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Post by anfauglith on Nov 30, 2018 9:55:46 GMT -6
Does anyone here know a way to lock out referer bots from a google blog? Since a month or two those keep messing up my blog-statistics. Really annoying!
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Post by Thomas Eversole on Nov 30, 2018 12:32:43 GMT -6
Does anyone here know a way to lock out referer bots from a google blog? Since a month or two those keep messing up my blog-statistics. Really annoying! I just did a quick Google search on this. The bad news, apparently there's no way to "lock out" "bots"... The good news, apparently, if you "flag" "bot activity" as "spam", it will not count toward your metrics. More bad news, you'll need to keep doing that as long as it keeps coming in I guess. Unless you can host your blog elsewhere that has a better setup than Google. T-T
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Post by _ on Dec 7, 2018 14:00:54 GMT -6
What’s the most northern black metal band? Gotta be a number more north than Oslo/Helsinki...
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Post by Deleted on Dec 9, 2018 20:33:45 GMT -6
What’s the most northern black metal band? Gotta be a number more north than Oslo/Helsinki... I looked on MA and found a band from the Norwegian town of Hammerfest, which is quite far north. It's possible there's a band from Canada or Russia or somewhere that's farther though...
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Post by _ on Dec 9, 2018 22:26:55 GMT -6
*rises from chair to inspect map before me closer* dang, that is ... north. cool! i hope their lyrics call out the infinite number of black metal bands far below them that obsess/claim over the frozen tundras of the north.
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Post by _ on Dec 15, 2018 13:30:59 GMT -6
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Post by Deleted on Dec 17, 2018 20:28:08 GMT -6
Anyone know of any (good) Christian power metal with female vocals?
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Post by nocturnaliridescence on Dec 17, 2018 21:09:21 GMT -6
Anyone know of any (good) Christian power metal with female vocals? Not the world's biggest connoisseur of power metal, but I always liked Taking Authority and all... like, two songs they released.
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Post by _ on Jan 1, 2019 17:31:20 GMT -6
Superficial phrasing of the question aside, what's the difference between TBL and CMR?
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Post by Thomas Eversole on Jan 3, 2019 21:23:13 GMT -6
Superficial phrasing of the question aside, what's the difference between TBL and CMR? I don't think I understand the question. T-T
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Post by _ on Jan 3, 2019 23:28:22 GMT -6
I was just wondering how the christian metal realm forum compares to TBL.
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Post by Thomas Eversole on Jan 4, 2019 11:58:46 GMT -6
The similarities - they're both forum communities centered on the Christian faith and metal music. The differences - the members, the forum structure, the threads/posts/content/discussions
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Post by Deleted on Jan 6, 2019 22:54:48 GMT -6
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Post by Thomas Eversole on Jan 7, 2019 11:09:52 GMT -6
tribute to Christian black metal? I'm guessing it's ironic, but...just why? Even though I didn't hear an ounce of "black metal" or "metal" in the music, I appreciate the "nod". "This album is dedicated to Christian black ("unblack") metal -- a fascinating movement within religious music history." That's a good thing. A very good thing actually. The fact that its someone, not in this scene, that ACCEPTS what we do. ...that alone is monumental. Let alone, they would take the time to put together an album (would you call this ambient/noise?) as tribute.... I'll say it again. This is a very good thing. "A win" is an applicable statement, in my opinion.
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Post by Thomas Eversole on Jan 7, 2019 11:27:38 GMT -6
LOL I just typed a happy face as a comment - the only comment this video has. In like 2 minutes he liked my comment, loved it.... then subscribed to OrationemOfficial.
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Post by nocturnaliridescence on Jan 7, 2019 20:46:03 GMT -6
I LOVE that vaporwave / dark ambient thing.
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Post by anfauglith on Jan 20, 2019 10:33:30 GMT -6
Help needed (for a RPG-Scenario that I am preparing for the 2. of february... the campaign book in which this particular scenario is in offers only very little advice and tipps for preparation. And I want to make this good so my players have fun) :
What kind of traces might a magical working thief (the scen calls it a "pixie". I imagine it kinda like a playful spirit that has some kind of fondness for everything shining and golden) leave that can be detected by humans and that are not too obvious (like a business card: "... professional pixie. Call me anytime if you need a magic prankster. All kind of credit cards accepted) ?
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Post by nocturnaliridescence on Jan 20, 2019 20:30:05 GMT -6
The only thing I can think of is a normal, everyday object, that's just "shinier" than normal. Like a flower in a field, that looks normal, but shines more than flowers typically do. And when someone picks it up, it displays a written message, or speaks, whatever the pixie wants it to say.
