adventism-atheism-orthodoxy-me

[adventism-atheism-orthodoxy-me]

To anyone who's interested in why I have not pulled the trigger and become Orthodox Christian. I'm sure all the Ukrainians butchered and raped in this war, and those who have had their entire lives disrupted are certainly glad that this was all done by Christians.

And to all those Russian sympathizers who feel that Peace with Putin is possible, I'm sorry. Study history. You are setting up the East of Ukraine for a lifetime of violence and destruction. Worse than "The Troubles", and the "Basque Conflict". It could have the violence of the Yugoslavia Breakup.

While I believe in God, and in his Christ. And, while I trust much of the Bible. I cannot stand most Official Christianity ©.

#Jeremiad

[adventism-atheism-orthodoxy-me]

#Bookmarked

[adventism-atheism-orthodoxy-me]

God will do what God does. Glory be to God.

There is an old legend that after his death Judas found himself at the bottom of a deep and slimy pit. For thousands of years he wept his repentance, and when the tears were finally spent he looked up and saw, way, way up, a tiny glimmer of light. After he had contemplated it for another thousand years or so, he began to try to climb up towards it. The walls of the pit were dank and slimy, and he kept slipping back down. Finally, after great effort, he neared the top, and then he slipped and fell all the way back down. It took him many years to recover, all the time weeping bitter tears of grief and repentance, and then he started to climb up again. After many more falls and efforts and failures he reached the top and dragged himself into an upper room with twelve people seated around a table.  “We’ve been waiting for you, Judas,” Jesus said. “We couldn’t begin till you came.”

#Retags

[adventism-atheism-orthodoxy-me]

Always assume Positive Intent

I thought I'd posted something on this a awhile ago - I've been doing this long enough that it's getting harder and harder to find what I'm looking for, and it's possible that while I thought about this, in the end, I might not have actually written anything about it.

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Humility is a virtue that too many people try too hard to acquire. They will do things that they think appears humble, only to blow up at some point, incensed at the outrageous demands others have placed upon them. They think letting others use them and abuse them makes them humble, only to let a simmering rage permeate their quiet thoughts. They'll kick the dog when they come home from work, because of the quiet rage percolating underneath their surface.

That is not humility. I might argue that that's narcissism masquerading as humility. People are treating you worse than you feel you should be treated, and they aren't appreciating your self perceived value.

I've had family members who've spent their whole lives trying to improve their self-esteem and confidence. They feel overlooked and underappreciated all the time, and it never gets better.

For what it's worth, I think humility is knowing your place in life and coming to peace with being there. If you must be a homeless hobo, be the best homeless hobo you can be - smile - if you must pan-handle to get a meal, say please and thank-you. Give an offer of prayer to those who do good by you.

As a professional, the demands upon you will be somewhat different if you want to be humble. Never assume you are above the rules. Don't make promises you can't keep. Always assume positive intent.

That last point changed my life.

I still go through life angry, but not with a chip on my shoulder. People by nature are self absorbed and inward looking, they say things from personal perspectives that may not be exactly what they mean. Extend grace. Try to assume that if they took the time to say something to you, it was meant as a compliment, or to offer correction.

In a business environment, if you ultimately can't get along with a superior, look for another position elsewhere, or be prepared to be let go from your company. Nobody really owes you anything. Accept what happened and glean whatever lessons you can from the experience.

Associate with other humble people.

As I said, I still get angry, and there are some people for whom I still harbor dark thoughts - lord have mercy upon us both - but Lord willing, one day, I will be able to let my pride go, and I'll be able to genuinely let their perceived slights go, and I will be at peace.

Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, Have Mercy upon my soul... and that of mine enemy…

Damn that's hard.

It would be harder, and worse, if I gave names…

#Reflections #Meditations #Humility #Pride #Animosity

[adventism-atheism-orthodoxy-me]

Quotes like this are why I love Orthodox Christianity.

Particular "Sins" and "transgressions"... These aren't the biggest problems. They're just symptoms of the profound brokenness in my life.

The Prodigal sonship...

