blackbird

So you are on the planning commission for the ACRD. That is ironic and surprising to find you here. You say the sheer numbers of people, garbage, abandoned vehicle on logging roads. First let me say that tourists don't travel to those place to abandon a vehicle. That would local people that did that. Secondly, I have been out in the wilderness many times and have not seen that much garbage. There is some in a few places, but I think you and the ACRD people are grossly exaggerating the problem. In addition to that, why are you not working to have organized forest service campsites in the west coast, Kennedy Lake, and other areas? You people are negligent in that all you do is complain and try to drive people away. Citizens have a right to the wilderness, a right to camping, and exploring our west coast. Yet what have you done to accommodate them? The whole gist of the ACRD COW meetings is to complain about people who use the wilderness. If there is a lot of garbage there, why doesn't the ACRD do something positive about it, like putting trash receptacles in strategic places, having people come in and collect the garbage, build campsites, and provide some washrooms for the public in and around the towns? You are basically doing nothing except trying to discourage people from using the wilderness. You are not providing support and making people feel welcome. The ACRD is an unelected group of elite bureaucrats. They are appointed by local governments and made up of councilors from local governments. So people do not elect them directly as far as I can see. That is not democratic. At least tell us what positive things you have done to solve the problems of garbage and a few old vehicles that have been dumped. That old vehicle stuff happens everywhere. There should be some solutions to these problems provided by the ACRD who assumes authority over the rest of the population, not just condemning without doing anything.

After decriminalizing hard drugs Portland becomes an open air market for drugs | The Jim Bakker Show If this is true, what is the future beginning in January 2023 going to look like in B.C. Did the federal liberals and their NDP cohorts look at this situation in Portland before decriminalizing drugs in B.C.? I am not a regular follower of the Jim Bakker Show but came across this article while searching for something for someone else. quote Important Takeaways: Portland resembles an ‘open air drug market’ after decriminalizing hard drugs: Overdose deaths skyrocket by 41% in the Democrat-led city as homeless addicts collapse on sidewalks Law enforcement agents say that the streets of Portland are full of homeless addicts openly buying and selling drugs Photos show the desperate situation in the Pacific Northwest city, where people can be seen shooting up drugs or passed out in broad daylight The dreadful scene comes 16 months after Ballot Measure 110 went into effect in February 2021 Oregon was the first state in the United States to decriminalize possession of personal-use amounts of heroin, methamphetamine, LSD, oxycodone But since the measure was passed overdose deaths in the state hit an all-time high in 2021 with 1069, a 41 percent increase from 2020 Unquote

Here is some of submissions by bureaucrats. Some complaints are probably justified. But a lot of the complaints are self-serving bureaucratic tripe. But there are no forest service campsites although they exist in other parts of the province. So there is no place for people to go except the expensive resort type campsites around Tofino for $55 to $90 a night, and these may already be filled up. Sounds like there are no public washrooms around town either. They obviously want all visitors to only go to the expensive campgrounds or hotels/motels and eat in the expensive restaurants and use their washrooms. Otherwise don't come to the west coast. quote • Responded to calls on West Main for backwoods campers: saw no social distancing • High anxiety for responders due to time delay to get to patient as well as health and safety issues • These people are not arriving as tourists to support our businesses • The backroad clean-up was devasting this year • Based on license plates, seeing people from Quebec and Ontario • When BCAS is responding out of town for these incidents, it leaves a gap in town which elevates the risk • Seeing more drug-induced illnesses rather than injuries e) District of Tofino – Councilor (and ACRD Director) Tom Stere • Bylaw officers are seeing a different clientele than they are used to • Echo Chief Baker’s comments as well as Director Cole’s regarding West Main • Tla-o-qui-aht territory is an important part of our jurisdiction f) Ucluelet RCMP – Sgt. Steve Mancini • Large increase in vehicle traffic • West Main is the hot spot • Ran roadblocks and saw 80-100 vehicles per day Committee-of-the-Whole Meeting Minutes March 3/21 Page 4 • No large up-tic in calls for service • Assisted BCAS with overdoses, no significant person-crimes • Seeing conflicts between local people and out-of-towners • Limited resources are being pulled out of town which affects communities • Bylaw officer was engaged last summer • No resources to monitor how long people are staying • Not sure if gating is the answer? g) Parks Canada – Park Superintendent Karen Haugen • Significant garbage being dumped in and around park bins • Used washrooms to shower, do laundry, dump garbage • Destroyed the water system: clogs, backlogs, failure • Janitors were trying to move people out at 6 am • Law enforcement was involved • People were hanging out in the park reserve and bunching up • People not paying park fees and having confrontations with visitors • Human/wildlife conflicts • Good news was the Guardian Programs were enhanced • Back country people were respectful but were still entering an area that was closed h) BC Parks – Area Supervisor Michael Grandbois • Has been a difficult time • Confrontations at Kennedy Lake and Kennedy Lake access • Only have 2 full-time and 1 seasonal staff • Kennedy Lake boat launch is day-use only • Seeing 10-15 per day from Alberta and Quebec • Had one firearm issue last year • More tickets issued than ever before • Seeing internet sites with blogs listing these places as safe sites to visit • Hard to deal with people who do not know if they are in a protected area or not • Mob rules out there • BC Parks has no actual campsites on the peninsula • A benefit was to get the work closer with the Tla-o-qui-aht Park Guardians • Resources are depleted • Some vehicles are still there since October and have not moved • Causing conflicts with local........... unquote mar_3_cow_minutes.pdf (acrd.bc.ca)

