Selasphorus

amen and amen

very nice

first couple of times i stood in front of a human-shaped target, it took a minute before i could even pull the trigger.....

Actually, she did hit him in the head. Source yep, and farther down the article states: "Channel 2’s Amy Napier Viteri learned from Chapman late Friday night that Slater has been placed on a ventilator and suffers from punctured lungs, a punctured liver and a punctured stomach." maybe it's just me, but for some reason, i don't think all 5 shots were in the head/neck. and if they were, well now that's some fancy shooting there, i don't care who you are...

I'll start. Television. I'll add consumerism. Speaking from Australian matters. cool start i think. i'll throw in the breakdown of the family unit, with both parents working and taking a less-active part in their children's daily lives.

I'll start. Television. I'll add consumerism. Speaking from Australian matters. such as in product advertising presented in a fantasy setting that doesn't represent the "real world," programs where no one works at a job but everyone drives a luxury auto/sports car, lives in a million-dollar home, eats breakfast/lunch/dinner in a 5-star restaurant, everyone "needs" the latest, greatest, most expensive new items released in the marketplace, alcohol/drug consumption is a daily part of modern-day life, etc.?

I'll start. Television. as in something like the decline of moral values as depicted in programs, such as less censoring of profane language, sexual activity, increasing acceptance (promotion?) of lesbian/gay/bisexual/transgender lifestyles, extreme bias/opinion in news reporting/commentary on current events, etc.?

she should learn to aim. 5 shots to the heart or head and he'd have been lying right there waiting for the coroner...

yes, when i was younger we had all sorts of programs for youth, and even as i got older, i was involved in a church with a dynamic singles ministry. it makes a BIG difference. i think there are soooooo many reasons for the slide away from God. it would be interesting to try to compile a list of factors that may be contributing to America's growing apostasy.

This week, Morning Edition explores the "nones" — Americans who say they don't identify with any religion. Demographers have given them this name because when asked to identify their religion, that's their answer: "none." http://www.wlrn.org/...on-growth-nones

As a scientist, you should be a bit more observant. My gender is included in my profile next to my posts. Don't you think you should be paying a little more attention to details before calling a female a "brother"? Thank you for your nice little boast, but I am a biologist, too. Please don't assume I haven't been using my brain and reasoning in what I believe. No, I did not skip those. Rather, I was pointing out the section I wanted you to focus on. And it seems you do have a hard time with God's holiness and righteousness, else you wouldn't have completely ignored those verses in your response. Yes there is salvation for those that believe and repent. But what of those who do not? Sure, but what does this have to do with supporting the defense of abortion? dear nebula, i apologize for my error in referring to you as brother. however, by doing so i illustrated one of my own points in a previous post. i was not boasting about work that i have done. i was trying to help folks know/understand a bit more about me. i apologize for offending you. although i cannot see where i specifically addressed that you did not use your brain, i apologize for offending you. i have no difficulty at all with God's holiness and righteousness, thanks for your concern. Revelation 22:21 (KJV) 21 The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen.

yes, me too. her voice touches my heart every time i hear her.

That's not the point and you know it so please don't siderail the conversation because it paints this Leftist President in an unpleasant light. This is what Leftists do every time they gain power in the world and have done throughout history. They murder the defenseless. The old, the infirmed, and those who have no advocate. So because it is the Law of the land we, CHRISTIANS, should stand idly by and watch the devestating consequences of satans rage against women and children? What's your stance on a lost generation? What's your stance on 1 million abortions in 3 years of a Presidential Administration? What's your stance on this President presiding over a three fold increase monetarily and practically in the taxpayer funded killing/murder of a generation? i'm curious to know my friend, in light of your comments, what should we do with this Scripture? Romans 13:1-7 (NKJV) 1 Let every soul be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and the authorities that exist are appointed by God. 2 Therefore whoever resists the authority resists the ordinance of God, and those who resist will bring judgment on themselves. 3 For rulers are not a terror to good works, but to evil. Do you want to be unafraid of the authority? Do what is good, and you will have praise from the same. 4 For he is God’s minister to you for good. But if you do evil, be afraid; for he does not bear the sword in vain; for he is God’s minister, an avenger to execute wrath on him who practices evil. 5 Therefore you must be subject, not only because of wrath but also for conscience’ sake. 6 For because of this you also pay taxes, for they are God’s ministers attending continually to this very thing. 7 Render therefore to all their due: taxes to whom taxes are due, customs to whom customs, fear to whom fear, honor to whom honor.