It is quite easy indeed to confess that I have not fasted on prescribed days, or missed my prayers, or become angry. It is quite a different thing, however, to realize suddenly that I have defiled and lost my spiritual beauty, that I am far away from my real home, my real life, and that something precious and pure and beautiful has been hopelessly broken in the very texture of my existence. Yet this, and only this, is repentance, and therefore it is also a deep desire to return, to go back, to recover that lost home. I received from God wonderful riches: first of all life and the possibility to enjoy it, to fill it with meaning, love, and knowledge; then -- in Baptism -- the new life of Christ Himself, the gift of the Holy Spirit, the peace and the joy of the eternal Kingdom. I received the knowledge of God, and in Him the knowledge of everything else and the power to be a son of God. And all this I have lost, all this I am losing all the time, not only in particular "sins" and "transgressions," but in the sin of all sins: the deviation of my love from God, preferring the "far country" to the beautiful home of the Father.

--Rev Dr. Alexander Schmemann: Great Lent - Journey to Pascha

#Dr. Alexander Schmemann #Great Lent #Orthodox Christianity

[adventism-atheism-orthodoxy-me]

Heaven on Earth - The Divine River of Liturgical Fire

The Divine Liturgy of the Orthodox Church has been often described as a foretaste of Heaven, or as a moment when Heaven is experienced here on earth.

So let us, for a moment, imagine the whole earth in praise. Let us imagine liturgy permeating every corner….

Now,

Am I the only one who's taken someone to a service - not even the Divine Liturgy - only to have them run away before even a quarter of the service is over? The incense is claustrophobic, the faces on the walls, the icons of Saints - judging.... Chanting - even if understood - is weird…

What on earth will their lives be like when there's no escape?

#The River of Fire #Meditations

[adventism-atheism-orthodoxy-me]

The Invisible Hand

Back in the late 1700's a man by the name of Adam Smith in a book he wrote entitled, the Wealth of Nations, gave a name, "The Invisible Hand", to a system, a god, that had existed since the dawn of time. Known imperfectly throughout history, mankind still benefited from this god's benevolence every time goods and services exchanged hands peaceably, rather than through war, violence and coercion. First sheaves of wheat could be traded for clay pots, or barrels of fish; later these same sheaves of wheat could be traded for currency, which didn't depend upon the particular needs of potters or fishmongers to determine value. Every time something is, has, or will ever be traded, this god's activities are made manifest.

However, like every system on earth, as soon as man realized that he could exploit it, distortions resulted from this exploitation. In Ancient Rome, "Bread and Circuses", became the way a ruler could distract his people from problems that plagued their everyday existence. It was a market trade-off in distraction, but at some point the cost of maintaining the expense of these distractions could no longer be maintained, and the Empire that used these tactics fell into disarray and dissolution.

We currently live in a society that has raised this "Invisible Hand" to heights unprecedented in history. We have sects with their own priesthoods: Capitalists advocate for completely unmediated restraints on market manipulation, while Communists advocate for total restraint, with only government manipulation allowed. None of this is seen to be mediated in any way by an even higher power, by none other than God who established these processes and mechanisms that would enable us to engage with one another peaceably.

I remember the first time I heard, "Greed is good", I thought to myself that it was an oversimplification of a very complex issue. Maybe fine for a bumper sticker, but certainly not something anyone would take seriously. Enlightened self interest does lead to good outcomes. Every creature in the animal kingdom seeks to avoid pain and death, and seeks to acquire food and shelter. That greed could be seen as the greatest good, a moral absolute in it's own right, unmediated by the grace of God who made this gift possible seemed bizarre. What's really disheartening is hearing Christians passionately argue that Capitalism is God given in the same sense as God IS Capitalism.

To suppress the invisible hand is to deny reality. Many communes, and even countries have tried to find a better way to produce and distribute goods and services to those who need them outside of using the principles outlined by Adam Smith. These societies almost universally fall apart because of unmitigated human selfishness. They are frequently run by authoritarian leaders, and are characterized by rampant slothfulness, and hording. Inflation in the Soviet Union could be measured by the length of lines that formed for the acquisition of goods. Rather than exchanging time for productive work that produced a product and a wage that could be used to purchase a good or service; time was spent in a line, producing nothing.

The Invisible Hand is a God given creation, it cannot be denied, but must be constrained by the "Good God, who loves mankind".