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Post by _ on Jan 29, 2019 9:47:25 GMT -6
Any bought a cloak, the quintessential fantasy motif, online? Asking for a friend, who is myself.
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Post by anfauglith on Feb 15, 2019 9:37:02 GMT -6
Is loving ones country and voting for a more restrictive than liberal migration policy incompatible with God's word? That is what I ask myself these days. There seems to be hints in the bible to support my fear. But I can't change it. It's the way I think. Off course I think the richer countries should help and also grant refuge to some people. But only for the time that is necessary and I don't think one should get citizenship for just beeing around somewhere for a certain time. And then those certain bible verses.
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Post by Deleted on Feb 15, 2019 11:51:32 GMT -6
anfauglith No, I wouldn't say that's incompatible. It's a difficult subject for sure, but as long as your motives are right for holding that viewpoint, I don't see a problem with it. Especially considering the massive amount of crime that Europe has been experiencing due to mass immigration, I think that viewpoint makes sense.
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Post by nocturnaliridescence on Feb 15, 2019 11:53:07 GMT -6
It's hard to say. There are plenty of people who take a conservative approach to immigration policies, and also identify as Christians. They seem to find ways to reconcile these beliefs, but I don't agree with any of them personally. (Again, I'm not conservative or liberal, but I do agree with liberals on this one...) On the other hand, though, there are times God simply tells us things we don't want to hear. On my journey, there were (and still are, sometimes) plenty of times God told me that my beliefs were false / misguided. It took a long time, and a lot of trust and prayer, to accept these teachings, and stop looking for ways around them.
If you cling that strongly to restrictive immigration policies, it could be a case of personal convictions, where these Bible verses are meant to teach certain people to be more open to immigrants, and God teaches certain others to be more restrictive, that God may work something through both groups of people. But if you are unable to find a coherent justification for it, ................. well, there's your answer.
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Post by anfauglith on Feb 15, 2019 12:30:22 GMT -6
Thank you both! If you cling that strongly to restrictive immigration policies, it could be a case of personal convictions The irony in this is that I came from a liberal point of view. When the whole refugee-topic came up in Germany I was very strong for helping and giving everybody shelter. I didn't think about the problems. I just saw people who (at least thats what I thought) needed help. Then all this stuff happend. In my wider family, my brothers girlfriend, who worked with refugees got attacked by a man. And we had the terrorist attacks. Not that every refugee is responsible for what some wackos did. But I think the problems began to show quite clear. Than it became obvious that there are some serious problems in getting people out, who are here illegally. And so on. In addition I saw official statistics about my hometowns population and realized, that nearly half of the towns inhabitants came to Germany after 1951 or are descendants from people who did so (even though some of them have the german citizenship). I began to realize in full that our inherited culture is under fire by imigration from very differnt cultures, but also from capitalism (don't get me wrong. I am a proponent of a (social market) economy and I do oppose socialism etc. quite a bit), ignorance, post modern relativism... And I think a peoples culture, especially when it has developed over more than thousand years, needs care and protection. So... I suddenly realized I became a critic of unregulated imigration (I am not against all kinds of migration though) and what you could call mass migration. At my local church there is this strong stand pro migration. In the past when I was a regular attended at the weekly bible class there even was a bible class headlined: "the migration crisis". Back then I did not have problem with that. Today I would. The thing is that I feel guilty thinking like I do. Like there would be a duty to be onesided pro migration (or be a horrible person otherwise...). Like I would make myself an enemy of God. I still would be for helping people. But not for letting anybody who wishes come to our country, become a citizen and start a new life here. Is that inhuman? I am not sure. I'd maybe agree in letting larger numbers of people come here and seek refugee. If they would leave again after a few years. But I guess they would not. In some way it is quite understandable. If I'd come from a country that was laid in ruins by some nutcase dictator waging war against everyone and end up here... I guess I would also not like the idea of returning to the ruins not very much... but I just don't think things can work that way. At least not when those people come from completely different cultures with other values, other religions, other customs. I like my home country and I want it to keep its cultural nature. Of course there will be development and evolution, because human culture is not a static thing in the end. But evolution is something different than carelessly destroying a culture with a (in my view) misguided policy of openness and tolerance. That is my oppinion and I can't see it another way these days. I pray about it (even though not about God changing my mind in the sense of "spiritual brainwashing", but to let me see if I make an error and to not let me fall into hatred or racism, who both would be wrong). I hope not to offend anybody with that. I know it is a different topic.
