A Letter From Hell

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im sorry but... this is insane. using scare tactics to try and convert people to christianity...if i recall hitler used these same tactics to try and gather germans to join the nazi party, join us or die suffering. If you do not accept jesus than you will burn in fire for all eternity??? What about the people that have their own cultures and religions? who is to say that one is right and wrong? If sombody grows up athiest, is taught good ethics, be respectful, leads a great life, helps people when they can, but is never told about a man named jesus than they will burn? im sorry but this is crazy
 
I guess you missed the point. As a Christian I am one of many who are like street lamps... To help show others the way to God and salvation. The letter wasn't a scare tactic, it was just an illistration. I think they did an excelent job of it at that... I know that I can relate to it. Don't get me wrong... I'm by no means the perfect Christian and I don't claim to be. I don't talk ( And share ) about God or Jesus as much as I should, And by no means do I try to push my religion off on others. If the topic comes up I'll talk about it though.
Thank you Mike for sharing that with us, I will pass it on to my friends.
 
OK......... well i'm not sure about the letter but then that is what makes us all so cool we're all different. i have to say that it started the first time and all i did was turn it off, i then read down the other posts. so i then gave it another try i listened to it all the way. well its not for me as there are some things that i'm not sure that i agrea with though you can pick apart any thing if you want. for some it will work and it maybe the mesage that they are looking for, though for me i feel it is a little much.

thankyou for sharing and i hope that this thread does not ture into a poo flinging contest
 
Forgive me if I intrude, but I would like to speak on this subject please. thanson_mopar is right about the freedom to choose. We've all been given the right to choose what we believe in, you see, we all serve somebody or something. For some it's themselves, others it's religion, yet others choose to follow God's Word, Jesus Christ, who is the Word become flesh according to John 1:14. Jesus spoke more on Hell, which was not originally intended for people, than he did Heaven, as awareness for us. Since sin was introduced to mankind, Romans 5:12, we were cutoff from communicating with the Creator of all things who is Holy and knows no sin. To bridge that gap, Jesus paid the price once and for all though his death and resurrection to bring us back to God, 1 Peter 3:18. It's God's will that no one should perish but that all should come to repentance, 2 Peter 3:9, because if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved, Romans 10:9.
There are over 3,000 promises that God gives those who follow Him. Though Hell is real, Heaven is just as real and should be the focus on what to look forward to if you are born again spiritually for in John 3:3, Jesus said, "Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God."
Your action not to choose or to choose follow Jesus, is an eternal choice that cannot be changed once you pass away. Please view the hope that we have though faith in Jesus Christ as something you have Hell to lose and Heaven to gain forever, amen.
 
Forgive me if I intrude, but I would like to speak on this subject please. thanson_mopar is right about the freedom to choose. We've all been given the right to choose what we believe in, you see, we all serve somebody or something. For some it's themselves, others it's religion, yet others choose to follow God's Word, Jesus Christ, who is the Word become flesh according to John 1:14. Jesus spoke more on Hell, which was not originally intended for people, than he did Heaven, as awareness for us. Since sin was introduced to mankind, Romans 5:12, we were cutoff from communicating with the Creator of all things who is Holy and knows no sin. To bridge that gap, Jesus paid the price once and for all though his death and resurrection to bring us back to God, 1 Peter 3:18. It's God's will that no one should perish but that all should come to repentance, 2 Peter 3:9, because if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved, Romans 10:9.
There are over 3,000 promises that God gives those who follow Him. Though Hell is real, Heaven is just as real and should be the focus on what to look forward to if you are born again spiritually for in John 3:3, Jesus said, "Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God."
Your action not to choose or to choose follow Jesus, is an eternal choice that cannot be changed once you pass away. Please view the hope that we have though faith in Jesus Christ as something you have Hell to lose and Heaven to gain forever, amen.
 
I am reminded of the story in Luke 16. The rich man is tormented in hell, while Lazarus is in Abraham's bossom. The rich man speaks to Abraham.

