Only One Truth

Off Topic Politics & World Issues
662

[quote]lothario1132 wrote:
BTW, you realize that you admitted I was right about the fear, don’t you? I’m not calling y’all pussies or anything, but come on. If I’m not afraid of hell, then what’s the point?
[/quote]
Perhaps in a leap of faith you could begin by observing Jesus Christ’s commandments, not out of the fear of hell, but for the gain of heaven. Oh wait, maybe you also refuse to believe in a system that promises good things for those who are righteous, loving, and humble just like He was. There are Christians walking this earth today who exist in the stage of illumination; former fears of hell have disintegrated within them. Attempting to live like good stewards in sight of a wealthy, loving, and perfect Master, these Christians seek the benefits of faithfulness and obedience so they may inherit a portion of His kingdom upon their earthly demise.

Then there are Christians who exist in the stage of sanctification; former aspirations of inheriting part of the Master’s kingdom have disintegrated. These Christians seek no benefits yet remain faithful and obedient because they’ve come to truly love God as He has loved them. Their relationship with the Creator is perfect.

A righteous, loving king has dominion and authority over all his empire. Every man existing therein has a relationship with that king, whether they acknowledge it or not:
PURIFICATION

A peasant’s role is to plow the fields so that he may eat and have a shack to sleep in. His labors feed the rest of the kingdom. Should he fail to accomplish his duties without good reason, he’s to be either banished or imprisoned. A healthy fear to avert starvation, imprisonment, or exile motivates him to fulfill this role.

ILLUMINATION
In that empire, there’s also a knight whose role is to suit up for battle to defend the kingdom against invaders. Being dubbed a knight was a lifestyle he chose despite other opportunities which he could’ve accepted (ie. as blacksmith or mason). His motivations are the riches, fame, & beautiful maidens the king will bless him with by fulfilling this role.

SANCTIFICATION
Also in that empire are the sons & daughters of that righteous, loving king. Out of love for their father, and recognition that he loves them, they readily obey any of his orders. These sons & daughters love their father with such devotion that should the empire and all its riches and treasures be plundered, they wouldn’t be any less loving of him.

*The spiritual disposition of a Christian who’s guided by fear is preliminary and feeble, but nonetheless it’s a starting point. Christians are called to be sons and daughters of God. We’re all called to be Saints. Saints are not guided or controlled by fear or for rewards.

If you’re not shaken by the healthy fear of hell (and I honestly believe this is due to serious childhood or adolescent repression), then let your actions be guided for the sake of heaven. I believe the uncreated energies of God shall inevitably steer you and enlighten you by His Truth.

Take it easy…

663

[quote]lothario1132 wrote:
LET GO OF YOUR FRIGGIN’ CROSS AND SUIT UP FOR BATTLE!!
[/quote]
That’s a paradox. For a Christian to give up his cross is like dropping his weapons of faith, love, & hope, and to surrender to the enemy in time of spiritual warfare. If the General, Jesus Christ, proclaims His righteous decree to wage battle against the enemy, and I throw down my cross and do not engage in battle by His side, then I’ve proven to be nothing but a traitor and a coward. I will have become a POW, a slave of Satan once again.

Some years ago I surrendered my weapons and embraced atheism until Christ’s troops rescued me from the enemy’s camp where I’d been viciously bound. This time, I fight until my last breath. Saint Paul refers to Christians as soldiers in Christ. He himself waged battle against the enemy until his last breath and was beheaded in Rome for refusing to betray our Jesus Christ and His gospel. All glory to God and His Saints!

For me to let go of my cross is to raise a white flag and surrender to the enemy. God forbid I do any such thing!

St. Matthew 10:38
“And he who does not take his cross and follow after Me is not worthy of Me. He who finds his life will lose it, and he who loses his life for My sake will find it.”

St. Mark 8:34
When He had called the people to Himself, with His disciples also, He said to them, “Whoever desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me. For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake and the gospel’s will save it. For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul? For whoever is ashamed of Me and My words in this adulterous and sinful generation, of him the Son of Man also will be ashamed when He comes in the glory of His Father with the holy angels.”

St. Matthew 10:34
“Do not think that I came to bring peace on earth. I did not come to bring peace but a sword.”