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Post by Deleted on Feb 15, 2019 20:42:01 GMT -6
There's no obligation in the Bible to have a national policy of open borders, allowing people to bring in a culture which doesn't respect human rights. I think your beliefs are reasonable anfauglith, especially considering what has happened to your country as you have said. It's important to make sure that your viewpoint is not fueled by hatred for people, or for a group of people, or anything like that. But I think it's a reasonable desire for you to want your country to remain safe, especially since you have a wife (and maybe kids?) to care for. However, you also need to make sure that you are still loving towards migrants who are already in your country. But it's okay to hold your political viewpoint of a restrictive immigration policy. On the other hand, though, there are times God simply tells us things we don't want to hear. On my journey, there were (and still are, sometimes) plenty of times God told me that my beliefs were false / misguided. It took a long time, and a lot of trust and prayer, to accept these teachings, and stop looking for ways around them. This is a very good point and something that's important for us to remember. If I may offer a bit of advice myself, try not to get too caught up in politics. I did that during high school and it tore me apart. What use was it for me, really? The most I could do to affect anything was vote, and that's it. I think it's important to be informed enough about what's going on in the world so that you know how to vote, but apart from that...I wouldn't worry about it too much. (Edit: this advice wasn't for NI specifically, just all of us in general. I realized that wasn't clear.)
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Post by nocturnaliridescence on Feb 15, 2019 21:25:42 GMT -6
allowing people to bring in a culture which doesn't respect human rights. You make a fair point here, but on this part of your post ... There's no obligation in the Bible to have a national policy of open borders ... Leviticus 19: 33- 34 implies otherwise. It implies it enough, at least, that I don't feel comfortable saying the Bible provides "no" obligation. And I think a peoples culture, especially when it has developed over more than thousand years, needs care and protection. Do you think, perhaps, "cultures" have become an idol in your heart, causing you to focus too much on them, and not enough on Heaven, causing your perception to be blurred? I don't actually know if this is the problem you're having -- it's just one single possibility I thought of, based on what you've described, and thought it may be worth some consideration.
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Post by Deleted on Feb 15, 2019 22:17:11 GMT -6
... Leviticus 19: 33- 34 implies otherwise. It implies it enough, at least, that I don't feel comfortable saying the Bible provides "no" obligation. I think it's a stretch to say that's a call for open borders. It's a command to treat foreigners like the people who are already in your country, not a command to have unlimited, unrestricted immigration. I agree that people can definitely be too extreme in the anti-immigration direction. I think there's a moderate point to be had there, but open borders can bring the destruction of a nation. Like, I'm totally fine with immigration as long as immigrants are documented and go through the legal process.
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Post by anfauglith on Feb 16, 2019 5:04:58 GMT -6
Thanks for both your thoughts again! There's no obligation in the Bible to have a national policy of open borders, allowing people to bring in a culture which doesn't respect human rights It is not only that. Say for example arab people have a much different mentality to germans. No judgment in this. Just a fact. For example arab people traditional invite large amounts of family and friends for lunch. Which starts at 10 p.m. This ist just a very harmless example. There are in my oppinion certain cultures which make people from those cultures not really ideal neighbours. So I would maybe prefer finns, scandinavians or people from eastern europe as neighbours for they have similar traditions. ... Leviticus 19: 33- 34 implies otherwise. Thank you for bringing in that verse. It is one of those verses who make me feel that my oppinion may contradict God's word. But what does this verse in Leviticus really mean? If you derive from it that imigrants should have the same human rights like native persons in a country than there should be no serious problem. Or say for ones personal life, if you meet a guy from for example Afghanistan on the street and he asks you for the way to the train station, you should answer him just the way you would answer your neighbour which you for example get on well with and who's a native. That would be also no problem for me. I could work with that, as an appeal from the Lord on not treating people different dependent on the country they come from or what colour of skin they might have. But if you take that verse in Leviticus and derive from it (what some people in my church do) that every foreigner here should get the citizenship as soon as possible, and that everyone who lives here longer than a year should get the full right to vote, that would be the point where I can't follow. And then I start thinking: "But maybe that is what God is saying with that?", and by for example not being for giving anybody the right to vote in Germany irrespective of citizenship I take stand against God... That really troubles me. But I can't see things like that another way.
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Post by anfauglith on Feb 16, 2019 10:30:08 GMT -6
Before I forget about it: Thank you for listening to me and helping me to reflect on that topic. For example in my local church I could not talk about such I guess. There would be someone of those very liberal guys at hand bringing a handful of sophisticated reasons and would talk me to pieces.
