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Tattoos have been around for millennia. People got them at least five thousand years ago. Today they’re common everywhere from Maori communities in New Zealand to office parks in Ohio. But in the ancient Middle East, the writers of the Hebrew Bible forbade tattooing. Per Leviticus 19:28, “You shall not make gashes in your flesh for the dead, or incise any marks on yourselves.” Historically, scholars have often understood this as a warning against pagan practices of mourning. But language scholar John Huehnergard and ancient-Israel expert Harold Liebowitz argue that tattooing was understood differently in ancient times. Huehnergard and Liebowitz...

Several Washington Post stories reported from Iowa this week by staff writer Meryl Kornfield displayed an interesting double standard in proof. Republican concerns have been "debunked" that Christians have been persecuted like never before, but Republicans say "without evidence, that transgender people are a threat to children or have a mental health disorder." The first was a story on Christian Republicans headlined ‘Ordained by God’: Trump’s legal problems galvanize Iowa evangelicals. Kornfield and several other reporters linked to a New York Times fact-check we challenged on Christian persecution, which means both papers ignored (as usual) the frightening FBI raid on...

NBC Sports reposted its post-game interview with Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud on social media following the team’s playoff victory against the Browns on Saturday. But NBC suspiciously edited the video, omitting what Stroud would consider the most principled line in his response: His mention of Jesus Christ. ... Here’s the line NBC removed, Stroud’s very first line: “First and foremost, I just want to give all glory and praise to my Lord, Jesus Christ.” Understand that Stroud references his faith during every interview on the field. It means everything to him. Stroud explained to Fox News Digital before the NFL...

I would appreciate it if Freepers could share their experience with and/or opinion of GoFundMe. I have a friend who has just lost his job due to a freak, sudden health condition and he will probably lose his house. He has worked for his employer for over 20 years and lost he ability to walk last year due to FND (Functional Neurological Disorder).I have never done GOFundMe before. Is there any alternative that is better? Appreciate your advice.

Hollywood filmmaker-actor Rob Reiner is taking aim at Christians who support former President Donald Trump, saying he doesn’t understand how anyone who believes in the teachings of Jesus Christ could vote for Trump. Rob Reiner fired off his salvo in an X post on Tuesday. “Jesus told us to do unto others as you would have them do unto you. How in God’s name can anyone who believes in the teachings of Jesus support Donald Trump?” he wrote. Jesus told us to do unto others as you would have them do unto you. How in God’s name can anyone who...

Claudia Paulk published a book about the trauma she suffered after a coerced abortion. Pregnant With A Baby She Wanted Paulk’s parents were Christians and very active in their church. She became pregnant at 19. Her boyfriend responded with “joy and positive emotions.” They both wanted the baby. A few days after the pregnancy test, the couple went out. Paulk says: It was one of the only wonderful memories I had of my pregnancy because it was the last time I was joyful about becoming a mother. For a moment, everything seemed blissful as I felt confident about my life...

A Christian instructor of a faith-based rehabilitation program intended for male inmates is challenging a Minnesota correctional facility's cancellation of the class over its complementarian teachings on marriage and gender. Anthony Schmitt and his colleague, Bruce Robinson, taught a class called "The Quest for Authentic Manhood" from 2012 to 2023 at the Minnesota Correctional Facility in St. Cloud. According to a lawsuit filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of Minnesota on Monday, Schmitt received an email on July 2023 from DOC Assistant Commissioner Jolene Rebertus informing him that he could no longer teach the class following a...

(Liberty Counsel) A recent study by a pro-life research group has revealed that nearly 10 percent of colleges and universities affiliated with Christian churches, which publicly claim a historical Christian faith in their founding, have maintained a relationship with the abortion industry or have publicly expressed support for abortion. The study, conducted by Students for Life of America’s (SFLA) Demetree Institute for Pro-Life Advancement, stated the overturning of Roe v. Wade in June 2022 forced Christian colleges into a “decision year” regarding taking an official stance on abortion. The results showed that 76 out of the 767 Christian colleges investigated...

The Muslim holiday known as Eid al-Fitr could become an official state holiday in Pennsylvania. House Bill 1752, sponsored by a trio of Democrat representatives in the Philadelphia area, would provide “for the annual designation and holiday observance of the first day of the Islamic lunar month of Shawwal as Eid al-Fitr Day in this Commonwealth.” Eid al-Fitr, one of two major Muslim holidays, is celebrated at the end of Ramadan, a month of intermittent fasting and religious observances. According to a House memo, the holiday “includes two to three days of celebrations, and it begins with a special prayer...