"27And he said, ‘Then I beg you, father, to send him to my father’s house—28for I have five brothers—so that he may warn them, lest they also come into this place of torment.’ 29But Abraham said, ‘They have Moses and the Prophets; let them hear them.’ 30And he said, ‘No, father Abraham, but if someone goes to them from the dead, they will repent.’ 31He said to him, ‘If they do not hear Moses and the Prophets, neither will they be convinced if someone should rise from the dead.’”

I have been a Christian for over 30 years. I, too, am challenged as to how and when to share my faith most effectively. My hope is that I live my life in such a way as to be "Jesus in the flesh" to those around me. If they can see a difference in my life, just maybe when things get difficult, they will come to me for help.

Jesus said, "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No man cometh unto the father but by me."
 
in my opinion, we are a product of evolution. it is proven that we are a product of evolution and not just magicly came to be. thousands and thousands of years of development has made us the most intellegent of all creatures. We know right and wrong, very social and the greatest ability is our intelegence. As long as man has been alive and able to think it has always been a question of why. why are we here, if somthing could not be explained then it was created. For example, native americans believe that they all descended from the sky, the buffalo, all the animals. it seems that its strange that most every different culture has a diffrent story of creation. So why is it that (according to the video) Christians are to change people over to christianity when the other people have thier own religion. It almost seems as though they seem to look down upon people of diffrent cultures and religions as if theirs is not right and they will burn in hell for it??? who is to say that christianity is the right way and that budism, athiesm, judism ect. is wrong? i myself am athiest, i do not believe in god, i do not despise people who try to convert me but they seem to close their ears when i explain that i believe in what i believe. I think that religion (including christianity) is not a bad thing. I believe it teaches good values and without it there might be caos in many peoples lives (people tend to go crazy if they think theres nothing after death) but.....theres too many blanks in the pages. too many things that dont make sense

and no im not lost, i went to church for many years and im even confirmed in the ucc but i acually started thinking about what they were teaching me and i came up with questions that people didnt seem to have answers to until i realized that there is no possible way there could be a heaven, hell or god. not trying to offend anyone, although im sure i will
 
While I would not turn this thread into a debate about creationism vs. evolution, I would challenge your claim that evolution is proven. There are many missing links to the evolution theory. It takes a "faith" to believe in either system. I was not there when God created the heavens and the earth, just as you were not there when life spontaneously generated. In my opinion, it takes more faith to believe in spontaneous generation of life and evolution than it takes to believe in a Heavenly Father who created life.

Do I have all the answers? No. Are there things I don't understand? Yes. Do I sometimes question God? Yes. But, that's where faith comes in again. If my pea brain could understand everything about God, then He would be a very small god. Did I see Jesus die on the cross? No. Did I see Him rise again? No. But, by faith I believe it's true, and that He died for my sins, and not only my sins, but the sins of the whole world.

Jesus said "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No man cometh unto the Father, but by Me." For you to say that Christians "seem to look down upon people of different cultures and religions" would be a misjudgment on your part. We believe in a literal heaven and hell because the Bible teaches it. We believe that a holy God has placed a penalty on sin because the Bible teaches it. We believe that forgiveness is only available through the shed blood of Jesus Christ because He said so. If you are offended by those words, then you are not offended by me, I am just repeating what He said.

We share our faith because of love, not arrogance. The Bible says that "God is not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance."
 
To state that Evolution is a fact and not merely a theory contradicts even Darwin himself. If one has even a modicum of education in physical sciences and geology, you know that the entire theory of evolution rests upon what is called the "geologic column"......differing strata that display their respective fossil elements are used by evolutionists to "prove" that these layers are separated by millions of years of development...... however, "polystrate" fossils, those that stand upright through various layers or strata, prove beyond the shadow of any scientific doubt that the theory of evolution is bogus.......it is a scientific impossibility. Add to this the fact that fossilized human fingers have been discovered in the same strata as dinosaur footprints and remains..... that means man and dinosaurs lived together....a 65 million year error on the part of evolutionists.....and NOVA, the program from WGBH in Boston was filming the dig when the discovery was made.....have they come clean?........Not when billions of dollars of investment in the theory are at stake.

