Off-Topic / Best posters [886]

I'm not sure there is such a thing as a fake Christian or Muslim or Buddhist or whatever. Bad and scandalous ones for sure, but I'm not so sure fake is a correct term.

You seem to be intimating that to be a good Christian means you must be perfect. That's wrong. It is about striving toward perfection, which is nothing other than spiritual communion with Christ. We do this through humility and obedience to Christ's will as found in His teachings.

Off-Topic / Best posters [886]


What do you mean?

As far as what makes one a Christian: generally speaking 1) Christian baptism and 2) accepting Christ as the Son of God who was sent to redeem man by His passion, death, and resurrection into communion with God and accepting His teachings as Truth and striving to live in accord with His teachings.

I could probably do better defining a Christian, but I'm dragging arse right now.

Work / Is it difficult to make a living playing Soccer (football) in Poland? [54]

If I were you, I'd contact a Polish lawyer or Polish consulate/embassy in US to get answers to these questions.

Off-Topic / Best posters [886]

What do you mean by criticizing?

We all have our foibles and licentiousness we need to overcome. Having them and professing to be a Christian doesn't make one fake. Calling licentiousness what it is isn't being fake.

Being a scoundrel and claiming to be a Christian isn't even necessarily fake-just makes one a bad Christian that causes great scandal.

Life is a spiritual battle with victories and defeats. To my mind, the key is engaging this battle with humility, which is a struggle in and of itself.

So, just because someone isn't living a life in complete alignment with Christ's will doesn't make him a fake Christian. I think "fake Christian" is a misguided term. The real question to be asked, IMO, isn't whether someone is a fake Christian, but rather is that person striving towards sanctity or not-and within that is realizing one's own sinfulness and need of mercy and that each of us are no better or worse than the sinner across from any of us; however, that doesn't mitigate or equivocate the sin itself and the need to acknowledge the sin and work to amend sinfulness.

Which, reminds me, I need to get to confession.

Off-Topic / Best posters [886]

@Novichok

I am sure you do. :)

Off-Topic / Best posters [886]

@jon357

Yes, I do. That's why I said it

My question was, though, what do you mean by a fake Christian?

Off-Topic / Best posters [886]


What makes one a fake Christian? I hear that term thrown around a lot (ironically, oftentimes by non-practicing Christians), and I'm not really sure what is meant by it.

News / Abortion still under control in Poland [2986]

@RussianAntiPutin

See post #2268. There is a difference between natural causes of death and willfully causing death.

Yes women are precious, motherhood is precious.

Off-Topic / Random Sports News [855]

@Crow

True Sarmatian, horse -loving tsar-call him what you may, I call him a total badass on the hardwood. He's pretty much the perfect mold for today's NBA.

News / Abortion still under control in Poland [2986]

@Lenka

I'm not so sure its not big biz in Europe. I'd have to look at that. Euros are flowing into the pockets of abortionists.

@Lyzko

When does life begin is easy: conception. Embryology makes that clear. What is life? Are you talking about the biological ohenomenon, metaphysical, etc?

Anyhow, you all take care...and love all life that is developing in the wombs of women across the globe🙂

News / Abortion still under control in Poland [2986]


Maybe you need to edit that, because you just said you need to terminate X before it becomes X. If X doesn't already exist, why would you need to terminate X.

As far as pregnancy, a woman becomes pregnant at the moment at conception. Hell, the actual official date of pregnancy can occur before conception-look it up, it has to do with measuring menstrual cycles.

News / Abortion still under control in Poland [2986]


A choice to do what? To perform a particular action, which is the termination of the human being developing inside her womb. It's not choice for the sake of choice. If that's the case why doesn't Schumer support the school choice? Or the choice to wear a mask or not? Or the choice to take a sh!t on the good Senator's lap?

@Novichok
Right on, human being killing in the womb is a lucrative biz!

News / Abortion still under control in Poland [2986]

To decide to abort a human being.


No, that is a human being. The moment of personhood can be debated, but regardless it's still about a stage of development, the person (or potential person) always is from conception a human being.


I'll take that as a typical Euro swipe at American capital punishment, which is not germane to this discussion because capital punishment is about a form of justice-punishment of a murderer- not an innocent human being, such as a human child in the womb.

But, do you advocate judicial killing?

News / Abortion still under control in Poland [2986]


Says you who will not have the opportunity to decide.


And where it's illegal extant people kill (soon to be non) extant people. May as well follow that logic and decriminalize and protect the right to murder.

News / Abortion still under control in Poland [2986]

It's still the termination of a human being, that's not what I call elegance for any side. It's more in the line of obfuscation and sloganeering, IMO.

News / Abortion still under control in Poland [2986]

Lenka, those cells are never not human. The ovum is a human cell, the sperm is a human cell, when they meet they create human cells that belong to a unique human being. All the DNA that human being ever needs is there at the moment of conception. There is not a possibility but an absolute certainty, no, put even better, an actuality of humanness of those cells.

News / Abortion still under control in Poland [2986]


Of course not, but there is a significant difference between a natural cause and willful termination, as there is a difference between a 70 year old dying from an aneurysm and being shot dead. We call the former death by natural causes and the latter homicide.

News / Abortion still under control in Poland [2986]


Reality! That once cluster of human cells with a developing nervous system EXISTS and can smile and hug!


And more times than not she will and she won't find any help from those who supported "her right to choose." She will find emotional and psychological help, if she desires, from those who stood in opposition to that "right. "

News / Abortion still under control in Poland [2986]


Yes it is, but don't fret, they loooove being offended. It's as if they've monopolized the being offended market.

