blackbird

If you read this you will come to the conclusion the answer is yes. " Topical Encyclopedia The Philistines, an ancient people often in conflict with the Israelites, are prominently featured in the biblical narrative as adversaries of Israel. Their gathering against Israel is a recurring theme in the Old Testament, illustrating the ongoing struggle between these two groups. Historical Context The Philistines were part of the Sea Peoples who settled along the coastal regions of Canaan, particularly in the area known as Philistia. This region included the five major cities of Gaza, Ashkelon, Ashdod, Ekron, and Gath. The Philistines were known for their advanced military technology, including the use of iron weapons, which gave them a significant advantage over the Israelites, who were primarily agrarian and less technologically advanced. Biblical Accounts One of the most notable accounts of the Philistines gathering against Israel is found in 1 Samuel 17, where the Philistines assembled their forces for war at Socoh in Judah. This confrontation led to the famous battle between David and Goliath. The Philistine champion, Goliath, challenged the Israelites to send out a warrior to decide the battle in single combat. David, a young shepherd, accepted the challenge and defeated Goliath with a sling and a stone, leading to a significant victory for Israel. In 1 Samuel 4, the Philistines gathered at Aphek to fight against Israel, resulting in the capture of the Ark of the Covenant. The Israelites, having suffered a defeat, brought the Ark from Shiloh, hoping it would ensure victory. However, the Philistines defeated Israel, killing thirty thousand foot soldiers and capturing the Ark, which they took to Ashdod. Another significant gathering is recorded in 1 Samuel 13, where the Philistines assembled to fight Israel after Jonathan, Saul's son, attacked their outpost at Geba. The Philistines mustered a formidable force, described as "thirty thousand chariots, six thousand horsemen, and troops as numerous as the sand on the seashore" (1 Samuel 13:5). This overwhelming force caused great fear among the Israelites, leading many to hide in caves and thickets. Theological Significance The repeated gatherings of the Philistines against Israel serve as a backdrop for demonstrating God's sovereignty and faithfulness to His covenant people. Despite the Philistines' military superiority, God often delivered Israel through unexpected means, such as the faith and courage of individuals like David. These narratives highlight the theme of divine intervention and the importance of faith and obedience to God. Cultural and Religious Impact The Philistine threat played a crucial role in shaping Israel's identity and reliance on God. The conflicts with the Philistines underscored the need for unity and strong leadership, eventually leading to the establishment of the monarchy under Saul and later David. The Philistine wars also emphasized the spiritual dimension of Israel's struggles, as victories and defeats were often seen as reflections of the nation's faithfulness to God. Key Verses · 1 Samuel 17:1-4 : "Now the Philistines gathered their forces for war and assembled at Socoh in Judah. They pitched camp at Ephes-dammim, between Socoh and Azekah. Saul and the men of Israel gathered and camped in the Valley of Elah, drawing up their battle lines to meet the Philistines. The Philistines stood on one hill and the Israelites on another, with the valley between them. Then a champion named Goliath, who was from Gath, came out from the Philistine camp. He was six cubits and a span in height." · 1 Samuel 4:1-2 : "And Samuel’s words went out to all Israel. Now Israel went out to meet the Philistines in battle and camped at Ebenezer, while the Philistines camped at Aphek. The Philistines deployed their forces to meet Israel, and as the battle spread, Israel was defeated by the Philistines, who killed about four thousand men on the battlefield." · 1 Samuel 13:5 : "Now the Philistines assembled to fight against Israel with three thousand chariots, six thousand horsemen, and troops as numerous as the sand on the seashore. They went up and camped at Michmash, east of Beth-aven." Topical Bible: The Philistines Gather against Israel Notice the red area on this map is where present day Gaza is located.