Believe what you want.......If you smack talk my Mopar, I'll just invite you up to the line to show me what you've got. Let the Truth be known.

If I spend my entire life serving Christ and helping others, I've gained hundreds of friends and family members, and added countless days of happiness and fulfillment to my life..... If I turned out to be wrong about Christ in the end, I've lost NOTHING. If YOU, on the other hand, spend your entire life as an unbeliever and turn out to be WRONG, you've lost EVERYTHING..... for eternity.

Are you a bettin' man?

Like when I purchase a Mopar, I go through every conceiveable area of the car, leaving no rock unturned. I want to KNOW the car, and PROVE what it is or is not. I don't let a TV commercial or program form my beliefs on a car, and I don't take the word of another..... I check it out for myself, observing firsthand all of the facts. In this way, I'm sure of my belief in the car, and can purchase it with no reservations.

If you purchase the car of unbelief or atheism without striving to be an expert on the subject FIRST, and checking it all out letter for letter, finding proof of that belief, then I guess you'll get the car you deserve.

God Bless America.:wav:
 
thanson_mopar , I appreciate your input about your beliefs, just the mere fact that you share this personal information shows what integrity you have. I'm sure there are those who share your beliefs but lack your integrity and honsety. The same applies to all who would call themselves budist or muslim or Christian or whatever, some make for good reprsentation, some not. What you veiwed on that video was a perspective of a high schooler sharing what HE believes to be true. The problem with so many opinions is that things can get out of context. The story about Hell, though true according to the Bible, is only part of the story and not the main focus. The main focus in the Bible is God's love for man and His Grace and Mercy to mankind;
"For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.
For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.
He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.
And this is the condemnation, that the light has come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil.
For everyone practicing evil hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his deeds should be exposed.
But he who does the truth comes to the light, that his deeds may be clearly seen, that they have been done in God." John 3:16-21
The Bible and it's history is TRUE and proven to be FACT, this I have tested myself.
I encourage you as pastortom1 did also, to take the time to test your beliefs and test God to see if He is true. Let the Bible speak for itself, don't just take our word for it.
 
thanson_mopar , I appreciate your input about your beliefs, just the mere fact that you share this personal information shows what integrity you have. I'm sure there are those who share your beliefs but lack your integrity and honesty. The same applies to all who would call themselves Buddhist or Muslim or Christian or whatever, some make for good representation, some not. What you viewed on that video was a perspective of a high schooler sharing what HE believes to be true. The problem with so many opinions is that things can get out of context. The story about Hell, though true according to the Bible, is only part of the story and not the main focus. The main focus in the Bible is God's love for man and His Grace and Mercy to mankind;
"For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.
For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.
He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.
And this is the condemnation, that the light has come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil.
For everyone practicing evil hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his deeds should be exposed.
But he who does the truth comes to the light, that his deeds may be clearly seen, that they have been done in God." John 3:16-21
The Bible and it's history is TRUE and proven to be FACT, this I have tested myself.
I encourage you as pastortom1 did also, to take the time to test your beliefs and test God to see if He is true. Let the Bible speak for itself, don't just take our word for it.
 
I feel deeply sorry for the millions of ignorant people who lived before the rise of Christianity. I feel sorry for all of the civilizations that have worshipped either nature, or animals, or pantheons of gods. I feel sorry for those billions who dont believe in the same god as Christians.. I feel sorry for those disabled who cannot think for themselves, and those who do not have access to those that can lead them down the right path, and those who die before they can be reached. Yes,they are all wrong.. and they are all condemned. Wow.. that is a just god.
 
OneOfMany said:
I feel deeply sorry for the millions of ignorant people who lived before the rise of Christianity. I feel sorry for all of the civilizations that have worshipped either nature, or animals, or pantheons of gods. I feel sorry for those billions who dont believe in the same god as Christians.. I feel sorry for those disabled who cannot think for themselves, and those who do not have access to those that can lead them down the right path, and those who die before they can be reached. Yes,they are all wrong.. and they are all condemned. Wow.. that is a just god.
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Oh contra ire,
God does allow for those who cannot make a conscience decision for themselves, it is us who have knowledge of God and Jesus who are accountable for what we know.
 
