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[SirKicksalot]

It's Orthodox Easter. How many of us are here?
For some reason I always enjoy watching this ritual on TV the day before Easter. I wonder how they're doing it and how many people are involved:

Holy Fire - Wikipedia

en.m.wikipedia.org

 

[Dice]

God lights it.

Matthew 5:14 "You are the light of the world. A city set on a mountain cannot be hidden."

Psalm 42:3-4 "Send forth thy light and thy truth: they have conducted me, and brought me unto thy holy hill, and into thy tabernacles. And I will go in to the altar of God: to God who giveth joy to my youth."

 

[Bolivar687]

Must read:

Culture War As Class War | Darel E. Paul

The ongoing uproar after the election of Donald Trump led the sociologist James Davison Hunter to . . . .

www.firstthings.com

Culture wars are never strictly cultural. They are always economic and political struggles as well. Elites rule through an interlocking political-economic-cultural system. The mainstream media certifies whose political ideas are respectable and whose are extremist. Hollywood, Silicon Valley, Wall Street, academia, and white-shoe professional firms are all part of the postindustrial “knowledge economy” that allocates economic rewards. As American elites become increasingly integrated and culturally homogenous, they begin to treat their cultural rivals as subordinate classes.

If cultural traditionalists want to survive, they must not only acknowledge but embrace the class dimensions of the culture war.

Really good piece about the history of Christianity in America over the last 100 or so years, how liberal churches collapsed in attendance but their values lived on, while conservative churches became a new underclass excluded from institutions of power. The elite moved from enshrining birth control and abortion into our social codex, then to homosexuality and now gender identity. These things have nothing to do with equality, justice, or progress. It's all about taste, class, and power to wield institutions:

The fight is over nothing less than who has the power to define reality. To lose such a fight is not just to be consigned to the wrong side of history or become the point of reference for “that’s not who we are.” It is to have the weight of the dominant culture pressed firmly against you, peeling away members of your side and undermining the ability and willingness of the remainder to resist. It is to be denied access to elite institutions and networks, and to all the material and social benefits they confer. It is even to have the force of law and thus ultimately the power of the state used against you.

One interesting aside, Hillary's "basket of deplorables" remark wasn't a gaffe, it was a rehearsed line she had used time and again in private fundraising stops throughout the campaign, which had always garnered her support:

Amy Chozick reported in the New York Times that Clinton had been using this line throughout the campaign in private settings. It had “always got a laugh over living-room chats in the Hamptons, at dinner parties under the stars on Martha’s Vineyard, over passed hors d’oeuvres in Beverly Hills, and during sunset cocktails in Silicon Valley.” Unfortunately for Clinton and her presidential prospects, on this occasion a few deplorables were listening in.

 

[Tesseract]

i had a pretty good time at church this morning, it's such a feel good atmosphere

i'm digging into my bible again and while i believe god doesn't exist and the universe is indifferent ~ ain't giving up words and wisdom of the lord

stay shredded, christians

the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it

 

[Tesseract]

heading to church in a bit, helping my pastor with an athletics package, then i'm gonna rewire his electricity and set up some computers for the kids

trying to read my bible more, a chapter after cardio or lifting goes a long way

remain shredded, fellow christians

i have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. in this world you will have trouble. but take heart! i have overcome the world.

 

[Bolivar687]

Jordan Peterson interviewed Bishop Robert Barron, one of the foremost Catholic speakers online:

 

[#Phonepunk#]

i have a friend who is a recent born against Christian. it is really quite something. i'd known her for maybe 15 years now, and we hung out in the same scene when we were both dumb 20 somethings. hadn't seen her in a long time and now, she is a straight edge born against Christian.

for a few years she was kind of a groupie, would hang out at band practices and stuff, slept around some, did a lot of drugs, partying, starting bands, etc. for a while in the 2000s. towards the end of us initially falling out she was dating these gross old drug dealer dudes. a long time ago we recorded covers of NIN and Nick Cave. she never ever talked about Jesus before this year, she was kind of the last person i would ever take to be super religious.

recently she had a life changing religious experience. she said she just one day had this dawning, this realization, that it was a life affirming beatific thing, and that she knew that she should quit her habitual addictions. she instantly went cold turkey on everything, booze, drugs, cigarettes, etc. cut off all her toxic relationships, all the psychic vampires in her life. it is crazy. she is like a totally new person. i invited her to see a show and she brought over beer for me and alcohol free beers for her lol. it has taken me and all our mutual friends by surprise but we are all very happy to see her doing well. she looks very healthy and is the happiest i've ever seen her.

