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blackbird

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Posts posted by blackbird

  1. 28 minutes ago, Gaétan said:

    Here what means to love your neighbour as yourself:

    So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets.

    This what Jesus tought all his live and accomplished and this is pure communism, communism is based on that,  To take money from rich and give it to poor. 

     

    You are living in an alternate reality.

    You have no clue what the Bible teaches or even what Communism is.

    "

    The New Testament also condemns theft, which implies the right to private property:

    Ephesians 4:28

    Let him who stole steal no longer, but rather let him labor, working with his hands what is good, that he may have something to give him who has need.

    2. Jesus would oppose Communism because the Bible – which carries the message of Jesus – tells us that the family is the main economic unit for society, not the state."

    Scroll back up and read the information about what the Bible teaches.  You obviously never read it.  Why waste our time on here if you don't read anything and just keep parroting the same old nonsense.

  2. 2 hours ago, Gaétan said:

    He taught about the law to love your neighbour as yourself not the law of Moses: Here is your proof:

    Matthew 7:12

    New International Version
     
    12 So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets.
     
    t 22.39 And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’[d] 40 All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.”
     
    This is what the Jesus says: Rich must share their goods because if they would be poor they would like rich share with them. You can't have more communism than that. This the perfect rule of communism.

    You obviously did not read the articles I posted.  The verses you mentioned have absolutely nothing to do with Communism.  Loving your neighbour is an individual teaching on how you are to treat other people.  It has nothing to do with a government confiscating everyone's property to give to other people.  The commandment against stealing and other related verses should tell you that state-ordained stealing is wrong, i.e. Communism or Socialism.

  3. 37 minutes ago, Gaétan said:

    You are wrong because it is clear in the gospels that Jesus was a communist because he repeatedly said that the rich must share with the poor or go to hell..

    Sorry, but you are completely wrong.

    quote

    WAS JESUS A COMMUNIST?

    What Is Communism? Four quick points…

    No private ownership of property; everything is held collectively by the people.

    The state, the government, holds, plans, spends, distributes builds in the name of the collective, the people.

    Every person works according to their ability, every person receives according to their need.

    Workers aren’t exploited by owners who only care about profits.

    Comparing this understanding of Communism, Jesus was not a communist.

    1. Jesus would oppose Communism because He affirmed the Old Testament, which clearly affirms the right of private property, especially in the command to not steal (Exodus 20:15).

    Matthew 5:17–19

    Do not think that I came to destroy the Law or the Prophets. I did not come to destroy but to fulfill. For assuredly, I say to you, till heaven and earth pass away, one jot or one tittle will by no means pass from the law till all is fulfilled. Whoever therefore breaks one of the least of these commandments, and teaches men so, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever does and teaches them, he shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven.

    The New Testament also condemns theft, which implies the right to private property:

    Ephesians 4:28

    Let him who stole steal no longer, but rather let him labor, working with his hands what is good, that he may have something to give him who has need.

    2. Jesus would oppose Communism because the Bible – which carries the message of Jesus – tells us that the family is the main economic unit for society, not the state.

    The whole law of Moses distributed land according to family and was held in trust by the family – not the state.

    1 Timothy 5:8 is a remarkably strong statement, part of the instructions for the support of widows where Paul stated that widows should not receive the financial support of the church if they had family that could support them.

    1 Timothy 5:8

    But if anyone does not provide for his own, and especially for those of his own household, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever.

    3. Jesus would oppose Communism because the message of the Bible is of radical generosity and sharing among believers – but voluntary, free-will giving. There’s a big difference between koinonia (community, sharing) and Communism, and one of the differences is coercion.

    4. Jesus would oppose Communism because the amount of state power and coercion and force necessary for a planned economy goes against the Biblical principle of freedom, of liberty.

    The proclamation of liberty is a huge idea in the scriptures.

    It’s for freedom that Christ set us free.

    There’s a legitimate debate to have among Christians about the balance between freedom and security or freedom and equality – but the totalitarian state required to make Communism work is, in my opinion, far out of bounds in this debate.