Could the Palestinians in Gaza actually be the descendants of the ancient Philistines? I think the answer is yes. Read this. " Topical Encyclopedia The Philistines, an ancient people often in conflict with the Israelites, are prominently featured in the biblical narrative as adversaries of Israel. Their gathering against Israel is a recurring theme in the Old Testament, illustrating the ongoing struggle between these two groups. Historical Context The Philistines were part of the Sea Peoples who settled along the coastal regions of Canaan, particularly in the area known as Philistia. This region included the five major cities of Gaza, Ashkelon, Ashdod, Ekron, and Gath. The Philistines were known for their advanced military technology, including the use of iron weapons, which gave them a significant advantage over the Israelites, who were primarily agrarian and less technologically advanced. Biblical Accounts One of the most notable accounts of the Philistines gathering against Israel is found in 1 Samuel 17, where the Philistines assembled their forces for war at Socoh in Judah. This confrontation led to the famous battle between David and Goliath. The Philistine champion, Goliath, challenged the Israelites to send out a warrior to decide the battle in single combat. David, a young shepherd, accepted the challenge and defeated Goliath with a sling and a stone, leading to a significant victory for Israel. In 1 Samuel 4, the Philistines gathered at Aphek to fight against Israel, resulting in the capture of the Ark of the Covenant. The Israelites, having suffered a defeat, brought the Ark from Shiloh, hoping it would ensure victory. However, the Philistines defeated Israel, killing thirty thousand foot soldiers and capturing the Ark, which they took to Ashdod. Another significant gathering is recorded in 1 Samuel 13, where the Philistines assembled to fight Israel after Jonathan, Saul's son, attacked their outpost at Geba. The Philistines mustered a formidable force, described as "thirty thousand chariots, six thousand horsemen, and troops as numerous as the sand on the seashore" (1 Samuel 13:5). This overwhelming force caused great fear among the Israelites, leading many to hide in caves and thickets. Theological Significance The repeated gatherings of the Philistines against Israel serve as a backdrop for demonstrating God's sovereignty and faithfulness to His covenant people. Despite the Philistines' military superiority, God often delivered Israel through unexpected means, such as the faith and courage of individuals like David. These narratives highlight the theme of divine intervention and the importance of faith and obedience to God. Cultural and Religious Impact The Philistine threat played a crucial role in shaping Israel's identity and reliance on God. The conflicts with the Philistines underscored the need for unity and strong leadership, eventually leading to the establishment of the monarchy under Saul and later David. The Philistine wars also emphasized the spiritual dimension of Israel's struggles, as victories and defeats were often seen as reflections of the nation's faithfulness to God. Key Verses · 1 Samuel 17:1-4 : "Now the Philistines gathered their forces for war and assembled at Socoh in Judah. They pitched camp at Ephes-dammim, between Socoh and Azekah. Saul and the men of Israel gathered and camped in the Valley of Elah, drawing up their battle lines to meet the Philistines. The Philistines stood on one hill and the Israelites on another, with the valley between them. Then a champion named Goliath, who was from Gath, came out from the Philistine camp. He was six cubits and a span in height." · 1 Samuel 4:1-2 : "And Samuel’s words went out to all Israel. Now Israel went out to meet the Philistines in battle and camped at Ebenezer, while the Philistines camped at Aphek. The Philistines deployed their forces to meet Israel, and as the battle spread, Israel was defeated by the Philistines, who killed about four thousand men on the battlefield." · 1 Samuel 13:5 : "Now the Philistines assembled to fight against Israel with three thousand chariots, six thousand horsemen, and troops as numerous as the sand on the seashore. They went up and camped at Michmash, east of Beth-aven." Topical Bible: The Philistines Gather against Israel If you look at the red area in the map below, it was where the Philistines lived in ancient times. It is exactly where Gaza is located.

Why not deport U.S. criminals who commit most of the crimes? Save a lot of money in maintaining them in prisons.