Much of modern intelligentsia loves to blame the modern American "Consumer Culture" for the ills in our society. The problem with that assertion is that the consumer can only buy what is produced. My favorite example is that nobody can buy a house that hasn't been built. But other examples abound. Hot dog buns are sold in units of 8, while hot dogs are sold in units of 12. Printer companies sell a different printer every year, and jack up the prices of printer cartridges in prior models. Smart phones are almost required, you can't park a car in my town without using an app to register a parking payment. Manufactured obsolescence means that goods that could be cared for and maintained for ten years historically, must now be replaced every five; and repairs cost more now because instead of resoldering a wire on an electrical device, whole modules must be replaced and the old ones tossed out into ever growing landfills. Grocery stores no longer use dumpsters, but rather use trash compactors to prevent perfectly decent food from being scavenged away. Healthy food is filled with additives to increase profits, and sometimes to encourage addiction, resulting in an ever diminishing quality of food, making all of us sicker. Monthly subscriptions for various services has become almost ubiquitous. Our entire society practically forces paid consumption - forces it. We are not a consumer society, we are a PRODUCER SOCIETY. Government statistics measures GNP, Nothing must prevent the ever increasing production of goods. And heaven forbid if prices or consumer confidence drops.

It is always characteristic of the "haves" to blame the "have nots", the disenfranchised, for their issues. Corporations, in their unmediated quest for profit, takes advantage of the consumer. First, they do everything they can to minimize costs, polluting their environments, that then need to be cleaned up by the very same consumers that bought their products. No longer are goods priced at cost plus 30%; rather, market research pin-points the precise pain point that limits the price most customers will spend for goods and services, and uses that for guidance, pocketing the excess as "profit". And don't even get me started as to how most of these consumers earn their living. They are disrespected by both their bosses, and by their customers.

"Consumers" are disrespected by producers, manipulated by them through advertising, exploited, tricked, coerced, and blamed for the rise and fall of economies. They are seen as nothing more than pawns and marks. Do not tell me that the individual consumer has any control over any of this.

Contrary to the assertion that the modern American consumer experience is that of freedom, it is an experience of bondage to a vast array of powers greater than ones own. Governments - federal, state, and local, Corporations, policies, laws, rules, regulations, even HOAs. All designed to make the individual feel small, unimportant and powerless. It is no wonder that societal rage is on the rise.

In the first Century there was a movement in Palistine that preached a message of freedom in a world of exploitation by the principalities and powers of the age. The cost of following this message to those who followed "The Way" was extremely steep, persecution and death in many cases. Yet this movement grew, in spite of the negative market forces weighed against it. People heard this message, heard the testimony about the one who had stood up to the bullies of heavenly and earthly power, and came out of the ordeal glorified.

That is the God that motivates.

We need fewer apologetics defending a God in the mold of Capitalist exploitation, a corporate middle manager, or worse - a CEO. He is not a God that offers any kind of redemption. We need more evangelists looking outside of our self imposed silo Churches preaching of a God better then the fallen world around us. Better than that world, and able to transform it.

It's NOT the consumer, it's almost never the consumer, it's the product. No amount of advertising in the world will redeem a subpar product.

A man can't buy a house that's not being sold, and he's not obligated to buy the one that is.

Glory to God, the maker of heaven and earth and all things therein. Have Mercy upon me, A Sinner.

#Adam Smith #The Invisible Hand #Capitalism #Communism #God #Consumerism #Meditations #Ontology

[adventism-atheism-orthodoxy-me]

The Water Cycle and Sectarian Christianity

"... for He makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust." -- Matthew 5:45

Since the beginning of recorded human history, people have been relying upon the water cycle of earth. The rains, the streams, the lakes and the oceans are all part of the earth's water cycle, as are the clouds, the groundwater, and glaciers. To quote NOAA, "The water cycle is often taught as a simple circular cycle of evaporation, condensation, and precipitation. Although this can be a useful model, the reality is much more complicated. The paths and influences of water through Earth’s ecosystems are extremely complex and not completely understood." Other cultures throughout history have personified aspects of this system - Zeus as the storm God, Poseidon as the Sea God, and a variety of Naiads personifying the lakes and streams of the land. Nobody to the best of my knowledge has tried to outright deny the existence of a water cycle, but if they did, my point is that the Water Cycle wouldn't care. It would just keep doing what it does.