Ephesians 6:10
"[i]Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.

Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. Stand therefore, having girded your waist with truth, having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace; above all, taking the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one. And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God…[/i]"

lothario, whether you accept it or not, humans are either soldiers in Christ or slaves of Satan. A soldier in Christ would never suggest what you have written.

664

[quote]stellar_horizon wrote:

So why don’t you tell us what the point is? You’ve chosen to take cheap-shots at Christians instead of discussing theology, so I don’t think you’ve got any right arguing about who’s wasting golden opportunities. Every post you’ve written in this thread was an attempt to bruise the true Christian spirit. You obviously don’t understand the significance of the external features of the true Christian Faith, so who can assume you’ll understand the meaning of the internal? Wishful thinking is not always practical, and you’ve exhibited this time-and-time again. And for the record, ignorance of Truth won’t be a valid excuse for anyone in that glorious Day of Judgment. If you think the time & effort I spent posting on this thread was to make myself feel superior to heretics, your perception is severely warped. I’ve merely preached right from wrong in accordance with the Church which Jesus Christ instituted. If my preaching has offended you, then your qualms are with none other than the Creator Himself.

Instead of igniting wars with Christians on this thread, go battle your real adversary - the devil.[/quote]

My problem is with your attitude, actually. You’ve gone out of your way to cast aspersions on anyone that didn’t agree with your religion on this thread. You have called people that didn’t hold your narrowest interpretations “heretics” and devil-worshippers". You have denigrated Catholics, Protestants of all varieties, Jews, and all the other religious folks that have posted on this thread.

Here’s my interpretation of it. I think it’s far more likely that you are in fact an emissary of Satan himself. The attitudes that you hold, and your methods for discussing your faith, have led to far more death, destruction, tyrrany, brutal oppression, and human suffering than is comprehensible (except to a communist).

Instead of prosleytizing, your self-righteousness has disgusted many of the people on this board, who chimed in early but then after you started giving grand proclamations of your own religion’s “Devine grandeur” just stopped reading. Check the numbers. This is one of the most posted on threads with the least proportionate amount of readers. Meaning – you and the other two people in the argument are just posting to one another. Meaning – what started out as an interesting and possible intriguing thread for non-believers was quickly spoiled by your nastiness, self-aggrandizing behavior, and disrespect. “Pride goeth before a fall.”

Is that what the Christ intended? That instead of trying to bring sinners into the flock, you should brand them heretics and assure them that they were going to pay if they didn’t listen to YOU? Why would YOU concern yourrself with this? Will you pass Judgement upon the rest of us when the time comes? Why would you not be content to practice your faith in the peace that your place in Heaven is assured, attempting to help those that wished to be helped and praying for those who are yet blind?

Again, I can see the bold lines of Satan’s web about you, as you usurp power unto yourself that is reserved for God in Heaven.

If your message is True, why then the need to point out the failings of other religions? Why not educate and ignore the attacks of the non-believers? Instead, you have been on the rampage, bandying about terms like “heretic”, which have previously been the province of murderous thugs whose insistence on meaningless fine points forwarded the cause of Satan.

Hate is a sin, it proves that while you are steeped in the history of your church you have no knowledge of its most important teachings. Spite is a well of evil from which you have drunk for far more than the length of this thread. It is why you are a perfect example why those who have faith but not holiness should not sully their religion with their open mouths.

There is a deep distinction between Truth and Falsehood. The one runs deep and strong, silent and purposeful, gathering smaller tributaries without effort. The other is noisy, abrasive, and corrosive. One is God’s River, where the truly faithful enjoy cool comfort. The other is Satan’s noisy, babbling brook, where self-serving voluble clowns make a mockery of holiness and the church. The one moves men to love and compassion, the other moves them to scorn and ultimately to destroy those they cannot convince.

When your turn comes to be judged, I hope that God is forgiving enough to overlook all the people you have turned away from the Faith with your evil methods. It seems like that might be a big thing to miss, though. The inescapable interpretation, at least from my small perspective, is that in so actively alienating so many, you are directly doing the work of the devil.

I will ask God directly tonight to turn you from doing Satan’s work further. I will pray that He does so before you have control over anyone else’s life, so that you will not turn them away from the Faith with your perverted attitude and false methods. In either case I suggest you leave the proselytizing to those whose methods and motivations do not reek of Lucifer.