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Post by Deleted on Feb 16, 2019 12:21:52 GMT -6
Thank you for listening to me and helping me to reflect on that topic. No problem dude. That's what this thread is for! Say for example arab people have a much different mentality to germans. No judgment in this. Just a fact. For example arab people traditional invite large amounts of family and friends for lunch. Which starts at 10 p.m. This ist just a very harmless example. There are in my oppinion certain cultures which make people from those cultures not really ideal neighbours. So I would maybe prefer finns, scandinavians or people from eastern europe as neighbours for they have similar traditions. I understand this to an extent. My roommate for example stays up later than me every night, talking to people through his headset, which can make it hard to fall asleep. But I don't think things this minor would be worth restricting immigration over. I do recommend heeding NI's advice when he said this: Do you think, perhaps, "cultures" have become an idol in your heart, causing you to focus too much on them, and not enough on Heaven, causing your perception to be blurred? I don't actually know if this is the problem you're having -- it's just one single possibility I thought of, based on what you've described, and thought it may be worth some consideration. But if you take that verse in Leviticus and derive from it (what some people in my church do) that every foreigner here should get the citizenship as soon as possible, and that everyone who lives here longer than a year should get the full right to vote, that would be the point where I can't follow. And then I start thinking: "But maybe that is what God is saying with that?", and by for example not being for giving anybody the right to vote in Germany irrespective of citizenship I take stand against God... That really troubles me. But I can't see things like that another way. I wouldn't say that it's "taking a stand against God" at all. That verse in Leviticus is really a verse about personal morality - when you interact with people in your society, you should treat foreigners the same as you would treat native-born Germans. That's all that really means. And though I do think it would be wrong to say that there should be absolutely no immigration, having a restrictive but reasonable policy I don't think goes against Scripture in any way. Since Leviticus is Mosaic Law, it is important to remember that we no longer need to abide by the ceremonial aspects of the law or follow the specific punishments for crimes that are described, as we have been freed from the Law. But the Law has not passed away, and its moral principles are just as true now as they have always been. Think though about how God wanted the nation of Israel to be separate from the world. Israel was the chosen people of God the same way that the church is today (thus the church is referred to as "the Israel of God" - the same chosen people, now extended to all the nations of the world), but in Old Testament times it was also a nation with its own government. Proselytes (converts to Judaism who would join the Israelites) were required to assimilate, follow the Law, and get circumcised (if they were male). This idea of assimilation I think has been rather lost in modern talk about immigration. It also isn't right to compare Germany to Israel, but my point is that even with His chosen nation, God did not call for absolutely open borders and for the external world to bring their culture in. Now Germany's culture is a worldly culture (unlike Israel which was based entirely upon God's Law) which is already fully corrupted by sin like the rest of the world, but this is still something worth thinking about. Just food for thought really. I'm not sure if this paragraph even made any sense, but my point is that there really isn't a call for open borders in the Bible - just a call to be loving towards all.
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Post by Thomas Eversole on Feb 16, 2019 14:29:42 GMT -6
Here's how I look at immigration.
My country is like my house. Someone not from my household can gain access to my home several different ways. If they knock on the front door, speak to me or my wife, they can gain access in a very "legal" way, with permission. If they slide around back and break a window or door unannounced, well, that is an effective way for them to get entry... but that's considered illegal for many reasons.
If someone enters my home unannounced, and I discover them, and they tell me their reason for being here was "I was in danger, your house is safe".... I'm not going to quite believe that. Would any of you?
Because the front door is right there - they could have asked.... but they didn't. They FORCED their way in. If it was in the middle of the night and no one responded to their knocks on the front door, so they broke in - still not ok. I can't imagine ANYONE being happy about that. I think any other MORAL person would try a different home that had an open door, instead of trying 1 front door.... and breaking into said home when they don't answer. That is highly suspicious.
I do not understand the argument that supports "open borders". I know that concept seems to be a remedy for those seeking asylum but, I don't buy it.
It would be the equivalent of me just having a roof with no walls, only support beams - come one, come all. Even if the hypothetical situation was completely safe, well the fridge would be emptied very soon - who's gonna pay to refill it? The bathrooms would be occupied and I have a medical condition so.... too bad so sad for me?
I'm not a racist jerk because I would object to people sneaking into / breaking into my house for "safety reasons". ...just like people who are citizens to their land, aren't racist because they don't want people breaking in - for any reason.
Just my two cents...
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