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I think you are correct: we do agree more than we disagree. As for His criteria? I suppose we could look at Matthew 7:21 ("Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven."). True. We will each of us be judged individually. And I don't think we need to worry much about what criteria He will be using to judge others, just those He uses to judge us as individuals. Well, that is its primary purpose. I also think it functions as "Exhibit A" in the truth claims of Joseph Smith and the Church itself. If the book is what it claims to be (the "antecedent"), then certain "consequents" follow. Sill a matter of faith, of course. But answering if the Church is what it claims to be is, I think, going to come down to the book as a testament, an authentic testament, of Jesus Christ. We do agree on a lot. I am glad of that. Thanks, -Smac
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Society started changing the laws around 2013 in California when it started to allow transgender people to use the bathrooms of their choice. So if "society got along fine without such laws", then why was that law necessary (technically it was a statewide school administrative decision so not a law passed by legislature but is pretty similar in effect). It was then 2014 when the first law was attempted to restrict bathrooms to the sex, pretty much in reaction to the 2013 change. So doesn't that seem like the start of this whole bathroom battle was the change to society to allow transgender in bathrooms and people are just trying to get back to how society was previously. Female specific bathrooms is a fairly new invention. In the Victorian and earlier, women didn't have toilets that they could use in public. They had to stay pretty near their homes. The creation of female public bathrooms is considered to have helped with emancipating women and letting them get out in the public. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flush_toilets_at_the_Great_Exhibition has a quote "It has been argued by Prof. Clara Greed that the lack of such toilets in the Victorian era was actually intentional, and a mechanism to control the movement of woman and exclude them from public spaces." A term used for this is "urinal leash" where women were leashed to their homes because there were no toilets available for them. I think the reason we didn't have "bathroom laws" before 2013 was because we lived with a societal code: If you were a man, you used the men's toilets. And if you were a woman, you used the women's toilet. And if you were transgender, you didn't tell anyone and tried to use the toilet that you felt comfortable. But now, we have laws that allow people who look like men to use the women's toilet and people who look like women to use the men's toilet. So the societal code has broken down and there are people who are afraid that the change in the societal code could be dangerous. Maybe we'll go back to having the "urinal leash"?
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I think we agree on much more than we disagree. I have a different view of John 14: 6 perhaps. I believe that verse is stating a simple fact. No one will come to the Father but by Christ as the judge on the Day of Judgment. He is the judge and jury. He makes the decision, so yes we will "come" to the Father by (or through Christ). He is the decider in chief. The question is what will His criteria be? That is where my uncertainty comes to the foreground. I don't believe the Bible gives us the criteria given the vast disparity of billions of living people over the millennia. I still can't quite figure out what the Book of Mormon claims to be beyond another testament of Jesus Christ. I stipulate that it is that. I am with you on all your certainties and uncertainties in your list. I am certain that the LDS church is a Christian church, filled with some who are themselves Christians and others who are not, just like any other Church. Being a Christian is an individual thing; I am pretty certain of that. Will there be non-Christians (in this life) who Christ will welcome into the presence of the Father? Yes, I think so. That is where the wideness in His mercy part comes in. Best wishes.
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I don't think Peter Enns teaches with certainty that certainty is a sin. I think he teaches that it can be sinful. No, I am not certain the LDS are wrong in their beliefs. I just don't worry about it. My wife and I were just talking about all the folks in Tibet-Nepal border area who died in the flood. Probably less than 1% of them Christians of any kind. Am I worried for their eternal destiny? Not really. I believe in a wideness in God's mercy. They will all appear on that day in front of Christ since no man (or woman) cometh unto the Father but by Him. He will be a loving and just judge. I leave them in his hands.
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I was thinking about Dario today! People come and go. It seems like many have gone. I thought you might be one of those, Dario. Anyway Dario, what is on your mind?