The same people that personified aspects of the water cycle as deities never really suffered due to their mischaracterizations. They were happily able to take advantage of the flood cycles of the Nile to grow crops. Irrigation led to a greater ability to feed and clothe populations. People enjoyed swimming in lakes, playing in snow, and walking on beaches. All without a perfect knowledge of the water cycle. People made boats for exploration and for trade, and prayed to Poseidon - the God of the Sea - for safe passage. Their misunderstandings didn't make their safety any less important, or their missions any less valuable. As an aside, our knowledge about this vital system that gives life to this planet is unimportant to the flow of blood in our bodies - blood that is 60% water, and thus part of this system.

On the other hand, whether conceived of as a deity, a collection thereof, dismissed, or understood primarily as a scientific process; disruption of the water cycle, or failure to abide by certain principles are dealt with - not in a sense of "right" and "wrong", but rather in the sense of harmonious or discordant. Keep in mind, the water cycle will do what it does, so, if you build your house in a flood plain - while it might not be washed away this year or the next, sometime, sooner rather than later, your house will eventually be washed away. Introducing toxins into the system will circulate those toxins, some may be eventually filtered out, but there are places all over the earth that are uninhabitable because the groundwater has been contaminated, and the natural processes of filtration are taking time to restore the healthy equilibrium. Plastics will break down also, but until they do, the damage they are causing will continue.

So how does this characterization of the water cycle relate to sectarian Christianity?

God does what God does regardless of our opinion of him. Whether we mischaracterize him, or even deny him. His ontology, the sum total of his energies and essence, is unaffected. It doesn't matter if you believe in predestination, God will do what he does.

Mischaracterizing or denying him doesn't really matter as long as we are living in a harmonious equilibrium with his work. If you love him (however imperfectly) with your whole mind and spirit, and your neighbor as yourself, your opinions don't matter.

To the extent that you seek to circumvent, exploit, or otherwise damage God's natural plan, pain and suffering will result. Call it judgment if you want, actions have consequences, and a failure to love your neighbor, and to treat him as a cherished child of God are likely to produce uncomfortable results.

Now, I am not one of these people who believe that God is a refinement of some Mesopotamian storm deity; God is not the Water Cycle. But I do believe that God made that system among many others. God is everywhere present and filling all things, and the natural order reflects HIS order. That includes, but is not exclusive to this one system. Insofar as we live in this world, cooperating with the natural order of things, we participate with his energies.

One final point. A freak rainstorm in the desert need never have been precipitated by a divine committee meeting that decided such a thing should take place. Conversely, no minor djinn, naiad, or angel was probably ever punished for allowing such a thing to happen, when clearly it should not have done so. The water cycle, in it's strange and mysterious ways, just does what it does. That God can influence the weather is beyond doubt, I can look to the flood, or to the story of Elijah and the Priests of Baal to see that, but most of the time I think it is the providence of God to allow the systems he's put into place to do what they do, and it's up to us to care for one another while these grand weather events test our commitment and love for our neighbor.

Maybe a meditation for another time.

Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, Have mercy upon me a sinner.

#Meditations #God #Ontology #Sectarian Christianity

[adventism-atheism-orthodoxy-me]

To those who follow me…

I have recently posted some things that have - through the grapevine - made me think, once again, that people think I hate these or those individuals, this or that group, this or that thing. But let me be clear. I hold no animosity to anyone who might read my words.

In fact, I love my readers, whether you agree with me or not.

Your agreement with my thoughts have no bearing upon our relationship - whatever that may be. I suspect there are many bloggers and pastors who may follow me, and you must know that even though I have no idea what you may look like in some cases, I love you for your engagement, facepalming my stupid thoughts.

It is the worst of woke, cancel culture that asserts that we must agree with each other first, before we can find value in each other's opinions and lived experiences - however they may diverge from our own.

A civil society works through these issues by discussing them.

A dysfunctional society tries to repress working through these difficulties through language and other mandates, group-think, and appeals to authority.

I grew up within a protestant sect - no secret, I've given details before. My ties within this sect are as deep and abiding as a thread in a fabric. To leave would mean breaking up families and possibly dissolving friendships. I love many people who live and breathe the teachings of this faith. For myself, I remain a member of this group. Nevertheless, at some point I felt as though I was an imposter. There's actually a condition called, "imposter syndrome" that describes someone who abides in a situation where they feel they don't belong even though they appear to fit in. The classical definition involves the workplace and revolves around performance and accomplishment metrics. Nevertheless, at some point, whether or not the classical definition applies, I realized that my environment, the bubble that both I and the people around me had created for me to live in was fragile, easily broken, and didn't reflect the reality of the world outside.