I read through the minutes of a meeting of Committee of the Whole of the Alberni Clayoquot Regional District held on March 3, 2021 on the west coast of Vancouver Island and was somewhat taken aback by the submissions by many of the bureaucrats and political appointees to the meeting. If you read through their comments you will understand what I mean. They seem to be obsessed with banning the public from camping or even visiting their area and communities. Read the minutes from the Mar. 3, 2021 COW meeting and notice the input from many of the bureaucrats. mar_3_cow_minutes.pdf (acrd.bc.ca) Notice one of the issues raised by Toquaht First Nation – Member of Council (and ACRD Director) Kirsten Johnsen was "have outsiders leave our land". Of course our land refers to so-called traditional territories which mean all land in their area. This is not Indian Reserve but is the areas of crown land. Another submission was from the Tofino district fire chief. He said "Issued over 600 tickets for vehicles being used as accommodation" Apparently if you visit the west coast, specifically Tofino, don't think you can sleep in your vehicle anywhere. If they catch you, you could receive a ticket and last information was it is a $160 fine. When visiting the area bring lots of money. They have apparently banned camping in forests on the west coast outside designated private campgrounds such as in the Tofino area, which charge between $55 and $90 a night for a campsite. No camping around any wilderness area off logging roads or around the wilderness lakes like Kennedy Lake. You may have a bureaucrat go after you, evict you and ticket you. This is what it has come to. Even a native "land defender" might confront you as last year they set up blockades for the ostensible reason garbage was being left by campers.

Here is a little bit on the question of where the universe came from. It discusses the subject of atheists who believe in miracles, i.e. the kind of miracles that are nonsensical, but are attempts to explain the existence of the universe apart from God. quote Origin of the universe Materialists (Atheists) once tried to believe that the universe was eternal, to erase the question of where it came from. The famous British Atheist Bertrand Russell, for example, took this position. However, this is not tenable. The progress of scientific knowledge about thermodynamics, for example, means that virtually everyone has been forced to acknowledge that the universe had a beginning, somewhere, sometime—the big bang idea acknowledges this (ideas like the multiverse only put the beginning more remotely, but do not get rid of the pesky problem).4 The big bang attempts to explain the beginning of the universe. However, what did it begin from and what caused it to begin? Ultimately, it could not have come from a matter/energy source, the same sort of stuff as our universe, because that matter/energy should also be subject to the same physical laws, and therefore decay, and it would have had a beginning too, just further back in time. So, it had to come from? Nothing! Nothing became everything with no cause whatsoever. Magic! “The universe burst into something from absolutely nothing—zero, nada. And as it got bigger, it became filled with even more stuff that came from absolutely nowhere. How is that possible? Ask Alan Guth. His theory of inflation helps explain everything.” So proclaimed the front cover of Discover magazine, April 2002. Physicist Lawrence Krauss, one of the loud ‘new Atheists’, has tried to explain how everything came from nothing; he even wrote a book about it.5 However, his ‘nothing’ is a ‘quantum vacuum’, which is not actually nothing. Indeed, a matter/energy quantum something has exactly the same problem as eternal universes; it cannot have persisted for eternity in the past, so all their theorizing only applies after the universe (something) exists.6 Back to square one! Materialists have no explanation for the origin of the universe, beyond ‘it happened because we are here!’ Magic: just like the rabbit out of the hat, but with the universe, a rather humungous ‘rabbit’! ‘Stuff happens!’ Materialists have no explanation for the origin of the universe, beyond ‘it happened because we are here!’ There are other aspects of the big bang, the ‘mainstream’ model of the universe’s origin, that are also miraculous. The ‘standard model’ has a period of very rapid expansion called ‘inflation’ (which Alan Guth, mentioned above, invented). There is no known cause for the initiation of this supposed expansion, no known cause for it to stop and no physical mechanism for the extremely rapid expansion (many orders of magnitude faster than the speed of light). However, these three associated miracles must have happened or the big bang does not work because of the ‘horizon problem’. More magic! “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth” (Genesis 1:1). This is not magic, because God, who is eternal and omnipotent, is a sufficient cause for the universe. And He can exist eternally (and therefore has no beginning) because He is a non-material entity (God is spirit, as the Bible says in many places). unquote Five atheist miracles - creation.com