That's a "Just God", you say? Was it justice that He had to come here as a man and pay our penalty Himself?

Where have you ever read in the Scriptures that God has damned each unfortunate person you mentioned? Have you read, studied or proven such a statement against the Scriptures? The God of the Bible is a God of Grace....Unmerited favor is what He shows to mankind.... He doesn't damn people willy nilly because it appears to you that they didn't have a chance. He gives us all a chance, and isn't willing that anyone perish. However, if you choose unbelief after understanding the reality of the Creator, you've made your own bed.

I've counseled this kind of nonsense for over 25 years, and it never ceases to amaze me. ... People attempting to judge the God of Heaven against their own personal system of morality and justice (or the lack thereof), thinking that they could possibly stand in the Face of One so powerful, that literally spoke into existence all that is seen and perceived (and all that's not).

This life, we will all soon discover, is a mere "vapor" that appears for a short time and then vanishes. How significant is it in the realm of eternity? You mention "justice".......? Unless you can grasp and understand the concept of eternity relative to a God and Savior, you can never understand the "justice" of which you attempt to speak.

Grace will save each and every soul, who at whatever point of this life or afterlife the Lord Himself chooses (He is Sovereign, you know, regardless of our incomplete Theologies), will call upon His Name in Faith. That's NOT "justice" in the human understanding....not after what we've done.....Justice would be death according to the law.....BUT, He's a God of Grace and Love. Lucky us, huh?

The one's I really feel sorry for are those who out of their own anger and bitterness at the ways of the world, choose to blame it all on God.....when WE were the ones who caused all of the trouble in the first place.

Before we claim "injustice", perhaps we should weigh it against His suffering and death, and the reason He did it in the first place.....again, reiterating my former thoughts, that's called "education".

Mopar's Rule! (but NOT in Heaven). :glasses8:
 
If I spend my entire life serving Christ and helping others said:
I could not agree more with this statement.... Very well said....

I feel deeply sorry for the millions of ignorant people who lived before the rise of Christianity. I feel sorry for all of the civilizations that have worshipped either nature, or animals, or pantheons of gods. I feel sorry for those billions who dont believe in the same god as Christians.. I feel sorry for those disabled who cannot think for themselves, and those who do not have access to those that can lead them down the right path, and those who die before they can be reached. Yes,they are all wrong.. and they are all condemned. Wow.. that is a just god.

I feel sorry for those who choose to turn their back on the God who loves them and has promised them the gift of eternal life but they choose not to accept it..
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christians feel sorry for people that have never even heard of god or chose to believe different??? the theory of evolution is bogus?? i believe it takes more faith to believe that we were all put here by one all powerful being that lives in the stars, than to believe that we are here because we evolved and came to the state we are now. animals with camoflage is an adaptation, a part of evolution, humans have come along way since the last 3000 years, even the last 500 years, it is all about adaptation, yes its apart of evolution. species always try better adapt to their enviorment for food and saftey, thats how evolution works. and that includes humans. i know that jesus was a real person, he is a documented person that tought many good things, but he was a man and thats all he was. do some research on how the bible was written, it was not faxed down from a god. it was a tossup between paganism and christianity around 500 A.D. i believe. christianity got the majority vote and the bible came to be, jesus was made to look more than a man to try and get more members into believers, but thats all he was was a man.

have you ever noticed that christianity personified the devil as having a trident or pichfork? It looks to me like the first christains were trying to bash on paganism by making their devil look like Poseidon (Neptune) the god of water who wielded a trident. this also happened to be the same time that early christians were trying to destroy paganism alltogether. do some research before you make claims. not everything from books and stories are true, mostly because a somethings are "overwritten" to look larger than "biblical" proportions
 
C`mon guys... we all know we're all just a science project created by alien beings from millions of miles away. :mrgreen:

Sorry... couldn't resist.
 