Do not defile me by praying for me until God has turned you away from the Darkness.

665

[quote]TLS wrote:
There is one truth,[/quote]
You’re right: Orthodox Christianity

[quote]
but it isn’t contained in any religion, [/quote]
You’re right: religion is man made while Orthodox Christianity is God-given.

[quote]
science hasn’t found it and possibly never will. Maybe we’ll learn what it is when we die, but maybe we won’t. So, learn to live with uncertainty and get over it.[/quote]
There are millions upon millions of us Orthodox Christians in this world who’ve already learned what it is before death, but the rest of the world shall definitely discover this Truth after dieing.

[quote]
Getting caught up in pointless arguments like this distracts us all from what we should be doing, whether or not we profess a religious belief or not - making the world a better place for its inhabitants.[/quote]
The only way this world will ever be a better place for its inhabitants is if its inhabitants struggle towards sanctification. The improvement of our world begins with the improvement of our own spiritual dispositions.

How can I change the world if I can’t even change myself? -Salva Mea

[quote]
If you can’t bring yourself to volunteer a little time at a shelter or a community garden or your local habitat for humanity or any other worthy cause, then your soul, if you believe you have one, isn’t worth saving anyway.[/quote]
Ha! That’s Christianity 101. Giving alms to the poor, visiting the sick & needy, praying for our neighbors and even our enemies… These are the simplest of pre-requisites. If you believe this is all that’s required of mankind by God, you’re clueless.

666

Come to think of it, there are already a million monkeys on a million keyboards, and this thread is NOTHING like Shakespeare!

667

[quote]edgecrusher wrote:
T-chick wrote:
And you showed me peer reviewed studies that were on the topic of prayer, not peer reviewed studies that came to the conclusion that prayer worked…

You never asked for studies that prooved whether prayer worked or not, you just asked for the studies. (-:

[/quote]

I sorta thought it would go without saying that i would believe prayer worked if you showed me studies that proved that it, you know, WORKED.
You’re right, some of the results are interesting, if not conclusive.

668

[quote]Cream wrote:
My problem is with your attitude, actually. You’ve gone out of your way to cast aspersions on anyone that didn’t agree with your religion on this thread. You have called people that didn’t hold your narrowest interpretations “heretics” and devil-worshippers". You have denigrated Catholics, Protestants of all varieties, Jews, and all the other religious folks that have posted on this thread.
[/quote]
Your post was well-noted. I admit again as I have confessed before, that if my style has scandalized anyone, I ask for their forgiveness. My intention was not to engage this thread with hostilities. Lest my works for the salvation of the heterodox in this thread go unrewarded, I shall only call upon your attention to the time & effort I spent posting in this thread (which you yourself have openly recognized).

If you’re here to judge me, so be it. I am here to judge nobody. I have openly called them heretics who’ve refused to embrace the Faith which Jesus Christ transmitted, and I’m ready to go before the Judge with a good conscience with the angels and Saints as my defenders. The Apostles weren’t afraid to openly classify heretics for what they were, so why should I?

Regarding my dialogue with non-Christians, I stated early on that my intentions were not to engage them in any disputes. Faith is faith. I can not tell anyone else exactly how I came to believe, but I can share with them why I believe.

Nonetheless, (and to my defense) it was the non-Christians who initiated discussions with me. You suggest that I should’ve avoided all of the attacks and debates of non-Christians, but I don’t think that would’ve been either fair or courteous being that some of them voiced reasonable questions and concerns. When Saint Paul visited Greece and traveled atop the Acropolis, he was challenged by a brilliant pagan philosopher named Dionysios the Areopagite. In the presence of other highly-esteemed philosophers and aristocrats, Saint Paul was able to convert Dionysios the Areopagite into the Orthodox Christian Church.

If you’re so alarmed by the term “heretic”, then why don’t you flee from the wrath to come by fleeing from heresy? But instead, you’d rather begin a character assassination by accusing me of being hateful and throwing into the shadows every single valid Truth I’ve conveyed so you might paint my preaching as false through the slandering of my reputation. The bottom line is: my preaching coincides with Jesus Christ and the Church which He instituted. If you believe in Jesus Christ, you have no reason not to be an Orthodox Christian.