 

[Tesseract]

i have a friend who is a recent born against Christian. it is really quite something. i'd known her for maybe 15 years now, and we hung out in the same scene when we were both dumb 20 somethings. hadn't seen her in a long time and now, she is a straight edge born against Christian.

for a few years she was kind of a groupie, would hang out at band practices and stuff, slept around some, did a lot of drugs, partying, starting bands, etc. for a while in the 2000s. towards the end of us initially falling out she was dating these gross old drug dealer dudes. a long time ago we recorded covers of NIN and Nick Cave. she never ever talked about Jesus before this year, she was kind of the last person i would ever take to be super religious.

recently she had a life changing religious experience. she said she just one day had this dawning, this realization, that it was a life affirming beatific thing, and that she knew that she should quit her habitual addictions. she instantly went cold turkey on everything, booze, drugs, cigarettes, etc. cut off all her toxic relationships, all the psychic vampires in her life. it is crazy. she is like a totally new person. i invited her to see a show and she brought over beer for me and alcohol free beers for her lol. it has taken me and all our mutual friends by surprise but we are all very happy to see her doing well. she looks very healthy and is the happiest i've ever seen her.

awesome!

 

[DunDunDunpachi]

i have a friend who is a recent born against Christian. it is really quite something. i'd known her for maybe 15 years now, and we hung out in the same scene when we were both dumb 20 somethings. hadn't seen her in a long time and now, she is a straight edge born against Christian.

for a few years she was kind of a groupie, would hang out at band practices and stuff, slept around some, did a lot of drugs, partying, starting bands, etc. for a while in the 2000s. towards the end of us initially falling out she was dating these gross old drug dealer dudes. a long time ago we recorded covers of NIN and Nick Cave. she never ever talked about Jesus before this year, she was kind of the last person i would ever take to be super religious.

recently she had a life changing religious experience. she said she just one day had this dawning, this realization, that it was a life affirming beatific thing, and that she knew that she should quit her habitual addictions. she instantly went cold turkey on everything, booze, drugs, cigarettes, etc. cut off all her toxic relationships, all the psychic vampires in her life. it is crazy. she is like a totally new person. i invited her to see a show and she brought over beer for me and alcohol free beers for her lol. it has taken me and all our mutual friends by surprise but we are all very happy to see her doing well. she looks very healthy and is the happiest i've ever seen her.

This is encouraging to hear. Thanks for sharing man!

 

[Teslerum]

Very interesting. What could be the reason for this? Is the father figure a more potent anchor for children when it comes to faith? What do you think could be the reason?

Old post, but I assume its simply of a fathers role in the family. I can imagine a dad who clearly shows his love for god to have more of an impact on you as an authorative figure/outsider perspective.
Rather than your mom who you may have a closer, but less impactful relationship to.

 

[Tesseract]

gonna do some heavy bible reading tonight between rounds of apex legends, looking forward to it

 

[DunDunDunpachi]

gonna do some heavy bible reading tonight between rounds of apex legends, looking forward to it

What kind of passages did you L I F T?

I've been going through Proverbs and Psalms each morning.

 

[Tesseract]

What kind of passages did you L I F T?

I've been going through Proverbs and Psalms each morning.

same actually, trying to find some peace between god and people

 

[DunDunDunpachi]

same actually, trying to find some peace between god and people

The peace between God and man is Christ.

Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.

 

[Tesseract]

The peace between God and man is Christ.

Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.

thanks, i'm trying!