Did you pull that figure out of thin air? Also, it depends who is defining who is a refugee and whether their claim is valid. If an administration directs their staff to meet a quota and not to take any more, then of course the definition of who is eligible will be made much stricter and more will not be admitted. But that doesn't meet the protocols which were agreed on. The definition must be decided by international tribunals. In fact the protocols say the International Court of Justice has the final say. How many cases were referred to the ICJ by the U.S.?

That's not how the world works. There is crime in every country in the world. It has to be dealt with. The main point is the MAGA types are lying about who all the criminals are. It is not the undocumented migrants. The rate of crime is higher with U.S. citizens than it is with migrants. That is the point. Many MAGA types are racist much like the era of slavery in the U.S. when blacks were not considered as humans. Now everything must be blamed on the undocumented migrants or refugees. Many western countries take in refugees and asylum seekers because it is the humane thing to do and it is agreed to be done in the U.N. 1967 protocols. The U.S. signed onto the 1967 U.N. protocols on refugees and is obligated to it. Protocol relating to the Status of Refugees | OHCHR

We've heard that line countless times on here. Refugees do in fact have a right to be in the U.S. The fact is people who are in desperate need because of threats to their lives, gang threats of violence, and extreme poverty have a moral right to move to a place of safety. That is also part of the U.N. conventions on refugees. I posted that a number of times on threads on here. The U.S. signed the 1967 protocols. Protocol relating to the Status of Refugees | OHCHR

You are drifting off this thread. This is about undocumented migrants in the U.S. and the articles I posted say they commit crimes at a lower rate than U.S. citizens. Why try to divert and make the subject blurry or unclear? It proves nothing.

Someone asked why we don't take more migrants. I was just pointing out Canada does more than its share to help refugees.

Canada takes lots of refugees and asylum seekers in. Yet Canada is a much smaller population. Canada has a generous support program for them. quote What kind of support do government-assisted refugees get? The Resettlement Assistance Program (RAP) gives government-assisted refugees immediate and essential supports for their most basic needs. Support services include: greeting at the airport, temporary housing, help with finding permanent housing, help with registering for mandatory federal and provincial programs, orientation to the community, a service that includes providing contacts for safety and emergency services, introducing refugees to the city where they have settled, explaining public transportation, Canada's education and health care systems, Canadian laws and customs, and the local climate, personal finance help in areas such as budgeting, setting up a bank account and using debit and credit cards, basic "life skills" support for high needs clients, and referrals to other refugee programs. Canada provides income support under the RAP to eligible refugees who cannot pay for their own basic needs. Support can include a: one-time household start-up allowance, and monthly income support payment. The level of monthly financial support is generally based on the prevailing provincial social assistance rates in the province where the refugees settle. Financial support can last up to one year after a refugee arrives in Canada, or until they can support themselves, whichever occurs first. Did you find what you were looking for? unquote What kind of support do government-assisted refugees get? I do not know what percentage of asylum seekers are accepted and rejected.

Could be, but I doubt most of the MAGA people are worried about unskilled labour from Mexico. Most MAGA folks probably have good jobs and make reasonable wages. A lot of migrants likely do jobs that nobody else wants, like farm work, house keepers in hotels and motels, fast food jobs, and low paid labour jobs. Immigrants here seem to be doing most of the fast food jobs in Canada now, McDonalds, Burger King, A&W, and other places. I see a lot of them in those places. Probably the same in America.

The fact you call them with a derogatory term "illegal aliens", when a lot of them are likely refugees or born in the U.S., proves you are racist and biased.

" Refugee Statistics for Canadians Canada has welcomed over a million refugees since 1980. Between January 2023 and September 2023, Quebec processed almost half of all asylum claims in Canada. Most refugees in 2024 came from Ukraine, with a total of 75,119 for just that year. This was similar to the number of Ukrainian refugees in 2022 (75,098) and 2023 (75,055). Only 9% of refugees aged between 25 and 54 are unemployed. Refugees earn on average $20,000 in their first year in Canada. The average age of a refugee arriving in Canada in 2016 was 28.9 years. Nearly two-thirds of settled refugee families live in their own homes. unquote Refugee Statistics in Canada for 2025 | Made in CA

I don't see the relevance of those verses to the matter of deporting refugees. How is what is going on with mass arrests and deportations showing kindness and compassion to those less fortunate and in need?