When first asked why I was exploring Orthodox Christianity, I didn't really have an answer. So, per my temperament, I've thought about it, and continue to think about it.

I feel like I've said the same thing over and over again, in different ways, some more polite, some more veiled. The problem with specifics is that they can sometimes hurt. Which means that if you want to get into specifics - particulars as some people want to emphasize - people are going to get hurt.

If I get into the specifics surrounding the post tribulation rapture, the pretribulation crowd is going to get up in arms and want to fight. The truth is that neither of these positions matter. Neither of these specific, particular positions get me closer to God.

My thought is that if you are a seeker - truly seeking the divine - you will eventually start feeling like an impostor within most of Christendom - don't ask me to speak outside of Christianity, I've no experience and have no interest. (No, that doesn't mean I hate you either.) That doesn't mean you will suddenly hate everything that brought you to that point where you are. What it means is that you know there's still work to do, and that maybe you've gone as far as you can with where you're at.

There will be a deconstruction as you dismantle the veils in your mind, and try to distill what's important and real from what's all in your head. That's growth…

Or is it consumerism? Is my search nothing more than a search for the next Pepsi? I think the question diminishes the journey.

There's a lot of brokenness in the world, and nobody willingly seeks to fall short of their potential. If Christianity is right, and Christ is drawing all men unto himself, then eventually all roads lead to Christ and I have to trust the journey.

May the Lord, Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on all our souls.

Inshallah - as God Wills...

#JS Wonders #Fr. Stephen Freeman #Love

[adventism-atheism-orthodoxy-me]

God

I think I was called out recently as an apologist for God.

Only God.

The assertion was that the kind of god doesn't matter. The mention was made in a podcast I follow by apologists that are very educated, smart, learned, polite (most of the time), but sometimes clueless.

To think of myself as an apologist is amusing. I take potshots. I believe in God, but feel that a lot of what we tell ourselves about him, is bull. So, I guess what I am saying is this.

Guilty as Charged.

The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and knowledge of the Holy One is understanding. -- Proverbs 9:10

Let's explore why a completely refined philosophical model of God doesn't really matter.

Let's start with the Baptist god.

My belief and trust in the Baptist god is completely unnecessary. I will either be saved or not depending upon my predestination. I can lie, cheat, and steal all day; fornicate all night, and if I'm predestined for salvation, it'll happen. Nothing I do matters. This is a capricious god, unworthy of worship. I can ignore him. C'est la vie.

The rest are all some form of Arminianism.

My actions on this earth matter to this god in some way, but they all only relate to whether or not I "get to heaven when I die". There are some broad strokes many of them hold - such as murder being bad - but many of these tenets are very culturally specific - I can imagine ritualized child sacrifice not being considered murder depending upon the dominant culture. The god of the Armenians either calls his tribe to aspirational standards, and hence towards rules and works, driven by shame, possibly with an authoritarian enforcement figure; or to conciliatory standards that normalize already existing societal conventions regardless how far they may stray from traditional Judeo-Christian ideals. Ideals that I would argue promote a truly healthy, fruitful, and productive life. Thus, this god is so wishy-washy, it's hard to tell where he might land on any topic. For all intents a purposes, he's no better than the Baptist god, and I can safely ignore him too - or them - maybe they're like a pantheon of competing gods. Individually, that makes them even less significant. Who knows what "heaven" might be in this mess.

Only Orthodox Christianity promises unity with the singular divine. Here. Now. On earth. With Real Presence in the Eucharist, with confession in the presence of a counselor to the God whom you serve, with Heaven on Earth at every liturgical service. With Icons, the Seasons and everything else the church brings to bear on you, it is trying to draw you in, and help you live in the spirit of the divine - the Holy Spirit.

I contend that a pursuit of God, leads necessarily to this kind of sacramental, liturgical, understanding.

To life.

Some final thoughts,

Latin Catholics can claim remnants of these Orthodox traditions, but over time they have wandered and given birth to the myriad of competing god's I've already mentioned.

Lastly, I'll note the Atheist god, or lack thereof. Everyone's heard of Pascal's wager. Atheists are either so materialistic, or so turned off by the other models of god they've seen in their lives that they don't want to have anything to do with the god that's been presented to them.

