Trump using the Bible as a prop...

[Episkopos]

The church that uses the bible for a prop is behind Trump who is using the bible for a prop. So the hypocrisy builds on itself. Trump sure knows his supporters. Hypocrisy rules.

 

[CadyandZoe]

The question is how you know it's true. If I hear a story from a source which later turns out to have been wrong, it matters to me where I heard it. If that source refuses to apologize, that's even worse. I believe almost nothing until I see several sources I trust are also reporting the same thing.

I like your approach.

My guess is you are tuned into Trump's tweet and into sources which support what he says. That is what you will hear; and if you hear something different, you conclude the other sources must be lying.

No, actually. I agree with your approach above. I guess I have just assumed that most everyone is selling something. So I have been looking for clues that signal when someone is trying to manipulate me. Discernment takes practice.

I get most of my information from YouTube, looking for unedited raw feed whenever possible. I watch the President speak live or recorded without commentary. I don't wish to have someone explain what the President said or what it means. I am pretty good at understanding what someone says without help. I've seen most of the President's rallies, I have seen many Oval office meetings live. I have seen many Executive order signings, and I follow his executive orders closely. I have seen both of his UN speeches and his speeches to the Polish people, and the Romanians. I have read a lot of the President's Tweets and I have read all of the Q posts.

Having lots of people saying, "This is dangerous to our democracy" has little to do with reporting on factual news that I can see.

Ask yourself why someone might use a megaphone in a crowd. Then marvel at the size of the megaphone held by some people. The videos I referenced demonstrates the size of the megaphone held by a single person. These videos don't represent hundreds of coincidental news broadcasts; these video's represent one voice multiplied one-hundred fold.

Does this at least raise suspicion a bit? We are always impressed when we hear different voices all saying the same thing, but how impressive is it to hear a single voice, one man's opinion, or one woman's opinion spoken mockingbird style all across America? What if all news media is this way? If this one individual has enough money to pay hundreds of people to say, "This is dangerous to our democracy" without showing why, what does this mean for our democracy?

They are expressing the same opinion. That one video was enough for me. Why listen to the rest? When I hear any reporter saying what those were saying, I tune them out. Reporters should stick to facts -- if they want to keep my interest.

Again. I like your thinking and I agree with it.

The problem for the media now is financial. Most local tv stations and newspapers lack the money to do real reporting. The major networks are pressed financially too. Back when I did have cable, CNN did some responsible reporting at the top of each hour when they had real news -- and then the rest of the hour would go to more opinion style talk. I don't know what their format is today since I don't have tv. But I used to see reporters flying to other countries to get information. Very few news outlets can afford to do that very much today.

This is very insightful in my opinion.

The problem I see with papers like the Washington Post and the New York Times is not in their news sections, but in their opinion sections. I don't know why they have those opinion sections. What are they for? And some "liberal" papers are now having trouble with their black journalists because the "opinion" pieces are written almost exclusively by whites.

What color is a soul? What I would like to hear and read are stories and opinions from the perspective of the individual, not representing any particular group, or race. I want to hear personal stories about specific experiences.

YouTube is helpful in this regard.
If you have time, I really enjoyed this interview with Nigerian Guitarist Helen Ibe, interviewed by Mary Spender. Her story is inspirational because she is a struggling, creative, motivated artist living in a country with limited electrical service.

That being said, I wonder about the sources you have.

I have already shared some. Here are some others that I think are worth reading.
"Epoch Times" I especially value information coming from Brian Cates.
Uncommon Knowledge by the Hoover Institution. I especially like to hear interviews with Victor Davis Hanson.
Hillsdale College speeches.
Eric Metaxas - Christian interviewer.
The Federalist - I've just found this paper. I like the couple of articles that I read. I might explore more.
I trust Mollie Hemingway
Dinesh D'Souza - I have seen a couple of his movies and many of his speeches at college campuses around the US.

I follow many on YouTube that give the news and decode Q posts. Here are the top four.
Amazing Polly
Amazing Polly
Praying Medic
YouTube
In Pursuit of Truth
In Pursuit of Truth
Redpill78
RedPill78

 

[Prayer Warrior]

I get most of my information from YouTube, looking for unedited raw feed whenever possible. I watch the President speak live or recorded without commentary. I don't wish to have someone explain what the President said or what it means. I am pretty good at understanding what someone says without help. I've seen most of the President's rallies, I have seen many Oval office meetings live. I have seen many Executive order signings, and I follow his executive orders closely. I have seen both of his UN speeches and his speeches to the Polish people, and the Romanians. I have read a lot of the President's Tweets and I have read all of the Q posts.

Sounds like YOU should be reporting the news instead of many "news" people who are dead set against Trump. Your diplomatic tone is refreshing. Do you have a blog??

 

[CadyandZoe]

Sounds like YOU should be reporting the news instead of many "news" people who are dead set against Trump. Your diplomatic tone is refreshing. Do you have a blog??

No, I don't have a blog. I have just started a YouTube channel that contains my videos. I'm trying to share my years of Bible study with folks before the Lord takes me.

Cady Rhodes

I am a house designer by trade, and I have been so busy I haven't had time to post a new video in a couple of weeks.

 

[junobet]

The President has not used the Military yet.

