Is The World Getting Better Or Worse?

Again I say we need to define what we have, what we need, and what *they* need. And who is *they*? Are we expected to support the whole world?If I owe $100,000.00 in bills, Im not gonna simply give all that I have to the Red Cross.

Im not talking about "the nation"per se im talking about the people. Maybe the crops are being destroyed, but the farmers are not prospering. Giving the food away instead of plowing it under would not help them.
\
But bringing Jesus into it is another matter. I'm talking from my insecurities and my flesh....I know what He commands spiritually.How do you tell a guy in debt with a mortgage that the solution is to help the ones poorer than him? How do you convince the populists that giving rather than acquiring is the solution? Its basically a Liberal vs Conservative thing. I argue that we need to rebuild our own infrastructure rather than simply keep giving away foreign aid. When we are stronger we can help more people.

I'll chime in with my 2 cents on this argument. As a political moderate, I can see the tension between two extremes. But the simple fact is that what we in the US spend on food stamp programs is a drop in the bucket compared to what we spend on the military. I think we can afford it.

Reality is what it is. The US does what it does partially on the will of the people yet largely upon the collective will and plan of the corporations. As a great power, it has historically been a given that our military be "second to none" as my WWII Dad used to be fond of saying. He never bothered to study the differnt sides of the issue as I have begun to do. I see where the secular humanist liberals seek a better more peaceful world and yet do not believe in the overall sinfulness of man. The conservatives, many of them religious, are under no illusion that there can be peaceful globalism. They sense a threat to their power and position and the future survival...indeed dominance...of their offspring. White privilege is thrust in the face of conservatives, yet the reality is that they see globalism as a struggle rather than a communion. After all, if it were all "fair" we (in the US middle) would lose the power and position we now have.ringo claims that it doesn't matter and that it is what Jesus in fact advocated.You likely will defend patriotism and the necessity of fighting for freedom. All I can say is to remember that you believe in original sin...thus we all are potentially guilty of our actions and motives. Not just the liberals.

I recognize the need for a strong military, modern and fully in step with today's technology rather than 20-40 years old. We spend more than the next 5 countries combined, although both China and Russia have developed some sophisticated weapons which had to have been most of their budget.I think that Carriers are useful...but that we have enough. It costs a lot to protect and service a fleet. Just as warfare and military intelligence left the battleship era in the dust, the carrier era needs to be evaluated realistically. Of course, our air power is the key to our global power and reach, but we do need to pull back from every corner of the globe and let somebody else spend the money to police it. There are no easy solutions. My friend in Hong Kong is very intelligent and he sees China reclaiming Hong Kong in a decade or so. They are moving to Portugal. I think we need to spend our money wisely and not beholden to special interest groups within the military-industrial complex who have special interests in those funds.

I had to look the term up. It makes sense that people who know other people who have successfully migrated will likely follow. Its better for the immigrants to know each other and achieve assimilation together. I do feel, at the risk of sounding like a populist racist, that we (the people here already) need to control the rate of flow. If not, migration could exceed the capacity of our system to handle it and dire consequences might ensue, such as the average wage dropping due to people eager to work at less than what we here need to have. Thats my only beef.

Even though the critics will call the book one-sided and biased, it is well worth listening to how the other side thinks and why. It seems to me that globalists care not one whit about preserving national heritage---even if we were a self-serving empire at worst, we still have the right to our sovereignty. I am a moderate politically, so I don't hate "the Left" as much as you do...I see it as all people sinning, be they conservative or liberal, but I would side with the populists in the event of any attempts at dismantling the United States. Uncle Sam needs to take care of me first...not the starving global masses. Granted, God wants us all to take care of each other, which is an ironic call for one world people....and im not sure what He expects us to do. My jury is still out. One thing is for certain, however. There are some powerful global changes that even secular humanists see as inevitable. I'm not so sure that I am comfortable with most of them.

