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CF has always been a site that welcomes people from different backgrounds and beliefs to participate in discussion and even debate. That is the nature of its ministry. In view of recent events emotions are running very high. We need to remind people of some basic principles in debating on this site. We need to be civil when we express differences in opinion. No personal attacks. Avoid you, your statements. Don't characterize an entire political party with comparisons to Fascism or Communism or other extreme movements that committed atrocities. CF is not the place for broad brush or blanket statements about groups and political parties. Put the broad brushes and blankets away when you come to CF, better yet, put them in the incinerator. Debate had no place for them. We need to remember that people that commit acts of violence represent themselves or a small extreme faction.
Progressive government is the antithesis of a biblically based republic.
- General Political Discussion
- 63 Replies
I could have sworn ancient Israel was a monarchy. In fact, the whole point of a coming Messiah was to restore that Kingdom, with a King sitting at the throne. The last thing it was, was a Republic.
There are two main evidences to this. The Bible and history or nature. We’ll start with what is the easy way to learn it. The Bible. After the time of martial law during Moses and Joshua. They established Ancient Israel as a free republic. Although it may seem a little odd, this due to God’s purpose in separating the nation from others to bring the world his word and the Messiah though it. The Mosaic law was Ancient Israel’s constitution. There was no provision in it for imposed central government. It had 12 states, and each was to be self-governing. Their constitution said to choose or elect wise leaders to lead each state in keeping the law. Then there was the Levitical tribe of priests who had parcels in each state who were the pastors of their day. Tithes which were in essence voluntary taxes were to be given to them for their support since they were not given enough land to support themselves. But the taxes were not collected. They were voluntarily given, and the priesthood had no physical authority. They could only influence the public. Their military was 100% militia each state controlled its own militia. To show how loose or free to choose their own way this confederation of tribes was in relation to the nation. The tribe of Benjamin went total Sodom and Gomorrah at one point. This was hardly a theocracy as some would mistakenly compare it to theocratic monarchies.
Within this structure God would supernaturally ordain judges to influence or lead the tribes in time of war or oppression by foreign armies and bring them back to God when they went astray. The republic lasted 400 years. Then they decided they no longer wanted the personal responsibility necessary to maintain a free republic and voted God out and a king in. They said they wanted a king to fight their battles for them. God warned them sternly that their kings would enslave them, but they refused to listen. Take heed to this you Christian nationalists who desire a “Christian prince” to fight your spiritual and physical battles for your nation. This is the pattern upon which the United States was founded but adjusted to fit its circumstances. 13 independent states with their own constitutions, that like the mosaic law laid out the people’s religious responsibilities necessary for remaining free republics. You can see these religious responsibilities highlighted in each state constitution on this web page- The Original State Constitutions. Like Ancient Israel these responsibilities relied on personal religious devotion and also like ancient Israel’ s Levitical priesthood, pastors were to help this along. In fact some states required towns to hire a pastor of their denominational choice and build a meeting house for religious instruction. Public education was religious in nature, including university level and required by the states but run by churches. Almost every state had a favored Christian denomination, but all allowed complete religious freedom for all Christians. This freedom extended to super minorities of other religions but generally they were not allowed to hold law making offices.
Finally, just like Ancient Israel's republic had supernaturally ordained judges to bring revival, awaking or divine truth that had grown dim to light. The USA operated on the same level. America’s judges were the George Whitfield’s, the Wesley’s, the Jonathon Edwards and Charles Finney’s. Just to name a few. This is so important in understanding the difference between biblically ordained republics versus progressive government. Our government in the states or federally were never given the power to determine truth. In fact, the founders argued prolifically against government ever being able to have that power. Self-evident truth as stated in the Declaration of Independence was already determined in the Bible. It was to be ascertained by the people themselves, and government was ordained to do nothing more than to protect the process though which people could ascertain the truth themselves. This is precisely what Jesus meant when he stated his kingdom was not of this world. Truth cannot be imposed from the top down the way the world kingdoms operated. This was due to human beings being so easily corrupted by the love of money and Government is the easiest way for people to get their hands on other folks money. If government is given that kind of power it will not be truth they are imposing upon the population anyway. It will be lies that empower rulers and give them access to the fruits of the labor of the people. Progressive government turns a biblically based republic on its head. Government determines truth and imposes it. Its tendency is towards corruption exists simply because government now has the power to do so.
