blackbird

Collectivism (or Communism) has failed wherever it has been tried. You say you believe in "pure" Communism and it has never been practiced... There are several reasons why it would never work. 1. Human nature. Human nature is to look after one's self first and one's family. You can't force a collective system on people who don't wish to give everything they have to a collective and support those who don't want to contribute or work. 2. It is against God's commandment to not steal. God taught we can own private property. Communism is the opposite. Nobody owns anything themselves. Everything belongs to the collective. 3. In practice Communist systems do not distribute everything equally. Some are more equal than others. In actual practice the authorities look after themselves first and leave everyone else in poverty. 4. Communism requires total control of every individual. That means nobody has any freedom. Everything is theoretically for the collective good. 5. It has been tried in the 20th century and was a disaster. 100 million were killed in Russia and China and other places trying to establish control and a collective of sorts. 6. Why would anyone work hard when the collective will take care of him and when the collective will simply take anything he produces and does not recognize achievement or innovation or hard work?

I understand you don't care what the Bible says. Then you should look to Jesus Christ and learn who he is, how he has compassion, mercy, and forgiveness. Understand why he came to earth, suffered and died on the cross. He is all that matters and is the only one who can save a person. Jesus cares more than anyone else.

No, I don't pick "personal opinions" and I don't impose anything on the rest of the nation. I simply believe what God and Jesus Christ say in the Bible. Jesus is God and is who we should consult. The Bible makes it clear a human is a person from the moment of conception. You can Google abortion and the Bible to find the parts. I am not going to convince you of anything by this back and forth obviously. It is up to you if you are really interested in the truth to dig into it. Look at Jesus and his life and what he said about everything. He is a person who has mercy, compassion, and forgiveness. We don't deserve any of it, but there he is. He came to earth, suffered and died for those who don't deserve anything. He is the one we should be focused on. Understand him and you will have the answer.

It is obvious I am not going to convince you with back and forth arguments. All I can tell you is to look at Jesus Christ and his life, miracles, and what he said about everything. The Bible is a book of the miraculous because God is a miracle worker. That is how he created the universe out of nothing. We are talking about the supernatural, not the earthly material world. The miracles you pointed out actually happened, but cannot be viewed in human materialist ways or secular scientific ways. You are used to everything being explainable in human ways, but that is not how God operates. They were supernatural events. The Bible doesn't pretend to be a book of earthly magic. It is supernatural as God is a spirit and executes his power in the supernatural realm. Jesus does care for us. That is why he came to earth, suffered and died on the cross. Look at him, his character, personality, what he did and you may get more understanding of where he is coming from and who he is. "34 Then said Jesus, Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do." Luke 23:34 KJV When Jesus said that he understood that most people do not understand spiritual (or supernatural) matters. He is willing to be patient, merciful, and compassionate. That is who he is. But we must look to him and try to learn about him to understand these matters. Because as the Bible says, only Jesus saves. We cannot save ourselves. It is hopeless to try.

You did not yet answer the question; What is your standard for truth? I am not talking about what Christians believe per se or about what some Pope said because that is a false religion. I am talking about the King James Bible. That is my standard for truth. Since you seem to be ridiculing my belief or Christianity in general, what is your reference or standard for truth? If you say evidence or reason, what specifically are you referring to? What makes you think my standard, the King James Bible, is not based on evidence or reason? There are many denominations in the world but in spite of that, there are a number of things Christians agree on. What silly things do Christians believe that are "fantastical or unreal"?

Now that's a new one. Where in the Bible does it say anything about convincing one's self a rabbit is a fish so they can have it on the menu on Friday? Please tell me so I can learn something. And who said I can't eat meat on Friday? Where does it say that? Quote Jesus Christ, as the Son of God, said, “I am the truth” (John 14:6) and “God’s word is truth” (John 17:17). Jesus claimed to define what truth is, and He said God’s Word is the ultimate judge of truth (John 12:48). No truth exists apart from Him. As the Bible explains it, “In him are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge” (Colossians 2:3). So the Bible clearly claims an exalted position as the ultimate authority. Moreover, God’s Word concludes that all other standards outside of Christ must be “empty” because they depend on “the tradition of men, according to the basic principles of the world, and not according to Christ” (Colossians 2:8). unquote Can We Prove the Bible Is True? | Answers in Genesis What is your standard for truth? If you have a better standard than I do, I would love to hear about it. Please, share your wisdom. Don't keep it all for yourself. Go for it.