So you don't believe parents have a right and a sacred responsibility to raise their children in the right way? There is a wrong way, actually many wrong ways and a right way. The broad way is wide and leads to destruction (and hell). The right way is narrow and few there be that find it. There is such a thing as parents and parental authority. Is that alien to you?

You need to examine your belief in evolution. That theory has been clearly refuted in the book available online called "Refuting Evolution", as well as many other sources. Check out the book at this website: Refuting Evolution -- study guide: Lesson 1 - creation.com God created Adam and Eve with a free will which meant they had the choice whether to obey God or disobey him and rebel. They chose to rebel. "The fall of man was caused by Adam’s sin. Sin is any human behavior, word, or thought that is contrary to the perfection of God. Because of Adam’s sin, God placed a curse upon the world, the people, the animals, the plants, and the very ground (Genesis 3:14–19). Their sin had brought upon them the judgment of God, and the only just punishment for such high treason is eternal death (Romans 6:23). But God then put into play a system by which human beings could find pardon for sin. God killed an animal and made garments for the man and woman to cover the nakedness that now brought them shame (Genesis 3:21). In doing so, God painted a picture of what He would do thousands of years later when the Perfect Lamb was slain to take away our sin (John 1:29; Revelation 13:8)." What truly happened at the fall of man? | GotQuestions.org Man is responsible for his rebellion or sin against God. Hell is clearly taught in Scripture.

The subject is a very simple question of fundamental freedom of belief and religion, which from your comment you cannot comprehend. You would blindly follow a Marxist dictator into complete loss of freedom and individual rights in every area. Once the dictator establishes his far reaching and widespread control of everything and you wake up to realize all your freedom is gone, it will be too late to do anything about it.

