tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-70810936650666500122024-03-12T19:34:11.406-03:00Brass & LeadWilliamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03310225556398456078noreply@blogger.comBlogger224125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7081093665066650012.post-12571409261433589902022-06-18T15:20:00.002-03:002022-06-18T16:32:18.999-03:00<p style="text-align: center;"> Pride Month</p><p style="text-align: center;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: left;">In the spirit of the Pride Month of June, let me explain what I am proud of. I am proud of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. He is the Lord of all creation, in whom "all power in heaven and earth" resides. His word commands everything from the cosmos to the smallest matters of the earth. His judgements are absolute and no one will ever question His authority to His face. His commandments to every human being ever born are the Law and they have one universal purpose, to allow His infinite Love to be manifested in us.</p><p style="text-align: left;">Jesus Christ, the second person of the Most Holy Trinity, God Himself, came into the world not riding a lightning bolt and thundering His power so to subdue us with fear and terror induced obedience. He came into the world in the exact same manner as we all did, through the womb of His mother. He taught with love and patience, and most mysteriously of all, He allowed Himself to be tortured and killed in payment for our sins because He loves us, and because He is the only one who could possibly do it. Finally, He returned into Heaven to wait for us to freely return the love by obedience. What a gracious and incredible Lord and God! No earthly authority has treated me in such a way.</p><p style="text-align: left;">That is why I am so proud to follow Him and to obey Him. We should all follow His commands as we would find this world to be much more peaceful and harmonious if we all did.</p><p style="text-align: left;">That is why marriage is once and cannot be broken.</p><p style="text-align: left;">Intimate relations can only be within a marriage and open to creation. Anything else is wrong and will be punished into eternity.</p><p style="text-align: left;">For those of us who have fallen into such errors, our Lord's infinite Mercy is for everyone of us who confesses our sins to Him with true contrition along with a firm and sincere intention to never repeat the sins. That is a true Lord of power and love. That is Jesus Christ.</p><p style="text-align: left;">I am proud to call myself a Christian and following Him is my poor but earnest way to honor Him. May God bless us in our efforts to find Him and to love Him.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhib0Xjg0qeR1-6LlxBM7TfHKV6yk2rKBjfKZ2N700yB1oeGI4uqX_tSBG440CybS3yMeLL5vzj1Kz7nWM8cZrPxh5wWEggStMcMKWiRWK2imn9QSmigYx5KUUTmRTX4Gcm6y1wzdRxTGXgxDvUlQLfLwLkotokxa8DzKzvDGR1fYKM-Z9tvSgFow/s3200/Jesus.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2150" data-original-width="3200" height="215" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhib0Xjg0qeR1-6LlxBM7TfHKV6yk2rKBjfKZ2N700yB1oeGI4uqX_tSBG440CybS3yMeLL5vzj1Kz7nWM8cZrPxh5wWEggStMcMKWiRWK2imn9QSmigYx5KUUTmRTX4Gcm6y1wzdRxTGXgxDvUlQLfLwLkotokxa8DzKzvDGR1fYKM-Z9tvSgFow/s320/Jesus.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p style="text-align: center;"><br /></p>Williamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03310225556398456078noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7081093665066650012.post-64734252673175536122021-12-12T15:48:00.001-04:002021-12-12T15:48:58.952-04:00<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgNP0x_XKNzA2RePSaeOksUmRFKowTMxZALxrH7edcTLaxepiaBVNpXkwfEyi94OWzJRXPNmmm6h4z2-Glj3g8L29-rqOm4JKkoCntP-rPTQscF_wZ2flQ9Rl4A-0R6-_rKNSYVbjeO1LXaXPDlFyhAFr_akRx6MnsorG9C2wm3RGusEkmwBOHJhA=s2048" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1152" data-original-width="2048" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgNP0x_XKNzA2RePSaeOksUmRFKowTMxZALxrH7edcTLaxepiaBVNpXkwfEyi94OWzJRXPNmmm6h4z2-Glj3g8L29-rqOm4JKkoCntP-rPTQscF_wZ2flQ9Rl4A-0R6-_rKNSYVbjeO1LXaXPDlFyhAFr_akRx6MnsorG9C2wm3RGusEkmwBOHJhA=s320" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<p></p><p align="center" style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<b>Atlas Air 3591</b></p>
<p align="center" style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br />
</p>
<p align="left" style="font-weight: normal; line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
Atlas Air 3591 was a Boeing-767 Freighter, operating as an Amazon
Prime delivery, flying from Miami, FL to Houston, TX on February 24,
2019. On board were the two pilots, and one jump-seater. As they
were nearing Houston, and making those descent and turning maneuvers
required to place themselves in sequence for landing, they suddenly
pitched down, and dove into the North end of Trinity Bay, hitting the
water at a very high speed and descent rate. All three men onboard
were killed.</p>
<p align="left" style="font-weight: normal; line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br />
</p>
<p align="left" style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">Here
is what happened, as determined by the subsequent investigation. The
First-Officer was the Pilot-Flying as the Captain was the
Pilot-Monitoring. Air Traffic Control had encouraged them to increase
their descent rate, so to allow them to make a favorable turn upon
clearing a conflicting altitude. In normal fashion, the F/O extended
the wing spoilers for that purpose. Company policy required him to
keep his hands on the Spoiler handle (His left hand) while the
spoilers were deployed, </span><span style="font-weight: normal;">as a
preventative to using that same hand to increase engine power without
first retracting the spoilers. The investigators determined that
while the F/O was reaching across the </span><span style="font-weight: normal;">Thrust</span><span style="font-weight: normal;">-levers
</span><span style="font-weight: normal;">as he held</span><span style="font-weight: normal;">
the Spoiler-lever, he inadvertently pressed the Go-Around button on
the left </span><span style="font-weight: normal;">Thrust</span><span style="font-weight: normal;">-lever.
That caused to auto-flight system to power-up and pitch-up the
aircraft, which was certainly an unexpected event </span><span style="font-weight: normal;">for
him to cope with.</span></p>
<p align="left" style="font-weight: normal; line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br />
</p>
<p align="left" style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">O</span><span style="font-weight: normal;">rdinarily,
when the auto-flight system goes wonky and does the unexpected, the
savy pilot will quickly hit the Master-disconnect and revert to the
old fashioned stick, rudder, and power method of flying , </span><span style="font-weight: normal;">and
</span><span style="font-weight: normal;">thus maintain control.
Unfortunately, in the case of our poor overwhelmed F/O, he didn’t
know how. Really. He had been trained so thoroughly automation
dependent, and afforded virtually no opportunity to hand fly his
airplane, that he simply was unable to fly straight and level, even
though he was in the clear and not in a cloud.</span></p>
<p align="left" style="font-weight: normal; line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br />
</p>
<p align="left" style="font-weight: normal; line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
Flying a complex aircraft by hand while using flight instruments to
determine acceptable and desired flight perimeters is a specific
skill which requires practiced hand-eye coordination. It requires a
specific eye muscle memory which the industry calls the “instrument
scan”. The instrument scan is a skill involving watching several
instrument indications in quick succession, so quickly in fact that
it is almost simultaneous, while processing that information within
one’s head, and applying the correct inputs to the flight controls
and power, resulting in the preferred flight condition.</p>
<p align="left" style="font-weight: normal; line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br />
</p>
<p align="left" style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">The
instrument scan is a very different, and more complex scan than the
scan universally used today as our pilots simply follow the
Flight-director, as commanded by the Auto-flight system. The
Flight-director reduces the scan from several instrument sources to
one, which is within the Attitude Indicator., which is it’s ra</span><span style="font-weight: normal;">ison
d’etre (reason to be). In other words, the Flight-director is
specifically designed to reduce the complexity of the instrument
scan, thus reducing the pilot’s efforts in determining what control
inputs are required. Reducing those efforts over time results in loss
of the </span><span style="font-weight: normal;">scanning</span><span style="font-weight: normal;">
skill. What happens when such a poor, hapless pilot is thrust into
the situation of needing a proficient instrument scan, while lacking
the skill, is a fixation. He stares at one instrument in a near
panic, searching for information, which is elsewhere, and fails to
properly control the aircraft. Perversely, his best friend, the
Flight-director, was lying to him in this case. The Go-around button
told the Flight-director to pitch the aircraft up, which he knew was
wrong, thus he simply did not know where go for the pitch information
he so desperately needed. </span><span style="font-weight: normal;">Thus
it was that in frozen confusion, he simply grabbed the stick and
drove the airplane into the water because, for the life of him, he
didn’t know what else to do.</span></p>
<p align="left" style="font-weight: normal; line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br />
</p>
<p align="left" style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">I
do not know why the captain sat there and allowed that event to
happen. Maybe he was just as confused. The NTSB, in their conclusion,
made a statement about “...flight crew training issues at Atlas Air
and across the US commercial aviation industry.”, and I was
involved in some special simulator training maneuvers in the
following year involving wing stalls, slow flight, and aircraft
controllablilty. I was still dismayed in that while those new
training modules were designed to combat the loss of control
accidents which we have been </span><span style="font-weight: normal;">lately
</span><span style="font-weight: normal;">seeing, I still believe that
the underlying cause is being ignored. Pilots must practice basic
aircraft control while using the basic instrument scan, which
requires them to turn off the automation and simply fly their
airplanes.</span></p>
<p align="left" style="font-weight: normal; line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br />
</p>
<p align="left" style="font-weight: normal; line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;">20211211</span></p>
<p align="left" style="font-weight: normal; line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br />
</p>
<p align="left" style="font-weight: normal; line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
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</p>
<p><style type="text/css">p { margin-bottom: 0.1in; line-height: 115%; background: transparent }</style></p>Williamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03310225556398456078noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7081093665066650012.post-30459277767772995462020-12-18T12:55:00.002-04:002020-12-18T12:55:36.970-04:00Susanna Yoko Henkel: "Ave Maria" (Franz Schubert)<iframe frameborder="0" height="270" src="https://youtube.com/embed/5mWTCD8zClM" width="480"></iframe><div><span style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: inherit; font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: inherit; font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;">The Lady of the Lake is a poem written by Sir Walter Scott in 1810. In it there is the tale of a young woman named Ellen Douglas who is suffering greatly in a terrible conflict that her family is embroiled in. One night, as she hides in a dirty, damp cave, she pleads her cause to the Virgin Mary. This scene inspired Franz Schubert, an Austrian composer to write this beautiful violin work which we know as Schubert's Ave Maria. Schubert wrote the piece with Ellen's Third Song lyrics in German, but even the English fits the music much better, than the stupid attempts to cram the Latin Hail Mary prayer into the music as almost every sung rendition of this that we hear has tried to do.</span><div class="o9v6fnle cxmmr5t8 oygrvhab hcukyx3x c1et5uql ii04i59q" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;">Today, as we watch our world descend into madness, when liars and cheats seem to have all the power and rewards, as they prepare to send the hounds after us, we must always remember that we have the blessed Virgin as our protector, that She does hear our prayers, and that Her grace and power obliterates the enemies of her Son, our Good Lord Jesus Christ.</div></div><div class="o9v6fnle cxmmr5t8 oygrvhab hcukyx3x c1et5uql ii04i59q" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;">Listen to this truly inspired music and follow along with the words, and take heart. The Lord has already defeated our foes and will bring us home, if we trust and honor Him and His Word. Merry Christmas! and may God bless the United States.</div></div><div class="o9v6fnle cxmmr5t8 oygrvhab hcukyx3x c1et5uql ii04i59q" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;">Ellen's Third Song (Ave María)</div><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;">Hail, Mary! </div><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;">Meek maiden.</div><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;">Heed the supplications of a maiden.</div><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;">From this bare, savage rocks</div><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;">my prayers will drift towards you.</div><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;">We sleep safely until morning</div><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;">though men are yet so barbaric.</div><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;">Oh Maiden, see the strife of a maiden!</div><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;">Oh mother, hear a pleading child!</div><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;">Hail, Mary!</div></div><div class="o9v6fnle cxmmr5t8 oygrvhab hcukyx3x c1et5uql ii04i59q" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;">Hail, Mary! </div><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;">Untarnished!</div><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;">When from this crag we drift away</div><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;">towards sleep, and your mantle protects us</div><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;">the hard rocks will seem soft to us.</div><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;">You laugh, and a scent of roses floats</div><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;">over this airless abyss.</div><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;">Oh mother, hear your children imploring you!</div><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;">Oh Maiden, call in another maiden!</div><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;">Hail Mary!</div></div><div class="o9v6fnle cxmmr5t8 oygrvhab hcukyx3x c1et5uql ii04i59q" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;">Hail Mary! </div><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;">Pristine servant!</div><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;">The demons of the air and earth</div><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;">are haunted by the glory in your eyes.</div><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;">They cannot live here with us.</div><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;">Yet, we still seek to turn fate</div><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;">and turn your holy solace against you.</div><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;">The Maiden will intercede in favor</div><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;">of the child that implores to his Father.</div><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;">Hail, Mary!</div></div></div>Williamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03310225556398456078noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7081093665066650012.post-71531204934246963242019-07-28T18:46:00.003-03:002019-07-28T18:46:53.247-03:00Gun Safety At Work<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Wc-Kgmtahv8/XT4XQbXXKKI/AAAAAAAAEaE/XO0uEKcaYBw-9e-hvtzHrsMSLPBCR2gVQCLcBGAs/s1600/Gunfree%2BSign.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="200" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Wc-Kgmtahv8/XT4XQbXXKKI/AAAAAAAAEaE/XO0uEKcaYBw-9e-hvtzHrsMSLPBCR2gVQCLcBGAs/s200/Gunfree%2BSign.jpg" width="150" /></a></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #1c1e21; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px;">
In spite of great gains in the right-to-carry laws in so many states, we all remain universally disarmed in our work places. Virginia Beach is the latest tragedy resulting from these workplace "gunfree" zones. In spite of security cameras, ID badges which restricted access, employee background checks, and signs threatening dire consequences if anyone brought a gun to work, many innocent people died, some of whom sincerely wished to be able to exercise their constitutional rig<span class="text_exposed_show" style="display: inline; font-family: inherit;">ht to protect themselves while making a living. What is it about having a job that suspends a basic right of defending one's life?</span></div>
<div class="text_exposed_show" style="background-color: white; color: #1c1e21; display: inline; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">
<div style="font-family: inherit; margin-bottom: 6px;">
There are three kinds of people who see the prohibition sign.</div>
<div style="font-family: inherit; margin-bottom: 6px; margin-top: 6px;">
The first doesn't have guns, doesn't want guns, and would never hurt anyone. They are so peaceful that they can not imagine anyone ever needing a gun. For this person, the sign is a source of comfort, as they imagine everybody respecting it and it makes their world safe and fuzzy. In this case, the sign has had zero effect on the safety of the group.</div>
<div style="font-family: inherit; margin-bottom: 6px; margin-top: 6px;">
The second person carries guns everywhere he/she is allowed. This person knows that there are psychopaths out here who kill for little or no reason. This person also, would never attack or hurt anyone. They are, however, ready to use deadly force in self defense and in the defense of others. This person is very responsible, holding a job, paying his/her bills, maintaining a life and civil order. The sign and its punitive threats effect this person profoundly. With bitter regret, this person obeys, because he/she is responsible! His/her good nature is the leverage used to insure compliance, and the safety of the group is significantly lessened.</div>
<div style="font-family: inherit; margin-bottom: 6px; margin-top: 6px;">
The third is everyone's worse nightmare. This maniac is completely unaffected by the sign. He has already cashed in his job, his possessions, his freedom, and even his life. There is nothing that this sign can do to him that he hasn't already decided to inflict many folds upon his perceived enemies, and he has nothing to lose. In fact, this person receives satisfaction from the sign, for it guaranties to him the monopoly of firepower, thus a greater victim count. THAT'S WHY HE PICKED THAT PLACE! Here is where the sign actually destroys the safety of the group.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-XO5ADfYU5o0/XT4XPpwcyoI/AAAAAAAAEaI/RM7S-wwduWAL1kfV3q6AnRecgk8BwxhfACEwYBhgL/s1600/Gunfree%2BSecurity.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="933" data-original-width="1600" height="116" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-XO5ADfYU5o0/XT4XPpwcyoI/AAAAAAAAEaI/RM7S-wwduWAL1kfV3q6AnRecgk8BwxhfACEwYBhgL/s200/Gunfree%2BSecurity.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
<div style="font-family: inherit; margin-bottom: 6px; margin-top: 6px;">
As for the comforting security cameras, do you know what they are for? They are to help the investigators to see where the murderer came in and what he did, while they are cleaning up the the crime scene after the carnage is over.</div>
<div style="font-family: inherit; margin-bottom: 6px; margin-top: 6px;">
We must insist on our right of self defense, even at work.</div>
</div>
Williamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03310225556398456078noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7081093665066650012.post-8685380386296014722018-04-02T14:25:00.000-03:002018-04-02T17:59:21.274-03:00Our Remaining Days With Bretton-Woods Are Short<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-dIrBZ5w3W4g/WsJkMyoLDSI/AAAAAAAAClI/pgJb-ulKnggweyGfEV3Ql1ygDSl5tQZFACLcBGAs/s1600/Broke.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="183" data-original-width="275" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-dIrBZ5w3W4g/WsJkMyoLDSI/AAAAAAAAClI/pgJb-ulKnggweyGfEV3Ql1ygDSl5tQZFACLcBGAs/s1600/Broke.jpg" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<br />
Imagine our congress responding to the cries of the people, that there isn't enough hours in the day to do all that needs to be done. They write a law that defines a day as having 25 hours. So to keep Noon and Midnight in their proper phase, each hour now has 57 minutes and 36 seconds. At first, our workers continuing to work an eight Gov-hour day, realize a 16 minute bonus in free time, but over time the business day stretches out again because the work still takes a full day to accomplish, and workers earning the same in a day actually realize a drop in their hourly wage which necessitates working that extra 16 minutes to make up for it. In other words, nothing really changed; a days work is still a days work.<br />