If you don’t believe in Jesus Christ, you’re defined as a blasphemer rather than a heretic (which happens to be even worse).

Last but not least, if my style of teaching scares you away, then take heed to what other Orthodox Christian posters have written like mertdawg. It’s so funny because in college I had a couple of “bad” professors (such as the one who taught organic chemistry) but I never disputed what they taught. I could’ve whined all I wanted to about how quickly they spoke, or their foreign accents, or their boring style of lecture, yet in the end, they really knew the subjects they taught inside & out. I guess what you’re telling me is that I really know my stuff but you find me to be a bad teacher.

Thanks anyways because I’m no theologian or an Orthodox Christian priest. Everyone who turned away from the posts which I developed because my style was too offensive for them was:
b[/b] not here with an open mind and not willing to engage in honest debate, and/or
b[/b] using my style as an excuse so they wouldn’t be forced to retract any of their beliefs steeped in falsehood and/or
b[/b] too caught up in my words rather than my overall message.

Either way, their conclusions are inexcusable and they’ll only harm themselves in the long run.

St. John the Baptist
“[b]Brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come?[/b]”

According to you, great prophets like St. John the Baptist had no spiritual wisdom to share in the dawn of the Christian era. His style was also found to be offensive and abrasive by those who refused to embrace the Truth, yet see how highly God speaks of this man:

Jesus Christ:
“[b]Assuredly, I say to you, among those born of women there has not risen one greater than John the Baptist…[/b]”

There’s a cliche that goes something like this: You get more bees with honey rather than vinegar. Agreed & again: I apologize if my style has proved imperfect for you but I reiterate that my words convey nothing but the Truth.

Take it or leave it, the decision is now yours to make.

669

[quote]lucidhaze wrote:
Come to think of it, there are already a million monkeys on a million keyboards, and this thread is NOTHING like Shakespeare![/quote]

off topic - NICE avatar.

670

[quote]Cream wrote:
My problem is with your attitude, actually. You’ve gone out of your way to cast aspersions on anyone that didn’t agree with your religion on this thread. You have called people that didn’t hold your narrowest interpretations “heretics” and devil-worshippers". You have denigrated Catholics, Protestants of all varieties, Jews, and all the other religious folks that have posted on this thread.

stellar_horizon wrote
Your post was well-noted. I admit again as I have confessed before, that if my style has scandalized anyone, I ask for their forgiveness. My intention was not to engage this thread with hostilities. Lest my works for the salvation of the heterodox in this thread go unrewarded, I shall only call upon your attention to the time & effort I spent posting in this thread (which you yourself have openly recognized).
[/quote]

What I find interesting is that people kept RESPONDING to your responses which they considered to be abrasive. When I used a more “gentle” method inviting people to read the words of the Liturgy of Saint James for example, stella, it seemed to scare the sh*t out of them. That’s when Fishlips bailed despite his claims that people just weren’t willing to be reasonable. I think it was the raw horror for some that Orthodoxy does in fact go ALL THE WAY BACK-not just to 300 AD or 105 AD, but TO THE APOSTLES.

Anyway, my idea of “honey” as you put it is to show people what Orthodox worship is, rather than what it is not (ie them). Whadaya think?

671

I agree with you mert. Your approach to the non-Orthodox was gentler because you advocated (spoke positively) of the Only One Truth (Orthodox Christianity) while my approach was harsher in that I condemned (spoke negatively) of heretical and blasphemous teachings. It was only natural that I’d be criticized for gunning down falsehood with such zeal & fervor. An opposer criticized me for making too many waves, and alleged that I must’ve been preaching falsely because people on this thread were riled up. Well, my opposer (if he’s ever even picked up the Bible) fails to realize that Jesus Christ was a revolutionary Himself when He walked the earth; He caused a ripple effect and stirred up both believers and unbelievers by His Divine words. He condemned the Pharisees openly for their perversion of Truth and tradition, and the Pharisees and scribes were so hateful of His wisdom they even went to the extent of bribing men to lie and slander His sinless nature and reputation.

