Remember when we wrote a few months ago about America building a Christian army? Well, at least one U.S. military commander is willing to take matters even further. Following the recent strikes in Iran, a combat commander reportedly told his troops that the war was "all part of God's divine plan," citing the Book of Revelation about Armageddon and the "imminent" return of Jesus Christ.
Another commander also allegedly told non-commissioned officers that President Trump was “anointed by Jesus to light the signal fire in Iran to cause Armageddon and mark his return to Earth.”
The commander “had a big grin on his face when he said all of this which made his message seem even more crazy,” the complaint added.
Now, members of the military across the faith spectrum are sounding the alarm and questioning why major military decisions are being justified with Scripture.
Is Jesus Returning Soon?
The joint attack by the United States and Israel killed Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei in a strike which set off a wave of unrest across the Middle East. At least six U.S. soldiers have died so far in retaliatory strikes, and many more have been injured.
But reports are now coming in about commanders framing the recent attacks less as "foreign policy incident" and more as "fulfillment of biblical prophecy."
At least 40 units across 30 different military installations, representing all military branches, received similar justifications for the strike. The incident has resulted in more than 110 individual complaints to the Military Religious Freedom Foundation (MRFF), a group seeking to maintain separation of church and state in the armed forces.
Some soldiers reported that the messages actually damaged unit morale, particularly for non-Christian soldiers who aren't particularly eager to die in a Christian crusade.
The New Christian Army
That all tracks with reporting about how Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has remade the military since President Trump took office for a second term just over a year ago. Recent recruitment ads have leaned heavily on biblical imagery and quoted scripture to encourage enlistment.
Hegseth frequently hosts voluntary prayer sessions in the Pentagon (sometimes with a controversial pastor who believes women shouldn’t have the right to vote). And Hegseth has repeatedly closed speeches and official military gatherings with a prayer, regardless of whether the event was religious in nature or not.
Is This Christian Zionism in Action?
From recruitment to deployment, military leaders are pushing an explicitly Christian narrative to troops. But the message that the president is anointed by God and that a new war in the Middle East will bring about Armageddon has roots in Christian Zionism, the belief that Israel’s expansion represents the fulfillment of a biblical prophecy which will ultimately lead to the return of Jesus.
RELATED: What Is Christian Zionism, and What Does It Actually Believe?
It’s a movement which has gained significant traction in evangelical circles in recent decades, and which has some pretty prominent believers. Megachurch pastor John Hagee recently explained the attack to his congregation in biblical terms – complete with a slick video inferring that we’re approaching the end times.
U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee even ignited a diplomatic incident shortly before the strike in Iran during an interview with Tucker Carlson, where he said Israel had the divine right to land in much of the Middle East, encompassing modern-day Lebanon, Syria, Jordan, and parts of Saudi Arabia.
Huckabee ultimately walked back his claims that Israel should “take it all” following international backlash, but following the attack on Iran, it’s clear that those beliefs inform a significant part of the White House’s foreign policy with regards to the Middle East.
Christian Troops Aren't Sold
It’s worth noting that not all Christians are on board with the "Jesusification" of the military, nor do they endorse a potential war in Iran.
After all, we only know about the faith-based strike justifications because soldiers reported it, many of whom were Christians themselves but who felt uncomfortable with impending Armageddon being pitched as their motivation.
Mikey Weinstein, president of the MRFF, noted that it's especially disturbing because the chain of command doesn't allow service members to push back against their commanding officers.
“If you’re being proselytized to by your superior, you can’t say, ‘Get out of my face.’ Under the military’s criminal code of justice, insubordination is considered a felony,” he said.
Meanwhile, major Christian leaders outside the armed services have waded into the debate. Pope Leo, for example, recently weighed in on what Jesus might want – and according to him, it certainty isn’t war. “I’m deeply concerned,” the pontiff said during a recent address. “We must pray much for peace, live in unity, and reject the temptation to harm others; violence is never the right choice.”
The End is Nigh?
So… is Armageddon imminent? For now, there are no signs of Jesus's return (if you're feeling confident, though, you can bet on Jesus returning in online prediction markets).
Such predictions are also making their way into church sermons:
As for war in Iran, President Trump and his allies have given various responses when asked how long the conflict will end, ranging from a few days, to four to five weeks, to “far longer than that.”
And military religious watchdog Mikey Weinstein just sent a letter to the Department of Defense, encouraging prosecution for anyone who [“took] advantage of their subordinates by advancing their blood-soaked, Christian nationalist wet dreams.”
For now, though, it seems nearly impossible to predict how it will all unfold. What do you think? Are we heading towards Armageddon? And should the military really be framing lethal strikes on foreign leaders in overtly biblical terms?
118 comments
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Gary. Collins
I’ve read several of the things written here all I can say is WOW Some are good but some are just bad. All I know to say past this is. Yes. I will pray for everyone BTW. I’ll not respond to any thing that comes from this or these posts May GOD be with you. In the Name of His Son JESUS CHRIST I PRAY
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Sir Lionheart
Bless your heart. You are very welcome to talk to the wall, floor, or ceiling if that helps. You are definitely not on your own, judging from many other comments, so I hope that helps. 🤗
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JaZe
oh oh dear, the military should not take a religious stance! they may be in the war business, but that kind of brain washing is wrong, dont turn the war into a crusade, the crusades were brutal and their memory lives on still and not fondly.
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JaZe
oh oh dear, the military should not take a religious stance! they may be in the war business, but that kind of brain washing is wrong, dont turn the war into a crusade, the crusades were brutal and their memory lives on still and not fondly.
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Rae I. Duffy
It is coming but not yet. There are prophecies yet to be fulfilled before that happens. This is a short battle compared to what’s coming.
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Sir Lionheart
Thank you for adding humor to this topic. 🤭
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Rae I. Duffy
It is coming but not yet. There are prophecies yet to be fulfilled before that happens. This is a short battle compared to what’s coming.
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James Riggle-Johnson
People need to stop predicting—or trying to push us toward—the end times. According to the very Bible they claim to follow, no one knows when that will happen. Yet for two thousand years people have insisted it’s just around the corner. Even Paul thought it would happen in his lifetime.