<br />
That is exactly the effect of our central bank loaning congress money whenever they wish to stimulate the economy or fund government programs such as Medicare and Social Security. Green paper money, in itself, has no value. The value of money stems from the goods and services which we, the workers, create with our labor, which remains constant. If our labor is static and more money is introduced into the system, then the costs rise in proportion to the new money.<br />
<br />
Ordinarily, printing money to fund programs and the resultant inflation would be a short route to ruin. But with the United States, we had a once-in-a-lifetime sweet deal. Coming out of World War II the United States was THE Super Power. Our economy was the biggest and the strongest in the world with no five other countries to match it, combined. With that clout and through an agreement known as Bretton-Woods, our dollars became the standard exchange medium for transactions around the world, especially in consideration to the reported amount of gold we were holding in Fort Knox. In the fifties and sixties any nation could exchange the dollars they held with gold at $35.00 per ounce. Following the "War on Poverty", the "War on Drugs" and the actual war in Vietnam, those other countries realized the we were gaming the system by printing money and that there was no way that every dollar out there was backed by gold at an ounce for each thirty-five bills. They began a "run on the bank" by exchanging their dollars, which they had collected in international trades, with our gold. President Nixon stopped the run by closing the exchange and declared that our dollars would henceforth backed by the good faith and credit of the American people. Even then the dollar slipped in value (inflation), but the Bretton-Woods system held and life went on.<br />
<br />
It was under President Johnson that we started borrowing money as a routine method with no intention of paying it back and it was Bretton-Woods which made that possible. The effect of borrowing with no payback is exactly the same as printing and that is continuous inflation. We experienced the effects of inflation from then to now. That is why a house bought in 1964 for $60,000 sold in 2005 for $300,000 and the seller could not buy another like it with the $300,000. The system always told us that our home values were going up, but in reality it was the value of our hard earned money going down. We went through a credit explosion as everybody was borrowing that free money the government was handing out and today our nation's debt is staggering with the national debt over $64,000 per citizen and our personal debts averaging over $57,000 per citizen. The Omnibus Bill which President Trump just signed was our latest desperate effort to keep the game alive as it borrowed $1.3 trillion dollars to be spent into our economy in six months. We have been living on printed-borrowed money since the seventies and the game would have ended long ago were it not for Bretton-Woods.<br />
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As I said, ordinarily such policies would have been a short route to ruin, but thanks to Bretton-Woods, the agreement which forced other countries to use our dollars, it has become a long route to greater ruin and I believe our time is out. Very soon those other countries, especially China and the oil producing countries of the world, will find a way to transact their trades without our dollars because they know we have been cheating and no longer wish to pay the bill. Very soon, the devastating effects hyper-inflation will be felt here in the United States as those green pieces of paper come flooding back in with demands of payment in goods and services. Very soon, we will hear wailing in the streets as people realize their savings, their 401ks, their pensions and government promises have vanished into oblivion. Very soon, we will realize the crime our politicians have signed us up for with their promises of something for nothing. May God have mercy on us for letting them do it.Williamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03310225556398456078noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7081093665066650012.post-90152834187861335242018-03-18T16:59:00.001-03:002021-04-16T21:55:36.523-03:00NICS<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Congress is considering an "improvement" to the National Instant Check System, something that they have been doing since the church shooting in Sutherland Springs, Texas last November. That shooter passed his NICS check because his disqualifying psychological records were never submitted by the military branch he served in. Following the school shooting in Parkland, Florida in February, the NICS Improvement act has been given more urgent attention, especially since that shooter passed the NICS check as well in spite of multiple warning signs.<br />
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While adding more names to the prohibited list from which the NICS culls prohibited firearm purchasers sounds like a good idea, I am set against the improvement and the NICS itself. Here's why.<br />
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Let's consider four different gun buyers:<br />
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The first is Mr. Clean Record and his intentions are completely lawful and peaceful. This man must fill out the application and have his name searched against the prohibited list. In most cases he passes. However in many cases he is rejected. The far majority of the NICS rejections are for errors in the database, such as similar names. This man may have an outstanding parking warrant of which he is unaware. In the future, he will find it much easier to get on the bad guy list as they have added the lists of Social Security recipients who have a another party handling their financial affairs and the list of military veterans who have requested counselling for stress from the Veterans Affairs Agency. Under this current round of improvement considerations several lawmakers have urged that the Airline No-fly list be added to the NICS. So this man whose intentions were harmless, finds himself prohibited and our safety hasn't been improved one bit.<br />
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Secondly, let's consider Mr Clean Record whose intentions are evil. This is the guy who has been slipping through the net because he hasn't committed his crime yet. This is the guy they hope to stop by adding more and more names to the list. He is one evil person within thousands of innocents. Thousands must be denied in the hope of stopping this guy. He shot up Sutherland Springs, TX, Parkland, FL, Navy Yard, DC, Blacksburg, VA and so many others after the NICS was created. This is the guy that a background check is useless against because he has no background. Once again the NICS hasn't improved our safety one bit.<br />
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Thirdly, there is Mr. Dirty and his intentions are evil. This is the guy for whom the NICS works perfectly, if he tries to buy a gun from a reputable dealer, but he won't. He gets a gun whenever he wants one through black markets, through theft, or a friend from the Clean and evil group. This guy doesn't give a rip about NICS and laws don't bother him. We haven't been able to stem the tide of drugs, why do we think we would do any better with firearms? In fact, this guy uses our laws to run his business in drugs and guns. So once again the NICS hasn't improved our safety one bit.<br />
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Lastly, let's consider the fellow I feel for the most. He is the most hated and persecuted man in our society. He is Mr. Dirty but trying to go straight. His intentions are peaceful. He made a mistake when he was young and stupid, but he found God and now wants to get his life back on track, but we won't let him! We hound him with our sanctimonious background checks and refuse him gainful employment and brand him as a felon for the rest of his life and with the NICS we deny him even the right to protect his life. We condemn him to rejoin the Dirty and evil group and we did it with the NICS. Here, the NICS not only failed to improve our safety one bit, but has actually effected an endangering force.<br />
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So, in the end the two honest fellows have been denied firearms and the two evil guys haven't been deterred at all. In a free society, any man walking in our streets must be given the presumption of honorability and as such must have the right of arming himself for protection against the criminal class. To do that, the right to keep and bare arms must be universal and unrestrained. Otherwise, we cannot have liberty and will not have safety, no matter how many laws we enact.Williamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03310225556398456078noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7081093665066650012.post-28672724331098113202018-03-10T16:23:00.001-04:002018-03-10T17:33:49.487-04:00Where Are the Men?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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The United States, along with the entire western world is in a profound social crisis. Tucker Carlson points to some alarming statistics which show men AWOL is so many areas. While we are largely at the mercy of our cultural currents and times, I would encourage each man to "man up" and start moving against the stream.<br />
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Pray! Regardless of what your friends and family are doing, resolve to be the man God made you to be. There is one God and without Him we can do nothing. As men, we should be the religious leader of our family. Pray for strength. Understand and accept the truth that men were born to sacrifice themselves for their family.<br />
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Stay sober! Do not use drugs of any kind. Keep your mind sharp and your body healthy. Your physical strength is an essential attribute to your responsibilities. Clear thinking allows you to read the times and to prepare for the battles you must fight and to prevail.<br />
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Work hard! Study difficult material. Set and achieve goals, not for monetary success, but rather to increase your value to your family; to increase your toolbox, which you will need in a hostile world.<br />
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Live with honor! Never cheat anyone, especially your employer. Treat everyone you meet and deal with as your brother.<br />
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Love your wife! Marry once and marry for life. When you say "I do.", mean that to your last breath and the last drop of your blood. Nothing and no one will ever make you stop loving this woman you married. Never raise your hand or voice to her. Be attentive and respond to her "Honey-do" list. Even if she leaves you, stay loyal to her. Care for her and save for her. At some point, she will realize with overwhelming shame that she left everything to gain nothing, and that might save her life.<br />
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Be chaste! Do not look at pornography in any form at any time. Stop abusing yourself (you know what that means). Do not watch racy movie scenes. Do not ask your wife for unnatural favors. Respect every woman you encounter in the world as someone's daughter and be ready to protect them at a moments notice. Entertain no thoughts of self pleasure when you see them.<br />
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Raise your children! Be a father. Be there for them. Make time for them. Teach them the skills they will need to carry on after you are gone. Let them know that you are never going anywhere.<br />
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Do not accept weakness! If your children are going to a school with "Gun Free" signs posted, remove them from that place of effeminacy and educate them elsewhere. Stay armed as much as the law allows. Train and shoot well.<br />
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Understand that Meekness is not weakness! Meekness is strength under control while weakness is simply effeminate.<br />
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Do not look for payback! We as men are meant to emulate Jesus Christ and to lay our lives down for our family, to see that our young men have good characters and courage, so the battles of the future may be won.<br />
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Men stepping up to the plate and holding their families and communities together is what will bring peace back to our streets, not more laws. Men.<br />
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<br />Williamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03310225556398456078noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7081093665066650012.post-51334847383872617012017-04-08T18:08:00.000-03:002017-04-08T18:08:07.056-03:00Debts...Debts and More DebtsI got into a lively social media discussion with a man who supports the idea of a single payer healthcare system. My objection centered around the fact that universal healthcare can only drive a country deeper into debt and we are already in over our heads in every major economy in the world.<br />
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<i>"I don't think you really understand how debt works for country's (sic), it's not the same as for individuals." </i><br />
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He is right on three counts.<br />
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It isn't the same, as for individuals, because the federal government made themselves the sole source of money (Legal Tinder Act) and they created the Central Bank (The Fed), which can backstop their borrowing.<br />
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Congress is perpetually running for office and they invariably write laws which cater to our citizen's selfish side, which always results in promises of money or services. It matters not that there is no money set aside for these ever increasing expenditures. The government has no real credit limit, that is, a limit set by an indifferent party which is binding. When congress runs into the "debt ceiling", as they will later this month, they simply raise it and issue more treasury bills (bonds). At this point two things might happen - First: those bonds sell out to all the countries, individuals and 401k's and the government has outside cash which they have no serious intention of ever really paying back; secondly: those investors may be reluctant to buy, in which case the Central Bank simply "buys" the bonds with brand new, made up money. This is why our admitted debt (bond obligations) just reached $20 trillion (that's a little over $165,000 per taxpayer).<br />
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In addition to no credit limit and the ability to print money, the third major difference is: the spender (gov) isn't on the hook to pay back the loan, they signed our collective names to the debt, it's ours! Our tax payers really do owe the $165,000, individually.<br />
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Here is where the public debt is exactly like an individual's debt: It must be paid back, otherwise it isn't a debt, but simply printed money. Remember those investors? They want their money back, with interest. Are we ready to invest more into the will-o-wisp called "healthcare" when we are already so deeply in the red? It gets worse. With a fiat currency (paper dollars) even the money is an I.O.U., because it has no inherent value. So added to the $20 trillion is every dollar which the Fed has issued and is held anywhere as savings and nobody knows how much that is.<br />
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This will play out badly whether we get healthcare or not. Soon, the rest of the world is going to tire of this scam in our favor and will demand much more actual stuff for our dollars and they will find other mediums with which to trade with each other. In other words, they will hold us to account and our standard of living will plummet, all because of an insupportable debt we ran up in a period of peace, for our own selfish interests.<br />
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Finally, it is rank immorality to borrow without intention to pay back. It is a crime against our children to sign their names to a debt, for which we benefited.<br />
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We must stop the borrowing now and as a nation who respects all people, resolve ourselves to paying it back. Let us dissolve Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, Obamacare and all the rest, keep the payroll deductions and use that to honor our debts and to show the world that the honor of the United States is as good as gold.Williamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03310225556398456078noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7081093665066650012.post-16191285938215930332017-03-19T20:08:00.000-03:002017-04-08T16:38:23.747-03:00The Constant Catholic Church<i><span style="background-color: #f6f7f9; color: #1d2129; font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14.85px;">"It seems to me that the manifestation of Today's church is much closer to upholding those ideals than at any other time in history. After all they are teaching inclusion, love, understanding, compassion, you see where this is going.</span><br style="color: #1d2129; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14.85px;" /><br style="color: #1d2129; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14.85px;" /><span style="background-color: #f6f7f9; color: #1d2129; font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14.85px;">Besides, is not the Pope gods chosen spokesperson on Earth? Who are you to question gods will, he works in mysterious ways after all."</span></i><br />
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<span style="color: #1d2129; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="background-color: #f6f7f9;">That is part of a social media debate I had with a self declared atheist (Previous post: A Passionate Discussion). Though he doesn't recognize the authority of the Catholic Church, he does perceive the liberalizing attitude of Cardinal Bergoglio (aka: Pope Francis). What he doesn't understand is the mission of the Church and the legitimate duties of the pope and all churchmen.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">The Church has a two part mission with one purpose. The two parts are: to teach the entire world of Christ, about Christ and the commandments of Christ, and secondly, to administer the sacraments ordained by Christ, which repair our souls, absolve our souls of sins and open the door of heaven. Those two parts are the foundation of Church's singular purpose, which is to orient us towards God and shepherd us through the glorious portal.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">The teachings and commandments of Christ are rock solid constant and will never change. The way to heaven is narrow, and few find it because it requires the surrender of the self for Christ; a putting away of pride and self-love, a most difficult thing without a coach. Due to this constancy, the Church cannot be "moved" to the left or right; teachings cannot be amended or changed to fit the times. Changing social norms do not broaden the pathway to heaven. What was a sin 2000 years ago is a sin today and will always be and the consequences remain exactly the same.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Cardinal Bergoglio, with his liberalizing attitude, in "teaching inclusion, love, understanding, compassion", which are euphemisms for ratifying the sins of the flesh, is simply leading souls astray, away from the rock solid Church and away from eternal life. My atheist friend got one thing right, "God works in mysterious ways."</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Do not fall for this trap. Remain constant in your love of Christ and keep the old and still valid moral standards. If the world persecutes you for standing with Christ, be glad, for you will be blessed and will have a valid hope of hearing the greatest words one can hear, "Well done, good and faithful servant."</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>Williamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03310225556398456078noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7081093665066650012.post-70448936760532365262017-03-10T20:31:00.000-04:002017-03-20T10:16:14.487-03:00A Passionate Discussion<a href="https://www.facebook.com/FreeThinkersUnitedForChange/photos/a.356233997778432.75828.356232221111943/1191213607613796/?type=3">The Catholic Church is now more progressive</a> on both Science and Social Issues than the Republican Party.<br />
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That was the statement of a meme posted on Facebook by a group called the Freethinkers United For Change's (sic).<br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;">"As an atheist I find this particularly funny!" was the comment of a man with whom I am linked on Facebook.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #1d2129; font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white;">Besides my linked antagonist there were three other commentators. I'll list them in order as:</span></span><br />
<span style="color: #1d2129; font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white;">1st, 2nd, 3rd and 4th. I am Billy</span></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;">My reply begins the following epic exchange:</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="background-color: #f6f7f9; color: #1d2129; font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;">Billy: I find it tragic. It's a human disaster when the teaching Church goes off the rails and the blind stumble into the ditch.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: #f6f7f9; color: #1d2129; font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="background-color: #f6f7f9; color: #1d2129; font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;">1st: </span><span style="background-color: #f6f7f9; color: #1d2129; font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;">Just to clarify, are you saying the Church is wrong or the GOP is wrong?</span><br />
