All posts filed under: z400

Roman Catholic doctrine: What is Purgatory?

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The Roman Catholic Church has several beliefs that differ from Protestant doctrine. One of them is purgatory. The American Heritage Dictionary defines purgatory this way: In the belief of Roman Catholics and others, a place of purgation in which the souls of those dying penitent are purified from venial sins, or undergo the temporal punishment which, after the guilt of mortal sin has been remitted, still remains to be endured by the sinner. Catholics believes purgatory is a place where the souls of Christians will go after death in order to pay the penalty for their ‘venial’ sins. Though the punishment can include fire (though some Catholic theologians disagree), it is looked upon more as a purifying process than a punishment, which is what hell involves. Nevertheless, it is a place where people will receive punishment for their sins, and once that punishment has been paid, they will be allowed to enter heaven. The idea of purgatory, which comes from the Latin word purgatorium and means to cleanse, was officially incorporated into Roman Catholic doctrine …

RCMP charge Hydro-Québec employee with spying for China

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The Canadian RCMP have charged an individual working at Hydro-Québec for allegedly spying on behalf of the Chinese Communist Party. Quebec Hydro is owned by the province of Quebec and provides power to Quebec and parts of the US. The man charged has worked for the government-owned corporation since 2016 and was involved in its technology branch that focussed on battery development. The Epoch Times provides more information: Yuesheng Wang, 35, of Candiac, Quebec, allegedly obtained trade secrets “to benefit the People’s Republic of China, to the detriment of Canada’s economic interests,” an RCMP spokesperson said in a press conference on Nov. 14. “Mr. Wang was charged with espionage for obtaining trade secrets in the course of his duties with Hydro-Québec,” said Insp. David Beaudoin. “This is the first time this charge has been laid in Canada.” Wang is facing four espionage-related charges, including: obtaining trade secrets, unauthorized use of computer, fraud for obtaining trade secrets, and breach of trust by public officer. READ: Hydro-Québec Employee Arrested for Allegedly Spying for China Of course, this …

Youth hospital visits for suicidal thoughts increased 59% since 2016

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According to a study published in Pediatrics journal, the number of youth (those aged 5 to 19) who have gone to the hospital because of suicidal thoughts increased 59% between 2016 and 2021, the Daily Wire reports. The study came to this conclusion after studying the hospital ER records for two Illinois hospitals, Northwestern University and Chicago’s Lurie Children’s Hospital. The study found that children as young as five were talking about suicide. The study also noted that children were struggling with other mental health issues including anxiety, depression, and substance abuse. Though the study was limited to Illinois, the chief operating officer at Rady Children’s Hospital in San Diego, California, Dr. Nicholas Holmes, said that they have noticed similar increases. Nine years ago, they had between one and two children coming to the hospital on a daily basis because of behavioral problems. Today, they are averaging over 20. READ: Study: Youth Hospital Visits For Suicidal Thoughts Rose 59% Since 2016

Man’s rescue involved ‘a bit of divine intervention’

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There was an amazing story of how a man out kayaking on Lake George, a long narrow lake located on the Southern edge of the Adirondack Mountains in New York State was rescued by several missionaries after his kayak overturned. The lake drains into Lake Champlain through the rapidly flowing La Chute River which drops over 200 feet (ca. 61 m) and has several waterfalls and rapids. This has resulted in the formation of strong currents on the narrow lake. In September, Jimmy McDonald, a former drug addict, was out kayaking with his family when he unknowingly drifted into a section of the lake with a strong current while taking photos and videos with his new cellphone, God TV reports. After realizing what was happening, McDonald tried to paddle back but was unable to because it was too strong. Then McDonald’s kayak flipped, and he found himself in the water. His lifejacket, which didn’t fit properly, was now being pushed over his head. McDonald was unable to right the kayak, and sitting in the cold …

42% of Gen Z have been diagnosed with a mental health issue

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According to a survey conducted by Harmony Health, nearly 70% of Gen Z stated that their mental health was negatively impacted by COVID pandemic and lockdown. As well, 42% said they have been diagnosed with a mental health issue, the Christian Post reported. Gen Z is made up of those between the ages of 18 and 24 (born between 1997 and 2012). The survey also found that 57% of those diagnosed with mental health issues are spending on average $44 a month for medication, for such issues as depression, anxiety, ADHD, eating disorders, insomnia, and PTSD. In addition, the survey reported: READ: 42% of Gen Z have diagnosed mental health condition, majority worried about future: study