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SCOTUS Decision: Ban on "Talk" Conversion Therapy is Unconstitutional
smac97 replied to smac97's topic in General Discussions
You don’t seem to care about objections (in the sense of adapting your preferred approach) from any trans advocacy group, I'm not sure why you would say that. I may not agree with much of what "trans advocacy" organizations have to say, but I certainly want to listen and give them their due consideration. In that sense, I do "care." I do see it as a "weakness." CB's proposal contradicts a number of what I think are the basic tenets of "trans" ideology, as well as the advocacy organizations that seek to present and entrench and enforce them in society. To stake out a position based on ideology, and then immediately formulate a proposal that fundamentally undercuts the basic tenets of that ideology, is - in my view - not a very strong position. Thanks, -Smac -
But it does when used to create onlys and others. I am still working on understanding your perspective here. John 14:6 - "Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me." Acts 4:12 - “Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.” 1 Timothy 2:5 — “For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus.” John 10:9 — “I am the door: by me if any man enter in, he shall be saved.” John 10:7–8 — “I am the door of the sheep. All that ever came before me are thieves and robbers.” Was Jesus here "creat{ing} onlys and others" in John 14:6? Were His apostles doing that in the other passages? To be sure, given your experience, I can see how a poor sampling of Latter-day Saint culture has treated sacred matters as things to be bragged about or used to disparage others. I am very sorry that happened. I do not think what the Latter-day Saints said to your wife was an accurate representation or reflection or application of the teachings of the Church. Don't all Christians say that "only" Jesus saves? As for "certainty," I think it is more apt to say that "we walk by faith, not by sight" (2 Corinthians 5:7). There may be some very few persons who can legitimately claim to have epistemic "certainty" of certain sacred matters. For most of us, though, we believe. We have faith. That faith can, over time, perhaps be tested and strengthened to the extent that a person may claim "certainty" of some things. In contrast, there are some rhetorical conventions in the Church which, while well-intended, are the product more of culture and repetitive experiences than actual, studied faith. Hence when a ten year old girl stands up in Fast & Testimony meeting and says (recites, really) "I'd like to bear my testimony I know this church is true...", I admit I entertain the possibility that this young person has indeed had some fantastic spiritual experience that has removed all doubt, but also the possibility that she has incorporated a stock phrase she has heard several times as a workable formulated expression of faith, and in which "know" means "strongly believe." Anyway, "blind spots." Yes, we all have them. I quite agree with you there. None at all? John 14:6 seems to indicate that those who affirmatively refuse to accept Jesus Christ's atonement will not be the beneficiaries of it. Isn't that a pretty big criterion? Perhaps the most fundamental and almost exclusive one? I too value incertitude, because is gives us the opportunity to thresh our beliefs and differentiate between what we believe in with "certainty" or much potency, and what we believe in as matters for which uncertainty is the byword. Jesus Christ as the Son of God? I strive for certainty on that point. Obedience to the commandments as an expression of faith in Christ? I strive for certainty on that point. Repentance as an essential component of daily life? I strive for certainty on that point. Is the Book of Mormon what is claims to be? I strive for certainty on that point. Was Noah's flood global or local? I don't know. Uncertainty/incertitude governs that question (though I lean to the latter). Was Job a real person or not? Uncertainty/incertitude. Were the conquest of Canaan and the slaughter of the Amalekites divinely mandated as depicted in the OT? Perhaps. Lots of uncertainty/incertitude. Has God ever mandated polygamy? Apparently, but I struggle with it. Uncertainty. Unearned or false certainty likely is. But maybe certainty can happen in some limited respects. "Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth" (John 16:13). I don't know. Frankly, I'm not sure it is always incumbent upon us to pursue "certainty" where faith and obedience are sufficient to carry the day. It is a good thought, and one I endorse and share. Thanks, -Smac