He has certainly expressed his intent to do so, even against governor’s will. I'm glad to hear high-ranking Military-men criticized him for that.

This speaks to the Bishop's political activism, turning the house of God into a worldly den of political activists. Some will say to Jesus, "we marched peacefully in the streets for you." And we will say to them, "I never knew you."

Is it the Christians that stood up against racism that Jesus will say to “I never knew you”, or is it those evangelical Christians who endorse Trump, who will get that answer from him? Weirdly enough the political activism of the latter do not seem to bother you. Do you not remember what the Bible says about weighing with different weighs?

​

Trump was NOT sending a political message.

There is a difference between religion and faith. An example of religion is waving smoke or throwing water at people. Faith is acting on one's beliefs with conviction. Do you understand the difference? We don't expect our Presidents to be religious, but we do expect them to have faith.

Presidents of the United States are not only politicians, they are statesmen, and ministers of God who carry the sword. Unlike the Bishop, The President knows and understands that social justice is not a political issue and can not be solved by statute. Understand. The fundamental basis for our Republic is a population of freemen (women included) who hold themselves to a power much higher than the government. God has given the President the sword, and he will use it when necessary. But when the President stands in front of a church in his neighborhood, holding up a Bible, which is the sword of the Spirit, he reminds the nation that true social justice comes from the inner man, nourished and led by the Holy Spirit.

You must be joking! He’s the President. Of course having himself photographed holding up the Bible is politically motivated. And if social justice is not a political issue what is?

I would not even expect a political leader to have Christian faith. I would hope though that politicians have some sort of moral grounding. Trump has neither. Just judging him by his fruit I’d say his ‘inner man’ is as hollow as it gets. Holding up the Bible that repeatedly tells us to learn justice and to stand up for the oppressed just after having violently quenched these protests, is the most hypocritical act I’ve seen in my life!

The current crisis in America was born the day the NYT said "God is dead."

-The NYT ran an article about Nietzche?

​

So what's your complaint? If that was her goal, to get pepper sprayed in the name of Jesus, then she has her reward, as Jesus said.

​

Surely those who suffered in this world will get their reward. But the Bible also tells us what will happen to those that made them suffer. So maybe we should strive to be on the right side of the fence.

Trump was misquoted. I just now watched original interview, which you can watch here.
User Clip: Trump Doesn't Ask God for Forgiveness | C-SPAN.org

Do you know what a misquote is? In the video you watched when asked has he ever asked for God’s forgiveness, Trump says verbatim: ” "I am not sure I have. I just go on and try to do a better job from there. I don't think so," he said. "I think if I do something wrong, I think, I just try and make it right. I don't bring God into that picture. I don't." He goes on to say: “"When I drink my little wine -- which is about the only wine I drink -- and have my little cracker, I guess that is a form of asking for forgiveness, and I do that as often as possible because I feel cleansed," he said. "I think in terms of 'let's go on and let's make it right.'"

He allegedly goes to church regularly and “supposes” what? Has the confession of sins disappeared from the Presbyterian liturgy in the US? All I can say is: good luck with your cleansing, Mr. President, but I’m afraid if you don’t ask God for forgiveness and mean it, that “little cracker” will do you no good whatsoever.

 

[junobet]

Spoken like a person who knows absolutely NOTHING about history, economics or geo-politics.

It's not the "worship" of Capitalism - it's the recognition that Capitalism is the ONLY system that has brought people out of poverty on such a grand scale. Dictatorships never did, monarchies never did - and Socialism has failed on such a GIGANTIC scale because it is rooted in evil. Socialist governments have killed over 100 million of their OWN PEOPLE in the last 100 years.

Capitalism is the ONLY system that levels the playing field - and THAT'S why Americans are THE BIGGEST charitable contributors on the planet.

Alas, your posts passionate mantra illustrates quite well what I meant by “worship”.

Please consider that Capitalism has also made very very many people destitute. Sadly often all those people, who have paid the price for the material luxuries we enjoy, are not on our radar, just as the rich man in Luke 16 did not have Lazarus on his . And sadly we often even take pride in the crumbs that we throw at this world’s poor whilst voting for politicians who want to throw even less crumbs.

I have little sympathy for the former Eastern block. But ever since its competing economic system has fallen capitalism has gotten even fouler.

So no, I’m not an economist. But I do know that God does not approve of material greed, which is the very sentiment that capitalism is driven by. And I do know that a system that is reliant on unlimited growth is not sustainable on a planet with limited resources, so it’s probably not the kind of system a good steward should use.

And that's precisely what Christ wants us to do.

So you think the first Christians in Jerusalem got it all wrong, when " No one claimed that any of their possessions was their own, but they shared everything they had. … " (Acts 4:32-35)?

Start acting like an ADULT Christian instead of a whiny, undisciplined millennial . . .

You consider personal insult an adult response?

 

[BreadOfLife]

Alas, your posts passionate mantra illustrates quite well what I meant by “worship”.

Please consider that Capitalism has also made very very many people destitute. Sadly often all those people, who have paid the price for the material luxuries we enjoy, are not on our radar, just as the rich man in Luke 16 did not have Lazarus on his . And sadly we often even take pride in the crumbs that we throw at this world’s poor whilst voting for politicians who want to throw even less crumbs.

