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Etharyn, the response I typically hear is that Christian charities or independent charities should take on the role of hellping the the poor and needy. Christians have neither the capacity or the will to adequately take on this responsibility, Without the role of government we would descend to Dickensian conditions, However Christians should and are enjoined by scripture to help the needy, especially other Christians in need.

Robin Hood, I essentially agree with you and discuss this in some depth on Christian Forums under Politics, then General Political Discussion, on the second page under a thread I started titled "A Chrisitan Economy". On that forum I am known as Only a Sojourner. I agree with many of Mr Sanders stands on economic issues. I have difficulty with his position on Christian social issues, eg, gay marriage & abortion. You will find scant support for Bernie Sanders views on this forum. Certain types of views tend to go together and support for socialism, or even Keynsian economics do not go together with conservative Christian moral values in the US. The reasons are largely soicological- historical and not based on any intinsic logic. Unfortunately I do not have the time to discuss this subject in depth at this time on this forum. However if you are interested check out the other forum where I was engaged in an extended dialogue on the subject. My views are quite atypical although not entirely unique.

Much of the media seems to think that opposition to gay mariage among evangelicals will recede and evaporate as an issue and most evangelicals will adapt to changing norms. Much as acceptance of slavery disaapeared among Christians years ago. Many evangelical congegations and organizations are presumably softening their opposition to gay mariage. Moreover the Christian Right once an important source of support for the Republican Party is becoming an albatross weakening the party's ability to attract voters in a general election. What do you think?

As I have stated in the past Chrisitianity is being marginalized in the West. The situation is more advanced in Europe. But even America is rapidly becoming post-Christian. There will be persecution. Money is a god that many people bow before. Will Churches, Christian colleges and social service agencies compromise if they lose their funding or tax exempt status over hiring and other discrimination issues? Christians will no longer be perceived as having a holier then thou attitude but equated with racists, lacking tolerance and taking the moral low road.. Have no doubt that the battle will be taken to Christian agencies, organizarions and churches. How will you stand amidst the pressure? Will you compromise at your job when you have a family to support and a career to protect or a degree you need to complete at college. Gay marriage is only once issue but I believe that Christian values iand Christianity is itself in decline and under attack and these changes will become more pervasive. Witness the increasing crudity and anti-Chrsitian bias on television, the continuous testing of limits. What will be next? Legalized prostitution, nudity on television, public nudity, pollygamy, bending legislation on child abuse? Does this seem far fetched? Perhaps the Supreme Court legalizing gay marriage would have seemed far fetched 10 years ago. In the brave new world of the future you may believe in Christian principles and may be able to speak your mind to your family and among certain freinds but it will become increasingly taboo in the wider society.

Just after the collapse of communism there was an article in our local paper about the large number of Russian pentecostals which had settled in my home town over the previous decade. The community had a prophecy that the democratic reforms in Russia would not last and would be followed by another repressive government. No time line was given. I loaned the article to a friend specifically asking for it to be returned but it was thrown away. But I always remembered the prophecy. Recent events in Russia cause me to reflect on that prophecy.

I agree with you ayn jade, the climate of Greenland cooled causing the early Viking community there to perish and migrate. The period from about 1300 to the early 19'th century was cooler and is someimes referred to as the Little Ice Age. Climate is not static and does change over time.

The world is heating up. The 10 hottest years golbally have all occurred since 2008. Changes are not simply cyclical. Climate does change over time. Early acounts of weather and climate, by people like Jefferson and Thoreau on climate, seasonal changes and vegetation are very helpful in pirecing together a picture of conditions during ealier periods. The world was a cooler place then. The period ending in the early 19'th century is often referred to as the Little Ice Age. The year 1816 was especially significant with unusually early and late frosts unseasonal snowfalls, caused by a volcanic eruption in the East Indies. Crops failed people migrated west church attendance climbed.

In contrast to persistently chilly Upstate NY southwestern Europe is experiencing an early spring. Paris was 68 F (20C) this afternoon,, a record for the date.