The Apostles were just as vocal, and they too were so outspoken that the enemies of God hunted them down from city-to-city to persecute them by means of slandering their reputation, having them imprisoned, having them suffer tortures, or even killing them. My opposer’s attempt to assassinate my reputation only reminds me of the secret haters of Truth who’ve existed since every generation since Christ’s Incarnation.

Nevertheless, I don’t wish to make this personal. I may be perceived as a bad teacher, but I’ve conveyed nothing but the Truth. My opposer can not discredit the Truth, so his only hope was to discredit my reputation. The word of God has been preached according to the One and Only Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

Behold! Those who have eyes to see, let them see!

If any have actually taken the time to honestly weigh-out the things we’ve written with a humble spirit, and have begun to research the early Church, early Christian teachings, and early Church traditions, God will assuredly lead them into the fullness of Truth and the Body of Christ. My prayers go out to them.

Peace be with you, brother in the Faith!

672

[quote]stellar_horizon wrote:
[/quote]

“You shall not take the name of the LORD your God in vain: for the LORD will not hold him guiltless who takes his name in vain.”

You know how far you have turned away from God and the teachings of His son when you are comparing yourself with Jesus, his Apostles, and John the Baptist. What other mantles and purviews of God and His holy disciples and his Church will you assume? Are you a priest of the Church? Do you now compare yourself with John the Baptist? Are we to believe that you are a saint or a prophet? Maybe you think you are Christ reborn, sent to judge the living and the dead?

This is pure blasphemy.

While you have learned all sorts of interesting and intriguing things about the history of the Church, it is amazing to me that you would be unable to hold a discussion without revealing your ignorance of (and possibly contempt for) the Ten Commandments the God gave unto Moses. Are you above the most basic laws of God?

This is analagous to a student lording it over other students because he knows all sorts of factoids about about quantum physics, but he doesn’t even know how to add or subtract. However, while there are no prohibitions on mathematical ignorance in the Bible, there are plenty of clear warnings against pride, arrogance, judgementalism, and above all of blaspheming.

“Theses six things the Lord hates, yes, seven are an abomination to Him: A PROUD LOOK, a lying tongue, hands that shed innocent blood, a heart that devises wicked plans, feet that are swift in running to evil, a false witness who speaks lies, and ONE WHO SOWS DISCORD AMONG BRETHREN.” ( Prov. 6:16-19).

Not knowing how to add will not be an issue on Judgement Day. Disobeying the Word of God, especially when you have ready access that Word, is inexcusable.

Remember the Creed: “I believe… in one Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God, the only begotten, begotten of the Father before all ages, Light of Light, true God of true God; begotten, not made; of one essence with the Father; by Whom all things were made; Who for us men and for our salvation came down from heaven, and was incarnate of the Holy Spirit and the Virgin Mary, and was made man; and was crucified also for us under Pontius Pilate, and suffered and was buried; and the third day He rose again according to the Scriptures; and ascended into heaven, and sits at the right hand of the Father; and He shall come again with glory to judge the living and the dead; Whose kingdom shall have no end.”

You are not mentioned in there. There is no mention of you in the Bible. You are not listed in any of the books of the saints. You are a practicer of, not an ancient venerated feature of, the liturgy. You have not been ordained.

As you cannot even refrain from three of the most fundamental and obious sins, I beg of you to be silent, at least until you can mend your ways and learn more about your Faith. Before you do any more harm to the Faith and to your already blackened soul, it would be best if you re-dedicated yourself to the teachings of Jesus.

If any outreach is needed, you would be better off leaving it to guys like mertdawg, or even better, your holy men.

Remember: “God resists the proud but He gives grace to the humble”. (James 4:6). You must be willing to admit these sins to be able to repent them. If you do not repent you cannot be saved.

673

[quote]mertdawg wrote:

What I find interesting is that people kept RESPONDING to your responses which they considered to be abrasive. When I used a more “gentle” method inviting people to read the words of the Liturgy of Saint James for example, stella, it seemed to scare the sh*t out of them. That’s when Fishlips bailed despite his claims that people just weren’t willing to be reasonable. I think it was the raw horror for some that Orthodoxy does in fact go ALL THE WAY BACK-not just to 300 AD or 105 AD, but TO THE APOSTLES.