I have little sympathy for the former Eastern block. But ever since its competing economic system has fallen capitalism has gotten even fouler.

So no, I’m not an economist. But I do know that God does not approve of material greed, which is the very sentiment that capitalism is driven by. And I do know that a system that is reliant on unlimited growth is not sustainable on a planet with limited resources, so it’s probably not the kind of system a good steward should use.

So you think the first Christians in Jerusalem got it all wrong, when " No one claimed that any of their possessions was their own, but they shared everything they had. … " (Acts 4:32-35)?

And YOU think that the Church of Acts was a commercial for Communism??
That's a fairly perverted view . . .

This "Utopian" society of the Early Church could ONLY exists in a perfect theocracy. Unfortunately, because people are greedy and sinful - this can never last. Just ask Ananias and Sapphira (Acts 5:1-11).

Worldly Socialism and its evil sibling, Communism do NO such thing for the masses. There is ALWAYS a group at the top who is "more equal" than everybody else. That's why it has killed over 100 million people in the last 100 years - and why it has failed miserably in EVERY nation it has ever gotten its tentacles around.

The difference between Capitalism and Socialism/Communism is that with Capitalism - a person ALWAYS has a chance. You never have ANY chance with Communism. Just as the people pf Cuba or Russia or ANY of the former Soviet states.
Have you been asleep for the last 30+ years??

You consider personal insult an adult response?

No "insult" at all.
It's merely some constructive advice based on an observation.

Sounds like I hot a nerve . . .

 

[CadyandZoe]

He has certainly expressed his intent to do so, even against governor’s will. I'm glad to hear high-ranking Military-men criticized him for that.

Don't pass this by and treat it lightly. You seem to agree with me that the President has NOT sent in the military yet. Doesn't this signal to you that should the President call in the military, that his decision would be the last resort? Hasn't the president demonstrated to you, throughout the pandemic crisis, his willingness to work with the governors of each state? Haven't some of the governors themselves proven to be the dictators?

Is it the Christians that stood up against racism that Jesus will say to “I never knew you”, or is it those evangelical Christians who endorse Trump, who will get that answer from him? Weirdly enough the political activism of the latter do not seem to bother you. Do you not remember what the Bible says about weighing with different weighs?

Do you honestly think these protests are about racism? They aren't about racism.
And yes, see my video about balanced weights.
Title: Balancing the Scale

You must be joking! He’s the President. Of course having himself photographed holding up the Bible is politically motivated. And if social justice is not a political issue what is?

Not everything a President does is political. But of course "social justice" is a political issue, not actually concerned with justice, though. What some so-called Christians call "social justice" is actually "social equality" based on a distorted view of equality. If I have $20 in my pocket and my neighbor has $1 in his pocket, social justice demands that I give the other man $10 in order to be "fair." These folks aren't talking about equal opportunity; they are talking about equal outcome.

I would not even expect a political leader to have Christian faith. I would hope though that politicians have some sort of moral grounding. Trump has neither. Just judging him by his fruit I’d say his ‘inner man’ is as hollow as it gets. Holding up the Bible that repeatedly tells us to learn justice and to stand up for the oppressed just after having violently quenched these protests, is the most hypocritical act I’ve seen in my life!

What fruit do you have in mind?

Surely those who suffered in this world will get their reward. But the Bible also tells us what will happen to those that made them suffer. So maybe we should strive to be on the right side of the fence.

I agree with you.
​

He allegedly goes to church regularly and “supposes” what? Has the confession of sins disappeared from the Presbyterian liturgy in the US? All I can say is: good luck with your cleansing, Mr. President, but I’m afraid if you don’t ask God for forgiveness and mean it, that “little cracker” will do you no good whatsoever.

The President has a very sophisticated understanding of the Christian faith, but it's difficult to see if one expects him to speak "Christianese." In my studies, I have found that people are capable of saying the same thing, but using different language.

In another context you might hear a Christian say something like "I don't need to constantly ask God to forgive me. I believe him when he said that Jesus died for my sins. Rather, if I do someone wrong, I don't excuse it, thinking that God forgives me. I attempt to set things right." This kind of attitude is consistent with Jesus' teaching in the following passage.

Matthew 5:23-24
Therefore if you are presenting your offering at the altar, and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your offering there before the altar and go; first be reconciled to your brother, and then come and present your offering.

That right there is exactly what Trump means when he says, ""I think if I do something wrong, I think, I just try and make it right. I don't bring God into that picture." Isn't that what Jesus is telling us? If I do something wrong to you, Jesus wants me to reconcile with you, before I bring my offering to the alter. In other words, God cares more that I reconcile with my brother or sister than I practice my religious obligations.

 

[Giuliano]

I like your approach.

No, actually. I agree with your approach above. I guess I have just assumed that most everyone is selling something. So I have been looking for clues that signal when someone is trying to manipulate me. Discernment takes practice.

I get most of my information from YouTube, looking for unedited raw feed whenever possible. I watch the President speak live or recorded without commentary. I don't wish to have someone explain what the President said or what it means. I am pretty good at understanding what someone says without help. I've seen most of the President's rallies, I have seen many Oval office meetings live. I have seen many Executive order signings, and I follow his executive orders closely. I have seen both of his UN speeches and his speeches to the Polish people, and the Romanians. I have read a lot of the President's Tweets and I have read all of the Q posts.