I also doubt Donald Trump is making military decisions based on the Book of Revelation, which I doubt he has ever read.
The larger irony is that many Christians routinely take on roles their own scriptures reserve for God. The Bible says only God knows the timing of the end and only God will judge humanity. Yet some believers constantly predict the end and spend a great deal of time judging everyone else.
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PiratePreacher
UNACCEPTABLE. Eww. Just, eww. None of us want to deal with your crazy Nationalist Jesus Bananasauce kill the world ideas. Just go away. Absolutely not the point of the bible you kumquats
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Lisbeth Kieran Bushey
As a Pagan Quaker who became one after serving in the US Army, I find this both disturbing and offensive. I met so many people from all walks of life and religions in the Army. None of that divided us. Now religion is being used to divide the military.
As a Quaker, I believe in peace. I object to war and violence because it goes against everything that I believe in. Having seen how the military treats people, I became drawn to the teachings of the Religious Society of Friends. I essentially did a complete 180.
We are not to know when or how the world ends. We shouldn’t be trying to provoke it.
We also shouldn’t be harming innocent people. Sure, Ali Khamenei was a very bad man who did awful things to millions. He still shouldn’t have been murdered for it. He should’ve stood trial for his crimes against humanity. The people of Iran deserve to choose what they want in a democratic process. They shouldn’t have it forced upon them. The Israeli and US governments had no right to attack them and now the entire world is paying the price for their crimes.
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Joseph Grieco
The Second Coming and Armageddon is pretty much a wholly American concept. It was first articulated in the 1840s, and nothing the mainstream religious leaders of the time did could curtail this. Too many "Preachers" had no linguistic or historical training about the Bible, and did not understand that throughout the New Testament, all references of Yeheshua's return were to be in their lifetimes. Even John's mushroom-induced hallucinations on Patmos were referencing the immediate return. As for the number of the Beast (given as both 666 and 616) specifically refer to Emperor Nero, depending on whether one used the Latin or Greek spelling of his name. Everything was a reference to Rome, not a plain in Syria where a battle had been fought between the Syrians and Egyptians 2800 years ago.
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Travis A. Lee
Well, Joshua was following the Word of God also when they crossed the River, So....and he made war on every Nation in that area, killing EVERYONE on God's Word. How is this any different? Oh, that's right. Only the Jewish People are HIS CHOSEN PEOPLE, all others are Gentiles that CAN be Saved, but is NOT HIS CHOSEN. BUT, now oh what is this? Jesus Christ preached that There are MANY rooms in his Father's Mansion and all who come through Him can see the Glory of God. Mind YOU, he did state, that NONE shall get to God BUT through Him. Now Where in the Bible? The New Testament because When GOD came to Earth in the Form of JESUS CHRIST HE brought a NEW Covenant. One that I did not see WAR in God's Name in there AT all. OR perhaps someone could point me to the NEW TESTAMENT that says make wars on other Countries in God's Name. Mind YOU, I want the FULL verse no9t just some one liner that gives War a justification. AND as far as I have NOT heard, there are no sightings of the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse. AND the Two Witensses mentioned in the Bible that will appear in the Temple have NOT. AND the Rapture has also not happened yet. So putting all those together, nope, no Apocalypse. No Armageedeon UNTIL SPECIFIC SET OF Markers appear.
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Leslie A. Hulberg Née Tomasura
I would like to know who they think they are and what kind of ego one must have to believe they can speak for a god? I believe this is a terrible precedent to allow. How long before they teach children that the government is god? How long before they force their will upon others not only outside the country (which they already seem to be doing. But also within the USA to its citizenry? How long before we all must kneel before the president? These (predominantly) wealthy white men decide to blow up the entire world in their quest for more power, wealth, land and to stroke their own egos? When all is said and done, what will be the repercussions? What will happen when the abuse of the many by the few comes back to haunt not only those few, but those who remained silent and those who elected these men (and some women) to begin with? What of the repercussions that will be suffered by the Christian right? People cannot be mistreated for long without reaching a breaking point. The fuse has already been lit I’m afraid. But the less abuse suffered the less likely it will be to visit those who blindly followed or have been misled by slick talking lies.
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Joe R Day
Armageddon? The return of Jesus? ~facepalm~ I thought this was a humorous post, not factual reporting... Can no one see that this 'belief' is nothing more than superstition, cloaked in the trappings of Christian Nationalism (According to Christianity Today, Christian nationalism is “the belief that the American nation is defined by Christianity, and that the government should take active steps to keep it that way.) I am a crippled old man now (71) and I have watched as our 'Leader' declared, on national TV, that he was a 'Christian'.
Here is a quick summation of what that word means: "Following 'The Way': Historically, they were followers of Jesus's teachings, focusing on love, grace, and redemption. Action-Oriented: True discipleship involves putting faith into action, such as showing love, mercy, and kindness to others. Repentance: A commitment to changing the direction of one's life, turning away from selfish desires and toward God."
Our potus is as far away from these principals as any human can be. Just a reminder... "Jesus taught that it is extremely difficult, though not impossible, for a rich person to enter the kingdom of heaven, famously stating it is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle."
I am aghast at this new fukery being foisted upon our troops and, as a Former Marine, I too would file complaints with the appropriate agency. Religion belongs in the home, the church and in the person's heart. Not at work, in public schools or the military...
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Richard Hinson
couple things: There is a strong historical case against treating Revelation as canon because, unlike the core Gospels and Paul’s major letters, it was seriously disputed in the early church. Its authorship was uncertain, since the book names only “John” and does not identify him as John the Apostle, and major early Christian voices recorded divided opinion about whether it belonged among the accepted writings. Eusebius explicitly reports that the Apocalypse was disputed, and major reference works note that Revelation had a more contested path into the New Testament than the universally received books.
