zeland2236 said:

I came across this picture. What is the symbolism or it's meaning?

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Without any context it doesn't mean anything. It appears to be three images assembled together. The upper third appears to be an image taken by a telescope of distant galaxies. The bottom two thirds comprise of an artistic interpretation of hell, and an artistic interpretation of a stereotypical devil figure in flames.

Without any context this assemblage of images means nothing. The only person that can give contextual meaning is whoever assembled the images together.

-CryptoLutheran

The Bible was written in a patriarchal society where men held most social, political, and religious power. Many passages reflected the norms and values of their time, which often marginalized women. There were distinctive gender roles. The writings reflected this attitude and inequality.

The central message, however, was not sexist. Galatians 3:

28 There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.

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If you think the Bible was/is sexist, then you are judging the Bible according to our modern sense of sexism. The term "sexism" emerged after the feminist movement.

COMMENTARY: As I worked to put my family’s existence into better harmony with nature, something even better happened — I started to feel myself closer to God.
Emily Zanotti poses with her infamous chicken, Kevin, and takes us along for her journey in living 'Laudato Si.' (photo: Courtesy photos / Emily Zanotti)

On a Tuesday in December, just before Christmas, I was given last rites.

That following Monday, my boss called me, wondering why I didn’t show up for work. She was scheduled to go on vacation, and shouldn’t I be fine by now?

I acquiesced, just as I’d acquiesced to cooking Christmas dinner the Saturday before. In my mind, I thought returning to work so quickly after an ectopic pregnancy that resulted in emergency surgery, imperiling the lives of two people and leaving one dead, would impress on my bosses and my family that I was resilient, quick to heal, and had my priorities in line. I had left Christmas Eve Mass in tears, unable to overcome the physical and emotional pain that had suddenly overtaken my life. I couldn’t focus my eyes on emails or text messages. But somehow, I was determined to prove my value. The world would not continue without me, even for a moment.

Six months later, drawn, burnt out, emotional, angry, and struggling to connect with reality, I took a buyout and retired, at the ripe old age of 40. I was useless, completely detached from my life, unable to find my purpose, and suffering from a post-traumatic stress disorder that robbed me of happiness and memory — in that short half-year, I bought and sold a house. I started and ended a company. I watched children grow and change.

Continued below.

Elbridge Colby, who served as a strategic adviser during the Trump administration, says his ‘strategy-of-denial’ approach charts a realistic middle course between isolationism and neoconservative interventionism.

Elbridge “Bridge” Colby, a rising star in Republican Party foreign policy who has been profiled recently in both Politico and The New Statesman, considers himself a realist.

America’s role in the world, he argues in hisinfluential 2021 book Strategy of Denial: American Defense in an Age of Great Power Conflict, should not be to “end tyranny,” as George W. Bush called on America to do in his second inaugural address. Neither, he believes, should America isolate itself from the affairs of other countries as a matter of principle.

Continued below.

Although religious language has largely disappeared from both parties’ platforms since 2004, appeals to faith from presidential hopefuls are ubiquitous in American politics.

“It would be very difficult to be the president without believing,” President George W. Bush remarked in 2004.

In this regard, vice presidential candidates are no different. Both Governor Tim Walz (D-MN) and U.S. Senator J.D. Vance (R-OH) credit faith as a significant influence in their personal and political outlooks. This is certainly nothing new for those pursuing the office, but both Walz and Vance represent novel models of Christian politics that will likely continue gaining traction.

Walz, originally from Butte, Nebraska, grew up Roman Catholic, like many other descendants of German immigrants in the prairie. Walz has credited his Catholic roots for informing his passion for social justice and reminisced to The Independentabout his parents’ infatuation with John F. Kennedy. Walz converted to Lutheranism, the largest faith community in Minnesota when he married his wife, Gwen.

Continued below.

CV NEWS FEED // Dr. Ray Guarendi, a radio and television host, psychologist, and adoptive father of ten, explained “The Logic of Being Catholic” as part of a lecture series for Catholics.