"Why would desire to share the "other side's" thoughts on account of some "baiting"? Have you seen the debates with the posters he was addressing?" no, haven't seen other debates, as they weren't part of this particular thread. as far as why i'd share, the lack of the other background you mention left me with nothing but the OP in this thread. i didn't realize it was a vendetta that had overflowed from another thread. "Odd question to ask. Consider: hmmm, wonder what Jesus would do with all the racists? hmmm, wonder what Jesus would do with all the drug dealers? hmmm, wonder what Jesus would do with all the pimps? hmmm, wonder what Jesus would do with all the greedy?" 4 more good questions. what do you think? are these offenses of similar nature to the adulteress? adultery wasn't a crime under Roman law (the law of the land,) it was a fairly accepted practice. it was a violation of Jewish law, which was subject to Roman law. the greedy are already assured of their reward according to the Word i read, but greed that results in Ponzi schemes or other fraud/theft is prosecutable. racism in conjunction with other "criminal" behavior can be prosecuted as a "hate crime" in US courts. pimping and drug-dealing are illegal activities and prosecutable under US law. and Christ can forgive any of those if they;re truly repentant, but we're still instructed to obey the law of the land and be subject to it. lots of folks get right with God in prison. "Why are you asking these questions? Do you want us to be more angry at these people than we are grief-stricken and angered at the millions of innocent lives sacrificed through abortion?" wow, you miss the last of my post? what is it with people that only see what they want, and ignore the most important things? i'm not advocating you or anyone else be angry with anybody. where did you come up with that from the following? "there's always more to a story than just one side, and i'm not called to be a judge. i'm told that if someone offends me, forgive them; not just once or twice, but 70 times 7. i'm told the be in the world, but not of it. i'm commanded to represent Christ to the best of my ability and proclaim and defend His Gospel of salvation based on God's long-suffering, unfathomable love. i'm not supposed to be about throwing stones, regardless of situation or circumstance." the narrative i read was all about a politically motivated conservative "Christian" republican viewpoint; the lead-in specifically asked about Obama followers, can't be much more political than that. and that's scary, given people like Akin with his ridiculous "legitimate rape" (do you believe there is legitimate rape?) and absolutely preposterous, completely false (Christians aren't supposed to be purveyors of falsehoods, but are to revel in the TRUTH) reproductive shut-down explanation. we're also admonished to "study to show thyself approved" so we can speak intelligently on a subject. but in the last days many false prophets will be about with their false doctrines (teaching) and the folks with "itching ears" will eat that stuff up, or so the Word of God i read states. but maybe i don't understand plain words, or the sad, pathetic state of the politicians our once-great nation currently has installed. "Would you defend a rapist with this argument? Or a wife beater? Or an animal abuser?" there you go again. i'm not a lawyer defending anybody. all of those are criminal acts, prosecutable under US laws. while adultery is, i believe, a sin, it's not a crime in the US. in fact, it may not even be grounds for divorce anymore in some states, whereas the Word states it's the only grounds for divorce. i'm an advocate for eternal salvation thru Jesus Christ. and while God's forgiveness knows no bounds, the consequences of one's actions are something an individual has to accept. if you're convicted of breaking the law of the land, expect to pay the price. "But don't forget what follows:" heed your own advice, brother. you sorta conveniently skipped verse 17 and 21: 17For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved. 21 But he that doeth truth cometh to the light, that his deeds may be made manifest, that they are wrought in God. i'm in the Light, not hiding from anyone or thing. the Lord gave me a brain and the capacity to learn. i worked for years as a biology field researcher, where you have to put aside as much as you are able your beliefs/perceptions and concentrate on being as objective as possible. it's tough to do, for as you believe, so you perceive, and vice-versa. you have to consider everything possible that might influence the results of a test or experiment relating to a particular subject of study, then try to evaluate how much those factors may influence your observations. and in science as well as in everyday life, we make assumptions that may or may not be correct. the real world is not all cut and dried. many folks who may mean well take a superficial view of something and based on their beliefs/perceptions formulate their own "truths" which may or may not be supported by factual evidence. and when they encounter something that contradicts their mindset, they reject it, because it makes them uncomfortable. lots of folks make decisions based on inadequate knowledge of facts or data, and some by ignoring or twisting the facts to support their idea of how things should be. and when that happens, ultimately no one benefits. a truth for all of us who will admit can be found here: 1 Corinthians 13:12 12 For now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face: now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known.

me, too. actually listened to the Gaither Trio (Bill, Gloria and Danny) as a kid. my mom sang and played piano for the church, so we had exposure to plenty of mostly gospel music, and most of us (7 kids) learned to carry a tune fairly well. Bill G. is an amazing man, and in addition to writing some wonderful songs has brought together a host of phenomenal talent in his lifetime. his work with GVB defined the "quartet sound." i'm a fan of every incarnation of the group. gbu, too!