There is also a serious textual case that Revelation stands in tension with the teachings of Christ as presented in the Gospels. Jesus teaches his followers to love their enemies and pray for those who persecute them, while Revelation presents a highly violent apocalyptic vision centered on judgment, destruction, and the crushing of hostile nations. Many Christians argue that this is symbolic divine judgment rather than a contradiction, but the contrast in tone is real: the public teaching of Jesus in the Gospels emphasizes mercy, enemy-love, and non-retaliation, while Revelation’s imagery is dominated by wrath, cosmic war, and catastrophic punishment.
On the Gospel record, Christ would have been opposed to intentionally causing a war in order to force the apocalypse because that act would directly violate his own teachings and usurp God’s authority over history: Jesus blesses peacemakers, commands love for enemies and prayer for persecutors, rebukes the use of the sword, and says that the timing of God’s final acts belongs to the Father, not to human beings. In that light, starting a war to trigger the end would not be faithfulness to Christ, but a rejection of his ethic of peace and an arrogant attempt to seize control of a timetable he explicitly said was not ours to control.
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Ari Joseph Bertine
Being as the military is a government organization, it's unConstitutional for military leaders to preach at their soldiers, and those doing so should be disciplined immediately. Separation of church and state is still the law, no matter what those who like to manipulate using religion want to do. What they are doing is wrong, ethically and morally, and I absolutely hope they are not going to be allowed to get away with it.
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Jennifer Roussel
"No man knows the hour."
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Mark B. Trexler
First off, Commanders should not be telling their soldiers prophecy. In the Bible and the book of Revelations, Jesus states that he will return in the darkness of night. The President of the United States started the war with Iran. He has created the war with no valid reasons. He states that the war will be over quickly. I seriously doubt that as well.
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Steven Ferrell
There are many things that point towards the end times per scripture and has been for a decade or so.
But as scripture says, no one knows the date of the time that Christ will return. Some try to use the scripture that says the generation that sees Israel become a nation shall not pass away. Israel became a nation in 1947 I believe it was. Then they say a biblical generation is 40 to 80 years, depending on who the person is or has been.No one knows when Christ will return and man cannot predict that.
At 70, do I think it will be in my lifetime….. I have no idea and if happens, great.
Do I think it might be in my grandkids lifetime… I think that is a very good possibility.But only God the Father knows when it will be.
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Sir Lionheart
Don’t be so sure, it might be Goddess the Mother that knows when it will be. Let’s not leave female deities out of this in an attempt to not be misogynistic. 🤭
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Patricia Law
what an pomas ass he loves to hear himself talk such swill
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Rev. B.D. Rees
I have seen some pretty IDIOTIC ideas in my day, but, this takes the cake!!! Christ told us that "we would not know the hour or the day of his coming". If our government is that MORONIC that they think they can facilitate Armegedon then let their kids fight their wars!!
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Paul Andrew Breda
This is a sick, sick regime that has the arrogance to believe they are God's instrument. WE are the Second Coming, when we come to understand in our hearts that this IS the Kingdom of God, where we are to be working out how to live with one another in love. Luke 17:20-21 - Once Jesus was asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God was coming, and he answered, “The kingdom of God is not coming with things that can be observed, nor will they say, ‘Look, here it is!’ or ‘There it is!’ For, in fact, the kingdom of God is among you.”
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Steven Ferrell
Please keep your politics out of it calling those you don’t like sick.
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Rev. Kev
If God is supposed to be doing something, I vote we let him do it on his own and not try to second guess any Grand Plans and attempt to lend a helping hand by unaliving people and destroying things that help regular people just live their lives.
People and their interpretations of the Bible have been continually wrong ever since Jesus said he'd return with angels before the people living that day had passed. Later, Paul writes that The End will happen in his lifetime. Both of those prophetic statements failed. Another big event led to The Great Disappointment. Followed by The Great Disappointment 2 when the same preacher said he realized where he messed up the first time but had it right this time. Both were epic fails. Y2K was being advertised by many Christians as the beginning of The End. Televangelists even had these detailed, illustrations of how it would all play out. Back in 2000. More fail. Most recently we have had the many TikTok predictions of The End because of supposed new, new, new revelations and the Bible. All of which equally failed. And continue to fail.
Maybe we should learn from all of these fails and not invest so much time, money, and deaths in thinking someone finally has it right this time?
Cuz I gotta be honest. this brand of Christianity just looks like an insane death cult hell-bent on taking everyone else down the drain with them. Whether they like it or not. Lots of people don't believe in this destructive nonsense. Probably from a terrible case of sanity. And we want to not go out from wars, or the terrible consequences of war. We'd rather work to build happy, peaceful and safe lives and make the world a better place. Why don't we all try that for a change?
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Rev. Dr. Robert Allan Roush
Jesus has been "coming back soon" all my life now. Wake me when he gets here.
But in all seriousness, Pandora's box is open with religion at the highest levels now using scripture to justify war. It's breathtakingly dangerous. Shall I say it? OK, "God help us!"
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Sir Lionheart
Yep! Like all human beings, if he was real, he eventually died, and he just ain’t comin’ back, despite what many would like to believe.
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John Alex Paxson
Why does everyone have their own version of "GOD" or "JESUS".
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Sir Lionheart
Mainly because no one has any demonstrable evidence that their particular God that they want to believe in is real. And there is still a reasonable school of thought that Jesus didn’t really exist, even though there is a possibility that someone like him did exist around that time. There were many people claiming to be prophets of their God 2000 years ago.
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Ari Joseph Bertine
So they can still feel comfortable doing what they want. The version of Jesus that they were taught about before was maybe too compassionate, and they could not justify their hatred of others with a Jesus that said to love everyone, so they change him and then they can do what they want.
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Tami Tabone
The first time I read about this, I thought, OMG! it terrifying that people really believe this. It is the cult mentality. Let's say for the sake of argument, this were true. The decision of when and how Armageddon begins is God's decision, not in the hands of humans. So we can't force it to happen. And who would want to? If you are on the side of wreaking havoc on people and starting wars, you are on the wrong side. From what I have learned from Biblical scripture, that is the eork of Satan, not God. God's message is for us to be peaceful and love our neighbors. So how these so called religious sects rationalize violence, is beyond my understanding.
