Betatheism: Superheroes and the 21st Century Pagan Pantheon

[milos]

But all of Gods created all his creations perfect. The bible is Gods creation also and since the bible itself cant sin like man can, it is still perfect. There is no contradictions or factual fallacies in the bible anywhere.

I think in the Bible it says that God saw his creation was "very good", not "perfect". When we say "perfect", it can only refer to God, because he is the only one who is perfect and absolute.

We don't need to judge any man or any thing whether they are "infallible" or "fallible". God has created everyone and everything with a purpose, and that is enough.

Maybe you can tell me. How do orthodox handle communion? Like the mechanics. At what age do you start taking communion? Do you have to get confirmed first? Does the orthodox see it as pure bread and wine, pure body and blood, or a mix between the two? And how often do you take it?

Honestly ive never seen orthodox here in america anywhere so I know mostly about other denominations. Im learning the most I know about orthodox from what you are telling me in this thread.

In order to receive the Holy Communion, one needs to be baptized and chrismated in the Orthodox Church. It can be done since the very birth. In the beginning of the Church, the practice was that adults were prepared for baptism and chrismation, but later it was decided that it is better to baptize and chrismate babies from the very birth, to make sure they are members of the Church in case they die as infants.

During the baptism and chrismation, men usually have godfather and women usually have godmother to speak in their name and be their witness. I say "usually", because I was baptized and chrismated as a baby, and my grandmother was my godmother. After that, your godfather or godmother becomes your most important relative. The role of godfather and godmother is related to John the Baptist, because he baptized Jesus.

So, we can become members of the Church as early as we are babies, and we can take the Holy Communion immediately after our baptism and chrismation.

The Orthodox see the Holy Communion as literally the body and the blood of Jesus Christ. When Jesus blessed the bread and the wine during his Last Supper and gave them to his apostles, he said "this is my body" and "this is my blood". So we take it as he said, the Holy Communion is his body and his blood. We don't know how the bread and the wine becomes body and blood of Christ, so we call it a Holy Mystery. But Jesus is Logos through whom everything came to be, so he has got that creative power as God to say "this is my body" and then the bread becomes his body. There is a rather complicated way how the Holy Communion is prepared by the priests in the altar during the Divine Liturgy.

There are different opinions on how often we should take the Holy Communion. In the people, there is some superstition that it should not be taken that often because it is something the most holy. My grandmother who baptized me believed you should take it either once or three times a year, but it is just a superstition based on "one" and "three" as holy numbers. There are some priests who claim you should prepare for the Holy Communion by fasting on water for seven days. But it makes no sense. Because, the very purpose of the Divine Liturgy is to receive the Holy Communion. Now, imagine you come to a supper, but you refuse to eat, would you offend your host that way? Certainly. Jesus wants us to take part in his Holy Communion, like a doctor wants to give his medicine to his patient. But we also need to be a good patient who listens to his doctor. That is why we should follow God's commandments, we should keep regular fastings, we should attend the Divine Liturgy every Sunday, we should confess and repent our sins whenever we sin. Just as a good patient, we need to follow what our doctor has prescribed to us to cure us. So, we should take the Holy Communion every time we attend the Divine Liturgy, and it can be even every day, but we also have to be prepared for the Holy Communion by living a Christian life. Otherwise, if the patient doesn't follow the instructions of his doctor, he can't be cured.

[milos]

Just an interesting thought...

Jesus did not die to start a religion.  "We" created a religion out of His death.

He died to start a relationship....

How is your relationship with Him?

I can't read Jesus' thoughts, but he said he will establish the Church. Now, some claim it is only the invisible Church consisted of the saved ones who are already with Jesus in Heaven, but we in the Eastern Orthodox Church find it obvious that the visible Church also exists through the apostolic succession, with the purpose to invite and help the people to be saved.

Our relationship with Jesus is based on being the members of his Church, on following his teaching and commandments, on participating in his Divine Liturgy, on confessing to him of our sins, on taking his Holy Communion, on beliving that he is God Logos through whom everything was made, on having the trust in him that he is our Lord and Savior.

[Solars Toy]

I can't read Jesus' thoughts, but he said he will establish the Church. Now, some claim it is only the invisible Church consisted of the saved ones who are already with Jesus in Heaven, but we in the Eastern Orthodox Church find it obvious that the visible Church also exists through the apostolic succession, with the purpose to invite and help the people to be saved.

Our relationship with Jesus is based on being the members of his Church, on following his teaching and commandments, on participating in his Divine Liturgy, on confessing to him of our sins, on taking his Holy Communion, on beliving that he is God Logos through whom everything was made, on having the trust in him that he is our Lord and Savior.

So how is that different from what I believe/do as a Christian? 

[milos]

So how is that different from what I believe/do as a Christian? 

I don't know what you believe/do, so I can't tell.    

[Solars Toy]

I don't know what you believe/do, so I can't tell.    

I guess you missed your part of the statement you made that I bolded.  Probably on purpose. 

So since you don't want to respond - I see no further discussion with you on this topic.  Toy

[milos]

I guess you missed your part of the statement you made that I bolded.  Probably on purpose. 

So since you don't want to respond - I see no further discussion with you on this topic.  Toy

Does that mean you are Eastern Orthodox? If you believe/do everything that was bolded in my statement.

I don't know what Church or denomination you belong to, if any.

We in Eastern Orthodox Church believe it is the one and only Church. Others who are not in the Church are left to their conscience, and we don't believe they can't be saved. But as I said, the Church provides the Holy Communion as the perfect medicine for us because it is the true Body and Blood of Christ, so it is good to be a member of the Church. And if you are already accepting the New Testament from the Eastern Orthodox Church, then why not accept everything and be a member of the Church.