    There’s a reason why Communist states have been atheistic and have been violent, persistent persecutors of Christianity (and other religions).   unquote

    Was Jesus a Communist? – LIVE Q&A with David Guzik – January 26, 2023 - Enduring Word

    You said: "Everything that comes from the Old Testament is not Christian but Jewish. Christianity refers to the teaching of Jesus Christ, not Moses."

    Here again you are incorrect.  I don't know where you got that idea. 

    "1. Jesus Recognized the Entire Old Testament as Authoritative

    Jesus’ view of the Old Testament can be seen by the way He used the Old Testament Scripture. He recognized the entire Old Testament as Scripture, He accepted the two main divisions of the Old Testament, the Law and the Prophets, and He quoted from fourteen individual books of the Old Testament."

    What Was Jesus’ View of the Old Testament? by Don Stewart (blueletterbible.org)

    From start to finish, the New Testament contains quotations, references, allusions, and paraphrases of the Old Testament. Sometimes, the New Testament follows the Hebrew text, in other cases, it more closely follows the translation into Greek of the Old Testament called the Septuagint. In my traditional Jewish upbringing in Brooklyn, New York, our family comfortably referred to “the Old Testament”, although many other Jewish people prefer to call it the “Hebrew Bible” or the “Tanakh”. Yeshua (Jesus) demonstrated intimate familiarity with the Tanakh when he spoke, taught, and served—often drawing surprising insights from the Scriptures."

    Jesus’ References to Old Testament Scriptures - Jews for Jesus

  4. 10 reasons why socialism, Marxism are antithetical to biblical Christianity

    "

    Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels wrote The Communist Manifesto in 1848, relating it to what they called “scientific socialism.” The 20th century and beyond are fraught with examples of the embarrassing failures of both communism and socialism (i.e., The former Soviet Union, Venezuela, North Korea, Cuba, Soviet-era Eastern Germany, to name a few).

    Despite this dubious history, we currently have high-profile political leaders, like congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez promoting a form of Marxism called “democratic socialism.”

    1. Socialism is against the biblical view of the nuclear family.

    Marxists argue that “the nuclear family performs ideological functions for Capitalism — the family acts as a unit of consumption and teaches passive acceptance of hierarchy. It is also the institution through which the wealthy pass down their private property to their children, thus reproducing class inequality.”

    Hence, socialism is against the biblical principle of parental rights related to their children and the prominence of the nuclear family (Genesis 1:28-29, Proverbs 22:6, Ephesians 5:22-6:4).

    2. Socialists claim education belongs solely to the state

    Marxist education aims at producing faithful citizens. Therefore, it is primarily an ideological tool to program children to be loyal to the state. In communist and socialist nations, education and the curriculum are controlled by the state and are not considered the responsibility of the parents. Models like homeschooling children would be illegal. This contradicts the biblical framework regarding parents being responsible for educating their children the way they choose (Proverbs 22:6; Deuteronomy 6:6-9).

    3. Socialists claim the state deserves the highest allegiance

    In many communist nations like the former Soviet Union and modern-day countries like North Korea and China, Bibles are confiscated, church buildings are burned, and evangelism is illegal. This is because they see Christianity as a rival religion to the authority of the humanistic secular state. This goes against the biblical command to put first God’s Kingdom and worship and serve Jesus as the only true Lord (Matthew 6:33; 1 Timothy 6:15).

    4. Socialists believe in the abolition of private property in land and the application of all rents of land to public purposes

    This is antithetical to the biblical premise of the individual right to own private property and the command for believers to create wealth to promote God’s covenant (Exodus 20:15; Deuteronomy 8:18; 1 Kings 20:6, Isaiah 65:21-22; Mark 10:39-21).

    5. Socialism advocates a progressive income tax

    In a socialist system, people are taxed based on their income. This is called a progressive tax structure. As an example of the influence of socialism in the United States, “The top 1% (taxpayers with AGI of $546,434 and above) earned 20.1% of total AGI in 2019 and paid 38.8% of all federal income taxes.

    6. Socialism opposes the rights of a family inheritance

    In a contemporary Marxist and socialist framework, either leaving an inheritance to children is not allowed, or the state confiscates much of the family inheritance through double taxation. This goes against the biblical principle of leaving an inheritance to children (Proverbs 13:22).

    7. In socialism, the state attempts to control all communication

    “In socialistic countries, centralization of the means of communication and transport is in the hands of the State.” In communist nations, people are not allowed to have freedom of speech. Violations can be severely punished.