The location where weather readings are taken for various cities will sometimes change. Utica NY the city where I live has records that predate the Civil War but the location where readings are measured has changed a number of times. The current location has a wide diurnal range in temperature. The equipment or method of measurement itself can be faulty. For along time El Azizia Libya was considered to have recorded the highest temperature in the world at 136 in 1922. The record was long suspect because no temperature approaching 136 was ever again recorded around El Azizia. In 2012 the temperature was invalidated and the hottest official world temperature is now considered to be 134 at Greenland Ranch in Death Valley, California. However 159 Fahrenheit was recorded remotely by satellite in the Lut desert in Iran. The desert is uninhabited due to its harsh temperatures and other excessive temperaures have been recorded there remotely.

My memory goes back a ways as well and I was keeping track of weather then as well. Buffalo NY and the Midwest had a couple of winters 1976- 1977 and 1977-1978 of extended cold and heavy lake effect snows. We had snow in the 1970's last as late as the middle of May in patches and in shaded holows at lower elevetions in th Adirondacks around Old Forge and Stillwater until June. Almost every year we would have some snow in May. I haven't seen a snow fall in May here in a ocuple of decades. The last 2 winters here have been cold this one especially.

Climatology is a hobby of mine and I regularly peruse world weather data. There is a wide consensus among meteorloigists that global warming is occurring. The cold weather in the eastern US, especially around Lake Ontario is an anomaly. A number of other areas have been warm with records set in Alaska, the western US and Canada over the last few months. Western Europe has recently been warm, especiallly France, Spain and the UK. Perhaps we can hear from some folks in these and other areas about their respective weather conditions.

My home town of Utica NY (USA) this February experienced the coldest month ever. The average temperature was 7.2 Fahrenheit (-13.8 Celcius) beating the previous coldest day set in 1857 by 2 degrees. Syracuse NY, Rochester NY, Buffalo NY and Toronto, Ontario all had there coldest month ever this February. Departures from normal in regard to coldness/ coolness were greater here then any part of the world recently.

Let me also add in case my intent is misiterpreted that I know through direct experience that that demonic possesion/ oppression are very real and that the occult and eastern religion/ new age are gateways to demonic infestation and attack. They are not to be trifled with. Supernatural phenomena and demonic activity are not restricted to Africa and Asia and the expereinces of missionaries in far flung areas of the globe but occur in the West as well.

I beleieve it is safest to stay away from any practices rooted or associated with Eastern religion as there is a possibility of demonic infestation/ harrassment. Trascendental meditation was original touted as a technique and had a sceientific veneer, but it was rooted in Hindu belief systems.

Firestirmix, Sorry for the delay but I have been busy. What I mean to say is that there is a growing indifference to the things of God as well as an underlying atheism which are growing in the West and that this trend has accelerated. If you are strongly coneected to a church many of your relationships may be church focused and you may not be as aware of these trends. The general acceptance of cohabitation, premarital relationships and homosexaulity as acceptable alternative lifestyles, the increasing, profanity and crudity on television are all evidence of changing mores. This trend is more evident in Europe, especially in certain areas of Europe then in the US.. Our society has become Post-Christian, the culture having become increasingly diverse with Biblicial beliefs becoming one of the many possibilities in a marketplace of ideas to choose from. I certainly do believe in Satan and the demonic as a very real force and have commented on this subject previously in this forum. I have had some direct experience in the past in this area. Although there are certainly people out there who hold New Age beliefs, follow Eastern infuenced philosophies or the occult I believe that their presence and influence in Western society have been exaggerated by some Christians. Their influence may grow greater at a later time as fashions change in what people believe. In the youth culture of the 60's-70's there was a great deal of interest in Eastern metaphysics (Transcendental Meditation, Alan Watts, Baba Rom Dass, Carlos Castaneda, etc). I used some strong imagery concering the declining influence of the Christian Church to emphasize the seriousness and depth of these changes. I also believe that this erosion in Christian beliefs and values is Satanically directed and inspired. Again, I rcommend the book The Great Evangelical Recession by John S Dickerson (2013) by Baker Books which discusses these trends in the US, with considerbale supporting documentation. The book, ebook is readily available at Amazon, Barnes and Noble, etc. The situation in Europe is even more dire. When I speak of largely vacant churches attended by elderly people I am not exagerating especially in respect to Roman Catholic and mainline denomination churches in some European countries.