 

[mcz117chief]

Anybody into reading NT or OT in Ancient Greek? I sometimes pick up Nestle-Alland Koiné/English. It really gives you a different perspective on some things.

 

[DunDunDunpachi]

Anybody into reading NT or OT in Ancient Greek? I sometimes pick up Nestle-Alland Koiné/English. It really gives you a different perspective on some things.

Yeah I learned Koine Greek a long time ago in school and recently picked up a Greek NT plus this to brush up on my skills.

 

[mcz117chief]

Yeah I learned Koine Greek a long time ago in school and recently picked up a Greek NT plus this to brush up on my skills.

In what school did you learn Koiné? I did in the university.

 

[DunDunDunpachi]

In what school did you learn Koiné? I did in the university.

Private middle/high school, with the Mounce Basics of Biblical Greek curriculum supplemented by some other materials (I don't remember their authors).

 

[Tesseract]

not a good day

gonna sink into my bible until the sun goes down

 

[Bolivar687]

not a good day

gonna sink into my bible until the sun goes down

Where you at?

 

[Tesseract]

Where you at?

hard work day, brutal stuff honestly gave me the jitters

gonna play some apex legends now

 

[Bolivar687]

Wishing everyone a prayerful and safe Sunday.

 

[Shaqazooloo]

Does anyone have any good recommendations for an audio book version of the bible?

I procrastinate reading it too often (Overall not a fan of reading long books) so I think listening to it on my bus ride and walk to work is the way to go.

 

[DunDunDunpachi]

Does anyone have any good recommendations for an audio book version of the bible?

I procrastinate reading it too often (Overall not a fan of reading long books) so I think listening to it on my bus ride and walk to work is the way to go.

Audio Bible: Listen Online for Free (KJV, ESV, & More)

Listen to audio Bibles free online using the King James Version, English Standard Version, and New Living Translation at Bible Study Tools.

www.biblestudytools.com

Try free online ones (like what I linked above) and go from there. ESV is pretty rad as a translation and is one that I use fairly often.

 

[Mista]

Good morning brothers and sisters. Just a Muslim passing by to say hi

And yeah, go to church on Sunday you lazy pricks

 

[Shaqazooloo]

I really wish I could go to Church more but my regular one is pretty far out so I have to get a ride which not only doesn't happen too often but when it does I have to stay in that area for too long which conflicts with my sleeping schedule (midnight shift, so I go to sleep in the afternoon).

They're are a couple services in my area but honestly (and I hate to sound racist with this) churches with mostly white people tend to be lame, not enough energy. Mostly black churches are really high energy and interactive, though I don't appreciate how it tends to go on for 2 and a half to 3 hours compared to the hour service that mostly white churches do... Of course this is just from my experience.

 

[Bolivar687]

I really wish I could go to Church more but my regular one is pretty far out so I have to get a ride which not only doesn't happen too often but when it does I have to stay in that area for too long which conflicts with my sleeping schedule (midnight shift, so I go to sleep in the afternoon).

They're are a couple services in my area but honestly (and I hate to sound racist with this) churches with mostly white people tend to be lame, not enough energy. Mostly black churches are really high energy and interactive, though I don't appreciate how it tends to go on for 2 and a half to 3 hours compared to the hour service that mostly white churches do... Of course this is just from my experience.

Not racist at all, the liturgy in many denominations has been significantly watered down over the last several decades, and that's a fairly lengthy discussion all on its own.

Not to overly evangelize, but I highly recommend checking out and taking advantage of a traditional latin mass at a Roman Catholic parish if you're near one that celebrates it. We know from the writings of St. Paul, especially 1 Corinthians 23-34 that the purpose of Christian corporate worship is the celebration of the Eternal Sacrifice, that he and the first Christians understood the consecrated species to be the body and blood of Christ, and that we should only approach it in a state of grace. Despite being supplanted in the 1960s, when a lot of problems in the Church began, the latin mass is now growing today and has brought many young people into a deeper relationship with Christianity, out of its reverence and respect for what it is taking place.