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Isn’t being certain that certainty is a sin or even just wrong contradictory with holding a position of incertitude? ” I have no certainty on what criteria Christ will base his judgment about the eternal destiny of those who appear before Him. ” Are you not certain LDS are wrong in their beliefs about ordinances and authority being required by God as part of our covenant to enter back into his presence? Neither do we. In the end it will be those who want to be of the family of God (those exalted will be of the Church of the Firstborn, the Restored Church is merely a mortal vehicle as should be obvious from the inclusion of “Latter-day” in the name since eternity has no “latter days”, only mortality) and those that don’t. “The faithful saints were made members of the Church of the Firstborn in eternity, since they receive through Jesus Christ the inheritance of the firstborn (D&C 93:21–22).” https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/scriptures/bd/firstborn?lang=eng
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SCOTUS Decision: Ban on "Talk" Conversion Therapy is Unconstitutional
Calm replied to smac97's topic in General Discussions
You don’t seem to care about objections (in the sense of adapting your preferred approach) from any trans advocacy group, so not seeing why you bring this up for others’ POV as if it’s a weakness. -
But it does when used to create onlys and others. Using the Johari Window as a valid construct, many of my LDS friends have huge blind spots. As do virtually all religious groups who base their doctrine on certainty and onlyism. I have no certainty on what criteria Christ will base his judgment about the eternal destiny of those who appear before Him. I value incertitude because it gives greater meaning to my faith in Christ as impartial judge. I also am replete with my own blind spots which I freely admit. I also have my own hidden quadrant in my life's Johari Window. I might not go so far as Peter Enns, the Evangelical scholar, in declaring certainty as a sin. However, I do believe in a wideness in God's mercy and trust Christ's judgment in that final day. I do not believe there will be Mormons, Moravians, Muslims, Methodists and Mennonites at the judgment seat. I believe there will be humans there, judged by an all-wise and benevolent judge. That might be a good thought for you with your lawyer mentality. Best wishes.
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This seems to be quite vague and subjective. It can be deployed to describe almost anything. How do we go about quantifying what is and is not "symbolic violence?" For example, when Christians declare that Jesus is the sole source of salvation, do you take that as "symbolic violence" leveled against non-Christians? How do we know when a thing "goes beyond disagreement?" In this context, for example, the Church presents, as a foundational truth claim, that angelic ministers descended from heaven and restored priesthood authority that had previously been lost from the earth. This is a teaching that, while public, is not really publicized. It's an important doctrinal principle, as disagreements over authority have long impeded professed Christian groups and individuals in various ways. It's in our belief system, and it's in our manuals and missionary lessons, but we don't go around and publicly flaunt it or brag about it. If two people separately approach a house, one of them being a police officer with a search warrant for the house (looking for weapons) and the other being a private citizen who keeps tabs on things in the neighborhood, one of them has legal authority to enter into the house, and one of them does not. The civilian genuinely feels cares for the welfare of his neighbors, and that is admirable, but it's not the same as actually having law enforcement authority. I don't think it is "symbolic violence" to say so. That "if" is doing a lot of heavy lifting. The Latter-day Saints believe that the "Light of Christ" influences, or can influence, every child of God. We also believe that the Spirit can and does move and influence people of every walk of life. We do have a particularized assessment of the "Gift of the Holy Ghost" as referenced in Acts 2:38 and Acts 10:45. Acts 2:38 associates it with baptism, and so with priesthood authority. We believe such authority is something that must be bestowed by those who have it and under proper authority. And we do invite anyone who wants to join our church to do so through baptism. I struggle to characterize this as "symbolic violence." I am sorry to hear this has happened. "{W}hen we undertake to cover our sins, or to gratify our pride, our vain ambition, or to exercise control or dominion or compulsion upon the souls of the children of men, in any degree of unrighteousness, behold, the heavens withdraw themselves; the Spirit of the Lord is grieved; and when it is withdrawn, Amen to the priesthood or the authority of that man." (D&C 121:37.) I can't formulate a good faith circumstance in which the above behavior is expressed. It ought not to be. Gratifying pride and vain ambitions, methinks. I'm sorry about that. Also worthwhile tools to avert conflict: humility, kindness, circumspection. The Third Convention was a very interesting chapter in the history of the Church: And here: The question of authority is interesting and important. It is not in any way intended to demean or disparage any group or person. Thanks, -Smac