     8. In socialism, a utopia comes from a revolutionary change from the outside in

    “Marx’s utopianism lay in the aim of abolishing the distinction between state and civil society, and in the harmony he assumed would emerge.” This goes against the biblical principle that systemic change doesn’t start from the outside. Instead, it starts from the inside when people are born again in their hearts from above (John 3:3-8).

    9. Socialism categorizes people as either the oppressed or the oppressors

    The Marxist revolutions were started by inciting the so-called proletariat to overthrow the social systems of the so-called bourgeoisie, thus pitting poor and rich citizens against each other. This violates the biblical principles of justice and impartiality in which God commands us not to show favoritism to either the rich or the poor (Leviticus 19:15).

    10. Socialists believe the Government is responsible for all social care

    In socialist and communist countries, the state is responsible for caring for the poor and providing all goods and services necessary for citizens. They would conceptually view families, churches, and nonprofits as competition to the state if they attempted to do the same.   unquote

    For the complete article go to:

    10 reasons why socialism is antithetical to biblical Christianity | Voice (christianpost.com)

       Socialism basically is a system which controls every aspect of everyone's life.  The question now is to what degree has Canada become Socialist?

    I know from experience the first question someone, usually a liberal or leftist, will ask is are you against the public health care system or all the services that government provides.

    The answer is that is purely a hypothetical question and cannot be answered.  The reason is because we have no choice.  We now have the system we have and do not have the opportunity to try a non-Socialist system.  There is no alternative which makes the question hypothetical or meaningless.

     

  5. 11 hours ago, Army Guy said:

    apparently we can not fund the ones we already have...and yet these new programs are still being pushed, every Canadian knows that the liberals have doubled our national debt in the last 8 plus years...and rarely is that a concern from the left WHY ?

    You hit the nail on the head Army Guy.

    Many Canadians expect it all but don't understand somebody has to pay for it.  The Liberals and NDP have capitalized on this perverse thinking.

    The  problem is when the debt gets high, the interest for the debt takes over control and take the countries finances.  Interest does not provide any services but because the government has to pay the interest on the debt, that takes away from the finances available for services.

    Yet, as you say, the left is constantly demanding more services.  

    The consequence of this is the services we have are being deprived of the resources they require to continue to function properly.  We are seeing this with the failing health care system, the failing Canadian Armed Forces.  

    While vital existing services are being negatively affected, the Liberals are still going around throwing out billions of dollars.  The latest things include twenty something billion for subsidizing EV battery plants. 

    They are also this very day trying to kill the energy industry with new regulations about forcing the cap on emissions.  These regulations are being imposed without a clue how such a thing could be done without seriously undermining or killing the energy industry.  The energy industry is a major source of national and provincial revenue for Canada that provides all the services such as health care, etc.

    Meanwhile Canada has buried itself itself in red tape and regulations at all levels of government so that it is nearly impossible to get things done such as building housing, open new mines, and develop natural resources and ship them.  The ideology of the government is also impeding services to the public and paralyzing Canadian initiative and self improvement.  If young people can't afford to pay the outrageous rents to go to university or the tuitions, how will new professionals ever be trained.  Where will the nurses, doctors, and others come from?  It can't be solved by simply bringing in third world immigrants because a lot of them can hardly speak a word of English.  Believe me I know it from personal experience.  The system is putting people who are unable to speak English in high professional positions now.

  6. Pierre Poilievre explains what the problem is causing the housing crisis and how the Conservatives would deal with it.  Quite an informative video.  Reportedly approaching 4 million views already.   To view, scroll down the screen to the X Video showing Trudeau on a red background and click on that screen.

    HOUSING HELL: Poilievre lays blame on Trudeau for housing crisis in short doc (msn.com)

  7. The truth is the Palestinian children and young people are taught to hate Israel and the Jews from day one.  That is just the way they grow up.  There are some Palestinians that work in Israel and have realized that hate is a fruitless path but they do not control the majority living in the West Bank, Gaza, and elsewhere in the middle east.  Since there is nothing that anyone can do to change that, things will just continue the way they are indefinitely.

