My Story

What is it like to die?

I first learned about death through a Bible Study. After learning the truth about death and that death is the last enemy that will be conquered, I wanted to learn more. Here’s a few scriptures that may give you some Relief and Comfort.

“For the living know that they will die, but the dead know nothing at all, nor do they have any more reward, because all memory of them is forgotten.” (Ecclesiastes 9:5)

My Catholic upbringing always taught me that hell was an eternal place of torment and inescapable. This religious teaching never sat well with me. I could never figure out why the God of Love would do such a thing.

Then at my Bible Study, I came across this scripture, “hell delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were judged every man according to their works.” (Rev 20:13) This blew my mind because it connected the dots for me. See, the priests would take money from the parishioners to pray for their dead loved ones, telling us this might get them out of hell. All the while, preaching that hell is ETERNAL. Did they know something I didn’t, I wondered? This was nothing but a ponzi scheme.

Other scriptures that gave me Relief and Comfort is the good news about the Resurrection. “And I have hope toward God, which hope these men also look forward to, that there is going to be a resurrection of both the righteous and the unrighteous.” (Acts 24:15) I was elated to learn this about my loved ones that have passed in death.

Then Jesus Christ told his followers, “Do not be amazed at this, for the hour is coming in which all those in the memorial tombs will hear his voice and come out” (John 5:28)

Would you like to live on a Paradise Earth?

Think of it. No more sickness, nor more suffering, no more death. Seems impossible doesn't it? Today, we live in a system that thrives on greed and disregarding the downtrodden. The Bible can help you make marvelous changes to you Life for the Better. You can live a quiet and peaceful Life in a world full of turmoil.

Why do so many religions reject the Good News about God's Kingdom? Why do so many religions join political systems to engage in maiming and killing one another? Who Really Controls the World? The Answer may Surprise You. "Who can conquer the world? Is it not the one who has faith that Jesus is the Son of God?" (1 John 5;5)

When sharing he Good News of God's Kingdom, True Christians would share several staples of the Lord's Prayer.

1.    True Christians would Sanctify the Father's Name by making it known. (Matthew 6:9)
2.    True Christians would Pray for God's Kingdom to come. (Matthew 6:10)
3.    True Christians would Pray the Father's Will to take place on Earth as it is in Heaven.

As True Christians, Jehovah's Witnesses obey the teachings of Jesus Christ, doing the same work Jesus Christ started two thousand years ago. Jesus stated, You heard that it was said: ‘You must love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ However, I say to you: Continue to love your enemies and to pray for those who persecute you, so that you may prove yourselves sons of your Father who is in the heavens, since he makes his sun rise on both the wicked and the good and makes it rain on both the righteous and the unrighteous." (Matthew 5:43-45) You must accordingly be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect. (Matthew 5:48)

"Just a little while longer, and the wicked will be no more; You will look at where they were, And they will not be there. But the meek will possess the earth, And they will find exquisite delight in the abundance of peace." (Psalms 37:9-10)

"The righteous will possess the earth, And they will live forever on it" (Psalms 37:29) Trust in Jehovah and do what is good; Reside in the earth, and act with faithfulness. (Psalm 37:3)

Published by Statista Research Department, Nov 27, 2020

 In August 2020, around one million handguns were sold in the United States. In August 2020, handgun sales in the United States grew by 66 percent when compared to the same period in the previous year.

What is this madness for America's need to buy more guns? Has she not learn that Firearm ownership leads to Firearm production and sale, Firearm related crime, deaths and injuries, and increase of deaths by accident, etc., in the U.S.? See the footprints of this madness. CM

The most important statistics

• Gun ownership in the U.S. 1972-2020
• Gun ownership in the U.S. by gender 2020
• Gun ownership in the U.S. by ethnicity 2020
• Gun ownership in the U.S. by age 2020
• Gun ownership in the U.S. by education level 2020
• Firearm ownership rate, by proximity to urban centers U.S. 2017
• Gun ownership in the U.S. 2017, by region
• Gun ownership, by party affiliation U.S. 2020

Further Content: You might find this interesting as well

STATISTICS

• Monthly sales growth of guns in the U.S. from 2019 to 2020
• Number of pistols manufactured in the U.S. 1986-2018
• Public perception of gun crime in America 2013
• Homicides with firearms in Latin America and Caribbean countries, 2009
• Number of non-fatal firearm crimes U.S. 2000-2019
• Non-fatal firearm crimerate in the U.S. 2011, by ethnicity
• Brazil: handgun import value 2016-2019
• Brazil: handgun import volume 2016-2019
• Wholesale sales of sports firearms in the U.S. 2007-2019
• Reasons for firearm ownership U.S. 2015
• Methods of firearm acquisition U.S. 2015
• Number of firearms processed U.S. 1990-2019
• Comparison: easy access to guns to blame for mass shootings in the US, 2011 and 2013
• Canada: number of individual firearms licenses held, by type 2019
• Number of federal firearm dealers U.S. 1975-2019
• Canada: reasons for firearms license revocations 2019
• Distribution of handguns imports into Denmark 2016, by country