After this, these 13 states formed central government for two specific purposes. National defense and keeping peace between the states regarding trade, currency and other interstate relations. Before the states signed on to this a Bill of Rights was added to the federal constitution that greatly restricted its power over the states. First and foremost was the 1st amendment that deals with the most important part of what would be a successful republic. It’s religion, the religion of and about Jesus Christ and its relation to human government which really needs contextualized into the time 1st amendment was written rather than within the context of today’s popular thought. In the world the colonies just fought a war against. The state controlled religion through state run churches. It was not a matter of “the church” running the state which is how it is portrayed in modern education as propaganda. These state-run churches were created to control Christianity. A witness to this fact is that up until Northern Europe won the right in war for the general population to posses and own Bibles. The personal possession of the Bible without the specific permission of the authorities in supposedly Christian theocratic monarchies was illegal. It led to unauthorized preaching that if caught often led to the death penalty. It did not matter what the hierarchies in these state-run churches wanted because some of those hierarchies wanted the people to own Bibles. The state did not. The rulers had read it. They, just like every communist dictatorship that arose in the modern world understood the Bible in the hands of the general public was a threat to their rule. They were correct about this and history sure bears witness to it. Due to the commercial printing press that arose right when the Roman Empire finally fell in 1453 AD. Bibles began to be illegally mass produced making it far to difficult for the authorities to keep up with it. A Bible reading public led to the Dutch Republic where Bible ownership and reading along with the personal possession of a firearm was required for political participation. Yet right across the border you could still get burned at the stake for getting caught with an unauthorized Bible. The thinking that developed due to a Bible reading public led to the development and establishment of a free world and while that thinking was still developing, it migrated north America.
In North America the Bible was the basis of all public education. It was the main course of study and everything else surrounded it. It remained like this until progressivism began to get a foothold in the early 20th century. At that point the progressive movement started to chip away at public educations use of the Bible in non-sectarian public education. Their crowning achievement came in the 1960’s when in defiance of the 1st amendment a bastardized reading of the 14th amendment was used by a progressive supreme court declared itself, actually declare the state ruler, over the religious views of the people and their states. Republican led states should have immediately defied this ruling, and still should today. However, my assumption is since the courts had after one hundred years of effort by the Republican party to pass civil rights laws finally started to rule in favor of those efforts. Republicans did not want to upset the apple cart of actually being able to enforce the 14th and 15th amendments on states who were violating them. So, in my opinion, settled for allowing judicial supremacy over the religious\political views of the people. But as we can now all see, this came with a horrendous cost. You see, the progressive ideology, no matter how it is presented, as democracy or whatever. makes the state supreme. State supremacy is simply not possible when a population is intimately aware of the contents of the Bible. Hence the reason for all dictatorships, kings, emperors to keep it from the public. Progressive government which is by its very nature is corrupt due to its violation of the laws of nature and natures God has and will continue to try to keep the public an ignorant as possible about an accurate understanding of the Bibles teachings. And by the way will quote it extensively in a nation where it has influence for purely political advantageous reasons. They all have. So now we'll look at the 1st amendment within the context it was written rather than the context a progressive supreme court gave it that has now been popularized by progressive dominated public education systems.
Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.
Continued in the next comment or go to link.
Progressive Government Verses Biblically Based Republics
Progressive government is the antithesis of a Biblically based republic.wordservice.org
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A Six Step Method to Get More out of Mass
- By Michie
- One Bread, One Body - Catholic
- 0 Replies
For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and spirit, of joints and marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart. (Heb 4:12)
Pray, brethren (brothers and sisters), that my sacrifice and yours may be acceptable to God, the almighty Father (Roman Missal)
A life changing retreat
Two years ago I spent nearly twenty-one days on a silent retreat. I have already shared some of my reflections about that time here. It was one of the most intensive, stretching, and sublime things I’ve ever experienced.
The retreat was truly an embarrassment of riches. I had room and board taken care of for nearly a month. I received daily spiritual direction from world class spiritual guides, plumbing the depths of scripture and my heart during undistracted silence in a beautiful wooded setting with zero outside demands on my time. I was growing and gaining insight at a stunning rate. I was truly availing myself of the ‘big guns’ of the Catholic spiritual tradition.
But of all the incredible benefits and privileges won at great investment and sacrifice, I remember telling my director that the very best part of my retreat was that we got to go to mass every day.
If mass isn’t the absolute highlight of your day and week, I encourage you to give this method a try. I developed it for myself as a way to take full advantage of the opportunity to enter into what really is the ultimate form of prayer and worship.
A quick reminder of what the mass is:
Continued below.
johnbrundage.substack.com
Pray, brethren (brothers and sisters), that my sacrifice and yours may be acceptable to God, the almighty Father (Roman Missal)
A life changing retreat
Two years ago I spent nearly twenty-one days on a silent retreat. I have already shared some of my reflections about that time here. It was one of the most intensive, stretching, and sublime things I’ve ever experienced. The retreat was truly an embarrassment of riches. I had room and board taken care of for nearly a month. I received daily spiritual direction from world class spiritual guides, plumbing the depths of scripture and my heart during undistracted silence in a beautiful wooded setting with zero outside demands on my time. I was growing and gaining insight at a stunning rate. I was truly availing myself of the ‘big guns’ of the Catholic spiritual tradition.
But of all the incredible benefits and privileges won at great investment and sacrifice, I remember telling my director that the very best part of my retreat was that we got to go to mass every day.
If mass isn’t the absolute highlight of your day and week, I encourage you to give this method a try. I developed it for myself as a way to take full advantage of the opportunity to enter into what really is the ultimate form of prayer and worship.
