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Russians Flock to See Virgin Mary Relic
MSNBC ^ | 11/23/11 | Mansur Mirovalev

Posted on 11/25/2011 6:55:10 AM PST by marshmallow

Tens of thousands wait for hours in freezing temperatures to kiss belt that Christians believe was worn by Jesus' mother

MOSCOW — Braving freezing cold temperatures and ice-covered sidewalks, tens of thousands of Russians stood in line Wednesday to see and kiss a newly arrived relic of the Virgin Mary in Russia's largest Orthodox cathedral.

The Virgin Mary's Cincture, a belt that Christians believe was worn by Jesus' mother, was brought to Russia last month from Mount Athos, a monastic community in Greece.

Kissing the relic, which is encased in an ornamental box, is believed to help barren women conceive and heal other ailments.

The line of people, mostly women, waiting to enter the golden-domed Christ the Savior Cathedral stretched for 2.5 miles (4 kilometers) along the Moscow River despite temperatures that dropped to below minus 5 Celsius (23 Fahrenheit).

(Excerpt) Read more at msnbc.msn.com ...


TOPICS: Current Events; History; Orthodox Christian
KEYWORDS: christianity; moscow; religion; russia
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To: smvoice
I know about caucuses. See, I don't go into protestant threads and hijack them -- I'm just not interested. Yet we practically have to put up a force field to prevent you guys from doing it. My question is, why so interested? Why jump like a little kid into every Catholic thread that doesn't have a caucus around it? You hate Catholicism -- that much is clear. And you apparently have nothing better to do with your time than troll the religion forum, scanning eagerly for any thread you can invade.

At this point, any Catholic thread without a caucus becomes a 500+ post battleground. That wasn't what this what meant to be. I jsut don't get why you are so interested in our threads.

181 posted on 11/26/2011 9:15:01 AM PST by Celtic Cross (The brain is the weapon; everything else is just accessories. --FReeper Joe Brower)
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To: narses

Where in Scripture are we instructed to go to confession as the Catholic church teaches?


182 posted on 11/26/2011 9:17:12 AM PST by metmom (For freedom Christ has set us free; stand firm therefore & do not submit again to a yoke of slavery)
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To: metmom

Start with:

“Jesus said to them again, ‘Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, even so I send you.’ And when he had said this, he breathed on them, and said to them, ‘Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained.’ “


183 posted on 11/26/2011 9:18:13 AM PST by narses (what you bind upon earth, shall be bound also in heaven; and what you loose upon earth, shall be ..)
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To: narses
{{{{CRICKETS}}}}

Oh really? You know why I haven't answered for what reason?

Care to guess?

184 posted on 11/26/2011 9:20:05 AM PST by metmom (For freedom Christ has set us free; stand firm therefore & do not submit again to a yoke of slavery)
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To: Celtic Cross

Matthew 1:24-25 as I posted earlier.


185 posted on 11/26/2011 9:20:55 AM PST by metmom (For freedom Christ has set us free; stand firm therefore & do not submit again to a yoke of slavery)
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To: johngrace
>>not Christian fruits( works) new testament works<<

You insert (works) because why? Are you trying to inject a meaning?

“Then said they unto him, What shall we do, that we might work the works of God? Jesus answered and said unto them, This is the work of God, that ye believe on him whom he hath sent.” John 6:28-29

186 posted on 11/26/2011 9:23:35 AM PST by CynicalBear
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To: Celtic Cross; smvoice; CynicalBear; boatbums; presently no screen name; crosshairs

Your beef is with the poster of the thread.

All it would have needed was a *caucus* designation slapped on it.

If you don’t like the neighborhood, stick to caucus threads.

Or post your own about the subject and make it caucus.

And nobody is forcing you to read either.


187 posted on 11/26/2011 9:24:47 AM PST by metmom (For freedom Christ has set us free; stand firm therefore & do not submit again to a yoke of slavery)
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To: Celtic Cross; metmom; CynicalBear; boatbums; presently no screen name
One reason:

"Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine. For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears; And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables." 2 Tim 4:2-4.

You don't have to put up a force field. Just label it Caucus Thread. See how easy that would be? But you don't. For SOME reason, you don't. I find that very curious..

