@yeshuaisiam: Can you answer to the 3 questions by me?
After a night of thinking and to cool off I have a few statements on this thread:
First-
MK hijacked this thread. He was completely off topic bringing the Anabaptists into this. He provoked all of this. This is called a troll. (Troll Definition
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Troll_%28Internet%29) He threw up what would be emotionally objectionable content to dig into my skin, I bought it, I argued back, and it started a huge controversy causing me to argue with many. This is not befitting of a moderator on a forum IMHO. This isn't an issue of moderator authority or discipline action either. This is an issue of a thread hijack which is frowned upon on practically every forum online, as well as being a troll.
Next -
MK decides after a few squabbles back and forth between me and others, to rip me apart somehow. There is no doubt there is confusion and valid points I have made about the faith. It is obvious that I am not giving straw man arguments, as it riles up and makes people extremely upset. I am a victim of witnessing ecumenism first hand, after a lifelong dedication to the EO faith. Until you have witnessed the Eucharist celebrated after a pagan ritual, followed by some funky Tribal ritual later, nobody should be telling me it is just "dialog". I was crushed by ecumenism, and it made me question many things of the church. My trust the bishops is practically gone. MK knows this. It made me re-question everything about the church (icons, father/master, etc.) when my bishop betrayed my staunch Orthodox footing.
So I will humor MK. I will answer his 3 questions.
First I'll state, that instantly I was not going to jump on board with the old believers. This is words thrown at me. I posted a video, and thought this was some form of Orthodoxy that I could cling to some. There are no Old believers in Texas (or much Orthodox for that matter).
Question 1:
Neither affects me. I will not be joining Old believers, but figured there was some things I could learn from them.
Question 2:
I won't be meeting them in real life. This is because I actually have a life. I don't have the time or willpower to do it. I am married, I have 5 children, and a farm. I am self employed, I have an established business in my community. I am not going to up my roots and leave just to join them. I have a ton of responsibility in my life where I can't just up and leave. I have older relatives that need me here. My livestock needs me here.
Question 3:
Again, I will not be meeting them and I would correct anybody who does not believe in the real name of Christ. I'd even say it directly to a Patriarch, because frankly, I could care less. If a Patriarch did not that his Aramaic name differs from "Jesus", then he's flat wrong. He's as human as anybody else.
I hope this satisfies MK's questions.
So, if all this other JUNK can be taken back from dumb me who allowed MK to troll sucker me into another dialog -
To the OP:
The Eastern Orthodox church prior to the 1600's crossed themselves with TWO fingers. This is why the Old Believers do this.