blackbird

"1 Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. 2 For by it the elders obtained a good report. 3 Through faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that things which are seen were not made of things which do appear." Hebrews 11:1-3 KJV

So just leave Hamas and Hezbollah alone so they can continue to attack Israel at will.

Another bold-faced lie.

Why do you think Israel has no right to defend itself? How would you do it? How would you eliminate Hamas? Or do you think they should be left to attack again?

" In an interview with the Jewish News Syndicate last month, Cotler spoke of his fellow Liberals. “The Canadian government made some important and timely statements but the actions it has taken have not been supportive,” Cotler said . Regarding the arms embargo on Israel announced by Joly: “Doing that, in the midst of a just war that Israel is prosecuting as it exerts its right to self-defence, means rewarding Hamas. While it is not the intention, it ends up being the effect.” " Israeli officials were keen for the visits, especially that of U.S. President Joe Biden. They requested a visit and Biden agreed. Within roughly a fortnight of the attacks, Biden was on the ground in Tel Aviv. The heads of government of Cyprus, France, Greece, Italy, Germany, the Netherlands, Romania and the United Kingdom visited in the first three weeks, as well as the head of the European Union. That’s five of the G7 countries. The sixth, Japan’s prime minister, met with Israel’s president in Dubai in December. That leaves the seventh, Canada. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau decided not to visit. He still hasn’t. Indeed, in nine years as prime minister, Trudeau has only made one visit to Israel, for the 2016 funeral of former Israeli prime minister Shimon Peres. He could hardly have stayed away from that. Even Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas was present, as well as the Prince of Wales; two U.S. presidents spoke at the memorial. More remarkable still, Israeli officials have not been keen for Trudeau to come. Friends of Israel in Canada, including leading Jewish organizations, have not been encouraging him to visit, either. Better to keep a lukewarm friend at a distance. Whether Trudeau and Joly are accused of pandering by their partisan rivals is not of great import. Pandering, after all, is a negative term for virtue signalling, which the Liberals pride themselves on doing, at the ready to take a knee for the cameras. They just do so without a clear moral compass. Joly objects to Poilievre’s criticism that she panders to Hamas supporters. But would she object as strongly if she realized what Hamas itself thought of her?" Raymond J. de Souza: Trudeau and Joly have made Canada into Hamas's greatest G7 ally (msn.com)

Nobody is saying they should kill innocent people in Gaza and Lebanon. You are inventing a false narrative and trying to use it against Christianity. Complete foolishness and dishonesty. Israel has a right to defend itself and is trying to root out the Hamas and Hezbollah terrorists who hide in hospitals and build bunkers and tunnels underneath and put their weapons and missiles where ever there are civilians. That is why Israel says to leave the places where they will be looking for terrorists.

That's the same with the Bible and Biblical faith. It's built on a ton of evidence.

I gave some examples in the post. Didn't you read it? " Everyone in his daily life is constantly believing and acting upon certain facts that are not necessarily proved. For instance, if we drive a car across a bridge, how do we know by observation that the bridge will not break down? If we board an airplane for a flight to a distant city, how do we know whether the thousands of workers who put the plane together did a good job, whether the mechanics properly checked the plane, whether enough fuel has been added, and whether the flight crew is competent to fly the plane? We have been able to observe none of these factors, and yet we board a plane with a good deal of confidence. In everyday life, faith is a part of the way we live." "1 Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. 2 For by it the elders obtained a good report. 3 Through faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that things which are seen were not made of things which do appear. " Hebrews 11:1-3 KJV " 5 By faith Enoch was translated that he should not see death; and was not found, because God had translated him: for before his translation he had this testimony, that he pleased God. 6 But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him." Hebrews 11:5, 6 KJV You see, without faith you cannot please God. "17 So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God. " Romans 10:17 KJV Therefore you must humbly ask God to help you gain faith. You must study the KJV Bible because it is through the study of the Bible that people receive faith.

