The Evangelical Universalist Forum

How To Live Under An Unqualified President by John Piper

So Don, What do you mean by this quote? Do you believe that DT is bad by saying that not anyone who wants to enter the USA can just walk across the boarder? And if not allowed, you think that the powers to be are somehow evil? Is our country somehow different from yours?

The point you donā€™t see is that Americans are freaking 1000% more free and safe because of the second amendment and the rights it gives.

Are you into the new math? ā€œ7x more likely to violently dieā€ does not equate to a ā€œfreaking 1000% more safe.ā€ Like Paidion, Iā€™d add it up as around 700% less safe.

Well, it looks like there is alsoā€¦some political turmoil in Canada, according to the BBC news.

Now I have a confession to make. I did say that my mom - now deceased at 92.5 years oldā€¦and born with the gift of prophesyā€¦and was a big Cubs fan and a fan of ā€œprofessionalā€ wrestling. While Iā€™m not a big sports fanā€¦when she was staying with meā€¦and the women wrestlers, in their bikinis came onā€¦I did watch it, in order to better understand and appreciate - the sport of ā€œprofessionalā€ wrestling. And it was actually quite enjoyable!

To MR Padionā€¦

What is your idea/position on this debate? Are you saying anyone who wants to cross the southern boarder between the USA and MEXICO be able to do so at will and become an American citizen?

No, Canada is perfect. Just ask Paidion. Nothing to see hereā€¦ :wink:

There is a lot of debate on how to interpret specific crime statistics, in addition to the statistic methodology of reporting. We love to appeal to science and statistics, but fail to see how they can be manipulated. If the source is corrupt, the conclusion will be corrupt. The fallacy is the citing X statistic means ā€œXYZā€. Some crimes go unreported, put into a different bucket and much of this politically and socially motivated.

I personally do not want to own a gun, because in a moment of rage, I could shoot someone. I doubt I ever would, but who knows. I guess, as a adult, I have chosen to eliminate that risk. However, if I lived in a less free country or a high crime area, I absolutely would own a gun. We tend to want to judge people based on our own rules. So someone who lives in a nice neighborhood, which only has petty robbery as their worst crime of the year can cast judgement on a business owner who lives in Chicago as if they are morally superior. The one knows no fear, the other may have been robbed at gun point multiple times. I find it morally objectionable to blame guns for murder.

Personally, Iā€™d rather be shot to death than stabbed to death. I find the latter probably one of the worst ways to go. Gob forbid someone grabs a machete and slowly saws me head off. I would tend to to think that murders are far more brutal when a gun isnā€™t involved. Like an ice pick or hammer to the head, screw drivers 20-30 times driven into your chest and abdomen and God forbid you live through that, as you likely would have a colostomy bag the rest of your life.

Not having guns didnā€™t stop Cain, did it? :wink:

Still, if in some magical liberal left fairytale land we could remove all guns, sure why not? I guess I donā€™t personally believe that is possible and would tend to lopside the results in favor of the people who want to misuse them in the first place.

On side note, I largely blame the liberal left for their mob mentality. I put far more blame on them, than I do their ignorant right wingnuts, because they claim all of this moral high ground, except they are astoundingly hypocritical.

Liberal left calls for resignation of things done 20+ years ago. They, apparently, donā€™t believe people can change, except that they are hell bent on believing that criminals can be rehabilitated. So which is it? Can people change or not? They want to show compassion for some of the most heinous criminals and some of the most benign things, they call for resignation, and public shaming.

Liberal left is quick to say ā€œRacist! Bigot! Sexist!ā€ā€¦ Why? They donā€™t have the argue the facts anymore. They dehumanize you with a label and now they are justified is their mob treatment of you. The ironic part is that it was the liberal left who tried demonstrate Nazi Germany to Trump/Republicans but, in reality, what I find on most message boards, is the liberal left bullying, like a mob, people they donā€™t agree with. They say things, that frankly, disturb me. They see conservatives as ā€œless than humanā€ because they simply donā€™t believe the same way you do. They gang up, down vote, say vile things, spew hate. They are bullies. They will bully anyone who doesnā€™t believe the way they do and they have justification for it: Trump supporters are less than human, in their eyes. So their treatment is JUST!

I actually see the left as more evil than the right. I think the right is ignorant (blind spots, donā€™t recognize their ignorance), and I think the left is evil, because they claim and apparently have deep understanding, but fail to practice it. In either case, this country is headed for a civil war. I hope this never happens, but if it does, I hope there will still be neutral areas so the uncompromising hateful people can kill each other off.

The ā€œleftā€ is against a barrier at the border but they were for it a decade ago. The ā€œleftā€ is for free medicare for all and free college tuition although it would bankrupt America. They are for reparations to blacks although the slaves and their children died 150 years ago and now they are adding on Native Americans, plus the cost would be trillions. They are mostly now for Socialism although true socialist countries end up in poverty,misery and dictatorships. If it sounds good to the voters ā€œthe leftā€ is for it as long as they can milk it for votes. They are blatant unashamed hypocrites.

Steve to Gabe.

True. Countries like Singapore, France, The UK, China, South Korea, Germany and Japan - are suffering terribly. And canā€™t make any economic strives, no matter how hard they try. They need to give up things, like universal health care - mind you. :wink:

[quote=ā€œAgnostic_Gabe, post:2233, topic:6062ā€]
I actually see the left as more evil than the right. I think the right is ignorant (blind spots, donā€™t recognize their ignorance), and I think the left is evil, because they claim and apparently have deep understanding, but fail to practice it.

I like that

Sure, if weā€™re convinced the stats are ā€˜corrupt,ā€™ and valid data do not show such high violent deaths, then my logic that such number donā€™t actually show we are safer is irrelevant.

But I was addressing someone who didnā€™t dispute such data, and I personally find arguments that valid stats show that having less gun restrictions than other first world nations actually has left us safer than them unconvincing.

Don, why would you post such a thing? If Canada was somehow being besieged by others (folks not having immigration rights) I (The USA) and most of the Western world would rally around your nationā€¦ You are being a political dickā€¦

Forgive him, MM, for he knoweth not what he sayeth. We Canadians recognise that we are totally dependent on the US for protection against those who may seek our harm. We have a corrupt government and a leader who is a selfie-taking, effemininate bully; a man who has recently been exposed for what he is by a principled, competent, articulate, aboriginal female attorney-general whom he recently fired. Whatever character deficiencies your president may possess, they pale into insignificance compared with those of Justin Trudeau.

I havenā€™t taken a ā€œposition on this debate.ā€ Nor am I ā€œsayingā€ anything at all. Iā€™m just posting pictures.

But if you insist on a statement from me, let me say that to forbid thousands of legitimate refugees from entering United States on the basis that a few of them might be dangerousā€”is ludicrous. If Canada had done that when Communist North Vietnam conquered the free South, thereby creating countless refugees who fled South Vietnam by boat, then many of those many fleeing refugees might have perished rather than being sponsored by Canadians, who, thereby not only saved their lives but found them employment in our country.

I do NOT take the position of letting all and sundry into the U.S. or Canada without due process.
However, instead of building a wall that will cost $18 billion dollars to keep the refugees out, Mr. Trump would set up a system at the Mexican border to process those refugees, and thereby welcome the legitimate ones into the country, he would be doing a great and humane service to countless needy people.