Detroit Catholic reports that Guarendi gave his talk at St. John’s Resort in Plymouth, Michigan, as part of the “Anything is Possible” (AIP) speaker series of monthly lectures that are aimed at inspiring “Catholics to live as missionary disciples in today’s changing world.”

Guarendi discussed his eight-year departure from the faith and the inherent logic of Catholicism, which brought him back.

He talked about how Protestantism, especially the doctrine of sola scriptura, leads to division, with over 30,000 denominations resulting from various Scriptural interpretations. “When I brought this to my non-Catholic friends,” he said, “here is the answer they came back with: ‘There may be a lot of independent churches, but we agree on the basics.’”

Continued below.

Archbishop Vincenzo Paglia, 79, president of the Pontifical Academy for Life, has written a new book entitled “Destinati alla vita,” which translates to “Destiny for Life.” The book is a reflection on old age and highlights how this time of life can serve as a time for inner growth.

In an excerpt published by L’Osservatore Romano, Paglia praises Pope Francis’ work to honor the elderly and their importance in our lives throughout his papacy, especially in the establishment of the World Day of Grandparents and the Elderly.

“Pope Francis has taken up the spiritual challenge of old age … As a Pope he developed his teaching even more, to the point of establishing a special liturgical feast to celebrate his grandparents,” Paglia wrote. “But it is through the specific catechesis on the subject that he proposed a more articulated and comprehensive help to the elderly — in particular the believers, but not only — so that they face this last age of life as a time of grace, an appropriate time, a time of growth even if the body becomes fragile.”

He continued: “The years of old age lead to the fulfillment of every personal existence. We do not walk in the void and aimlessly at the mercy of fate,” he said.

Continued below.

The Liturgist said:

But those circles have been debunked.

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Even without that debunking I would not be fooled with thinking aliens explain crop circles. If aliens actually came to this world from another world, unlikely as that really is, as humanity will not become capable of reaching that far and it would not be so subtle, as if another inhabited world would be found where any of us could go however far that would actually be managed, I am sure the aliens would be much more obvious.

cradleGO said:

Disagree with the 'leave the West' as the solution. The West is the key. The West invented the internet!
The 21st century will not be kind to Islam. The internet makes it easy to refute Islam.
If you have encountered Muslims on the internet, they will often repeat the same 3-5 +/- "flaws" or contradictions of Christianity. It is easy to pull up refutations of such attacks.

On the other end, the internet has many sources that pick apart Islam, including its pagan origin - likely Baal worship, the creepy and evil originator, and the hokey and vile beliefs and such, including Aisha's goat eating so many Quran verses - lost forever. And Momo not only being very white (he has a supposedly lineal descendant, who is very white), but being a slave trader as well, including black slaves. So much for Muhammed Ali, the American boxer, changing his name from that of a notable abolitionist.

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It seems to me like Muhammed was the victim of a demonic posession or oppression, of a demon impersonating the Archangel Gabriel, who he was aware of, as St. John of Damascus speculated, as the result of encountering heretics, such as some extreme Nestorians or Arians. I suspect it was Arians, as it would explain his extreme anti-Trinitarianism as well as well as his confusion on the nature of the Trinity (his belief that the trinity included the Blessed Virgin Mary indicates he was not in contact with Orthodox Christians by any means).

There is something extremely sinister about the entity “Jibreel” which Muhammed assumed was St. Gabriel, assuming he was telling the truth about his encounter with it, commanding him, and squeezing him in a painful manner in an attempt to get him to do its will, it is really very disturbing. And since Psalm 95 v. 5 teaches us that the gods of the gentiles are demons, there is a valid reason for believing that Islam is of demonic origin.

cradleGO said:

Properly speaking Orthodox should pray for those leaders of hostile governments. This may be the strongest spiritual weapon.

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indeed, this is correct, and this is why we do the right thing in praying for the leaders of whatever government we happen to live under.