Guns were made to kill. A Christian SHOULDN'T buy, owned or need a gun. Should not a people seek their God for protection? CD Christians don't be deceived or join this American madness -- buying a gun. Choice ye this whom you would rely upon for safety and protection, a gun or Christ? If you have a gun in your home, remove it immediately! CM

To be perfectly clear:

I call on all families and Christians to remove GUNS from their homes. Let heaven's abiding angels protect and keep you and yours safe. CM

Yet, at the same time, they deny Jesus' Divinity. Claimed Jesus was born (just a man) or, at best, an angel who receives worship but shouldn't. Believe this, Jesus was has returned, and there is no resurrection. They questioned his birth, his name, self-identification, His oneness: Co-equal, co-eternal, with the Father and the Holy Spirit (God). They seem to exalt human reason above faith and revelation. Above all, this Jesus, they claimed to love, call on, pray to and teach others, is "a god" according to John 1:1 (NWT), and a few obscured Bible Translations (done by individuals, lacked reliable gk/Heb texts, or had access to the latest biblical finds).

CD Posters, can they love Christ, accept him, and deny him simultaneously? I am asking the remaining Anti-Trinitarian Trio ( @BroRando,  @Bill_Coley, and  @theMadJW ) in a simple straight forward way to reconcile this apparent contradiction. I prefer each one to respond individually, but I will accept a joint response.

Until then, I would like to name above: Are you a practitioner of self-deception and knowingly peddling Fool-ology? Correct me if I am wrong if I misrepresented your position. By all means, state your position clearly and concisely. It looks like this remaining anti-Trinitarian Trio is trying to have its religious cake and eat it too. CM

*Fool-ology -- I define this as the study of foolishness. CM

A source to consider :

• Bentivegna, J. “A Christianity without Christ by Theophilus of Antioch.” Studia Patristica 13 (1975): 107-130.

This is good news for the many families who loss loved ones to an organization that promotes the purchase and the usage of guns, an instrument that has no other purpose than to kill (man/animals). It's a first step, but a good step. God has heard the cries and have seen the tears of-the-many, over guns and this organization.

The NRA, plans to reincorporate in Texas, is currently being investigated by New York’s attorney general, who is seeking to dissolve it. They can run, but they can't hide. I agree with Ms. James, that “The N.R.A.’s claimed financial status has finally met its moral status: bankrupt”. This organization need to be brought to it knees and die a painful death like so many have done by the weapons they promoted and endorsed over the years.

The NRA days are numbered, like Mr. Trump. I take comfort in knowing that the wheels of the law maybe slow, but its rulings are effective.

To all CD Posters,

Guns were made to kill, can't you see;

That's why the NRA is filing for bankruptcy.

I call on all families and Christians to remove GUNS from their homes. Let heaven's abiding angels protect and keep you and yours safe. CM

Trinity is a hard concept to understand. There are three persons in God. Yet, the Old Testament emphasizes:

• The exclusive unity of God (Deut 6:4; 5:7–11).
• Alludes to the plurality of God (Gen 1:2, 26; 11:7; 18:1–33; Exod 23:23).
• This plurality of God in the OT, Isa 42:1 and 48:16, comes very close to a Trinitarian formulation.

The New Testament does not have any explicit statement on the Trinity—

• 1 John 5:7, is referred to by many but it has been rejected as a medieval addition to the text.

Notwithstanding, Trinitarian evidence is overwhelming.

• Jesus is clearly described as divine in the gospel of John (John 1:1–3; 20:28).
• Jesus, himself, proclaims his own divinity (John 8:58).
• In the NT, we find references to the three persons of the Godhead:
  • All three are mentioned at the baptism of Jesus (Matt 3:16–17).
  • During the Lord’s Supper, Jesus comforts his disciples with the thought that he and the Father would send the Holy Spirit to guide them after his departure (John 14:16–17).
  • All three persons are part of the baptismal formula found in Jesus’ great commission to his disciples (Matt 28:19).
  • Paul readily refers to all three persons in many of his epistles (Rom 8:9–11; 2 Cor 13:14; 2 Tim 1:3–14; Eph 1:13–14; 3:14–19).
  • Peter acknowledges the work of Father, Son, and Holy Spirit in the salvation of people (1 Pet 1:2).
  • John is a witness of the Spirit’s testimony regarding Jesus, the Son of God (1 John 5:5–9).
  • The book of Revelation also presents three persons involved in the final events of this world (Rev 1:4–5; 22:16–18).

