Can’t believe nobody else pointed this out, but the writer of the tract Roosh discussed and the bishop you mentioned are not the same person, plus your post is off topic and sensationalistic nonsense.
Christian Life Is Futile Without The Church
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Can’t believe nobody else pointed this out, but the writer of the tract Roosh discussed and the bishop you mentioned are not the same person, plus your post is off topic and sensationalistic nonsense.
Wow! I didn't know this. What would his views be on this presently?Unfortunately archbishop Illarion pushes the covid vaccine madness by saying that those who refuse it are commiting sin:
Russian Orthodox leader says refusing vaccine is a sin
As Russia faces a new wave of coronavirus infections, Metropolitan Hilarion of the Moscow Patriarchate warns fellow citizens to get the jab or face the consequencesinternational.la-croix.com
as a reformed Protestant (reformed meaning changed/relinquished) I struggle and wonder about baptism. If baptism is required for salvation, why does the Orthodox church allow the catechumen process to draw on for so long before performing baptisms? One would think it would be an immediate action like the eunuch or even Paul who 'believed and were baptized'.Originally posted on RooshV.com
I don’t usually do a review of tracts, but I so enjoyed Christianity Or The Church? by Archbishop Ilarion of the Russian Orthodox Church that I wanted to share my favorite passages. While it discusses many topics, the main one is why participation in the Church and its sacraments are absolutely necessary for salvation.
All legal societies perish
The necessity of the Church
I’ve tried to imagine how my Christian life would be without the Church, without receiving the Body and Blood of Christ, without having my falsehoods and errors checked with priestly guidance, and without praying in one voice with other Christians. Without all that, my faith would boil down to a narcissistic and prideful activity like bodybuilding, of working on my soul completely alone like I would my body in isolation, constantly checking myself in the mirror to see how holy I am compared to others who are so “weak” and “misguided” to need to experience the sacraments within God’s temple with other sinful human beings, and very soon my faith would not even consist of prayer but a collection of vague intellectual beliefs about God’s plan for salvation and totally delusional ideas about how close I am to God.
The Body of Christ
Importance of baptism in the Church
Upon being received into the Orthodox Church through baptism, many people asked why I was “re-baptized” since I was also baptized in the Armenian Church as a child, and to that I must state that I’ve only been baptized once in my life. It is impossible for anyone to be baptized twice, for either the first baptism was valid, and the second baptism was done in vain, or the first was not valid, and the second was the true baptism. I am currently with the Church that I believe offers true baptism to all.
Protestantism
Protestantism tried to correct Catholicism but made something worse. It won’t be long until many of its denominations descend into something like a religious atheism.
“Influences” on Christianity
It’s blasphemy to say that Christianity took from other sources, as if Christ learned from human minds. Before Christ, there were some philosophies that were closer to the truth than others, and since all truth comes from God, some of their teachings would be similar to what Christ taught. The Stoics, for example, had a philosophy of worldly detachment, which is indeed God’s will for us, but Christ did not get his teaching on worldly detachment from the Stoics; the Stoics got it from the fountainhead of truth, either from stumbling upon it through trial and error, or because they were enlightened and given a proto-grace by God.
Absurd notion of “revival”
A relatively quick read, this article is a great summary of basic Orthodox precepts that also disputes common claims of those who falsely teach of Christ. Click here to read it.
Read Next: What Is Orthodox Christianity?
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It takes a while to acquire an Orthodox phronema. And to experience the fullness of the Church through all the feasts and fasts. Best not to be baptised until you have celebrated Epiphany and understand the sanctification of water through the Lord's Baptism. Or to start with celebrating Pascha while knowing nothing of the labour of keeping the Great 40-day Fast.
As I understand it, an Orthodox catechumen who dies before baptism will receive an Orthodox funeral.
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I agree with title "Christian Life is Futile Without The Church"
If there is no Church to regularly attend, I am careful how I publicly identify.