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SCOTUS Decision: Ban on "Talk" Conversion Therapy is Unconstitutional
smac97 replied to smac97's topic in General Discussions
I think it is. You want to eliminate, either de jure or de facto or both, women's spaces by letting anyone into them. That is "something new and radical." I don't know that any of this is "incumbent" on me. This is, after all, just a message board. And your say-so about "zero evidence" is just an assertion. And whether the Kansas law was "needed" is a matter of perspective and preference and policy. This is the kind of statement that makes it hard for me to take you seriously. That biological sex is not observed, and that it is instead voted on or "assigned" by a doctor, is "something new and radical." And probably 99.98% of the time, the doctor correctly identifies the child's biological sex. What the doctor does is not a "judgment call." A judgment call is a subjective decision or choice made using personal opinion and experience because there is no clear rule, fixed formula, or single right answer. The doctor looking at the baby is working off objective criteria (external sex characteristics), not subjective ones. I don't think that is how "assigned at birth" means. I think what is typically meant is this: a doctor (or midwife) looked at the newborn and recorded a sex on the record, and they want that recording treated as a bureaucratic label rather than an observation of the child. I think the gap between us is that you seem to think that what a doctor does is subjective and/or arbitrary (a "judgment call"). I don't think that. If I say "black licorice tastes great," that is a judgment call. This is not akin to what a doctor is doing because a child's biological sex is an objective fact, not a subjective opinion. If I say "California borders on the Pacific Ocean," that is not a "judgment call," and is instead a statement of fact that I am acknowledging. My say-so does not alter the reality of what is being observed. This is akin to what a doctor is doing because a child's biological sex is an objective fact, not a subjective opinion. In very rare circumstances, yes. That means the doctor's declaration of the child's biological sex was factually incorrect. It does not mean that biological sex is subjective or left to the discretion of the doctor to choose. Right. But again, "assigned at birth" is intended to man a doctor (or midwife) looked at the newborn and recorded a sex on the record, and they want that recording treated as a bureaucratic label rather than an observation of the child. I do not think I said this. I have made allowances for the exceedingly small number of persons with DSDs and whose biological sex is insuperably epistemically uncertain. Emily Quinn is, as I understand it, an XY person with complete androgen insensitivity (CAIS). That is a disorder of sex development in a male reproductive pathway. Exceedingly rare exceptions to the rule, yes. Well, no. Your proposal has the exception swallow the rule. My maintains the rule. I don't think males who "identify" as women can rely on an exception/exemption for persons with DSDs as a basis for opening women's bathrooms to everyone. But they are exceedingly rare. And they have no relevance to so-called "trans women" who do not have a DSD. Lia Thomas. Lily Tino. Dylan Mulvaney. Drag Queen Story Hours and drag shows with children in attendance. All very public. All really trying to garner attention. As for "winning issue," I'm not sure what that means. I think men should not be in women's bathrooms, changing rooms, sports or prisons. Publicized incidents in which men have accessed these spaces openly are fairly new. I think "trans" issues have garnered a lot of attention. Outside of the few threads such as this, I think very little about the topic. I do feel that there is much harm coming from this movement, both to adults and children. At its most fundamental level, the movement affirms deluded, incongruent-with-reality notions that a man can "become" a woman by "identifying" as one, that sex is a spectrum and not a binary, that biological sex is "assigned" by a doctor, that expressing suicidal ideation as a basis for obtaining sex trait modification procedures is legitimate, and that anyone who disagrees or questions these assertions, even in communications full of respect, civility and decorum, is a "bigot." I think advocates of trans ideology have done, and continue to do, a lot of harm to a lot of people. Not just those with Gender Dysphoria, but their family members and friends and co-workers who effectively feel coerced into complimenting the Emperor's New Clothes, or else lose their association, be called a "bigot," be accused of trying trans people to suicide ("Would you rather have a live daughter or a dead son" is at or near the apex of emotional blackmail and manipulation of parents). Lily Tino and Lia Thomas and Dylan Mulvaney and marchers in parades, and demonstrators/protesters, and so on are all actively courting