News / Abortion still under control in Poland [2986]


The nanosecond I finished reading this phrase, my 5 year old came into my office and said "daddy.....". It is inexpressible how nescient and void of wisdom her presence made that phrase.

Oh, and that one time cluster of human cells with a developing nervous system, now gives great hugs and has the sweetest winsome smile known to mankind.

News / Abortion still under control in Poland [2986]


No, I don't. All I can say is I've spent an aggregate of about three years there over the past 20 years. My wife is Polish and her entire family lives there.


I say this seriously, I greatly appreciate your candidness. Typically pro-abortionists never stop talking in abstract terms. You have enough honesty to admit this us a decision to end a human life-not some claptrap about women's health or whatever bs slogan is dreamed up. The pity is you knowingly advocate the taking of another human life because you deem the will of another greater than the life which is taken.


You got a belly laugh out of me on that one! Not only will I not know, she won't either.

News / Abortion still under control in Poland [2986]


:). I'm good to go, then. Mrs AntV is like winning the lottery-not that there aren't days...God knows there are days (she is a woman afterall :D )

For me, I'll also have my faith and a sacramental life to keep me company. Plus, my daughters have promised me constant visits with grandchildren. The boy the same, barring he doesn't become a priest.

News / Abortion still under control in Poland [2986]

Theophobe is a real word, it means a fear of religion and/or God or gods.

No, I don't think not wanting to live in a theocracy is a theophobe. It was a direct question, I'm just curious if you're a theophobe.

Poland is hardly a theocracy.

There is no more or less legislative freedom in the West where religious morality informs legislation, than there is in a purely secular one. All legislation is values-based to one degree or another. So, it's matter of what society values or, at least, what legislators value at the time of passage. In the case of abortion it's a matter of the value placed on a developing child in the womb versus the will of others to end that human life.

It's a straightforward value judgment that has specific causes, meaning however that human life was conceived it objectively remains a human life.

News / Abortion still under control in Poland [2986]


It sure does, and it's metaphysical and instantaneous. As soon as I saw the top of my firstborn's head as she made her way through, everything changed. As Novi said, changed as it should be. It was the same when I got married. It's no longer me, me, me, but them, them, them. And the completely counter-intuitive reality is that change from me to them is accompanied by an unconditional joy-even when they are major pains in the ass.

To me this is really the root of abortion issue: it's the choice of self-giving and radical self-centeredness.


..or inside a pinball machine. :)


I just read this. Are you a theophobe, jon?

Abortion isn't merely a religious issue, it's philosophical and a nature issue. The religious is simply connecting metaphysical to the issue.

We can argue from the anti-abortion/pro-life position without ever bringing theology into it.

News / Abortion still under control in Poland [2986]


What in the hell does promiscuity in an urban context even mean? Sounds like intellectual pinball.

Anyhow, I take Russianantiputin at her word that she's 16. As the father of a 16 year old girl, I encourage you, russianantiputin, to maintain your sexual purity and pretty much ignore everything jon says on the matter. I'd also encourage you to avoid discussing the topic online all together, it's best to be discussed with your parents and those who know you best and care about your moral development and love you and not risk being influenced by activists. That's my two cents.

News / Abortion still under control in Poland [2986]


It's not poetry, it's the foundational philosophical principle on which all of our laws are spring. In litigation, it is useful, especially if you're before a judge who adopts an originalist approach to American jurisprudence.


But, it could apply given enough societal pressure to accept it. There's no difference philosophically other than you see the fetus as a child to protect and he doesn't. It's simply opinion and clumsy poetry. :)

Right to privacy is complete and total BS as an American constitutional right, agreed. It simply doesn't exist, except for the opinion of the zeitgeist.

Off-Topic / Random Sports News [855]


Try to catch a live Chicago fire game--great live spectator sport. Better than a live NFL game, IMO.


I worked at a music place back in my wayward youth that had a steady stream of local NFL guys come in. They're underpaid--that size at the speed they play demands heaps of cash to take that risk. I'd rather swim with sharks, at least there's a chance they won't bite, those football dudes are there to attack you.


I've seen a couple. Stupidity that's all--those guys just need a cup of soup and their dads to give them a hug.

Off-Topic / Random Sports News [855]


Yeeaaahhhh, but if you were to play it, you'd wish there was more armor you could wear. I only played up to high school ball, and I wished I could've worn a suit of armor. One of my younger brothers played college ball (bigger, faster guys) and that was brutal-dude couldn't move for a day after a game without his body begging for mercy. I can't imagine what its like at the professional level.

Off-Topic / Random Sports News [855]


I beg to differ. It's a tough manly sport. Not that I ever played, but I've gone to several MLS games in my fair city and it's not wimpy play-not wimpy at all. Not saying it's tough on the level of football where a guy 240 pounds of muscle barrels down on you at 4.5 40 speed with the intention of ensuring the pain you feel is felt in your mother's womb from whence you came, but it's tough nonetheless.


Yeeaaahhhh, but if you were to play it, you'd wish there was more armor you could wear. I only played up to high school ball, and I wished I could've worn a suit of armor. One of my younger brothers played college ball (bigger, faster guys) and that was brutal-dude couldn't move for a day after a game without his body begging for mercy. I can't imagine what its like at the professional level.

News / Abortion still under control in Poland [2986]

But by your philosophy the right to abortion and privacy are indeed legit rights because they are rights handed down by men, no?

How is your philosophical view any different than jon's?

BTW, speaking from a purely American perspective, your belief that rights are man-made is contrary to the Declaration of Independence. It says rights are inherent to man as part of the laws of nature and nature's God.