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Originally posted by govtlawyer:
... it is not for non-Christians to tell Christians what Christians should or should not do AS Christians. A non-Christian has no authority or standing in that area as would a fellow brother or sister in Christ.

... And, what I've said above is also different from questioning a person about their faith because they are seeking to know more about the faith. Such as, "Why do you believe Jesus is the only way to God?" or "Why do Buddhists do XYZ?"

But, for a non-Christian/Jew/Muslim to say, "I don't think Christians/Jews/Muslims should vote, drink wine, ice skate, watch that TV program, buy a new couch, be in public office, because it is obviously against their beliefs..." well, that non-Christian/Jew/Muslim is really without authority to be making those statements.

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(NOTE: also in a kind voice):

Although my approach may seem to fall into that last category, I really want to fall into the second. As an aspiring Christain I want to find fellowship and common ground. What prevents me from joining any Christian church is the disparity that I perceive between what is written in the Bible and what is actually practiced.

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I think Vine's Dictionary has a good definition for the meaning of "world" in the verses you mention, PEGASUS: "the present condition of human affairs in alienation from and opposition to God." "Worldy" in other words.

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I agree here, with an emphasis on opposition to God. And I agree that many things today are a matter of conscience. But isn't a Christian's conscience molded by biblical principles and concepts? I see a theme in the Bible from Genesis 3:5 onward, man trying to be like God. And not just in the sense of knowing good and evil but in the sense of having the power and admiration due God, usurping God's rightful sovereignty, manifested in political-mindedness. Of course God will not stand for such behavior forever. I've listed some of the verses that I think support this theme:

All of Psalms 2, especially verses 9-12.
All of Psalms 110, especially verses 5-6.
All of Isaiah 40, especially verses 15, 17, and 21-24.
All of Jeremiah 10, especially verses 2-3, 10, 23, and 25.
1 Corinthians 2:6.
Revelation 6:15-17.

And some verses that I feel exhort Christians to resist political entrapments:

Leviticus 20:23.
Mark 13:9.
Ephesians 6:12.
1 Peter 2:9.
Acts 4:25-27. A reiteration of the opening of Psalms 2 showing political opposition to God.
2 Corinthians 6:14-18. How can one "come out and be separate" and "touch no unclean thing" if one gets involved in politics?

I'd truly like to know what you make of the preceeding verses, in particular how God views man's efforts to govern himself and how God's will may be done on earth regarding the "nations". What I see is God warning His people away from political entanglements.

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Originally posted by cassandra:
Funny landlord story:
... a man from the electric company putting a limiter on the meter. ... We had enough electricity for about 1 lightbulb and the refrigerator.

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Near our former apartment (20 years ago) a small electic company substation went bad (fire or flood?) affecting one city block. We lived for days under brownout conditions. Took our food to a friend's apartment for the duration. No TV or other appliances of course. Since we lived very near to LAX, in one of the largest cities in the world, it was beyond us why it took so long to repair. I guess one block was not a high priority.

ITTOT - Here's the basic differences between Baptists and Lutherans. DC may consider it an ice cream/burrito contrast, but that is delving into cult status, which is a bit of a stretch.

Both Lutherans and Baptists have the same core beliefs: sin an salvation by faith, the Bible as the source of God's truths, man's relationship to God, the Trinity, faith vs. works.

The differences arise regarding infant baptism, the Lord's Supper, and (depending on which Baptist you talk to) end times. Lutheran congregations are formed by the members, who call a pastor, so the congregation members are the operational body of the church. Baptist pastors tend to start and run their churches.

Regarding Calvinist teachings, I don't think the majority of Baptists follow the teachings of Calvin (which is that Christ died ONLY for the sins of those who are called and believe). Both Lutherans and most Baptists that I know believe that Christ died for ALL, but that some do not believe.

That's basically it, if you have any questions, I'd be glad to try and answer them.

argo
GO DUCKS!

Wow. Looks like the membership for here went up by over 100 the past few days!

Hey all, TN1 has started up a new Stargate SG-1 forum, with me and Cassandra as moderators (Cassandra and I?), do do hp on over. The new season starts June 13th on SciFi, and Michael Shanks aka Daniel Jackson is back!

Proper mourning period for Buffy, of course...(sniffle)

yay for june!
new monk starts the 22nd, new sex in the city on the 22nd and most importantly new harry potter!!!!

hi wolfie! thanks for the Monk info. I was beginning to think that show would never come back.
June is going to be a fun month. New HP book to fight over in this house when it comes in the mail. Buffy season 4 DVD, also pre-ordered and arriving in the mail. Stargate season 3 DVDs, new Stargate season-will we ever get up from the couch??!!

Above the fold in today's ChiTrib: "US split on dealing with Iran regime". The story that follows describes Powell briefing reporters on our quiet engagement policy on the same day that Rumsfeld is pounding the podium for a policy of regime change at a Council on Foreign Relations meeting on the same day.
There is also mention in the article of some members of the administration promoting the virtues of an Iranian exile group that the State Department has listed as a terrorist organization.

