lass

Kokavkrystallos said:

"For more than 25 years, the church building in Gorgan has stood empty and dormant, a relic to a former time when, even in the early days of the Islamic Republic, it had seemed possible, for a short while, for Christians – even converts – to meet inside a church building. "

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This is sad. We got to get more Iranians into churches again.

Tuur said:

Yes. I thought that was clear. I really don't think I should quote Wilde on this board, but I really like what he said about it. I'd disagree with what they said, but they'd have the right to say it.

Trying to play selective speech is a seductive trap. It's easy to think "Oh, but you wouldn't want them to say that, would you?" and then cede your own right of free speech lest someone say what you find offensive. It's not as attractive to say "Are you willing to never proclaim the name of Jesus Christ if nobody can say what you consider offensive?" but it's the same question. So many Christians have seemed willing to cede free speech on the grounds of the first question, never realizing it also means the second.

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This isn't merely about offending people. It's violating the rights of others in imposing religious preaching at a secular, non-religious event, where a people from a variety of faiths, or none, must be accomodated and respected.

Violating the rights of others is never moral, no matter what the justification.

sccs said:

From a Biblical perspective, what makes a church a church? In addition to the worshipping of God, the assembly of the peoples and the equipping of the saints through faithful preaching of the Word, many also include the observing of the sacraments or ordinances, namely baptism and the Lord's Supper.

Why is the observation of these two sacraments/ordinances considered necessary for a church? If there was a house church that did not observe these sacraments, would they not be considered a church?

Conversely, is it possible to observe these sacraments outside of the context of a local church assembly? For example, at a wedding, during a family devotional, at a youth conference?

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`For where 2 or 3 are gathered in My name, I am there in the midst of them.` (Matt. 18: 20)

Christ the Head and His Body of which we are members.

Man`s organizations that put on public meetings are of man. They can have some benefit but the actual `Church` the Body of Christ, (Eph. 1: 22 & 23) are the believers as they gather by the Holy Spirit in daily life. (Eph. 4: 15 & 16)

Michie said:

Well he admitted he broke an agreement with the school. He should never made an agreement if he did not intend to follow it.

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I guess.

Chrystal-J said:

If he had said "Pride month is great", he would of gotten an award.

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Exactly.

Larniavc said:

So why are the GOP not impeaching Mr Biden?

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Maybe they're just really nice guys and don't want to hurt Joe Biden by making the evidence public.

Tuur said:

The topic title brought to mind a passage in Daniel. It's not anything new and apparently not unusual.

I wish there was a religious revival in the US, another Great Awakening. Unfortunately, I've all but lost hope.

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It will probably not happen, until Christ returns. But remember, we are citizens of Heaven as Christians, so in a few decades when our bodies fail us, we will be up there with Jesus, and no longer have to deal with dark forces.

tonychanyt said:

Thanks for your comments. I edited the OP. Take another look. Thanks

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Now... You earned this.... It is HARD to surrender to Scriptural implications, when one is a committed Theologian and goes an entire direction on a matter then have to one-line and change directions!

Let it be known, that Tonychanyt places scripture above all things UNDER Jesus Christ, who is his First Love and Passion! This is a man who handles scripture with HONESTY!

I, a very specifically difficult person to get these words out of towards a Theologian mean every word of this! I hereby recognize that Tony is Humble with scripture... and Though we are all fallible... and ONLY Jesus Christ and God Breathed by the Holy Spirit of Christ scripture itself is ironclad... it is inspiring to see a fellow Theologian allow scripture to interpret scripture!

All Love in Jesus Christ to you, my Bother and Friend in Him, who Tabernacles within you!

essentialsaltes said:

Here's another relevant metaphor:

Tragedy of the commons​

The tragedy of the commons is a metaphoric label for a concept that is widely discussed, and criticised, in economics, ecology and other sciences. According to the concept, should a number of people enjoy unfettered access to a finite, valuable resource such as a pasture, they will tend to over-use it, and may end up destroying its value altogether. Even if some users exercised voluntary restraint, the other users would merely supplant them, the predictable result being a tragedy for all.

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A Homeowner Mutiny in Florida Is Leaving the State More Vulnerable to Hurricanes​

The town’s only protection from the Gulf of Mexico’s increasingly erratic stormsis a pristine beach that draws millions of tourists every year — but that beach is disappearing fast. A series of storms, culminating in last fall’s Hurricane Idalia, have eroded most of the sand that protects Redington Shores and the towns around it, leaving residents just one big wave away from water overtaking their homes.

This standoff highlights growing tensions between the federal government and homeowners in coastal areas that are threatened by climate change. As sea levels have risen and strong storms have caused greater damage than ever before, the costs of protecting and insuring beach fronts in Florida and other states have increased rapidly.