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Rev. BH
Do you know how many times Armageddon has been predicted by hopeful religious kooks? Check this out:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_dates_predicted_for_apocalyptic_events
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Rev Ned
First let me say, I miss Jack van Impe, Is Rexella OK? Now, since Christians, Jews and Muslims all worship the same God, which group do you think God is rooting for in this kerfuffle?!?
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Geoffrey C. Olive
None, as I don’t believe in a god or gods!
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ServantOfJudgement
Naw, islam doesn't worship the same god as jews and Christians.
Jews and christians worship the God of the Bible, Yahweh. Muslim worship Allah.
Muslims are told to fight and kill jews and Christians for worshipping the wrong God, which they do as often as possible.
If a Muslim leaves Islam to worship the Christian God the punishment is death.
I hope that clears it up.
For your question, God is rooting for all humans to seek out the truth and the light.
Allah is hoping the Iranian regime can wreak as much havoc as possible before the nation falls. I hear the new boy king is back to killing protesters wholesale.
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Steve Holmes
SOJ: the worlds "big three" religions, Christianity, Judaism, and Islam all trace back to Abraham/Abram and thus are all shoots from the same seed. (God figure) each shoot may have many branches from conservative through radical. there are many similarities in their teachings and many paths that humankind may travel to find "their" truth, which is no less valid than your truth. while many may be "radicalized" we should NOT judge the whole by the few, nor judge by the title they give THEIR creator. it is said "judge not lest ye shall be judged."
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Cynthia Mandello
All the major biblical religions have the same "Old Testament",therefore, follow the "same God".
The concept of Jesus as God incarnate is where the separation lies. Mohammed was a prophet leading the people to what he believed was the "one way"; Mohammed believed Jesus to be a prophet, not a God-head. Hence, Christians worship of Jesus as a God-head puts them in conflict with the first commandment. That's the rub.
Jewish religions do not follow the New Testament (I could safely argue that neither do most professed Christians). They are more in line with the Muslims.
All of this goes back to one man's adultery, siring sons by two women and casting the one aside, and Children of the one believing themselves to be the chosen, most beloved & entitled. Special.
So, why are Christians being called up to spill our blood in Middle Eastern sand? We are bound by Jesus to love both sides. How can we take up arms in favor of one over the other?
Jesus said there were TWO Commandments: love God & love your neighbor (every one of them). He said zilch about bringing the bloodiest. The best line in the article was the last. My favorite line: "blood soaked Christian Nationalist wet-dream" says it all.
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ServantOfJudgement
Steve and Cynthia
You're correct in part, that is the three religions can be traced to one person, Abraham. The bible accurately foretold of the creation of islam back in Genesis and was also discussed by Paul in the new testament. Specifically Paul foretold that the children of Ishmael would live under bondage and law. This Sheria Law Paul foretold of is not compatible with the God of the Bible or God's Truth. It's in direct opposition to the message of Jesus who also warned against future false prophets and future false doctrine.
Six hundred years later something evil happened. A counterfeit god was created supported by counterfeit doctrine. Much like a counterfeit 100$ bill a serial number to prove its real. We know however, it's not a 100$ bill even though it says 100 Dollars on its surface.
The Bible labels Satan as the deceiver of the world amongst other undesirable attributes.
The Quran says this interestingly: Surah 3:54- "And they deceived/schemed, and Allah deceived/schemed, and Allah is the best of deceivers/schemers.”
Let's put the two documents to the test.
Are Bible believers permitted to lie? God says No.
Are Quran believers permitted to lie? Allah says Yes.
God and Allah are not the same entity.
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Keith Graham Ainsworth
Wrong on all counts.
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Keith David Harry
Then factually dispute each one of his points. It would be interesting to hear you debate each one of his assertions. Are you up to the challenge. My money is on SOJ.
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Leslie A. Hulberg Née Tomasura
I believe they should never be told something of that nature. Do the people telling soldiers this speak for a deity? What makes them so certain? And Trump being anointed by God? I hardly think so. It’s true that war could bring about an Armageddon. Basically the destruction of humankind. But doing it to bring the return of the Christ? This government and its administration isn’t doing anything in the name of a deity. They are doing it for profit for themselves. Sadly, some people are going to believe this to be true. But remember, according to the Bible, Jesus fed the poor and helped the least of us. I can’t imagine that a messiah who did that would anoint someone like Trump who has been a terrible person throughout his life and who has shown his racism, his willingness to hurt the poorest and the children and those who toiled under him.
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ServantOfJudgement
Leslie
Biblically speaking, all leaders are given to us by God. Biden and all the others presidents and down to the mayor of a little town.
Leaders are given to reward or even punish. What you see as a reward I may see as punishment based on our level of independent though and personal philosophy. From God's angle, he wants us closer to him personally. Hardship will have that effect.
It's not that trump is special in God's eyes and he's some sort of chosen one. He's the president this country needs for God's purpose. Same as Biden before him.
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Sir Lionheart
Islam has a similar belief structure to yourself. In their case they believe the Ayatollah has been chosen by “their” god. It’s interesting how mankind has created these logical fallacies to fit everyones religious beliefs isn’t it?
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ServantOfJudgement
If you've not been in the military, this is normal hype talk. Leaders must get troops motivated and psyched up.
No big deal guys. Iran has after all been begging for this. They've been working very hard for it. They finally got it.
I wish Islam never took Persia from the Persians but it did.
Maybe they'll take it back and call it Persia again.
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John Robert Peters
Ignorance and bias are amazing. Christians these days use psychological tools of projection and displacement to mask others w their own self loathing and fear. How does Christian Nationalism differ from Sharia Law except by name? For that matter how do they differ from imposition of any religious law upon others not of their belief system? Right wing Christians. May be surprised when their rapture is directly to Hell. As to the comment that this speech was ordinary military hype talk is flat wrong. I am a veteran. In the US military, until now, religious based speeches by command has been strictly forbidden.
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ServantOfJudgement
I suppose we had different experiences in the military John. Perhaps my job required more God than your job. Not sure. Either way, thank you for your service.
Did you know the condition of ignorance is treatable? There's one caveat. King Solomon of the Bible said the fool despises instruction. I've found that to be a solid truth.
