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I tend to be like that if I see what appears to be gossip. When you come from a family(blood and inlaws alike/coming from both sides) who do nothing but point out your past mistakes, you tend to jump to anyone's defence when you see this happening to them as well. Even Jesus, our example, made people up in His parables. He never singled anyone out unless it was for good or in groups(ie:Pharisees). We're all human, we've all gossiped. This is a Christian forum, though, "light of the world"...everything typed here is permanent and viewable to the whole world. Condoning worldly and sinnful behavior like slander opens that door of weakened morality. Testimonies of one's own life and about one's own self is better reading than most "news" today. Unless a person is affecting your life personally, the conversation leans towards gossip and slander when spoken negetively rather than constructively. How many times can a person use the excuse, "this is what not to do" before it becomes an excessive habit that fills everyone participating with a polluted heart? Better to avoid it alltogether. "Yay and nay" in situations of judgement or gossip.

"Wives, submit yourselves to your husbands" What if he's aware you are trying to be a good Christian and he is clearly not a Christian and is taking full advantage of your wanting to obey all of the rules, particularly in the NT. I know only Christ's blood will save us, but He does say to do our best and some NT books declare this standard of spousal submission. Lets just say my husband fills our living room with garbage TV every day and is subjecting the entire household to the end results of this mental destruction. His response to my objections would be, "Just because you watch things like this, doesn't mean it will influence your behavior." My theory on that is, your brain is like a sponge, only you can never squeeze out what you put into it. Soaking up a little dirt is something that sometimes happens whether we allow it or not, but mopping the entire dirty side of TV(in this case) willingly, can leave us without room for anything good to absorb and rest in by the end of the day. Years of this accumulation can have the same impact as would eating cheeseburgers to your arteries. His reply, "There is medication for arteries now that can undo the damage." This reminds me of the scenerio of the Christian who thinks they can go through life sinning and quickly get redemption in the end. My question is, should a wife just shut up and take this form of socially acceptable abuse because she is in subjection to her husband? edit: my husband did give permission for me to post this.

I played the slander card.

I read the Bible but believe my personal salvation came last year. This is when I truely "got to know God" on a personal level. Still making mistakes and learning, though, as all of us.

Judgement?? Where? We're not judging but discussing Calling a person stupid for anything is passing judgement on that person's(the unfortunate mother's in this case) intelligence. When I see that word used, I find it sad. I see it as a judgement call by someone not given this right. Jesus said, "call no man a fool" and that if you do, you are in danger of Hell fire. He said it, not me. I just like jumping to the defence of anyone, here or not, being gossiped about. It's a flaw of mine and I'm sorry.

"Judge not, lest ye be judged" Mark 7:21-23 "For from within, out of men's hearts, come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, greed, slander, arrogance, and folly. All these evils come from inside a man and make a man 'unclean'." Slander is not nice. edit:I didn't read anything there on someone being "stupid". Pretty sure you won't find "stupid" in the Bible anywhere as a definition of sin, either, other than a defense(and that's O.T.).

This same net(anti-conversion) is making its way around America as well. America, being such a "good religious country", is just much sneakier about it's snares. The gossip news forum seems to get a lot more replies then the Christian News...why? (keyword:religious)

Wow. Nothing like a judgement thread to keep out would-be Christians here.

I agree completely with the "once to die" part, but since scripture doesn't tell us the "who" part about the two witnesses, why is it such a mission for so many people to try and figure out when there are people in this world who've never even heard of Jesus yet. We're all feeling the pressure of the end(personal theory) and in mass confusion we seek as many answers to as many questions as we can possibly think of to avoid what we really should be doing which is gathering the lost.

Solomon said, "there is nothing new under the sun". Obviously, times have changed man's toys, but that's about all that's changed. God hasn't. Satan hasn't. The battle between good and evil looks the same to me all around the Bible and nowadays. I do believe we're nearing the end of the timeline, as God spoke through His prophets already. This is the part where everyone runs around seeking knowledge. At an accelerated rate like a ball nearing the bottom of a hill. Luke 12:36-40 "...for the Son of man cometh when ye think not." I, personally, am just clinging to Jesus' hem as He leads me through this chaos called "life".

I personally don't think it even matters whether or not these two people still have their "earthly bodies"... as if God is constrained like that. As if He couldn't just make a new body for any given soul He chooses to do His will. This is one of the reasons God showed Ezekiel what He showed him in Ezekiel 37:1-14. People who put restrictions on God's capabilities should re-read Hebrews 11. Just because God is allowing man to understand certain things, man always thinks he knows "it all" in the end. John the Babtist was not Elijah but Jesus said Elijah has come. Matthew 11:14"..if ye will recieve it, this is Elijah, which was for to come."-Jesus, KJV Matthew 12:38-45 This goes along with Paul's "for we wrestle not" mentality. When did we conform and forget what we're really involved with here as "strangers in a strange land"?

I was always under the impression we were made in the image of God but constantly under the suggestive arrows of satan. And decision to believe in Jesus to be our savior is what gains us the title of children of God. This vision seems like the parable in Matthew 13:24-43 to me, the one about the seeds sown. The gator is the one who tries to steal the "seed" from a newborn Christian and this particular Christian had a little help from the one who threw the seeds down to begin with(the rescuing lion). The cannonball are the good choices made after salvation and the pebble is the choice to believe in Jesus.

Turning down the contrast and brightness is helpful. I, personally, have a bit of a hard time trusting text online to be 100% accurate and unchangeable. I have a program on my computer right now that was created specifically for changing/overwriting any kind of text. (the only reasons i DLed it was to study it, never used it, plus it was free) KJV1611 is my favorite Bible but I also use NIV. NewKJV is nice as well. Any Bible you read seeking God first can only lead you to who you seek.