Anyway, my idea of “honey” as you put it is to show people what Orthodox worship is, rather than what it is not (ie them). Whadaya think?[/quote]

That’s a great idea. However, read what you wrote in your first paragraph. You can’t even follow your own advice in the same post. You constantly feel the need to compare. Usually when this happens in other areas of life it means the source is trying to convince themselves. Is your faith truly that weak?

Why attack those who do not wish to see? Shouldn’t your Church and its traditions and its Truth be convincing enough without your sins and Stellar Horizon’s sinful methods getting in the way?

Did the priests you talked with while converting call you a “heretic” when they found out that you were not initially Orthodox? When you converted did they say say loudly “We have vanquished the foe?” like stellar horizon did? Did they give you a laundry list of the crimes and petty mis-teachings of Catholicism and Protestantism and sneer at Judaism?

It would be good if stellar horizon stopped posting until he understood his own religion a little better and stopped doing the work of the devil; better if both of you stopped comparing and ragging on other groups and stuck telling us about your Church; and best if you left the proselytizing to those that are truly qualified, effective, and holy, and not reeking of pride and blasphemy.

You haven’t “won” anything by being such flawed dicks that you alienate others from the Church, unless you have Fallen and have started down the dark road with stellar horizon.

674

[quote]stellar_horizon wrote:
If you’re not shaken by the healthy fear of hell (and I honestly believe this is due to serious childhood or adolescent repression), then let your actions be guided for the sake of heaven. I believe the uncreated energies of God shall inevitably steer you and enlighten you by His Truth.

Take it easy…[/quote]

Buddy, of course I’m not shaken by fear of hell or any afterlife bonus rewards. There’s no such thing. It’s an invention by early people to justify their existence here. These belief systems, all them featuring some kind of afterlife, were invented to escape the one big drawback to our sentience: the awareness that we are destined to someday die. Every culture, and I mean EVERY culture, has had something to say about this conundrum. You think your belief system is special because you can trace it back 2000 years. Okay, fine. Go talk to some Chinese folks who can do that for 6000 years.

I will repeat myself yet again: you are not doing anything wrong. Go ahead and be goofy. Rest assured that my actions fall firmly in your definition of what is “good”, but it’s not because I pretend there is anything more to this life than what is here already… I can see the big picture and I work to make this world a better place as much as I can for as many people as I can. The fact that people like you tsk tsk me and try to convince yourselves “that’s fine, but it isn’t enough… he needs to be saved…” does not hinder me in the slightest way.

To sum up: You cannot make me care. I pick what I care about; not some guy on a podium, not some book, not some belief in the supernatural. I am free in a way that you will probably never understand. And that’s fine. I’m not saying everybody should be like me, I’m just saying that if you get in my way I will roll over you.

Have a nice day. Some more. :slight_smile:

675

Mert you ought to be more careful what you wish for. I’ve allowed you to bait me back into this fruitless dialogue.

Upon conversing with yourself and Stella I feel like the man who fought the Black Knight in Monty Python’s the Holy Grail. You think you have a fighting chance as you brandish your sword. You took a swing and I proceeded to choppeth off your arm. You look at it, regard your major loss as a mere flesh wound, and carry on the fight. So I take off your other arm. Seemingly ignorant of the casualty you’ve become you valiantly kick my shins. Since you’re not getting it I kindly seperate one of your legs from your body. Now hopping like a child’s toy you, in vain, make yet more attempts by lobbing feeble head butts my way, with the apparent belief you’re yet able to make any headway (pun intended). Now I have returned to sever your remaining supporting leg. But, of course, as I walk away, leaving you helpless, you will claim, as you have, that I’m running away, then finally that perhaps we’ll call it a draw. No my friend, the laughable ideas spread by yourself and Stella won’t be allowed to stand. My patience has worn.

Lest I miss precious sleep I will address your expressions in the 'morrow.

676

LOL fishlips, anybody who can bring in Monty Python scores immediate points with me.

“WHAT?! Running away? You yellow belly… COME BACK HERE!! I’LL BITE YOUR LEGS OFF!!”

I may not see the world the way that you do, but I don’t care who you are, that’s funny.

677

[quote]Cream wrote:
“You shall not take the name of the LORD your God in vain: for the LORD will not hold him guiltless who takes his name in vain.”
[/quote]
I have not used the Lord’s name in vain. You efforts to stain my reputation with this sin have failed.