I am concerned about influencing incorrectly, if I'm not having access to a Church community regularly. This is a mixed faith forum and I'm grateful for how far it got me in getting closer to communicating with God again. It's important to accurately represent oneself.
If there is no Church to regularly attend, I am careful how I publicly identify.
I am concerned about influencing incorrectly, if I'm not having access to a Church community regularly. This is a mixed faith forum and I'm grateful for how far it got me in getting closer to communicating with God again. It's important to accurately represent oneself.
This is an explicitly Orthodox forum, but those of other faiths can participate as long as they don't push views that are incompatible with Orthodoxy. For atheists and secular individuals, it's better for them to lurk.
This forum has helped at least one individual to go back to Church; specifically as to worshipping, praising, and thanking Christ with other Christians in a physical (perceived through all five senses) building.
Having access to a Church community to worship (through active and familiar participation) has personally created an elevation in unity - the belief in the life of the Holy Trinity.
This forum has been known to praise and to thank the Lord, Jesus Christ in belief/ faith of the Truth. And provides support for Christians who worship, but are unable to participate in Orthodox sacraments (specifically baptism) as worship.
Commentary on Ephesians 4:2-6 on the cohesiveness of this body - to live in Christ is worth reading from the Orthodox study Bible on Church, Christian morality, and how to live.
It's easier to learn when you watch and listen.
Thank you, I'll start Ephesians today when I get home.
I have been depressed about not finding a Church to call home. I've tried in 3 other cities besides this one in this past year. I looked up on the internet to east and to the west of me(not to the south in a different country yet though)
So, I'm walking along, going to a Filpino restaurant that was featured at yesterday's food film festival, when it seemed almost suddenly, these big blooming pink flowers urged me to touch them. I look up at the property and I see its a priest's residence, directly opposite a Church I haven't gone to yet, right here in my own city.
I feel I must go this week now.
Yes, this is quite good. This made me feel better about how much I keep trying. I'll finish the rest of Ephesians tomorrow, thank you for reminding me. I will go to Church this week.
Did you also read the Study Bible's commentary on Works?
Avoiding committing dead works is similar to the Commandment of not bearing false witness.
In both instances, one cannot 'share' with others as the sharing is against what God wants for us.
It wouldn't matter how based my decision to leave one Church to seek another is, to share the reasons I made, as a parent to myself, is to break that Commandment. I think I learned this in the book of Confessions I read last year.
Likewise, no matter how good you intended your good works, by boasting/sharing, you make that work dead as your motivation was vainglory.
Dugin has called him a "christian" globalist. Needless to say, I think Hilarion had some disagreements with the Russian Orthodox Church because he lost his previous position and got sent to Hungary for another position.
I should not go to a any church until I learn to control myself and not look at anything bad on the internet. I've already been ex-communicated with two different protestant churches because I had a divorce with my ex-wife and have stayed by myself and also another one where I broke up with an ex-gf because of her past. Chruches always side with women and kick guys out (ie either you are ostracized socially or are no longer a member of that church). I hardly even talk to anyone inside church pre-panedemic so if I can get teaching, worship videos and have my own journal of accountability, plus get videos that pop up here and there that keep me, (or try to keep me) on the straight and narrow before a worst chastizement happens (ie if the warning shot is not heeded properly), then I hardly see the point of going. My mother used to be very motivated to go, but she's 85 years old, needs help walking around the place and has a nasty prolapse and who she was before, and who she is now is just too different.
Truth be told, however, I did check online for Protestant trends, and it looks like quite a number of people feel the same way.
Truth be told, however, I did check online for Protestant trends, and it looks like quite a number of people feel the same way.
Brother, that is the exact opposite of how it works. We can't sanctify ourselves first, and then go. We need to go first, and then Christ, His grace, His strength, sanctifies us if we cooperate with Him. Apart from Him we can do nothing.
Personally, I tried Protestantism. Just about every denomination out there. I just could not get it to work for me, and I slowly slid back into the world. None of the Protestant churches I tried had the sacrament of reconciliation, and many of the charismatics/pentecostals don't even have communion.