 

[Tesseract]

reading corinthians right now, wish everyone well

strength and honor, christians

as the father has loved me, so have i loved you

 

[mcz117chief]

as the father has loved me, so have i loved you

This always made me realize one thing. When Christ was being hurt, crucified, berated, etc. it always came from other people, who he unconditionally loves just like God the Father. Imagine being tortured by your own family but literally infinitely worse. Always breaks my heart how far Christ was willing to go for us.

 

[Tesseract]

We can be tired, weary and emotionally distraught, but after spending time alone with God, we find that He injects into our bodies energy, power and strength.

We are either in the process of resisting God's truth or in the process of being shaped and molded by his truth.

Since God knows our future, our personalities, and our capacity to listen, He isn't ever going to say more to us than we can deal with at the moment.

An unschooled man who knows how to meditate upon the Lord has learned far more than the man with the highest education who does not know how to meditate.

The best way in the world to deceive believers is to cloak a message in religious language and declare that it conveys some new insight from God.

When God speaks, oftentimes His voice will call for an act of courage on our part.

He wants you all to Himself to put His loving, divine arms around you.

God's voice is still and quiet and easily buried under an avalanche of clamour.

God will never tell us to do something that gratifies the flesh.

 

[SLUG_____]

Today's the feast day of St. Therese

readings:

Memorial of Saint Thérèse of the Child Jesus, Virgin and Doctor of the Church
Lectionary: 456
Reading 1 Zec 8:20-23
Thus says the LORD of hosts:
There shall yet come peoples,
the inhabitants of many cities;
and the inhabitants of one city shall approach those of another,
and say, "Come! let us go to implore the favor of the LORD";
and, "I too will go to seek the LORD."
Many peoples and strong nations shall come
to seek the LORD of hosts in Jerusalem
and to implore the favor of the LORD.
Thus says the LORD of hosts:
In those days ten men of every nationality,
speaking different tongues, shall take hold,
yes, take hold of every Jew by the edge of his garment and say,

"Let us go with you, for we have heard that God is with you."
Responsorial Psalm Ps 87:1b-3, 4-5, 6-7
R. (Zec 8:23) God is with us.
His foundation upon the holy mountains
the LORD loves:
The gates of Zion,
more than any dwelling of Jacob.
Glorious things are said of you,
O city of God!
R. God is with us.
I tell of Egypt and Babylon
among those that know the LORD;
Of Philistia, Tyre, Ethiopia:
“This man was born there.”
And of Zion they shall say:
“One and all were born in her;
And he who has established her
is the Most High LORD.”
R. God is with us.
They shall note, when the peoples are enrolled:
“This man was born there.”
And all shall sing, in their festive dance:
“My home is within you.”
R. God is with us.
Alleluia Mk 10:45
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
The Son of Man came to serve
and to give his life as a ransom for many.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Gospel Lk 9:51-56
When the days for Jesus to be taken up were fulfilled,
he resolutely determined to journey to Jerusalem,
and he sent messengers ahead of him.
On the way they entered a Samaritan village
to prepare for his reception there,
but they would not welcome him
because the destination of his journey was Jerusalem.
When the disciples James and John saw this they asked,
“Lord, do you want us to call down fire from heaven
to consume them?”
Jesus turned and rebuked them,
and they journeyed to another village.

---

Stay up brothers in Christ

 

[IzukuMidoriya]

I'm curious about something.

I've been just kind of non-religious in a way for a while, mainly because of mental health issues in my late teens, and considering the certain health issues I've had can have similar people have religion-related delusions (such as being the second coming and whatnot), what would be the best way to be religious while trying to avoid having a similar fate? It's mainly my fear, even though my mental issues have been under control for a while now.

I respect people's right to religion, my mental health issues several years ago just exhausted me away from such issues for a while and I'm thinking about being more observant.

 

[DunDunDunpachi]

I'm curious about something.

I've been just kind of non-religious in a way for a while, mainly because of mental health issues in my late teens, and considering the certain health issues I've had can have similar people have religion-related delusions (such as being the second coming and whatnot), what would be the best way to be religious while trying to avoid having a similar fate? It's mainly my fear, even though my mental issues have been under control for a while now.