<span style="background-color: #f6f7f9; color: #1d2129; font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="background-color: #f6f7f9; color: #1d2129; font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;">Billy: </span><span style="background-color: #f6f7f9; color: #1d2129; font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;">The Church, which I love with my whole heart, is being raped by evil, faithless, homosexual men pretending to be shepherds. </span><br />
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<span style="background-color: #f6f7f9; color: #1d2129; font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;">...and the GOP is always wrong...</span><br />
<span style="background-color: #f6f7f9; color: #1d2129; font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="background-color: #f6f7f9; color: #1d2129; font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;">1st: </span><span style="background-color: #f6f7f9; color: #1d2129; font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;">I have no words... </span><br />
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<span style="background-color: #f6f7f9; color: #1d2129; font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;">(and then he had plenty)</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: #f6f7f9; color: #1d2129; font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;">I'm struggling with an appropriate response here that will not totally end our association.<br /><br />I could point out the church's history of pedophilia among the so called shepherds, or it's history of rampant sexism and abuse of women.</span><span style="background-color: #f6f7f9; color: #1d2129; font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;"><br /><br />I could mention how literally every scientific stance the church fought so hard against they were eventually proven wrong, even though they had people tortured and killed for daring to disagree.<br /><br />I could give statistics showing that the massive spread of AIDS in Africa and the resultant epidemic of infant rape is a direct result of the church's stance on condom usage.<br /><br />Or I could point out that the book of the Bible that says homosexuality is wrong also instructs you to burn a bull on sunday, never wear fabrics of different material together, and sell your raped daughter to her rapist, among other ridiculous things, and that no one takes those parts seriously.<br /><br />I could tell you that while I don't personally believe in a god I do believe that any truly loving god, as the Christians portray their god to be, would love all people and want us to do the same.<br /><br />But I think I'm just going to inform you that I have family and friends that are LGBTQ, and I love them very much. If you truly believe that they don't deserve the same rights and privileges that the rest of us do, as much as I have enjoyed some of our conversations I'm afraid our association is at an end.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: #f6f7f9; color: #1d2129; font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="background-color: #f6f7f9; color: #1d2129; font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;">Billy: </span><span style="background-color: #f6f7f9; color: #1d2129; font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;">Don't worry about losing my friendship. Just remember the sole goal of every person, ever born, is to be with the One, True God, and He does love each and every person with a love we can never understand.</span><span style="background-color: #f6f7f9; color: #1d2129; font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;"> </span><br />
<span style="background-color: #f6f7f9; color: #1d2129; font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;">You made several charges against the Catholic Church and I have a few replies which I hope would be clarifying. Where should we start?</span><br />
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<span style="color: #1d2129; font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;">1st: </span><span style="background-color: #f6f7f9; color: #1d2129; font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;">Start by understanding that I don't believe in your god so any explanation that contains the idea "we can't know what god wants" or any variant of that means absolutely nothing for me. I hold people accountable for their actions, so if you can refute m</span><span style="background-color: #f6f7f9; color: #1d2129; font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;">y charges with evidence that they are wrong, please do so I always want to learn. But if your reply is based on "the Bible..." then don't waste either your time or mine because the Bible is just a book of stories as far as I'm concerned, no more important than The Brothers Grim.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #1d2129; font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;">Billy: </span><span style="background-color: #f6f7f9; color: #1d2129; font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;">The Bible is just a book of stories. It didn't fall from the sky. Somebody, people, wrote it. The key is who and why. God is real. He manifested Himself in various ways to certain lucky (unlucky?) people. Some of those people, who could write, wrote.<br />G</span><span style="background-color: #f6f7f9; color: #1d2129; font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;">od, as Jesus, commanded the Church to teach, which they did. In an effort to discern true scripture from false, that Church codified the Bible in the 300s and preserved it intact for 1100 years, through a time when one man in a thousand could read and parchment cost $100 a sheet.<br />The Bible isn't a magical book. It is a manual for the teaching Church to use in her mission to make God known.<br />You correctly sense that a inanimate book cannot hold authority without a person to back it up, just as the FARs are just a bunch of rules without the FAA. The one True Church is that authority.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: #f6f7f9; color: #1d2129; font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;">If you would like to get a fast feel of my Catholic viewpoints, you may like to look through my blog posts. The address is in my profile. Also here on FB I've a few earnest discussions.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #1d2129; font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;">1st: </span><span style="background-color: #f6f7f9; color: #1d2129; font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;">I'm not really concerned with your viewpoints, I'm of the opinion that people should be allowed to believe anything they want. It's when they try and force their beliefs on others that I start taking issue. You choose to believe that the Catholic versi</span><span style="background-color: #f6f7f9; color: #1d2129; font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;">on of the god of Abraham is the true and correct version, that's fine, I don't share that viewpoint. My issue is when you try (and I'm still not clear on weather this is your stance or not) to deny other people their fundamental human rights based on your personal religious beliefs.<br /><br />In my experience living abroad and traveling extensively I have come to the conclusion that a persons religious beliefs has nothing to do with Truth and everything to do with geography. You were born here, probably to Catholic parents, and so you are Catholic. Were you born in Riyadh to Muslim parents you would almost certainly be Muslim, or in Kolkata to Hindu parents, well you get the idea.<br /><br />This was not intended to be a religious discussion, although I do find those enjoyable, but rather I was trying to ascertain weather or not you thought that LGBTQ people should not have the same rights as everyone else, because that is not a viewpoint I can tolerate.<br /><br />I'll leave you with this. You are almost as much an atheist as I am. You have looked at the plethora of possible gods, both current and former, and dismissed all but one, and not just that but all other versions of that one. Do you believe in Vishnu? How about Brahman? Do you believe in the divinity of The Buddha? How about Ra? Zeus? Odin? Do you believe that Mohammad (peace be upon him) is The Prophet? Or that we are still waiting for The Prophet? No, you have dismissed every<br />other possible god, and every other version of the god of Abraham. I have only dismissed one more.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #1d2129; font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;">Billy: </span><span style="background-color: #f6f7f9; color: #1d2129; font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;">LGBTQ people are children of God. They have the right to all the world has to offer and I will give my life defending those rights. However neither they or any of us will ever see the inside of Heaven without contrition for our sins, a sincere effort of amendment and a burning desire to please the God you do not believe in.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #1d2129; font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;">1st: </span><span style="background-color: #f6f7f9; color: #1d2129; font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;">I can live with that. As I do not believe in heaven, or hell for that matter, I'm not concerned with what you, or anyone else, thinks will happen once we do or do not get there. I'm only concerned with how we treat each other in this, the only life we </span><span style="background-color: #f6f7f9; color: #1d2129; font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;">have. If you treat others well because you believe your god wants you to, I'm good with that, I treat others well because I feel a sense of community with my fellow humans and have a sincere desire to make life as good as I can for everyone. I do enjoy the fact that even though we seem to disagree on almost everything our discussions are always civil, thank you for your part in that.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #1d2129; font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;">Billy: </span><span style="background-color: #f6f7f9; color: #1d2129; font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;">Have a good one.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: #f6f7f9; color: #1d2129; font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;">Allow me a final edit to the Bible statement. (I added the part about FARs)</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: #f6f7f9; color: #1d2129; font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;">1st: </span><span style="background-color: #f6f7f9; color: #1d2129; font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;">Sure.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: #f6f7f9; color: #1d2129; font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;"> The authority of the FAA is tangible, if I violate a FAR I experience real, physical consequences (if I get caught). If I violate a command in the Bible (and we all do all the time) absolutely nothing happens. I'm currently wearing cott</span><span style="background-color: #f6f7f9; color: #1d2129; font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;">on pants with a polyester shirt, bad fashion choice for sure, against the Bible as well, but there are no consequences at all. The Christian god is supposed to be all knowing, unlike the FAA even though they want you to think they are, so either god sees my violation and doesn't care in which case the Bible is wrong about what god wants, or he doesn't see it, in which case he is not all knowing, or, my opinion, he doesn't exist.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #1d2129; font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;">Billy: </span><span style="background-color: #f6f7f9; color: #1d2129; font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;">He does care, very much. That is why one of His most loving attributes is patience, for up to the moment of our death He waits for our voluntary love.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #1d2129; font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;">1st: T</span><span style="background-color: #f6f7f9; color: #1d2129; font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;">hen after our death he loves us so much he condemns us to burn for all eternity? That doesn't sound loving to me at all.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #1d2129; font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;">Billy: </span><span style="background-color: #f6f7f9; color: #1d2129; font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;">No, that was our choice to separate from Him. He always opens the way for those who seek him.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #1d2129; font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;">1st: </span><span style="background-color: #f6f7f9; color: #1d2129; font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;">So he just doesn't forgive you if you were wrong then? He holds a grudge?</span></div>
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<span style="color: #1d2129; font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;">Billy: </span><span style="background-color: #f6f7f9; color: #1d2129; font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;">Forgiveness requires contrition. If a felon tells the judge "I did nothing wrong!" he won't receive leniency. If he confesses his error and shows sincere remorse, he receives absolution. That is a key function of the Holy Church, to teach the errors and to provide a way of repair.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #1d2129; font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;">1st: </span><span style="background-color: #f6f7f9; color: #1d2129; font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;">Judges are human, the church claims their god is all knowing. An all knowing, all loving god could easily tell who was good and who was not, regardless of weather they believed in him/her in life. Any god that would look at someone like Gandhi and deny him heaven because he didn't pray correctly is certainly not a god I think is worth worshiping.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: #f6f7f9; color: #1d2129; font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;">(At this point the second antagonist entered the fray.)</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: #f6f7f9; color: #1d2129; font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;">2nd: So, what happens to Pope Benedict? Is he going to hell for helping facilitate child rape? Or can he apologize?</span></div>
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<span style="color: #1d2129; font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;">Billy: (To 2nd) I</span><span style="background-color: #f6f7f9; color: #1d2129; font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;">f Pope Benedict facilitated such evil, you will have your justice; but you should thank God for His love and His ever available forgiveness for Benedict, for that same grace is available to us all.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #1d2129; font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;">2nd: </span><span style="background-color: #f6f7f9; color: #1d2129; font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;">There's no if. God's previous spokesman on earth has an international warrant for his arrest, but was chosen by God to lead his church after the fact. Good to know we can all rise from such humble origins.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #1d2129; font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;">Billy: </span><span style="background-color: #f6f7f9; color: #1d2129; font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;">As for Gandhi and all who do not know the one Faith, their culpability is muted and they receive graces from the universal sacrifice of Christ.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: #f6f7f9; color: #1d2129; font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;">(To 2nd) I repeat, you will have your justice, but pray for him.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #1d2129; font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;">1st: </span><span style="background-color: #f6f7f9; color: #1d2129; font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;">Ok, so what about me then. I know of your god, I reject him based on my experiences and education. However I live a good life, better than many that call themselves Christian and who go to church every Sunday. I will never ask your god for forgiveness as I don't believe he exists, so am I doomed to burn if I happen to be wrong? And if so where is the forgiveness?</span></div>
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<span style="color: #1d2129; font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;">2nd: </span><span style="background-color: #f6f7f9; color: #1d2129; font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;">William, I don't need justice. If there's an omniscient and omnipotent God who must have known this was going to happen, that means he condoned child rape as well. Unless he's not really omniscient or omnipotent, in which case he's not God.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: #f6f7f9; color: #1d2129; font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;">Or was it a learning experience? He wanted thousands of kids to be raped so that they and we could become closer to his message.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: #f6f7f9; color: #1d2129; font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;">Billy: </span><span style="background-color: #f6f7f9; color: #1d2129; font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;">You know of Him and reject His authority over you and demand His forgiveness...</span></div>
<span style="background-color: #f6f7f9; color: #1d2129; font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;">If a man lives a 95% good life and never acknowledges that one time he raped a girl in high school, is he immune from punishment?</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: #f6f7f9; color: #1d2129; font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;">(To 2nd) He condones no evil. He allows us to commit evil, which is rejecting His commandments, out of respect for the one thing He freely gave us and will never take back, free will. That free will allows us to choose Him without coercion.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #1d2129; font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;">1st: </span><span style="background-color: #f6f7f9; color: #1d2129; font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;">You are conflating not believing in a god with Rape? That's a bit of a straw man. How about this. Hitler repents just before he dies. Does he get into heaven while I don't?</span></div>
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<span style="color: #1d2129; font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;">Billy: </span><span style="background-color: #f6f7f9; color: #1d2129; font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;">If Hitler truly repented, which considering his hardness of heart, is doubtful, he would enjoy a place in Heaven, after paying back every ounce of pain he inflicted.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: #f6f7f9; color: #1d2129; font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;">All evil, rape, God rejection, etc. carries the same penalty, loss of Heaven.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #1d2129; font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;">2nd: </span><span style="background-color: #f6f7f9; color: #1d2129; font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;">Damn. I'll remember to pack extra sunscreen then.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: #f6f7f9; color: #1d2129; font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;">Billy: </span><span style="background-color: #f6f7f9; color: #1d2129; font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;">...not a joking matter...</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: #f6f7f9; color: #1d2129; font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;">2nd: </span><span style="background-color: #f6f7f9; color: #1d2129; font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;">I'm being very serious. I have no intention of accepting your god just like you have no intention of accepting Zeus. If you're right and I'm going to hell I'm bringing sunscreen. Otherwise I'm looking at eternity in hell with skin cancer. Got to minimi</span><span style="background-color: #f6f7f9; color: #1d2129; font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;">ze my losses after all.</span></div>