    • Like 1
  8. Melanie Joly, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, was on the news this morning again touting a "two-state" solution for Israel and the Palestinians.   It is clear she has no idea of what the causes of the conflict are.  A so-called two-state solution would not work for several reasons.

    1.  The Arabs (or many of them) have absolutely no inclination to give up their belief that Israel has no right to exist and their desire to destroy Israel.  This struggle has been going on for centuries and is not going to disappear by simply carving up Israel and giving the Palestinians half of the land.

    2.  Cutting out half of the land of Israel would seriously threaten its security and ability to defend itself.  So as far as Israel is concerned they will never allow it to happen.  They are in the best position to see how determined Iran and the terrorist organizations are determined to eliminate them.  

    So it is a waste of breath for the Minister of Foreign Affairs to keep harping on that line.  We know it obviously sounds good to simpletons and therefore plays well to the base.  But it is totally unrealistic.

  9. I can tell you the DEI (diversity, equity and inclusion) ideology and policies are having a devastating effect on many Canadians.  These policies are resulting in people who are unable to speak English being put into positions that seriously and negatively affect Canadians.  Yet they are there trying to provide services to the public.

    I ran into two of them lately.  One was in a critical position in the health care system.  One of them phoned me to discuss serious health care issues.  Unfortunately for me I could barely understand a word that was said.

    The second serious incident happened today when I phoned the Walmart support number to find out why I had been double-billed for a load of groceries.  I could barely understand a single word.  It was very frustrating and we both struggled for quite a while to finally get to the answer.

    In both cases their accents were strongly east Indian or from that area of the world.  These people are being put in key positions regardless of their lack of ability to communicate with the population of Canada.  It appears the ability to communicate with the people they are supposed to be serving is a very low priority.  What is important is giving the appearance of implementing DEI.

    Of course in Jagmeet Singh's case, the problem is not lack of ability to speak English.  The problem is his ideology is completely alien and screwed up.  There is nothing rational about someone who rejects free enterprise in the west and embraces Socialist authoritarian types of government.

     

  10. 5 hours ago, herbie said:

    Oh, using westman numbers argument. What's being discussed would only affect 987,000 odd native people so that's okay then. And the Salem witch trials were by Protestants, so they were okay too, eh?

    Your inability to distinguish authoritarianism from political leaning is showing, as it does with many on the board who think they're conservatives. Authoritarianism is the extreme end of any political position, and even as you condemn it you often reveal you only want to impose your own form of it.

    Your comments make little sense.  Did you read it over before you posted it?  The first paragraph makes absolutely no sense and seems to have nothing whatsoever to do with my comment.  Not sure what you're trying to say there.  Don't know what natives have to do with blasphemy.

    In the second paragraph, are you complaining about authoritarianism?  Not sure where in my post authoritarianism comes into it.   Don't think banning blasphemy is authoritarian or unreasonable.  What is unreasonable is course loud mouth reprobates that go around cursing and blaspheming and spitting on the street.  These people should be in a mental institution.  Obviously they were never taught anything.

    You know in the Old Testament blasphemy was considered a serious crime.

    "To blaspheme is to speak with contempt about God or to be defiantly irreverent. Blasphemy is verbal or written reproach of God’s name, character, work, or attributes.

    Blasphemy was a serious crime in the law God gave to Moses. The Israelites were to worship and obey God. In Leviticus 24:10–16, a man blasphemed the name of God. To the Hebrews, a name wasn’t just a convenient label. It was a symbolic representation of a person’s character. The man in Leviticus who blasphemed God’s name was stoned to death."

    What is blasphemy? What does it mean to blaspheme? | GotQuestions.org

    "The “supremacy of God” is a section in the Constitution of Canada’s Charter of Rights and Freedom. The phrase in the charter states, “Canada is grounded upon principles that recognize the supremacy of God”.

    Therefore blasphemy is an insult to God and country since the country is theoretically governed by the Constitution and the Charter which specifically state that the said Charter recognizes the supremacy of God.  There it is in black and white.

    Contrary to what multiculturalists and ecumenical people of various religions say, the God mentioned in the Charter can only be referring to the God of Christianity and the Bible because there is no other God.  No politician or judge has the power to change the fact that there is only one God, the God who inspired the Bible, in English, the King James Bible of 1611.