Ask yourself why someone might use a megaphone in a crowd. Then marvel at the size of the megaphone held by some people. The videos I referenced demonstrates the size of the megaphone held by a single person. These videos don't represent hundreds of coincidental news broadcasts; these video's represent one voice multiplied one-hundred fold.

Does this at least raise suspicion a bit? We are always impressed when we hear different voices all saying the same thing, but how impressive is it to hear a single voice, one man's opinion, or one woman's opinion spoken mockingbird style all across America? What if all news media is this way? If this one individual has enough money to pay hundreds of people to say, "This is dangerous to our democracy" without showing why, what does this mean for our democracy?

Again. I like your thinking and I agree with it.

This is very insightful in my opinion.

What color is a soul? What I would like to hear and read are stories and opinions from the perspective of the individual, not representing any particular group, or race. I want to hear personal stories about specific experiences.

Souls can be different colors from what I have seen; but I would not discuss some of my personal experiences here.

YouTube is helpful in this regard.
If you have time, I really enjoyed this interview with Nigerian Guitarist Helen Ibe, interviewed by Mary Spender. Her story is inspirational because she is a struggling, creative, motivated artist living in a country with limited electrical service.

I gave up on You Tube once Google bought it. Their motive now is to hook people to keep them there clicking on ads as long as possible. So they put up videos they think you may like -- I avoid that kind of thing. I avoid Facebook for the same reason. I don't want a site analyzing me and trying to feed me stuff they think I'll agree with.

I have already shared some. Here are some others that I think are worth reading.
"Epoch Times" I especially value information coming from Brian Cates.

I've been at that site only a few times. They provide some amusing stuff that is apolitical; but they do have a bias since they are highly anti-Chinese Communist. It's run by people from the Galun Fong movement. I sympathize with them since China is so intoleratn of religion; but I also think their bias should be a warning to be cautious. They favor Trump and the far-right in France and Germany, probably because they think that will help their cause. The Epoch Times has also spread untrue rumors at times.

Uncommon Knowledge by the Hoover Institution. I especially like to hear interviews with Victor Davis Hanson.
Hillsdale College speeches.
Eric Metaxas - Christian interviewer.
The Federalist - I've just found this paper. I like the couple of articles that I read. I might explore more.
I trust Mollie Hemingway
Dinesh D'Souza - I have seen a couple of his movies and many of his speeches at college campuses around the US.

I have heard of only Dinesh D'Souza who I consider an opportunistic scoundrel.

I follow many on YouTube that give the news and decode Q posts. Here are the top four.
Amazing Polly
Amazing Polly
Praying Medic
YouTube
In Pursuit of Truth
In Pursuit of Truth
Redpill78
RedPill78

I doubt there is anything real behind the Q stuff. Most of it looks like speculation to me so I don't even look at it anymore.

 

[junobet]

And YOU think that the Church of Acts was a commercial for Communism??
That's a fairly perverted view . . .

This "Utopian" society of the Early Church could ONLY exists in a perfect theocracy. Unfortunately, because people are greedy and sinful - this can never last. Just ask Ananias and Sapphira (Acts 5:1-11).

Worldly Socialism and its evil sibling, Communism do NO such thing for the masses. There is ALWAYS a group at the top who is "more equal" than everybody else. That's why it has killed over 100 million people in the last 100 years - and why it has failed miserably in EVERY nation it has ever gotten its tentacles around.

The difference between Capitalism and Socialism/Communism is that with Capitalism - a person ALWAYS has a chance. You never have ANY chance with Communism. Just as the people pf Cuba or Russia or ANY of the former Soviet states.
Have you been asleep for the last 30+ years??

No "insult" at all.
It's merely some constructive advice based on an observation.

Sounds like I hot a nerve . . .

I’m quite calm, thanks for asking.

Actually it seems it’s you who’s getting a bit overly excited here - just judging by your knee-jerk assumption that criticizing capitalism must automatically mean I support Bolshewism and the like, even though I explicitly stated that “I have little sympathy for the former Eastern block.”

So rest assured that I don’t think Acts is a “commercial for communism”. But what it certainly is not a commercial for is Capitalism. Saphira and Ananias would have been perfectly within their rights in Capitalism. Not so with God. Probably because God does love those many millions that got left behind in Capitalism (and that you totally forgot about in its glorification). So much so that the Bible tells us that to help the poor and marginalized is to help Christ (Mt 25:31-46).

Now you may think the first Christian church in Jerusalem was an utopia, but I dare say its existence was a historical fact. Just as it is a historical fact that there’s always been small pockets within Christianity that followed Christ’s commandments as radically as they did – narrow is the way. These days in the USA the Catholic Workers movement springs to mind: Catholic Worker Movement - Wikipedia

Which brings us halfway back to topic:

Apparently Martin Gugino , the elderly man who got hospitalized after having been pushed by the Buffalo police, was involved in the Catholic Worker’s movement. Hard to imagine that a life-long pacifist should have suddenly mutated into the violent thug your President tried to make him out to be. In fact video-footage clearly shows he was not violent at all.