No "picking and choosing". Respecting human life is not picking and choosing. It is what God commanded. Christians are not perfect but they are following and defending what God taught in his holy word, which you despise and reject. You as an atheist are your own god and think you can do whatever you feel like or make up your own morality. The road to hell is wide and is easy to follow when you approve of all forms of evil as you do.

"The fool hath said in his heart, There is no God. They are corrupt, they have done abominable works, there is none that doeth good. 2 The LORD looked down from heaven upon the children of men, to see if there were any that did understand, and seek God. 3 They are all gone aside, they are all together become filthy: there is none that doeth good, no, not one." Psalm 14:1-3 KJV I am afraid your attitude is totally opposed to what the Bible says. The ball is in your court. You are badly fumbling it.

So if someone told you that the road you are on will take you over a cliff, that is how you would respond to them?

"5 Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee; and before thou camest forth out of the womb I sanctified thee, and I ordained thee a prophet unto the nations." Jeremiah 1:5 KJV It is clear God recognized the unborn as a person. So the commandment "thou shalt not kill" in the Bible applies to the unborn. Those who reject the Bible and reject God in this are on the road to hell. There is still time to change. Read the New Testament and make the change. Ask God to change your heart and mind and believe the gospel and be forgiven. The issue of abortion is one thing, but where one will spend eternity is something one should not ignore.

In all good conscience and without trying to be offensive, I have to be honest with non-believers and scoffers such as yourself. In saying what you say, you demonstrate you are on the road to hell and eternal damnation. That is the plain message from the Bible. "36 He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him." John 3:36 King James Bible Many verses point this out and similar things. God is merciful to those who turn to him in faith and will forgive. But you cannot dismiss his written revelation to man as "just another story book." That is anathema. It is like suicide. It does nothing good for yourself. It is like driving a car over a cliff. Why would anyone choose to do that? However there is still time to change. That requires the courage to admit you could be wrong, read the Bible, particularly the New Testament KJV and make the necessary change to your course. In your case, that will require a 180 degree change in thinking.

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Nonsense. Bible belief is based on sound evidence and reason. Atheists are an ignorant lot who are completely irrational. The reason is twofold: 1. The existence of God is based on logic. The complex universe had a beginning and could not create itself. Every effect has a cause. The material universe could not create itself. It is simple logic that there had to have been an intelligent designer. 2. The truth of the Bible is shown by the contents of the Bible itself. Eye witnesses of the miraculous reported many things such as the miracles that Jesus performed and his resurrection from the dead. These two facts really are at the crux of the matter. They reveal why atheists and anti-Christians do not have a leg to stand on.

We can thank the BC NDP, federal Liberals and the perverse justice system for this attack. Man arrested following stabbing spree in Vancouver park (msn.com)

The Bible is God's inspired word. You think God cannot preserve his written revelation to mankind. Only blasphemous atheists deny God and his word.

Not true. Conspiracy theories are believed by a cross section of society. Conspiracy theories have nothing to do with biblical truth. Bible believers believe the Bible, not conspiracy theories. Biblical faith is based on evidence which is overwhelming. Atheists are blasphemous enemies of God and on the way to hell according to biblical revelation. The fact is there is a conspiracy by Satan to control the world and establish his kingdom. There is a conspiracy of the U.N. and other international groups to control the world. That is no theory. It is an obvious fact. A one-world system of the anti-Christ is also prophesied in the Bible thousands of years ago and we see the world heading that way.