<span style="background-color: #f6f7f9; color: #1d2129; font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;">By the way, since you don't accept all the other gods who will curse you to eternal damnation for remedying them, you might want to plan ahead as well. And since there exists just as much evidence for them, you may wish to consider which one you place your faith in.<br /><br />Welcome to Pascals wager.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: #f6f7f9; color: #1d2129; font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;">1st: </span><span style="background-color: #f6f7f9; color: #1d2129; font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;">You mentioned free will. I've always found that mental gymnastic particularly interesting. If god is all knowing and all powerful than there is no free will and everything I do is pre-ordained by god, so any evil I commit is his fault for not stopping </span><span style="background-color: #f6f7f9; color: #1d2129; font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;">it. If he does not know I'm going to commit evil he is not all knowing, if he cannot stop me he is not all powerful. If he does know and chooses to allow me to inflict harm on an innocent person he is not a loving god. I suppose if the only evil god allowed was self inflicted and did not affect anyone else you could make the argument that he wants to see what you will do, but it's not so you can't.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: #f6f7f9; color: #1d2129; font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;">Billy: </span><span style="background-color: #f6f7f9; color: #1d2129; font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;">Suffering is not of itself an evil. Jesus used it to effect our potential redemption. If a man commits an evil on me and I receive it with joy, as it atones for my evil, then a good results. This is why we pray for our enemies.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: #f6f7f9; color: #1d2129; font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;">1st: </span><span style="background-color: #f6f7f9; color: #1d2129; font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;">I guess that's the difference between believers and non-believers. Everything you said relies on believing in the god of Abraham as interpreted by the Roman Catholic Church over the years. I simply don't so everything you said sounds absurd to me, but if it makes you happy, and doesn't cause harm to anyone else, go for it.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #1d2129; font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: #f6f7f9;">Billy: (To 2nd) Y</span></span><span style="background-color: #f6f7f9; color: #1d2129; font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;">ou need justice or you would't have brought up the scandal of Benedict, twice.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: #f6f7f9; color: #1d2129; font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;">There is much more evidence of the One Christian God than all the others combined.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: #f6f7f9; color: #1d2129; font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;">(To 1st) All Loving God: He created us for one sole reason, to freely love Him. Love begets love. This is why our free will is so essential to the equation, for love must be freely given or it is not love.<br />All Knowing God: He does know every decision, action</span><span style="background-color: #f6f7f9; color: #1d2129; font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;">, and event that has or will affect our lives and yes, He knows whether we will be with Him or not. Do not mistake that for pre-destination or a settled fate. We truly do have the choice to be His, or not and He will respect that freedom of will right up to the moment of death. Thus it is that we settle our own fates.<br />All Powerful God: Yes, He could control us like barn animals and prevent us from ever doing anything evil, but that corrupts our free will. Imagine the reaction of a man, who upon resolving on an evil action, is zapped by God with a bolt from Heaven. Would his feelings for such a God be love or a deep, burning resentment?</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: #f6f7f9; color: #1d2129; font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;">1st: </span><span style="background-color: #f6f7f9; color: #1d2129; font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;">Billy, there is no more evidence for the Christian god than for any others, as the amount of actual evidence for any of them is Zero. If you have any real proof please provide it and settle the 2000 year old argument once and for all. You FEEL there is</span><span style="background-color: #f6f7f9; color: #1d2129; font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;"> proof because this is what you BELIEVE to be true. I can promise you there are Jews who are just as sure about their version, Muslims just as sure about their version, Hindus, Buddhists, Sikhs, again you get the idea.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: #f6f7f9; color: #1d2129; font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;">So if he already knows everything why the farce? Why do I have to live my life if he already knows what I am going to "Freely" choose? Wouldn't it be much more expeditious to just judge us all based on that he already knows the outcome and be done with it? You can't claim Free Will and All Knowing at the same time, that's disingenuous.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: #f6f7f9; color: #1d2129; font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;">Something else has been bothering me here<br /><br />The post that started this whole thing was you saying: "I find it tragic. It's a human disaster when the teaching Church goes off the rails and the blind stumble into the ditch." </span><span style="background-color: #f6f7f9; color: #1d2129; font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;"><br /><br />Followed by: "The Church, which I love with my whole heart, is being raped by evil, faithless, homosexual men pretending to be shepherds."<br /><br />You also said: "God, as Jesus, commanded the Church to teach, which they did."<br /><br />So the Church is supposed to teach, based on Jesus's ideas, if I'm interpreting your statements correctly. Jesus preached love, compassion, understanding, non-violence, and a host of other worthy ideals, I could cite bible versus but I have a feeling I don't need to.<br /><br />It seems to me that the manifestation of Today's church is much closer to upholding those ideals than at any other time in history. After all they are teaching inclusion, love, understanding, compassion, you see where this is going.<br /><br />Besides, is not the Pope gods chosen spokesperson on Earth? Who are you to question gods will, he works in mysterious ways after all.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: #f6f7f9; color: #1d2129; font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;">Anyway, I'll be flying the next 20 hours so be patient if you want a response from me to anything.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: #f6f7f9; color: #1d2129; font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;">Billy: </span><span style="background-color: #f6f7f9; color: #1d2129; font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;">Proof: There is God or there isn’t, a binary question. That there are thousands of religions does not prove the “isn’t”, but demonstrates the effect of man grappling with His hidden nature. If anything, that so many religions have sprung up, proves </span><span style="background-color: #f6f7f9; color: #1d2129; font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;">that we sense Him and have tried to reach out to see Him.</span></div>
<span style="background-color: #f6f7f9; color: #1d2129; font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;">God reached out to us and even came to us as one of us, Jesus. Mankind was living in the pagan age 2000 years ago and it was in the West, where the Church roamed and taught His commandments, that social order was lifted up and human progress began. The framework of progress was the ordering of the family unit and building upon that to communities, cities and countries where there was the rule of law and not rule of might (sword). All of this from one Jewish carpenter in Palestine.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: #f6f7f9; color: #1d2129; font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;">Farce: This life and this world are not the end game and “We all live happily ever after in Heaven”…end of movie. This life is solely to prepare us for the next and greatest life, like college prepares us for the time after graduation. That free wil</span><span style="background-color: #f6f7f9; color: #1d2129; font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;">l is our motivation to prepare ourselves to be in the company of God and this life is our time to do it. If we succeed, at death, we graduate and go to much greater things; if we flunk out…well you know the rest.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: #f6f7f9; color: #1d2129; font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;"> </span><span data-ft="{"tn":"K"}" style="background-color: #f6f7f9; color: #1d2129; font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;"><span class="UFICommentBody _1n4g">Bothering: The Catholic Church was and is the first, longest lasting and ultimate inclusive, loving, understanding, compassionate human organization on this planet and will always be such. It was Her who taught the pagans that a man must love and support his wife for his entire life and not put her away when he tired of her. She taught (taught also means teaches – for She is constant) that babies and children held the same dignity as adults and were to be nurtured and cared for; that it was a grave evil to kill them. She taught the same dignity for the poor. She taught that every man was to love his neighbor (strangers) more than himself (This is the second greatest commandment - second only to the first: to love God). That we are never to cheat in money, or to call another an evil name, that we must never even bear a grudge against another. We must even govern our speech, that to tell a single lie was damning. We are to love our enemies, to do them a good every time they did us a wrong. We are to do whatever we can to help each other to grow in peace and love. That remains as true today as ever.</span></span></div>
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<span data-ft="{"tn":"K"}" style="background-color: #f6f7f9; color: #1d2129; font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;"><span class="UFICommentBody _1n4g"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span data-ft="{"tn":"K"}" style="background-color: #f6f7f9; color: #1d2129; font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;"><span class="UFICommentBody _1n4g">Today, all of the interest in the teachings of the Church are boiled down to sex. Her timeless teachings hold that a husband may love his wife (One marriage, for life) and must never use contraception. Any sexual pleasure beyond that is sinful and Heaven is lost. Here is where the pitchforks and torches come out and the riot starts. The Pope cannot change this teaching, nor should he. It was taught by God (Jesus) for our good and we never realize a good from committing a bad. This is why the Church cannot endorse scattering condoms around the world. The end purpose of our existence would be frustrated.</span></span></div>
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<span data-ft="{"tn":"K"}" style="background-color: #f6f7f9; color: #1d2129; font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;"><span class="UFICommentBody _1n4g"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span data-ft="{"tn":"K"}" style="background-color: #f6f7f9; color: #1d2129; font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;"><span class="UFICommentBody _1n4g">Pope: The Pope is the Vicar of Christ and the head of the visible Catholic Church. The Catholic Church has three cells: The Church Triumphant – those people who are in Heaven, The Church Suffering – those people who have given their love to God and are destined for Heaven, but suffer greatly so to pay off their debts (something they do with joy), The Church Militant – the earthly cell which you and I discuss now. The Pope has exactly two jobs: to teach the constant teachings of the Church to the world and to administer the healing sacraments (confession, Communion, etc.). He cannot change anything and if he tried he would be leading souls into grave error and the blind “stumble into the ditch’. We know when the Pope teaches correctly or in error because of the constant 2000 year tradition of the Church, of the teachings of Popes well before this Pope, when those teachings harmonize with the teachings of Christ.</span></span></div>
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<span data-ft="{"tn":"K"}" style="background-color: #f6f7f9; color: #1d2129; font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;"><span class="UFICommentBody _1n4g"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span data-ft="{"tn":"K"}" style="background-color: #f6f7f9; color: #1d2129; font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;"><span class="UFICommentBody _1n4g">Today the word “inclusive” has been redefined to “ratification of sin”. That is our fault line. If we had a brother, who was slowly killing himself with drugs, it would not be charitable to sit back and let him kill himself. If I ratified the sins of the LGBTQ by failing to warn them of the abyss to which they march, I would be the rankest of hypocrites because, while you may not believe, I do! My most charitable, and the Church’s, action would be to warn them and pray for their conversion, not to go all mushy and tell them the “You’re OK, I’m OK”. That is why these leaders of our beloved Holy Roman Apostolic Catholic Church are faithless evil cowards. Their own sins have blinded them to their duty and the “Church is off the rails” and there is no voice crying out a warning…which brings us back to where we started.</span></span></div>
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<span data-ft="{"tn":"K"}" style="background-color: #f6f7f9; color: #1d2129; font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;"><span class="UFICommentBody _1n4g"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span data-ft="{"tn":"K"}" style="background-color: #f6f7f9; color: #1d2129; font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;"><span class="UFICommentBody _1n4g">1st: <span data-ft="{"tn":"K"}"><span class="UFICommentBody">I am not going to try and refute each of your points as they all relate to your interpretation of your mythology.</span></span></span></span></div>
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<span data-ft="{"tn":"K"}" style="background-color: #f6f7f9; color: #1d2129; font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;"><span class="UFICommentBody _1n4g"><span data-ft="{"tn":"K"}"><span class="UFICommentBody">I will say that you provided no proof of your gods existence and your knowledge of history is a bit off. Just to name a couple of mistakes, the Jewish tradition has lasted longer than the Catholic, as have a few East Asian mythologies. Both the Egyptians and Chinese had thriving, advanced societies well before the time of Christ.<br /><br />It seems you have a very narrow definition of how to live, based entirely on on one book, written thousands of years ago, translated thousands of times. I don't agree with your chosen way of life, but again, as long as it doesn't hurt anyone else, knock yourself out.<br /><br />I think we have reached the point of diminishing return with this conversation. You will never convince me that your beliefs are the truth and I don't think I will ever open your mind to the possibility that you may be wrong. I suggest we leave it at that.</span></span></span></span></div>
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<span data-ft="{"tn":"K"}" style="background-color: #f6f7f9; color: #1d2129; font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;"><span class="UFICommentBody _1n4g"><span data-ft="{"tn":"K"}"><span class="UFICommentBody"><br /></span></span></span></span></div>
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<span data-ft="{"tn":"K"}" style="background-color: #f6f7f9; color: #1d2129; font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;"><span class="UFICommentBody _1n4g"><span data-ft="{"tn":"K"}"><span class="UFICommentBody">Billy: </span></span></span></span><span style="background-color: #f6f7f9; color: #1d2129; font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;">Good luck.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: #f6f7f9; color: #1d2129; font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;">Proof: I cannot convince God to hold a press conference and say “Here I am.” I explained why and you deflected it away. I could ask you to look up Our Lady of Guadalupe and read of the Tilma, a physical artifact from the 1500s that baffles scientists to this day, I could ask you to look up Our Lady of Fatima, who worked a miracle of the sun witnessed by thousands in 1917, or I could reference Our Lady of Lourdes (1858), but these are proofs of witness and evidence and you want only firsthand testimony from God Himself – I pray that you get it.</span><br style="font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;" /><span style="font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;">Bible: The Bible was assembled by the Church in the 300s and was the ONLY version (Latin Vulgate) for 1100 years. Yes, since the invention of the printing press it has been translated, rewritten, mutated, tweaked thousands of times by people who were not of the Catholic Church and with no authority to do so. Again, this shows the unique and authoritative position of the One Holy and Apostolic Church. You said that there is no consequence when we ignore the Bible because the Church isn’t like the FAA, able to discipline, but that is not true; the Church holds the keys to the Kingdom of Heaven and no one enters without Her approval, but you have no concern there and have tossed that away without the slightest concern. I’ll pray for you.</span><br style="font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;" /><span style="font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;">Narrow: Yes, my definition of how to live is very narrow, for God said the way to Heaven is narrow and few are they who find it. Few find it because the tension is between the self and simply believing. Jesus taught all of the nice things you cited, but He also taught the counter-intuitive things (love enemies, forgive offences, take the lower station in life, tolerate no glory for ourselves, etc.). Our self-love blinds us to the obvious, God. In faithful surrender of our self, through heroic humility our eyes open and our hearts grow and we are able to love the invisible and love the visible (our unruly neighbor).</span><br style="font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;" /><span style="font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;">Hitler: You cited the injustice of Hitler repenting and going to Heaven, while a person rejecting God, but being otherwise “good”, falls into hell. I explained that the consequences of Hitler’s evil were severe to him whether he made Heaven or not (justice), but you have no concern that a man like Hitler could start a war which destroys the lives and peace of hundreds of millions of people and when the arm of justice is banging down his door, he escapes into oblivion through suicide, and you are happy with that? That is the thinking that leads to mass murder.</span><br style="font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;" /><span style="font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;">Only through the surrender of self can wisdom come to our poor intellects. What appalls me is the Progressive – Freethinking – Socialistic philosophy. It is the deification of the human-self, which is the return to paganism. While the battle cry is “Tolerance! and Inclusivity!, it only leads to lust and murder. Example: To solve the poverty crisis in Africa we need to get rid of the people (abortion, contraception).</span><br style="font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;" /><span style="font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;">Your worldview is wide but very short. Those fifty years with which you will enjoy your intellectual freedom through physical actions will be pass very quickly. In your arrogance, you suppose that you will set up great and noble systems and social edifices which will lift the human condition for centuries to come. Do you think of the congressmen and senators from say….1955? They had ideas and philosophies with which they formed our laws and government. Do you respect them enough to leave well enough alone? So, why would you expect the freethinkers of 2100 to give a whit about your labors? It is pure vanity.</span><br style="font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;" /><span style="font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;">I’ll pray for you. May God bless you and your family and may His graces enlighten us all.</span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: #f6f7f9; color: #1d2129; font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></span><span style="background-color: #f6f7f9; color: #1d2129; font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;">(3rd commentator enters)</span></span></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: #f6f7f9; color: #1d2129; font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;">3rd: How would you feel if my religion it was a sin for you to own a gun and I felt because of my beliefs I need to tell your that it was a sin and you where going to go to hell and you where a sick individual that was the down fall of our country because of your gun. t(not that I have see you say this like this to about the LGBTQ community)</span></span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: #f6f7f9; color: #1d2129; font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></span><span style="background-color: #f6f7f9; color: #1d2129; font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;">Billy: (To 3rd) Your question illustrates the confusion created when the unity of One God and One Church are confused with multiple religions. It requires one to search for the Truth, for they cannot both be true, though they both claim to be. This is the real tragedy of the Protestant revolt.</span><br style="font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;" /><span style="font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;">Religion A: Is the only truth</span><br style="font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;" /><span style="font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;">Religion B: Is the only truth</span><br style="font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;" /><span style="font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;">Religion C: Is the only truth</span><br style="font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;" /><span style="font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;">Religions A, B & C: Are equally true.</span><br style="font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;" /><span style="font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;">None of them are true.</span><br style="font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;" /><span style="font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;">The fourth posit cannot be true since they are mutually exclusive.</span><br style="font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;" /><span style="font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;">That brings us to Patrick’s position, which the above arguments, of mine, refute, and which would nullify the gun ban as well.</span><br style="font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;" /><span style="font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;">So we are back to searching through A, B or C and only one is the Truth. Here is the rub that bothers (Him), with the reality of multiple religions, we must pick. I have picked. I pray that my response to anyone of the LGBTQ community would always be charitable and I truly do fear for them in the long run.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: #f6f7f9; color: #1d2129; font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></span><span style="background-color: #f6f7f9; color: #1d2129; font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;">3rd: I think that this illustrates what is good about America is that we can all live together and get along mostly and have mostly civilized conversations like this. You can have Religion A Patrick can have B and I can have C we tell one another about our Religion or non Religion but no one is forced to believe something.</span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: #f6f7f9; color: #1d2129; font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></span></span><span style="background-color: #f6f7f9; color: #1d2129; font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;">Billy: I agree there. Christianity is never about force, but surrender.</span></span></span></span><br />
