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This is a fascinating discussion, and it raises the question of what constitutes a wolf in sheep's clothing, and by extension, what constitutes a sheep. Is it doctrinal purity? If so, what are we to make of the doctrinal advancements made by our SDA pioneers? For example, were they not sheep until they had embraced the 7th-day Sabbath? I believe that it is Christian sincerity that makes one a sheep. So, while we are watching out for wolves in sheep's clothing, perhaps a bit of self-distrust might be in order. Really, how sure can we ever honestly be about our own sincerity? As for others, only God reads their hearts, so it might behoove us to give people the benefit of the doubt, as far as possible. At the same time, those who appear the most trustworthy may secretly (perhaps unknown to themselves) be agents of the enemy. Again, we may well be our own worst enemies. Just thinking aloud...

This is a very interesting discussion. While there are varying ideas, there does seem to be a consensus around the fact that what makes a word "dirty" is how the word is commonly perceived within a given culture or language group. However, I don't know if anyone has taken this to the next level, and addressed the question: Of what does this common perception consist? My take on the matter is that a word is "dirty" because it is commonly perceived as being unnecessarily graphic about bodily functions that are either distasteful or sacred -- that latter being demeaning of human sexuality -- or needlessly flippant or profane in regard to God or true religion. I think that a word such as "poop" is generally acceptable because it is not always convenient to use a more verbose term for human excrement, and because it is considered virtuously down-to-earth to be vulgar in the most literal sense of the word. At the same time, there is a recognition that one is deliberately avoiding even worse terminology. I note that those who learn English as a second language often inadvertently violate our norms in the use of "dirty" words. Perhaps ESL teachers need to get over a bit of their "tolerance" and warn their students concerning what words might generally be considered offensive.

I'd follow him to his new country of "Mynaymistan"...

And how do you reconcile that mantra when it could mean the death of someone else? Simply, "oh well"?

I was looking up Algonquin Provincial Park in Ontario in Wikipedia and stumbled across this: Interesting!

That's true. A funny thing happened at church one week. We had a new assistant pastor straight from the Ukraine whose English was less than fluent. He sang "Amazing Grace" quite beautifully while playing the cello - except for one boo-boo. He started the song with "Amazing grace how sweet the sound that saved a [censored] like me". He was puzzled why so many people snickered. When we explained it to him as gently as we could, he was quite embarrassed.

. . . as told by one Father. https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/crime/his-daughter-was-murdered-this-is-why-he-sat-down-feet-from-her-killer-and-forgave-him/ar-BBWlKhV?ocid=spartandhp

I don't know enough about the man to even begin trying to get inside his head. The Swedish indictments that first led to his holing up in the Ecuadorean embassy in London do not paint him as a very virtuous man, regardless of whether or not he could have been convicted on the specific charges. Sometimes it is hard not to sympathize with whistle blowers against the governments who wish to bring them to "justice." However, it is also hard for me to understand how Mr. Assange got to the place where he could help the Russians undermine the fairness of a US presidential election, and in so doing help to illegitimately elect one of the most selfish and degraded men in recorded history. Julian shall have no sympathy from me unless he repents.

I think we need to be very careful, especially in the current context, about accusing anyone of being a "Korah." As I have so far perceived him, George Knight is a serious, thoughtful Christian man, and a very loyal Seventh-day Adventist. As an SDA historian, he enjoys a perspective on things that few of us possess, and from which we may all benefit greatly. I do not wish to delve into anything like a complete critique of what happened at the San Antonio GC session in 2015. For one thing, I wasn't there. However, I cannot refrain from suggesting that there are some rather well-founded doubts concerning the depth of sincerity in all those prayers that were offered for the leading of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit can only effectively lead when we have no agenda of our own, and it is a well documented fact that the GC delegates can sometimes get things very wrong. I cannot accept that Ted Wilson was "just trying to uphold a vote," when it is so clearly evident that he and his allies had been working very hard to engineer the outcome of that vote in the first place. Again, I do not wish to launch an overly harsh critique, but I do think that we as a people are slowly beginning to reach a consensus in regard to what the Bible and Ellen White really teach about the role of women in ministry. If we could just get over our latent sacramentalism, perhaps the ordination question itself would be easily solved. Of course, I am blithely assuming that there are no male supremacy tendencies among us. George Knight is no "liberal," and I do believe we'd be better off not to unnecessarily divide people along those lines.