public attention, and they are getting some. I think this point could have been made without attempting to distract and personalize. You persist in personalizing. I don't watch Fox News. I occasionally come across links to its content, but no more than CNN, MSNow, and so on. Thanks, -Smac ETA: Regarding taking each other seriously (about biological sex being assigned or not), I remembered posting this a while back: The "Letter to the Editor" responses to the above article mostly from medical professionals were . . . pretty frank. Here's an example (emphases added): Another (emphasis added): Another (emphases added): Another (emphases added): Another: Another: Another (emphases added): Much of the foregoing commentary seems to contravene some of the most foundational precepts in popular and trendy narratives about "trans" ideology. And the people speaking here have all sorts of medical credentials after their names. "{T}he alteration of language and the falsified understanding of biological sex, applied to all people, is the result of extreme activism which is increasing societal hostility towards trans people." I see this as what I am observing in many instances: altering language, falsifying understanding of biological sex, and doing these things by way of "extreme activism" or the influence thereof. "Alpert and colleagues report in a BMJ Editorial 5th June 2021 that characteristics of external genitalia at birth are 98% accurate in defining sex at birth. They go on to say that these are ‘flawed constructs’ around sex assigned at birth. Never before have I heard of a test with 98% sensitivity being regarded as a ‘fl[aw]ed construct’." Biological sex is observed, not "assigned." This ought not be controversial, but not only is it, anyone who affirms it is denounced as a "bigot." "It is true that different authors, mainly related to the ideology of gender post-feminism and from philosophical dialectics, have been affirming for years that biological sex is an artificial construction that must be discarded. Nonetheless, it is a serious danger that, on a clinical and healthcare level, a piece of data that is biological is relativized." This. There are people "relativizing" biological sex, portraying it as something subjective and arbitrary, and therefore changeable. "It is false that the sex assigned to a human being at birth is an invention or social construction, devoid of reality. On the contrary, we are facing a verifiable fact, not only by the physiognomy of some genitalia, but also by genetic evidence provided by analytics, etc." Again, this seems to be axiomatic, on par with "water is wet" and "circles are round." And yet here we are, watching people sincerely and with a straight face declare that biological sex is "assigned to a human being at birth." "{C}onsidering the sex assigned at birth as a social construction contradicts the autonomy of the person (based on complete and real information), and also the normalization of trans people. In reality, denying that transgender people have a biological sex at birth is stripping their own requests for gender reassignment of foundations." I think this is correct. "I am baffled by the idea of referring to 'sex assigned at birth'. Sex is an inbuilt biological characteristic, like eye colour, blood group or the number of fingers one has - it is discovered at birth (or, in some cases, prenatally), not 'assigned'. ... Transgender people, like everyone else, deserve to be treated with dignity and respect but this in no way means that downgrading or ignoring sex as a cardinal feature of someone's biology makes any sense." "Assigned at birth." "Sex is a spectrum." "Sex is a social construct." "A woman is anyone who 'identifies' as one." "Trans women are women." And so on. These are factually and linguistically incoherent claims, but anyone who disagrees with them at all is denounced as a "bigot." I have long taken you seriously as a person. I think you are quite smart and articulate and well-educated and well-informed on a variety of issues. Taking you seriously is a rather easy thing to do. The difficulty comes when you stray into areas in which, in my view, ideological capture has caused you to say things that just aren't so. I'm not speaking of differences of opinion or taste or belief. I am, instead, speaking of things that are empirically and obviously true, and which you nevertheless deny. In any event, I do appreciate you sharing your perspective here. Thanks, -Smac - Yesterday
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I don’t understand this reasoning. Can you clarify? If you made a pagan cry because you asserted that Jesus is the Christ rather than affirming their own beliefs, then you would be being committing symbolic violence towards that pagan? Also, are you saying that the best way to have faith is to abstain from all certainty? So the best way to have faith in Christ is to remain uncertain that He is the Christ, for example? That seems like a paradox considering some of the things you have asserted previously so I must be missing something.