     

  11. The so-called rebate for carbon tax paid is not actually a rebate because it does not compensate fully those who paid the carbon tax.  Carbon taxes are charged to those who use natural gas for heating and run private or commercial motor vehicles.  The rebate has nothing to do with how much anyone paid in carbon taxes.  The rebates go to those in the lowest income brackets whether they paid any carbon taxes or not.  It is not related to how much carbon taxes they paid.  So it is a redistribution of income scheme.  It also doesn't matter how much one receives for income.  One could be on a pension and still pay relatively high carbon taxes if he has a natural gas heating system which requires a lot of natural gas and if he is living in a remote place and is required to drive great distances.  Also, if one drives a truck and it uses a lot of fuel in a business such as transport, he will pay a lot of carbon taxes in the fuel.  I am not aware of anything in the rebate system that considers when a person uses a vehicle for business and is required to use a lot of fuel.  The only thing that might compensate for that slightly is the reduction in taxable income for business expenses.  But that is not going to compensate much for the high cost of carbon taxes.

  12. 6 minutes ago, bcsapper said:

    Well, there are two answers to that.

    1) No, it doesn't.

    2) There's nothing irrational about blasphemy.

    Let's face it.  You support freedom of speech for speech you don't mind.  Don't worry about it, a lot of people do.

     

    Depends whether you believe in any kind of morality or moral compass, including some respect for your fellow man.

  13. 1 minute ago, Michael Hardner said:

    At the heart of this is the principle that the market doesn't always serve the public interest.  Pretty much everyone believes in government but what people want regulated changes from person to person.

    Mulroney felt so strongly about protecting Canadian culture that foreign media ownership was disallowed under the Free Trade Agreement.

    The CRTC blocked American ads for decades.

    We only know about most Canadian pop music because of Canadian content requirements.

    Etc. Etc.

     

    Why should Canadians be subject to Marxist intervention and control of everything in society, what we read, what we see on television, what we are taught, what we hear on media?  We need to dump the politicians that promote and support interventionist, Marxist, control.

    • Haha 3
  14. 8 minutes ago, bcsapper said:

    Ah, I see.  Well, that's convenient.

    We need to defend real freedoms.  That includes freedom of speech that is rational.  Opposition to government overreach is rational speech for example.  We live in a time where Marxism and Romanism and progressive ideology are a threat to our freedom.  "In our twentieth century America few among us seem to realize what a priceless heritage we possess in the freedom of religion, freedom of speech, freedom of the press, and freedom of assembly that is an integral part of our everyday life. Nor are many aware of the bitter and prolonged struggles our forefathers went through at the time of the Reformation and later to secure these freedoms. Instead it is quite the common thing to take these for granted and to assume that they are the natural rights of all men. "   from the book Roman Catholicism

    Roman Catholicism : Loraine Boettner : Free Download, Borrow, and Streaming : Internet Archive

    In your opposition to Judeo-Christian civilization and culture you should consider the alternatives are likely Communism and/or Romanism or a mixture.  Don't forget especially that it was the believers in the Bible that brought the Reformation 500 years ago that resulted in your fundamental freedoms such as freedom of speech and beliefs.  The population of Europe went through a hundred years of wars to win you the freedoms you have today and a large portion of the population in Europe died for that.

  15. 6 minutes ago, bcsapper said:

    Aren't you of the opinion that blasphemy should be illegal?

    That would make criminalizing speech part of your ideology too, wouldn't it?.  

    No.  Blasphemy is a different category.  It is offensive to millions of people.  It has no place in public places where children and adults with some sense of decency go.  Blasphemy should not be considered as ordinary speech or opinion for the same reason threats should not be considered as acceptable speech.

  16. Marxist-leaning politicians do it because they can.  Canada is becoming more interventionist and authoritarian every day.  What religion do you think Trudeau etc. are most connected with besides Karl Marx's religion.

    Loraine Boettner warned about this in his book Roman Catholicism over sixty years ago.

    Roman Catholicism : Loraine Boettner : Free Download, Borrow, and Streaming : Internet Archive

    One would think after a thousand years of tyrannical rule by Rome over the population until the Reformation around the 1500s, that people would wake up.  Apparently not.  We are going backward.

