blackbird

I may have already answered that a number of times. Are you being disingenuous? quote After the June 2016 terrorist attack by an Islamic extremist against a gay night club in Orlando, Florida, some have claimed that Christians are just as guilty as the terrorist because, after all, the Bible pronounces the death penalty against homosexuals. It is true that in Leviticus 20:13 the Bible says, “If a man lies with a male as with a woman, both of them have committed an abomination; they shall surely be put to death; their blood is upon them.” So, does the Bible require us today to put homosexuals to death? It is crucial to understand that Jesus fulfilled the Law (Matthew 5:17–18). Romans 10:4 says that Christ is the end of the Law. Ephesians 2:15 says that Jesus set aside the Law with its commands and regulations. Galatians 3:25 says, now that faith has come, we are no longer under the guardianship of the Law. The civil and ceremonial aspects of the Old Testament Law were for an earlier time. The Law’s purpose was completed with the perfect and complete sacrifice of Jesus Christ. So, no, the Bible does not command that homosexuals should be put to death in this day and age. Also important to understand is that the civil laws within the Mosaic Law were meant for Israel under a theocracy. God’s chosen people, living in the Promised Land, following God as their King, were to adhere to a system of civil laws with divinely prescribed punishments. The priests taught the laws, the rulers enforced the laws, and the judges meted out punishments as necessary. The rule of Leviticus 20:13, “They are to be put to death,” was given to duly appointed government officials, not to ordinary citizens or vigilantes. The civil laws of the Old Testament were never intended to apply to other cultures or other times. There’s a reason why the nightclub attacker was not Jewish or Christian. Jews and Christians understand the intent and limits of the Old Covenant Law. By contrast, the Koran does not qualify its command to kill homosexuals, and many Muslims see that command as enforceable today. unquote Does the Bible require the death penalty for homosexuality? | GotQuestions.org When are you going to believe the gospel, repent, and believe in Jesus Christ and accept him as your Savior for the forgiveness of your sins? Let God be your guide through the King James Bible. I couldn't think of a bigger waste of time than spending life fighting against God. God has something better for you.

The first part of the memorial service for the slain police officer was on television this morning. I wonder if any federal Liberals were there. Time to change the bail laws to stop releasing dangerous offenders on bail or parole. I have not heard anything about doing that by the federal justice minister or Trudeau.

I support stopping pollution. I should have referred to climate change. Man cannot control the climate. It is fiction to believe he can.

God does not change and his written revelation the King James Bible does not change to suit the times. Some major churches in the last number of decades abandoned the Bible in order to appease the masses of liberals and left. That is all that happened. You are correct in saying some churches allow gay marriage but you need to understand these are not real churches any more if they ever were. Much of the Bible has little or no meaning to them. There are still some smaller churches or independent churches who believe the Bible and stay with it, but they are in the minority. Truth is not determined by numbers. Defenders of truth were always in the minority. "“ Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat: ” King James Version (KJV)

I don't think that is a correct deduction. The Reformation was a return to Biblical Christianity and that brought with it the higher principles of respect for human rights and things like freedom of speech, freedom of religion, and freedom of belief in the western world, particularly in northern Europe where the main Reformation took place. That eventually led to the abolition of slavery. The fact is America was founded on those basic principles of freedom of and respect for the individual. That did not exist before the Reformation. There was a struggle in the U.S. and a Civil War but the abolition of slavery came out of it. Slavery was abolished throughout the British Empire as well. This had a lot to do with the fact many people in government and various positions in society were Christian. It was churches who first started schools and at one time taught some Christianity in the school system. Of course all of that has been abandoned with the new progressivism, liberalism and multiculturalism. That is why we now have abortion on demand, assisted suicide, and many other depravities.

That's true. I read and skimmed through the very long article you gave a link for. It is a good history of wars fought down through the ages. It is not an attempt to explain the fundamental reasons why and does not go into the root cause of wars which is pointed out in the article I quoted above, which is an evil, corrupt human heart in mankind. Blaming religion per se is therefore hanging it on the wrong thing. Religion play a part in some wars, but that is not the main cause. There is only one true religion and that is Biblical Christianity and that opposes wars (except in defense). There have been many false religions and even false interpretations of Christianity. The Roman church is not a biblical religion. It is purely man-made and so is no guide on what biblical Christianity really is. Hitler was a Roman Catholic as were many of the Nazis, but I don't think Hitler or his followers were excommunicated by any Pope. Yet, it would have made sense to excommunicate him and others during WW2 for their heinous crimes against humanity and against the Jews. One short response in answer to a question, claims Hitler was excommunicated in 1931. But another website with a long detailed article on the history between Rome and the Nazis doesn't mention that. I would tend to believe the long detailed article here. What seems clear is that Rome has a checkered history with regard to Hitler and the Nazis.