No, it means 47% preferred a different leader during the process, but after the vote they accept the decision of the majority.

quote Does the Bible support communism? Communism is an economic system where the means of production are owned by society and the governing body is tasked with distributing the wealth to all so that each person presumably receives equally or in accordance with their needs. This means that all property and businesses are owned by the government and not private citizens. This economic system is intended to eliminate inequality between rich (the "bourgeoisie") and poor (the "proletariat"). As an ideology, it is highly influenced by the ideas of Karl Marx and also related to the socialist movement. In theory some of the ideas of communism appear to be compatible with the Bible. However, in practice, communism has been shown to lead to very negative outcomes. Rather than a gap between rich and poor, a gap is created between those with power and those without. Generally a governing body without much public accountability takes control, corruption ensues, and the population at large suffers. Even assuming a case where the governing body were not corrupt, when an equal outcome is guaranteed, the impetus for innovation or hard work is removed, and with it the positive results of those traits. Rather than truly help the poor, communism has a tendency to make all equally impoverished. unquote For the rest of the article go to: Does the Bible support communism? (compellingtruth.org) quote Capitalism is actually a better system when it comes to giving because it has proven to increase individual wealth, which allows its citizens to give out of their increase. Communism has proven to simply make all its citizens poor, except the very few in power who decide where the wealth goes. But even capitalism won’t work, by itself, as a system for aiding the poor. It depends on its citizens to be diligent (Proverbs 10:4) and generous with the fruits of their labor (1 Timothy 6:18) and to give out of love for God and neighbor. Thus, we see that God has designed for the physical and financial needs of the poor to be met by Christian individuals, rather than by any system of government. unquote For more info: Does the Bible support Communism? | GotQuestions.org quote But we do have something to fear, and even Christians, intelligent in the Word of God, do not always understand the implications of Communism. Our real enemy is not Russia, and neither is our real enemy Communism. Our real enemy is the atheistic blasphemy that is behind it. It is the unbelief in God and in Christ, and a turning away from belief in the God of the Scripture. Here in America it is necessary for us to fight Communism. It is necessary for us to arm in order to protect ourselves as a nation. Nevertheless, our real enemy is not Communism, nor a political theory. Our real danger is the godlessness and the atheism of our day. Some will say there are not very many people who are atheists. Perhaps not, at least they are not the kind who stand on soap boxes and proclaim atheism. But there are many today who are living in practical atheism; living as if God did not exist; living as if there were no heaven, no hell, no judgment, and no divine reckoning with human sin. Yes, America’s real enemy is not Communism. It is the blasphemous unbelief in God behind Communism that is our true enemy. unquote For more information: 10. The Future of Communism According to The Bible | Bible.org Note: The real enemy is behind Communism which is the blasphemous atheism or anti-God ideology.

There are several causes behind these statistics. One is multiculturalism, i.e. bringing people in from the third world that have a different culture than our inherited western, European culture. Crime and poverty is a major problem in many third world countries, lack of education, lack of law and order and little or no morals. Many of the third world countries are run by criminal and violent gangs. Violence is the go-to for many. If you look at some of the TV programs of home renovations in Caribbean countries, you will often see bars on all the windows of the homes. The complete anarchy in places like Haiti, Nigeria, Somalia, etc. should also be a warning. That should tell you something. A second contributing factor is the soft-on-crime approach of the liberals in Canada, both federal and provincial governments and the legal system. At one point not long ago, I read there were about 300 people in the Toronto area who had been arrested for gun-related crime and released on bail by the courts. The system is completely dysfunctional and is not protecting society. BC cities such as Vancouver are reporting assaults daily now and when people are arrested the courts/judges simply release them. No is no rationale to releasing repeat offenders time after time. There is also a debate in the BC legislature over this issue and the BC Liberals have been begging the NDP government to do something. And of course the other factor is the prevalence or easy availability of handguns. Authorities seem unable to stop the spread of handguns. When have we ever heard of the police doing a complete search of apartments, homes, and the city? Never.

53% when a party chooses a leader from a number of contenders by ranked ballot is not the same as Kenney being affirmed as Premier with 51.4%. You are comparing apples and oranges. Choosing a party leader by ranked ballot is often done that way because there were many candidates running, something like six or so candidates and the ballots are weighted depending on the riding they came from. She was chosen on the sixth ballot. Because the system of ranked ballots is used and there were a large number of contenders, the outcome is no indication that she has low support. Also once the voting is done and the winner is chosen, the party will unite around her. Kenney should have had 65% or 70% to continue. He was the only one on the ballot. It was a yes or no choice. So it is a totally different situation.