And Ari Fleischer is quoted, of course, as saying, "The future of Iran will be determined by the people of Iran", but Ari also passes along that the WH is troubled about Iran's growing ties to Al Qaeda.

I'm sure I saw this very same movie last summer. D@^# sequels!

Wow, talk about quiet. Where is everybody?!

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Originally posted by Ittot:
Wow, talk about quiet. Where is everybody?!

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Aye. A repeat of last summer. Funny but I thought most working people only took about 2 weeks vacation at a time. Yeah, I've got about 6 wks accrued but I wouldn't use it all at once. Did all our gang take the same 2 wks off? Maybe our gang are really all teachers and change their routine as soon as school is out.

Hi everyone,

I was out of town for a few days last week (went to a conference in Calgary. Hey, an XF mention - the city in the Provenance/ Providence eps!) Conference was all right. Nice to catch up with people across the country that I haven't seen for a year.

Work has been busy. All the students were in for three weeks in May. Very hectic, very tiring. Some interesting ones this year, including one who works for the UN!

Still looking for a new job. Not much has been happening, or maybe I'm just looking in the wrong places.

Trying to do some writing.

Other than that, there was a death in the family last week - a cousin.

No, no vacation here. Just a lot of rainy days and low energy. But today is beautiful! (finally) I've also taken a mental break from politics and the last post was political. May was a busy month- cassandra jr.'s show, a trip to NY, and lots of school stuff. Things are starting to wind down. Right now, cassandra jr. and I are looking forward to getting our copy of HP and the Order of the Phoenix in the mail on June 21st! She is a much faster reader than I, so I may have to let her read it first. For the last few years she has scoffed at all this HP madness, and now, when she is almost 17, the bug has finally bitten. She has read and re-read all 4 books several times and hangs out in HP web communites, commiserating over the actor change for Oliver Wood in the 3rd movie. (I will miss him too, he was a cutie and I loved his accent)
Hope everyone is well. Sorry for not posting.

Hi everyone,

my apologies for being such a tardy poster, as well - I've been terribly busy for the last week or so. Fortunately things are starting to slow down. I did a lot of work in the garden, which is in danger of becoming an abiding passion of mine. ;-) Speaking of which, I yesterday had a "trespasser" - a wild turtle - wander by. I snapped his picture, and you can see him here:

Click here for Turtle

Anyone know what kind he is?

[This message has been edited by JM115 (edited 06-06-2003).]

wait wait wait, they changed oliver wood in the next movie?!?!?!?! NOOOOOOOOO!!!!!

oh yes and i lied, monk starts on the 20th not the 22nd tee hee sorry bout that.

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Originally posted by JM115:
Speaking of which, I yesterday had a "trespasser" - a wild turtle - wander by.
Anyone know what kind he is?

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I'm no herpatologist, but that looks like a regular ol' box turtle to me.

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Originally posted by Deep Cover:
I'm no herpatologist, but that looks like a regular ol' box turtle to me.

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Thanks, Deep Cover - *looks up box turtle on google*. Yup, seems like they live in these parts, and the picture seems similar to my 'guest'. We didn't have wild turtles in Germany, so this is rather cool for me - then again, we didn't have half as many mosquitos, either. ;-) To quote Saint Exupery (or maybe Jack Lemmon in Some Like it Hot) nothing's perfect!

wolfie- I knew you would be upset about that too. I will keep you posted on any updates I hear from my daughter. This is such a busy month for my TV/DVD habits. Buffy, Stargate, Monk, probably Dead Zone too. But most of all is the HP book. I just started re-reading book 4, so I should be ready when 5 arrives.
BTW, how is the weather out in AZ? We are contemplating building an ark at this point. I have never seen so much rain.

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Originally posted by JM115:
To quote Saint Exupery (or maybe Jack Lemmon in Some Like it Hot) nothing's perfect!

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Actually, Joe E. Brown said it to Jack Lemmon.

Pretty turtle!

And who is the Wood person in the HP movies you're talking about? Which character does he play?

[This message has been edited by Ittot (edited 06-07-2003).]

this is a pic of him, he plays oliver wood, and he is a cutie! http://www.seanbiggerstaff.com/shots/SeanHP4.asp
i'm so excited for the new book, i've read them all at least 4 times!

its HOT here god...been over 100 for weeks now, and its only gonna get worse!

[This message has been edited by Wolfie (edited 06-07-2003).]

Cute turtle.

All we get around here are prairie hares and the occasional skunk, moose, cougar, etc.

wolfie (and other Oliver Wood/HP fans)- the last rumor that I heard was that the 3rd movie is going to concentrate on Lupin, Sirius, and flashbacks to HP's dad at Hogwarts and because of this, something had to be sacrificed for the sake of time. So, it looks like there will not be much, if any, Quidditch in the 3rd movie and that is why we won't see Wood. Personally, I think the whole Quidditch Cup story is very important for balance and for demonstrating Harry's first real Patronus, but I'm not in charge of the movie!