BrotherJJ said:

8 For it is by GRACE [God’s remarkable compassion and favor drawing you to Christ] that you have been saved [actually delivered from judgment and given eternal life] through faith. And this [salvation] is not of yourselves [not through your own effort], but it is the [undeserved, gracious] gift of God;

9 not as a result of [your] works [nor your attempts to keep the Law], so that no one will [be able to] boast or take credit in any way [for his salvation].
(MY NOTE: Vrs 8, By GRACE (undeserved/unmerited/earned favor) are you SAVED (from sins required wage/DEATH) thru FAITH (in Who Jesus is (God the Son) & what He accomplished on the cross. Vrs 9, No boastful personal works involved. Jesus (praise His Name) did ALL the work)

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I would like to note some context, and do a translation comparison.

For it is by grace that you have been saved through faith. And that not of yourselves.
Eternal life is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one will be able to boast.
Because we are Gods creation created in Christ Jesus for good works,
which God has before prepared that we should walk in them.
Ephesians 2:8-10

In many Bibles we will see "it is" in italics, denoting that it's an added in phrase,
above I have replaced "it is" with "Eternal life", to fit with your translation.

So Paul is saying that we go to heaven regardless of our works, because God created us for good works?
How do you deal with verse 10 in your view?

In Hebrews 10:29 The Holy Spirit is called, "the Spirit of grace".
And in Acts 2:38 Peter says we receive "the gift of the Holy Ghost".
Given that context I feel safe using "Holy Spirit" for "it is" in Ephesians, let us see how that will work.

For it is by grace that you have been saved through faith. And that not of yourselves.
The Holy Spirit is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one will be able to boast.
Because we are Gods creation created in Christ Jesus for good works,
which God has before prepared that we should walk in them.
Ephesians 2:8-10

The whole thing fits and makes perfect sense.
We get the Holy Spirit for free by grace, so that we can work.

"I therefore, the prisoner of the Lord,beseech you that you walk worthy of the calling wherewith you have been called"
Ephesians 4:1

Indeed the rest of the book starting from chapter 4 is generally a literal list of rules.
It simply can not be that Paul was saying that there are no rules to follow.



Not by works of righteousness which we have done,
but according to His mercy He saved us,
by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost;
Which He shed on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Savior;

Titus 3:4-5


Of how much worse punishment suppose ye
shall he be counted worthy,
who has trodden down the Son of God
and has counted the blood of the covenant
wherewith he was sanctified, and unholy thing,
and has insulted the Spirit of grace?
Hebrews 10:29


You have been bought with a price,
therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit which are Gods.
1 Corinthians 6:20

You are the temple of God, the Spirit of God is in you.
If anyone defiles the temple of God, him will God destroy,
because the temple of God is holy, which temple you are.
1 Corinthians 3:16-17

I think so.

Job 1:

1 There was a man in the land of Uz whose name was Job, and that man was blameless and upright, one who feared God and turned away from evil. 2 There were born to him seven sons and three daughters.

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The author did not tell us any of their names.

3 He possessed 7,000 sheep, 3,000 camels, 500 yoke of oxen, and 500 female donkeys, and very many servants, so that this man was the greatest of all the people of the east.

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Then, Satan incited the Lord against Job to destroy him without reason:

11 "But stretch out your hand and touch all that he has, and he will curse you to your face.” 12 And the Lord said to Satan, “Behold, all that he has is in your hand. Only against him do not stretch out your hand.” So Satan went out from the presence of the Lord.

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Then disasters struck. A messenger reported to Job:

18b “Your sons and daughters were eating and drinking wine in their oldest brother’s house, 19 and behold, a great wind came across the wilderness and struck the four corners of the house, and it fell upon the young people, and they are dead, and I alone have escaped to tell you.”

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Evidently, according to the messenger, they died.

After this testing, the Lord restored Job’s fortunes, 42:

12 And the Lord blessed the latter days of Job more than his beginning. And he had 14,000 sheep, 6,000 camels, 1,000 yoke of oxen, and 1,000 female donkeys.

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God doubled the size of flocks and herds.