I respect people's right to religion, my mental health issues several years ago just exhausted me away from such issues for a while and I'm thinking about being more observant.

Read one book of the Bible and go from there. I'd recommend either Proverbs or Ecclesiastes. I don't know if genuine religious conversations can take place over the internet but for what it's worth I hope you can find some rest.

 

[Tesseract]

 

[Bolivar687]

I'm curious about something.

I've been just kind of non-religious in a way for a while, mainly because of mental health issues in my late teens, and considering the certain health issues I've had can have similar people have religion-related delusions (such as being the second coming and whatnot), what would be the best way to be religious while trying to avoid having a similar fate? It's mainly my fear, even though my mental issues have been under control for a while now.

I respect people's right to religion, my mental health issues several years ago just exhausted me away from such issues for a while and I'm thinking about being more observant.

This is why I think its helpful to study religion rather than just jumping into belief according what you think that means to you right now. In traditional Catholicism, we look to what the successors to the Apostles and the Patristic Church Fathers wrote about the text to unlock its meaning. A really great free online source for that is New Advent.

I think a good first step would be to buy a study Bible and start with the Gospel of Matthew, going through the reading guides and looking at the footnotes below as you progress. Just be advised that a lot of mainstream publications might have heterodox scholarship, casting doubt on everything in the notes. There is in fact a lot of rigorous scholarship today supporting the historicity of the Bible and its traditional interpretations, which only seems to get stronger as the Archaeology continues to get better.

 

[Tesseract]

my pastor just called and flat right told me i'm no longer welcome, that i'm an unseemly influence (because of my opinions expressed during bible study)

said he would pray for me

oh well, will keep reading my bible until i find another group

i'm really enjoying andy stanley, check him out if you want

Andy Stanley

Communicator, author, and pastor Andy Stanley founded Atlanta-based North Point Ministries (NPM) in 1995. Today, NPM consists of seven churches in the Atlant...

www.youtube.com

 

[DunDunDunpachi]

my pastor just called and flat right told me i'm no longer welcome, that i'm an unseemly influence (because of my opinions expressed during bible study)

said he would pray for me

oh well, will keep reading my bible until i find another group

i'm really enjoying andy stanley, check him out if want

Andy Stanley

Communicator, author, and pastor Andy Stanley founded Atlanta-based North Point Ministries (NPM) in 1995. Today, NPM consists of seven churches in the Atlant...

www.youtube.com

Serious? That's awful. PM me if you ever wanna exchange thoughts on Bible passages or topics. I'll pray that you can find a community that takes its responsibility to its members more seriously.

 

[Shaqazooloo]

my pastor just called and flat right told me i'm no longer welcome, that i'm an unseemly influence (because of my opinions expressed during bible study)

said he would pray for me

oh well, will keep reading my bible until i find another group

That sucks. I really hope you can find a new community to take part in.

i'm really enjoying andy stanley, check him out if you want

Andy Stanley

Communicator, author, and pastor Andy Stanley founded Atlanta-based North Point Ministries (NPM) in 1995. Today, NPM consists of seven churches in the Atlant...

www.youtube.com

Thanks for the recommendation, watching a few of his video's now, he's pretty good.

 

[Ornlu]

my pastor just called and flat right told me i'm no longer welcome, that i'm an unseemly influence (because of my opinions expressed during bible study)

said he would pray for me

oh well, will keep reading my bible until i find another group

i'm really enjoying andy stanley, check him out if you want

Andy Stanley

Communicator, author, and pastor Andy Stanley founded Atlanta-based North Point Ministries (NPM) in 1995. Today, NPM consists of seven churches in the Atlant...

www.youtube.com

Man, that sucks! That's not right for him to do that to you. I hope you find a more welcoming group soon.

You should be proud and willing to express your beliefs with others of faith. To quote one of my favorites from the Bible:​

“Your name will no longer be Jacob,” he said. “It will be Israel because you have struggled with God and with men and have prevailed.”​

We aren't meant to be unthinking followers of rigid ideology, but rather people of faith who are willing to challenge one another.


