Mass Killing in Las Vegas and religion

Chicago accounted for 22% of a nationwide increase in murders last year
A few big cities fuelled the rise in America's murder rate; overall, violent crime remains at a historic low
https://www.economist.com/blogs/demo...bourhood-watch
The estimated number of violent crimes in the nation increased for the second consecutive year, rising by 4.1% in 2016 compared with 2015, driven by increases in Baltimore, Chicago and Las Vegas, said the FBI. The number of murders rose by 8.6% to an estimated 17,250 murders nationwide last year. Chicago, the nation’s third-biggest city, accounted for 22% of the nationwide increase with 765 murders last year, more than the number of murders in the largest city, New York (334), and the second-largest, Los Angeles (294), combined. The vast majority of these killings happened in five mostly black and Latino neighbourhoods on the south and west side where only 9% of the 2.7m city lives.


The figures I quoted and linked to in the old thread talked about 80% of the murders being gang and organized crime in origin ....

in Canada the rate is 44%.
https://www.statcan.gc.ca/pub/85-002.../14668-eng.htm
In 2015, 44% of firearm-related homicides were also related to gang activity, which has been the case in general for the past five years



There has to be programs and help that instills hope instead of a life of Sysiphus for an influence on the crime and suicide rates. Do you think the gov't will take the long term view and actually help programs.? Especially THIS gov't in Ottawa .. the PM that took $20,000 from each charity to speak and Toronto.

Toronto is the gov't that cut funding to Ontario cities police for the antigang/violence fund.
http://www.lfpress.com/2015/08/04/10...ovince-insists
"
Provincial Anti Violence Intervention Strategy money is specifically related to guns, drugs and gangs and reducing violence within the city.

Pare said the money has been “very valuable,” in recent years, since it kicked in in 2012."

More flexibility by providing them with less money .... that's their way of thinking.

You got to admit that not allowing any particular subject to be discussed you are in danger of shutting down freedom of expression - that is exactly what is happening on many college campuses here in the states - a crowd doesn't want to hear a conservative speak so they disrupt any such gathering - they only allow those with the same view point as theirs to speak - all others are stopped - what do you think this will lead to - just look at history

I think any subject should be allowed and hopefully any discussion is done in a respectful and civil way - let's talk about anything but God isn't a healthy approach

My faith is very important to me - it is one of the most valuable things I have - it answers the questions that I have - questions that I'm sure most people ask - where did I come from - why am I here on this earth - what am I suppose to do while here - what happens after I die - it gives me support, confidence and hope for a better tomorrow and helps me weather the trials and tribulations that I face in this live - it is not something that is not important - yes I know others don't see things this way and no one is forcing them to follow my thinking - we should be able to talk about it and not get mad at each other - my faith is based on a lifetime of reading and study -

One last point - something Fox brought up - here's the way I see it - there is only one true God but people all over the world have tried different ways of relating and communicating with Him - that is why you have so many religions and so many of these religions oppose each other - Christianity teaches that there is only one way to this true God and that is through Christ - if you take the time to read the new testament you will find that this is what the bible teaches - in the meantime best wishes to all

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Originally Posted by JoePa

You got to admit that not allowing any particular subject to be discussed you are in danger of shutting down freedom of expression - that is exactly what is happening on many college campuses here in the states - a crowd doesn't want to hear a conservative speak so they disrupt any such gathering - they only allow those with the same view point as theirs to speak - all others are stopped - what do you think this will lead to - just look at history

I think any subject should be allowed and hopefully any discussion is done in a respectful and civil way - let's talk about anything but God isn't a healthy approach

My faith is very important to me - it is one of the most valuable things I have - it answers the questions that I have - questions that I'm sure most people ask - where did I come from - why am I here on this earth - what am I suppose to do while here - what happens after I die - it gives me support, confidence and hope for a better tomorrow and helps me weather the trials and tribulations that I face in this live - it is not something that is not important - yes I know others don't see things this way and no one is forcing them to follow my thinking - we should be able to talk about it and not get mad at each other - my faith is based on a lifetime of reading and study -

One last point - something Fox brought up - here's the way I see it - there is only one true God but people all over the world have tried different ways of relating and communicating with Him - that is why you have so many religions and so many of these religions oppose each other - Christianity teaches that there is only one way to this true God and that is through Christ - if you take the time to read the new testament you will find that this is what the bible teaches - in the meantime best wishes to all

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Well said.