I know. I've read the books on White Privilege and I realize that I feel entitled. I don't really see how I'm ever going to change unless I really wanted to change, and that means humbling myself and eating a lot of crow. I'm getting older, for one thing, and I believe that I should be taken care of...its my parents sweat justified. As for me taking care of others, I know that it is what God likely wants me to grow towards....but I admittedly am nearly broke and getting more helpless each year I age. [/whine] On the plus side, I am helping others more each day, and have kept my addictions in check.
I keep arguing with God not to make me homeless, crippled, or poor...and He keeps telling me that it is up to me! I can't figure out why the poor widow was immortalized in scripture...she gave all that she had...which was but little. It never says whether or not she found the comfort which she surely deserved.My friend, Michael, (whom I mentioned in another post) is poor and nearly homeless, yet he accepts his spot in life and fights to be a better father, teacher, and community adult leader. I know my scripture. God gives grace to the humble yet resists the proud. Sometimes, the reality is unforgiving, however.I'm just 60 years old, diabetic, and tired. Currently, I am trying to fast and become more spiritual. It's an uphill battle---I seek comfort and feel entitled to it. Pray for me. Edited by Thugpreacha, : fixed goof

Ive always looked at the whole Global Warming thiing from this perspective: Both Liberals and Conservatives in general *know* that its a problem and a future issue. The controversy is really over how it gets solved. One side wants private enterprise involved and government to butt out. The other side sees it as a human issue (and therefore a leftist one) Its just that simple.

At the risk of generalizing, I will agree or at least acknowledge the belief that the Left (in general) is a non-theistic secular humanist group. There are some who are active social justice warriors and whom do love and know GOD through Jesus Christ, but the majority are intellectuals who have shed religion (and for good reason, ironically) and feel--as ringo does, that we are charged to carry out the message whether the messenger ever existed or not. What makes them *evil*...if we take your view seriously, is because they seek to replace God (Who never existed in the first place) with humanist wisdom...and if the doctrine of original sin is in any way true they will appear noble, good, and fair and yet our natural inclination---as a species---to deify ourselves and have a god of our own secular minds---will ultimately be our undoing. *They* would counter that argument by saying that Christians who claim to be loving and obedient to God are actually authoritarians attempting to legislate morality...which will ultimately be our undoing.

Here is my 2 cents. Approaching this issue from the standpoint of a Bible Believer, keep in mind that you have discussed The Rapture before as if it indeed could become reality, right? Well if so, we *are* in the last days, and you can and should expect fishy things to emanate from the feverish minds of men, be they Leftists or Conservatives. The way I see it, The Leftists, by and large, want globalism and one world. (non-religious global secular humanism)The conservatives that you listen to are biblical believers, yet they too don't understand the implications of being believers. The Last Days are here. Climate change is real. There may be a Rapture. Have you ever stopped to think of the implications globally if such an event did happen? Suddenly, this whole idea that the US is being run responsibly by the conservatives in power would fall apart. None of your ideas defending the current governing of the United States would matter anymore. No righteous would be left behind!! What I'm trying to say, Faith is that global ideological conflict is inevitable, and the enemy is not the Left. The enemy is the sinfulness of man in general. Don't tell me that you dont see the arguments that Big Carbon is deceiving us! Comments?Edited by Thugpreacha, : No reason given.

Yes, I agree with you there. Have a seat and watch the Bread and Circuses commence.

Who is the accuser of the brethren? You are pinning blame on humans...but only on some of them. It is not us vs them. It is humanity versus Satan. Critics ill say that religion and religious belief are the culprits.

If so, how do you propose we reconcile with this enemy? And dont tell me that we need to limit our perspective to logic and evidence. At best we would become atheistic secular humanists.

Atheism is not reality. It seems evident and obvious to you, but you do not have all of the evidence. keep looking.Once you find God(perhaps in that place you have yet to look) you can safely "throw Him away" if you insist. You can become a believer like jar who sees no evidence (nor any way of producing such evidence while he is alive) yet do what you feel charged to do, helping the ones Jesus talks about in the book and staying far away from these crazy churches.