Fr. George
formerly "Cleveland"
Administrator
Domestikos tou thematos
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Faith: Orthodox (Catholic) Christian
Jurisdiction: GOA - Metropolis of Pittsburgh
Posts: 18,998
May the Lord bless you and keep you always!
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« on: June 10, 2008, 06:08:36 AM » |
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(OC.NET PALACE) - An agitated mob remained under the expansive balcony of the OC.net Palace, waiting patiently for the greatly anticipated announcement of the May Post of the Month. Just as the popcorn vendors were reaching critically-low reserve levels, and the price of a buttered bag spiked to over $98.00 OCND ($0.21 USD), the familiar blaring of the trumpets was heard. Suddenly, onto the balcony of FrChris' brewpub came the global moderators who, holding an unusually large-sized scroll, began to announce as with one voice: "It is our great privilege to announce to you, and to proclaim to the corners of the OC.net world, the May Post of the Month, as written by our beloved brother, BrotherAidan!" Just because evangelicals, whether Orthodox converts or still protestant come equipped with a ready made vocabulary of personal faith and piety doesn't mean they really are.
What I noticed right away when I began the journey to Orthdoxy is that Orthdodox people don't have the vocabulary of personal faith that evangelicals do. By this I mean the evangelical talk of a "personal" relationship with Jesus; "quiet time," "God told me" (aside: when I hear this I usually want to run for the nearest door) "the Lord led me" "commitment" "giving one's life to Christ" "sharing" "God spoke to me through scripture" (the apex of sola scriptura).
Anyway, evangelicals carry this vocabulary of personalized religion into Orthodoxy; they quickly learn the new lingo and can answer all the protestant objections to Orthodoxy. The really smart ones might remember alot of quotes from the Fathers or what the various canons say. And every one thinks they are pious and better Orthodox Christians.
Life-long Orthdox will be more reticent. They may talk of a rule of prayer, but won't easily volunteer (so as not to brag) about their own rule of prayer; they will talk more of the liturgy; if they brag, it won't be about themselves but about an uncle or their mother or the priest they grew up under. But you can bet, they absorbed alot from them and likely practice it themselves. Like some Roman Catholics, they might not have scruples about saying a few cuss words or having a drink.
So evangelical converts wrongly conclude they are not pious or are ignorant. Meanwhile. the elderly of these "ignorant" people, with great pain and effort, make their aching prostrations during lent. In fact it might take them the whole sequence of every one else's three prostrations just to get their old arthritic bodies to do one. Just getting up the stairs into the church is their greatest prostration that they do (at least I beleive
God sees it as such).
Then again there are humble and sincere converts as well as cradles that take it all for granted and for whom Orthodoxy is more of a nationality thing.
Fortunately, I don't know people that are like the latter description. As someone already said, it is really an individual thing. person by person.
But it is better not to judge at all and remember the Lenten prayer we say about not judging my brother's sin.
Because really, we don't know the other person's starting point. Someone else's sporadic attendance at liturgy but involvement in all the ethnic food activities may be much further along in his/her journey than I am. In the end, each of us can only judge oneself. And pray. |
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« Last Edit: June 10, 2008, 06:09:35 AM by cleveland »
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"The man who doesn't read good books has no advantage over the one who can't read them." Mark Twain
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Ordained on 17 & 18-Oct 2009. Please forgive me if earlier posts are poorly worded or incorrect in any way.
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username!
Section Moderator
Protokentarchos
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Faith: Ukrainian Orthodox
Jurisdiction: Pennsylvaniadoxy
Posts: 4,093
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« Reply #1 on: June 10, 2008, 06:26:07 AM » |
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Congrats BrotherAidan! Now where is that popcorn?
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Αριστοκλής
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« Reply #2 on: June 10, 2008, 08:39:28 AM » |
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Very good choice.
Bravo!
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"Religion is a neurobiological illness and Orthodoxy is its cure." - Fr. John S. Romanides
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ytterbiumanalyst
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« Reply #3 on: June 10, 2008, 09:09:06 AM » |
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AXIOS!
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"It is remarkable that what we call the world...in what professes to be true...will allow in one man no blemishes, and in another no virtue."--Charles Dickens
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Entscheidungsproblem
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« Reply #4 on: June 10, 2008, 09:24:40 AM » |
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Axios!
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As a result of a thousand million years of evolution, the universe is becoming conscious of itself, able to understand something of its past history and its possible future.
-- Sir Julian Sorell Huxley FRS |
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Riddikulus
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« Reply #5 on: June 10, 2008, 09:43:34 AM » |
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Axios! Congratulations, BrotherAiden!  |
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« Last Edit: June 10, 2008, 09:44:14 AM by Riddikulus »
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I believe in One God, maker of heaven and earth and of all things visible and invisible.
Nothing in biology makes sense except in the light of evolution.
Theodosius Dobzhansky, Russian Orthodox Christian (1900-1975)
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EofK
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« Reply #6 on: June 10, 2008, 10:03:07 AM » |
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Axios!
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Human beings, who are almost unique in having the ability to learn from the experience of others, are also remarkable for their apparent disinclination to do so. -- Douglas Adams
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jlerms
Sr. Member
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Faith: Eastern Orthodox
Jurisdiction: GOA
Posts: 826
O sweet Jesus, cleanse my soul.
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« Reply #7 on: June 10, 2008, 10:49:48 AM » |
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Great post Brother Aidan!!! Well chosen moderators!
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Asteriktos
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« Reply #8 on: June 10, 2008, 12:32:40 PM » |
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Axios!
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SolEX01
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« Reply #9 on: June 10, 2008, 03:07:31 PM » |
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Worthy!
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ozgeorge
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« Reply #10 on: June 10, 2008, 06:27:35 PM » |
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AXIOS!
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If you're living a happy life as a Christian, you're doing something wrong.
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Starlight
Site Supporter
High Elder
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Faith: Eastern Orthodox Christianity
Jurisdiction: Ukrainian Orthodox Church of USA (Ecumenical Patriarchate)
Posts: 1,537
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« Reply #12 on: June 11, 2008, 01:12:17 AM » |
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Bravo, Brother Aidan! Excellent! Very well deserved!
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prodromas
Elder
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Faith: Eastern Orthodox
Jurisdiction: Under the Green Pope
Posts: 1,239
Greek Orthodox
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« Reply #13 on: June 11, 2008, 01:35:11 AM » |
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Axios Axios
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The sins I don't commit are largely due to the weakness of my limbs.
1915-1923 Հայոց Ցեղասպանութիւն ,never again,
ܩܛܠܐ ܕܥܡܐ ܐܬܘܪܝܐ 1920-1914, never again,
השואה 1933-1945, never again,
(1914-1923) Ελληνική Γενοκτονία, never again
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Heorhij
Hoplitarches
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Faith: Orthodox
Jurisdiction: GOA, for now, but my heart belongs to the Ukrainian Orthodox Church
Posts: 8,576
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« Reply #14 on: June 12, 2008, 06:00:29 PM » |
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Most definitely AXIOS. Excellent post.
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Love never fails.
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PeterTheAleut
The Right Blowhard Peter the Furtive of Yetts O'Muckhart
Section Moderator
Exarchos
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Faith: Orthodox Christian
Jurisdiction: OCA
Posts: 26,049
EXTERMINATE!
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« Reply #15 on: June 12, 2008, 10:24:15 PM » |
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AXIOS!
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