I thought a lot of these MAGA people who voted for Trump were Christians. The way ICE is arresting and deporting as many migrants and refugees as possible seems contrary to what the Bible says. From what I have read on search engines most of these people are not criminals. I don't think people who cross the border without proper documentation, if they are refugees or fleeing from a bad situation, can be classified as criminals. quote What Does The Bible Say About Immigrants And Refugees Showing Compassion and Kindness In our faith journey, we find great teachings about showing compassion and kindness, especially towards immigrants and refugees. As followers of Christ, we are called to love others and to actively express that love through our actions. The Bible consistently encourages us to care for those who may be struggling, reminding us that compassion opens our hearts and enriches our communities. While we navigate our relationships, we must remember that everyone deserves dignity, support, and a sense of welcome among us. Exodus 22:21 “Do not mistreat or oppress a foreigner, for you were foreigners in Egypt. I am the LORD your God.” – Exodus 22:21 This verse encourages us to treat foreigners with respect, reminding us of our past. We are called to extend kindness since we, too, may have faced struggles. Deuteronomy 10:18-19 “He defends the cause of the fatherless and the widow, and loves the foreigner residing among you, giving them food and clothing. And you are to love those who are foreigners, for you yourselves were foreigners in Egypt. I am the LORD your God.” – Deuteronomy 10:18-19 In these verses, God commands us to love and care for immigrants, echoing the importance of empathy. Our own experiences can inform our ability to help those in need. Leviticus 19:34 “The foreigner residing among you must be treated as your native-born. Love them as yourself, for you were foreigners in Egypt. I am the LORD your God.” – Leviticus 19:34 This verse emphasizes equality and love. We are reminded to treat immigrants like family, which inspires inclusivity and acceptance in our communities. Psalms 146:9 “The LORD watches over the foreigner and sustains the fatherless and the widow, but he frustrates the ways of the wicked.” – Psalms 146:9 God’s watchful eye is on those in need, including immigrants. This promise reassures us that we must also stand with and support those who are vulnerable and seeking refuge. Matthew 25:35 “For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in.” – Matthew 25:35 unquote What Does The Bible Say About Immigrants And Refugees (31 Verses Explained) - Christianity Path Seems pretty clear how refugees are to be treated.

And the vast majority of gun crimes are committed by regular citizens. What do you think about the widespread possession of handguns and assault rifles and the 17,900 homicides a year by individuals who have these guns? What about the tens of thousands of suicides by guns?

You are trying to divert to Canadian crimes stats, but that is not what this is about. This is about undocumented migrants in the U.S. quote Compare Statistics of Crime Rates between Migrants and U.S. Citizens The statistics indicate that immigrants in the United States commit crimes at lower rates than the U.S.-born population, including unauthorized immigrants. Research shows that immigrants of all legal statuses commit crimes at lower rates than those who were born in the United States. National studies have examined incarceration rates and prosecutions of immigrants in the country, overwhelmingly finding that immigrants of all legal statuses commit crimes at lower rates than those who were born in the United States. Immigrants in the United States have had lower incarceration rates than the native-born population since at least 1870 (when such data were first recorded). In 2020, immigrants were 60 percent less likely to be incarcerated than the U.S. born, according to a study by the National Bureau of Economic Research. unquote

