Geee... I feel like the kid who while playing with matches close to very flammable containers... set a big fire! So let me try to put it out.
I made a mistake. I got a little carried away for several reasons:
- Yes, I am looking into the Orthodox Church as an alternative to the RCC.
- My "beef" is only with this church and NO OTHER (too long to explain but you can read it -- see link below)
- I am not trying to offend anyone's religion! I am simply looking for the one that will "fit my needs," that's all. In our last conversation I asked which church came closest to the RCC in rituals, etc. Several nice people (i.e. Salvation) trying to be helpful, suggested I might look into the Orthodox Church. And so I have been looking into it and to my surprise!... I like what I've seen so far (like a kid in an ice-cream shop: It's just a question of which flavor now :)... so I see a bit of hope, like a "match in the darkness" (pun intended :). So yes, I am a bit excited at the prospect of finding something I thought I could never replace. I don't know if I will ever convert, there is a long way to go, at least a year or two, but I know I will visit several of the Orthodox Churches in its different flavors... and the rest is in God's hands.
If you are interested you can read post # 61 of http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/2264321/posts
- Lastly, I was happy to see this thread on something exclusive to the Orthodox Church, which I don't see that often here in FR or maybe I never noticed? Hmmmm...
- In short, I forgot this "a thread" (public) and not an "Orthodox Group" (private). So I see how the faithful of other religions might take offense to what I said today unless they understand the background.
So, I will remove the picture in my first post and please accept my apologies.
“I made a mistake.”
Don’t worry about it.
“- My “beef” is only with this church and NO OTHER....”
If you end up Orthodox, at some point you’ll come to two realizations. First, that Orthodoxy fulfills all the promises the Latin Church “made” to you; second, you will goive thanks for the Latin Church because it lead you to Orthodoxy. The exact same process works in reverse with Orthodox who become Latins...which is quite a thing!
“If you are interested you can read post # 61 of http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/2264321/posts";
Same advice I’d probably have given you.
“Lastly, I was happy to see this thread on something exclusive to the Orthodox Church, which I don’t see that often here in FR or maybe I never noticed? Hmmmm...”
It is very, very rare to see an Orthodox Caucus thread here. On occasion we will do an Orthodox/Catholic Caucus but even those are uncommon. Orthodoxy stands up pretty well against the assaults of the heterodox, as it has for the past 2000 years. There are a number of very well grounded Orthodox Christians here. If you have questions, Freepmail them and in the meantime, read the comments the Orthodox post. Finally, go to a Divine Liturgy. Here’s what the envoys of Prince Vladimir of Kiev reported back to him upon their return from an investigation of religions expedition in 987:
“”When we journeyed among the Bulgars, we beheld how they worship in their temple, called a mosque, while they stand ungirt. The Bulgarian bows, sits down, looks hither and thither like one possessed, and there is no happiness among them, but instead only sorrow and a dreadful stench. Their religion is not good. Then we went among the Germans, and saw them performing many ceremonies in their temples; but we beheld no glory there. Then we went on to Greece, and the Greeks led us to the edifices where they worship their God, and we knew not whether we were in heaven or on earth. For on earth there is no such splendour or such beauty, and we are at a loss how to describe it. We know only that God dwells there among men, and their service is fairer than the ceremonies of other nations. For we cannot forget that beauty. Every man, after tasting something sweet, is afterward unwilling to accept that which is bitter, and therefore we cannot dwell longer here.”