The irony is that Trump accidentally got something right when he wanted to discredit the BLM protesters: The Catholic Worker movement does indeed self-describe as Anarchist. It’s just that Anarchism isn’t necessarily about chaos and violently smashing up things. Sometimes it’s indeed a theocracy of sorts in that Christian Anarchists try to serve just the one master that actually matters: “"No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.” (Mt.6:24).

 

[junobet]

Don't pass this by and treat it lightly. You seem to agree with me that the President has NOT sent in the military yet. Doesn't this signal to you that should the President call in the military, that his decision would be the last resort? Hasn't the president demonstrated to you, throughout the pandemic crisis, his willingness to work with the governors of each state? Haven't some of the governors themselves proven to be the dictators?

What the President has demonstrated throughout the Pandemic crisis is an absolute lack of leadership up to the point where he openly declared not to be responsible. His aim was clear: everything that went wrong would be blamed on the governors, everything that went right Trump would claim as his very own success. And I can’t think of any Governor who has proven to be dictator. I can think of some who actually tried to follow the Trump administration’s health experts’ advice, whereas Trump undermined it a second after he read it out. I hope you’re safe, because I hear the number of Corvid 19 cases in the US is dramatically on the rise, especially in Republican states now.

As for the military: It may have dawned on Trump that it won’t be necessarily on his side in this: Top U.S. military officer says it was a ‘mistake’ to join Trump’s bible photo op

Do you honestly think these protests are about racism? They aren't about racism.

Of course they are about racism. I assume you are white. If you tried to put yourself into a black man's shoes, you'd probably also be protesting.

Not everything a President does is political. But of course "social justice" is a political issue, not actually concerned with justice, though. What some so-called Christians call "social justice" is actually "social equality" based on a distorted view of equality. If I have $20 in my pocket and my neighbor has $1 in his pocket, social justice demands that I give the other man $10 in order to be "fair." These folks aren't talking about equal opportunity; they are talking about equal outcome.

​

Actually Jesus demands that you give away the entire 20 Dollar to the poor. Seeing that both you and I probably still have some money in our pockets to spend on vain little luxuries we can but pray that indeed “with God all things are possible” so that He’ll get us through that needle’s eye (Matthew 19:16-26).

As it is, there’s not even such thing as “equal opportunity” in the US. Or do you seriously think a poor kid would have stood a chance to make it into Harvard with Kushner’s grades?

​

The President has a very sophisticated understanding of the Christian faith, but it's difficult to see if one expects him to speak "Christianese." In my studies, I have found that people are capable of saying the same thing, but using different language.

In another context you might hear a Christian say something like "I don't need to constantly ask God to forgive me. I believe him when he said that Jesus died for my sins. Rather, if I do someone wrong, I don't excuse it, thinking that God forgives me. I attempt to set things right." This kind of attitude is consistent with Jesus' teaching in the following passage.

Matthew 5:23-24
Therefore if you are presenting your offering at the altar, and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your offering there before the altar and go; first be reconciled to your brother, and then come and present your offering.

That right there is exactly what Trump means when he says, ""I think if I do something wrong, I think, I just try and make it right. I don't bring God into that picture." Isn't that what Jesus is telling us? If I do something wrong to you, Jesus wants me to reconcile with you, before I bring my offering to the alter. In other words, God cares more that I reconcile with my brother or sister than I practice my religious obligations.

If you read his silly vindictive tweets you’ll see that the very concept of reconciliation is utterly alien to Trump.

So why do you so desperately try to make excuses for him? He’s just using conservative Evangelicals as voting-cattle. I hope by now more Evangelicals begin to see this and take the advice of “Christianity Today”:

“To the many evangelicals who continue to support Mr. Trump in spite of his blackened moral record, we might say this: Remember who you are and who you serve. Consider how your justification of Mr. Trump influences your witness to your Lord and savior.” Billy Graham's evangelical magazine calls for Trump's removal | Reuters Video

 

[BreadOfLife]

I’m quite calm, thanks for asking.

Actually it seems it’s you who’s getting a bit overly excited here - just judging by your knee-jerk assumption that criticizing capitalism must automatically mean I support Bolshewism and the like, even though I explicitly stated that “I have little sympathy for the former Eastern block.”

So rest assured that I don’t think Acts is a “commercial for communism”. But what it certainly is not a commercial for is Capitalism. Saphira and Ananias would have been perfectly within their rights in Capitalism. Not so with God. Probably because God does love those many millions that got left behind in Capitalism (and that you totally forgot about in its glorification). So much so that the Bible tells us that to help the poor and marginalized is to help Christ (Mt 25:31-46).

Now you may think the first Christian church in Jerusalem was an utopia, but I dare say its existence was a historical fact. Just as it is a historical fact that there’s always been small pockets within Christianity that followed Christ’s commandments as radically as they did – narrow is the way. These days in the USA the Catholic Workers movement springs to mind: Catholic Worker Movement - Wikipedia

Which brings us halfway back to topic:

Apparently Martin Gugino , the elderly man who got hospitalized after having been pushed by the Buffalo police, was involved in the Catholic Worker’s movement. Hard to imagine that a life-long pacifist should have suddenly mutated into the violent thug your President tried to make him out to be. In fact video-footage clearly shows he was not violent at all.