I never claimed to be a Saint nor a prophet, nor do I hold the rank of an Orthodox Christian priest. I do not compare myself with the glorified ones of Christ. But nontheless, my preaching perfectly coincides with the Orthodox Christian Church (est. 33 AD). I am here to judge nobody because I’m convinced the Truth has already judged you, is judging you now, and will continue to judge you later. There’s no need for an unworthy sinner like me to judge you, for God is omnipresent. Yet God in His infinite wisdom summons messengers to preach the Faith. A feeble messenger I might be, but my message is truthful. Once again, your attempts to stain my reputation with another sin (blasphemy) have failed.

Do not appear as though you defend the Ten Commandments or honor Moses in any way. Your ignorance of these basic laws of God are exhibited by your effort to incriminate me with devious interpretation of Biblical passages.

I agree wholeheartedly and plead my full innocence regarding all these warnings. Perhaps you should pull out the plank in your own eye before you seek to take out the speck from mine though.

POST 1
an antichrist wrote:
Unfortunately, I think that you are both misguided.
I wanted to introduce you to the TRUTH THE “Djanggawul Sisters”
Your new TRUTH:
“Daughters of the sun, these Australian goddesses unceasingly brought forth living creatures from their endlessly pregnant bodies.” Such devotion to humanity!!! They gave up their careers for YOU, FOOL!!! “Their long vulvas broke off piece by piece with these births, producing the world’s first sacred artifacts.” Kinky!!! They were so hot, they were eventually eaten by Galeru…In summary, come to the sisters. They break off their private parts in their benevolence!!! They eventually were eaten FOR YOU!!!
Cream replied:
Amen.

POST 2
an antichrist wrote:
I don’t worship any “turn the other cheek type God” I want the LEADER!!!
“He represented the god of procreation”
Penetration leads to salvation!!!
Cream replied:
Amen.

Amen to what Cream? Paganism? Demonology? Yet you have the audacity to slander me as being blasphemous? It doesn’t sound in this context as if you’re applauding anything in the Old Testament or the New Testament here… So what gospels or doctrines were you verifying?

I do not possess a proud look and you should already know that the discord sown in your heart was planted by none other than the devil. Additionally, you aren’t ranked among my spiritual brethren.

I agree wholeheartedly.

I agree wholeheartedly.

I deny committing any of the sins you’ve accused me of. Thanks for judging me though. I guess you fail to heed your own condemnations. I’m not here to war with anyone, and being that you’re begging me to be silent, I’ll sincerely consider your proposition. I have no personal vendetta against you. My warfare is not against flesh & blood, but against the evil one.

Thanks for your opinion. I’ll carefully note this next time I post anything to you (if there is a next time).

I agree wholeheartedly, yet I’ve committed none of the sins you’ve accused me of.

678

Wow, a couple of you spend way too much time arguing these points. Geese.
Steve.

679

lothario, you’ve emphasized your perspectives on atheism again-and-again to a similar capacity as I’ve emphasized mine regarding the true Christian Faith. I believe we’ve reached a fully thorough understanding of one another; thus, as I’ve said before, we can agree to disagree and I’m perfectly content with the current state of affairs.

Your spirituality (or lack thereof) takes absolutely no toll on my soul’s disposition. I happily give training tips to Muslims, have atheists hitting me off with spots, and have heretics selling me water at the juice bar - and this all happens in the gym. I get along with people outside the gym just as well. Theology is a significant part of my life, but I realize it’s not that way for everyone else. I share your same vision that as long as anyone else’s belief systems don’t suppress mine, then I’m content. I’m glad we see eye-to-eye at least in this regard.

take it easy…

680

[quote]Fishlips wrote:
Mert you ought to be more careful what you wish for. I’ve allowed you to bait me back into this fruitless dialogue.