quote Thousands of pastors across North America have reportedly come together to protest Bill C-4, a Canadian law that took effect Jan. 8 after reportedly being pushed through Parliament with little debate. The claim is that Bill C-4 is broadly worded and could, in effect, ban biblical teachings on sexual ethics, and impact even personal communications on the subject. Preachers are protesting the law at the pulpit, with 4,000 pastors affirming their opposition as well as willingness to speak out against it, Fox News reported. John MacArthur of Grace Community Church in Los Angeles is among the pastors who have been vocal on the issue. He recently warned that such crackdowns will likely ramp up, especially as Christians refuse to cave. “Ultimately, the dissenters, the ones who will not cave in, are going to be those who are faithful to the Bible. And that’s what’s already leading to laws made against doing what we are commanded to do in Scripture, which is to confront that sin,” he told Fox News. “And that’s just going to escalate.” MacArthur added, “I think it’s reached a level there in Canada that it hasn’t yet reached here, but it’s coming. It’s coming fast.” The preacher isn’t alone in voicing concern. Liberty Coalition Canada, a legal group that educates Canadians about the intersection of faith and governance, organized a clarion call for pastors to step up to the plate and discuss these issues. In an article titled, “Bill C-4: How Should The Church Respond?” the organization offered guidance, and directly addressed issues with the law. “This bill, while purporting to protect individuals from coercion and abuse in the form of ‘conversion therapy,’ will instead criminalize Christianity in our country,” part of the statement read. “This bill’s wording is sufficiently broad to allow for the criminal prosecution of Christians who would speak biblical truth into the lives of those in bondage to sexual sins like homosexuality and transgenderism.” Liberty Coalition Canada expressed worries that even parents could be imprisoned for trying to help their children escape “sexual sin through repentance and faith in the Gospel of Jesus Christ.” The organization asked all Christian churches in Canada to come together and defend biblical truth. The statement specifically asked church leaders to “publicly preach a sermon that specifically proclaims the biblical truth that homosexuality and transgenderism are serious sins condemned by the law of God that exclude a sinner from salvation without repentance.” Thousands of pastors in North America reportedly responded to this call and are offering support to the initiative. So, what’s actually in Bill C-4 that has so many pastors concerned? Details of Bill C-4 Bill C-4 was codified last month and took effect in early January. Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau sent an elated tweet on Dec. 8, 2021, welcoming the news. “It’s official: Our government’s legislation banning the despicable and degrading practice of conversion therapy has received Royal Assent – meaning it is now law,” he said. “LGBTQ2 Canadians, we’ll always stand up for you and your rights.” Pastors, however, are worried about who plans to stand up for their rights, especially in light of the problematic and vague language they believe is embedded in the statute. Text of the law notes that it amends criminal codes to create offenses around “causing another person to undergo conversion therapy,” taking a child outside Canada for conversion therapy, and advertising or promoting conversion therapy, among other violations. Of particular interest is the bill’s preamble, which discusses “myths and stereotypes” surrounding sexuality. The text proclaims conversion therapy “causes harm” and then goes on to offer seemingly contentious language. “Whereas conversion therapy causes harm to society because, among other things, it is based on and propagates myths and stereotypes about sexual orientation, gender identity and gender expression, including the myth that heterosexuality, cisgender gender identity, and gender expression that conforms to the sex assigned to a person at birth are to be preferred over other sexual orientations, gender identities, and gender expressions,” it reads. The preamble adds that the bill aims to “protect the human dignity and equality of all Canadians” before progressing to offer specific restrictions on conversion therapy. The law punishes people in three specific categories: those who utilize conversion therapy, those who promote or advertise conversion therapy, and those who financially benefit from the practice. The bill proclaims that “everyone who knowingly causes another person to undergo conversion therapy — including by providing conversion therapy to that other person” is in violation of the law and can face prison for up to five years. Promotion or advertising of conversion therapy could come with up to two years imprisonment as can any offense among those who financially or materially benefit. How Is Conversion Therapy Defined? One of the central questions surrounding the bill centers on how the law defines conversion therapy. An explanation is embedded in the text, which reads, in part: In section 320.‍102 to 320.‍104, conversion therapy means a practice, treatment, or service designed to (a) change a person’s sexual orientation to heterosexual; (b) change a person’s gender identity to cisgender; (c) change a person’s gender expression so that it conforms to the sex assigned to the person at birth; (d) repress or reduce non-heterosexual attraction or sexual behavior; (e) repress a person’s non-cisgender gender identity; or (f) repress or reduce a person’s gender expression that does not conform to the sex assigned to the person at birth. A definition is presented, though some critics fear it is too vague to adequately protect churches and others who wish to teach biblical truth on sexuality. Critics worry the law will perpetuate religious persecution and could even govern private conversations, according to Fox News. Why Does It Matter? The reasons this debate matters are implicit in the aforementioned background. Canada has been at the forefront of religious freedom debates of late, particularly in the age of COVID-19. Numerous pastors have faced fines or imprisonment for their refusal to shut down services. As CBN News and Faithwire have reported, Pastor Tim Stephens and Artur Pawlowski are just two preachers who were detained for COVID-related infractions. Some pastors and churches have made clear they don’t plan to back down, despite the cost, and it’s likely the conversion therapy battle is just another arena in which this perseverance is blatantly clear. Trinity Bible Chapel in Waterloo, Ontario, recently published a video that encouraged churches not to shut down amid the pandemic. Church outreach and a woman’s baptism were highlighted in the clip. If the church were closed, the woman wouldn’t have found healing, the church argued. “Refuse to close your doors. Refuse to turn people away. This testimony is one among many that are similar,” the church proclaimed. “We’ve witnessed over 100 baptisms at TBC since June 2020; all glory to God!” It’s unclear where the conversion therapy debate will go next, though it appears thousands of pastors plan to speak out. It’s likely the battle is just beginning, as greater clarification and context are demanded. ***As the number of voices facing big-tech censorship continues to grow, please sign up for Faithwire’s daily newsletter and download the CBN News app, to stay up-to-date with the latest news from a distinctly Christian perspective.*** What is faith and what does the Bible say about faith? Click here for answers. ....Unquote .... for more of this article, go to: 4,000 Pastors Unite Against Canada’s New LGBTQ Conversion Therapy Law, Warn It Will ‘Criminalize Christianity’ | CBN News Faith