A recent article in Forbes tells the world how SDAs spend their money. https://www.forbes.com/sites/nextavenue/2019/04/16/how-the-oldest-people-in-americas-blue-zone-make-their-money-last/#1455a9512a49

interesting, indeed. Additionally, I've always thought the prophetic events involving nature should be visible around the world....but has that really happened?

That’s a really awesome testimony for the world!

There is also a well known natural cause for the so-called falling of the stars. One should not say that Biblical events never have a natural cause.

It is possible that God used a forest fire to fulfill Bible prophecy. But I am not aware of anyone who actually chronicled the event (at the time) that mentioned the stench of smoke when they lit candles at noon day to try to shed light on their work. Perhaps the eyewitness accounts might be studied more?

Is alive again

5 Things You Probably Don't Know About Lucille Ball_3 On April 26, 1989, Lucille Ball died at age 77 from a ruptured aorta following open-heart surgery. Lucille Ball was an actress, comedian, and producer who is best known today for one of the most-loved TV shows of all time, the classic sitcom I Love Lucy. Here are 5 astonishing things you didn’t know about the woman nicknamed "The First Lady of Television"... She Wasn’t a Natural Redhead Lucille Ball’s natural hair color was brown, but she dyed it red in 1943 for her role in Du Barry Was a Lady. After the film, she kept her hair the brilliant red color fans associated with her until 1989. Her hairstylist, Irma Kusely, reported in an interview that Ball did not use hair dye to get the desired color, but instead used henna, which the stylist kept in her garage in a locked safe. Her Father’s Death Caused Her to Become Fearful of Birds Ball’s father died at the young age of age 28 after he contracted typhoid fever in 1915, which would have been stressful enough for a young child. According to a book written about her in 2003, she only had vague memories of the day her father died. However, she did recall that a bird flew into the house and became trapped, and this gave her such a severe phobia about birds that she would not stay in any hotel room with pictures of birds or birds on the wallpaper. When Getting Married, Both Lucy and Desi Lied About Their Ages Ball was born in 1911, and her husband, Desi Arnaz, was born in 1917, so they had an age difference of six years. They were married in 1940 when it was socially unacceptable for a younger man to marry an older woman. To get around this, both listed their birthdates as 1914, so they could marry without criticism. Ball Almost Drowned While Filming One Episode of I Love Lucy One episode of I Love Lucy that is popular with viewers is entitled "Lucy’s Italian Movie”. It depicts Lucille Ball stomping grapes in a large vat. However, the scene didn’t go as planned, and Lucy was almost drowned by an Italian woman that was a real grape stomper. The fight in the vat between the women was planned, but the Italian woman spoke little English and may not have understood, so when they began fighting, she held Ball’s head under water and almost drowned her. A Gun Changed Her Life at Age 16 Ball’s grandfather purchased a gun for Freddy, her brother, in 1927. He was teaching him how to use it when the gun went off accidentally, injuring Warner Erickson, a neighbor, who was eight. Unfortunately, the bullet severed the child’s spinal cord, paralyzing him. It isn’t surprising that the family sued, and Ball states that they lost their home, furnishings and everything else they had.