[Solar]

Does that mean you are Eastern Orthodox? If you believe/do everything that was bolded in my statement.

I don't know what Church or denomination you belong to, if any.

We in Eastern Orthodox Church believe it is the one and only Church. Others who are not in the Church are left to their conscience, and we don't believe they can't be saved. But as I said, the Church provides the Holy Communion as the perfect medicine for us because it is the true Body and Blood of Christ, so it is good to be a member of the Church. And if you are already accepting the New Testament from the Eastern Orthodox Church, then why not accept everything and be a member of the Church.

Until 1054 AD Eastern Orthodoxy and Roman Catholicism were branches of the same body.

Why does one need a church for worship? Point being, one arguing over another's faith, is akin to arguing that Ford is better than Chevy.

Personally, I dumped all religion and now talk directly to God. Hmmm, is that a religion too?

[Solars Toy]

Does that mean you are Eastern Orthodox? If you believe/do everything that was bolded in my statement.

I don't know what Church or denomination you belong to, if any.

We in Eastern Orthodox Church believe it is the one and only Church. Others who are not in the Church are left to their conscience, and we don't believe they can't be saved. But as I said, the Church provides the Holy Communion as the perfect medicine for us because it is the true Body and Blood of Christ, so it is good to be a member of the Church. And if you are already accepting the New Testament from the Eastern Orthodox Church, then why not accept everything and be a member of the Church.

In the original post you said "members of His Church" so you meant only Eastern Orthodox?  Strange I never read that specific one mentioned in the Bible.  Please correct me (book, chapter, verse) where that is the Church mentioned.

I will continue to follow Christ and do what I understand to be right.  Questioning the legitimacy of another persons faith based upon what "religion" they belong to seems counterproductive to what Jesus came to earth for.  Toy

Best of luck Milo.

[T Hunt]

Until 1054 AD Eastern Orthodoxy and Roman Catholicism were branches of the same body.

Why does one need a church for worship? Point being, one arguing over another's faith, is akin to arguing that Ford is better than Chevy.

Personally, I dumped all religion and now talk directly to God. Hmmm, is that a religion too?

Look in the bible history all the way back in the early days. In the beginning that was the only religion, talking with God. Although I guess people would have probly got together occasionally to sing and talk about God and stuff, but when you are hunter gatherers you might not see another person for a very long time.

Or another historical example might be the mountain men of the west who were on their own for long periods of time without a church or pastor, only themselves and God.....or a Toy too a marriage is three people after all, man woman and God. 

[Solar]

Look in the bible history all the way back in the early days. In the beginning that was the only religion, talking with God. Although I guess people would have probly got together occasionally to sing and talk about God and stuff, but when you are hunter gatherers you might not see another person for a very long time.

Or another historical example might be the mountain men of the west who were on their own for long periods of time without a church or pastor, only themselves and God.....or a Toy too a marriage is three people after all, man woman and God. 

That's me! I pretty much lived in isolation in gods Country. No one around for miles, just me the critters and Gods land, with my hands in the mud, man tends to make a more spiritual connection, being that God created it all.

No distractions, all I had to talk to was my Dogs and God (Dog spelled backward was no accident) 

Anyway, getting in touch with nature is about as close to God as one can get, so I can see why the early pioneers had no need for the church.
Though as cities grew, a need for the church grew as well since so many were too busy to stop and talk to God.

[milos]

Until 1054 AD Eastern Orthodoxy and Roman Catholicism were branches of the same body.

Why does one need a church for worship? Point being, one arguing over another's faith, is akin to arguing that Ford is better than Chevy.

Personally, I dumped all religion and now talk directly to God. Hmmm, is that a religion too?

That animosity towards "organized religion" comes from Protestant Reformation of the Roman Catholic Church. But we in the Eastern Orthodoxy have different approach. We believe Jesus Christ is both our God and our High Priest, and therefore there is nothing to reform. Holy Communion is a real physical contact with Christ, and the most direct contact with Jesus you can get, taking his Body and becoming his Body. Why does one need the Church, because of the Holy Communion, because of becoming the Body of Christ, because Jesus said where two or three gather in his name, there is also he with them. Jesus is our good shepherd and we are his flock. Why is there only one Church? Because there is only one Body of Christ. (So comparison with cars doesn't make sense, there isn't only one car, but there is only one Body of Christ.) Sure, there are also Eastern Orthodox monks and hermits who have decided to live alone in the nature to find God and pray to him and talk to him, they who got such a desire and need to retreat from the human civilization and find inner peace in the nature. So it is a known thing.

[milos]

In the original post you said "members of His Church" so you meant only Eastern Orthodox?  Strange I never read that specific one mentioned in the Bible.  Please correct me (book, chapter, verse) where that is the Church mentioned.

I will continue to follow Christ and do what I understand to be right.  Questioning the legitimacy of another persons faith based upon what "religion" they belong to seems counterproductive to what Jesus came to earth for.  Toy

Best of luck Milo.

The Church is One, Holy, Catholic, and Apostolic since the time of the apostles. The Church is the Body of Christ. There is only one Body of Christ, and therefore there is only one Church. After the Great Schism of 1054 when the Church in Rome dropped off from the Body of Christ, the Church got the nickname, to say so, Eastern Orthodox, because of the Churches in the eastern Mediterranean that remained the Body of Christ, contrary to the Rome in the west. We say "Churches" because it is a territorial organization of the Church, but each of Eastern Orthodox Churches is the Church, and it is still called One, Holy, Catholic, and Apostolic Church. We find that the Church and the faith is something objective, so there is no such a thing as "personal understanding of what is right", because such personal view can lead to fantasizing about Jesus and therefore to a self-deception.