Proportional Representation, PR, is not an improvement and it is not democratic. People who advocate for PR definitely do not understand what it means. What it does though is it deprives ridings (electoral districts) from having the candidate with the most votes be their representative. This is not democracy. PR allows political parties, not the voters, choose a certain number of candidates. Each party gets to choose a certain number of candidates depending on the percentage of total votes they receive. But those candidates are not elected by any particular riding. They are the anointed favourites of a political party. So these hand-picked, unelected members of Parliament are not responsible to any particular riding because they were not chosen by a riding. The result of this is democracy is subverted by taken over by political parties. People lose direct control of the electoral process. You also end up with more MPs from tiny fringe or small political parties because they are given MPs according to the percentage of the total national vote even though they could not elect any candidates in any ridings. This is a gross subversion of the established democratic system. It also means there will be fewer MPs elected in the governing party most of time and increases the chances that there will be no majority government. That means the government is weakened greatly and unable to get important things done especially in times of crisis. You could end up with mostly minority governments because there would be far more MPs who were not elected by a riding, but are hand-picked by the small political parties. That means likely more governments will be defeated in Parliament and more elections as the endless cycle of elections is repeated more frequently. The people lose their rights to choose the candidate for their riding and some hand picked elites of other political parties are appointed to be MPs.

Every single person is born with an evil nature or sinful nature that opposes God. This is a result of the fall of Adam and Eve, our first parents, who were representative of the human race. It is only by God's grace that some have been redeemed from the destiny of most of the world. But we know there are some who demonstrate their evil nature is far worse than most others. We observe that by the things going on in the world. However, non of us deserve heaven unless we are redeemed and born again by faith in Jesus Christ. Again this is a gift of God, not by works or our own self efforts as most religions teach. That is the most amazing thing; that God would give eternal life to those who believe in Christ as Lord and Savior.

There is no science proving the universe came about by a "big bang" and the theory of evolution has been well refuted. The big bang and theory of evolution are just theories, unproven. People who say science shows how the universe came about actually demonstrate they don't know anything about it. I suspect many scientists, if they are being honest, will admit there is no science on it. Science involves things that are observable or proven by the scientific method. There was nobody around to observe the so-called big bang or evolution, so there is no science on it. So atheism is a false belief system.

I don't think the federal government will act itself or in the immediate future on the law because it fears Quebec separatists will call for a referendum on sovereignty. More likely it will wait until other groups take it to court and when it gets to Supreme Court, the federal government could intervene, but that might not even be possible because Quebec could use the withstanding clause, which allows Quebec to ignore the Charter of Rights. It may depend on whether the Supreme Court over-rules the use of the notwithstanding clause. But doing that could trigger a move to separate.

One needs to be careful how the word "faith" is used. Some use it as if it is a blind belief in something. Biblical faith is not a blind faith. It is based on clear evidence of God and his actions as recorded in the Bible. Belief in God is also based on observable evidence of the universe around us. That evidence points to the necessity for an infinitely powerful intelligent designer/Creator, whom we call God. Faith in what the Bible says is a gift of God and one cannot believe it unless God gives him this gift of faith. One article describes faith this way: quote Where does faith come from? Faith is not something we conjure up on our own, nor is it something we are born with, nor is faith a result of diligence in study or pursuit of the spiritual. Ephesians 2:8-9 makes it clear that faith is a gift from God, not because we deserve it, have earned it, or are worthy to have it. It is not from ourselves; it is from God. It is not obtained by our power or our free will. Faith is simply given to us by God, along with His grace and mercy, according to His holy plan and purpose, and because of that, He gets all the glory. Why have faith? God designed a way to distinguish between those who belong to Him and those who don’t, and it is called faith. Very simply, we need faith to please God. God tells us that it pleases Him that we believe in Him even though we cannot see Him. A key part of Hebrews 11:6 tells us that “he rewards those who earnestly seek him.” This is not to say that we have faith in God just to get something from Him. However, God loves to bless those who are obedient and faithful. We see a perfect example of this in Luke 7:50. Jesus is engaged in dialogue with a sinful woman when He gives us a glimpse of why faith is so rewarding. “Your faith has saved you; go in peace.” The woman believed in Jesus Christ by faith, and He rewarded her for it. Finally, faith is what sustains us to the end, knowing that by faith we will be in heaven with God for all eternity. “Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy, for you are receiving the goal of your faith, the salvation of your souls” (1 Peter 1:8-9). Examples of faith. Hebrews chapter 11 is known as the “faith chapter” because in it great deeds of faith are described. By faith Abel offered a pleasing sacrifice to the Lord (v. 4); by faith Noah prepared the ark in a time when rain was unknown (v. 7); by faith Abraham left his home and obeyed God’s command to go he knew not where, then willingly offered up his promised son (vv. 8-10, 17); by faith Moses led the children of Israel out of Egypt (vv. 23-29); by faith Rahab received the spies of Israel and saved her life (v. 31). Many more heroes of the faith are mentioned “who through faith conquered kingdoms, administered justice, and gained what was promised; who shut the mouths of lions, quenched the fury of the flames, and escaped the edge of the sword; whose weakness was turned to strength; and who became powerful in battle and routed foreign armies” (vv. 33-34). Clearly, the existence of faith is demonstrated by action. According to the Bible, faith is essential to Christianity. Without demonstrating faith and trust in God, we have no place with Him. Most people have a vague, disjointed notion of who God is but lack the reverence necessary for His exalted position in their lives. These people lack the true faith needed to have an eternal relationship with the God who loves them. True faith goes beyond a simple acknowledgement of God’s existence (James 2:19) to a life-changing reliance on who God is, as revealed in the Bible. Faith can falter at times, but, because it is the gift of God, given to His children, He provides times of trial and testing in order to prove that our faith is real and to sharpen and strengthen it. This is why James tells us to consider it “pure joy” when we fall into trials, because the testing of our faith produces perseverance and matures us, providing the evidence that our faith is real (James 1:2–4). unquote What does the Bible say about faith? | GotQuestions.org