Upon conversing with yourself and Stella I feel like the man who fought the Black Knight in Monty Python’s the Holy Grail. You think you have a fighting chance as you brandish your sword. You took a swing and I proceeded to choppeth off your arm. You look at it, regard your major loss as a mere flesh wound, and carry on the fight. So I take off your other arm. Seemingly ignorant of the casualty you’ve become you valiantly kick my shins. Since you’re not getting it I kindly seperate one of your legs from your body. Now hopping like a child’s toy you, in vain, make yet more attempts by lobbing feeble head butts my way, with the apparent belief you’re yet able to make any headway (pun intended). Now I have returned to sever your remaining supporting leg. But, of course, as I walk away, leaving you helpless, you will claim, as you have, that I’m running away, then finally that perhaps we’ll call it a draw. No my friend, the laughable ideas spread by yourself and Stella won’t be allowed to stand. My patience has worn.

Lest I miss precious sleep I will address your expressions in the 'morrow.
[/quote]
Instead of using your precious time to answer a single post on page 22 onwards, you complain about your patience wearing thin and develop an analogy (that actually reflects you as that black knight). Funny how it backfired on you. You’re silly Fishlips…

b[/b] Your interpretations of scripture seemed reasonable, but so did ours. The difference is that the interpretations we provided you with are in accordance with those of the early Church.
Bonus points for Orthodox Christians.

b[/b] The holy traditions and beliefs which you deny (such as Apostolic succession, the Eucharist, the Holy Trinity) were practiced and taught by the early Church, yet you falsely claim they were not. How do we know? I posted authentic early Church manuscripts as proof.
Bonus points for Orthodox Christians.

b[/b] In this discussion, you argued theology without having been baptized or chrismated within the genuine Body of Christ whereas mertdawg and I have been. The Holy Spirit preaches One Truth and transmits It to those in the Body of Christ; heretics are devoid of such grace.
Bonus points for Orthodox Christians.

b[/b] You claimed you only used the Bible to support your faith, but you also drew conclusions & assumptions not mentioned therein. There are over 30,000 official denominations in existence and each proclaim their own interpretation of scripture is accurate. Your theological system fits into one of these 30,000 denominations or is perhaps the 30,001st… Mertdawg and I however, share the same exact doctrines & dogmas, congruent with the One Faith which Jesus Christ preached during His ministry.
Bonus points for the Orthodox Christians.

Four bonus points for Orthodox Christians, zero points for your undisclosed religious affiliation.

681

stellar-hor,

You want answers!?!

I’ve got answers!

I wanted to tell you that comparing yourself to the Saints, Christ, the Apostles, is taking the lord’s name in vain.

Oh, which Lord you ask?

THE LORDS OF THE OLMECS!!!

"OLMEC-GODS: These are very rare Gods belonging to the tribe that pre-dates the Mayans. Anthropologists for some reason best known to themselves have given them roman numerals, which is all we have to go on. There are ten of them:

“God i. A dragonish character with flaming eyebrows, and a good old mix and match of crocodile, jaguar, forked tongue and talons. Seems important and probably did Sun, Earth and Fertility.”

I’ve been known to do sun, earth, and fertility.

“God ii. A very young Maize God, as he seems to be an infant with maize growing from a cleft in its head.”

Now that’s a religion we can all get behind: One where you actually respect the handicapped. Imagine the heat that this God took in school. “Hey, cleft boy!!! It’s harvest time!!! etc…”

“God iii. A Bird Monster type. Although not like any bird you have ever seen. He is believed to be connected to chinless dwarfs. How, where, why or who actually believes this is past all human understanding.”

Sounds like something that al shades would go for!!! “The rest of you petulant bastards watch out, because I follow God iii!!!”

“God iv. Petulant-looking Jaguar Monster type. Could be God of Weather Forecasting.”

It gonna rain!!!

“God v. Whoops. The anthropologists, without a word of apology, haven’t bothered.”

All knowing, all seeing!!!

“God vi. He just grins, most unpleasantly.”

Imagine me grinning at stellar-hor.

“God vii. Another dragonish wotsit.”

I’ve seen a lot of dragons in my time. This is the first wotsit I’ve run up against.

“God viii. Has a fish face.”

Stop the hate!!!

“God ix. We’ve been let down again. Nobody there.”

Oops.

“God x. Disembodied Head, who fits the description were-jaguar.”

In summary, it’s nice that you have a God that heals leprosy.

I’ve got maize growing cleft boys, Gods with were-jaguar heads, fish faced accolates, smirking God-heads, Birds that have the hots for chinless dwarfs, flaming eyebrowed mutants who do other Gods.

Me=10. You=0.

JeffR