Now that is funny right there. And here we have to follow is an example of how EGW was a prophet before her time! In the twilight two strangers drew near to the city gate. They were apparently travelers coming in to tarry for the night. None could discern in those humble wayfarers the mighty heralds of divine judgment, and little dreamed the gay, careless multitude that in their treatment of these heavenly messengers that very night they would reach the climax of the guilt which doomed their proud city. But there was one man who manifested kindly attention toward the strangers and invited them to his home. Lot did not know their true character, but politeness and hospitality were habitual with him; they were a part of his religion—lessons that he had learned from the example of Abraham. Had he not cultivated a spirit of courtesy, he might have been left to perish with the rest of Sodom. Many a household, in closing its doors against a stranger, has shut out God's messenger, who would have brought blessing and hope and peace. Patriarchs & Prophets, p. 158 While gay was often associated with sexuality way back when, it did not get firmly attached to homosexuals until much later: “The practice of considering queer desire and illness has been denounced by the American Psychological Association and the American Psychiatric Association since 1973 and 1975 respectively,” Bainbridge explains. “However, the shift to using gay in the common language took a bit longer. The New York Times didn’t adopt the use of gay until 1987, although it still doesn’t use it in all contexts. But now GLAAD lists homosexual as an offensive term in their media reference guide supplementing gay as the appropriate stand-in.” I would have posted the link to this quote, but the other stuff on the page was not nice!

For My sake ?

You should not have excluded Sodom because we do know they were male. And YAHWEH appeared unto him in the plains of Mamre: and he sat in the tent door in the heat of the day; And he lift up his eyes and looked, and, lo, three men stood by him: and when he saw them, he ran to meet them from the tent door, and bowed himself toward the ground, And the men rose up from thence, and looked toward Sodom: and Abraham went with them to bring them on the way. Gen 18:1, 2, 16 And there came two angels to Sodom at even; and Lot sat in the gate of Sodom: and Lot seeing them rose up to meet them; and he bowed himself with his face toward the ground; And he said, Behold now, my masters, turn in, I pray you, into your servant's house, and tarry all night, and wash your feet, and ye shall rise up early, and go on your ways. And they said, Nay; but we will abide in the street all night. And they called unto Lot, and said unto him, Where are the men which came into thee this night? bring them out unto us, that we may know them. Gen 19:1, 2, 15 I have stated over and over that angels are all male spiritual beings. Heb 1:5 states clearly to the angels, THE FATHER never called them HIS SON! They are male but some here think they have genders just like the evil men of Sodom thought. Why because they did not show their complete appearance. Angels have four or six wings and they have four faces. Three are animals lion, ox, and an eagle. They do have also the face of a man. Read Eze Chapter One! THE FATHER, THE SON, and THE HOLY SPIRIT are all MALE BEINGS! What you read in the Bible that YAHSHUA created us to reproduce and the Bible states that. Nowhere does it claim reproduction of the angels. We only read that the angels were created to be ministering spirits and the two Cherubs known are Gabriel and Lucifer. Lucifer title is Satan now and Gabriel is the main angel that is mention in the Bible. Show me anywhere in the Bible that they reproduce it is not there! Finally; the Bible shows clearly that created beings called Adam were given reproduction organs. Male with a male cannot produce, nor female with a female! If you had two islands miles apart and all male gay men and the married gay couple were on one and all female gay also the married female gay couple; they all would die out! Dying comes from sin, so it is simple they all would die because they are an abomination to THE MOST HIGH! But, we should never mistreat anyone because of their sexual orientation, adultery, lying, stealing, etc. We must, however, preach the truth and allow all to make a choice! At Sodom, Lot offered those evil men his daughters, they refused because they wanted to have sex with men. It was the angels who blinded those men and it will be YAHWEH, not us who will judge us all who disobey HIS WORD! Blessings!