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if you take the time to read the new testament you will find that this is what the bible teaches - in the meantime best wishes to all

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The big question here is , can you believe in something that was written 365 years after the fact , as being all truth.
After all the person " Constantine " was originally a pagan who had a dream, maybe it was a drunken stupor ? that he would win a war if he turned to christianity , He then became the first pope and it was he and his bishops and cardinals that wrote the nicene creed , We believe and this is what we will teach our followers to believe.
I was born and raised roman catholic, but I cannot believe every thing that was forcibly taught to me, I am not a sheep to follow judas goats, I am a man that can think.
After all , it was the roman catholic pope that had the catholic pope in France murdered, and this was all in the name of christianity , something is definitely wrong here, I could go on but I have said enough about religion, I am still a catholic but cannot believe everything that I was taught as being the gospel truth as I have personally witnessed what has happened in our own parish , not once but twice.
That's it I am finished, no more discussions about religion, I don't care if you see it as not being able to express yourself .

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Originally Posted by jaycee

The big question here is , can you believe in something that was written 365 years after the fact , as being all truth.
After all the person " Constantine " was originally a pagan who had a dream, maybe it was a drunken stupor ? that he would win a war if he turned to christianity , He then became the first pope and it was he and his bishops and cardinals that wrote the nicene creed , We believe and this is what we will teach our followers to believe.
I was born and raised roman catholic, but I cannot believe every thing that was forcibly taught to me, I am not a sheep to follow judas goats, I am a man that can think.
After all , it was the roman catholic pope that had the catholic pope in France murdered, and this was all in the name of chritianity , something is definitely wrong here, I could go on but I have said enough about religion, I am still a catholic but cannpt believe everything that I was taught as being the gospel truth as I have personally witnessed what has happened in our own parish , not once but twice.
That's it I am finished, no more discussions about religion, I don't care if you see it as not being able to express yourself .

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Well since there is so much odd unhistorical things so in that I am going to reply, the last of the new testament books was written by 90 AD and we have thousands of copies of those texts in more than 5 different languages. The canon of the Bible was well established by 200 AD and all buy 6 of the books in our current New Testament in the Muratorian Fragment dated before 180 AD.

There is a good book written by an ex-atheist Lee Strobel called "the Case for Christ" or his later one "The Case for the Real Jesus" and Josh McDowell another ex-atheist has written extensively on his 2 year search and "The Evidence" that convinced him the Bible is true and reliable.

Daniel Wallace (wrote the textbook on ancient Greek & Greek translation & founded http://www.csntm.org) when asked about Emperor Constantine inventing the deity of Jesus his reply was "That's just loony! Do these authors know anything about history at all? ... we have more than four dozen in Greek alone that are prior to the 4th century. And these manuscripts have numerous passages (many examples) that affirm the deity of Jesus. So it's nonsense to say Jesus' deity wasn't invented until the fourth century when you've already got the evidence in earlier manuscripts." .... "It's disturbing that when it comes to the Christian faith, people don't really want, or know how, to investigate the evidence". He also contributed to another book "Reinventing Jesus: How Contemporary Skeptics Miss the Real Jesus and Mislead Popular Culture".

Daniel Wallace also spoke on Day of Discovery a few times, this one is relevant and talking about digitizing the manuscripts and the work with them and talks about the work involved in finding them, their condition and the reliability.
https://dod.org/programs/the-bible-w...endure-part-i/



As for the Catholic religion ... well let me say ... indulgences, praying to saints? well maybe you had better look for a better source.


Now I am finished too unless I see completely ridiculous cow plop again ...