13 He had also seven sons and three daughters.

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Because of the numerical coincidence, some believe these were the same sons and daughters. I think they were new ones. The writer introduced some of them:

14 And he called the name of the first daughter Jemimah, and the name of the second Keziah, and the name of the third Keren-happuch. 15 And in all the land there were no women so beautiful as Job’s daughters. And their father gave them an inheritance among their brothers.

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The data evidence is strong that Job's first set of children did die.

Unimpressed with the article’s content, esp. , ,


Really, the "nature" is Idolatry? Nice, God’s will has now turned into “idolatry”. Talk about losing one’s way. I prefer to address the root here, the centuries-old spiritual insolence for God’s “Minister” or “Servant” of civility (Rom 13:4) which, like it or not is His good and wholesome choice of how to view civil authority. Never to be reduced to idolatry. That is carnality as thought “good and wholesome”. Well, sure seems to be on the forefront of conclusions!

Joseph G said:

Oh, no! My last reply was from way back in the thread. Seems to me you got some excellent responses and you're satisfied with the result. All good!

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The omission of notifications happens! I was checking the thread when I came across your engagement. I never mean to sideline though. But, it's well, man!

Spiritual Jew said:

There is no basis for claiming there will be two new earths. That makes a joke out of scripture. You can just make it say anything you want it to say if you draw conclusions like this. No, Revelation 20 and 21 make it very clear that the new heavens and new earth are not ushered in until after the thousand years, not at the beginning of the thousand years.

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No basis, what do you think Peter is describing in 2nd Peter chapter 3. The earth after the tribulation will be absolutely destroyed, Jesus even states the stars will fall from the sky, the sun and moon will turn dark.

Fire is going to destroy the current earth we are living on.

Not one of us should be egotistical and boastful and prideful, thinking that we are better than we really are. But we are also not to be those who are continually putting ourselves down, convinced that we can never accomplish anything good in this life, and that we can never be who God intended for us to be, or that we are doomed to remain where we are in a stalemate, not really going forward or backward. But we are to think of ourselves with realistic judgment in the eyes of the Lord, giving God the glory for all that is good within us and for all the good that is accomplished through us.

And with regard to the body of Christ and the gifts of the Spirit, all gifts of God are given to us by God and are not of our own doing, so we should never have cause to take credit ever for anything good that God is accomplishing through us for his glory and purposes. Credit should be given where credit is due. So if one of us has more gifts than another we should not boast as though we somehow did this ourselves. We did not! We can certainly share our testimonies of God’s callings on our lives and how God is using us, but as an encouragement to others, not to puff ourselves up.

Now the body of Christ, the true church, is made up of all who are of genuine faith in Jesus Christ across the globe. We are the universal body of Christ, one church which meets in many different locations. We are those who have, by faith in Jesus Christ, been crucified with Christ in death to sin, and raised with Christ to walk in newness of life in him, no longer to live as slaves to sin, but now as slaves to God and to his righteousness. So sin is no longer our master but Jesus Christ is our Lord and Master, and our will is to do the will of God for our lives, under his guidance and in his power.

And as members of the universal body of Christ we have all been given gifts of the Holy Spirit which are spiritual gifts and ministries. And we have all been assigned our specific body parts by God. But we have to be paying attention to listen to the Spirit within us showing us what our body parts are and where our areas of giftedness of the Spirit are, as well. But we must be those who are walking according to the Spirit and not according to the flesh, in order to be in tune with God so that we can hear his voice and know what his calling is upon our individual lives. And then we need to obey him.

Now we are not all going to have the same body parts or the same giftedness. And even if more than one of us has the gift of teaching, for example, we are not all going to teach in exactly the same way. But we should all be diligent in doing our best to make certain that we are correctly handling the word of truth, to the best of our understanding, so that we are not guilty of passing along lies which we were taught. So we should be students of the Scriptures who study and teach them in their appropriate context so that we remain true to the Scriptures and are not led astray.

Now if we have less and others have more, we should not be jealous of them. But we should praise the Lord for what he has given to us and trust that if he wants us to have more that he will be the one to initiate it, and that we will know that this is coming from him and not from within ourselves. We should always be content with whatever we are given by God and do our best, in the power of God, to do what God has called us to do in ministry to the body of Christ and to the people of this world. And not one of us should be neglectful to fulfill the roles to which God has called us.