The “patriarchal white Christian nationalist platform” closely resembles Nazism, especially because of its opposition to abortion, LGBT Nation asserted this week. In the essay titled “Today’s white Christian nationalists are looking more and more like Nazis,” Warren Blumenfeld states that Christian conservatives who oppose abortion are peddling an agenda that is “scarily similar to Nazi ideology. “Though I rarely offer comparisons between the German Third Reich’s ascension to power and the contemporary United States – since to do so could trivialize one of the most horrific episodes in human history – I am nonetheless haunted by certain parallels that demand...

The Greatest Gift at Christmas is not material gifts or possessions, but is found in the ETERNAL RIGHTEOUS Person of the Lord Jesus Christ, the Word of Almighty God become Flesh (John 1:1,2,14)! John 3:16. FOR GOD - the greatest RIGHTEOUS Giver! SO LOVED - the greatest pouring out! THE WORLD - the greatest prisoners! THAT HE GAVE - the greatest GIFT! HIS ONLY BEGOTTEN SON - THE GREATEST Love! THAT WHOSOEVER - the greatest reciprocate! BELIEVETH - the greatest act of the will! IN HIM - the greatest provision! SHOULD NOT PERISH - the greatest guarantee! BUT - the...

Christian colleges' support for abortion and Planned Parenthood increased by 10% since 2021, and one in 10 have maintained some relationship with America's largest abortion provider, according to a study released by a national pro-life group. Students for Life of America's Demetree Institute for Pro-Life Advancement recently assessed 767 colleges and universities affiliated with Christian churches in the United States as part of the pro-life group's "Christian Schools Project."SFLA's Strategic Initiatives Team spearheaded the research. Outreach for the study was conducted between Nov. 1 and 30. The list of schools was compiled using Niche's 2024 Best Christian Colleges in America...

In a deeply distressing incident, a beautiful church in Los Angeles fell victim to arson just hours before their community toy drive, marking a devastating blow to the local Christian community. The deliberate destruction of this sacred place, now deemed a “total loss,” adds to the growing concern about the challenges and threats faced by Christians. Shockingly, a London church experienced an act of religious insensitivity as a Muslim individual reportedly tore down the cross, symbolizing a disheartening lack of respect for religious diversity and coexistence. These events underscore the urgency of addressing rising incidents of hostility towards Christian communities...

Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage. Galatians 5:1 The latest name they are calling patriots is Christian Nationalists which the National Socialist Party claims is the new term for Nazis. These are the new term for Domestic Terrorists which gives the Alphabet Agencies the right to spy and jail in the name of national security. These radical Christian Nationalist are being vilified the same way they have dehumanized the Tea Party, the Deplorables, and of course MAGA supporters. You are not an American if...

Joe Biden wants to effectively ban Christians from adopting children in the foster care system.Biden wants to essentially ban Christians from adopting foster care children based on their religious beliefs and opposition to radical LGBTQ ideology. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has proposed a new rule that would prohibit families who do not support LGBTQ ideology from caring for foster children.According to the Social Security Act, federally funded foster care agencies must provide “safe and proper care” for foster children. The United States Administration for Children and Families (ACF), a division within HHS, proposed that foster families meet...

Trad Catholic Family Dragged Out of Home at Gunpoint, Locked in Van After FBI ‘Goaded’ Teen to Post Offensive Memes, Dad SaysA traditional Catholic family was allegedly “dragged out of their home at gunpoint, handcuffed and locked in a van” earlier this year after the FBI “goaded” their 15-year-old son to post “offensive memes” online. The teen, a volunteer firefighter and altar boy, was then hospitalized on mental health pretenses, according to his father, Jeremiah Rufini.The FBI’s aggressive “investigation” only resulted in a misdemeanor conviction against the boy for breach of peace, but financially devastated the family with substantial legal...

Christianity Today blames the decline of church attendance among liberals on Trump. An article titled Trump-Era Controversies Had a Measurable Effect on Church Attendance at Christianity Today presents church attendance data from researcher, Ryan Burge, and posits a direct correlation between the Trump presidency and a marked decrease in church attendance among Democrats, particularly moderates and left-leaning evangelicals. This theory, presented rather speculatively, suggests that Trump’s election and subsequent actions created a “ripple effect” in American society, alienating self-described Democrats from their congregations and further imples that the political climate under Trump was so polarizing that it led to a...

You may be surprised, but Hamas does not call for only killing Jews and eliminating Israel. If you are Christian, a member of another religion or even participate in your local Rotary club or the Lions, Hamas also considers you an enemy, too.

In the coming decade, Carl Trueman wrote recently, every single church still calling itself Christian will face a choice: Do we follow Scriptural revelation, or the Sexual Revolution? Catechism, or culture? In the world, or of the world? The cross, or the rainbow flag? Mainline Protestantism has, for the most part, cast its lot in with the LGBT movement, with their clergy serving primarily as a convenient way for LGBT activists to accuse pastors who still hold to Christian orthodoxy of bigotry. (If those Christians can cave and still call themselves Christian, why can’t you?) These days, you can identify...