The truth is the vast majority of firearm's deaths in the U.S. are committed by Americans, not undocumented migrants. There are over 48,000 firearms deaths a year. 58% of gun deaths are suicides and 38% are homicides. in 2023 there were 17,900 homicides. "Two studies found that undocumented immigrants in Texas commit homicide at significantly lower rates than their U.S.-born counterparts." Fact Check: No evidence 4,000 people are killed yearly by undocumented immigrants | Reuters quote Key Stats & Facts About Illegal Immigration and Crime in the US 2025 Crime Statistic Value Source Violent Crime Convictions 469 CBP Criminal Database Homicide/Manslaughter Cases 15 Border Patrol Statistics Sexual Offense Convictions 89 Federal Criminal Records Assault/Domestic Violence 469 CBP Data Property Crime Convictions 278 Border Patrol Database Burglary Convictions 93 Federal Crime Data So the number of homicides in the U.S. in 2023 was 17,900 and the number of homicide/manslaughter cases according to the above chart done by illegal migrants was 15 in 2025. This was border patrol statistics. I am not sure what location that covers. The number for the whole country must be higher but I could not find the actual statistics for the whole country other than one website says it is less than 4,000. This shows the absurdity of DHS honouring the victims of illegal aliens and of Deluge posting such a thing. What about honouring the victims of the 17,900 murdered mainly by Americans in 2023? If you are concerned about homicide victims and murders, do something about the 48,000 gun deaths a year which included 17,900 homicides. The great majority were done by regular Americans. What do you expect when every person in the country is allowed to have assault rifles or carry handguns? There are hundreds of millions of guns in private hands in America. Of course many of them are going to use them. Many people are mentally disturbed and should not be allowed to own a gun. If you really cared about criminals committing murder and really cared about the victims, your country would do something about the hundreds of millions of guns in people's hands. That is absolute madness.

" The data is a tally of every person booked by ICE from Oct. 1 through May 31, part of which was during the Biden administration. It shows a total of 185,042 people arrested and booked into ICE facilities during that time; 65,041 of them have been convicted of crimes. The most common categories of crimes they committed were immigration and traffic offenses. Almost half of the people currently in ICE custody have neither been convicted of nor charged with any crime, other ICE data shows." -NBC News It won't allow me to copy and paste the URL for some reason. Of the remaining ones taken into custody, most were convicted of traffic offences and immigration offences, which are not serious offences. They don't meet the definition of criminal offences. The attempt to portray this thing as arresting vast numbers of serious criminals is obviously a fake narrative to appease the MAGA base. So most of these people arrested were because of immigration and traffic offenses. This is obviously just an excuse to meet a quota of numbers of people deported. Very few murderers and rapists. Why not deport the murderers and rapists who are actually U.S. citizens? They would get rid of a lot of the serious criminals. They pay some of these little countries to accept these migrants. I am sure those countries would take U.S. citizens who were serious criminals if their countries received payment for it. This expensive Trump / MAGA deportation effort will not bring the crime rate down, but they will loose a lot of workers that pay taxes and contribute to the economy.

Look on the top right corner of the screen and click on your pseudonym, LinkSoul60. Then look down the list and you will see the words Ignore List. Click on that. You will find a place to put his pseudonym in and you can choose posts and messages or whatever things you want to put on the ignore list.

User continually told me I was lying about almost everything I said. I found the best solution was to put him on IGNORE. Works for me.