Let's try shall we?
I'll keep the difference between Sharia law and Christian nationalism simple and clean. We'll focus on the woman's hair:
Islamic Law- Mahsa Amini (22 years old) died in September 2022 after being arrested by Iran’s morality police for not wearing her hijab properly. She died in custody three days after her arrest.
Christian law- Mary of Bethany washed the feet of Jesus with her tears and dried them with her hair.
Today there are over twenty Sharia court nations and zero Christian court nations.
I hope that helps you see the difference between Islamic principles and Christian principles along with the laws that naturally might follow if this or that got the upper hand or maybe even got out of hand.
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Lisbeth Kieran Bushey
I am a Veteran and this is absolutely NOT NORMAL.
Iran has not been begging for this, and those little girls in the elementary school we bombed didn’t ask for it either. We committed a war crime (not the first time, unfortunately probably not the last time).
Never once did anyone in my chain of command talk like this and if they had, the Army would’ve come down hard on them. It’s against DoD Instruction 1300.17, an Article 138 report, possibly an Article 134 violation, Article 117 violation, and Article 133 violation depending on what the rank is of who says it. It goes against the Soldier’s Creed.
This was unacceptable behavior when I got out over a decade ago and it was unacceptable behavior when my grandfather got out 60 years ago.
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John Alex Paxson
Religion is a personal choice and has no business in politics, that is very dangerous, especially if you believe that your beliefs and religion is "The Religion", which is false, because it cannot be proven without a reasonable doubt. But your beliefs are in your soul, and yours only.
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Reverend Paula Copp
So much for separation of church and state…
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Keith D
Exactly. Talk about violation of the Constitution! Geesh! Said commanders need a remedial class in their Oath of Office.
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Colleen McAllister
The more people say the end is nigh, the more I know it is not. Jesus will come when it is time and not before. Trump is doing a great disservice to the world and needs to be stopped. I prefer to rely on Jesus own words. No one knows when it will come.
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Sir Lionheart
He’s attempting to prevent radical Islam from destroying the world, which they would surely attempt to do, in the name of their God, if they ever had a nuclear device. I am so sorry that TDS prevents you from seeing the obvious. Even Democrats saw that reality when they were in office, but did nothing about it. They even gave away billions of dollars to that nation.
You can thank your God for President Donald Trump.
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Elizabeth Jane Erbe Wilcox
Sorry, folks, this isn’t the big deal that’s been made of it. Read the most recent edition of The Friendly Athiest and you’ll see what I’m talking about.
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PKBW
I don't think the USA can bring God's word.
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Geoffrey C. Olive
God’s word was made up by humans to support the control of many by the few!
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Kenneth Lyle Pullen
I have always said the Bible was used by King James to control the masses, the Bible was a good way to do so. I think that is why the Bible that is used the most is the King James version.
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PKBW
Really? And your proof is?
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Geoffrey C. Olive
And your proof that a god exists is?
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Geoffrey C. Olive
History is the proof! Look it up!
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Lori-Ann Neeb
Look up the history of Constantine and the council of Nicea.
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Douglas Robert Spindler
Sure they can. We are the ones who created God's words. We even voted on what words to include and which ones to exclude.
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Michael Arthur Lueras
But what did Jesus say 2000 years ago about The War On Iran in particular and what is happening generally in Earthly life right now? "...there will be wars and rumours of wars strife iniquity disasters plagues...such things must be and the end is not yet." (Matthew 24:6) and "...but woe to those through whom these things come." (Jesus in Matthew 18:7) Trump and his Criminal Regime ARE "THOSE"! Amen!?
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PKBW
Bull#$@
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Sir Lionheart
I see TDS continues to still rule many. 🤭
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Rev Ned
TDS? trump deification syndrome?
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James Riggle-Johnson
Just like CDS, BDS, OBS, and BDS before them. Those in power always claim that of the others. Both sides should really try working together and learn to compromise.
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Sir Lionheart
It depends on the severity of the syndrome. Those that actually voted for Kamala Harris believing she was going to be the most eloquent and intellectual candidate to be Commander-In-Chief might possibly never recover. 🤭
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Patricia Ann Gross
Let's just hope (and pray if you're into that) that the US "recovers" from the eloquence and intellegence of the one who got elected, by promising no more wars, prices going down on day 1 of his new presidency, and has continually lied to the American people.
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Sir Lionheart
Yes, all will be well. US product prices did go down, and despite the unavoidable war in Iran, crude oil still hasn’t risen to the levels of $118.87 per barrel under sleepy Joe Biden in 2022. Try judging our President, along with the rest of the nation, at the elections in 2028.
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Rev. BH
Lion, please stop the unamusing "sleepy" Joe. Anyone with eyes sees Trump dozing off regularly during white house meetings.
As for your "unavoidable" war, if your hero hadn't started it, it would have been avoided. Then, Trump's pathetic plea for the world to help us! diminishes him and our country. No pre-planning to bring Americans home shows Hegseth's military "expertise". And now we're on alert for terrorist cells here at home
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Sir Lionheart
You will soon be thanking him, and Israel, just like most of Iran’s citizens do for bringing civility to their country. They will then be able to live in peace for the first time since 1979.
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Rev. BH
Lion, 3/17: "Top counterterrorism official Kent resigns over Trump's Iran war, says Iran posed no imminent threat."
PS. Regime change? That never goes well.
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Sir Lionheart
Joe Kent commented in 2024 that “Iran was a threat and had been trying to kill President Trump since 2020”. He also said that “Islamism is a threat to western civilization”. In a Tweet on 1/7/20 he said “We should not sit and wait for the next attack, wipe Iran’s ballistic capability out ….” Now he’s saying something very different. I wonder why?
He sadly lost his first wife in military action, his new wife works for lib, Max Blumenthal at the Grayzone outlet. Apparently she’s been rage posting about President Trump for a while now. Could she have influenced him? 🤷
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Rev. BH
Or not.