hehehe, yeah. good music is always good music. i loved this album. i'll see if i can find another song from it. she has quite a gift, such an amazing voice and vocal range, i think i read somewhere around 4 octaves. and can sing in any style...

amen. beautiful song

This is the 'relative' excuse that is always given, and it's 100% bogus. May as well use the same excuse for just about any bad behavior and just go ahead and make it legal then, just because someone, somewhere will do it. It is absolutely making an excuse for abortion. You are either against something like this or you are not. There is no in between and there is no gray area. I was a licensed Foster Care parent in the state of Missouri for 10 years, and I adopted 2 children. There are more people wanting to adopt children and give them a good home than there are children aborted, so your rational fails at that point. All your arguments are from a standpoint of trying to say abortion is ok because it is somehow relative to some other behavior. It is either a sin to kill an innocent, unborn child, or it isn't. None of the other things you tried to inject into the conversation to rationalize or excuse the practice work, or carry any weight. brother, you see what you want to see. once you get that beam out of your eye, pull the splinter out of mine. i clearly stated my position on abortion (see my immediate previous post,) yet you take off and pervert my words to be an argument in support of the practice, when it was clearly stated that was not their intent. bad dog, no biscuit.

whoa, calm down tiger, easy boy, easy. i saw the baiting going on with the first posts in the thread and after clearly stating my position, sought to offer what may be some of the "other side's" thoughts. they also may not be, as i'm not in that camp. did you bother to even read the opening and closing comments of my post? i believe i clearly stated my position: "not apologizing or making a case for the practice, just sayin'." "as i stated earlier, it's killing a human in my opinion. no doubt in my mind." are my words not clear? is there any ambiguity (ambiguity = doubtfulness or uncertainty as regards interpretation) in the statement "not apologizing or making a case for the practice"? i don't believe my statements were too subtlety worded, especially the first line, but i could be wrong. i don't see any justification for wholesale abortion on demand anywhere in my personal opinion. and you want me to imagine standing before Christ with dead babies in my arms? dear Heavenly Father, what spirit did that come from, brother? nowhere can i see where i condoned or defended abortion, initially it would appear i clearly stated my position to the contrary, then mentioned some of the thought processes and circumstances that may be involved there, as well as what can readily be interpreted as hypocritical thinking on some folks' part, i.e. do as i say, and then do the best you can with what you have to work with. have you yourself personally offered to save any unborn children by adopting? have you personally offered to help support a teenage mom who chooses to give birth? it's pretty easy to smite one's breast and self-righteously pontificate, especially when one doesn't personally have any skin in the game. people in desperate situations often perform desperate acts. some will even take their own lives as their solution. however, i believe i would defend a woman's right to abortion in the case of an ectopic pregnancy (or any other condition that endangers her life,) as well as rape or incest. i don't believe rape or incest are of God, but of the devil. just my opinion. hmmm, wonder what Jesus would do with all the abortionists? does He condone assassinating doctors or blowing up abortion clinics? would He talk about "legitimate rape" or make up a story about how a woman's body shuts down its reproductive capacity in the case of rape? would He resort to inflammatory statements or commentary in an attempt to shame the lost or confused? or might there be some inkling of consideration in how He handled the situation of a woman caught in the act of adultery: John 8:7 (KJV) 7So when they continued asking him, he lifted up himself, and said unto them, He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone at her. and then to the guilty party: John 8:11 (KJV) 11She said, No man, Lord. And Jesus said unto her, Neither do I condemn thee: go, and sin no more. there's always more to a story than just one side, and i'm not called to be a judge. i'm told that if someone offends me, forgive them; not just once or twice, but 70 times 7. i'm told the be in the world, but not of it. i'm commanded to represent Christ to the best of my ability and proclaim and defend His Gospel of salvation based on God's long-suffering, unfathomable love. i'm not supposed to be about throwing stones, regardless of situation or circumstance. obviously it's all way, way beyond my simplistic level of understanding. after all, i'm still blown away by John 3:16...