The photo I see of the forested mountains near Vancouver looks entirely different. I am not sure where your picture was taken because you cannot see anything like that from the Vancouver area or lower mainland. But there could be a clearcut somewhere in the area. There are obviously some clearcuts scattered around the province. Nothing wrong with that. How else does anyone log? But it is not excessive. Check how many parks there are in BC If you fly over the coastal region you will see most of it is untouched wilderness. The Ministry of Forests does a good job managing the forest industry. This photo is looking north from Vancouver where the mountains and forests are located. No mountains or forest to the west, east or south because those are cities and farms or the ocean. So where exactly was your photo taken?

That is an area that was logged which is a very tiny part of the forests in BC. The forest industry is the main industry in BC and provides jobs for hundreds and thousands of people and makes homes and salaries possible for countless people. Many towns would not even exist in BC if not for the forest industry. Here is a typical photo of a forest in BC. If you fly over the coast of BC as I have done a number of times from Vancouver to northwest BC you will see it is all forested and mountainous. The clear cut you showed is actually a very tiny remote area and not the rule. BC also has many preserved parks and preserved old growth forest areas. Strathcona Park on Vancouver Island is a very large forested mountainous area which covers hundreds of square kilometres. If man is to exist on earth and have any kind of life with all the conveniences, homes, cars, trucks, and raise families, he must have good paying jobs in the resource industry. In BC, forestry is that industry. If you want to live without the resource industry, you might try living in Pakistan or many other places in world. You will be in abject poverty. Your life span will probably not be very long and you will be in misery. The forest industry in BC is one of those industries that pays for the health care system, old age pensions, and all the other the services we have.

When in the forum have you ever paid attention to "salient facts"? You are just playing a slight of hands with words.

quote Federal Bill to ban ‘Conversion Therapy’ It seems that many of these steps, steadily eroding Christian freedom, may now be coming to a head at the federal level with an ideologically motivated effort to actually criminalise services and practices that the government believes are rooted in ‘myths’ about the human person. Proposed legislation originally called “Bill C-8”, An Act to amend the Criminal Code, had proposed to brandish criminal law against so-called ‘conversion therapy’ and is now expected to reappear this Fall unchanged but under a different number. Bill C-8 states clearly in its preamble: “conversion therapy … is based on and propagates myths and stereotypes about sexual orientation and gender identity, including the myth that a person’s sexual orientation and gender identity can and ought to be changed.” Clearly here, Biblical truth (cf. 1 Cor. 6: 9-11) and the historic teaching of the church concerning human sexuality are condemned as myth and Christ’s call to repentance from sexual sin is overtly rejected. Justice Minister David Lametti explained his rationale for the ban, saying: “Conversion therapy is premised on a lie, that being homosexual, lesbian, bisexual or trans is wrong and in need of fixing. Not only is that false, it sends a demeaning and a degrading message that undermines the dignity of individuals.” So, on the authority of Mr. Lametti, God’s Word, the authority of Christ, the teaching of the universal Church and centuries of normative understandings of the human person are dismissed as lies to be overthrown, with resisters cast into prison. With the seriousness of this threat in mind, it would be important to know how ‘conversion therapy’ is actually being defined. The bill’s definition is as follows: Conversion therapy means a practice, treatment or service designed to change a person’s sexual orientation to heterosexual or gender identity to cisgender, or to repress or reduce non-heterosexual attraction or sexual behaviour. The language of the bill already presupposes the validity of fictive ideological concepts in queer theory by using terms like ‘cisgender’ for the biological binary norm of male and female. It seems incredible that such a bill could be coming before the House of Commons from the government, but this is the reality facing Christians in Canada. The Justice Centre for Constitutional Freedoms, in a paper entitled ‘Unconscionable and Unconstitutional (May 12, 2020)’, has warned Canadians that: What the bill in fact does is remove meaningful personal choice by imposing the affirmation and promotion of homosexuality and/or gender transition as the only acceptable form of counsel, guidance or treatment – especially for children experiencing gender identity distress. Under the cover of outlawing barbaric and harmful ‘treatments’ that no-one actually practices, a radical and ideologically pagan view of sexuality and gender is enforced by making the definition of ‘conversion therapy’ so wide (including spiritual, medical and psychological supports) that youth with unwanted feelings or addictions would have no choice but to have ‘treatments’ that either reinforce these unwanted feelings and addictions, or permanently alter their bodies. It does this by banning alternative supports with the threat of imprisonment, violating the Charter rights and freedoms of children, their parents, church communities and health care professionals. unquote On the brink: the criminalisation of Christianity in Canada - Christian Concern