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Michael Hunt
The price of oil went up in 2022 because Russia invaded Ukraine. The price of oil went up this year because Trump bombed Iran. Blaming Biden for the increase in oil prices is like your neighbor coming into your kitchen and trashing the place and then you go and blame it on your brother because he was in the kitchen at the time.
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Sir Lionheart
Have no fear Michael, the price of oil will eventually drop, unless you live in California. 🤭
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Patricia Ann Gross
Sir LH,
Explain to me something. If we have all the oil reserves that Trump is suggesting, why the surge right now because of the disruption in the Middle East. According to him, we are no longer dependent on oil from that region. It was also the reason he took over Venezuela.
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Sir Lionheart
Yes, we have crude oil reserves but under Biden he insisted on maintaining the Clean Air Act policies by reducing oil refineries production, and drilling for oil, by 2025, which he started in 2020 resulting in a reduced capacity nationwide by 1.1 million barrels of oil per day. So, although we have huge reserves of untapped crude oil here in the US, which Biden clamped down on, oil refinery capacities and drilling for oil have to now get back up to speed which President Trump is attempting to correct during his administration. A new huge oil refinery has been announced this year to be built in Texas, and hopefully his campaign polices of “Drill baby, Drill” will bear fruit. Until then, we are still reliant on some oil from other countries.
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Rev. Kev
Sir Lionheart:
Were you not aware that we were energy independent and had record oil production (the highest in U.S. history) under the Biden admin?
Are you not aware that oil companies have more than enough leases to drill but are simply not exploiting the sites in order to control production and flow of oil products to the market?
Are you also not aware that the price of oil products is based on the global market? What oil companies pull out of U.S. soil doesn't stay on U.S. soil and magically just drop prices at U.S. gas stations. It's exported. The U.S. is part of the larger, global economy. Which is why our gas, and other oil-related products, prices are affected by what happens in the Middle East along with everybody else.
At best, we could do what Biden did when gas prices went up due to global demand exceeding supply when the economies of the world kicked back into gear after the pandemic (and what the EU is attempting now) and release a huge quantity of oil onto the market to temporarily lower prices. But that was a temporary fix as refinement facilities ramped up production (and Presidents can do very little to control the economy in real life). This war is causing severe damage to facilities that can take several months to years to repair. Then add on time to get the machinery up to full capacity.THEN the added time to get it where it needs to go. Tankers aren't exactly speedy.
"Drill, baby, drill" is not a domestic energy plan. It's a political talking point that can be easily digested without any real thought involved. It sounds good. It's pithy. It's a McSlogan.
All that matters here is the bottom line on P&L's and shareholders statements. Not you or me or the average consumer. The folks in charge of this war equally don't give a flying flea about you or me or the average consumer.
If you don't think you are being lied to at epic proportions, and maybe even believe the nonsense that this will all be over soon and all the prices of everything will fall and everything will be cherries and cream (or whatever trips your trigger) then I have some amazing real estate to sell you in central South Florida that has great development potential at a low, low price. You'll make millions! Trust me.
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Sir Lionheart
Thank you for your opinion Kev. The war in Iran was inevitable, which everyone expected at sometime, even Kamala Harris was not happy with Iran saying Iran had American blood on its hands. It was going to be a priority for her, but I bet she was thinking she would be able to sweet talk the Mullah’s into cancelling their nuclear program with her incomprehensible word salads. 🤭
https://www.instagram.com/reel/DV_G8pIDub8/?igsh=NTc4MTIwNjQ2YQ==
Anyway, hang in there as best you can, I’m sure everything will become clearer to you as this administration continues on its successful path even though your confirmation bias is not helping you right now.
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Patricia Ann Gross
Sir LH,
If oil prices aren't going up, why did I pay $1.00 more per gallon more than I did last week? My fill-up went from $22.xx to $34.yy. Is there an acronym for Trump Adoration Disusional Syndrome (TADS)?
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Sir Lionheart
Oil prices are going up, and will possibly continue to increase until all oil tankers get a clear passageway through the Straits of Hormuz. Hopefully in a few weeks.
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Patricia Ann Gross
And who do we thank for that? Our "fearles leader" has completely p---ed off the entire NATO alliance such that not a single one are coming to help.... Which he also warned "bad things" would happen if they didn't. I can't believe you are still defending this bully. TADS must not be curable.
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Sir Lionheart
As of today some NATO countries have seen the light and have offered to help to defend the Straits of Hormuz. NATO needs us, we don’t need NATO. President Trump sees NATO as a Paper Tiger. I can see us eventually leaving NATO which costs us approximately $570 million dollars a year for basically nothing.
I’m so glad we finally have a “fearless leader” that actually knows what he is doing for the love and benefit of the United States. I’m sorry you can’t see that, but in time, I think you will. Hang in there Patricia.
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Rev. Kev
"As of today some NATO countries have seen the light and have offered to help to defend the Straits of Hormuz."
Actually, seven U.S. allies announced in a joint statement on Thursday their support for a potential coalition. The statement does not include any commitment to send naval vessels or other resources to make that happen. For now, it's largely a gesture to placate President Trump, who has railed against allies for declining to help secure the strait and warned that a failure to do so could undermine the future of NATO.
In a separate statement NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte simply stated, “We are determining what is needed, when it is needed and how to carry it out together. As soon as the time is right, we will proceed.”
"NATO needs us, we don’t need NATO."
I laugh every time I see or hear that statement. Because it isn't true. Anyone who sincerely believes that has no clue how U.S. national security works.
This isn't the 1950's. The U.S. is no longer the sole world power and we cannot stand alone. We need access to intelligence and staging points across the globe.
"I’m so glad we finally have a 'fearless leader' that actually knows what he is doing for the love and benefit of the United States."
Exactly where is the U.S. gaining any benefit? And I mean the U.S. The American people. Not wealthy leeches who look out for #1 and that's it.
All I have seen so far is a guy who made a bunch of false promises to people who swallowed them whole and isn't living up to any of them. And we're paying more for everything. Which isn't going to change any time soon.
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Rev. BH
P.A.G. Right on!
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ServantOfJudgement
Unfortunately Michael, when the Bible was altered to create the Quran, the meat and potatoes were perverted to favor the new religion of islam. Even claiming Jesus the Christ is a Muslim. The Mormons did something similarly horrific to Jesus the Christ.
