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IMO, attitude (of heart/mind) towards God - is of paramount importance. If one is humble, open, seeking to please HIM, sorry for sins, willing to change - this is the ATTITUDE God desires. We cannot generate that attitude within ourselves. Only the indwelling Spirit of Christ - working IN us, can generate that attitude. Galatians 4:6 God has sent forth the Spirit of His Son into your hearts, crying out, "Abba, Father!" (NKJ) It is the Spirit of His Son - IN our hearts, that causes us to cry out to our Father God. Even faith is a gift to us, through His Spirit. We can't even believe, without His Spirit - in us. Which brings the whole question down to, receiving or resisting His Spirit. This is the exercise of our FREE WILL. Acts 7:51 "You stiffnecked and uncircumcised in heart and ears! You always resist the Holy Spirit; as your fathers did, so do you. (NKJ) Which is why the sin against the Holy Spirit is DECISIVE. The sin against the Holy Spirit - is resistance. Without that Spirit, one cannot come to Christ. Jesus said, "No one can come to Me unless drawn BY My Father." and "No one comes to the Father but BY Me." I don't understand exactly HOW all of this works. I do believe that everyone feels the drawing, pulling, power of God's Spirit. How the person then RESPONDS to that pulling/drawing/convicting - towards belief and faith and loving works (and yes, true doctrine) - that RESPONSE determines whether one is ultimately drawn to Christ as Savior, or resists - and that determines whether Christ can "save". It comes down to our FREE WILL. Will we receive or resist? How many times have I read about Muslim converts telling their stories - saying they "just felt deeply" that something was very wrong with their beliefs, and that "there must be something more". That "more" was/is Christ. Muslims are embracing Jesus risen - by the millions. This is the work of the God's Spirit.

I wonder if that doesn't make this Word more significant? 22 For false christs and false prophets will rise and show signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect. Mark 13 God is Love!~Jesus saves!

I don't think Paul "got it" so quickly. He already had a vast wealth of OT knowledge, probably having memorized the entire thing. Which was common among Jewish men. He was a star pupil of Gamiliel. So at his "conversion" he actually wasn't converted as we understand conversion, but rather realised that his previous understanding of the OT/Talmud/Torah was flawed. He then spent 3 years in Arabia learning from Jesus (Galatians 1:11 - 12, 15 - 18). Which is about the same amount of time the disciples spent with Jesus. So Paul put in his time, probably MORE than most.

I like country music!!!

I read the title of the thread, "Most US faith groups say country is on the wrong track," and immediately wondered why religious groups in America don't like country music anymore.... lol

5 Things You Didn't Know About the Purple Heart On August 7, 1782, General George Washington, the commander in chief of the Continental Army, created the “Badge for Military Merit,” otherwise known as a “Purple Heart.” See how much you recall about this symbol of courage and sacrifice that was designed to honor the bravest of the brave in American history. The Badge Was Originally Created for Those Who Served in the Revolutionary War. The original Purple Heart was a white-colored ribbon with a heart-shaped emblem embroidered out of purple cloth. Only three were awarded by the end of the Revolutionary War when it was discontinued. One was given to Sergeant Daniel Bissell, who acted as a spy against the British, and the other two were awarded to Sergeant William Brown for his courage at Yorktown and Sergeant Elijah Churchill for two raids against fortifications held by the British. The Purple Heart Wasn’t Reinstated Until World War II. Major General Douglas MacArthur was instrumental in reviving the award, and it was renamed the Purple Heart in 1932. MacArthur himself received the first one for his participation in 1942 in the American Expeditionary Force in France. The commendation was expanded by President Franklin D. Roosevelt to include members of any service branch who had been wounded during action when fighting against an enemy of America. Some Civilians Were Awarded the Purple Heart. Civilians have also been awarded with the Purple Heart over the years. One was Ernie Pyle, the combat journalist, who was given the award after he was killed by gunfire while he was reporting the battle on Lejima, near Okinawa. Following the attack on Pearl Harbor, firefighters who worked to douse the flames, along with other civilians, were awarded medals, but the practice of giving the Purple Heart to civilians was stopped in 1997. One Soldier Received Nine Purple Hearts. A Marine Corps sergeant, Albert Luke Ireland, is credited as receiving the highest number of Purple Hearts. He was injured five times while serving in the Pacific Theater during World War II and another four times while serving in the Korean War for a total of nine Purple Hearts. Ireland was a New York native who was also awarded two Bronze Stars and service and campaign medals adorned with eight battle stars. There Is a Museum Dedicated to Those Who Received the Purple Heart. A museum dedicated to Purple Heart recipients was established through passage of a resolution by Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton in 2002. It is located in New Windsor, New York, close to the spot where George Washington was camped when the badge was established in 1782. The center contains a registry of all of the U.S. combat casualties from military combat from the period of the Revolutionary War to present times.

I used to be a very good Catholic; and I still have many devout Catholic friends. None of them has ever heard of "praying to the Pope". Wherever you heard this, it is false. I'm not saying that this never happened; but it is not a current practice of Catholics (at least not un the U.S.)

It's a hard question, and a great one! ✅ My thought is that Scripture gives us parts of the equation. What I think most important is the heart condition. Are we friends with God? Do we know His voice and follow our Shepherd as the flock depends on a human shepherd? If doctrines are anything like other topics I have searched in the Bible, our understanding of them is puny at best. And then, with puny understanding we smash others over the head with our verbal and judgmental mallets. I love 1 Cor. 13, too! Love trumps even the most God-blessed gifts. To me that is basic and I have a ways to go to even BEGIN to grasp it.

Yes, but I am confident that 1 Cor. 13 is inspired. Substitute the word "God" for the word "Love" in 1 Cor. 13; and it describes "God" to a "T". Maybe that's why 1 John 4 is all about how "God is Love".

from the article's Q & A: he doesn't say *how* it could (notice the "could"... not "would") lower costs & make SDA higher education more available... I think it's a bad idea in general — but a great idea [tic] for hiring more top echelon personnel to "oversee" all of the lower class peons (who actually do the work)...

... and the pioneers' and traditional SDA's faith in the writings and visions (perhaps improperly interpreted?) of their prophet Ellen White without sound Biblical evidence.