"In Canada, Persecution of Christians Escalates" "In this interview with The New American magazine’s Senior Editor Alex Newman, Canadian commentator and Christian evangelist Laura-Lynn Tyler Thompson explains that persecution against Christians and those who resist the transgender/LGBT agenda. It has now reached the point where parents can be jailed for not supporting their children’s delusions about being the other gender and trying to resist irreversible medical “treatments.” Meanwhile, pastors are being arrested, jailed, and threatened for continuing to hold services in the face of COVID19 restrictions put in place by government. This will be coming soon to America if Americans are not careful, the two warned." In Canada, Persecution of Christians Escalates - The New American "Yes, Christians are being persecuted in America. Here’s how we can respond" " A small selection of abundant examples What counts as persecution then? Any number of different things. It could be being slandered and mocked for your faith. Or being passed over for a promotion at your consulting firm because you refused to fly the Pride flag from your cupholder during June. It’s anything and everything from suffering social ostracization to getting put on trains and taken to death camps. Christians would do well to recover a robust understanding of this, and prepare for it, rather than sticking their heads in the sands of the cultural pablum about how the real threat is a “rising theocracy” or “Christo-fascism.” Consider that churches were forced to close, with no solid scientific evidence supporting that decision at the time (nor provided since) for months in 2020 and into 2021, even as casinos and strip clubs were allowed to stay open. For years, private Christian business owners have been dragged to court, targeted for destruction by the LGBTQ+ movement. The IRS has been caught targeting Christian non-profits. Don’t forget about how, under the Obama Administration, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) relentlessly prosecuted the Christian charity Little Sisters of the Poor over their religious beliefs against paying to provide for abortifacient contraceptives. It took almost a decade for the Little Sisters to finally prevail at the Supreme Court. Let’s keep listing examples: Jack Phillips, the baker, has been harassed for over a decade, bombarded with requests to make the most profane cakes, and dragged in and out of court simply for trying to run his business as a Christian (persecution that continues despite his having prevailed at the Supreme Court). Barronelle Stutzman, a florist, was eventually forced into retirement because she also refused to compromise on her traditional Christian faith commitments and participate in the celebration of sin. Coach Joe Kennedy was fired for exercising his First Amendment rights to pray to God in public. It took him almost seven years to fight to undo this unjust persecution, prevailing only when the Supreme Court ruled that “a government entity sought to punish an individual for engaging in a brief, quiet, personal religious observance doubly protected by the Free Exercise and Free Speech Clauses of the First Amendment…the Constitution neither mandates nor tolerates that kind of discrimination.” Legally we might call this “discrimination,” but make no mistake, it is also persecution: persecution against Christians because of their faith in Jesus Christ as King and their refusal to compromise on the basic teachings of the Bible. I’ve heard from Christians who know they are unlikely to ever get promoted past a certain point at major corporations and consulting firms for holding to their sexual ethics. What do you call it when a Christian is fired for believing that, according to God’s Word, God made men as men and women as women and only those two genders? Or for refusing to tell lies by using she/her or they/them to describe he/him? It’s persecution. I would also use that word to describe the recent slew of attacks on churches across the country, including, most recently, in Maryland. The Catholic Courier reports that “A Catholic church in the Washington suburb of Bethesda was one of three houses of worship along the same road to be victimized by vandalism the weekend of July 9-10.” One of those buildings was set on fire. Even crisis pregnancy centers, many of them run by Christians, are under attack because they promote life, rather than death. Since early May, when the Dobbs decision was leaked suggesting that Roe v. Wade would be overturned, they have been threatened, vandalized, and firebombed. And Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass, another one of the more outspoken progressive politicians in our country, is angrily encouraging even more of such violence. I could go on." Yes, Christians are being persecuted in America | Voice (christianpost.com) Also, how many churches, including different denominations, have been burned or vandalized after the so-called "unmarked graves" began being broadcast across Canada? Then there is the federal liberal decree where they refused to give funding to organizations for student summer jobs if the organization was in any way connected to any church or group that supported pro life or opposed abortion.