So many of our present day “churches,” though, are not functioning as the biblical body of Christ. Largely what we have are large gatherings of people (Christian and non-Christian) who attend weekly services in a building called “church.” A typical gathering will usually begin with a praise band (mostly keyboard, guitars, drums, and singers) leading in some worship songs which may or may not be biblically sound in doctrine. And this is generally followed by announcements and an offering and then with one man (the preacher) giving the only sermon for the day. Then the people go home.

This “body” is, therefore, lopsided, and the gatherings are not fulfilling the purpose for which we are supposed to gather together as the body of Christ, which is for our mutual encouragement in the Spirit of God via the use of our individual spiritual gifts and body parts. For if this is the essence of our gatherings, then where do the gifts of the Spirit happen? How do the individual members use their gifts of prophecy, service, teaching, exhorting, contributing, leading, and showing mercy, if only a few select people do all the ministering while the rest of the body sits as spectators?

So, we all need to go back to what the New Testament teaches with regard to all of us functioning in the body parts assigned to us by God and all of us utilizing the Spiritual gifts given to us by God within the gatherings of the church, the body of Christ, for our mutual encouragement. For we are to be encouraging and exhorting one another and urging one another in our walks of faith toward obedience to Christ and the forsaking of our sins. And we are to be speaking the truth in love to one another so that we are not led astray by false teachings and so that we do not get trapped by sin’s deceitfulness.

[Matt 5:13-16; Matt 28:18-20; Jn 4:31-38; Jn 13:13-17; Jn 14:12; Acts 1:8; Acts 2:14-18; Acts 26:18; Rom 10:14-15; Rom 12:1-8; Rom 15:14; 1 Co 12:1-31; 1 Co 14:1-5; Gal 6:1; Eph 2:8-10; Eph 4:1-16; Eph 5:11-27; Eph 6:10-20; Php 2:1-8; Col 1:9; Col 3:12-16; Tit 2:11-14; Heb 3:13; Heb 10:23-25; Jas 5:19-20; 1 Pet 2:9,21; 1 Jn 2:6; Jude 1:22-23]

In Harmony

An Original Work / September 2, 2012
Based off Ro. 12:9-21; 1 Pet. 3:8-17

Love each other truly.
Cling to what is good.
Hate all that is evil.
Never lack in zeal.
Serve the Lord with fervor.
Joyful in hope be;
Patient in affliction;
Praying faithfully.
Honor one another.
Live in harmony.

Share with all God’s people
Who are found in need.
Do not be conceited.
Sympathetic be.
Love, and show compassion
In humility.
Keep your tongue from evil.
Peaceful you must be.
Honor one another.
Live in harmony.

God sees who are righteous;
Listens to their prayers.
But He’s against evil –
Is His to avenge.
Do not fear what they fear.
Suffer patiently.
In your hearts, make Christ Lord.
Serve Him faithfully.
Honor one another.
Live in harmony.

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So many times we worry about things that don’t matter at all. Other times we stress over things that do matter, but we forget to take those matters to God in prayer. Yet, worry never solves anything. All worry does is upset us and make us unhappy and fearful. People who are anxious much about a lot of things often times needlessly develop physical ailments such as ulcers or high blood pressure. And, it is because they forget to take these matters to God in prayer, seeking his wisdom, and trusting in his sovereignty.

I was reading in Philippians 4 following a time of prayer in which I was bringing to the Lord some concerns in my life. And, the Lord encouraged me with the words of that passage of scripture with regard to what I was going through, and with regard to what I was bringing before him in prayer. He had given me a tune the night before, and as I prayed for words to the tune, he reminded me of this passage I had just read. The words fit the tune so perfectly. I believe this is from the Lord, and I pray it will encourage your hearts, too.

Fear Not!