Both the Catholics and the Orthodox have these 2 sacraments, and they are literally lifesavers. We can be fed with the true body of Christ and also receive absolution for our sins.
What did you start with? Were you baptized a Catholic? You are correct in the basic assertation and it seems that that was a silly thing to write on my end and should have known better. Hoenstly, I did not know what possessed me to write that as it should be basic Christianity 101.
My mother used to be the major driving force of me going to church (ie except with the Meeting House church (2012-2013), and during the 90s with a local pentecostal church, and perhaps occassionally with another one in 2009-2011). When she lost interest herself in going because of her age, and the covid situation (ie which is still circulating today). We last attended this non-denomination evangelical type church pre-pandemic, even that had spasmodic attendence and then came covid.
In a post-covid world, in Protestanism, it's difficult to find a reason to really go to church since everytthing is online. Want to make it feel more real, use a VR-headset or projector and put up an image in a large wall and feel like you are in church in the comfort of your home. Once you give people a taste of that, some, who are not connecting nicely with other people in church, may feel this is just more comfortable approach, since you don't have to worry about inconveniance or just going to a service, but to end up not connecting or talking to anyone there.
But, if I'm paranoid about covid, the same problem in Protestant church, is any other church. (ie can you imagine wearing an N95 mask in a Catholic/Orthodox church with gloves on? How would you even partake of any sacrament with that on? Do you see people taking their N95 mask off briefly, holding in their breath to receive that communion, and then putting the N95 mask on? Who does that? Probably the type that would stay home?) I still wear N95 masks everywhere I go in public except the gym, where I take them off to work-out (ie usually at 2am when nobody is there).
Covid has taught us, at least the overall Protestant churches, that you can do without visiting the church and watch it at home instead. Especially if you are an incel or loner that doesn't connect with people in the first place. You would feel less drained or bad because women is not an issue when you are at home. After all, nothing ruins a spiritual experience than seeing a nice women you want to talk to in a church and you can't connect with her or anyone like that as they all rush out the building and stay within their own group.
I was too young to remember what denomination I started in. After my parents divorced, my dad went to Baptist churches and my mother went to Methodist churches. I went to the churches they went to. Eventually my mother quit going, so I only went to Baptist churches until leaving home for college.
No, unfortunately. It was one of those Protestant "non-denominational" charismatic churches.
But there is a very good reason to go in person - we are instructed by scripture to do so: Hebrews 10:25 says, “And let us not neglect our meeting together, as some people do, but encourage one another, especially now that the day of his return is drawing near.”
I don't know how the Orthodox do it, but the Catholic churches in my city have special sections for mask wearers only. No uncovering allowed in these sections.
The people wearing masks are instructed to remove them when it is their turn to receive, and after the host is in their mouth they cover again.
I don't see anyone wearing N95 masks at church. It's always the common blue masks (which the church provides if needed).
That is a very unfortunate teaching, and in my opinion seems contrary to scripture.
Orthodox doctrine is very clear on sexuality. Unmarried people are to practice celibacy and chastity voluntarily, not "incel". Early Christians were happy to practice chastity and St. Paul wrote to tell them not to lord it over their married brothers and sisters!
The sacraments point quite directly to the necessity of Church being in person. If you think about it, everything about this time: the lockdowns, the remote online "attendance", the masks, even the jabs (especially the jabs), are in direct opposition to Church and its deep meaning.
Any church that is not speaking out against these things is falling away. Pretty much all are. We are still experiencing the fall after all.
Any church that is not speaking out against these things is falling away. Pretty much all are. We are still experiencing the fall after all.
Not in Corinthians (1 Cor 5:1). Churches there has issues too. (1 Cor 6:16). You quote from chapter 7 from the same book! Incels start from 1 Cor 7:2. Read that verse carefully. Replace fornication with lusting (Mat 5:28) in case the white elephant is addressed and you have incel.
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