We all know the Bible is not a science book and never claimed to be. But it is a mistake to use the word science as if it is the infallible truth on every matter to do with creation or the universe. To many people the word science is their religion and if anyone says something and claims it is the science, they automatically accept it as the gospel truth. They claim anything given the title of science is the absolute truth whether they have any proof or not. When you use the word "evolution" you should always remember to add the words "theory of evolution". A theory is just that, a theory. It is Darwin's speculation and it is not supported by "observable evidence, mathematics, and genetics" as you claim. You make that statement as if someone told you as one would make a statement of dogma of a false religion. If you really want to learn some facts about the theory, you can go to the website creation.com and search for the book "Refuting Evolution" written by Johathan Sarfati, Ph.D. It is available to read online at that website. There is a vast difference between truth and falsehood. There are many false religions in the world. But you should not make the mistake of thinking that proves there is no absolute truth to be known about God, the universe, creation, our origins, and our future in this life and after. You are correct in saying faith does not change, but only in the sense that if it is faith in the truth, that does not change. It is important to understand that the Bible is not pretending to be a science book. It is a book men wrote under the inspiration of God. God who created the universe did not leave us with a blank page but gave us his revelation of how the universe came into existence, what the purpose of man's being here is, what the problem with man is, and what the solution is, and what the future is. Science is not a religion and should not be put on a pedestal as a kind of infallible guide on par with the Bible. Science is a study of knowledge. God gave man his brain and ability to study the creation around him. God created everything and the creation operates on the principles which God created. Therefore science is just a gift from God. It should not be made a god or used as a excuse to try to exclude God from the picture. God, the Bible, and the discipline of science all work together, but one does not nullify the other. Many of the greatest scientists that ever lived believed in God. They did not try to pretend there was no God. They understood and accepted that man is not superior to God and that we are created beings subject to our Creator.

What exactly does "impose beliefs on you mean"? Pro theory of evolution people teach evolution in the public school system as ordered by the government's departments of education. Isn't that what imposing means. If anyone expresses an opinion contrary to your belief, is that "imposing" something on you? Everyone is entitle to their views and freedom of expression. I have no problem listening to views contrary to mine and don't consider it an imposition or imposing something on me. So I'm not exactly sure what imposing beliefs on someone means. I have often heard that phrase used by people who try to silence others from speaking. Biblical faith is not a blind faith and it is not the opposite of science. Faith in something in the Bible does not contradict true science. Some of science today is falsely called science, but it is more of dogma that is clothed under the banner of science. Examples of unproven theories that are claimed as science are the theory of evolution and the big bang theory. Some of the world's greatest scientists who lived several centuries ago believed in God and made some of the greatest discoveries in history. Just because a scientist denies the truth of creation by God today does not mean what he is saying is based on science. There is no science that disproves the Genesis account of creation and real science is not trying to disprove the reality of God and creation. So what this means is genuine science is not in opposition to biblical faith or the Bible. They can both exist together. There are many scientists who believe in God, the Bible, and still believe in science although they may not believe everything that is claimed under the banner of science by other scientists. The theory of evolution is not based on the scientific method and has never been proven. There are scientists who reject the theory of evolution although they are in the minority. Truth is not determined by a majority and never will be. The majority believed in a number of things in history that were later proven to be false.

With all due respect, I think you have not really addressed anything I said in my original post. There are many people who believe in false religion or hold erroneous religious and atheist views. Whether they would be convinced of anything on these forums I don't know. Only God can change a person's mind and heart. God revealed the absolute truth in his revelation we call the Bible; in English, the King James Version.