I am not sure you even understand Israel's right to exist. The Bible makes it clear God gave that land to Israel in perpetuity. So if you won't believe the Bible and accept Israel's right to exist, I don't see any way we could possibly have a useful discussion. Those who don't believe the Bible are of course going to be completely lost on the subject. That is the case for many countries in the world, including Canada. The Canadian government advocates a two-state solution, which shows they have no understanding of the reality or the fact Israel has a right to the land. Carving up an already tiny country which is surrounded by enemies who want to get rid of it is of course a non-starter for Israel. It would be a threat to their very existence.

That sentence is faulty and doesn't make sense. What are you trying to say? You're not making sense there either. Of course it has been occupied by Semitic peoples for thousands of years. So what? Yes, of course I know Arabs are Semitic people along with Jews. Again, So what is your point? Saying it has nothing to do with religion is just wrong. Of course it has a lot to do with religion. But we are not going to solve anything here in the west. There is an age old struggle going on between Jews and Arabs. Many of them are Islamic extremists and as you well know, they don't accept the right of Israel to exist. So, there is not much we can do about that. Israel is a friend of the west and a democracy. They need to be protected from all their hostile neighbours and terrorists. We can't stop what the Muslims and Arabs feel about them. All we can do is offer assistance when necessary to Israel so they can defend themselves. We can't change the thinking of people in the middle east. Nor should we try. I don't see much point in trying to continue this conversation. We don't see it the same way and neither of us is going to change anything. So it is time to end it.

You're wrong there. Muslims do not think Israel has a right to exist. This has been going on for centuries. That is the central problem. That was Israel's land thousands of years ago. They were forced out and it has been a continual struggle for them all through history. The book "God's First Love, Christians and Jews over 2,000 years by Friedrich Heer tells the history of the mass murder of Jews over the past fifteen centuries. They certainly have a right to their own homeland. It was theirs and should be theirs now without question. The word Palestine is just a general name for the area which may have been given to the area by the Romans. They called the people living in the area Palestinians. There are lots of Arabs in the area but also in Lebanon, Jordon, and other countries around there. They are full of terrorist supporters. There will not be peace for the foreseeable future because of that. Nothing will change that. The Muslims hate Israel and Jews and think they have no right to exist because they are not Muslims. Islam invaded the area centuries ago and claims it for themselves. There are lots of Muslim countries in the surrounding area that would fit the Muslims if they can't accept being part of Israel, but those countries don't want them. I have a question for you. Why was the Islamic Dome of the Rock built on the historic Jewish temple mount in Jerusalem in about 700 A.D.? The Jewish temple was built in 957 bce during the reign of King Solomon. Why would Muslims build their Dome of the Rock on top of the Jews most holy site?

There might be a few, but that is not what Hamas and Hezbollah do. You know that. Don't play dumb.

This is anit-Semitism and has been for 2,000 years. Practically all of Europe which was the western world has been anti-Semitic all through history. Same in Russia and much of the rest of the world. Much of Europe and most of the countries in the U.N. are anti-Semitic. That is just the way their brain works. You need to study or read some history on it. As far as how the war is conducted, Hamas, Hezbollah and other terrorist groups only purpose for being is to kill Israelis and try to destroy Israel. If they have those kind of neighbours, there is not much else they can do than what they are doing. They cannot just sit back and let the terrorists re-organize, get more weapons and prepare to attack again. Saying Israel should just stop fighting them is extremely ignorant.

The Palestinians are Arab Muslims and already occupy all the countries surrounding Israel. The area Israel occupies is a very tiny part. Muslims do not think they have the right to exist. Same as you. Why should they give it up to Palestinians. Are you some kind Islamist?

The Ukraine and NATO will not be backing down. This will continue to be a war of attrition. No real benefit for Russia either. I think Putin must be paying a political price for this. Many lives being wasted by Russia for nothing.

This is all good news for the Conservatives. Should obliterate the Liberals. Well deserved. Meanwhile Trudeau is busy jetting around the world and is now in southeast Asia giving away Canadian taxpayer money to help clean up a river in southeast Asia. Also no doubt enjoying wining and dining with Asian leaders at taxpayer's expense. He knows has limited time to milk taxpayers now. The clock is running out. Why would he voluntarily step down and give up the last days of luxury travelling and milking the system? That would make no sense.