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<span data-ft="{"tn":"K"}">1st: you didn't refute anything, and to claim so is very insulting. In point of fact this conversation began with me pointing out the disgusting history of the church, you asking to refute my claims and then instead of doing so launching into the same tired old arguments that have been put forth and refuted a thousand times. I was trying to end this discussion without having to go down this path because it never ends well but you refused so here we go. Remember, you wanted this:<br /><br />Our Lady of Guadalupe. It's a painting. Some people claim they can see reflections of the past in here eyes. Others don't. Not very amazing "proof" of an all powerful god who can supposedly do anything. I've seen it, it's a very pretty painting.<br /><br />The Tilma is literally the fiber mat on which the painting is painted. I'm assuming you are referring to the fact it hasn't decayed as proof of god? Again, pretty week "proof" if true, but here's the thing. It was tested and found to be made from hemp, not cactus as the church claims, and hemp is one of the most robust natural materials out there, again, hardly miraculous. Oh, and it doesn't baffle anyone that researches it, only those that blindly follow.<br /><br />Our lady of Fatima. Three children see a vision of what they think is the Virgin Mary telling them she will perform a miracle at a certain time and place. The time arrives, thousands gather, and witness....clouds, then the sun. Some claim the sun was blurry and spinning, others don't. This is your proof? There is more intrigue in one of the statues that supposedly can drink milk in India, although those can be explained as well.<br /><br />Our lady of Lourdes. Again, a child, I'm seeing a pattern here, claims to see the Virgin Mary in a spring. Supposedly if you drink from the spring you get cured of what ails you. Millions over the years drink and millions are cured, oh my god it's a miracle. Well, not really, millions did drink and there were a few (.000035%) that showed possible improvement in their conditions. Again, not much of a miracle for an all powerful god .<br /><br />The Bible. The Bible includes both the old and new testaments. You claim it was assembled in Latin in the 300s and was the only version for 1100 years. Well, not quite. The Old Testament was fist written down around 400 BCE and "finished" around 116 BCE, in Hebrew. I put "finished" in quotes because people change it to fit their own needs regularly even back then, more on that later.<br />The New Testament was originally written in Greek, not Latin as you claim, was hardly the only version, and was changed many many times over the years. Remember when Constantine, that emperor of the eastern Roman Empire changed the capital to Constantinople, he had his own version written, that was in circa 330 CE. That's only one example.<br /><br />So there you go, I have addressed all your claims, I'm sure you have more, they can be debunked too, but as a true believer that won't matter to you at all. You, on the other hand, never addressed any of mine, I wonder what that means?<br /><br />Now, my turn.<br />You called me arrogant, not very Christian of you, but what is more arrogant, to claim to know exactly, and fully, the only way to eternal life or to say that I will live my life the best I can and hope others do the same?<br /><br />"To solve the poverty crisis in Africa we need to get rid of the people." I never said that, you are trying to put words into my mouth, in effect lying, again not very Christian. What I did say was that the church has made the AIDS crises exponentially worse by preventing condom usage, and they have, you never addressed that point, probably because you know you can't.<br /><br />You think my worldview is short? Yours is based entirely on your particular interpretation of a book that you don't even know the history of, as I demonstrated above by correcting your easily disprovable statements about the Bible.<br /><br />You think that because multiple religions exist that one must be true, ergo it's yours. You claim this bothers me. Nothing could be further from the truth. I use the existence of multiple religions as evidence that NONE are true, among mounds of other evidence. Your conclusions require mental gymnastics of the sort only those trying to cram an absurd belief into the world are capable of.<br /><br />I feel sorry for you, I truly do. You were brainwashed as a child into believing you had to behave a certain way, believe a certain thing, give money to a certain person, in order to avoid eternal torment. It should be criminally punishable child abuse.<br />You probably believed in Santa Clause at one point too, most of us did. A magical man who knows everything you do and loves you no matter what but will bring you coal if you misbehave and toys if you don't. Sound familiar? Santa is a gateway drug. I wish you could throw off the shackles of mythology that have so clouded your mind so you could see the beauty and wonder that is all around us, and has nothing to do with any gods. I fear it is too late for you but I won't give up hope, you have wasted enough of your life on fairy tales constructed to control you.<br /><br />If you want to pray for me, go ahead if it makes you happy, you a literally saying that you will do nothing as that's what prayer is, nothing, just thoughts. I on the other hand will continue to work and try and make the world better for all of us, you and me.<br /><br />And remember, I never called you any names, never attacked your faith, and even gave you an out for this whole conversation. You didn't want it, so this is the result.<br /><br />Take care</span></div>
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Billy: Take care.<br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;">...just to clear the air some from a subject of which we are both very passionate, my feelings are not hurt and I too am impressed with our ability to go to the mat on a subject which has caused wars, without too much rancor. If I crossed the line with name calling, I do apologize. You were right, this conversation has run it's course and I sign out by wishing you and your family peace and prosperity in the future.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;">(4th commentator)</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;">4th: Dude.....I think I understand why you took the time you did on this thread, but the reality is such, you cannot convince a drug addict to stop abusing drugs, they have to choose to themselves. This guy is seriously a waste of your time. Think of all the better, positive and productive things you could have spent YOUR valuable time on. Save these conversations for the people listening, not the people who are shouting.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;">Billy: I have learned my lesson. Thanks.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;">1st: </span></span><span style="font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;">that was actually pretty clever, you made me chuckle. Thanks for that.</span><br />
(end)<br />
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I now feel like a rodeo cowboy who rode the bull; my butt hurts, I have mud in my face and the bull is still an atheist. <br />
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"To one who has faith, no explanation is necessary. To one without faith, no explanation is possible." St Thomas Aquinas</div>
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Williamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03310225556398456078noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7081093665066650012.post-22482827533496732072016-10-30T16:56:00.000-03:002017-04-08T16:43:08.851-03:00Protestant "Dogma"I know a young man who truly loves Jesus and His gospels and seeks His truth. His knowledge of scripture is near total. He has posted a long and exacting analysis of the Protestant premise of <a href="http://douloicristou.com/blog/once-saved-always-saved">Once Saved - Always Saved.</a> (link)<br />
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I have read this piece several times and am impressed by this man's integrity. His objective attitude as he researched this question lead to his correct conclusion, that a man of sincere faith can indeed grievously sin and lose heaven.<br />
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The two main pillars of Protestantism are Faith Alone and Scripture Alone. Scripture Alone is the sound bite for, "The Church Has No Authority To Teach". Faith Alone is the sound bite for, "The Church Has No Authority To Forgive Sins".<br />
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<i>St. Matthew 28: 18-20<o:p></o:p></i></div>
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<i>And Jesus coming, spoke to them, saying: All power is given
to me in heaven and in earth. Going
therefore, teach ye all nations: baptizing them in the name of the Father and
of the Son and of the Holy Ghost.
Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded
you. And behold I am with you all days,
even to the consummation of the world.<o:p></o:p></i></div>
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<i>St. Mark 16: 15<o:p></o:p></i></div>
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<i>And He said to them: Go ye into the whole world and preach
the gospel to every creature. He that
believeth and is baptized shall be saved: but he that believeth not shall be
condemned.</i><o:p></o:p></div>
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With all due respect, most any well formed Catholic third grader would have answered this question correctly, for it is taught by the Church, as it has been for centuries. The above scripture citations commands the Church to go and teach Christ's commandments and moral code to the entire world and that is exactly what she did and continues to do. Along the way there were many serious questions that arose and the Church through councils and discernment settled them and authoritatively declared what was worthy of belief. This brought the Faith intact into the sixteenth century. The Protestant method of trusting only scripture forces a man to bushwhack his way through centuries of questions and confusion as he searches for Truth. I picture such a man whacking his way through a jungle of the world's lies while not fifty feet away from a well marked pathway, a pathway laid out by scriptural giants such as St. Augustine, Justin Martyr, St. Thomas Aquinas, St. Benedict, St. Jerome and so many others, who all loved Christ and His Church and defended the Faith from error.</div>
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In the sixteenth century several men, Martin Luther being one, promoted the Scripture Alone (the Church has no authority) heresy. This forces mankind back to square one in his search for Truth. Thus a man of integrity must study the scripture like a scholar and find his own answers, which means that he must be able to read, a skill which wasn't widely possessed in those first fifteen hundred years and we must pray that his discernment of these many pressing questions is always correct. Another problem with Scripture Alone lies in moving forward, once a man has settled a question for himself, could we believe him if he told us his conclusion? Who is he? We may know someone else, whom we respect, who says the opposite. Opinions may be seriously divergent and another sect is born, as has happened thousands of times since men like Martin Luther, King Henry VIII, John Calvin, etal. Who has the final say? The citations above clear up those confusions, for it is the Catholic Church who holds the teaching authority and any simple person of faith can take it to the bank (Heaven).</div>
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Almost the instant men wrested the teaching authority from the Church the question arose of, "What about sins?" This necessitated Faith Alone, so to soothe the guilty conscience and prevent people from seeking the Church's forgiveness. This leads to Once Saved Always Saved to render peace to that same guilty conscience who has seriously sinned following his acceptance of Faith Alone. What does happen to the sincere believer who has grievously sinned? The author of the linked article has reasoned that there is a juncture here. If the sinner feels remorse and contrition, Christ forgives and his salvation was never lost. However if he hardens his heart and remains obstinate in sin, salvation is lost. Neat, but incomplete.</div>
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<i>St. Matthew 16: 18-19</i></div>
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<i>And I say to thee: That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I
will build my Church. And the gates of
hell shall not prevail against it. And I
will give to thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven. And whatsoever thou shall bind upon earth, it
is bound also in heaven: and whatsoever thou shall loose on earth, it shall be
loosed also in heaven.<o:p></o:p></i></div>
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<i>St. John 20: 21-23<o:p></o:p></i></div>
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<i>He said therefore to them again: Peace be to you. As the Father hath sent me, I also send you. When he had said this, he breathed on them: and
he said to them: Receive ye the Holy Ghost.
Whose sins you shall forgive, they are forgiven them: and whose sins you
shall retain, they are retained.</i><o:p></o:p></div>
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By Christ's own words, another primary function of the Church is to administer His forgiveness through the Sacrament of Penance - Confession. Peter and by extension, the Church holds the keys to heaven. Her mission is to teach the Faith and to help sinners to return to good graces when they fail. Compare the difference: One man labors over scripture trying to justify his state of salvation, trying to decide if Faith Alone is sufficient or should he accept Once Saved - Always Saved, just to be sure; and a Catholic, who confesses his sins to the living, Holy, Catholic, Apostolic Church, whom scripture states has that authority, and hears the words, from the steward of Christ, "Your sins have been forgiven. Go in peace."<br />
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Finally, it must be noted that each of these Protestant statements (you cannot call them dogma since there is no person of authority to proclaim them as true, by their own meaning), were never heard of in those first fifteen centuries. They only got traction as the men who were in rebellion leveraged their messages with the newly invented printing press. Scripture doesn't even say or hint at those statements, however there are citations abound which show the authority of the Church.<br />
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Look for the line of authority; God - Jesus - Catholic Church - Priest - penitent. If you can connect those tiers with objective scriptural text, then you have found home.<br />
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One final question: The Catholic Church has the mission to teach the commandments of Christ Jesus to the entire world. (Scriptural citation above). She has clearly and consistently taught that any and all use of contraception is a grave evil. Are you listening?<br />
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Williamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03310225556398456078noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7081093665066650012.post-78894930594831092262016-08-20T15:02:00.000-03:002016-11-21T10:27:10.184-04:00The End of Our Times<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
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The End of Our Times<o:p></o:p></div>
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In another year, as we look around at the wreckage we
previously called the United States and the Western World, you may be tempted
to ask, “What the hell happened?” You
won’t have to ask if you read this because I’ll paint it out for you. Warning: I am going to tick-off most of you
in the first few words, but bear with me; just hear it out, because in another
year, this might make sense.<o:p></o:p></div>
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The age of the great building of the West spanned the times
between the Acts of the Apostles and the Protestant Revolt. Those times are called the Dark Ages because
those who would have you ignore them labeled them such, so you would not learn
of the many and manly battles the Catholic Church fought in bringing the Gospel
of Christ to the entire world. The
Church put down many heresies and corrected errors, but mostly, she channeled
the graces of God upon any people who obeyed and loved Him (more on this). The Catholic principles were the impetus which
was responsible for the building of the West.
The “Dark” Ages, fifteen centuries, were the times of the ascendancy of
Christ.<o:p></o:p></div>
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The Protestant Revolt signaled to men that they did not need
to be obedient to a higher authority in matters of faith and mores. For the first time, the idea of each man reading
the Scripture himself and deciding for himself right and wrong was allowed to
spread unabated. This led to men asking
themselves, “If I am my own authority in the area of morality, then why should
I submit to authority in the civil arena?”
This thought process is the genesis of the Free Masonic movement, a
movement which brought us the Age of Masonic Revolution (My Title).<o:p></o:p></div>
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The major revolutions, of this period, were the American
(1783), French (1789) and Mexico (1821).
There were others, but these will illustrate the movement. These revolutions were all inspired by the
Free Masons, an organization which has been condemned by the Catholic Church,
for teaching heresy, especially in the areas of obedience and the authority of
God over mankind. The American Founding
Fathers were certainly not fans of the Catholic Church. When one reads their papers, one sees their
citations of the rights granted by the “Creator” but no reciprocating obligations
to Him. The French Revolution was so
hostile to the Catholic Church that they cut off the heads of priests and nuns
who would not submit to the “republic”.
The revolutionists seized Notre Dame Cathedral, ripped out all of the
Christian icons and renamed it the “Temple of Knowledge”. In the Vendee, the French army exterminated the Catholic men, women and children by the thousands, per specific orders from the new government. In Mexico, a strong and fine civil order with
peace and first-class universities and social institutions, ordered along
Catholic foundations, was destroyed and eradicated. Mexico’s history between the Apparition of
Our Lady of Guadalupe (1531) and the revolution was burned and is another “dark age.” With each rebellion, the influence of the
Church waned and the Christian beliefs strayed farther afield.<o:p></o:p></div>
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In 1917, the Virgin Mary made a series of remarkable
appearances to three children in Fatima, Portugal. While she stressed to the children, and us,
the peoples of the world, the absolute need for Christian obedience and the
grave consequences of sin, she also foretold these times. She said the “errors of Russia” would spread
around the world and many souls would be lost.