An Original Work / October 20, 2011
Based off of Philippians 4

Rejoice in the Lord!
Gentle be always.
The Lord is near you.
Fear not in all things.
But in ev’rything
By prayer, with thanksgiving,
Share your requests.
God will guard your hearts
With His peace always.

Think about these things:
Whate’er is honest;
Pure and is lovely;
And is praiseworthy.
Whate’er you have learned,
Or you have received, or
You heard from Christ,
Make it your practice.
God will be with you.

I can do all things
Through Him who gives strength.
Whate’er I go through,
Satisfied I’ll be.
My God will meet all
My needs according to
His riches in
Jesus Christ, my Lord.
Praise Him forever!

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If our faith in Jesus Christ is biblical faith, authored by Jesus Christ, persuaded of God, and gifted to us by God, and not of our own doing – not of the will nor of the flesh of man – then we will be followers of Christ, his sheep, who listen to him and who obey him. Our lives will be surrendered to Jesus Christ to do his will and to live out the lives that he has for us to live in the callings that we have received from him, and not to please ourselves.

We will be those who have been crucified with Christ in death to sin and raised with Christ to walk in newness of life in him, no longer as slaves to sin, but now as slaves to God and to his righteousness. Our lives will no longer be our own to be lived out however we want to live them, for we were bought back for God (redeemed) by the blood of Christ shed for us on that cross to deliver us out of our lives of slavery to sin so that we can now honor God with our lives and with our bodies – all in the power of God within us.

But we are still human beings who live in flesh bodies who may be tempted to fall back into sin or to follow the ways of the world and of the flesh, for the influences out there in the gatherings of the church and in the world are enormous, especially in the times we now live when we are being bombarded with media of all sorts 24/7. And it can be so easy to slip and to fall back into the ways of living to please the flesh if we are not careful, and if our hearts are not guarded, and if we are not fully committed to Christ.

So we need to hear encouragements like this to remind us of why we are here, and of why Jesus gave his life up for us on that cross, and what it means to believe in Jesus Christ and to be his servants and messengers and not to please ourselves. For if our faith in Christ is biblical and genuine, our lives are to be surrendered to Jesus Christ to now live for him, and to do his will, and to follow him in walks of obedience to his commands in holy living.

And that is what it means if our lives are given over to the Lord as living sacrifices, holy and acceptable to God. We do not consider our lives to be our own to be lived however we want, but our goal is to please our Lord in whatever we do. For to be holy is to be separate (unlike, different) from the world because our lives are now being conformed by God to the likeness of character of Jesus Christ. We are now becoming more and more like Jesus and less and less like who we were when we lived in the flesh.

So, what this means for us in our day-to-day living is that we will consider our Lord in all that we do and we will inquire of him if we have any concern about whether or not we should go a particular direction. Our minds and our hearts will be open and receptive to hearing him speak truth to our hearts 24/7, and we will not shut him out just so we can do what we want to do. And we will be guided by him in our day-to-day living so that we are following in his footsteps and so that we are no longer going our own way.

And now this is our spiritual worship of God. Worship is not just gathering together with a bunch of people and singing songs and raising our hands and getting all emotional, at least not in itself. For we can do all that and never truly worship God. True biblical worship of God, although it may include singing psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs, is surrender of our lives to Jesus Christ on his altar of sacrifice, denying self, dying daily to sin, by the Spirit, and walking in the ways of the Lord, according to his commands.

So, we are no longer to be conformed to the ways of this sinful world. We should no longer be participating in anything that is immoral, evil, wicked, deceptive, and anything that is contrary to God and to his will and purpose for our lives and that robs us of our relationships with Jesus Christ and us working for the Lord and that keeps us entertaining and pleasing the flesh, instead. So many professers of faith in Jesus Christ are not much different from those who make no professions of faith, and this should not be!

So, if we have drifted from what God has called us to do, and if we are being captivated once again by the sinful pleasures of the flesh or by what the world is offering us in the way of entertainment that is contrary to God’s moral values for our lives, and with regard to what our minds should be set on, then we need some more transforming of our minds back to the ways of the Lord and away from the desires of the flesh so that we can live lives fully pleasing to the Lord, and so we can discern and do the will of God.