The irony is that Trump accidentally got something right when he wanted to discredit the BLM protesters: The Catholic Worker movement does indeed self-describe as Anarchist. It’s just that Anarchism isn’t necessarily about chaos and violently smashing up things. Sometimes it’s indeed a theocracy of sorts in that Christian Anarchists try to serve just the one master that actually matters: “"No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.” (Mt.6:24).

WRONG.

First of all - the sin of Ananias and Saphira was NOT Capitalism. It was that they LIED to the Holy Spirit (Acts 5:3) - and in doing so, lied to God (Acts 5:4). Get your Biblical facts straight . . .

As for the Catholic Worker's Movement - the Church denounces ANY form of Socialism and/or Communism. The Catechism of the Catholic Church states:
“The Church has rejected the totalitarian and atheistic ideologies associated in modern times with ‘communism’ or ‘socialism’” (2425).

Pope Pius XI declared: “Religious socialism, Christian socialism, are contradictory terms; no one can be at the same time a good Catholic and a true socialist” (Quadragesimo Anno, 120).

As for Martin Gugino - he exaggerated his fall and hurt himself in the process. I've watched the video repeatedly and he was hardly pushed at all. Just another case of somebody wanting to get into the news but didn't count on the hardness of the asphalt . . .

 

[CadyandZoe]

I hope you’re safe, because I hear the number of Corvid 19 cases in the US is dramatically on the rise, especially in Republican states now.

I fear you are getting the wrong impression from the news. The so-called "rise" in cases is not an actual rise. The numbers bear the results of testing. Prior to the testing, many scientists around the country, using rational methods of gathering information, were attempting to notify the public that the number of cases was much higher than was was initially reported . Recent testing has now given the public an empirical verification of the work of these scientists.

In other words, early reports coming from unreliable sources were suggesting that Covid morbidity was something in the range of 2-3 deaths per 100. American scientists around the nation discovered that the actual number of cases was much higher, which meant that the morbidity rate was below 1 in 1,000. Over half of the deaths were people over 65 years of age. There was only one death among those 18 years and younger.

Of course they are about racism. I assume you are white. If you tried to put yourself into a black man's shoes, you'd probably also be protesting.

Don't always believe what people tell you. Did you know that google searches for Black Lives Matter were almost zero until 2016 just before the election, when the searches took a very high but brief spike upwards. After the 2016 election, searches for Black Lives matter dropped to almost zero and remained at zero for the past three years until just recently. Do you believe in coincidences?

The protests were started by Neo-Marxist, progressive, socialist, communists who are attempting to take over the United States through an insurgency. And bear in mind, this is not unique to the United States. This is happening all over the world. Notice also that while the terrorists have pulled down the statues of Confederate leaders, they have pulled down the statues of Christopher Columbus, Thomas Jefferson, Abraham Lincoln and others. This isn't about racism; this is antiAmericanism, and antiChristian.

Actually Jesus demands that you give away the entire 20 Dollar to the poor.

Did I say my neighbor was poor? I don't think so.

As it is, there’s not even such thing as “equal opportunity” in the US. Or do you seriously think a poor kid would have stood a chance to make it into Harvard with Kushner’s grades?

A Saudi sheikh financed Obama's trip in exchange for influence.

If you read his silly vindictive tweets you’ll see that the very concept of reconciliation is utterly alien to Trump.

The President's tweets are neither silly nor vindictive. Had you said that some of his tweets were unforgiving, harsh and hostile, then I would agree. This is exactly what the American people wanted from their president. In General, Republicans tended toward conciliation and appeasement in the face of Democratic opposition, which was not working. Appeasement never works as hopefully you can now witness for yourself. Many years ago, when the parties were much different, compromise and reaching across the isle was possible. But today, the parties have changed. Today we have domestic enemies that must be defeated without compromise. To do otherwise is to cede the country to our enemies.

 

[dad]

… after violently getting peaceful protestors out of the way Hong Kong style ...

Being a night-owl I watched this disgusting incident live and nearly puked when I saw this blasphemy. Just when I thought this man couldn’t shock me anymore!

So I wondered what you guys on this forum made of this and to my surprise: I can’t find a threat on it. What’s up?

There are violent murders and rioting in places in the US. I don't see them raising a bible. I see the Dems bowing the knee to the anarchists. So, when someone needs an armed escort to a burned church to hold up a bible it seems like an effort to at least pretend there is some sort of law and order.

 

[junobet]

WRONG.

First of all - the sin of Ananias and Saphira was NOT Capitalism. It was that they LIED to the Holy Spirit (Acts 5:3) - and in doing so, lied to God (Acts 5:4). Get your Biblical facts straight . . .

Fact is that Acts tells us that Ananias and Sapphira lied to hide the fact that they kept some of the money from their land that they sold for themselves. There wouldn’t be a need to lie about that in Capitalism, would there?

As for the Catholic Worker's Movement - the Church denounces ANY form of Socialism and/or Communism. The Catechism of the Catholic Church states:
“The Church has rejected the totalitarian and atheistic ideologies associated in modern times with ‘communism’ or ‘socialism’” (2425).

