Is our focus misdirected?

[me]

   Thinking about various topics in the bible, and things focused on in this site, and in the US society as a whole, do u think the two are different. Do you feel the focus is on the wrong issues in our society. We focus on sex constantly, and which of the Christian faiths is correct. We worry about the end of the world as well quite a bit. Do you feel that maybe the focus is incorrect. For example, if my memory serves me correct, Jesus spoke of sexual sins 3 times and of hypocrasy i believe 48 times. Yet you rarely hear sermons on hypocrasy but constantly hear them on sex.
    Is being a Protestant or Catholic really that wrong? Dont misunderstand me, I believe we are the one true faith, but the Lord also says that to who much is given much is expected. The other side of that coin is those who nothing is given, nothing is expected. So as orthodox christians, yes we are expected to live more righteously and more properly. but if the Protestant doesnt know the truth, the Lord takes that into consideration too, doesnt he? Why dont we try to help the Muslims see the light, or Buddhists, or Jews? We dont, because we are way too busy arguing with Catholics over whether rapture is true or not.
    Lastly, speaking of rapture, we obsess too much over Revelation to much. The Lord wants us to live our lives and not worry about the end of the world. Live your life as closely to Christ as you can, but why obsess over the end times? I just feel we are focusing wrongly. Are the 4 Gospels truly the key to salvation? and the rest just peripheral information that helps? If this is correct, as we are taught, then why do we focus so much on the less consequential things?
   I know we are to be as righteous as possible in all aspects of our lives, but if we try and we truly repent for all our shortcomings, does it ultimately matter whether the rapture is a literal statement or a metaphor?

[Ebor]

You have brought up some Big questions.

Please forgive my ignorance, though.  While I am not EO I have read a good bit on it.  Is there a major focus on the "EndTimes"/Rapture?  I hadn't come across it.

Thank you.

Ebor

[Orthodoc]

[Please forgive my ignorance, though.  While I am not EO I have read a good bit on it.  Is there a major focus on the "EndTimes"/Rapture?  I hadn't come across it.]


http://www.holycross-hermitage.com/pages/Orthodox_Life/rapture1.htm

http://www.holycross-hermitage.com/pages/Orthodox_Life/rapture2.htm

The Inconsistency of the "Rapture" -

http://www.orthodoxphotos.com/readings/end/rapture.shtml

========

Orthodoc

[Ebor]

Thank you for the links, Orthodoc.

Ebor

[me]

My focus in this article was more pinpointing the focus in religion in the US which has become very similar to the focus of the average Orthodox christian as well. While there are not very many sermons or a large amount of orthodox texts focused on the matter, it seems the average Orthodox is mostly concerned with premarital sex, homosexuality, and the world ending. So, from a person to person basis is what im referring too. But my question remains the same, do these things get focused on too much, are we worried about the wrong things regarding our salvation?

....and a small correction on my number regarding hypocrasy. I did some more thorough research and my numbers were skewed. Jesus speaks of sins of the flesh 6 times and hypocrasy OVER 200 times. Sorry for the incorrect info.

[Rustaveli]

Dear "Me",

I really agree with alot of what you have written; in fact, at times whilst reading / posting here, I have been tempted to open a similar topic (... or just bellow out loud, "BUT AREN"T WE MISSING THE WHOLE POINT)!?!

- There are a great number of helpful, edifying, instructional, charitable exchanges to be encountered in a forum such as this, and I have have been personally encouraged by many postings of just this sort.

In a free interchange of ideas, of course, there are always going to be many points of view and personalities -

So, I suppose, it may be par for the course that, as in all the centuries of the Church and of humanity, there's a certain tendency among some to "get hung up" on certain things -

The End Times, "diverse doctrines", The Council of Chalcedon, Protestant, Catholic, or Orthodox (and, therein, Old or New Calendar, or Charismatic vs. Evangelical or "Mainline", or Sedavacantist - Tridentine "with permission" - Novus Ordo), and of course issues of morality and how it is to be followed, implemented, legislated, etc. -

... eventually, one might think, "Is this what Christ and his Church is all about"?

- and, then, perhaps, a person might be led to study the Scriptures, as you have done, and to ponder the tachings of Our Lord as we receive them in the Gospels, the other scriptures and examples from the Lives of Christ and the saints -

This is the point where I get stuck. I think that you are on to something about focusing on "the one thing needful", following Christ, which is a decision we all make daily (and more), and which has to made again and again and again -

and we fall, we all do (I know I do, anyway, pretty much constantly) but we can get up again and keep on going, and follow Christ Our God, who is Compassionate and Merciful.

(I've been reading "The Parables of Peanuts", based on Charles Schultz's often strikingly wise and theologically deep comic strip; the author of the volume has some interesting reflections on hypocrisy, "vulture evangelists", and how hellfire and damnation can actually become an idol, replacing God Himself, by those who are not as infinite in Mercy as He).

[prodromos]

My personal experience doesn't cover a lot of what I would call "average" Orthodox, nor the U.S. so I can't really comment on what you have posted, but among the Orthodox I know, their focus is mainly on repentance. This is primarily what is preached on in the churches I attend too, repentance and not judging others, so I don't really see much of what you have posted. YMMV

John.

[Tags:]

OrthodoxChristianity.net > Moderated Forums > Faith Issues (Moderator: Michał Kalina) > Topic: Is our focus misdirected?