Usual anti-Semitism. They certainly have the right to their land. They occupied it long ago. They are surrounded by Islamists who of course want to take over. Israel is the only country in the middle east that is a democratic country and a friend of the west. You think the Palestinian Arabs and Muslims would be better friends of the west? Their values are totally the opposite of western values.

All laws come from personal belief systems. You either follow the principle of Judeo-Christian beliefs which are from the Bible (God) or you follow the evil world system's ideologies such as Communism, Socialism, liberalism, progressivism and secular humanism. Those ideologies destroy society. You made your choice. You reject the Biblical beliefs of love thy neighbour, respect the sanctity of life (no abortion) and other Biblical principles that gave us human rights. You have nothing to offer in their place. You say leave me alone and let me do my own thing. That is a recipe for anarchy and decadence. We have had laws against prostitution, sexual abuse of minors, sexual abuse of women, and many other things. Laws based on Judeo-Christian civilization protect people from all these harms. You don't seem to have much understanding of how the world works. Nobody makes up their own code of how they live. That is done by authorities. Some authorities have some idea of how a civilized society should be. Other authorities have perverse ideologies and bring in evil laws. That is why we have many of the problems in the justice system we have and why we have other problems in society. The do your own thing is a liberal, progressive self-destructive ideology. It has no place in a civilized society.

You don't understand reality and how politics works. The west is built on Judeo-Christian beliefs. Religion is not being made into law. What always has been made into law are the righteous principles of law and order that came from Judeo-Christian beliefs. That is different from Communist countries which make laws based on Communist ideology. It is different than Islamic republics that make laws based on Islam where women have no rights and people have no human rights. In the west we have human rights because historically our society is built on Judeo-Christian beliefs which include respect for the individual and love thy neighbour. It also historically includes respect for the sanctity of life although that is now being trampled on by those who reject our historic Judeo-Christian belief system and embrace the progressive death cult. That is why we have the liberal / progressive doctor-assisted suicide and abortion on demand. That's what you get when you reject God. Humanism and liberalism takes over. Many of our laws are a result of Biblical Judeo-Christian beliefs. That is why we have laws against killing, stealing, etc. That is why Sunday was traditionally a day of rest. One day of seven comes from the Judeo-Christian Bible. Society has to have some basis on which to base its laws. Traditionally this has been Judeo-Christian beliefs.

" Foreign Affairs Minister Mélanie Joly shockingly admitted her riding’s demographics influence her foreign policies and is attempting to bolster her leadership prospects. With that background, she refused to send lethal and even non-lethal weapons to Israel and confirmed funding for UNRWA hours after it acknowledged it had employed the slain Hamas leader. Joly pretends to support Israel’s right to defend itself but insisted it should not respond, to avoid “further escalation,” after Iran launched 180 missiles into Israel. The same argument was made by Neville Chamberlain after Hitler seized the Sudetenland. Why is the Canadian government treating a state sponsor of terrorism with kid gloves? What about the Liberal refrain that it will always protect women, the LGBTQ community and minorities from appalling discrimination? Canada’s voice is inaudible to Israelis, given its virtue-signalling hypocrisy, and to everyone else tired of hectoring from a defence free-rider. If the government is determined to be of no practical assistance to a democratic ally under intense siege on seven fronts, at least its diplomacy should reflect Canadian values, which means being on the right side of a defining global conflict. Justin Trudeau has failed the minimum requirements for decency, moral clarity and national self-interest. Is it due to a desperate concern about vanishing votes in selected ridings, a lack of strategic vision, or a twisted post-modern ideology? Regardless, the sooner Canada is rid of the moral rot, the sooner Canadians can hold their heads high again." Joe Oliver: Canada’s irresolute response to Iranian terror reeks of moral rot (msn.com)