Pope Pius XI declared: “Religious socialism, Christian socialism, are contradictory terms; no one can be at the same time a good Catholic and a true socialist” (Quadragesimo Anno, 120).

How many millions of people in this world are Catholic? It’s not the least bit surprising that you’ll find all sorts of political convictions amongst them, ranging from fascism to anarchism.

As for the official churches’ current head, here’s what he has to say about capitalism:


“Some people continue to defend trickle-down theories which assume that economic growth, encouraged by a free market, will inevitably succeed in bringing about greater justice and inclusiveness in the world. This opinion, which has never been confirmed by the facts, expresses a crude and naive trust in the goodness of those wielding economic power and in the sacralized workings of the prevailing economic system.”

(...) “In this system, which tends to devour everything which stands in the way of increased profits, whatever is fragile, like the environment, is defenseless before the interests of a deified market, which become the only rule.”

(...) “While the earnings of a minority are growing exponentially, so too is the gap separating the majority from the prosperity enjoyed by those happy few. This imbalance is the result of ideologies which defend the absolute autonomy of the marketplace and financial speculation. Consequently, they reject the right of states, charged with vigilance for the common good, to exercise any form of control.”

(Pope Francis “The Joy of the Gospel” (2014))

As for Martin Gugino - he exaggerated his fall and hurt himself in the process. I've watched the video repeatedly and he was hardly pushed at all. Just another case of somebody wanting to get into the news but didn't count on the hardness of the asphalt . . .

Don’t get as ridiculous as your President! No man in his 70ies underestimates the hardness of the asphalt, especially not one who looks as if he habitually wears a helmet when cycling. And surely deep down you know that. Victim blaming is not a Christian virtue, my friend. May the Good Lord forgive you.

 

[junobet]

I fear you are getting the wrong impression from the news. The so-called "rise" in cases is not an actual rise. The numbers bear the results of testing. Prior to the testing, many scientists around the country, using rational methods of gathering information, were attempting to notify the public that the number of cases was much higher than was was initially reported . Recent testing has now given the public an empirical verification of the work of these scientists.

In other words, early reports coming from unreliable sources were suggesting that Covid morbidity was something in the range of 2-3 deaths per 100. American scientists around the nation discovered that the actual number of cases was much higher, which meant that the morbidity rate was below 1 in 1,000. Over half of the deaths were people over 65 years of age. There was only one death among those 18 years and younger.

The news I read are based on what scientists are actually saying, not on what Fox News and various conspiracy theory-sites’ spin-doctors filter out for you, because it suits the political agenda they support. So here’s straight from the horse’s mouth for you:

And please correct me if I got you wrong: Are you really saying Covid 19 isn’t that bad, because it mainly hits the elderly? Grandma is disposable?

I hope not. However: please stay safe and help to keep others safe, by wearing a mask, washing your hands, social-distancing …

Don't always believe what people tell you. Did you know that google searches for Black Lives Matter were almost zero until 2016 just before the election, when the searches took a very high but brief spike upwards. After the 2016 election, searches for Black Lives matter dropped to almost zero and remained at zero for the past three years until just recently. Do you believe in coincidences?

The protests were started by Neo-Marxist, progressive, socialist, communists who are attempting to take over the United States through an insurgency. And bear in mind, this is not unique to the United States. This is happening all over the world.

I believe very much in coincidences. They happen all the time. What is not a coincidence is that black people in the USA (and elsewhere) live in fear of police-violence. That’s based on sad experience, especially in 2016 and still going on.

Thankfully “an outright majority of Americans agree with the central arguments of Black Lives Matter.” (How Public Opinion Has Moved on Black Lives Matter)

I don’t believe an outright majority of Americans would describe themselves as “Neo-Marxist, progressive, socialist, communists ” or even as sympathizing with such ideas. What I do believe is that you listen too much to a President who wants to rule by stifling division. Don’t let him put sand in your eyes: not everybody who disagrees with him is a radical leftie. In fact in my country’s political landscape most US democrats would be labelled as extremely conservative.

Notice also that while the terrorists have pulled down the statues of Confederate leaders, they have pulled down the statues of Christopher Columbus, Thomas Jefferson, Abraham Lincoln and others. This isn't about racism; this is antiAmericanism, and antiChristian.

What’s anti-christian about toppling statues? The only Biblical mention of a toppled statue that I can remember right now is the toppling of the Golden Calf.

What seems very unchristian to me is to feel no compassion whatsoever for the hurt black people feel when they have to walk past statues of people who once fought for the enslavement of their ancestors, especially when black people are discriminated against to this very day.

Did I say my neighbor was poor? I don't think so.

I think you're trying to deflect.

A Saudi sheikh financed Obama's trip in exchange for influence.

Really? He wouldn't be the first US-President who went for the Saudi honey trap and he wasn't the last.[/QUOTE]

The President's tweets are neither silly nor vindictive. Had you said that some of his tweets were unforgiving, harsh and hostile, then I would agree. This is exactly what the American people wanted from their president.

I dare hope that the majority of Americans is grown-up enough to not mistake name-calling for an argument. What I can tell you for sure is that Trump's tweets make him a laughing stock the world over. If it wasn't for the fact that this baby has access to the red button, it'd be comedy gold.

