Which branch/denom of Christianity do you follow, if any? (Gospel, Epistles)
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I'm Eastern Orthodox. Never heard of Paleo Orthodox. You don't have to be some sort of self made archeologist to find the Orthodox Church. It's still alive and well.
I like our emphasis on forgiveness. We are taught not to judge which is not always easy and need to ask forgiveness when we do hurt others.
One of our desert Fathers is St Xanthias who is known for saying "A dog is better than I am, for he has love and does not judge."
I, too, was really impressed with Irkle's first few posts. I thought, "Now this is someone I'm going to really relate to." Unfortunately, things have gone downhill since then.
Now don't cry, people, you'll make me cry too.
In short, we want our little club, unpolluted by anyone who holds recognizable, mainstream Christian beliefs and doesn't fit our stereotype of the mindless fundie. He's one of "them" (whoever them actually is) not one of "us." Tolerant and loving as we like to pretend we are, we don't want one of "them" challenging us in public.
In other words, just another internet forum where we reinvent Christianity to suit our tastes, pat ourselves on the back for having done so, and pout like babies whenever an intruder expresses mainstream Christian beliefs.
No, don't expect me to "redeem" myself down to your level.
I'm Eastern Orthodox. Never heard of Paleo Orthodox. You don't have to be some sort of self made archeologist to find the Orthodox Church. It's still alive and well.
I like our emphasis on forgiveness. We are taught not to judge which is not always easy and need to ask forgiveness when we do hurt others.
One of our desert Fathers is St Xanthias who is known for saying "A dog is better than I am, for he has love and does not judge."
Paleo-orthodoxy has nothing to do with Orthodoxy. It's a Protestant movement that focuses on what Christianity actually meant to the early Christians. Hence, the theology obviously overlaps to a large degree with that of Orthodoxy since Orthodoxy was The Church until the Great Schism of 1074.
My wife is Russian, albeit not Orthodox, and much of my theological reading over the past few years has been Orthodox. It is almost entirely in line with my views.
Don't kid anyone that Orthodoxy is anything other than 100% mainstream Christianity - the Virgin Birth, Trinity, Resurrection, Judgment, Hell and the whole nine yards. It's not a warm-and-fuzzy theology by any stretch of the imagination. https://www.oca.org/orthodoxy/the-or...faith/judgment
We are bombarded with the message that we are to be tolerant of the beliefs and practices of others. “Tolerant,” however, has come to mean “accept and condone without question or reservation”; failure to practice this form of tolerance makes one intolerant and a hater. These assertions are addressed especially to those from traditional Christian backgrounds who acknowledge that the truths in Scripture are absolute, not relative, as secular and liberal society views them. It must be noted, too, that when entirely secularized people refuse to be tolerant of “traditional values,” they are called progressive, open-minded and enlightened, anything but intolerant; while traditional Christians are considered deluded, superstitious, brain-washed, and ignorant. (This is so despite the fact that – in all ages – living a Christian life requires a concerted effort and personal dedication –a clear choice. Just ask the Virgin Mary and the Martyrs.)
72 AD is a bit of an estimate, but is after the destruction of Jerusalem as prophesied in Matthew, and the fall of Masada. We can assume all Christians followed instructions and didn't even stop for a change of clothes before fleeing.
The 144,000 of the elect is from Revelations, which was written at the same time. That places the Rapture after the composition of Revelations, but before Christianity had many followers or the first apostles died.
Nah...Matthew doesn't say anything about a rapture, nor does it mention 144,000. Nevermind that Revelation was written probably 20 years later.
In short, we want our little club, unpolluted by anyone who holds recognizable, mainstream Christian beliefs and doesn't fit our stereotype of the mindless fundie. He's one of "them" (whoever them actually is) not one of "us." Tolerant and loving as we like to pretend we are, we don't want one of "them" challenging us in public.
In other words, just another internet forum where we reinvent Christianity to suit our tastes, pat ourselves on the back for having done so, and pout like babies whenever an intruder expresses mainstream Christian beliefs.
No, don't expect me to "redeem" myself down to your level.
The pedestal just a bit too high to get down from?
You may want to try some humility. We have some great debaters here, many whose views are the polar opposite of mine, and some I don't even like much.
But I respect them. They earned it, not demanded it.
Now don't cry, people, you'll make me cry too.
In short, we want our little club, unpolluted by anyone who holds recognizable, mainstream Christian beliefs and doesn't fit our stereotype of the mindless fundie. He's one of "them" (whoever them actually is) not one of "us." Tolerant and loving as we like to pretend we are, we don't want one of "them" challenging us in public.
In other words, just another internet forum where we reinvent Christianity to suit our tastes, pat ourselves on the back for having done so, and pout like babies whenever an intruder expresses mainstream Christian beliefs.
No, don't expect me to "redeem" myself down to your level.
Since I credited your intellect in your earlier posts, I must ask how you can remotely accept such barbaric concepts as Eternal Hell for a finite life that does nothing but punish? How is that in any way just? Why do you think that the specifics of belief are important to God instead of just the belief in God? What do the specifics accomplish that make God care about them? Don't brush these off. Use your intellect to engage the questions and provide the kind of erudite responses you are clearly capable of. I failed to find ANY merit in such ideas.
Since I credited your intellect in your earlier posts, I must ask how you can remotely accept such barbaric concepts as Eternal Hell for a finite life that does nothing but punish? How is that in any way just? Why do you think that the specifics of belief are important to God instead of just the belief in God? What do the specifics accomplish that make God care about them? Don't brush these off. Use your intellect to engage the questions and provide the kind of erudite responses you are clearly capable of. I failed to find ANY merit in such ideas.
Now THERE is the uppity and elitist attitude that we've all come to expect!!
Now THERE is the uppity and elitist attitude that we've all come to expect!!
How DARE we believe that BARBARIC thing????!!!!!
You should ask yourself why YOU do NOT think an eternal Hell of unending punishment for a finite life is barbaric? What is accomplished by believing specific things ABOUT God OR ELSE?
You should ask yourself why YOU do NOT think an eternal Hell of unending punishment for a finite life is barbaric? What is accomplished by believing specific things ABOUT God OR ELSE?
I don't need to ask myself that. I believe God is that holy and just that he can't be in the presence of sin.
So why do YOU worship a god that is so small he can?
I don't need to ask myself that. I believe God is that holy and just that he can't be in the presence of sin.
So why do YOU worship a god that is so small he can?
No god-thing is as tiny and puny as the bible god-thing. Which is not surprising, since it was created by barbaric men.
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