Free Republic

I left almost exactly a year ago — came to Texas. While I miss the beaches and my folks, I love having a job, sane politics, low taxes, low cost of living, etc.

My blood pressure would have boiled if I were still in CA after seeing Brown become governor! With 12%+ unemployment, and a housing market that is getting worse and worse ... I’m really glad I left. A lot of my friends are struggling to find a job.

I fail to see how they are trashing the church?

Are you seriously trying to equate Christian Scientists to Protestants?

Even though the soteriology of some of those other groups differ, most of them hold to the solas of the Reformation.

Have a lot of denominations fallen into error? Absolutely. And thus begins the rise of Evangelical non-denominational Christianity.

Why are these men being rehired?

Yes, there is forgiveness in Christ, but to protect the body — one should no longer be allowed to be a pastor or priest after this sort of evil. The Bible’s pretty clear about the sort of character required for an overseer.

Ping for later reading.

Professing to be wise, they became fools.

Who are these folks, and what is their track record for polling?

Have they taken this same poll over the last few years. In particular, I’d be curious to see the results of such a poll from them in 2008. I certainly do not think 46% of Americans are identifying themselves as Conservative.

I tend to tread lightly in these particular apologetics wars, because I do look at many in the RC church as Brothers in Christ.

But I've always thought Galatians 2 summed up a lot of my difficulties with the idea of a Pope. I love that Paul felt like he could rebuke Peter without being dragged to a tribunal of some sort. That Peter had the humility to understand that he was wrong (especially in light of 2 Peter 3:15) and change his ways is inspiring. And the final charge of Paul's, "I do not set aside the grace of God, for if righteousness could be gained through the law, Christ died for nothing!" Very passionate, and logically sound. I love it.

11 When Peter came to Antioch, I opposed him to his face, because he was clearly in the wrong. 12 Before certain men came from James, he used to eat with the Gentiles. But when they arrived, he began to draw back and separate himself from the Gentiles because he was afraid of those who belonged to the circumcision group. 13 The other Jews joined him in his hypocrisy, so that by their hypocrisy even Barnabas was led astray. 14 When I saw that they were not acting in line with the truth of the gospel, I said to Peter in front of them all, “You are a Jew, yet you live like a Gentile and not like a Jew. How is it, then, that you force Gentiles to follow Jewish customs? 15 “We who are Jews by birth and not ‘Gentile sinners’ 16 know that a man is not justified by observing the law, but by faith in Jesus Christ. So we, too, have put our faith in Christ Jesus that we may be justified by faith in Christ and not by observing the law, because by observing the law no one will be justified. 17 “If, while we seek to be justified in Christ, it becomes evident that we ourselves are sinners, does that mean that Christ promotes sin? Absolutely not! 18 If I rebuild what I destroyed, I prove that I am a lawbreaker. 19 For through the law I died to the law so that I might live for God. 20 I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. 21 I do not set aside the grace of God, for if righteousness could be gained through the law, Christ died for nothing!”

Ping for later reading.

Awesome. I wonder if China blacklists Bible websites that have the Bible in almost every translation and language? Like biblegateway.com?

LOL

LOL. You ask for something nonsensical like satellite imagery, then you get huffy at others. You have no leg to stand on, and indeed you have no basis for any morality — nor do you or Hitchens have any moral authority.

Christopher Hitchens (like you I’ll take a venture) really wants to convince himself that his life of sin is okay. Deep down I think we all know that it’s wrong.

BTW — unlike the Mormons, none of the Apostles recanted their faith in Christ and all but John died horrific deaths. But you know that.

Uhhh. Didn’t my next-door neighbor evolve from a single cell organism of some kind? Do you dispute that? Shouldn’t we be able to trace him from his current state -> back through time through a series of ancestors back to a single cell progenitor?

You are the one who started the whole thing by asking for satellite imagery of the resurrection. That’s absurd. You know when satellite imagery was invented.

As for the contradictions in the New Testament gospels, they are eyewitness accounts. I don’t think you can get 4 people who saw the same events over a 3 year time span to 100% agree. Which to me makes the idea of the Gospels even more trustworthy as they aren’t robotically identical.

I think the bigger question is — why are you so angry if Hell is imaginary?

Because if we believe in fairy tales (Hell being imaginary, and evidently Jesus is just a psycho) — you should just chill out. Because we’re not asking you to hurt yourself or others to put your trust in Christ.

But I think believing that there is no moral basis for anything we do, other than some vague “it’s good for society” is quite harmful — and has proven harmful wherever Objective Morality is removed from society — which is where Darwinism can lead.

I hope you find peace some day.

Regardless of the fact that no one has a good idea of what Jesus looks like (other than Isaiah 53 — where he is described to be unattractive physically, there’s no physical description of Him in the Bible); what is up with the beer and smokes on a textbook?

Show me a single cell organism evolving into my next door neighbor and you have a deal. (I’m not even hostile to the theory of evolution — but it does meet your definition of an extraordinary claim).

And besides — anyone who saw a resurrected Christ is going to believe, so they’d never meet your definition of an unbiased observer.

Just an observation. I’m not trying to justify my point of view of a risen Christ to you. :)

Oh c’mon — did Obama go back in time and install all these faulty parts and ECUs?

There are lots of us who have seen this day coming with Toyota. They’ve gotten a free ride from the media for decades! Engine sludge problems, faulty camshafts, rusting out tailgates, etc.

If you want a quality Japanese product buy a Honda.
If you want a quality Domestic product buy a Ford.

We got at least 8” last night. My kids were thrilled :)
We also got a snow day at work. Crazy.

I went to college @ 12. Best thing my parents ever did for me. CSULA EEP program.

Wow! New Age Oprah put on a bunch of God fearing women?

I’m speechless.

Good for her.

Yeah, faulty gas pedals and ECMs are the fault of the Obama administration. Right.

And perhaps that engine sludge problem was just Obama’s plot to get them.

And perhaps the rusted tailgates. That too was Obama.

Come on, car enthusiasts have known for some time now that Toyota’s quality hype was just that — hype. If they got the same bad press that the Domestic auto manufacturers got for their recalls...

If you want a quality product, I suggest looking elsewhere.