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I am a big fan of Bourdieu and his concept of "symbolic violence" as a true form of violence. It is something similar to the idea of "soul wounds" which epigenetics takes such an interest in. Bourdieu's symbolic violence can be defined (online at least) as "Pierre Bourdieu defines symbolic violence as a subtle, non‑physical form of domination in which the dominated unknowingly accept and legitimize social hierarchies through everyday meanings, norms, and classifications. It operates through misrecognition, habitus, and cultural capital, making inequalities appear natural rather than arbitrary. While this is a bit long-winded, it speaks to the kind of violence created within religious inequities and domination created by doctrinal or dogma norms. It goes beyond disagreement in that it makes the dominated "less than" or "the other" according to a church or individual. If, for example I, as a seventy-year Christian, am deemed as having zero likelihood of being able to access the Gift of the Holy Spirit in my life within my own Christian community, then I am relegated to being less than every baptized and confirmed member of the LDS Church on earth. Probably not two in ten members of the LDS church would acknowledge that as doing me violence, yet I have seen my dear wife come home in tears after being assured of the truth and certainty of the LDS doctrine that however godly she may appear, she does not know the fullness of the Gift of the Holy Spirit, and they do. They would determine this, not based on her own spirituality, but on their own doctrine, which trumps what they see in her. This is a prime example of religion as conflict, which can be averted by a nice dose of incertitude, which in reality is a great foundation for faith, probably better than certainty. The protest of the Third Convention Mexican members of the Church in the 1930s is another example of religious violence - in this case better characterized as "protest violence." Protest violence is not physical violence except in that it is manifested with the feet - in leaving. It can be considered violence to the perpetrator as well as to the Church. Interesting stuff. That is it for now. Best wishes.
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Romans are a refugee civilization and they integrated every belief they found. Like Eastern called Ostern in german, based on the celtic goddess of fertility called Osteia. That is why a rabbit hides eggs. The rabbit is fertile and the eggs are a sign of fertility. Also lets be "gay" for a moment which didn't mean homosexual in the old days as you can see here: It stood for happiness. Now I sadly can't tell you in an open forum about the Swastika... but look up its history.
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Ancient Romans, who say they are remnants of the Trojan empire, have a remarkable history. Rome is called the eternal city for a reason. The roman empire was brought to its knees 4 times. The legions killed and the gates blown open... and yet the holy man of Rome stepped outside and told the invaders to go home and 4 times it worked. The staff of the pope... it has a symbol on it. A pine cone and that stands for the pineal gland and fluoride which is inside tap water cripples it. I do not brush teeth and have no teeth problems. Not the prettiest white but healthy. Anyway it makes sense that they cripple it because according to the CIA Uri Geller is a reality. Also as a child you have stronger dreams because your pinieal gland is healthy. The hat of the pope is also peculiar. Myth has it that it represents the fish god Dagon. And well the christian symbol is a fish! I was an intelligence soldier. I see patterns inside noise, its what I was trained for. The CIA also declassified parts of Thomas Chan's The story of Adam and Eve. Fascinating stuff. I am now reading the story of Aeneis. The troyan prince that founded Rome according to the legend. Also Paris is named after... a Troyan prince? And I read that the King of Londinium was called Brutus of Troy and wrote a letter to Ceasar about both being of Troyan origin... About the 4 times that Rome fell: Brennus Huns Goths Carthago
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Looks like Dario has stored up some ideas since last he posted, but is having a problem starting anew thread even in Social, so here’s one for him.