I agree about Andy Stanley, he is good at what he does.

If you ever want to talk, let me know. It's always good to hash out your beliefs with others.

 

[mcz117chief]

my pastor just called and flat right told me i'm no longer welcome, that i'm an unseemly influence (because of my opinions expressed during bible study)

said he would pray for me

oh well, will keep reading my bible until i find another group

i'm really enjoying andy stanley, check him out if you want

Andy Stanley

Communicator, author, and pastor Andy Stanley founded Atlanta-based North Point Ministries (NPM) in 1995. Today, NPM consists of seven churches in the Atlant...

www.youtube.com

Yo, that's incredibly harsh and absolutely unbecoming of a person who is supposed to be the shepherd of the people. PM me anytime you wish to talk about the Bible or Christianity in general. I got a formal education on the matter so what I don't know myself I will at least know where to look for answers.

 

[Tesseract]

thanks guys, much love for the comments

it's w/e, these things happen in life

 

[KorbinDallas]

It's Orthodox Easter. How many of us are here?
For some reason I always enjoy watching this ritual on TV the day before Easter. I wonder how they're doing it and how many people are involved:

Holy Fire - Wikipedia

en.m.wikipedia.org

I'm currently moving over to Orthodoxy after almost 40 years as a protestant. I won't give a large synopsis of why, but high level reasons are: historicity of the church, dissatisfaction of denominations, pollution from current culture, and a deep learning of being an imager of God.

Since going to the liturgy and learning of the basic tenants, I'm a bit angered in a way of my lack of knowledge of Orthodoxy. Mostly angered at myself. I'd consider myself 'well-read' for much of the faith: theology, hermeneutics, and apologetical approaches involving heuristics and logical proofs of the faith.

Yet, my studies seem to really only involve years: creation to 87AD, then 1500ish to now. So looking back on not just my own personal efforts, but much of scholarship I was trained in also took this approach. Except for Augustine, he was tossed in every once in a while for a proof against Catholicism.

Anyway, not sure if this was done out of ignorance or malevolent intent. Anytime I heard anything before Protestantism was always an apologetic given in the context of Rome's Catholicism. To a degree I get this, but again it's not a complete story.

Not looking to get into a debate here, so apologies if I've put any fuel out there unnecessarily.

 

[Bolivar687]

Except for Augustine, he was tossed in every once in a while for a proof against Catholicism

People actually do that? Using Augustine as a proof against Catholicism might be the most nonsensical thing I've ever heard.

 

[Bolivar687]

Home - Manifesto of Faith

Manifesto of Faith In the face of growing confusion about the doctrine of the Faith, many bishops, priests, religious and lay people of the Catholic Church have requested a public testimony about the truth of revelation. It is the shepherds' very own task to guide those entrusted to them on the...

manifestooffaith.com

Someone made a video version of Gerhard Cardinal Muller's Manifesto of Faith.



The document was written as a clear and coherent profession of the Roman Catholic faith, to combat the ambiguity and dilution we see today. A link to the document itself:

Manifesto of Faith

“Let not your heart be troubled!” (John 14:1) In the face of growing confusion about the doctrine of the Faith, many bishops, priests, religious and lay people of the Catholic Church have requested that I make a public testimony about the truth of revelation. It is the shepherds' very own task...

www.catholicnewsagency.com

Not sure how I feel about the Communities' consolidation, this thread feels a little out of place now.

 

[kevm3]

Interesting video from a former voodoo practioner to a Christian

 

[mcz117chief]

Should we ask the mods to move this thread over to the "communities" tab or will we keep it here in the off-topic?

 

[Blade2.0]

Grew up Catholic, learned it was a load of bollocks around my 15th birthday while going through confirmation. And now I'm atheist.

 

[Tesseract]

Grew up Catholic, learned it was a load of bollocks around my 15th birthday while going through confirmation. And now I'm atheist.

congrats on being lit as fuck, you goofy mudda fucka

 

[Blade2.0]

congrats on being lit as fuck, you goofy mudda fucka

Thanks buddy