quote The point should be obvious that religion has certainly played a part in much of the warfare in human history. However, does this prove the point made by the critics of religion that religion itself is the cause of war? The answer is “yes” and “no.” “Yes” in the sense that as a secondary cause, religion, on the surface at least, has been the impetus behind much conflict. However, the answer is “no” in the sense that religion is never the primary cause of war. To demonstrate this point, let’s look at the 20th century. By all accounts, the 20th century was one of the bloodiest centuries in human history. Two major world wars, which had nothing at all to do with religion, the Jewish Holocaust, and the Communist Revolutions in Russia, Eastern Europe, China, Southeast Asia and Cuba, have accounted for anywhere between 50-70 million deaths (some estimate upwards to 100 million). The one thing these conflicts and genocides have in common is the fact that they were ideological, not religious, in nature. We could easily make the case that more people have died throughout human history due to ideology than to religion. Communist ideology necessitates ruling over others. Nazi ideology necessitates elimination of “inferior” races. These two ideologies alone account for the death of millions, and religion had nothing to do with the cause of it. In fact, communism is by definition an atheistic ideology. Religion and ideology are both secondary causes for war. However, the primary cause for all war is sin. Consider the following Scriptures: “What causes fights and quarrels among you? Don’t they come from your desires that battle within you? You want something but don’t get it. You kill and covet, but you cannot have what you want. You quarrel and fight. You do not have, because you do not ask God. When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures” (James 4:1-3). “For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false testimony, slander” (Matthew 15:19). “The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure. Who can understand it?” (Jeremiah 17:9). “The LORD saw how great man’s wickedness on the earth had become, and that every inclination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil all the time” (Genesis 6:5). What is the testimony of Scripture as to the primary cause of war? It’s our wicked hearts. Religion and ideology are simply the means through which we exercise the wickedness in our hearts. To think, as many outspoken atheists do, that if we can somehow remove our “impractical need for religion,” we can somehow create a more peaceful society, is to have a mistaken view of human nature. The testimony of human history is that if we remove religion, something else will take its place, and that something is never positive. The reality is that true religion keeps fallen humanity in check; without it, wickedness and sin would reign supreme. Even with the influence of true religion, Christianity, we will never see peace in this current age. There is never a day without some conflict somewhere in the world. The only cure for war is the Prince of Peace, Jesus Christ! When Christ returns as He has promised, He will close this current age and establish eternal peace: “He shall judge between the nations, and shall decide disputes for many peoples; and they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks; nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war anymore” (Isaiah 2:4). unquote Is religion the cause of most wars? | GotQuestions.org

The worst wars in history were WW1 and WW2 in the 20th century and they were not "religious" wars. If Hitler and other leaders of countries had been following biblical teachings, those wars would not have happened. Jesus opposed the use of force to spread his message. That is clear in the gospels. Also, don't forget Communists claim to be atheists; yet they killed about 100 million people in Russia and China in the 20th century. Those were not religious wars, but were driven by an evil brutal ideology of Communist revolution. Your reasoning is like saying some people have died in the health care system, therefore we should have no health care system. It is illogical. I would say yes there have been some wars fought over religion but they have been over false religion, not Biblical truth and not over people worshiping the true God of the Bible. There are lots of examples to prove my point. Islam (the religion of peace?) fought through the middle east and north Africa and into southern Asia to spread Islam. That can be proven from the Bible to be unbiblical because Jesus opposed the use of force. Europe struggled with the forces of Islam over the centuries to try to keep it out of Europe. It managed to move into Spain and then France, but was pushed back. Nations have a right to defend themselves. If they had not defended Europe, you would probably be under the control of Islam today. So don't tell us "religion" is the fault. You need to be more discerning than that and break it down into what actually happened in the world. The reason we have wars, crime, and all kinds of evil in the world is because of the fall of man as recorded in chapter 3 in Genesis. Mankind rebelled against God and instead of following him, mankind chose his own way. That rebellious spirit or fallen, corrupt nature was then inherited by all descendants since then and the real reason we have wars in the world. There are countless religions in the world and some wars were fought over these false religions. Two points about that. Number one, every nation has a right to defend themselves. Secondly, many of the wars were fought over false religion or religious beliefs. It is man's evil heart that he is born with that is the problem. That is why God sent his Son Jesus Christ to earth and because of his infinite love for man, he sacrificed himself and died brutally on a cross for mankind.

I think I could set it up to run for 4 or 5 million dollars a year, saving taxpayers 30 million dollars a year. But I don't have any say in it. Simple. Get rid of Rideau Hall or turn it into a paying museum. Cut staff to about ten people plus RCMP security and put them in a office like every other bureaucrat. No travel to foreign countries and no hosting big gala events. Reduce salary to same as an MP with an extra allowance plus reasonable expenses, maybe $200,000 per year total taxable income plus reasonable expenses. Keep within budget. No big pension after finishing their five year term and no expense account after retiring.