She exhorted the pope to consecrate Russia to Her Immaculate Heart, so as
to prevent this calamity.<o:p></o:p></div>
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The pope didn’t do it.
In 1917 came the most devastating revolution of all, the Bolshevik
Revolution of Russia. Lenin took the baton from Karl Marx, who had weaponized the Free Masonic ideas from the French example and created Communism. Following the
establishment of the U.S.S.R., that government created an agency which had the
job of spreading lies throughout the world, lies about anything and
everything. They sent agents into every
country and lied about institutions, time honored traditions, national
heroes. Mostly, they lied about morality
and things such as honor, duty and self-sacrifice. This is the birth time of Feminism and the
Sexual Liberation. This agency was the
antithesis of the Catholic Church and her efforts to teach the world the Truth. The fruits of this agitation were violent Communist
revolutions in China, Spain (failed), Mexico (again), Korea, Cuba, Vietnam and
dozens of other places in Africa and Central & South America. This was the Cold War.<o:p></o:p></div>
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The Catholic Church was high on the list of targets set for
Communist attack. Though we day-to-day
people have a short attention span, the Communists played the long game. With the Church, they first planted
operatives in the seminaries, to be ordained as priests. These priests grew into monsignors and over
time, into bishops and even cardinals.
With these Communist insiders agitating within the Magisterium they were
able to effect the single most damaging victory for the cause of evil against
the Church and the world. In a one-two
punch, they spun the Second Vatican Council (1965) to convince the Catholic
people that the Church “changed” and that one did not have to work so
diligently to save his soul. The second
punch was much more damaging, the promulgation of the Novus Ordo Mass (1969).<o:p></o:p></div>
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The Catholic Church is the most misunderstood institution on
the planet. That’s to be expected, since
the father of lies hates her. When Jesus
Christ established His Church He gave the Great Commission, “Go and teach the
whole world My commandments, baptizing them and know that I am with you, even
to the consummation of the world.” The
Catholic Church has three sections: the Church Triumphant (the members who are
in Heaven), the Church Suffering (the members who are in Purgatory – not
Heaven, but getting there) and the Church Militant (the members on earth, all
baptized Christians – fighting the good fight).
At the summit of this structure is the Holy Trinity – God Almighty. The pope is not the head of the Church, he is
merely the steward of the Church Militant, the part we see on earth.<o:p></o:p></div>
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The main channel of God’s good graces into this world is faithful Catholics attending a properly offered Mass. The Mass is the highest form of worship of
God and the source of a literal communion (physical connection) with Him. It is the earthly assembling of the faithful
so as to kneel at the foot of God’s throne to: First – Worship God, for His Glory is all there
really is. Secondly – to offer
thankfulness for His many gifts and graces.
Thirdly – to show Him true contrition for our sins and selfishness. And fourthly
– to petition Him for our continuing needs and protection. While we do that, the members of the Church
Triumphant and the Church Suffering are also there, in the same attitude, as
are all the angels in creation. That is
a gathering you do not want to miss for anything! Finally, the most sublime mystery of all,
Jesus, the second Person of the Holy Trinity joins His flesh and blood with
ours in the Sacrament of the Eucharist (Greek: Thanksgiving).<o:p></o:p></div>
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Now, back to the Communist and the Novus Ordo Mass. The Novus Ordo Mass was a sudden and obvious
change in the rubrics of the Mass. You
recall the four purposes of the Mass.
The Novus Ordo plays down those four purposes and plays up the
participation of the people for the people; thus this form of the Mass destroys
the people’s faith. It reflects the Masonic philosophy and the devastation is
nearly complete. Polls and surveys show
that the vast majority of the Catholics do not believe in the Mass as described
above. Catholics now divorce, re-marry,
use contraception, abort, co-habitate and support sodomy as much as any other
group. Just as bad, the population of
Catholics who still attend Mass faithfully, in relation to the 1960 records, is
off 80%. BOOM! <o:p></o:p></div>
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What took fifteen hundred years to build only took about
five hundred to tear down. As near
universal respect for God has eroded into near universal contempt, it is no
surprise that corruption has ruined our governance and institutions of commerce
and those of the higher order. It is no
surprise that the basic unit of society, the family, is so fractured with the
resulting increases in crime and evil actions of unspeakable horror. It is no surprise that God has withdrawn His
graces. As you look out around our
social landscape today, understand the problem – lack of Faith, of Adoration, of
Thankfulness, of Contrition and of Petition, but also know this, the gates of
hell will NOT prevail against the Catholic Church, the Church every baptized
Christian belongs to, whether they believe it or not. In spite of deep infiltration and sinister attacks
by evil men, she will not fail, for the other parts will support this earthly
part and God is always in control. Some
glorious time, the Church Militant and the Church Suffering will be folded into
the Church Triumphant and as one voice and one heart she will sing “Hosanna in
the Highest!” The social order in the
West will be shambles, but fear not “that which can kill the body, but rather,
fear that which can kill the soul.”<o:p></o:p></div>
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So, that’s it. Chaos
explained. Return to the Church, do the
four essential things, save your soul and lead your families. This is our hope and this is our calling. Deo Gratias!<o:p></o:p></div>
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Williamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03310225556398456078noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7081093665066650012.post-49786327434821683872016-06-10T11:20:00.002-03:002016-08-27T22:41:03.578-03:00The One True Church<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Google the churches in your town and you will find many. Try to visit a few and you will quickly hear many differing positions on the questions, you may have, on right and wrong, conditions for salvation and even on who Jesus Christ is.<br />
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It is plain to anyone who has read my posts on this blog that I firmly hold to the Holy Roman Catholic Church and have confidence to call Her the One True Church. I have many reasons to call this church my home, but I would like to illustrate one facet of this church, Her authority; the authority to forgive sins "out loud", to discern what sins are and to discern and teach on questions which arise, following Jesus's ascension back to heaven, which leaves us only His spiritual guidance through the Church.<br />
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Matthew 16-16 : <i>Simon Peter answered and said: Thou art Christ, the Son of the living God. And Jesus answering, said to him: Blessed art thou, Simon Bar-Jona: because flesh and blood hath not revealed it to thee, but mt Father who is in heaven. Ans I say to thee: That thou art Peter; and upon this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. And I will give to thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven. And whatsoever thou shalt bind upon earth, it shall be bound also in heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt loose upon earth, it shall be loosed also in heaven.</i><br />
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Matthew 28-16: <i>And the eleven disciples went into Galilee, unto the mountain where Jesus had appointed them. And seeing Him they adored: but some doubted. And Jesus coming, spoke to them, saying: All power is given to me in heaven and in earth. Going therefore, teach ye all nations; baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and behold I am with you all days, even to the consummation of the world.</i><br />
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These two excerpts from Matthew show Jesus passing His authority through to Peter and His church. In both of these incidents Jesus was talking only to His disciples and not the crowds. Through Peter the Church is given the grave duty of binding and loosing sins, which necessitates the judgement of what a sin is, and this applies to all the world and all peoples.<br />
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I will ask three questions, which I believe will illustrate the essential necessity for One Church, speaking with One authority in a world that doubts.<br />
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First question: Is it essential for a man to be circumcised in order to receive the graces of Christ?<br />
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Today I would be surprised to hear anyone answer "yes" to that question. Anyone who has read the Acts of the Apostles, has read the story of the first Church council, which settled that issue once and for all. However, at the time of Peter and Paul, it wasn't so clear; in fact, it was a question of serious import, which threatened to divide the young Church on ideological grounds. Following the authoritative declaration of the Church there was once again harmony and common understanding.<br />
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Second question: Did God the Father create Jesus the Son, or was the Son always of the Father?<br />
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Biblical historians will recognize that question as the Arian heresy. This heresy spread through Christendom like a bad virus in the early fourth century. The Catholic Church firmly declared that the Son is consubstantial with the Father and the Holy Ghost, in the First Council of Nicaea. Though the error has never been fully eradicated, there is no doubt on this issue within the Catholic sphere and in those Protestant denominations which trace their roots to the Catholic Church. This issue isn't in the bible, as it came up post scriptural times. However, thanks to the Church, who fought this battle, and many others through the ages, we have the Faith in our day.<br />
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Third Question: Is the use of contraception always a grave evil?<br />
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All of the western Christian churches agreed that it was a grave evil before 1930. The Anglican Church, at the Lambeth Conference of 1930 became the first to so carefully crack open that Pandora's Box, and the resulting error spread throughout the post Protestant churches like wildfire.<br />
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The Anglican Resolution 15:</div>
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The Life and Witness of the Christian Community - Marriage and Sex
Where there is clearly felt moral obligation to limit or avoid parenthood, the method must be
decided on Christian principles. The primary and obvious method is complete abstinence from
intercourse (as far as may be necessary) in a life of discipline and self-control lived in the power of
the Holy Spirit. Nevertheless in those cases where there is such a clearly felt moral obligation to
limit or avoid parenthood, and where there is a morally sound reason for avoiding complete
abstinence, the Conference agrees that other methods may be used, provided that this is done in
the light of the same Christian principles. The Conference records its strong condemnation of the
use of any methods of conception control from motives of selfishness, luxury, or mere
convenience. (end)</div>
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Read that statement of oh-so careful affirmation and consider the use of contraception today. The total destruction of western society has been almost completed and every Christian church has accepted contraception and many have accepted the horrible step-sisters of abortion, divorce and homo-sexuality.</div>
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The Catholic Church now stands alone in the firm and unmistakable declaration that the use of contraception, by anyone, for any reason is truly a grave sin and will always be. She never lost the way. However, Her declaration, while binding upon "all nations" has been nearly universally ignored, even by the people of Her own. This clearly shows the severe consequences of the Protestant revolt, for it undermined the teaching commandment of Matt 28 and left the world lost in the jungles of sin.</div>
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Williamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03310225556398456078noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7081093665066650012.post-46959642807023671052016-05-29T19:37:00.003-03:002016-07-29T18:10:56.344-03:00Separation of Church and State<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Separation of Church and State is one of those quips that seems like eternal wisdom and something that everybody knows to be established in law. Additionally to that, we all "know" that it is primarily for the protection of Church against State regulation of religion. So, who first declared "Separation of Church and State" - Church or State?<br />
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In the natural law, the hierarchy of legitimate authority on all matters of morality and human interaction, which is the total set of areas of Church and State action, flows downward, starting with the One True God. Definitions of right and wrong begin and end here.<br />
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Jesus Christ declared to his apostles, following His resurrection, "<span style="background-color: yellow;">All power</span> is given to me in heaven and in earth. Going therefore, teach ye all nations; baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and behold I am with you all days, even to the consummation of the world." Matt 28: 18-20 (Emphasis mine)<br />
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That is the great commission. The apostles are the Church and they are commanded to teach the gospel of Christ to "all nations" and they have the power and authority of the Lord of All with them "all days", who has "all power". Does this sound like someone who needs protecting?<br />
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The Church is the ante-chamber to heaven. She teaches right from wrong and holds the "keys to the kingdom of heaven", and holds the authority to bind or forgive a man's sins. Her one concern and raison d'etre is the well being of the People and their eternal salvation. Matt: 16: 19 & John 20: 23<br />
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On the next lower tier of earthly authority we find the People. Each and every person born and alive is subject to God, Christ and the Church - everybody, and it doesn't matter weather they know it or not, or believe it or not - everybody is subject to this authority, for this chain of authority is the only possible way to heaven, as set by God, Himself. It is here, at the People level, that the State is created, for it is a construct of the People, for the People. It is impossible for anyone to confer authority to another which one does not himself possess. So, if the People, who create the State, are subject to the Church in all matters of faith and mores, the State is bound to the same teachings and authority. In a harmonious world, the State would form it's laws and civil structures to compliment and support the teachings of the Church, much as a Mother supports and backs the Father as he teaches their children the way to live; for in unity, we find harmony.<br />
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Unfortunately, the State, being a human construct, and not having the guarantee of the Lord being with them "all days" is subject to horrible and destructive errors. For that reason, it is paramount that the People recognize these dangers and always form their State in specific subjugation to the Church. The United States Constitution was written that way, albeit for the wrong reasons and in a clumsy fashion. Remembering the religious persecutions of the English and other European governments, while said governments claimed to hold the authority of the Church, the founders specifically proscribed government interference to religion with the First Amendment. The grave error lies in the idea that the People have the right and authority to create forms of religion, which suit their tastes, in defiance to the legitimate authority of the One True Holy Catholic and Apostolic Church. Thus it is through the rebellion of the People that the rebellion of the State is fermented.<br />
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To answer the question above, I would say that it is the State which declares the separation, for they are the ones seeking independence, and in fact, there is no difference between the English king proclaiming himself to be the "head of the church" and the founders of the Unites States declaring that Church is separate and holds no authority over the State.<br />
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Separation of Church and State is like separation of wife and husband, or separation of players and umpires, or separation of enlisted men and generals; it is a declaration of insubordination and only leads to chaos.<br />
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One excellent example of this insubordination is the idea of marital divorce. The Catholic Church has declared that divorce is impossible. A couple go to the Church and apply for marriage and upon legitimate approval, marry. Later, they fight and wish to divorce. They know better than to go back to the Church for a divorce, so they go <u>down</u> the tier of authority to the State, and the State, not recognizing their subjugation, grant a "divorce". In truth, they are not divorced at all, and the only legitimate thing the State can do for them is to make ruling on how to separate property as they remain physically separated, yet truly married - for life.<br />
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We are learning, the hard way, that there is never a true separation of Church and State, and that the only two possible configurations in this relationship are ordered or disordered; subjugated State or insubordinate State. Examples of errors include laws and government actions on divorces, contraception, abortion, homo-sexuality, extra-marital co-habitation, rest-rooms, property seizures, currency debasement, power hoarding, etc. These are all symptoms of our disordered and separated State and they all trample upon the legitimate authority of the Church and the intrinsic right of man to find his way to his God.<br />
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Williamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03310225556398456078noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7081093665066650012.post-57075371202238781552016-03-14T20:46:00.000-03:002016-03-14T20:48:16.051-03:00Everything Wrong With Our Society In One Tragic StoryMy last post (January 12, 2016) is titled: Everything Wrong With Gun Control In One Tragic Story. At that time, the narrative indicated two innocent victims were terrorized by young neighborhood hoodlums. That whole story turned out to be lies. In the ensuing investigation, an even more bizarre and disgusting set of facts emerged.<br />
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To paint it with large brushstrokes, the father is not innocent and was sexually abusing his daughter, in a public park, and the kids who witnessed the depravity offered to join in, rather than expressing contempt for public lewdness.<br />
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Sigh...what to say...<br />
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Folks, the sexual revolution was not progress. De-synthesizing our collective sense of decency and shattering our moral standards has not freed anyone from anything. It has only led to civil decay and heartache. It starts with lies and moves through broken promises, the extinction of honor and destroys families. Families are the cellular structure for society and civil order, thus we now have violent and lawless streets. This leads to military style police forces and we suddenly live in a police state. This is freedom?!<br />
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If one were to argue for the official "first shot fired" in the sexual revolution, which has led to the current state of depravity, I would point to the Lambeth Conference of 1930. (See: Contracepting Society and Life 09-09-2013) That conference cracked open Pandora's Box by legitimizing contraception in very limited marital cases. Unfortunately, the leaders of the Anglican Church learned that cracking open the box is to OPEN the box. Public acceptance of contraception went viral. Which led to a yearning market for a "pill". Failure of contraception led to clamoring for legal abortion. Sexual license led to no-fault divorce and pre-marital sexual acceptance. Then came sodomy. How low can we go? Well...we get to fathers raping their daughters, in public, and young boys offering to help him. Sick.<br />
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We need to turn back and march against the currents. Do not accept any of these compromises in your family. Guard the innocence of your children. Do not tolerate unchaste behavior and be vigilant against pornography. Marry once and make it permanent and do not contracept - ever!<br />
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We may not reconstruct our society in our lifetimes, but we will earn the soothing words of our Lord; "Well done, good and faithful servant.", for one day we will be called to account for our deeds. Let them be pure.<br />
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<br />Williamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03310225556398456078noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7081093665066650012.post-10633121210884826392016-01-12T18:47:00.000-04:002016-01-13T11:29:42.448-04:00Everything Wrong With Gun Control In One Tragic Story<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<a href="http://www.cnn.com/2016/01/11/us/new-york-park-gang-rape/">An eighteen year old woman was </a>gang raped in Brooklyn, NY this week. She and her father were together in a public park, when five young thugs accosted them and told the father to leave. To add urgency and the motivation to leave his daughter with monsters, they threatened him with a handgun. Where to start in this tragic story in listing all the wrongs?<br />
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New York gun control laws: New York is one of the most restricted cities in the U.S. In short, it is nearly impossible for a citizen to have a gun, with the approval of the authorities. There have been several studies which indicate that the stricter the gun restrictions on citizens, the higher the crime rates. In his book <b>More Guns Less Crime, <a href="http://press.uchicago.edu/ucp/books/book/chicago/M/bo6686900.html">John R. Lott, Jr.</a> </b>was able to prove the opposite, than more guns in the hand of the people results in less crime. New York politicians, famously, think otherwise; more laws against guns and there will be less crimes, as thugs will be unable to acquire them. This case proves them wrong.<br />
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The Thugs: Eighteen something kids who think gang raping girls in public parks is somehow the thing to do, don't give a damn about gun control laws! Gun control laws do exactly two things: firstly, they give confidence to criminals, as they are sure that this father was unarmed, and secondly, it makes them right - he was unarmed. That five of these guys have the social development of monsters, indicates something gravely wrong in that community, and it isn't guns, it's cultural and it proves that the other people need arms, more than ever.<br />
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The father: When faced with five stronger, younger thugs, he felt no alternative but to leave them his daughter. What the hell!? What has happened to our manhood!? This is the insidious effect of the "call 911" mentality. That is exactly what he did. He ran down the street yelling for help. By the time he found it, each thug had completed his horrific crime on his daughter. What kind of society are we fostering when a father abandons his daughter to monsters?<br />
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The police: Well... they did what they always do, gathered up the victims and arrested the criminals, after the fact. That is a pitifully small consolation for the girl, who now must live with this trauma for the rest of her life.<br />
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Other citizens: It was reported that several people tried to ignore the frantic pleas of the father. This is another indication of our malformed society. In times past, if one yelled for help, it came from all directions; today, "good luck and leave me alone." This is another unintended consequence of the "call 911" philosophy; "it's not my problem and we pay someone for that, besides, I don't have a gun either, so what am I supposed to do?" Gun control laws neuter the manhood of the entire community.<br />
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Here in Virginia, those thugs would not have liked my response to their threats, as they would not have liked what I would be pulling out of my waistband.<br />
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Handy Thug Repellent</div>
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<br />Williamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03310225556398456078noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7081093665066650012.post-1834947577916588082015-12-28T14:37:00.001-04:002015-12-28T14:37:48.139-04:00The Bureaucrat Gives and the Bureaucrat Takes Away<div align="center" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; text-align: center;">
<i><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;">A well regulated Militia, being necessary
to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms,
shall not be infringed.</span></i><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<i><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;">Second Amendment</span></i><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 13.5pt;">One sentence. Succinct. Placed second in a
list of ten crucial enumerations of rights retained by the people as a
conditional for the ratification of the Constitution in the first place.