    • Haha 1
  17. Criminalizing speech is a part of Communist and Romanist ideology.   Careful what you say in China or other Communist countries.  Seems that Canada is moving in that direction.

    Loraine Boettner wrote over sixty years ago:

    "Our American freedoms are being threatened today by two totalitarian systems, Communism and Roman Catholicism. And of the two in our country Romanism is growing faster than is Communism and is the more dangerous since it covers its real nature with a cloak of religion. "

    Roman Catholicism : Loraine Boettner : Free Download, Borrow, and Streaming : Internet Archive

  18. "Our American freedoms are being threatened today by two totalitarian systems, Communism and Roman Catholicism. And of the two in our country Romanism is growing faster than is Communism and is the more dangerous since it covers its real nature with a cloak of religion. "  From the book Roman Catholicism by Loraine Boettner (copyright 1962).  May read online at: Roman Catholicism : Loraine Boettner : Free Download, Borrow, and Streaming : Internet Archive   

  19. On 11/30/2023 at 11:08 AM, Michael Hardner said:

    1. 7. 8. 9.  Am too.  Why do you think I'm not ?  Because I support Trans rights ?  

    Are you a non-practicing Catholic by any chance?  It appears apparent the Catholic church is divided.  You have many Catholics such as much of the Liberal government including Trudeau who are Catholic yet support LGBT, same-sex marriage, etc. progressive ideology.  Then you have other Catholics like the poster you are talking to who support more traditional Catholic teachings.  There is a major divide within the Catholic church itself.  I would guess many of the progressive Catholics are non-practicing and rarely go to the Catholic church.  Many politicians I believe are like that.  The only time they go is for weddings and funerals.  Some may go infrequently and are somewhere in between.

     

  20. 1 hour ago, Queenmandy85 said:

    Actually, I meant the Restoration. 

    I am not sure if you understand the significance of the Reformation and how it brought much of the west out of tyranny.  The importance of the Reformation cannot be overstated.  Here is a brief quote on what things were like in the west before the Reformation that should give you an idea of how it was.  Most people have no idea how things were for over a thousand years prior to the Reformation.

    quote

    For more than a thousand years before the Reformation the popes had controlled Europe and had said that there was only one way to worship God. That period is appropriately known as the “Dark Ages.” In the church and, to a considerable extent, in the state, too, the priests held the power. They suppressed the laity until practically all their rights were taken away. They constantly pried into private affairs, interfering even between husband and wife and between parents and children by means of the confessional. All marriage was in their hands. They interfered in the administration of public affairs, in the proceedings of the courts, and in the disposition of estates. The revenues of the state built new churches and paid the salaries of the priests in much the same manner as in present day Spain. Anyone who dared resist ran the risk of losing his job, his property, and even his life. Life under such tyranny was intolerable. From that condition the Reformation brought deliverance.   unquote

    from the book Roman Catholicism by Loraine Boettner  (copyright 1962)

    You may read the whole book for free on the internet at the following website (archive.org) if so inclined:

    Roman Catholicism : Loraine Boettner : Free Download, Borrow, and Streaming : Internet Archive

     

  21. On 12/2/2023 at 6:21 PM, Zeitgeist said:

    Actually the issue for the Catholic boards is trustees who don’t support Catholic doctrine.

    I understand what you're saying about trustees that are not supporting Catholic doctrine.  I can understand how that would be a problem for the Catholic church, particularly for those Catholics who hold to traditional Catholic teaching.  They would feel a sense of despair and being cheated out of what they believed the Catholic school was supposed to be standing for.

    As to how to worship God and how Catholic theology fits in with the Bible and Biblical truth and how it compares with Protestant understanding of the Bible, there is an extremely good book you may consider.  It is called Roman Catholicism by Loraine Boettner.  It is available for free to read online at the archive.org website.  It says in part of the introduction:

    quote

    The basic features of Protestant belief therefore are:

    The supremacy of the Bible in all matters of faith and practice.

    Justification by faith, not by works, although works have their necessary and logical place as the fruits and proof of true faith.

    The right of the individual to go directly to God in prayer apart from the mediation of any priest or other human intermediary.

    Individual freedom of conscience and worship, within the authority of the Bible.