Here's the thing, if you believe the Bible, Christ loves and pursues the lost sheep.

But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. For if when we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life. -- Romans 5:8,10

And I, if I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all peoples to Myself. -- John 12:32

So God, through Christ, is working to draw even atheists to himself. A righteous atheist may even be in a better place than a "professing Christian".

for when Gentiles, who do not have the law, by nature do the things in the law, these, although not having the law, are a law to themselves... -- Romans 2:14

God bless the atheists who, outside of the law, are doing the things of the law. May they be blessed, and may their reward be as great as any faithful churchgoer.

If any have tarried even until the eleventh hour, let him, also, be not alarmed at his tardiness; for the Lord, who is jealous of his honor, will accept the last even as the first; He gives rest unto him who comes at the eleventh hour, even as unto him who has wrought from the first hour. And He shows mercy upon the last, and cares for the first; and to the one He gives, and upon the other He bestows gifts. And He both accepts the deeds, and welcomes the intention, and honors the acts and praises the offering. Wherefore, enter you all into the joy of your Lord; and receive your reward, both the first, and likewise the second. You rich and poor together, hold high festival. You sober and you heedless, honor the day. Rejoice today, both you who have fasted and you who have disregarded the fast. The table is full-laden; feast ye all sumptuously. The calf is fatted; let no one go hungry away. -- Sermon of John Chrysostom - read every year during Matins of Pascha.

Lord have mercy upon me, A sinner.

#Baptists #Predestination #Arminianism #Orthodox Christianity #God #Atheism

[adventism-atheism-orthodoxy-me]

Specificity and Universalism: The Give and Take

Growing up, my Christian experience would probably be considered more fundamentalist than anything else. Our theological discussions revolved around whether certain groups could be considered Christian or not depending upon a whole slew of things - whether or not they were vegetarian, whether or not they ate pork, whether or not they drank caffeine, used black pepper, or consumed alcohol. Did they wear jewelry, and if so, was it subdued and tasteful enough to pass, or useful in some sense like a watch? Do they allow people to go to theaters and bars? And, of course, in my background there was Sabbatarianism.

In terms of theology - ideas that must be held - there was "soul sleep", a post tribulation rapture, and the rationales associated with our practices outlined above. Don't even get me started on the Investigative Judgement doctrine. There were many discussions regarding Daniel and Revelation. Cleanliness vs uncleanliness were big, as were following the Ten Commandments to the letter. When young, I didn't hear many sermons on the atonement, but going into my teen and adult years, the flavor became decidedly Penal - we are saved, but just only just so. The faith vs works - sorry - cheap vs costly grace debates became huge.

"Universalism" as a theological movement was completely inconceivable. Accepting it, I think, would have meant that we would have to compromise on a whole host of ideas and practices that defined us.

This would be unacceptable.

And "Universalism", the formal theological concept per my limited understanding of it, couldn't be any more anti-Christian than Satanism (worse than Paganism). It may still be - I was never interested in it, it seemed too passion driven.

But I don't think I was unique. I just recently watched a video where a former Fundamentalist Christian talks about the conflict between Acts 2 and Acts 9 dispensationalists. This "culty" us vs. them permeates fundamentalist Protestantism. It even spills out into Politics, I think, in the Christian Nationalist movement.

I see Protestantism awash in specifics of this sort.

So when the Orthodox apologist starts arguing vehemently, in shrieking voices that Orthodoxy is about specifics, they and the fundamental Protestant are NOT talking the same language; and are using the same word to describe vastly different concepts, the same, I think, could be said about the term universal too.

A Fundamentalist Protestant needs to step back from the "specifics" of the faith that broke down, and start looking for basic concepts. Even atheists are willing to admit that a god might exist. That's a place to start. For myself, I'm willing to believe that Christ might even be a physical manifestation of that God. The Bible for it's part too, can be provisionally considered as "God's word", but certainly not unqualified.

Keep in mind that a fundamentalist Protestant has grown up with a specific way of looking at something that has been found deficient.

Their world has turned to ash and something must be rebuilt in it's place.

Some choose to discard everything.

Others of us wonder how the whole thing started. There was a point at which Christianity was attractive and growing - even under extreme persecution. You can talk about the, "specifics of the faith", but all the specifics in the world pale to the overarching theme that God loves me.

God loves me.