ok, i'll jump in the deep end. i'm not a dem or repub; i'm a born-again Christian independent American. and i believe abortion is killing a human. i majored in biology, and once a sperm and egg unite and mitosis begins, that's just a developmental stage of a human being; it's not a virus, puppy, fish, etc. it's a human. but, and this a big BUT, i'm a white male, and history has clearly demostrated we in the collective have a propensity to tell others just how they should live their lives, whether we follow our own instruction or not. but, humans are humans and have been ever since Adam and Eve. we will pervert anything to suit our own desires or notions of expediency. humans normally are selfish, and if abortion is outlawed, the practice will go back to backroom butchering, or in a seedy motel, or even someone's kitchen, in completely unsanitary conditions and performed by individuals with questionable skills. not apologizing or making a case for the practice, just sayin'. also, how many folks so vehemently opposed to abortion are lined up to adopt those unborn children? how many of you are willing to adopt those babies if they're carried to term, and how many of them are you willing to adopt? i worked in a retail shop while attending college, and each year the anti-abortion crowds would line the streets for a day in protest. in 5 yrs, no one i asked on that day (some of us made it a point to engage the folks in conversation, not in a confrontational way) was willing to adopt or even help support one of those babies. or do you think it's better that perhaps a mere child herself be forced to give birth to a child that she's woefully unable to care for properly? most repubs are yelling about the need to cut out present "entitlement" programs, so how is such a child to be supported by a mother that can't even support herself? a recent survey found that a person working for minimum wage in the US will have to work 170 hrs/week to afford average rental housing based on fair market rental values. there are only 168hrs in a week. who's going to provide housing, and feed and clothe the child? provide child care so the mother can work, assuming she can find gainful employment? provide health care for it? educate it so hopefully it can rise above the social stratum its born into and become a productive, contributing member of society? want to argue that the dad should be engaged in supporting the child? good luck; there are even good conservative repub members of Congress delinquent in their child support payments. if i were a betting man, i'd wager that everyone of you knows a deadbeat dad or two. it's a freaking epidemic. further, how many good Christians/conservatives/repubs have hush-hushed abortions? i personally know of several. (as an aside, every one of the women i know that had an abortion regretted it later on, even if they were ok with it at the time they had it, and some ended up having multiple children once they married.) there's another, more global aspect in that we're approaching the human carrying capacity of the planet at current rates of resource consumption, but who cares about that? as i stated earlier, it's killing a human in my opinion. no doubt in my mind. but we live in a crazy, mixed-up world, and it's not getting any more sane. at least they're not still crucifying Christians, or running the Inquisition. the tide is against us, as it has always been for true believers, and God's Word promises we ain't seen nothing yet...

praise God for your improvement, my brother. i couldn't help but think of this Scripture: Hebrews 13:1,2 (KJV) 1Let brotherly love continue.2 Be not forgetful to entertain strangers: for thereby some have entertained angels unawares.

You seem to believe that suffering on earth removes the consequences of breaking God's laws. It doesn't. God is love - that is true- but God is also a God of justice, and He cannot let the guilty go unpunished. Do you have a problem with a human judge sentencing a criminal to life in prison, or to death, for a heinous crime? Know that all sin is directed against a HOLY and eternal God, and it is eternally offensive to Him. It deserves an eternal punishment. Hell wasn't created to rehabilitate. It was created for punishment. It just sounds too harsh coming from a God of love. I'd take life in prison or a death sentence over eternal flesh burning fire anytime. No "human being" would think of such a cruel sentence for anyone. If God's love is stronger than a human being then why would He come up with such a cruel sentence not even a human being could think of? When it comes to the punishment of those who spit in God's face by turning down His pardon, paid for by His suffering and blood, God didn't ask for our opinion. You may not believe in a God who would punish someone eternally in Hell, but by doing so, you are simply committing idolatry. You are creating a god in your mind who is "too loving" to demand such harsh justice. Are you aware just how serious God takes sin? Even ONE sin committed by us is enough to condemn us forever. God says to enter His heaven we must be PERFECT. Jesus said that if your hand causes you to sin, CUT IT OFF, because it is better to enter heaven maimed than to enter hell with both hands. He said if your eye causes you to sin, PLUCK IT OUT. Because it is far better to enter heaven with one eye than to have both of your eyes and be thrown into hell. Or are those passages also ones you feel are "mistranslated?" You can't pick and choose what you want to believe from Scripture. Either it's all true, or it's all fiction. How do you handle Scripture when it speaks of God destroying entire cities? Or having entire people groups killed right down to their livestock because of their sin? God killed Ananias and Sapphira for telling one lie! Or do you believe God was "too loving" to do that as well? Read the book of Revelation sometime, and see how much of the world will perish through the judgments of God. You can't separate God's Holiness from His JUSTICE. And you are creating a God of fear... and you are ignoring what God says in the Bible amen, brother. Matthew 7:15 (KJV) 15 Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves.

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amazing pity, grace unknown, and love beyond degree...