US Supreme Court: Boston agrees to pay $2.1 million for refusing to fly Christian flag

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After a US Supreme Court ruling the city of Boston has agreed to pay $2.1 million in legal fees and other expenses after it refused to fly a Christian flag outside its city hall five years ago, the Daily Wire reports. Between 2005 and 2017, the city had allowed flags from all requesting organizations to fly on flagpoles on city hall property. However, when Camp Constitution requested a Christian flag to be raised in 2017 on Constitution Day and Citizenship Day, the city refused citing that it was a Christian Flag. With the help of Liberty Counsel, Camp Constitution successfully sued the city of Boston in a case that ultimately ended up in the US Supreme Court which ruled in a unanimous decision that the city’s refusal violated the First Amendment Speech Clause. The Daily Wire provides more details. The settlement included an agreement to pay Harold Shurtleff and his Camp Constitution non-profit for legal costs incurred during the dispute. “We are pleased that after five years of litigation and a unanimous victory at the …

The Euphrates River: Can we believe the predictions?

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Are huge rivers disappearing? Are we moving to Armageddon? Is there any reason to believe Bible prophecy? The Bible makes many predictions about the times that we are living in. In general, things will get worse, even terrible, and then God will intervene. Intervention is also known as the second coming of Jesus. I am a Christian, but imagine taking the point-of-view of a doubter, a skeptic. If we don’t believe, why should we start now? There are different ideas about where our world is going. One of my best answers is, see the possibilities. Recently, scientists have become worried about the Euphrates river, and its twin, the Tigris. The cradle of ancient civilization formed near them, and they are important in many Bible stories. They form a huge fresh-water system that millions of people depend on, in the heart of the Middle East. The Bible predicted, thousands of years ago, that the Euphrates will dry up, and this will be important for events at the end of this age. Huge armies, from the east, …

US FCC Commissioner calls for TikTok to be banned

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TikTok, a short-form video-sharing platform, has quickly become one of the more popular social media apps in the world today. According to recent studies over 41% of its users are Gen Z (ages 16 to 24). But along with this, there are growing concerns about the app, and its connection to China and the Chinese Communist Party. In early November 2022, Brendan Carr, a commissioner for Federal Communications Commission (FCC) stated that the US should ban TikTok in order to protect the data of American citizens. Fox News provides more details: Carr, one of the five commissioners who lead the FCC, argued in an interview with Axios that there is no way to have “sufficient confidence” that Americans’ data on the app is not being sent back to Beijing and the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). TikTok is owned by the Chinese tech giant, ByteDance, and Chinese law mandates that companies share their data with the CCP upon request. […] That access is used frequently as well, as was revealed in an extensive report from BuzzFeed …

UN demands that all the rich countries, except China, pay $2 trillion in climate change reparations

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The United Nations is demanding that rich countries pay two trillion dollars annually in climate reparations to the developing world. But curiously, the UN has exempted arguably the world’s largest CO2 emitter, Communist China, from paying any carbon reparations. A country that can afford the world’s largest military, a space program and nuclear weapons apparently does not have to cough up any money. Also under previous climate change accords, such a Kyoto, Communist China was not required to reduce its CO2 emissions. If the UN really believed CO2 emissions were going to end the world how could it exempt China? In addition, Communist China constructed 43 new coal power plants this year. If the UN really believes CO2 is bad and that coal-powered plants are a major source of CO2, it should at least pretend to be outraged. But it is not, which tells us this climate change fear-mongering has little to do with the climate but is all about politics. Breitbart provides more details on reparations: China has been specifically excluded from the demand …

Prove all things

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By Rick Renner

I once bought a violin that I was sure was an authentic Stradivarius violin. Of course, if it was real, it was worth several million dollars. Before I purchased it, I studied documents about how to recognize a real Stradivarius compared to a well-made copy. After convincing myself that I had found a real Stradivarius in a remote antique shop in Russia, I purchased it. But after an examination by a violin expert, it proved to be nothing more than a very old, fabulous fake.