All these biblical evidence to the triune God causes concern for some people because the Holy Spirit is often referred to with metaphors of objects:

• A dove (Matt 3:16)
• The wind (John 3:8)
• Fire (Isa 6:6, 7)
• Water (John 7:37–39)
• Oil (Matt 25:1–4)

In addition, New Testament statements appear to refer to Jesus as having had a beginning when he is referred to as “begotten” (monogenes) or “firstborn of all creation” (prototokos) (John 3:16; Col 1:15).

In history, the doctrine of the Trinity in the early church struggled with the Trinity. When the early church addressed it through a series of councils confirming the eternal divinity of Jesus. With the acceptance of Jesus as Savior and Lord, the Trinity quickly found its way into the creeds of the church.

The Niceo-Constantinopolitan creed

Please Note: Later western versions of the Nicene Creed added the filioque clause:

The addition of this clause was one of the issues that led to the great schism between east and west in 1054.

The early church fathers gave us the vocabulary we use and discuss today:

• Irenaeus spoke of the “economy of salvation,” in which each member of the Godhead has a distinct yet related role.
• Tertullian argued that “substance” is what unites while “person” is what distinguishes the members of the Godhead. “The three persons of the Trinity are distinct, yet not divided, different yet not separate or independent of each other.” 
• The eastern Cappadocian fathers expanded on Tertullian’s thought and tended to emphasize the distinct individuality of the three persons while safeguarding their unity by stressing the fact that both the Son and the Spirit derived from the Father. Note: Cappadocian fathers, Orthodox theology teaches that the Son is the “only begotten” of the Father and the Holy Spirit “proceeds” from the Father. 
  • They spoke of one “substance” (ousia) in three “persons” (hypostases).” 

One needs to be aware the that vocabulary and thought used today assumed ancient Greek dualism and metaphysics, which are very distant and confusing to us now.

Augustine's theology of the Trinity was based on the concept of relationship and on the bond of love between Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. This doctrine continued to experienced challenges to this day.

• Arianism holds that the Son was created by nature and did not exist before the Father brought him into existence. As such the Son is subordinate to the Father’s authority (subordinationism). Arians have also consistently denied the personhood of the Holy Spirit.

The many forms of Modalism:

• Sabellianism -- teaches that Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are three different modes or manifestations of the same God at different times.
• Monarchianism -- is a form of modalism that denied the plurality of God. It holds that the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are a succession of modes or operations; they are not separate persons.
• Socinianism had been criticizing the doctrine of the Trinity on both biblical and rational grounds.

I don't accept the traditional Platonic dualistic worldview and metaphysics that were foundational to the church fathers’ theology of the Trinity, one of these being the concept of the immortality of the soul.

Do we have common ground on the development of this doctrine thus far? In view of the texts cited above isn't it clear that Trinitarian evidence is overwhelming? CM

1. What do you believe is the consensus of the cited thread above?

Consider the current thread, basically, the same question, except for the ending: "Do Christians and Jews worship the same God"? Is there a set standard to worshipping God? If so, what is it? If not, Why not?

Mitch and Jan, considering the current OP ["Do Christians and Jews worship the same God"?] do you want to change your response or outlook on the Bible, Jesus, and the way of salvation when the Muslims were the point of focus, but, now the Jews? If so, why? If not, why not? This topic is one, like many others, that calls for the serious-minded and sober thinkers. 

We need to let this year (2020) be the year of addressing topics (original thoughts and/or quoted sources) and not the person or personalities. I would even invite GaoLu to chime back in with the new subject matter at hand. He and all former CD Users still have access to these forums. 

We must avoid personal attacks, driven, many times, by inflated egos. Don't let your political persuasion influence or color your biblical knowledge and understanding. Again, we have to want to do better. Don't you think the times demand it? Please address the topic at hand, the best way you can! CM

These children are the same ones the so-called "right to life" encourage women to have their babies (even after a forcible rape) then allows armies to have a free hand to bomb children, separate them from their parents at the American borders, and cut off medical services to the Palestinians Refugees. America's disregard for children, at home and abroad, is enough to make God repented He has made the man. Even the sun hate to show its face on a land it once enjoys smiling upon. A day will come when America will cry unto heaven and her prayers would not be heard until she repents of her stony heart. Republicans, Christians, Americans, urge a ceasefire and supply aid to the vast sea of humanity (mostly children) in dire straits in Yemen. God, who is opened to your will? CM