Not in the self serving co-dependent sense of needs and wants found in much of Protestantism.

No.

He Loves me. Period. Full stop. Without qualification.

Now I understand that there's a bit of a back and forth between the universal principals and the specifics of the faith. Universal, Godlike love may differ from what many of us in our passions might call "love", but that's where the specifics come in. Relics of the Saints reinforce the real presence of the divine in this world. Icons, give us the ability to see the physicality of the divine - Christ became man, and could be physically painted. The seasons of the fast give us an opportunity to practice what it means to deny ourselves for others, and to meet with others in celebration afterwards. The Services give us a taste of heaven. The Ten commandments are unnecessary if the Fruits of the Spirit, as Christ specifically demonstrated, guide your life. It encourages emotional maturity.

But notice that this specificity is not the same use of specificity as the Protestant mind holds in their head. It's of a completely different sort. This specificity is decidedly human, for our benefit, and it draws us to God, the ultimate truth as it were. It is not some artificial laundry list of things to believe, remember, or do or not do - a specificity that divides and separates.

Lord have mercy upon me, A Sinner.

#Fundementalist Protestantism #Eastern Orthodox Christianity #Specificity #Universalism #Universalist #JSWonders #MythVision Podcast #Youtube

[adventism-atheism-orthodoxy-me]

The Blue Valley Farmer, Oklahoma City, August 10, 1933

[adventism-atheism-orthodoxy-me]

Forgiveness

I wonder how my Orthodox followers feel about this. What about those Protestants? Adventists?

To the esteemed bloggers who might follow me...

What say you?

Thanks, Jon.

#Forgiveness #Therapy #Systemic abuse

[adventism-atheism-orthodoxy-me]

@padichat "This bad actor should close his mouth now ,as he has i sulted pepple who refused to be vaccinated by evil people who are not hiding that they want terminate 6 billions of human beings on earth ...this man has no more rights to give us lessons ...in these years he would surely support the nazi system !"

Thank-you sir, for your response regarding civility in the public sphere. Your comment requires a response much greater than I could fit into the bubble.

Arnold Schwarzenegger occupies a much larger portion of your attention than of mine. Vaccinations have been extremely useful in mitigating disease worldwide. Many of us have had our standard MMR vaccines as kids with very few problems. Vaccines virtually defeated Polio, though my understanding is that with the increase of anti-vax sentiment, Polio does run the risk of coming back.

Which brings me to the point I think you are really trying to make - Arnold didn't publicly come out against vaccinations for Covid-19 as vigorously as you would have liked. Further, he may have even encouraged people to get the Covid-19 vaccine.

Here's the thing, He's not you.

There are valid reasons FOR NOT getting the vaccine, just as there are valid reasons FOR getting the vaccine.

Early in the pandemic I found a collection of studies regarding Covid-19 that were extremely nuanced.

When I shared the article on Facebook, it was dismissed as coming from a "Right Wing" source, so it was roundly dismissed. Keep in mind, the papers it referenced weren't even considered on their own merits. Just dismissed because they were referenced by a source someone thought was "Right Wing". For whatever reason, whomever created the list didn't agree with the publication in whole or in part. (in going back over the the link, it appears as though the hyperlinks to the papers referenced have been deleted.)

I can't find the other article I saw, that showed exposure to the flu or flu vaccines mitigated the worst effects of Covid-19, depending upon a number of factors, including number of flu strains encountered and how recently exposure to the flu variants took place. I thought it was from Boston University Hospital, sometime in 2020, but it could have been updated, deleted, or I could be wrong.

My point in all this is the the question of whether or not Arnold should or should not have been vocal in his support either for or against the vaccine.

It's a complicated question, and frankly, it should have always been an extremely personal choice.

***********************************************************************

I will close with two links I found regarding the deplorable handling of the pandemic by our authorities.

Hindsight is always 20/20. Supporting some form of vaccination does not make Arnold a Nazi - talk about hyperbole; any more than not supporting vaccination automatically makes you an anti-vaxxer - unless you want to be - then knock yourself out. You do you. But if you go down that second road, don't expect me to follow you.

Thank-you.

#Off Topic #Current Events #Responses to comments #Civility in the Public Sphere #Arnold Schwarzenegger #Covid-19

[adventism-atheism-orthodoxy-me]

There are embers of civility still out there in our society.