Jesus actually centers the final times around Israel. Not iran, not USA or any other nation in particular. It does say all the remaining nations will attempt to destroy Jesus, specifically mentioning kings from the east(Iran?) coming to destroy Jesus, the son of God.
It's unclear if the religion of the beast and antichrist is new or an existing one. Whatever religion it is, it's a very forceful religion. Denial of the beast and antichrists religion results in death. Islam is a very neat fit for such an oppressive religion as we can see across the world today.
All that said, president Trump's motives are the defense of USA and stability in the region. Iran has proven to be very malevolent to its citizens, neighbors and nations across the globe. That behavior is diametrically opposed to the God of the bible and in alignment with Satan of the bible.
It's not very nice to hang a girl with pretty hair just because she believes in Jesus.
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Father Frederick
It would be handy, TheMonastery, to cite the name of the unknown commander. In these sort of situation I think it demands citation if it's used in commenting.
But, in a military situation, I can see such an utterance being spoken. After all, remember that phrase, "We'll kill them all and let God sort them out." Anyone have correct citation on who said that? And there have been similar statements in WW1, WW2, Korea, Vietnam, Afghanistan, Iraq, and other conflicts. And Americans are not the only ones speaking similar phrases.
But back on the original subject, I've not connected this military action with Armageddon, or the Return of Jesus. I know it makes good fodder for forums and social media, but let's not get ahead or ourselves, or think we know the time and place.
I believe that after some 62 years of the Mideast attacking the U.S. and Christians, this whole thing of Iran gaming the U.S. and other nations finally came home to roost, and the bully punched back. If you listen to overseas news, there was one common thread in various reports; "Iran didn't think the U.S....." This is a profound statement, especially when multiple countries brought it to light. Yes, they "didn't think". They poked the bear too much, or as the kids would say, FAFO.
I believe, based on the intel, assets in the open, and timing; Trump and Benjamin Netanyahu saw an opportunity to hit back the bully. So I don't see it has anything to do with Armageddon, or the Return of Jesus. I think Bebe and Donald saw a lax Iran, confident that they could continue business as usual, and intel pointed to a mass casualty of bad guys, and the U.S. and Israel took the shot. I also think there will be more, simply from the standpoint that the bad guys are now like cockroaches running everywhere. The military loves this as it points out who they are.
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Scott Smith
The phrase "Kill them all and let God sort them out" is often attributed to Arnaud Amalric during the Massacre at Béziers in 1209, although historians debate its authenticity. It reflects the brutal mindset of the Crusaders during the Albigensian Crusade against the Cathars. AI generated answer
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ServantOfJudgement
Father Frederick,
I thought the same thing when I read this story, that the commander did as commanders do.
"We'll bring Armageddon", let "God sort'em out", on and on and on. The must say things to build the spirit up of their soldiers. People who've not served might not understand that and tender atheists that do serve miss the point and weep about it.
You nailed it straight and right.
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Patricia Ann Gross
SOJ,
Your glorification of this rhetoric is troubling. Can you honestly say you find virtue in a commander using "kill them all and letting God sort them out?" What type of spirt is this supposed to be building up in the soldiers? That rhetoric got 165 school children and staff (mostly women and girls) killed when a Tomahawk hit a school. I think know your bias. They were Muslim, ... I know you don't care, so please don't go there.
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Rev. Miche'al Yosef Dixon
I don't know of the actual origin of the United States Marines moto, "Kill 'em All And Let God Sort 'em Out" but an uncle of mine who served directly under General George Patton told us about his Little pip talk before a battle it also gave us the term G.I.; "Men, your not at your mommy's tit anymore. If fact you aren't actually men anymore you are Government Issued Assets (G.I.) and we are at war and you have one purpose in life right now to kill all those NAZI bastards and let God Sort the scum out. God sent us to destroy His enemies and those bastards are His biggest enemies." Now on April 20, 1989 me and 548 others placed our hands on a King James Holy Bible and swore an oath; "I swear to defend the citizens of the United States of America and the constitution of the United States of America and the office of the President of the United States of America from all enemies both domestic and foreign as God is my witness even with my mortal life." I don't know what they do and say now but as of then and before then the United States Military had God throughout in fact in 1990 two men were other than honorable discharge simply for being in "the Church of Satan" and being "Wiccan". So, if a big IF, those commanders did say that they are from old school military. But the article has a lot of "allegedly" in it. Not one solid prof and I just was talking with Admiral Candle my highest mortal superior about the McGinnis' disturbance. The attack on Iran wasn't just Israel and USA the whole United Nations was behind it as the actions of Iran are an act of war on ALL the United Nations members. Armageddon is a place not a time event, people really should try reading the prophecy before committing on things they know nothing about.
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Geoffrey C. Olive
These religionists will make up anything such as Armageddon to justify or try and explain something not based on scientific facts rather than just admit they don’t know! Why do some people in the 21st century think that the thoughts of uneducated so called prophets from 2000+ years ago are anything more than stories? Why that rules their lives is beyond me! It’s all made up to control the ignorant masses!
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ServantOfJudgement
I wonder why ALL dictatorships forbid the bible. If you're right, they'd demand all citizens own a copy. They don't though do they?
I wonder why it took the CDC 3000 years to agree with the uneducated author's food etiquette. And why don't we know what a woman is yet? We're smarter that the Biblical author, He knows what a woman is but we don't. Well, I do but you might not. Science is definitely having a hard time with that one.
I'd love to teach you more about things we don't know yet but the author of the bible says a fool despises instruction.
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Lori-Ann Neeb
Mr. SOJ, go back to the basics. You are correct that the Bible is inaccurate. It is simply because the Bible is not written by God. It only has some correct references here and there that the church forgot to script for themselves. The corrupt church published what they wanted to fit into their agendas. It always has been and always will be a man made book.
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ServantOfJudgement
That's the odd thing Lori, I never said the Bible is inaccurate.
It's quite accurate and authored by someone who had advanced knowledge of science, biology, human psychology and physics. Man did not possess the scientific knowledge in the Bible, he simply didn't.