What would Jesus do if he were the President in America today? Many gun advocates say they are Christians and attend many different churches in America. Lots of these people are opposed to abortion because they (rightly) believe abortion is killing a human child. What happens to their mind when it comes to guns? 97% of killings in America are illegal, either homicide or suicide. Only 1.2 % are legal shootings, mainly by police doing their lawful duties. So when it comes to gun ownership, possession or purchase, how does that fit into the picture of God's commandment "thou shalt not kill" and the sanctity of human life? I think the answer is clear. If those 400 thousand guns (handguns, assault rifles, etc.) were not out there, it would be impossible for all the shootings going on every day to take place. That is the answer. But we also remember the President does not have power to simply eliminate guns. It really boils down to the people, ordinary individual Americans. So what they believe and how they vote has a direct impact on this whole issue.

A lot of Americans, mainly Republicans and deranged individuals with a grievance of some kind, don't want to give up the right to shoot American kids, old people, and anybody who gets in the way of their mass shootings every couple days. Very mixed up country. There is no right to own guns that are used 97% of the time to kill innocent people or commit suicide.

Do you really believe the universe and man came into existence from nothing without an intelligent designer- Creator? There is a simple principle of science that you use to help understand things. It is the principle of cause and effect. There is no effect without a cause. Everything that exists had a beginning and a cause.

Author Posted Monday at 11:20 AM (edited) You're not thinking rationally at all. Just firing from the hip so to speak like the wild west gun slingers in the cowboy movies. Wake up! Something like 20,000 innocent Americans are killed per year by guns and tens of thousand more wounded. The rare case where someone is able to defend themselves with a gun in no way justifies allowing 20,000 innocent people to be murdered every year. That is the problem in a nutshell. Guns need to be removed from most American hands and only made available to hunters and such under strict controls and conditions. The present system is not working and you should be concerned about the enormous senseless loss of life. The chart at this website shows the actual numbers: Firearm Deaths, All Ages: 1999-2016 Suicides Homicides Unintentional Legal Intervention Undetermined Intent Year % of Total Firearm Deaths for Year* % of Total Firearm Deaths for Year % of Total Firearm Deaths for Year % of Total Firearm Deaths for Year % of Total Firearm Deaths for Year Total 1999 16,599 57.5% 10,828 37.5% 824 2.9% 299 1.0% 324 1.1% 28,874 2000 16,586 57.9% 10,801 37.7% 776 2.8% 270 0.9% 230 0.8% 28,663 2001 16,869 57.0% 11,348 38.4% 802 2.7% 323 1.1% 231 0.8% 29,573 2002 17,108 56.6% 11,829 39.1% 762 2.5% 300 1.0% 243 0.8% 30,242 2003 16,907 56.1% 11,920 39.6% 730 2.4% 347 1.2% 232 0.8% 30,136 2004 16,750 56.6% 11,624 39.3% 649 2.2% 311 1.1% 235 0.8% 29,569 2005 17,002 55.4% 12,352 40.2% 789 2.6% 330 1.1% 221 0.7% 30,694 2006 16,883 54.6% 12,791 41.4% 642 2.1% 360 1.2% 220 0.7% 30,896 2007 17,352 55.6% 12,632 40.5% 613 2.0% 351 1.1% 276 0.9% 31,224 2008 18,223 57.7% 12,179 38.5% 592 1.9% 326 1.0% 273 0.9% 31,593 2009 18,735 59.8% 11,493 36.7% 554 1.8% 333 1.1% 232 0.7% 31,347 2010 19,392 61.2% 11,078 35.0% 606 1.9% 344 1.1% 252 0.8% 31,672 2011 19,990 62.0% 11,068 34.2% 591 1.8% 454 1.4% 248 0.8% 32,351 2012 20,666 61.6% 11,622 34.6% 548 1.6% 471 1.4% 256 0.8% 33,563 2013 21,175 63.0% 11,208 32.8% 505 1.5% 467 1.4% 281 0.8% 33,636 2014 21,386 63.7% 11,008 32.6% 461 1.4% 464 1.4% 275 0.8% 33,594 2015 22,018 60.7% 12,979 35.8% 489 1.3% 484 1.3% 282 0.8% 36,252 2016 22,938 59.3% 14,415 37.3% 495 1.3% 510 1.3% 300 0.8% 38,658 Total 336,579 58.8% 213,175 37.2% 11,428 2.0% 6,744 1.2% 4,611 0.8% 572,537 Average Per Year 18,699 11,843 635 375 256 31,808 I got the figure of 900 millions guns from some website but it is likely incorrect. Another website says 339 million guns are owned by Americans. That sounds more accurate. But that is still a massive number of guns. The population is only 335 million. The problem is a gun mentality. It is the wild west continuing. The number of people murdered every years is staggering. 97% of people murdered every year are criminal in nature and suicide. Only 1.2% of the deaths are legal intervention. So the gun culture is illegally killing approximately 20,000 Americans per year illegally. Nobody in their right mind could justify that under some kind "right to bear arms". That is total and complete insanity to my way of thinking. Anybody who believes that is ok needs to get counselling help. America is the only country in the world with that number of guns per capita population. Sadly I don't see it changing. Large numbers of people will continue to shoot other Americans. America is a sick society. It is time to admit it. US Gun Deaths by Year - Gun Control - ProCon.org