188 posted on 11/26/2011 9:24:56 AM PST by smvoice (Better Buck up, Buttercup. The wailing and gnashing is for an eternity..)
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To: smvoice; Celtic Cross

“And yes it has everything to do with Catholicism.”

Only in that - together with almost ALL of the worldwide Christian community, Catholic believers venerate the Mother of God, just as the Orthodox Russian’s of this article do, as do the Greek Orthodox and the Anglican community and the Lutherans and, well almost all of Christendom now and for the last 2,000 years. Sad that you confuse one small element of commonality with this article being about the Catholic Church. Objectively it is not. That some in their spiritual blindness find it so just demonstrates what blind hatred can do to otherwise probably good folks.


189 posted on 11/26/2011 9:25:01 AM PST by narses (what you bind upon earth, shall be bound also in heaven; and what you loose upon earth, shall be ..)
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To: narses; CynicalBear; 1000 silverlings; Alex Murphy; bkaycee; blue-duncan; boatbums; caww; ...
When you get done with that odd obsession with the sex life of the Holy Family that so many prods exhibit, you might try answering the above question.

When I get done cleaning the house, doing the laundry, raking the yard, and anything else I can do on this gorgeous day, I might get around to answering the question.

Not answering it on your time frame is not evading the issue.

Sheesh, do Catholics still always have to assume the worst about someone? Nothing has changed since I left the church I see.

190 posted on 11/26/2011 9:29:02 AM PST by metmom (For freedom Christ has set us free; stand firm therefore & do not submit again to a yoke of slavery)
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To: narses; CynicalBear; 1000 silverlings; Alex Murphy; bkaycee; blue-duncan; boatbums; caww; ...
1 John 1:5-10 5 This is the message we have heard from him and proclaim to you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all. 6 If we say we have fellowship with him while we walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth. 7But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin.

8 If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. 9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 10If we say we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.

There is no provision in either the OT under the Law or the NT according to Jesus, for confession as the RCC teaches.

God Himself will forgive our sins when we confess them to Him.

191 posted on 11/26/2011 9:32:50 AM PST by metmom (For freedom Christ has set us free; stand firm therefore & do not submit again to a yoke of slavery)
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To: narses
>>You do go to confession regularly, right?<<

Yep, to the only High Priest there is.

Hebrews 4:14 Seeing then that we have a great high priest, that is passed into the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our profession. 15 For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin. 16 Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need. 1 John 1:9 f we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

Jesus trumps your guy in the pointy hat.

192 posted on 11/26/2011 9:36:06 AM PST by CynicalBear
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To: metmom
This, "Heos hou" compared to just "heos" is similar to the old "petros/petras" debate.

First off, common sense. Mary is the ark of the new covenant. Now, the ark of the old covenant could not be touched (you can ask Uzzah about that), and it can be assumed the same holds true for the ark of the new covenant.

Second, the greek 'until' has different connotations. it can mean "to," "unto," "as far as," "even," "till," and "until."

Look at 1 Samuel 15:35, "Until the day Samuel died, he did not go to see Saul again, though Samuel mourned for him." Although the word 'until' is used, he obviously did not see Samuel AFTER he died.

Here are a few more examples, from Catholic.com. 2 Samuel 6:23: And Michal the daughter of Saul had no child to (until) the day of her death. (Does this mean she had children after she died?) 1 Timothy 4:13: Until I come, attend to the public reading of scripture, to preaching, to teaching. (Does this mean Timothy should stop teaching after Paul comes?) 1 Corinthians 15:25: For he (Christ) must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet. (Does this mean Christ’s reign will end? By no means! Luke 1:33 says, "he will reign over the house of Jacob forever and of his kingdom there shall be no end.")

A solution to many Catholoc-Protestant debates would be for all of us to simply learn greek and take a look at the original texts.

193 posted on 11/26/2011 9:36:39 AM PST by Celtic Cross (The brain is the weapon; everything else is just accessories. --FReeper Joe Brower)
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To: narses; CynicalBear; metmom; presently no screen name; caww
AH, of course. Unity of all religions into one by the veneration of the "Mother of God", AKA Mary, mother of Jesus Christ.

