And how does one prepare to answer your post about a man who claims "space people from Mars and Venus" follow him around and who claims he gave a sealed package from space people to a dying pope? Facts and reason and sanity? These do not apply, and are promptly replaced by more fanciful dreams - as we see on this thread.
me as a fair-minded observer of Roman Catholicism
No, that thought doesn't occur to me. But Catholicism is not special in this regard. The whole universe is honeycombed with space men and globalist, no universalist, conspiracies and bizarre secrets in your worldview. I'm sure you're a really fine person - when not irresponsibly going Dan Brown on your listener's church. Since that's not the case here, I don't feel the obligation to be overly courteous and warm and fuzzy in reply.
Most RC responses are some variation of MY DADDY IS !!!!TOO!!!! BIGGER THAN YOUR DADDY
Not mine. Mine is more like: "This is just one flailing nutso factoid after another."
I do agree, however, that Mad Dawg's patience and efforts are commendable even though doomed.
Very good analysis
I used to observe, Mad Dawg,
that the diversity of opinions about matters theological, spiritual and geo-political were quite widely so—quite diverse over a broad range . . . in almost any group—regardless of how homogeneous.
Increasingly in recent years and certainly months . . . it has appeared to be the case that the perspectives are distilling out into essentially
TWO PERSPECTIVES . . .
one might label these two perspectives . . . variations on two themes . . .
the perspectives of The SHEEP OF THE LORD JESUS CHRIST
VS
the perspectives of The GOATS.
This could be a merely interesting phenomenon of this END TIMES era. Alas, it has eternal life implications.
Folks seem oblivious to the fact that more than ever in history . . . incremental tiny decisions are emphatically deciding where one will spend eternity—with—or withOUT
GOD.
The parable of the 10 Virgins is frightfully telling.
They were ALL Virgins. Essentially, they all had a “right” to the wedding feast—a bona fide invitation.
They weren’t currs, rebels, criminals, evil doers, per se.
And, they were ALL SOMEWHAT READY.
However, 5 were full up with oil and had extra oil. They were VERY PREPARED.
5 were not.
5 were shut-out—outside the door—where there was wailing and gnashing of teeth.
Frightful.
I have also observed over the years the significant degree to which The Lord—can’t put it any more accurately—THE LORD HAS USED my bird of rare plumage person—HIS CREATION, TRAINING, CONDITIONING—as a very interesting Rorschach.
I resisted admitting it for a very long time. He just kept nudging me every once in a while to notice that those who responded this way tended toward xyz sorts of life experiences, results, destinations . . . and those who responded that way, tended toward wvutx sorts of life experiences, results, destinations, consequences.
For a lot of years, that was merely kind of interesting. A sort of . . . side-line set of insights . . . a kind of curiosity.
In recent years and particularly months . . . the divide seems to have gotten much more stark, much wider much more quickly.
Oh, there are still a lot of people who seem to mill around in some sort of fence sitting middle ground. However, that group seems to be increasingly much smaller percentage-wise.
It seems that now, when folks make little decisions, indulge in certain kinds of attitudes . . . the consequences are much more intense and much quicker.
It is like they step much more so on a much slicker and much steeper slippery slope.
HAVE YOU NOTICED THAT—ANY OF YOU? . . . IN YOUR EXTENDED NETWORK regarding spiritual eternal life issues?
One key factor seems to be HARD-HEARTEDNESS.
Another seems to be PRIDE.
Another related one seems to be BROKENNESS AND HUMILITY BEFORE THE LORD.
Another seems to be . . . more or less unfettered yet very discerning OPENNESS !!!!TO THE LORD!!!! That is, they don’t have THE LORD in their own personal nor organizational tidy little box. They are quick to cast aside UNBiblical stuff—yet they are open to The Lord doing whatever The Lord wants to do as long as it’s THE LORD.
The GOAT RESPONSES . . . and the responses of those increasingly rapidly MORPHING INTO GOATS . . . are quite the opposite and increasingly so . . . haughtily so.
That’s more than a little frightful. It’s been increasingly sad to see that a lot of my nice “Christian” colleagues are decidedly goats. And their goat horns are growing.
Christians in my network over the whole of my life have read Scripture and taught that there would come a time when The Lord would make a much clearer dividing line between the sheep and the goats. It’s clear, that HE HAS BEGUN to much more overtly do just that.
And the Scripture comes to mind . . . “But Lord, did we not cast out demons in your name . . . and He shall say—DEPART FROM ME. I !NEVER! KNEW YOU.” That’s one of the most sobering verses in the Bible.
I don’t know specifically ‘therefore what.’
I just know that this is a growing phenomenon and a frightful one. I care a lot for these people. Yet, it is increasingly clear . . . that the longer they are on the slippery slope and the further down that slippery slope they are—the more unalterably, inexorably they are sliding into hell, literally.
And, sometimes, it seems as though some of the fiercely decisive little foxes that spoil the grapes decisions and actions . . . are towards other people—particularly “insignificant” people in their lives—the nobodies—or those they have marginalized for some reason, in some way. Their attitudes toward THOSE PEOPLE seem to have very heavy-weight consequences for them spiritually.
It’s NOT just their overt attitude toward God that’s so decisive.
Another alarming feature that seems to be increasing in all this . . . is that more and more often, The Lord is making it clear that I’m not to waste my time on folks that are well beyond the point of no-return on the slippery slope. That’s very starkly frightful, to me. Such folks have not suddenly grown horns and fangs and a forked tail. They still seem more or less civil. Yet, The Lord has made it clear, don’t waste any more time on them. God have mercy.
No, I don’t have any personal criteria. And, No, I don’t decide on my own brilliance or personal discernment who is beyond the point of no return. And, mercifully, The Lord hasn’t made such an emphatic instruction to me all THAT frequently yet. It’s just been MORE frequent than ever before.
And, it may be that in some cases, it’s just that my opportunity or capacity to have any redemptive influence has passed and I’m to let the person go to whatever and whomever The Lord can do otherwise.
Yet, I know . . . in some cases, the person is utterly eternally lost though they are still wandering around seemingly normal. That’s very frightful to me. Extremely sad, to me. I’ve long been a believer in counseling and in a lot of contexts—as long as there’s life, there’s hope. Evidently there are increasing numbers of THE WALKING DEAD.
I think we have seen since the election . . . a frightful rise in folks vulnerable to joining OThuga’s youth Gestapo. That’s shocking and dreadful enough.
What I think many authentic Believers are still unprepared for . . . is how many of their closer friends and “Christian” “brothers and sisters” will also end up decidedly on the side of OThuga, his Gestapo, the satanic world government etc.
Scripture is quite clear . . . spouses, brothers and sisters, friends, parents, children . . . will turn their own into the authorities for execution.
Hello, group.
It’s time for the sleepwalking to wake up!
Lots of things are not as they seem.
“This train donh carry no gamblers . . . this train . . . “