I knew a young man who had a good job in the telephone company with all the benefits and good pay. He left it all and moved to Las Vegas, Nevada because he believed he should be able to carry a hand gun to protect himself. Sad.

The gun issue in the U.S. should be a non-partisan issue. People should not be embracing more guns or defending all the shootings and massive prevalence of guns in society simply because they are conservative or Republican or believe in freedom. This is simply a common sense issue of public safety that effects everyone. Nobody is invincible from bullets and guns.

The stats show 97% of gun deaths are by suicide or illegal homicide/murder. Only 1.2% of gun deaths are what you could say are legal. That tells me there is a huge problem with all the guns available.

You're not thinking rationally at all. Just firing from the hip so to speak like the wild west gun slingers in the cowboy movies. Wake up! Something like 20,000 innocent Americans are killed per year by guns and tens of thousand more wounded. The rare case where someone is able to defend themselves with a gun in no way justifies allowing 20,000 innocent people to be murdered every year. That is the problem in a nutshell. Guns need to be removed from most American hands and only made available to hunters and such under strict controls and conditions. The present system is not working and you should be concerned about the enormous senseless loss of life. The chart at this website shows the actual numbers: Firearm Deaths, All Ages: 1999-2016 Suicides Homicides Unintentional Legal Intervention Undetermined Intent Year % of Total Firearm Deaths for Year* % of Total Firearm Deaths for Year % of Total Firearm Deaths for Year % of Total Firearm Deaths for Year % of Total Firearm Deaths for Year Total 1999 16,599 57.5% 10,828 37.5% 824 2.9% 299 1.0% 324 1.1% 28,874 2000 16,586 57.9% 10,801 37.7% 776 2.8% 270 0.9% 230 0.8% 28,663 2001 16,869 57.0% 11,348 38.4% 802 2.7% 323 1.1% 231 0.8% 29,573 2002 17,108 56.6% 11,829 39.1% 762 2.5% 300 1.0% 243 0.8% 30,242 2003 16,907 56.1% 11,920 39.6% 730 2.4% 347 1.2% 232 0.8% 30,136 2004 16,750 56.6% 11,624 39.3% 649 2.2% 311 1.1% 235 0.8% 29,569 2005 17,002 55.4% 12,352 40.2% 789 2.6% 330 1.1% 221 0.7% 30,694 2006 16,883 54.6% 12,791 41.4% 642 2.1% 360 1.2% 220 0.7% 30,896 2007 17,352 55.6% 12,632 40.5% 613 2.0% 351 1.1% 276 0.9% 31,224 2008 18,223 57.7% 12,179 38.5% 592 1.9% 326 1.0% 273 0.9% 31,593 2009 18,735 59.8% 11,493 36.7% 554 1.8% 333 1.1% 232 0.7% 31,347 2010 19,392 61.2% 11,078 35.0% 606 1.9% 344 1.1% 252 0.8% 31,672 2011 19,990 62.0% 11,068 34.2% 591 1.8% 454 1.4% 248 0.8% 32,351 2012 20,666 61.6% 11,622 34.6% 548 1.6% 471 1.4% 256 0.8% 33,563 2013 21,175 63.0% 11,208 32.8% 505 1.5% 467 1.4% 281 0.8% 33,636 2014 21,386 63.7% 11,008 32.6% 461 1.4% 464 1.4% 275 0.8% 33,594 2015 22,018 60.7% 12,979 35.8% 489 1.3% 484 1.3% 282 0.8% 36,252 2016 22,938 59.3% 14,415 37.3% 495 1.3% 510 1.3% 300 0.8% 38,658 Total 336,579 58.8% 213,175 37.2% 11,428 2.0% 6,744 1.2% 4,611 0.8% 572,537 Average Per Year 18,699 11,843 635 375 256 31,808 US Gun Deaths by Year - Gun Control - ProCon.org