Without the Bill of Rights, there would be no Constitution and no United
States. The Constitution is the glue which binds us together as one
nation, for it provides for our mutual co-operation as multiple states acting
in unison in the areas which effect us all. There is a common currency
(so far!), a common armed force, common standards of weights and measurements,
the right to travel and conduct business across state boundaries. This
works because each state recognizes the citizens of the other states as having
the same rights. It has been the most successful political agreement in
the history of human relations. Appreciate it the next time you drive
into another state without having to stop and render entry fees or show
citizenship papers. Appreciate it as you realize the right of free
speech, security in your papers and effects, freedom from soldiers quartering
in your home, right to trial by jury, right to vote, right against
self-incrimination and so many others regardless of which state you are within.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 13.5pt;">The United States Constitution was written
with the God given principle of subsidiarity. Subsidiarity requires the
level of authority for any given power to remain as low as possible, as close
to the individual as possible. These levels can be thought of as: the
individual, the family, the neighborhood, the town, the county, the state and
lastly, the federal level. If a man needs food and shelter, then that is
his proper area of action. If his children need an education, then the
family has the proper authority to see to it. If he needs security in his
streets, he forms a town council. If the state needs governing the he
forms a state government. Lastly, the states had those mutual concerns
mentioned above, then the federal was formed for those concerns only! In
other words, the Constitution of the United States does not confer rights, but
rather, some rights are specifically restricted, for the purpose of the
legitimate areas of action of the federal, but no others. The majority of
the rights, held by our citizens, precede the Constitution, and what authority
the federal has is granted by the people, not the other way around. That
is why some of the framers argued that the Bill of Rights was unnecessary, for
to them, the rule of subsidiary was obvious. Wisely, others argued that
men's memories were short, and they wanted the rule written into the document.
The two amendments which demonstrate this most clearly are the ninth and
tenth.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"> <i>The enumeration in the
Constitution, of certain rights, shall not be construed to deny or disparage
others retained by the people.</i><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<i><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;">Ninth Amendment</span></i><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<i><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;">The powers not delegated to the United
States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to
the States respectively, or to the people.</span></i><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<i><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;">Tenth Amendment</span></i><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 13.5pt;">The fastest way to
end this remarkable federation of our fifty states would be to cease
recognizing the rights of our citizens as they cross state borders and this is
happening now. The right to keep and bear arms has been making a slow and
determined come-back since suffering severe restrictions in the later part of
the nineteenth century and throughout the twentieth. Starting with
Florida in the late part of the last century, the majority of our states have
been issuing Concealed Carry Permits to their citizens. These citizens
quickly experienced the reality of the pre-constitution days as they found
themselves unable to exercise these new found rights across state lines.
Through much time and effort a strange system of Reciprocity Agreements
sprung up between the Attorneys General of such and such state with some other
states which would allow arms carrying citizens to enter certain states, but
not all. Right now I, as a Virginia citizen, could enter North Carolina,
South Carolina and Florida, but not Georgia, as I traveled south on vacation.
My route to Texas had to be through Tennessee and Arkansas, as
Mississippi and Louisiana were off limits. This is what happens when we
violate the rule of subsidiarity in one area, it creates more violations down
the road. A man has the right to keep and bear arms, for whatever
legitimate reason he may have (self protection, defense of country, sports,
etc.), however when the states wrote restrictions in the form of gun control,
they violated the rule and created a serious flaw in the federation as well.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><a href="http://myfox8.com/2015/12/26/virginia-to-stop-recognizing-concealed-handgun-permits-for-25-states-including-nc/">The Attorney General for Virginia</a> is Mark Herring. He has hit the
news with his remarkable announcement that he will cease recognizing the right
of citizens from twenty other states to keep and bear arms. In other
words, he is unilaterally canceling the Reciprocity Agreements Virginia has
with those states for this reason, in his own words:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<i><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"> </span></i><i><span style="background: white; color: #212121; font-size: 13.5pt;">“Virginia, and nearly
every other state in the country, have recognized that carrying a concealed
handgun is a significant responsibility that should be extended only to those
who have gone through a process to prove a level of competency and
responsibility,” Attorney General Herring said. “The standards for proving
competency and responsibility are up to each state, and the General Assembly
has established Virginia’s standards for whom it considers capable of safely
carrying a concealed handgun. Those standards should be applied evenly, consistently,
and fairly to anyone who wants to lawfully conceal a handgun in Virginia.”<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
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<span style="background: white; color: #212121; font-size: 13.5pt;">Wrong!
He is flipping the rule of subsidiarity on it's head and establishing
a precedent wherein each state begins to violate the
federation by ever increasing restrictions against the citizens of the other
states. What he has said is, since we violated the rights of our own
citizens, in the form of gun control laws, we will extend those violations to
any other American who would wish to enter Virginia. This is why I have argued
against any and all gun control laws, for they violate the Constitution and
cause further disruptions down the line. Can you name any other
right, which has been listed in the Bill of Rights, which we would tolerate
bureaucrats switching on and off at their own whim? His citation of
Virginia, and other states, establishing "standards for proving competency
and responsibility" shows the error. What other right requires such
standards? What other right, as protected by the Constitution, requires
us to earn the benefit?</span><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="background: white; color: #212121; font-size: 13.5pt;">After
February, the agreements with twenty states will be revoked, for Virginia.
This will not protect Virginians from all of y'all citizens of other
states, as I never heard of a criminal
being deterred from committing a crime simply
because he couldn't get a permit. It will simply be a huge restriction to
Virginians to travel, the very people this idiot claims to be protecting. In reality, at the base of his motivations,
is the violation of the Second Amendment, wrapped in pretty words. He wants guns out of the hands of the people,
all the people, of every state. It is my
hope that the legislature of Virginia will squelch this guy and write a law
which recognizes the rights of all Americans to enter Virginia with their arms,
in compliance with the Constitution of the United States.</span><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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Williamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03310225556398456078noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7081093665066650012.post-67489406183661690242015-12-18T18:40:00.001-04:002015-12-19T13:40:54.334-04:00What's the Difference?!<div style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #333333; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 18px; line-height: 1.5em; margin-bottom: 25px;">
<span style="box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 1.7em; word-spacing: 0.3em;">The following quote is from Rush Limbaugh, this week, concerning the spending bill which the Senate and U.S. House of Representatives just approved. That bill basically sells out the American people on virtually every issue the Republicans ran on when they won the majority of the seats in 2014. Even Senator Harry Reid (D-NV) chortled, "We got everything we wanted this year."</span></div>
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<span style="box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 1.7em; word-spacing: 0.3em;"><b>“The country was just sold down the river again by your very Republican Party. … I know many of you are dispirited, depressed, angry, combination of all of that. … When you surrender the power of the purse, and that’s the primary power the House of Representatives has. Not a penny of money can be spent in this country by this government without the House of Representatives authorizing it.</b></span></div>
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<b>They gave up the power of the purse. The reason they did that is because for some inexplicable reason, they are literally paranoid and scared to death of even being accused of doing something that would shut down the government.</b></div>
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<span style="box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 1.7em; word-spacing: 0.3em;"><b>And now the Republicans have the largest number of seats in the House they’ve had in Congress since the Civil War. And it hasn’t made any difference at all. It is as though Nancy Pelosi is still running the House and Harry Reid is still running the Senate. ‘Betrayed’ is not even the word here. What has happened here is worse than betrayal. Betrayal is pretty bad, but it’s worse than that.</b></span></div>
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<span style="box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 1.7em; word-spacing: 0.3em;"><i style="font-weight: bold;">This was out-and-out, in-our-face lying, from the campaigns to individual statements made about the philosophical approach Republicans had to all this spending. There is no Republican Party! You know, we don’t even need a Republican Party if they’re gonna do this. You know, just elect Democrats, disband the Republican Party, and let the Democrats run it, because that’s what’s happening anyway.” (end quote) </i> </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: 13.5pt;">Last year, when I heard folks gleefully
anticipating a major Republican victory, I warned that it would come to no
good. There is no longer a two party system, wherein different
philosophies of governance are there for choosing. It is a one party
system with two divisions, each leading us to perdition, each spending borrowed
money like drug addicts; for as money addicts, they have no choice.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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When we elected "W" Bush, we also loaded both houses with
Republicans. We are just learning how badly they betrayed us,
specifically with the Patriot Act (euphemism) and other "security"
measures. The Republicans are just another specie of snake.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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So, I'll not be joining in on discussions of Trump vs. the other snakes.