In General, Republicans tended toward conciliation and appeasement in the face of Democratic opposition, which was not working. Appeasement never works as hopefully you can now witness for yourself. Many years ago, when the parties were much different, compromise and reaching across the isle was possible. But today, the parties have changed. Today we have domestic enemies that must be defeated without compromise. To do otherwise is to cede the country to our enemies.

You know what scares me? That you seem to think of political opponents as enemies. That's not how it should work in a democracy. There was a time in my country when such phrases were used. Shortly thereafter the Weimar Republic was over and anybody who dared voicing opposition to Hitler ended up in concentration camps. Don't go down that lane.

 

[junobet]

There are violent murders and rioting in places in the US. I don't see them raising a bible. I see the Dems bowing the knee to the anarchists. So, when someone needs an armed escort to a burned church to hold up a bible it seems like an effort to at least pretend there is some sort of law and order.

I haven't seen any Protestors waving Bibles around, but I've heard them praying:

 

[BreadOfLife]

Fact is that Acts tells us that Ananias and Sapphira lied to hide the fact that they kept some of the money from their land that they sold for themselves. There wouldn’t be a need to lie about that in Capitalism, would there?

WRONG.

Greed is a SIN - not an economic system. There is greed in EVERY economic system - and your Socialism is NO different.
The ones at the top are ALWAYS well off while the rest of the population is needy. Venezuela is a PRIME example. It's the RICHEST country in South America - and the people are starving to death, thanks to Hugo Chavez's greed - and the greed of his successor.

How many millions of people in this world are Catholic? It’s not the least bit surprising that you’ll find all sorts of political convictions amongst them, ranging from fascism to anarchism.

As for the official churches’ current head, here’s what he has to say about capitalism:

“Some people continue to defend trickle-down theories which assume that economic growth, encouraged by a free market, will inevitably succeed in bringing about greater justice and inclusiveness in the world. This opinion, which has never been confirmed by the facts, expresses a crude and naive trust in the goodness of those wielding economic power and in the sacralized workings of the prevailing economic system.”

(...) “In this system, which tends to devour everything which stands in the way of increased profits, whatever is fragile, like the environment, is defenseless before the interests of a deified market, which become the only rule.”

(...) “While the earnings of a minority are growing exponentially, so too is the gap separating the majority from the prosperity enjoyed by those happy few. This imbalance is the result of ideologies which defend the absolute autonomy of the marketplace and financial speculation. Consequently, they reject the right of states, charged with vigilance for the common good, to exercise any form of control.”

(Pope Francis “The Joy of the Gospel” (2014))

And coming from background of staunch secular "social justice" that borders on liberation theology - Pope Francis is as WRONG as YOU are about Capitalism.
He doesn't have to be right about geopolitics and economics to be infallible in matters of doctrine.

Don’t get as ridiculous as your President! No man in his 70ies underestimates the hardness of the asphalt, especially not one who looks as if he habitually wears a helmet when cycling. And surely deep down you know that. Victim blaming is not a Christian virtue, my friend. May the Good Lord forgive you.

"Victim blaming"?

Funny how there were hundreds of thousands of protesters who didn't get pushed OR shot with rubber bullets OR even break a nail - because they didn't taunt the police.
Martin Gugino was as much a "victim" as a fly who swats himself, then blames somebody else . . .

 

[BreadOfLife]

I haven't seen any Protestors waving Bibles around, but I've heard them praying:

That's funny - because the co-Founder of BLM, Patrisse Cullors proudly proclaims, "We are trained Marxists."

Now - last time I checked - Marxist Communism is vehemently anti-God. Remember - it was Karl Marx who stated that "Religion is the opiate of the masses."

Listed in their manifesto of core beliefs, are the following:
- We disrupt the Western-prescribed nuclear family structure requirement by supporting each other as extended families and “villages” that collectively care for one another, especially our children, to the degree that mothers, parents, and children are comfortable.
- We foster a queer‐affirming network. When we gather, we do so with the intention of freeing ourselves from the tight grip of heteronormative thinking, or rather, the belief that all in the world are heterosexual (unless s/he or they disclose otherwise).

if more Christians actually did their homework - they wouldn't fall for this putrid Godless garbage.
Here is Ms. Cullors proudly proclaiming her avowed Marxism at 3 min. 29 secs into the video:

 

[kcnalp]

That's funny - because the co-Founder of BLM, Patrisse Cullors proudly proclaims, "We are trained Marxists."

Now - last time I checked - Marxist Communism is vehemently anti-God. Remember - it was Karl Marx who stated that "Religion is the opiate of the masses."

Listed in their manifesto of core beliefs, are the following:
- We disrupt the Western-prescribed nuclear family structure requirement by supporting each other as extended families and “villages” that collectively care for one another, especially our children, to the degree that mothers, parents, and children are comfortable.
- We foster a queer‐affirming network. When we gather, we do so with the intention of freeing ourselves from the tight grip of heteronormative thinking, or rather, the belief that all in the world are heterosexual (unless s/he or they disclose otherwise).

if more Christians actually did their homework - they wouldn't fall for this putrid Godless garbage.
Here is Ms. Cullors proudly proclaiming her avowed Marxism at 3 min. 29 secs into the video:

The Left loves playing the victim while stirring up racism that doesn't exist.