Hey there............that theory is called "pan-spermia".........(I got your humor, by the way.....good one!) It's a real theory being touted by some of the "greatest" evolutionists of our day.........the original evolutionary theory is being abandoned at the scientific levels (en' masse) because it is so full of holes, they now realize it's impossibility...........sorry kids, you have to keep learning the trash in school until the "new" facts really take hold, then they'll make slow changes to your textbooks (can you imagine the ensuing chaos if they admitted they were wrong all these years?). They now believe, in alarming and growing numbers, that we came from organisms planted here by alien races, OR by perhaps comets..............

Someone mentions having "faith" ??

If you honestly believe we came from apes, then you MUST also believe (the same "theory) that ALL things in existence came from a basketball sized lump of inanimate hyper-compressed matter, which reaching critical negative pressures, then exploded and became all that we now know and observe........and you crack fun at MY meaure of faith ???????

...............Not to mention the scientific fact at hand..............that is, "information". All things can be measured in a scale of "bits" of information.....not unlike your computer, which stores information as "bits" and "bytes" in varying increments. All inanimate matter on this earth COMBINED (all elements accounted for) have been measured at appx. 280 bits of information. Your "big bang", according to the "scientists" (it is not science, however, since the definition of "science" is "the study of that which can be observed") was caused by the explosion of all inanimate matter in the universe exploding outward. An explosion makes no matter of it's own, but creates energy......they are in agreement that whatever existed was inanimate.

If we now have 280 bits of information, you want us to believe that even one single human cell, which contains hundreds of billions of bits of information, somehow was formed out of 280 bits????? THIS, my friends, is a scientific impossibility............much more impossible as an explosion in your tool box somehow yielding a perfectly operating 1971 Hemi-Cuda Convertible for you to enjoy and drive. Such an idea also defies the second law of thermodynamics, which in simplicity states that everything in the universe "slows down, and wears down".......it does NOT increase, and it does not become more complex..........the opposite is true according to the laws of physics.

Therefore, all that we now know and perceive must have come from a superior existence or entity, and the perfection of the symbiotic models on this earth demonstrate a VERY high intelligence behind all of the living systems on earth......in other words, everything around you demonstrates very clearly an "intelligent design".

Have you ever cursed the designers of certain systems or mechanics in one of our Mopars? I have......and I'll bet that almost all of us have done the same at one point or another.........we feel that we could have designed it a little better if we had just changed this or that a wee bit.......(we COULD have too)............BUT, all of the systems on Earth have gone on in perfect harmony and symbiosis for how many years now?........no improvements needed.........no adjustments.........only our own mistreatment of the globe to worry about (and a healthy respect for the nature of it all). Isn't that something? All this came from a hyper-compressed basketball of inanimate matter?

And you think I have more "faith" than you ?????????

Jeepers Creepers Criminy Yeepers................. I gotta go take a cruise in my Dodge........A great ride, fresh air, and the beauty of God's Creation........it don't get much better than this!

Later...........................:glasses8:
 
The letter wasn't a scare tactic, it was just an illistration.
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As a follower, church going and believer in the allmighty, this WAS a scare tactic and a poor one.

Follow me or else is the message. For a none follower, this must look like a crazy advertisement. A most crazy advertisemnet.

I did not like what I saw. It was sad.

Freedom to follow what you want or not is ones choice. I can not force you to do what you don't want to do. If I did, I'd be no better than those crazies in the middle east.

Follow us exactly as we say or we kill your family, stone you to death, or blow your family up.
For what, because the scraf fell off the face for a min. ?
 
First off, nowhere in my post did I indicate whether or not I am a Christian, or what my beliefs are. I am sure that by using the lowecase g in god (as I will continue to do) may allow you to infer that I am not, but please do not assume.

pastortom1 - you say that "God does allow for those who cannot make a conscience decision for themselves, it is us who have knowledge of God and Jesus who are accountable for what we know."