I'll not be spending one minute in listening to debates,
"issues", or campaign speeches. I'll be sharpening my knives
and keeping my powder dry, 'cause when the damage done by these power whores
oozes through the system just a little more, there will be chaos.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
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Am I the only one who thinks Donald Trump is there simply to run interference
for Hillary?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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Lord have mercy on us.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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Williamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03310225556398456078noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7081093665066650012.post-25601894337684320362015-12-12T20:58:00.001-04:002015-12-18T18:58:12.043-04:00Trey Gowdy Grills DHS Official on Due Process<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="270" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/DNDcd1Fe5lg" width="480"></iframe><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Is there only one representative who sees the horror of the Airline No-fly list?! The maddening thing is this, now that Mr. Gowdy has shown the unconstitutional nature of the no-fly list, nothing will be done about it. Nothing. Nada. Zip! Even with Republican majorities in both houses, the list is here to stay. </span>Williamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03310225556398456078noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7081093665066650012.post-84503516763168239742015-12-11T17:43:00.003-04:002015-12-12T21:18:04.000-04:00Dealing With the Devil II<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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On July 20th, this year, I wrote a post called Dealing With the Devil. In that post I complained about the <a href="http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2015/12/11/obama-administration-reportedly-readies-executive-order-expanding-background-checks.html?intcmp=hplnws">National Instant Background Check</a> system, which Obama considers his personal enemies list. When it was originally proposed and pushed through congress by the National Rifle Association, oh! You didn't know?! Yep, this huge infringement upon the national right to keep and bear arms is the brainchild and evil bastard child of the National Rifle Association. They pushed this through amid the howling protests of their members, which has resulted in many members switching allegiance to Gun Owners of America and the National Association for Gun Rights. Anyway, when it was shoved down our collective throats, we were promised that the only people who would be prohibited would be those with actual felony convictions. (short time later...) and domestic violence misdemeanors, (a little later) and veterans who have been given psychological counseling, and (several years later) Social Security recipients who have help with their financial affairs, AND....<br />
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(a few weeks later) BSBHO is about to add, we expect, by executive order, without congressional approval, the Federal Airlines No-fly list. The no-fly list is the most whimsical, unconstitutional list of all. If any member of the government even thinks a specific person is a hazard, real or not, he gets placed on the list. This list is very easy to get on and is impossible to get off, for no one in government would accept that liability and there has never been a workable process of removal designed. The late senator from Massachusetts, Ted Kennedy, found himself on the list and the power of his office struggled to get him off. This is one of the rankest violations of the American system of due process ever devised and Obama will integrate it with the National Background Check, which in one fell swoop invalidates the 2nd, 4th and 5th amendments to the Constitution.<br />
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The governor of Connecticut isn't waiting for BSBHO. <a href="http://www.reuters.com/article/us-connecticut-guns-idUSKBN0TT2EM20151210#85Sy1UZABwWJhphE.97">Dannel Malloy</a>, a Republican, is already using the Connecticut Background Check system to prohibit persons on the no-fly lists from buying guns.<br />
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Speaking of eviscerating the 2nd Amendment, the Supreme Court stepped in it again. Back in 2008 they ruled in Washington DC vs. Heller that the right to keep and bear arms was an individual right which nullified the prohibition of gun ownership foisted on the people of Washington DC. In 2010, in the case of McDonald vs. City of Chicago, they nullified a similar prohibition of gun ownership in Chicago. These two cases moved the bar in the right direction...somewhat.<br />
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This week, the Court declined to review the case of Friedman vs. City of Highland Park. Highland Park, IL is a political district situated immediately north of downtown Chicago, They enacted a city ordnance which bans the ownership and possession, within their boundaries, of semi-automatic, magazine fed rifles, rifles which are very popular in Texas and other states. By declining to review the case, the Court in fact ratified the ban. They basically nullified Heller and McDonald, two of their own decisions. If Highland Park can ban certain specified guns then any gun may be specified, by any governing authority. Bye bye 2nd Amendment!<br />
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In reality, gun ownership in America isn't going anywhere soon. The vast majority of our people have guns, shoot guns and carry them for personal protection. There isn't near enough political currency to actually nullify the 2nd Amendment because too many of us carry it around in our hearts. However, if bozos like the city council of Highland Park keep pushing, they will soon experience some real push-back. In the meantime, move away from Illinois, New York, Connecticut and New Jersey. Let those pathetic monuments to liberal fuzzy ideals fade away under their own dead over taxed weight.<br />
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As for all of the lists being weaponized into one mega list, we should all be concerned and demand this be stopped now! Government lists are the very opposite of freedom as history has told us before. Any restrictive power we allow the government always grows against us, for that is the nature of the beast; for this was why the United States Constitution was written in the way it was, that all powers not <u>specifically</u> enumerated are withheld from the federal level. Now is the time to get your guns, for times like these are the very reason for the 2nd Amendment.<br />
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One more point, the 2nd Amendment does not confer upon our people the right to keep and bear arms, it ratifies it. In other words, that right pre-exists the Constitution and the federal government. The statement, "<i>A well regulated militia, being necessary to the security of a free state; the right of the people to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed</i>." was placed in the Constitution to remind the government of that essential fact. It also emboldens our people, because we can read too!<br />
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<br />Williamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03310225556398456078noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7081093665066650012.post-90600212716647419442015-12-11T15:43:00.000-04:002015-12-11T18:22:55.699-04:00The Islamic "Religion" and Religious FreedomOur people are tearing up the airwaves with angst and vitriol over Donald Trump's declared intention to stop Muslim immigration. At first glance it seems like a violation of Freedom of Religion. In reality, it isn't, because in essence, Islam is not a religion at all.<br />
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In the 500's a man named Mohammed sat down and wrote up a set of rules, which he claimed were given to him by God. It is apparent that somewhere in his past, a Christian tried to catechize him, because he includes several Christian facets, such as the tenets of One God, the Virgin Birth and Jesus. Beyond that, it is a book with three manifest purposes: to make Mohammed powerful, to make Mohammed rich and to get Mohammed as much sex as he could stand. If you are shocked by this assertion, read the book, it's all in there. Also, this false religion of Mohammed, in order to effect these goodies for Mohammed, uses the force of the sword to spread the "word". Talk about violation of Freedom of Religion! It is the antithesis of Christianity. His forces spread like wildfire through Northern Africa, the Middle East and Spain. It was a real and present threat to Italy which prompted the Crusades, to beat back this scourge. Spain was the only country who successfully purged themselves of Islamic invaders, a fight which lasted over 500 years and was finally completed by Queen Isabella, yep, the same queen who funded Columbus in the late 1400's. Though Queen Isabella pushed them out 500 years ago, the pressure has always remained and today, Spain is high on the Islamic State's list of reconquest, but sadly, Spain has saturated herself in this modern social liberalism mush and has no strong leader capable of effective resistance.<br />
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Our politicians and media heads keep talking about "Radical Muslims" and the "religion of peace". Both of these are lies hidden in euphemisms, such as a "woman's right to choose". Firstly, Islam is <u style="font-weight: bold;">NOT</u> a religion of peace. It isn't even a religion. It is a political method of force which has, as it's stated purpose, the conquest of all lands. It's in the book. The proper term for Radical Muslim is, Muslim Fundamentalist. In other words, he believes the tenets of his "religion" and puts his life where his mouth is, and those tenets are to kill unbelievers and conquer lands. He will not emigrate into a foreign country to fit in, but rather to destabilize the current social order so to replace it with Islam! as this is the first order of Sharia law. In truth, he is more honorable that the majority of the proponents of Islam, because he isn't a hypocrite, he read the book and takes action, But even the "peaceful" followers of Mohammed will work to undermine the existing social structures, for it is their basic method for the propagation of the faith. This was the hard reality that Spain faced after expelling the armed forces of Islam. The reason for the Spanish Inquisition was not forced conversion to Catholicism, as is often claimed by Protestants, but rather the exposition of covert Muslims who publicly claimed to be Catholic but were actually working to subvert the Church and re-instituting Islam.<br />
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Let's talk about the reasoning behind Freedom of Religion. Up until the 1500's there was mainly the Catholic Church in the western world. She was the source and structure of Christianity. She fought many battles, through the middle centuries, in the minds of men and governing councils, preserving the Faith from error and mutation. She preserved the scriptures, in the form of the Latin Vulgate Bible, and evangelized all nations, as directed to Her personally by our Lord Jesus Christ. She never used force of conversion, never. Force of conversion is repugnant to the very gospel of our Lord. She taught nations of the value and dignity of each and every human being, rich or poor. She commanded kings and emperors to cease killing their own people at will. She taught men and women to marry once and for life and to raise their children well. She made it abundantly clear that the only pathway to heaven was to willingly and completely surrender oneself to Christ and his moral teachings. She taught her children how to defend themselves against terror and assault. Then came the Protestant Revolt in the 1500's. It was the new churches of Calvin, Luther and King Henry of England that started persecutions, to push away the Catholic Church. Read the history of Henry's wicked daughter, Elizabeth, who pilloried and quartered her people for being faithful to Catholicism and retains, shamefully, an honored part of England's political history. It was always the new churches persecuting Catholics and each other as they vied for political stability and property for themselves. That persecution is the genesis of the Pilgrims and other new sects moving to the new world seeking religious freedom. At the core of all of these new "Christian" religions are the basic tenets of love of neighbor and social order. With that commonality, it is possible to agree to disagree and to live with Freedom of Religion. However, when another "religion" teaches violent primacy, then social order disintegrates. That is why Islam cannot be accommodated by Freedom of Religion, for it is the forceful application of a lie and the Truth of Christ deserves defensive action against it. The symbols say it all, the sword of Islam or the self-sacrifice of Christ? I will never submit to the sword! <br />
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I have written in this blog a couple of posts which lament the idea of walls on our borders and the restriction of people's freedom of movement across any national borders. I stand behind all of that because, as I stated, the freedom to move into another country is predicated on the absolute Christian responsibility to live in harmony with the host country's laws and civil order. If one cannot do that, then one has no right to move in. It is obvious that Muslims cannot do that, for it would be an apostatizing of their own statements of faith. As they did in Spain, they will do everywhere they go. This is why Donald Trump, while certainly not my choice for president, actually got this one right.Williamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03310225556398456078noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7081093665066650012.post-30207195005074447282015-12-11T13:02:00.000-04:002015-12-11T15:49:24.580-04:00A Public Service Announcement<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Run! Hide! Fight! This the title of this YouTube video which shows strategies to employ if you are suddenly, and shockingly confronted with an active shooter. I completely agree with these points, if you find yourself trapped without a gun of your own. As you watch this video, have your finger poised to hit the pause button at exactly 0:59. There! Do you see it? The murdering creep walks past that Gun Free Zone sign, with the attendant regulatory citation, like it isn't even there. At that is the crux of it all. Why do we pay any attention to those signs if the madman, the reason for this terrible Gun Free Zone idea in the first place, ignores them?</div>
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A much better idea is to Fight! Fight! Fight!. To do that, we too need to ignore those stupid Gun Free Zone signs.</div>
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A second idea has surfaced, in light of the San Bernardino shooting.</div>
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See how ridiculous Gun Free Zones are? We must stop tolerating this restriction on our right of self protection. Ignore the signs and demand their removal.</div>
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May our good Lord help us all.</div>
Williamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03310225556398456078noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7081093665066650012.post-76721278998060625012015-11-23T13:51:00.002-04:002015-12-02T16:56:06.834-04:00Moral CertitudeReading the news reveals a lot of anger and confusion over a whole range of issues. Is racism a problem on college campuses? Should there be safe spaces for racial minorities? Should students have a share of the administration powers of the school? For that matter, what are the proper rules of agreement for sexual activities on college campuses or anywhere else? Does "yes" mean yes or does it mean no? Is all consent null and void if there is alcohol involved? Should our country allow Syrian refugees to enter? Will there be violence if we do? Should we build a wall on our borders? Should a cake baker be censored for refusing to bake a cake, for homosexuals to celebrate a wedding? On and on the questions rage and the shouting escalates.<br />
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This near universal confusion and divergence of opinion is the result of the last one hundred years of "the errors of Russia" spreading throughout the world. Diana West wrote an illuminating book, detailing this assault on western values, called <u>American Betrayal</u>. The communist method was to spread as many lies throughout the world as possible. If people could be made to question anything and everything, to disbelieve everything before held to be certain or authoritative, then the ground would be fertile for the spread of communism. Of course, the founding tenet of communism is the denial of Christ and His Catholic Church and the best way to undermine that church was to convince the people that She holds no real authority and that there is no real consequence to sin. If there is no consequence to sin, then there is really no sin at all; thus the arena of sexual morality is thrown wide open, bringing a whole batch of new questions. Additionally, a plethora of questions rear up concerning politics and order in the civil arena. Among all of this confusion, the structures and institutions which hold our society together begin to fail, starting with the families. While Ms. West does an extraordinary job of detailing the scheming and itemizing the damage done in this nefarious and comprehensive action, through the last several decades of our country's history, there was another lady who foretold these days, indeed, it was she who predicted the "errors of Russia."<br />
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In Fatima, Portugal in the year 1917, while WWI was raging in France, the Blessed Virgin Mary appeared to three children, not once, but once each month from May through October. She forewarned us all, through these innocent children, of these times. She reminded us of the brutal reality of hell and the severe consequences of sin. She affirmed, in crystal clear messages, that God is real, her son Christ Jesus is real and that His message of salvation should be the paramount motivation throughout our entire lives, or there will be hell to pay. She ratified her message with a miracle witnessed by thousands. Did you know of this? While the world was telling you that extra-marital sex is OK, did you hear our Lady's strict caution against these sins? The world makes so much noise and today, that noise is reaching a crescendo. I have not linked a reference to Fatima, for you should look for it yourself. It won't be hard to find and I really recommend that you study Her message to us.<br />
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We must stop questioning everything and considering ourselves to be the ultimate personal authority of what is right and wrong. There is objective Truth and we will be held to account to it. Hint: Your human nature and its self interest will steer you wrong almost every time. You must look for the true authority, to which you are accountable. Look for Christ. With Him comes moral certitude. With Him comes the peace which calms the civil storms and gives us courage to face our tormentors. With Him comes joy at the prospect of death. With Him we are complete.<br />
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<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Martyrs_of_Compi%C3%A8gne">This video shows the courageous certitude</a> shown by a convent of Carmelite nuns, who were not afraid to die for their Lord, in a world gone crazy, revolutionary France. </div>
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Oh! Most sacred heart of Jesus, have mercy on us!</div>
Williamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03310225556398456078noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7081093665066650012.post-92146652584229012492015-11-07T13:37:00.000-04:002015-11-07T13:38:22.505-04:00Frustration! IIOn October 3rd I wrote a post titled Frustration! I remain frustrated, as we all are, watching madmen shooting innocent people. It took only a month after posting that article for another grisly shooting to take place, this time in Colorado Springs, Colorado.<br />
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<a href="http://www.cbsnews.com/news/shooter-in-colorado-springs-rampage-legally-purchased-guns/">A lunatic, armed with two handguns and a semi-automatic rifle</a>, shot three people in cold blood. His first victim, a bicyclist, was heard to plead for his life, by witnesses. This hits at the core of my frustration. That bicyclist, I have learned from another news source, was an army veteran, with two tours of duty in the Middle East to his credit. It is a sure bet that when he started out on his bike ride that he did not expect to encounter his murderer. We never expect to be murdered at any given moment; if we did, it would drive us crazy. However, we must always be cognizant of the <i>possibility</i> and make ourselves ready. To put that more directly, never, ever leave home without your handgun.<br />
Even a combat zone veteran is reduced to begging and helplessness when confronted, empty handed, by an armed killer. Also remember, that the responsibility of arming yourself is for your neighbor's life as well as your own. After fruitlessly begging and dying, that poor veteran failed to prevent the murder of two women, who were the next victims in this rampage. Always expect the best from people and prepare for the worst.<br />
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There is no greater love than that of he who lays down his life for another. It is also an act of love to prepare yourself to defend the life of another.<br />
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Handy Lunatic Controllent</div>
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<br />Williamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03310225556398456078noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7081093665066650012.post-88343167168308714122015-10-17T15:38:00.001-03:002015-10-23T13:51:37.762-03:00Rust, Moths & Thieves<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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How many times have I heard someone say, "If only I could hit the lottery". That thought always makes me pause and imagine the "what-if" of buying a ticket for a few dollars and realizing several million in return. If money is simply a means to self ends, then that is an enchanting thought. However, money is so much more than that, and thanks to nefarious actors in state governments, now it is so much less.<br />
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The lottery cash comes from millions of other people who are embracing the "what-if" dream. For many of them it has grown into a compulsion which will not allow them to not buy a ticket at each and every cycle, for fear that they would miss their day. Lotteries are a voluntary tax on the poor. It was sold as a fun and painless way to raise money for sanctimonious causes such as the school system. "This money would insure that our children have the best and most complete education possible", is a typical politician's quote, as they pushed this legalized gambling down the tax payer's throats.<br />
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If you did hit it big, what would you do with the blood, sweat and tears of a million people, which was gathered up into a bundle and dropped into your lap? Choose wisely, because our good Lord is watching. You may believe that the money is yours, free and clear, but the truth is, as long as we live, we are never free and clear. We must always use whatever God gives us, which is exactly everything we get, regardless of the method, for the good of our neighbors. Would you have the courage and the will to resist the temptation to spend on yourself to the point of losing your soul? I suspect that the majority of the lottery winners have failed that test. That is what the value of money really is; it is the potential labors of your fellow humans and any good or pleasure you derive from having so much of it can only come from other people working for you. That is a big responsibility.<br />
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As for the government's high sounding motivations to fund "schools" with their cut of the loot, understand this, the money didn't just go to the schools. It went into the main pot and the school money came from that. When they conned our citizens into supporting this "school windfall" what they were really doing was finding a way to harvest more of our money for their everyday, ordinary runaway spending habits, with the benefit of this version of their endless taxes being a voluntary one. "Buy" a ticket and get an infinitesimally small chance of receiving a windfall and we will keep half for our cut, and our poorest lined up and sent in millions of dollars which they never saw again.<br />
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Now we come to this weeks announcement by the Illinois Lottery that they are broke and will not payout any winning amount over $600.00 until the state legislature ends it's budget impasse. What?! The lottery needs to get money <u>FROM</u> the state funds?! Remember when they sold the lottery to us as a free ride. People contribute and win some back and the schools get free money. How can it be that they are short? It is because they lied. They put all of the money into the state pot and were using cash flow from the government to make payouts, which they hoped would be rare events. They failed to reserve the potential winnings. They spent it all. What a bunch of crooks, and watch how no one will go to jail for it.<br />
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These are the thieves which our Lord warned us about. Forget about the lottery. They only promise you the tiniest chance at comfort and ease of mind, at a certain cost and even fail at that. Our Lord promises infinite graces, love, comfort and peace. He promises to provide everything you need and all it will cost you is your love and trust. Just try to out love Him and you will receive far more in return. As for those leaches in the state house, walk away from their shell game and let their lottery schemes crumble down around their ankles.<br />
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Williamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03310225556398456078noreply@blogger.com0