifestyles), make religious vocations less appealing. Declining Mass attendance and family faith practice further reduce the pool of devout young men.
• Smaller family sizes mean fewer sons overall, and families are less likely to encourage priesthood as a path.
• Dissent on Church teachings (e.g., on birth control, homosexuality, women's roles) alienates potential vocations and contributes to overall disaffiliation.

Valletta said:

LAPD ends protection of former Vice President Kamala Harris amid criticism over diverting cops, sources say

California officials scrambled this week to protect Harris after President Trump revoked her Secret Service protection.

www.yahoo.com

Cops are human too. I am sure it irritates them to give special privileges to people, and it must be hard to take running around as helpers for those who degrade you or are pro-criminal or who want your job eliminated.

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Given she was a DA and attorney general for CA, I’d bet she has a better relationship with the police than even you do.

Let's paint the worst picture possible: "barbaric criminal illegal aliens." Barbaric? The vast majority are just people. If only ICE would concentrate on arresting the worst of the worst instead of people who had their TPS suddenly revoked, or students who are against genocide, or workers at Hyundai.

DaisyDay said:

This strike was against Maritime Law. The Coast Guard, not the Navy, is supposed to be in charge of interdicting drug traffic on the sea. This murder on international waters is not justified.

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There is no overarching international authority legislating and enforcing "Maritine Law." Maritine Law is merely agreement between nations to operate cordially with one another.

There is certainly no "Maritine Law" that requires the US to use the Coast Guard instead of the Navy for any purpose. That's a matter for the US government to determine by internal legislation.

RocksInMyHead said:

It isn't. As of 2024, the pay gap was about 15%.

Gender pay gap in U.S. has narrowed slightly over 2 decades

In 2024, women earned an average of 85% of what men earned, according to an analysis of median hourly earnings of both full- and part-time workers.

www.pewresearch.org

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I thought it sounded to good to be true, the only country I know have reached parity is Luxemburg. Since it is a small country with tons of workers crossing borders to work there it would actually be interesting how they calculated it.

childeye 2 said:

Much thanks for this response Righterzpen. It's very comforting to a person when they're understood.

You've hit the nail on the head while also expounding upon some things I've put forth. I'd just add it's all about whether we carry a tyrant or servant image of the Eternal in our hearts.

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Yeah, I was formerly engaged with someone on this forum who saw the Eternal as a tyrant. And of course if one has a faulty view; they are not going to seek help either.

ViaCrucis said:

It'd be pretty awesome if being a Christian meant a total eradication of all trepidation and anxiety about one's own mortality, but that's not how that works. Christians are still people, and that means facing one's own mortality is still not easy.

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Right. The idea that being a Christian means you no longer have any anxiety about death is just not credible on its face. Faith isn't the absence of fear or doubt, but being faithful despite fears and doubts.

For one thing, what the Bible presents about the afterlife (eg, resurrection) is something for which we have no immediate context for, especially in a post-Cartesian and Post Kantian world. Which does mean they are potentially a mirror for whatever anxieties we might have about the unknown: being grounded in a life of prayer, sacraments, and community is important for the actual practice of Christianity as they give us a context to relate to these mysteries.