Most people don't pay much attention to debt numbers of their provincial governments but this could be serious. In 2019, the B.C. government debt worked out to $9,175 per person in B.C. It is projected that in five years from now the government debt per person in B.C. could be $36,909. Just how this will impact the lives of people in B.C. is the question. How will it impact the services provided by government to the people of B.C.? The interest on debt must be paid. That comes out of the provincial budget. In other words the more money the government must pay on the debt, the less money they have for everything else. " How did this happen? Two words—spending growth. B.C.’s former status as a low-debt province was due to 15 years of spending restraint that produced mostly balanced budgets (outside of recessions) and minimal debt growth. Since the change of government in 2017, however, the rate of spending growth has exploded and, no surprise, so have budget deficits. It didn’t have to be this way. If the Horgan and Eby governments had simply maintained spending close to the rate of inflation plus population growth, as their predecessors did for many years, B.C. would be in a much different situation today. It’s much harder to build a sandcastle than it is to kick it over. Similarly, it took more than a decade of prudent management and hard decisions to establish B.C. as one of the most fiscally sound provinces in Canada. But it’s taken less than a decade of free spending to drive the province into large deficits, rack up mountains of debt, and earn the unfortunate distinction of having the least sustainable finances in Canada." Numbers don’t lie—the B.C. government’s debt has exploded | Fraser Institute

The BC NDP are ahead of the BC Conservatives in the polls. We can expect a continued train wreck of Socialism in B.C. Health care will likely not improve and taxes will probably increase as will the provincial debt. The revolving door of criminals will likely continue and drug addiction will probably get worse or no better. All this is bad news for B.C. residents. That's the reality of having a large brainwashed population that think government can solve all problems and provide everything. NDP will continue to hamstring the resource industries and continue carbon taxes in one form or another.

Strange how we have a major political party that is anti-Israel. " Rather than issuing a statement to commemorate October 7 and be done with it, Singh attacked “the response” from “Netanyahu’s extremist government” — a response that, according to the NDP leader, was not aimed at eliminating the very real threat from Hamas, but instead constitutes a “brutal assault on the people of Gaza” and an example of “collective punishment.” He then, insanely and without citing a shred of evidence, accused Israel — sorry, “Netanyahu’s extremist government” — of committing an “ongoing genocide.” October 7 was a vicious assault on Jewish people by a genocidal death cult that aims to exterminate Israel from existence. And yet, any response from Israel was going to be condemned by “progressives” the world over, who wave away Hamas’s assault as mere “resistance.” The terrorist group started this war, and is now losing it. Progressives want Israel to lose the war instead." Carson Jerema: Jagmeet Singh embraces the pro-terrorist left (msn.com)

Watched the debate last night between NDP leader David Eby, BC Conservative leader John Rustad and Green leader Mz Furstenau. Premier Eby seemed to be flailing all over the place while BC Conservative leader John Rustad kept sharply focused on the main issues and did not fall for the attempts by Eby to divert to meaningless issues. Rustad did not flinch and proved himself a capable leader.

I understand what you're saying and do appreciate your good wishes. But I think I could never say I give up on someone because we are talking about where we spend eternity. That is not something that one should just give up on or take lightly. Life is short and eternity is forever. I will just quote a short definition I posted earlier: " What is Faith? A nineteenth-century philosopher by the name of Comte held that we should believe only what we can observe personally. Though advanced as a practical philosophy, it is impossible to live with this definition of faith. Everyone in his daily life is constantly believing and acting upon certain facts that are not necessarily proved. For instance, if we drive a car across a bridge, how do we know by observation that the bridge will not break down? If we board an airplane for a flight to a distant city, how do we know whether the thousands of workers who put the plane together did a good job, whether the mechanics properly checked the plane, whether enough fuel has been added, and whether the flight crew is competent to fly the plane? We have been able to observe none of these factors, and yet we board a plane with a good deal of confidence. In everyday life, faith is a part of the way we live." A lawyer once decided to giver serious study to the veracity of what Jesus and the New Testament says. After careful study he came to the conclusion that what the gospels say and the resurrection had to be true because of the eye witnesses to everything that is recorded. Eye witnesses would be accepted as strong evidence in a court of law. What occurred was corroborated by a number of people. It is also supported by many predictions (prophecies) recorded centuries earlier that were fulfilled. This is more than just blind faith then. There are also four different gospels written by four different men, Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. That is a pretty strong account. So I wouldn't dismiss it lightly. "But these are written, that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing ye might have life through his name." Gospel according to St. John 20:31 KJV