    For more than a thousand years before the Reformation the popes had controlled Europe and had said that there was only one way to worship God. That period is appropriately known as the “Dark Ages.” In the church and, to a considerable extent, in the state, too, the priests held the power. They suppressed the laity until practically all their rights were taken away. They constantly pried into private affairs, interfering even between husband and wife and between parents and children by means of the confessional. All marriage was in their hands. They interfered in the administration of public affairs, in the proceedings of the courts, and in the disposition of estates. The revenues of the state built new churches and paid the salaries of the priests in much the same manner as in present day Spain. Anyone who dared resist ran the risk of losing his job, his property, and even his life. Life under such tyranny was intolerable. From that condition the Reformation brought deliverance.   unquote

    Roman Catholicism : Loraine Boettner : Free Download, Borrow, and Streaming : Internet Archive

    I was very pleased to come across the archive.org website because they have many books that would otherwise be very expensive to purchase, but you may read them for free or a donation to the website.

    I just add that the book was copyright in 1962 and therefore I am not sure if the situation in Spain is the same today.  The relationship between the Catholic church and the Spanish government may have changed in some ways in the last sixty or so years.  I don't know.

    Just an added note.  I just read that Spain has become secular to some degree, but the Catholic church still has an enormous power and influence in the government, legal system, etc.  

     

     

     

  22. 32 minutes ago, Queenmandy85 said:

    Actually, I meant the Restoration. 

    The reason I thought you meant Reformation is that the Reformation occurred about 500 years ago and was a major change in society in Europe that is well known by many people.  It was considered started by Martin Luther  in 1517 when he nailed his 95 theses onto the church door at Wittenberg as you probably know, although there were other church leaders involved in different countries in Europe.  I am not familiar with the term Restoration.  I suppose the term Restoration refers to the non-religious changes that took place in those centuries that you referred to.  Fair enough.  I was thinking of the religious or theological changes but agree with you there were major changes in many fields.

    It did sound like you are saying that the poor morality contributed to the changes in science, mathematics, etc.  Poor morality has always existed through all ages and may be worse today as we appear to be living in the last days or end times.  One of the signs of living in the end times is worsening morality.

    quote

    What has convinced these theologians and pastors that the end times could be ramping up? That’s a question I covered in-depth in my book, “The Armageddon Code,” through interviews with about 20 of the most prevalent eschatology experts.

    Many of these theologians and pastors told me that sweeping moral decay, biblical disconnectedness, and ongoing violence in the Middle East are just a few of the prophetic markers they believe were foretold thousands of years ago in both the Old and New Testaments. 

      unquote

    5 Reasons Many Christians Believe End Times Are Upon Us — and Israel Plays Major Role – Faithwire

  23. On 11/28/2023 at 10:46 AM, Queenmandy85 said:

    During the Restoration, the rules of morality were pretty weak, yet that was the period that gave us the great advances in science, particularly in mathematics and physics.

    I'm sure you mean Reformation.  Yes, I agree there were great advances in science, mathematics, physics, biology, etc.  Sadly there was also the Hundred Years War after or as a result of the Reformation during the 1600s.  The reason was of course the followers of Rome were still attempting to keep control of those areas and countries that broke away from Rome and became Lutheran, Reformed, and others.  Rome was not willing to accept the new order peacefully.  Germany lost a large part of their population in the wars.  Then other wars occurred through the last 500 years right up to the present.  Parliamentary democracy was born through this period.  We now know the population paid a heavy price for the transition from the totalitarian rule from Rome to independent democratic states. The number of people killed in wars in Europe alone is staggering.   But this is a result of the Fall of man as I said.

  24. On 11/30/2023 at 12:02 PM, TreeBeard said:

    What governs the ownership of land;  opinion, or laws?

    Some native Indian band up around Pemberton shut down a provincial park for a number of days, which they claim is within their traditional territory and the B.C. government allowed them to do so.  Nobody was allowed to use the park and campsites.  I doubt that the Indian band had any legal right to shut it down or any law that gave them such a right.  How do you explain that?  Natives don't always need a written legal paper in B.C. They can sometimes do what ever they want and the government bows to them.

    When natives blocked railways a few years ago in different places in Canada, the government often did nothing about it.  They were not stopped, removed, or punished.  They have far more power than non-natives.  If you or I tried that, we would be arrested right away.

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