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I also did some research on Santa Clause. A german youtuber going by the name DieZuversicht has been telling a lot of facts. Santa Clause is not an invention of Coca Cola. But comes from Sibiria. The Christmas tree is a Nordmann Tanne, the right kind of tree grows in Scandinavia and Sibiria. The flying sled is from Odin. The color is most peculiar. Red and white. Like the psychedelic mushroom that grows in sibiria where the raindeer live. And legend has it that children are given presents taht are put under the tree because we used to give mushrooms to children that grow below the Nordmann Tanne. The wicked children however received coal. Because they would have a bad trip. That is why Schmutzli the companion of Santa has black skin. He is actually some other color but black because he takes care of the coal. Now my mother reminded me of the most interesting thing. Italians do NOT believe in Santa but La Befana. That is a whitch which showed the 3 kings according to legend the way to the newly born baby Christ. And there even is a book from a US American that tells us that all of Christianity is about Magic mushrooms. Google it. John Marco Allegro. La Befana does the same stuff Santa does, and the catholic church tries to rid the world of her... because she is non canon. But so are the ethipian books that have been discovered. Mel Gibson is making a second Jesus movie about them. And they used to be part of christianity until Catholics kicked it out and buried it in the library.
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Oh I should also mention, I found an old christian book from 1682. Printed in modern times but still. Its John Bunyan "the holy war". This book is about the war over mans soul. The king of man's soul is called El Shaddai and the enemy is Diabolus. Not about the crusades in the holy land. And most of its text are bible phrases. Now, from my understanding your mormon handshakes and temple practices are partially or somewhat similar to freemasonry. Freemasons "believe in some god" and I heard they are the remnants of Zoroastrism. That makes sense to me. Walter Elias Disney was one as was Washington and so forth. The USA, is a freemason country, just have to look at Washington DC. Anyway, Christmas used to be the celebration of the Sun god. The story of Christ is found in many ancient religions, but with a different name. The 24th of December was never the true date of when Jesus was born. It was declared the day of celebration. And the orthodox have a different date. The jews even live in a different year than us. Your apostles or highest leader may know more. But listen, be wary of the "voices". I always had a godly but not holy feeling when touching or reading in your book. There is something godly about it yes but which god is it? Now I was not long gone in a psychiatric ward, put into an isolation cell because I yelled when there was a goal in football world cup. They put me into an isolation day for 6 days straight. Worse than a concentration camp. I had no pillow. No shower. I was given a yoghurt without a spoon. The doctor laughed at me when I defied his wickedness. On the 5th day I was about to mentally crack so I tried to write a prayer... but I had no streangth to write with this dull pencil that I was given. So I prayed... the way I was told by my mother. On my knees the Vater Unser. And afterwards I pleaded to Jesus and god to help me in my struggle. I may even cried out: Father, why have you forsaken me! That is the sentence Jesus said right before his death. And right after, a storm and an earthquake hit the temple of the jews. So goes the legend. Anyway I did hear a faint but pure and gentle voice coming from the heart. It told me... well it was weak I think it said to stay calm and believe. I did that. And see and behold on the 6th day I was let out of my cell. Since then I devoted myself fully to god and Jesus Christ. And I had one encounter after another where I could do good deeds. But I also... provoked Zion by writing a mail to the ambassador. I think it struck a nerve. I will gladly share it to those who want to see it via mail. Anyway the deeds I did since then was helping the homeless, giving faith to those who have lost it and I see the world improving a little. Coincidences keep happening. I listen to Linkin Park and see a crying woman in a Linkin Park T-shirt. So I go and help her. And thanks to my faith and conviction... it worked out well it seemed. I am becoming like Hiob. I have found a good wife yes but I am loosing more wealth day by day and the trials are getting harder and yet my resolve my conviction and faith and well being have never been higher. Maybe less is more. Maybe full devotion to Christ can be the way... The plot thickens. We live in remarkable times is all I am saying.