[Rom 1:18-32; Rom 2:6-8; Rom 6:1-23; Rom 8:1-14,24; Rom 12:1-2; Rom 13:11; 1 Co 1:18; 1 Co 6:9-10,19-20; 1 Co 10:1-22; 1 Co 15:1-2; 2 Co 5:10,15,21; 2 Tim 1:8-9; Gal 5:16-21; Gal 6:7-8; Eph 2:8-10; Eph 4:17-32; Eph 5:3-6; Php 2:5-11: Col 1:21-23; Col 3:5-17; Tit 2:11-14; Heb 3:1-19; Heb 4:1-13; Heb 9:28; Heb 10:23-31; Heb 12:1-2]

My Sheep

An Original Work / June 24, 2012
Based off John 10:1-30 NIV

My sheep hear me. They know me.
They listen to my voice and obey.
I call them and lead them.
They know my voice, so they follow me.
They will never follow strangers.
They will run away from them.
The voice of a stranger they know not;
They do not follow him.

So, I tell you the truth that
I am the gate, so you enter in.
Whoever does enter
Will find forgiveness and will be saved.
Nonetheless whoever enters
Not by the gate; other way,
He is the thief and a robber.
Listen not, the sheep to him.

Oh, I am the Good Shepherd,
Who laid his own life down for the sheep.
I know them. They know me.
They will live with me eternally.
The thief only comes to steal and
Kill and to destroy the church.
I have come to give you life that
You may have it to the full…

They know my voice, so they follow me.

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hislegacy said:

The shape of the cross used in crucifixion's changed from country to country- Andrews Cross was indicative of Egypt The others are similar. Northern Africa used a straight piece, where the hands were nailed above the head.

G4716 - stauros - Strong's Greek Lexicon (kjv)

G4716 - σταυρός staurós, stow-ros'; from the base of ; a stake or post (as set upright), i.e. (specially), a pole or cross (as an instrument of capital punishment); figuratively, exposure to death, i.e. self-denial; by implication, the atonement of Christ:—cross.

www.blueletterbible.org

1. a cross
   1. a well known instrument of most cruel and ignominious punishment, borrowed by the Greeks and Romans from the Phoenicians; to it were affixed among the Romans, down to the time of Constantine the Great, the guiltiest criminals, particularly the basest slaves, robbers, the authors and abetters of insurrections, and occasionally in the provinces, at the arbitrary pleasure of the governors, upright and peaceable men also, and even Roman citizens themselves
   2. the crucifixion which Christ underwent
2. an upright "stake", esp. a pointed one, used as such in fences or palisades

The definition is based on usage

When speaking of the instrument of torture and death - it translates to English as cross
When speaking of a fence post or support member - it translates to English as stake.

That is really all there is to the question.

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Indeed, there is also St. Peter’s Cross - he was crucified upside down at his own request to avoid being crucified in the same position as our Lord.

Unfortunately we have lately seen this version of the cross abused by people associated with various anti-Christian occult groups, such as actual devil worshippers, which is entirely disgusting and distressing. They have no moral right to appropriate Christian symbols for their own purpose.

Indeed the National Socialists did this to the Swastika, which was, prior to their adoption of it, primarily used as a religious symbol by Buddhists, but it saw some use by some Christians in Europe, but it was effectively adopted as a logo as part of the very well-planned branding and corporate identity program adopted by the National Socialists.

Basil the Great said:

The only way to ever achieve peace is for both sides to make major compromises in their current positions. Sadly, neither side seems ready and willing to make said compromises at this time.

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True.

wing2000 said:

...or he had fried pork chop on his mind.

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I was about eight years old when I was told, “When Daddy asks ‘does anyone want that last pork chop?’, the correct answer is ‘no’!” Fortunately, I was a slow learner.

DEI needs to go away.

Let people make their own opinions.

I don't know how I feel about this. If he was outside the clinic protesting and praying, I would have supported him.

Inside? Eh.

Lord have mercy!