5 Surprising Facts About The White House On April 25, 1947, President Harry S. Truman opened the first White House bowling alley — because even presidents need to have a little fun! Here are 5 surprising facts you didn't know about the White House... The White House Has its Own Movie Theater Some houses may have home theaters, but they are no match for the White House movie theater, with armchairs that were installed by President Eisenhower. Originally a cloakroom, the White House theater seats about 40 people and is occasionally used by a president to rehearse speeches. Unlike a normal home theater, the first family can obtain movies straight from Hollywood before films are released to the public. President Bill Clinton Added a Jogging Track The jogging track installed during Bill Clinton’s presidency was probably a good idea since he reportedly disrupted the traffic in the area when he was out getting his exercise. The track was funded privately at a cost of about $30,000, and both Clinton and President George W. Bush used the 4-foot-wide jogging path. Clinton also converted a third-floor room into a place to work out, although considering the White House has 132 rooms, it might be exercise enough just finding out where you are at any given time. There Are Secret Tunnels Leading From the White House It’s important to keep the president and his staff safe and to make it convenient to reach other buildings, so the White House has a tunnel system that does just that. Accessible through an unmarked storage closet, the tunnel system leads to a bomb shelter beneath the East Wing. During Truman’s presidency, it connected the East and West Wings. There are also tunnels leading to Blair House, the Executive Office Building and the Treasury Building, and possibly others that have never been confirmed. A Pool or Billiards Table Is a Popular Perk Among Presidents The first president to have a billiards table in the White House was John Quincy Adams in 1825, although it was a used one that had been refurbished. Abraham Lincoln described himself as a “billiards addict,” and Teddy Roosevelt had a Brunswick table. President George H.W. Bush had a game room on the third floor of the White House, and while it might move to a different room from time to time, many presidents enjoy their leisure time playing a game with friends. There Is Almost a Mini Mall in the Basement It can be difficult for the president to go out for something as mundane as getting a tooth filled, so a dentist’s office is located in the White House’s basement underneath the North Portico. A chocolate shop, florist, bowling alley and shops for those who take care of the White House are also there. The basement also houses an old broadcast room used by President Eisenhower.

We'd probably have to rename the website to "The Website formerly Known as Adventistan" or to "Buddhistan" or something like that. I'd still hang around though cuz I like most of the folks here; and it would give us someone new to pick on besides LGTBQ+ and pro-WO folks. Oh yeah - we're already picking on Stan. Never mind.

If that's the way you feel, then you probably should never attend that SS Class. I feel the same way about female pastors - if someone doesn't like them, they should go to a church with a male pastor. If they don't like contemporary Christian music accompanied by guitars and drums, they should go to a church that sings hymns played on a piano or organ. There are all sorts of different cultures and all sorts of churches that will cater to them. Who am I to comment on anyone else's "issues"? I have enough issues of my own to keep me busy. That being said, I personally would have no interest in attending the class being discussed.

Under our Constitution, I believe that the Moderators, as a group would need to consider impeachment. NOTE: This does not meant that we would do such. It simply means that we would need to consider it.

The percentage of men behaving in a homosexual manner may vary from one culture to another. For instance, it is said that no reasonably good looking boy in Afghanistan makes it to adulthood without being molested. You can find many such reports pn various disturbances of "normal" sexuality throughout middle eastern cultures. They seem to have very different ideas even ragarding the purposes of women. So, I am not surprised by the Sodom story. https://www.bbc.com/news/world-south-asia-11217772

What would you do if Stan HAD changed his religion?

Beginnings of sorrows ?

It's the value, we as speakers and hearers, we assign to a word that makes it "dirty" or "clean" or acceptable for common use. Vulgar words, once assigned, are stored in a separate part of the brain (think of people who have Tourette Syndrome, or even some people with advanced stages of Alzheimer's Disease: gutteral noises and swearing are often connected).

I think the headgear is simply a ruse to conceal his Jesuit roots. Or it could be his "crown" as the "Maharaja of the Kingdom Adventistan."

Lol that would never happen

Lol. So close. That is a Sikh headgear. They are not Muslim’s. They were persecuted by muslims. That peace loving Prime Minister Gandhi instigated a genocide on Sikhs by the muslims. True story. I have a ministry to try to connect with Sikhs i enjoy Gregory’s humour.

Interesting article, I've never heard of pastor Treiyer and I don't know how reliable a witness he is. I've followed fulcrum7 for a couple years now, and many of their articles display a rather tenuous commitment to facts and reality. If pastor Treiyer's essay is accurate, he would have done better to seek a more credible outlet than fulcrum for its dissemination.

My body, my choice. Unless it’s forced medical procedures and injecting chemicals with horrific side effects. It’s literally a basic human right to make your own medical decisions.