The Corps put the easement policy in place decades ago to ensure that it didn’t spend public money to restore private beaches, but the agency didn’t begin enforcing the rule in earnest until after Superstorm Sandy in 2012.

In the years since, the agency has warned Pinellas County and other local governments that they won’t get any more sand unless they get easements from all the property owners on their beaches. The Corps says it first raised the issue with Pinellas back in 2017, but tensions started rising last year after Idalia eroded the area’s beaches to a dangerous degree, creating a desperate need for new protective sand.

Pinellas County officials tried their best to obtain these easements, even going from door to door and pleading with residents to “sign for sand.” Nevertheless, around half of the 461 property owners along the barrier island have refused to grant them.

Owners’ reasons for refusing easements are numerous, but most cite a fear that granting public access to the sand behind their property will encourage tourists to venture up on their dunes or sit on the sea walls behind their homes. Sure, they can’t stop tourists and beachgoers from using the beach that sits between the erosion line and the water [which is already free for the public to access] — but they don’t want them coming any closer.

“For a lot of people, the privacy is more important to them than the risk of destruction,”

tonychanyt said:

It depends on the individual.

Titus 2:


1 Peter 5:


Strong's Greek: 3525. νήφω (néphó) — 6 Occurrences

HELPS Word-studies:


1 Thessalonians 5:


When one is no longer sober-minded and has lost control, then he is drunk.

How do we judge that?

The line is not clear-cut. There are some grey areas.

Some Jews wrongfully accused Jesus of being a drunkard, Matthew 11:


We should not be too quick to accuse someone of being drunk or intoxicated.

John 2:


We don't want to be party poopers on special occasions Jesus was there, and he graciously provided even more wine to continue the merrymaking.

Were people at that wedding drunk?

No. That's another picture.

Proverbs 23 paints a more serious situation:


That is a habitual drunkard losing his mind and his feelings.

1 Corinthians 6:


A person who practices being drunk as his lifestyle will not end well.

Similar reasoning can be applied to psychedelic drugs.

Can a high dose of psychedelics open doorways to the demonic?

Yes.

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It depends on where you wake up?

I kid, I kid...

Michie said:

Most Americans back Harrison Butker expressing his beliefs: Rasmussen

A majority of Americans approve of Kansas City Chiefs placekicker Harrison Butker expressing his religious and moral beliefs during a recent graduation speech at a Catholic school

www.christianpost.com

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So, if a majority of Americans support Harrison Butker for preaching Christianity, then no one should judge this football player.

essentialsaltes said:

The question is not about pro-life opinions, but the promotion of "abortion pill reversal"

The only clinical trial conducted to evaluate APR had to be halted due to concerns about patient safety. Major medical associations, including the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) have cautioned that APR is not backed by science and does not meet clinical standards.

Heartbeat and the 11 crisis pregnancy centers named in Attorney General James’ lawsuit aggressively advertise APR on their websites, social media, and other promotional materials using false and misleading claims that lead patients to think that APR is a proven and safe treatment with minimal risks, despite the lack of reliable scientific evidence

These false and misleading statements constitute persistent fraud and illegality under Executive Law 63(12) and deceptive business and false advertising practices in violation of sections 349 and 350 of the General Business Law.

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This is true. In fact, Healthline, a medical magazine, says that APR is impossible. While I do not support abortion (unless emergency where mother and fetus are at high risk), we must also be wary about experimental APR pills. In other words, if one regrets taking an abortion pill (such as mifepristone and misopristol), it is irreversible. Also, just for one to know, abortion pills are different from Plan B pills.

rockytopva said:

Professional... Serious sounding voice now announcing... "Now at T-20 -hours."

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Nice. Now, it is T-15h:26min

I also like the ambient music as well.

Michie said:

Australia drops case against Elon Musk's X over church attack video

Australia has dropped its case against X, formerly Twitter, after a row about removing footage of a stabbing attack on a priest in Sydney.

christiantoday.com

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Interesting.

The Barbarian said:

Who do you think was weaponizing the virus?

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Evidence seems to be that it was the Chinese, who had contracted to the US giv't to do gain of function research on corona viruses. Whether it was meant to be "weaponized" is open to speculation. My version of a conspiracy theory of history is the FUBAR theory. History tends to show a trail of disasters caused by something being fouled up beyond recognition, and the resulting Idiots' Conventions of cover-ups, recriminations, blame-shirting, and Level 11+ stupity, that always follow them. If Covid got out of the lab by accident, and I believe that it did, then once it did, the full force of the Chinese Goverment was brought to bear to prevent anyone from blaming them, at any level. After that it was one cascade Foul Up aftert another until it because a genuine global disaster.

Wouldn't be the first time. I mean, how did we end up with two World Wars in 31 years? Only mass stupidty on a frightening scale could have done it.