A quick reminder of what the mass is:
What is the mass?
Continued below.
A Six Step Method to Get More out of Mass
For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and spirit, of joints and marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart.
johnbrundage.substack.com
No Better Way for a Priest to Go
- By Michie
- One Bread, One Body - Catholic
- 1 Replies
In your charity, kindly pray for the repose of Fr Raimund Beisteiner, 59, who died while celebrating Mass. On December 31, 2025, another Catholic priest died while celebrating Mass in Nigeria. May their souls find rest in the Lord. 
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Face of euthanized woman transplanted to another patient
- By Michie
(National Review) — Euthanasia conjoined with organ harvesting just took a particularly disturbing turn in Spain, where a woman was euthanized and then had part of her face transplanted. From the Catalan News story:
Continued below.
www.liveaction.org
Don’t get me wrong. There is no inherent moral distinction between donating one’s face or organs after death. Indeed, I support face transplants as a legitimate medical treatment. The recipient in this case certainly benefited:
So, it isn’t the act of transplanting a face per se that gave me the heebie-jeebies. Rather, this case furthers the ongoing commodification of suicidal people who have been accepted for legalized killing. Here’s what I mean:
Continued below.
Face of euthanized woman transplanted to another patient | Live Action
The face of a woman who was euthanized has been successfully transplanted onto another woman in Spain.
Blasphemy in The Swedish Protestant Church?
- By Michie
- One Bread, One Body - Catholic
- 0 Replies
Does the Modern Protestant Church in Sweden Blaspheme Against the Holy Spirit?
Let us examine this question. Before we do, we should address some anticipated critiques. In confronting this question—this accusation—we must use the Bible and its narratives in a way that may appear heterodox to some, that we are not conformingto orthodox beliefs. It may seem as though we are reducing the Incarnation and the people involved in these events to mechanical abstractions, intellectualizing miracles such as the Incarnation or the Annunciation, or turning Jesus himself into mere metaphor. But this is not the case, especially if we remain faithful to the biblical story as we explore its meaning.Christ was not merely a messenger of divine words—he was the Word. He was the message itself. This means that everything about Jesus is meaningful: every aspect of his life is instruction from God. His birth, for example, was not only a singular historical event—the birth of a child who happened to be God—but the manifestation of the Messianic principle of creativity itself. When God becomes incarnate, creativity and generation are also revealed. They always existed, just as Christ did, but now they become visible, material, and perceptible.
Perception and conception are the two key elements of this hypothesis. But we are getting ahead of ourselves. First: what is the “Holy Spirit”? If we can concretize it beyond the abstraction of living a righteous and spiritual life. Well, the religion is pretty clear about what it is: it is the way in which Christ, the Messiah, is begotten. So, how is Christ, the Messiah, begotten? To answer this question, we go to the Annunciation and verse that tells us about it, Luke 1:34, which says:
Continued below
Blasphemy in The Swedish Protestant Church? – Catholic Stand
catholicstand.com
3 Doors Down Singer Brad Arnold Dies at 47 After Publicly Sharing His Faith During Cancer Battle
- By Michie
On Saturday, Feb. 7, Brad Arnold, lead singer of the rock band 3 Doors Down, died following a battle with kidney cancer. He was 47.
In May 2025, Arnold told fans he had been diagnosed with stage 4 clear cell renal cell carcinoma.
Despite the grim diagnosis, Arnold expressed confidence in his faith.
“We serve a mighty God, and he can overcome anything. So I have no fear. I really, sincerely am not scared of it at all,” he said.
The following month, Arnold shared an update saying that God never fails.
“With so much faith behind me and my own faith within me, I have no doubt of the outcome of this fight,” he said. “God will continue to fight this [battle] for me…and God doesn’t fail. I love y’all!”
Continued below.
churchleaders.com
In May 2025, Arnold told fans he had been diagnosed with stage 4 clear cell renal cell carcinoma.
Despite the grim diagnosis, Arnold expressed confidence in his faith.
“We serve a mighty God, and he can overcome anything. So I have no fear. I really, sincerely am not scared of it at all,” he said.
The following month, Arnold shared an update saying that God never fails.
“With so much faith behind me and my own faith within me, I have no doubt of the outcome of this fight,” he said. “God will continue to fight this [battle] for me…and God doesn’t fail. I love y’all!”
3 Doors Down Shares That Brad Arnold Has Died
Continued below.
3 Doors Down Singer Brad Arnold Dies at 47 After Publicly Sharing His Faith During Cancer Battle
3 Doors Down lead singer Brad Arnold has died at 47 after battling cancer. The rocker publicly shared his faith and trust in God.
churchleaders.com
Trump Deletes Racist Video of Obamas After Outcry
- By Michie
- General Politics
- 5 Replies
ERLC joins chorus of conservatives rebuking Trump post dehumanizing Obamas
A video reposted by President Donald Trump that depicted former President Barack Obama and former first lady Michelle Obama with the bodies of apes has drawn condemnation from across the political
www.christianpost.com
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