It MUST be right, there are SO MANY of us who venerate the "Mother of God". From all nations, and tribes, and religions. We can all come together as one now. We all venerate the "Mother of God."

You misspoke. "Only in that-together with almost ALL of the worldwide" APOSTATE CHRISTIAN COMMUNITY,"Catholic believers venerate the Mother of God..." and so on and so forth. Fear not, the rest will be joining you soon enough. Then it will be a big happy family of a one world religion. Who venerate a Mary belt.

194 posted on 11/26/2011 9:38:30 AM PST by smvoice (Better Buck up, Buttercup. The wailing and gnashing is for an eternity..)
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To: Celtic Cross; smvoice; metmom; boatbums; presently no screen name; crosshairs
>>Can't you focus on your own faith and leave us the friggin hell alone?<<

Wow, I sense pent up anger. Your participation in this thread is voluntary. You could easily choose to ignore it.

195 posted on 11/26/2011 9:41:16 AM PST by CynicalBear
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To: CynicalBear
"Gal. 2:21 I do not frustrate the grace of God: for if righteousness come by the law, then Christ is dead in vain."

"You cannot have it both ways. Either it’s grace or it’s works."

The law he is talking about is the old Testament Law because the temple system(old) was still going on as he wrote those very words. He is comparing the old to the new not what works(fruits) are to a christian. It's old testament works of the temple and law system that is dead.

Its the grace of Christ which will show the fruits(works) of a Christian otherwise it is useless.

Matthew 7:16 Ye shall know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles?

Matthew 7:20 Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them.

Titus 1:16 They profess that they know God: but in their works they deny him; being abominable, and incredulous, and to every good work reprobate.

Hebrews 10:24 And let us consider one another, to provoke unto charity and to good works:

Boy! Now he is talking works. Must be Christian works.

James 2:14 What shall it profit, my brethren, if a man say he hath faith, but hath not works? Shall faith be able to save him?

James 2:17 So faith also, if it have not works, is dead in itself.

James 2:18 But some man will say: Thou hast faith, and I have works: shew me thy faith without works; and I will shew thee, by works, my faith.

James 2:20 But wilt thou know, O vain man, that faith without works is dead?

James 2:21 Was not Abraham our father justified by works, offering up Isaac

James 2:22 Seest thou, that faith did co-operate with his works; and by works faith was made perfect?

James 2:24 Do you see that by works a man is justified; and not by faith only?

James 2:25 And in like manner also Rahab the harlot, was not she justified by works, receiving the messengers, and sending them out another way?

James 2:26 For even as the body without the spirit is dead; so also faith without works is dead.

196 posted on 11/26/2011 9:46:29 AM PST by johngrace (1 John 4!- declared at every Sunday Mass.)
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To: CynicalBear

Wow, your sense is impeccable.


197 posted on 11/26/2011 9:46:53 AM PST by Celtic Cross (The brain is the weapon; everything else is just accessories. --FReeper Joe Brower)
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To: johngrace; CynicalBear

That passage is telling us how to distinguish true saving faith from intellectual assent, not to add works to try to make intellectual assent become saving faith.

That’s the path of deception because then the person can be deceived into thinking they have true faith because they do the *do’s*...

True saving faith will naturally result in works being manifest, not as a matter of conscious choice but just because one is walking in the Spirit.

Besides, read 1 Corinthians 13. All the works in the world are meaningless without the Holy Spirit and the fruit of the Spirit.

The actual evidence of the Spirit filled life is the fruit of the Spirit, not a certain set of works that some men has determined must be the evidence.


198 posted on 11/26/2011 9:52:20 AM PST by metmom (For freedom Christ has set us free; stand firm therefore & do not submit again to a yoke of slavery)
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To: CynicalBear; Celtic Cross
Wow, I sense pent up anger.

I noticed 'the love' expressed, also, the only kind they know.
199 posted on 11/26/2011 9:55:49 AM PST by presently no screen name ( “If it’s not in God’s Word - don’t pass it off as truth! That’s satan’s job. “)
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To: presently no screen name

Typical liberal response. I would expect nothing less.


200 posted on 11/26/2011 9:57:13 AM PST by Celtic Cross (The brain is the weapon; everything else is just accessories. --FReeper Joe Brower)
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