What are we getting for 34 million dollars a year for the GG office? If the GG is paid the same as the President of the U.S., then we are big trouble. Seriously, the President of the most powerful country in the world with endless responsibilities and the GG gets paid the same. Wow, we have a serious problem that you just pointed out.

The article says "Canada sent 276 delegates to COP26 in Glasgow in November 2021 — more delegates than any other G7 country, including the host United Kingdom." What is it with Trudeau and Liberals that they have to throw that kind of money around? What on earth does Canada need to send 276 delegates to a COP conference for, more than any other country? This is just the tip of the iceberg. Well it just so happened the last federal election was on Sept. 21, 2021. That means they sent these 276 delegates to COP26 just after the election, probably thinking by the time of the next election, Canadians will have forgotten about it. Quite possible. The best time to squander taxpayer money is right after an election and hope it will be forgotten in the next few years.

What the Bible says about the human life of the unborn is all that matters. Nobody has rights to kill unborn babies. I can't help it if there are severely misguided Christians or some claiming to be Christians in the world. All that really matters is what God said. Those who reject God and the Bible will have their day of judgment. Those who repent and believe the gospel will be forgiven even if they had an abortion because God is a merciful God. The world is a corrupt place. We all know that.

Good point. I'll agree with that. Abuse of taxpayers.

In case you didn't know it, the GG are extremely highly paid. "The current salary is $425,000 and there is a generous pension. Until 2001, Governors-General did not pay income tax on their salary; this was changed after the Queen agreed to pay tax." They get paid this $425,000 per year plus when they leave the position after five years, they get a large annual salary plus they can claim expenses for the rest of their life. I don't see what they do as justifying that kind of money. And why should they get that huge pensions and expenses after leaving office? You really think going around shaking hands with CAF members or school children, etc. is worth $425,000 a year. Or signing new government legislation into law? That must be hard job. Even prime minsters don't get paid that much money. Who gets a pension like that after five years in the job? Nobody.

The issue is we are being scammed as the subject says. Inflation is just making things worse for the ordinary people who are struggling to make ends meet. You are trying to divert the subject to inflation and the Ukraine. That is no excuse for the GG office and the federal government scamming taxpayers for millions of dollars. I respect the office but not the scamming going on. Did you hear about the insane costs for the air trip to the middle east by the GG and her entourage?

Opinion: More needs to be done to contain GG’s extravagance (msn.com) The federal government is scamming Canadians. This is like the 18th century in France before the French Revolution when the Royalty and privileged lived in luxury and the monarch said about the peasants "let them eat cake". While many Canadians are struggling with inflation, the high cost of groceries, the outrageous cost of rent and homes, gas, and everything else, certain people in elite positions in government are abusing the system.

Euthanasia is a hopeless, defeatist step that nobody should ever contemplate for himself or others. It devalues human life which is sacred. We need to find out what the will of God is for us in life and follow him through his Son Jesus. The meaning of life is not in materialism or naturalism and it is not all about self. That is the wrong worldview. There are basically two world views. One is naturalism, materialism, or secular humanism which is focused on self. The other world view is theism, that focuses on Jesus Christ who is God. He has something far better and infinitely more valuable for those who believe than the secular humanist worldview which really has nothing to offer.

Find out what God says in his Word, the Bible. Do you think your life trumped your mother's freedom to choose? Your problem seems to stem from the fact that your world view is materialism or naturalism. You believe all there is to existence is this life and you believe everyone should be free to do their own thing. This is a suicidal belief system. There is another belief system which is far superior and meaningful, that is, theism, or belief in God, specifically the God of the Bible who is the real God who created everything and has a plan. There is no need to spend your life in a meaningless void. There is a God who cares about you and everyone. But it is up to you to make the move toward him.

"A. GOD SUPERINTENDS LIFE IN THE WOMB (PS. 139:13-16). David is affirming in poetic language that God superintended his formation in the womb (also, Job 10:8-12). The Bible repeatedly affirms that God’s providence governs everything from the weather (Ps. 148:8; Job 37:6-13), to animals’ food and behavior (Ps. 104:27-29; Job 38:39-41; Jonah 1:17; 2:10), to seemingly random events, such as the rolling of dice (Prov. 16:33). Surely if God governs these relatively minor things, then He also governs the formation of people in the womb. The Lord tells Moses, “Who has made man’s mouth? Or who makes him mute or deaf, or seeing or blind? Is it not I, the Lord?” (Exod. 4:11). So even birth defects, which science attributes to freak occurrences in nature, are under God’s direct superintendence for His sovereign purposes!" This is taken from a lengthy article, but there is a lot more to this subject at: What the Bible Says About Abortion | Bible.org The life in the womb is definitely human, and has all the attributes of a person, and has a right to life. You may want to take in the presentation by this excellent speaker: Miracles: Is Belief in the Supernatural Irrational? | John Lennox at Harvard Medical School - Bing video