OP Complete!

A prominent political commentator is characterizing history as an ongoing “holy war that is being waged against goodness” as she continues to adjust to her newfound Catholic faith.

Candace Owens, a conservative political commentator who used to work for The Daily Wire until her dismissal earlier this year, addressed the advocacy group Catholics for Catholics in Phoenix, Arizona, on Thursday.

Owens converted to Catholicism earlier this year and began her speech by referring to her address as her “first Catholic event.” In her remarks, she elaborated on how her journey to Catholicism began “with just a curiosity of the Catholic faith, seeing what it had done in my husband’s life.”

Continued below.

Mr. M said:

Peace On Earth? Rather Division​

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I think that means peace between God and man on earth because of the atoning sacrifice, rather than peace between men.

A beloved street preacher in North Little Rock, Arkansas, shot after he refused to give up his microphone to a young man who tried to take it as he preached on Sunday, is now recovering and offered forgiveness to his attacker.

"It doesn't make no difference how bad you've been. This young boy shot me to death, and I'm going out there and I'm going to embrace him and give him $5 if he let me do it and a nice hot meal," Reverend Larry O'neal Walker told THV11 in an interview Tuesday.

Police confirmed that Rev. Walker, who has preached at the intersection of JFK Boulevard and McCain Boulevard for nearly 15 years, was shot by Latarryes Bush, 20, of North Little Rock, as he preached to passing motorists on Sunday. Walker calls the intersection the "Red Light Green Light Church."

The preacher said Bush approached him and tried to take his microphone. When he refused, Walker said Bush shot him and seemed almost sorry immediately for what he did. The pastor said he was shot in the abdomen.

Continued below.

Moses commands the Israelites in (ESV) Exodus 20:

4 “You shall not make for yourself a carved image, or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth. 5 You shall not bow down [H7812] to them or serve [H5647] them

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There is a strong linkage between serving [H5647] an idol and worshipping [H7812] an idol. Unfortunately, there is no single Hebrew word that unambiguous means worship in English, so sometimes, H5647 is used and sometimes H7812 is used.

ESV 2 Kings 10:

18 Then Jehu assembled all the people and said to them, “Ahab served [H5647] Baal a little",

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i.e., Ahab worshipped and served Baal

"Jehu will serve [H5647] him much. 19 Now therefore call to me all the prophets of Baal, all his worshipers [H5647] and all his priests.

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Jehu listed the prophets and priests who were functionaries, plus the H5647, who might not be official functionaries. Further, he used "all" three times. He really wanted to get the word out: He wanted everyone who believed in Baal, whether you were an official servant or ordinary worshippers (H5657-servants). He continued:

Let none be missing, for I have a great sacrifice to offer to Baal. Whoever is missing shall not live.” But Jehu did it with cunning in order to destroy the worshipers [H5647] of Baal.

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Did Jehu massacre only Baal's functionaries or also his worshipers in 2 Kings 10?

I would say both.

Benson explained:

All his worshippers, as the word here rendered servants is translated in the close of this verse. If it be inquired how all these could be contained in one house of Baal, it may be answered, that the number of the worshippers of Baal had been greatly diminished by the ministry of Elijah and Elisha, and the rest of the prophets; and by Joram’s neglect and disuse of that worship. Besides, this house or temple of Baal was probably very large and capacious, being in the royal city, nigh the king’s palace, and intended for the use of the king, queen, and whole court, and for great and high solemnities, and therefore was the chief building of the sort in the kingdom. Moreover, as by the house or temple of God, at Jerusalem, we are frequently to understand, not only the principal building, but all the other buildings or courts belonging to it, in which the worshippers stood when they worshipped, so it might be here; and in that case there would be space sufficient for all the worshippers of Baal that can reasonably be thought to have been at that time in Israel.

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Wiki:

In the Book of Daniel, … Belshazzar is portrayed as the king of Babylon and "son" of Nebuchadnezzar, though he was actually the son of Nabonidus—one of Nebuchadnezzar's successors.

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Outside the Bible, we know that:

Nabonidus left Babylon in May 553 BC to campaign in the west. … During Nabonidus's absence, Belshazzar was put in charge of the administration in Babylonia.[12][29] Though this period has often been dubbed a "co-regency", Belshazzar never assumed an official title.

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Officially, Nabonidus was the king. Belshazzar was the crown prince. Daniel 5:

29 Then at Belshazzar’s command, Daniel was clothed in purple, a gold chain was placed around his neck, and he was proclaimed the third highest ruler in the kingdom.

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comana said:

...younger generations are not drawn to them. i have never eaten at a Cracker Barrel. Perhaps it is good food but it screams senior demographic and that doesn’t appeal to me.

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Seniors have enjoyed eating there since they were the younger demographic.