If that is the case, then the need to spread the word to those ignorant of it is not neccessary, as they will be looked upon favorably by the grace of god. By "spreading" the word, you are simply condemning those who "hear" and do not "agree" to a life of eternal damnation.

You also say "To state that Evolution is a fact and not merely a theory contradicts even Darwin himself." It is now actually being accepted by mainstream biologists that using the term "theory" in regards to evolution is a misnomer. Evolution is now fact. Whether or not a "supreme being" or "deity" played a role in creating or shaping this evolution is still theorectical.

Your use of computer analogies is interesting but severely flawed. Even though there are a finite number of elements that have been listed, and we know that any other elements by their physical properties must be short-lived, unstable isotopes, it is the combination of the elements that creates all of the matter that surrounds us. Similarly, in a computer, all information from instructions to data is stored as two simple states, yet the combination of those two simple states allow us the non-limiting ability to create and store anything we wish.

The Bible is accepted by theologians to have been written down from the period 1100BC to 100AD, by I believe 73 different authors. The history that the bible covers (according again to many theologians) is approximately 6,000 years. The first 2,000 are accounted for by the creation; and the garden of eden story is believed to have occured approximately 4,000 years ago. Man and women have existed on this planet for a period a lot longer than this. Man and woman have also had the conscience and foresight to realize that they're time alive in this earthly realm is finite, and for many millenia prior to the acknowledged, accepted biblical beginning of time, have found many ways to question their own existence and their possible continued existence in the period after earthly life. Whether paganism, polytheism or monotheism, the belief in an eternal afterlife has served to soothe the individuals mind that they are almighty in their own right.. that their existence is not meaningless in the grand scale of the world surrounding them, and that like a god, their spiritual life will continue after their physical body fails them. There is nothing wrong with this.

The bible is a fantastic historical record of many of the great events and civilizations that have existed. The stories in the old testament coincide with many of those written in other religious texts, therefore there is corroboration of many facts. However, it cannot be proven that the stories were scribed verbatim from the word of god, and they can just as easily be argued to be the written interpretations of the authors using the word of god to validate their historical perspective.

Regardless of any contrary postion taken by myself in this topic, I certainly never mean to offend, call down or call in to question an individual's beliefs in their own life. I live a highly moral life, and teach these values to my child, and wish that everyone would. However, when ANY religion uses tactics such as those prescribed in the video posted into guilting their followers into pressuring or imposing their individual beliefs onto others, they should be considered to be extremist. And like many extremists throughout history, must be viewed with concern by outsiders. If any group wishes to promote itself in the name of love, compassion and ultimate forgiveness, they should be rethinking their ad campaign.

Grant
 
Please keep in mind that video was "a dramatic presentation to motivate Christian students to share their faith" and was never intended as a message to the non-believer.

I just want to add one more thing and leave it at that so as not to turn this into a big debate.
Unfortunately many people have been given a distorted picture of God and the Bible and it's not a surprise. The God of the Bible is a God of the greatest love known to man, but the Bible describes one who is contrary to God, a deceiver, no pitchfork, someone who constantly searches the earth seeking whom he may destroy, 1 Peter 5:8. That person is successfully deceiving peoples view, playing on our pride. God does NOT send people to Hell which was not created for man, God wants ALL to know Him and be with Him in Heaven. But God will not force this decision on anyone as we all have been given a free will to choose. Because Jesus said, "Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God." John 3:3, only those who know Jesus and Him who sent Him as Jesus said "Most assuredly, I say to you, he who hears My word and believes in Him who sent Me has everlasting life, and shall not come into judgment, but has passed from death into life." John 5:24
The deceiver is working hard to keep people from believing in God so that he will have his own group to lord over, but God has made it easy for people to enter Heaven when that time comes for them. Jesus paid a price that no man could pay and settled a debt once and for all "that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life" John 3:15.
I personally care for and respect all who have expressed their views on this thread and want them to know. Please do not allow false religion, misrepresentation, pride, and the deceiver of the Bible to distort your view, give God a chance to show you His Love for you and all the earth! :colors:
 
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