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The basic way you continue to misrepresent my position is by claiming I advocate for something new and radical. That just isn’t true. What I'm claiming is that there is zero evidence that the new 2026 law in Kansas was needed. It is incumbent upon you to show why this new law is needed and explain why this law does more good than harm. This is the kind of statement that makes it hard for me to take you seriously. When a child is born, a doctor quickly examines them and makes a call on whether to put an “F” or “M” on the birth certificate. Making that judgement call is what it means to “assign” a sex to somebody. I’m sure you’re aware of this. I don’t understand why you are adamant that it is impossible for a doctor to do what they do every single time they fill out a birth certificate. Furthermore, doctors sometimes get this wrong. Emily Quinn is an example. When he was born, his doctor thought the “observable fact” was that he is female. It turns out the doctor was mistaken--biologically, the baby was male, not female. He is a male who was assigned to the sex “female” at birth. First, note that earlier in this thread, you said that some men should use the women’s restroom. An example you gave is Emily Quinn. Emily Quinn is a man. That is the hard, cold, biological fact of the matter. Yet you are okay with him using the women’s restroom. So we both agree that there are cases when biological men should use the women’s restroom. What we disagree about is the edge cases: where the line should be drawn, and who should make those calls. These edge cases aren’t recent. What actually is recent is culture warriors deciding this is a winning issue and constantly throwing it in your face. The only reason you know who Lily Tino or Lily Thomas are is because the people who curate your news want this to be an issue. Just because Fox News only recently started publicizing this doesn’t mean it’s a new issue.
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Oh I forgot to mention. Cristina wants to solve one last issue, the love of a bolshevik boy and a christian girl wanting to mary. She fears that they may go and do suicide because nobody in town agrees with their love. In the end they go to the river and almost succeed but the town overcomes its differences and saves the couple in the spirit of Cristina.
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In the first or second movie is the most heart touching story I could think of. It is about Madame Cristina. An old woman which has solved problems in the town ever since and was a teacher so she knows them all since childhood. On her deathbed she demands from them both to be buried with her flag, the flag of the long gone king. And her coffin to be transported through town in silence covered in the flag. This is a major offence to the church and the bolsheviks but because they both love her so much they overrule the democratic council and enforce her last wish. Also please pray for the young woman that died in Aarau recently. We had a mass shooting incident. The 22 year old christian girl from Italy was poor and had a hard life and did not deserve death. But... as I prayed for her I felt... holy... please pray for her for she is now with Jesus in heaven and her mom and dad have to bury her... it breaks my heart. And I feel responsible in a way that I can't explain. I meet so many young woman on facebook these days... and all of them have an onlyfans... what is happening in this world... I read in the news that psychiatrists are ringing the alarm bell because woman dream of rape because they read "spicey" books... keep your children safe and forgive them if they ever wrong you for the world is truely going dark. Also I pray for Vinnie Paz the rapper. Keep moving on is playing as I write this. Good man.
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The 5 Don Camillo movies are a cultural treasure and have brought me back to Christendom after a deep crisis. He and the Bolshevik major fight but also are friends because of their past as soldiers in WW2 AFAIK. Also do not underestimate duality. I have always been a horny pervert who was into whores... so I read the Whore of Babylon first and what I read inspired me to read it all. The more you descend into darkness the more attracted you become to the light.
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Make of this what you will but I see it as soft disclosure The planet is called Tiamat and it may be the asteroid belt. Chinese may be from Deneb. One of the levels is in Egypt. Also read up on The law of One. It is available but you have to look it up with russian google called Yandex.com to find the website. Enter Jesus into the searchbar of the website about it. The "contact" tells us about Jesus accidentaly causing death of a child when he was a child himself...