Says who? They allow abortion on demand that kills around 80,000 or 100,000 unborn babies a year in Canada and you say that we (liberals) have figured that out. You and some liberal "progressives" who know nothing about what is right and wrong in those areas and know nothing about the Bible or God and who could care less? I don't see any evidence that government liberals and left and their backers have figured out anything. If these things are clearly wrong in the Bible and have been believed that way for thousands of years, who is anyone to contradict these established higher principles and morality? That is why politics is generally a secular humanist enterprise as part of a corrupt, depraved, fallen world system.

Sorry to hear that. I know it is hard to understand and I doubt if anyone on here could give a clear explanation about that because it is a very painful tragedy. But it was not God's fault and I don't think God was singling you or your loved ones out. God is a God of love and there is far more to it than I can say on here. He sent his Son to suffer and die a brutal death for everyone. All I can suggest is study the Bible and search for Christian articles on why suffering takes places in the world. Maybe talk to a Christian minister who is knowledgeable on the subject. Sorry I can't be of much help on that.

"1 Now the serpent was more subtil than any beast of the field which the LORD God had made. And he said unto the woman, Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden? 2 And the woman said unto the serpent, We may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden: 3 But of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God hath said, Ye shall not eat of it, neither shall ye touch it, lest ye die. 4 And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die: 5 For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil. 6 And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her; and he did eat. 7 And the eyes of them both were opened, and they knew that they were naked;" Genesis ch3: 1 - 7 KJV Bible (King James)/Genesis - Wikisource, the free online library The very basic reason why there are wars, starvation, murders, crime, sickness, disease, imperfections in everything is because of the fall of man as described in these verses in Genesis chapter three. As Adam and Eve were our first parents, they were the representative heads of the human race and when they rebelled against God, they fell from a perfect relationship with God and the whole world became fallen and corrupt. If you search the fall of man I am sure you can find many articles that go into this in detail.

That is a good question and one of the most asked questions. I found this explanation quite useful: quote Q: Why does God allow suffering in the world? A: There are no easy answers to the question of the purpose of suffering and evil. The tendency is to blame God for these conditions, but He did not create them. They came as a result of man’s disobedience to God, beginning back in the Garden of Eden; see Genesis 3:16-19. Often suffering and adversity are brought about by disregard of God’s will or by the direct efforts of Satan or by natural disasters in a physical world which is also affected by man’s sin and the resulting judgment. God, however, has offered the most effective solution possible by giving His Son to die for all. Jesus Christ paid the ultimate price when He suffered and died on the cross, having taken upon Himself the sin of the world and all of its horrible consequences. When Jesus returns in power and glory, there will be a new world completely free from sin with its sorrow and suffering (Revelation, chapters 21 and 22). We can be sure that God in His divine purpose desires to bring about in us the greatest good and to allow suffering to be a means of discipline to cultivate love, patience, grace, and faith in our lives. God never asks us to understand; we need only trust Him in the same way that we expect our earthly children to trust our love. Peace comes when we realize we are able to see only a few threads in the great tapestry of life and of God’s plan. Then we can affirm with great joy and assurance that “in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose” (Romans 8:28). The way we react to suffering will determine whether life’s most tragic experiences bring bitterness and despair or become sources of blessing. The greatest joy will come when, in the midst of adversity, we look up into God’s face and say, “I will rejoice in the Lord, I will joy in the God of my salvation” (Habakkuk 3:18). It is then that His promise will be most meaningful, “When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze” (Isaiah 43:2). unquote Why does God allow suffering in the world? (billygraham.org) There are many websites which attempt to answer that from a biblical standpoint. A search engine can find them.

People paid to watch "the God Delusion" debate between Richard Dawkins and John Lennox. You can watch it for free on youtube at the link I gave above. What killing are you referring to? I don't understand your question about tablets. Now you are asking a technical question about the Old Testament. Yes, they believe in the O.T. But it also has history of Israel in it and commands that were directed only to Israel. The school of theological interpretation I believe is called dispensational which means the Bible is divided up into different time periods or dispensations. That period in the Old Testament is called the dispensation of the law. Today we live in a different dispensation called the dispensation of grace which began 2,000 years ago when the church began. The instructions in the Old Testament that are not universal and were only meant for the Jews at that time, do not apply in the age we live today. Some commands such as the ten commandment are universal for all ages. With the exception of the sabbath law which only applied to the Jews in the dispensation of the law (O.T. times).

That standard comes from Judeo-Christian civilization down through the ages. You were probably taught it was wrong because that was handed down through the ages. Could well have come from God and the ten commandments.