Show No Partiality

#Faith Encouraged #Fr. Barnabas Powell #Arnold Schwarzenegger #Disparate Convergence #Youtube

[adventism-atheism-orthodoxy-me]

For Science.

I'm looking to see how much influence "Twitter refugees" have actually had on the culture of this site.

**Pease reblog! I want to get the biggest and most varied sample I can!**

[adventism-atheism-orthodoxy-me]

"Is Orthodoxy at all concerned about missing the mark in a moral infraction sense of things?"

I may have spoken of this before, but even so, I will mention it again. My interest in Orthodoxy began with an inquiry into indulgences. A rather contentious phrase that gets repeatedly added, deleted, and altered in Wikipedia mentioned that indulgences never rose to prominence within the Orthodox Church because of their radically different soteriology.

This piqued my interest.

This article by Fr. Stephen Freeman highlights the change in perspective I was seeking. I don't know if it was this particular article in a previous iteration that provided that new perspective or not. I've read a lot, and I know The Orthodox Way by Fr. Kallistos Ware was also part of that reorientation. Prior to these two references I read something, Possibly in New Advent, that mentioned a saint who saw sin as an illness rather than as merits and demerits on a scale.

I followed many other breadcrumbs beyond these already mentioned, and for a long time wasn't certain if I was reading legitimate "Orthodox" theology, or just fringe material by sectarians - after all I had grown up with Penal Substitution Theology, and while this truly sounded hopeful, it also sounded heretical by prior conditioning.

Every Protestant KNOWS the full truth of the Gospel - and it sounds nothing like this.

After many years of struggle though, the comments to this article highlight in a nutshell something that I think needs to be said:

Q: "Is Orthodoxy at all concerned about missing the mark in a moral infraction sense of things?"

A: "You might be asking the wrong guy. 🙂 I’m sort of famously associated with a strong critique of the common concept of “morality.” God is not a policeman. The question about what we do and think (our thoughts and actions) is about what they do to us as human beings (they are “ontological” questions). “Sin” is “death” – a diminishment of our being, a movement towards non-being. You could use a sort of “rules-based” analysis if you find it helpful – but it should be noted that the Pharisees were great at doing such a thing, “but inside they were full of dead men's bones.” My own take is that the “moral sense of things” trivializes sin and trivializes God and His goodness." [Emphasis mine.] Another thought. In “moral infraction” sense of things – what seems to matter are the rules. It’s a juridical problem. In an ontological approach (even to moral questions) what matters is you yourself. That you broke a rule (say, you stole something) is wrong – and you could make reparations, or be punished, etc. But, it could be that you yourself are just as corrupted within as when the whole thing unfolded. You can “pay your debt to society” but you’re still a mess. In an ontological approach – what matters is you. Why did you steal? What does the action reveal about the status of your soul? How do we go about healing what is broken and damaged. It might well be that prison and reparations are employed – but the point is still the healing of the soul. God is not a policeman. God is the author of our being and the healer of our souls. So, for example, when I’m hearing confessions as a priest, I’m not just listening for “infractions.” I’m listening for the state of someone’s soul. If, for example, they seem to be forgetting God, that is much more the problem than any particular missing of the mark that is going on. Famously, Canon 102 of the 6th Ecumenical Council (Council in Trullo), says this: It behooves those who have received from God the power to loose and bind, to consider the quality of the sin and the readiness of the sinner for conversion, and to apply medicine suitable for the disease, lest if he is injudicious in each of these respects he should fail in regard to the healing of the sick man. For the disease of sin is not simple, but various and multiform, and it germinates many mischievous offshoots, from which much evil is diffused, and it proceeds further until it is checked by the power of the physician. Wherefore he who professes the science of spiritual medicine ought first of all to consider the disposition of him who has sinned, and to see whether he tends to health or (on the contrary) provokes to himself disease by his own behaviour, and to look how he can care for his manner of life during the interval. etc…. The point is that canons, etc., are for the healing of a soul and that is their main concern and it should be that way for the confessor-priest.

Fr. Freeman has been given permission by his Bishop to continue his ongoing ministry. Therefore, on at least some level, this theology is official revealed theology of the Orthodox Church. A very old, continuously Christian communion.

#Sin #Redemption #Morality #Rules #Ontology #Salvation #Eastern Orthodox Christianity #Confession #Absolution #Penal Substitution