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Rev. BH
SoJ: So god sat down in heaven with a stylus and hand wrote the whole bible (or wished it into existence!) and handed it to somebody (who?) that made a lot of copies and passed them around to lots of people who couldn't read very well?
Not logical, friend.
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Sir Lionheart
I’m assuming you are including in your claim of its accuracy, the origin of human species “Adam & Eve”, and a talking Ass and Snake, and let’s throw in a unicorn while we’re at it. 😜
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Geoffrey C. Olive
I think Christian Nationalism is as close to being a dictatorship that doesn’t forbid the bible. CN may not actually be a dictatorship in any country but I certainly think they would be if they got into power somewhere!
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ServantOfJudgement
Well Geoffrey, find me a nation that's mandated Christianity as the only established religion and we'll discuss it.
I'll give you this, if such a nation did arise without literal Jesus running it, you're probably right. It would be horrific. In that case you'd find me in the gallows for defending atheists and gays.
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Geoffrey C. Olive
SoJ, I never said there was a nation that mandated xtianity as the only established religion, just that CN probably has that as its goal for the whole world! It certainly happened in the past, for example the Spanish Inquisition, the Reformation in England, and other European countries that condemned witchcraft! It wasn’t too long ago that blasphemy was punishable in so called civilized parts of the world, and it probably still exists in parts of Africa, Asia, the Middle East and elsewhere!
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ServantOfJudgement
Geoffrey,
In it's over 300 years, the Spanish inquisition murdered under 10k souls.
In totality, evil people claiming to be Christian killed less than 100k people according to AI.
Last century the atheist wars and atheist dictatorships killed over 100 million.
This century muslims have killed upwards of 2 million people, atheists nailed around 500k coffins.
Christian driven wars this century and last century, Ireland is the only one I could find. About 3k dead. Any other Christian involvement in wars were that of self defense.
You want to be concerned about a religious slaughterhouse and blasphemy laws, the number are in front of you. You can choose where to put your effort.
From what I'm seeing on you tube, the UK is just about to enjoy some good ole fashioned blasphemy laws from you know who.....don't say...you could go to jail.
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Patricia Ann Gross
SOJ,
Go back in history to Constantine, and you'll find plenty of them, all the way up to the Protestant Reformation. The reason for that was the indulgences by the Catholic Church and a pope/emperor gone amok taxing the poor workers helping to build the Vatican and Cistine Chapel. Michaelangelo didn't produce that beautiful artwork for nothing.
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ServantOfJudgement
That's the funny thing Patricia, you need to go way way back and still not even hit a million, not even close all combined. In 2k years you don't touch what islam and atheists do right now today every day.
I shamefully believed the babble about Christianity until I actually researched it. I found what atheists and Islam does today should absolutely shock any thinking person.
The real hate of the world is anti Christian. Clear as day now.
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Patricia Ann Gross
Your AI is broken. Hitler's (a Catholic) Nazi Party alone killed over 6M Jews. Prior to the 20th century, weapons of mass destruction did not exist, so comparing Medieval times to the to compare casualties with today doesn't work. When I asked Google about the Spanish Inquisition, I got the result of between 30,000 and 300,000 which is quite a spread, so we really don't know how many died in that war. I asked about how many Iraquis died in the Iraq war, and got back "somewhere between 110,000 and 600,000, so even with our war machine and 21st Century technology, there is a discrepancy in how many died then. That was a war against a Muslim nation, carried out by what the right wing wants to call a Christian nation.
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ServantOfJudgement
Come now Patricia, German's ww2 was not a religious war, it was a war for dirt.
You MIGHT pull off Japanese ww2 was religious because their emperor was a god but that was really just a war for dirt.
Iraq was was for oil. Afghanistan for opium.
Don't be so hard on Christianity, Christian friend. You trying too hard to hate it.
No Christian wars have been waged since the crusades. That one I'll give ya.
Next let's talk about the Christians being slaughtered by Islam right now as I type.
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Patricia Ann Gross
By your logic, ALL wars are just wars for dirt, so the answer is zero on all counts. (Muslim included). If you want to get down to the individual murders, lets talk about the KKK (Christian organization), David Karesh (Christian psychopath), and Jim Jones (another Christian psychopath. There are hundreds of others whose claim was Christian, and murdered others in the name of their religion.
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Rev. MichaelRS
IF true.
I noticed no names of the "commanders" are provided.
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Robert Gagnon
Goes to show just how stupid people are. You can't manipulate a prophesy. Just like the world will end in 2000, didn't happen. Then the Mayan calendar. What if the spaghetti monster comes instead? And what about a thousand years of hell on Earth before J.C. pays us a visit? Which by the way is after the rapture which would take any qualified troops away before their tour of duty. This commander shouldn't lead a boy scout troop lot less Americans.
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Lori-Ann Neeb
Disregard Revalations completely. It was included into their Bible only because it fit their agendas when this earth can support life no more anyone here at the time will be lifted home. It is as simple as that. No second coming. No thousand years of anything . Human species always try to claim religion as excuses for their own transgressions against other men.
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Rev. BH
Amen, Lori-Ann.
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John Robert Peters
Well Hindus Sikh, Buddhists, Shinto, Wiccan, Gnostic Sethians, etc would all be shocked. They do have differing God/dess concepts and none even consider Jesus. Muslims see Jesus as a lesser prophet.
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Najah P Tamargo
Najah Tamargo-USA
I can't even find the words to rationalize this crap!!!!
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Stephanie A Willey
Oh I can find the words ... but we're not supposed to use that kind here.
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Parson Golden
So I guess atheists cannot serve in the military?
Will they be kicked out or are we going back to don’t ask don’t tell?
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Sir Lionheart
Atheists can serve in the Military. There are over 40,000 atheist service members, and organizations like the Military Association of Atheist and Free Thinkers (MAAF) support their rights.
https://militaryatheists.org
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John P Maher
JESUS H. CHRIST WHAT HOLY B S !!!
If the world is shortly coming to an end, why do all these greedy preachers continue to want our money?