We witness on here people posting articles with fake claims by DHS about how they are ridding America of criminal "illegal aliens", but this is a gross exaggeration and misinformation. quote Undocumented Immigrant Offending Rate Lower Than U.S.-Born Citizen Rate Analysis of Texas arrest records indicates a consistent trend across violent, drug, property, and traffic offenses between 2012 and 2018. September 12, 2024 An NIJ-funded study examining data from the Texas Department of Public Safety estimated the rate at which undocumented immigrants are arrested for committing crimes. The study found that undocumented immigrants are arrested at less than half the rate of native-born U.S. citizens for violent and drug crimes and a quarter the rate of native-born citizens for property crimes. [1] The question of how often undocumented immigrants commit crimes is not easy to answer. Most previous research on crime commission by immigrant populations has been unable to differentiate undocumented immigrants from documented immigrants. As a result, most studies treat all immigrants as a uniform group, regardless of whether they are in the country legally. The estimates in this study come from Texas criminal records that include the immigration status of everyone arrested in the state from 2012 to 2018. These data enabled researchers to separate arrests for crimes committed by undocumented immigrants from those committed by documented immigrants and native-born U.S. citizens. (For more detail on the study’s data sources and methodology, see the sidebar “ What Makes the Texas Data Unique?”) The researchers tracked these three groups’ arrest rates across seven years (2012-2018) and examined specific types of crime, including homicides and other violent crimes. https://nij.ojp.gov/topics/articles/undocumented-immigrant-offending-rate-lower-us-born-citizen-rate [2] They used 1/7 these arrest rates as proxies for the rates of crime commission for the three groups. It should be noted that arrest is a commonly used, but imperfect measure of crime that in part reflects law enforcement activity rather than actual offending rates. During this time, undocumented immigrants had the lowest offending rates overall for both total felony crime (see exhibit 1) and violent felony crime (see exhibit 2) compared to other groups. U.S.-born citizens had the highest offending rates overall for most crime types, with documented immigrants generally falling between the other two groups. Exhibit 1.Total felony crime offending rates in Texas for U.S.-born citizens, documented. unquote Undocumented Immigrant Offending Rate Lower Than U.S.-Born Citizen Rate | National Institute of Justice quote Despite its centrality to public and political discourse, we lack even basic information on fundamental questions regarding undocumented immigrants and crime. This stems largely from data constraints. Going beyond existing research, we utilize data from the Texas Department of Public Safety, which checks and records the immigration status of all arrestees throughout the state. Contrary to public perception, we observe considerably lower felony arrest rates among undocumented immigrants compared to legal immigrants and native-born US citizens and find no evidence that undocumented criminality has increased in recent years. Our findings help us understand why the most aggressive immigrant removal programs have not delivered on their crime reduction promises and are unlikely to do so in the future. unquote Comparing crime rates between undocumented immigrants, legal immigrants, and native-born US citizens in Texas - PMC Crime rates lower among undocumented immigrants than US natives Immigrants are significantly less likely to commit crimes than the U.S.-born - Northwestern Now So if U.S. citizens are the ones committing more crimes, then maybe the answer is to find a place to send them outside the U.S. That would reduce the crime rate and possibly save taxpayers a lot of money.

This OP is a fake article based on a fake claim about "illegal aliens". It is kind of like the Nazis lies about the Jews to justify the Holocaust. Obviously they are trying to justify the raids and deportation of migrants. quote Undocumented Immigrant Offending Rate Lower Than U.S.-Born Citizen Rate Analysis of Texas arrest records indicates a consistent trend across violent, drug, property, and traffic offenses between 2012 and 2018. September 12, 2024 An NIJ-funded study examining data from the Texas Department of Public Safety estimated the rate at which undocumented immigrants are arrested for committing crimes. The study found that undocumented immigrants are arrested at less than half the rate of native-born U.S. citizens for violent and drug crimes and a quarter the rate of native-born citizens for property crimes. unquote Undocumented Immigrant Offending Rate Lower Than U.S.-Born Citizen Rate | National Institute of Justice Trump MAGA type don't want to know the truth so it is actually a waste of time talking to them. Maybe the rest of America would be more interested in knowing the truth. A simple search on the internet will reveal the truth.

Luther led the greatest revolution in 1,500 years that set a large part of mankind free from false Christianity.

Perhaps, but still factual. Don't forget AI must still be programmed by men or women. It doesn't pull facts out of thin air. So it's all still facts.

That is reality. Do a little search for evidence Bible is true. You will find lots of evidence. Where one spends eternity depends on it. This is no small matter. It's your choice. Nobody is forced to believe it.