Russia to introduce Orthodox religious education in schools for the first time since the Tsars

smh.com.au ^ | November 20 2002 | The Telegraph, London

[crazykatz]

M.B, You are ignorant of the Scriptures....YET AGAIN...

EVEN CHRIST REFERRED TO HIS FOLLOWERS AS SHEEP.

And you thought you were being so cute.

And, by the way....your idea of an apology isn't....when it comes to bigotry....honey... YOU WIN HANDS DOWN!!

I Think I will stop off at the rescue mission today and leave a donation for the HUNDREDS OF ALCOHOLIC HOMELESS FOLKS WHO COME THERE FOR FOOD DAILY!!

I work at a private social service agency nearby as a volunteer....often it is like a full-time job. I KNOW theses very SAME problems exist here in the USA. The USA is a wonderful country but "IT AIN'T HEAVEN ON EARTH"...as one my former homeless clients used to say.

IN the USA....there are all the problems that you say exist so rampantly in Russia. IN THIS VERY RICH AND FREE COUNTRY!! I guess since your "church" is SO involved overseas...you all didn't see all those homeless folks hanging around mission rescue centers in the USA.

CAST THE MOTE/CINDERS/STICKS OUT OF YOUR OWN COUNTRY'S EYES....BEFORE YOU GO MESSING WITH ANOTHER COUNTRIES PROBLEMS AND BLAMING THOSE PROBLEMS ON THEIR WONDERFUL CHURCH.

[A. Pole]

Excellent. Glad to hear it. Were you born in Poland?

Yes, and I grew up there.

[Polycarp]

Tell me honestly, is this what you would do? I sincerely doubt it.

I have helped support that independant evangelical church in Haiti I mentioned previously, both by medical missionry trips there as well as sponsoring one of their children for many years. This in spite of the fact that they are openly anti-Catholic.

I have donated to a Baptist minister who runs our local crisis pregnancy center, by donating the second floor of my office to him for his center for three years, which otherwise would have generated $500 per month rental income for me.

There are other matters I could discuss, but this is not the point.

Question is, What exactly have you ever done to support a Catholic or Orthodox Christian ministry or charity?

I have found the most virulent religious biases to be pretty much a one way street, by evangelicals against orthodox/sacramental Christians.

[Polycarp]

As I've said before, when Orthodox help the poor we do not require them to listen to a lecture or go to our services, no strings attached...that's how it's supposed to be, charity not business....

For these kinds of selfless charitable acts (i.e., feeding the poor, caring for the sick and dying, without demanding conversion as a quid pro quo) many evangelicals on this forum (RnMomof7 comes to mind) and elsewhere have condemned saints such as Mother Teresa to Hell.

This was our Gospel reading yesterday in the RCC worldwide:

Gospel Mt 25:31-46 Jesus said to his disciples: "When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit upon his glorious throne, and all the nations will be assembled before him. And he will separate them one from another, as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. He will place the sheep on his right and the goats on his left. Then the king will say to those on his right, 'Come, you who are blessed by my Father. Inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, a stranger and you welcomed me, naked and you clothed me, ill and you cared for me, in prison and you visited me.' Then the righteous will answer him and say, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you drink? When did we see you a stranger and welcome you, or naked and clothe you? When did we see you ill or in prison, and visit you?' And the king will say to them in reply, 'Amen, I say to you, whatever you did for one of the least brothers of mine, you did for me.' Then he will say to those on his left, 'Depart from me, you accursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. For I was hungry and you gave me no food, I was thirsty and you gave me no drink, a stranger and you gave me no welcome, naked and you gave me no clothing, ill and in prison, and you did not care for me.' Then they will answer and say, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or ill or in prison, and not minister to your needs?' He will answer them, 'Amen, I say to you, what you did not do for one of these least ones, you did not do for me.' And these will go off to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life."

[Polycarp]

working for first helping the poor and second converting those willing to listen

An empty stomach has no ears.

[Polycarp]

Thank you, God Bless you.

[FormerLib]

I have found the most virulent religious biases to be pretty much a one way street, by evangelicals against orthodox/sacramental Christians.

That's hardly suprising, really.

While we do consider them to be Christians, we look to our respective traditional Churches as practicing the fullness of the Christian Faith. They, however, look upon us and declare that we are not Christians. What, with our "graven images", our "vain repititions", and our Traditions.

You're correct, it is not a two-way street with these people.

[Polycarp]

but by your own indications, this was before you were enlightened to the wicked ways of protestants

After, thanks.

[Stavka2]

One, as far as drinking, you've obviously haven't been to any highschool or college parties or out on the town on a Friday night at a disco tech...as for the rest of your comments, they are definitly getting 1. disjointed and 2. pretty Democrat when you try to tar me with some nonsense about Abortion/Planned Parenthood tactics nonsense...what ever. As for Orthodoxy...sorry to bust your bubble but as far as Christian faiths go, it IS the fastest growing in America and we don't even have to advertise or bribe people to come.

[eleni121]

Whether you agree with me or not is not the point. Let me repeat: Christian Orthodox do not have a monopoly on Christianity in Russia. They never have. Protestants have been active in Russia for several hundred years. Protestants should not try to convert people who are already Christian.

Finally, my views on my faith - the Eastern Orthodox faith - is based upon years of experience growing up in the church and observing at close hand the negative qualities of Church affairs. Not all experiences have been negative but enough are. I have also observed and spoken to many Protestants - both the evangelical pentecostal kind and the left wing Castro loving kind. I truly respect the strength and active ministry I have seen in the conservative Pentecostal kind.

Your comments about your personal experiences with refugees are troubling but represent I think a snall number of cases. I am personally aware of Catholic Charities treating refugees with disdain as well, especially those who are not Catholics. As for the Orthodox in general - they do not do much at all unfortunately. The Greek Orthodox Church is more concerned with the Greek festivals and raising money for the Archbishop and cliquish conspiracies than with reaching out to newcomers or the needy. You refer to the Serbian Church helping their own - great, but where is the outreach to others? Serbian refugees have told me that their church did little to assist them when they came here.

I do agree with you that generally modeling righteous behavior works better in conversion matters than a more forceful approach. But the Protestant and the TV and radio and outreach has been doing wonders all over the world!

[Stavka2]

Planes? What are you talking about, I didn't mention any planes. As for your rediculous Planned Parenthood crap it just reinforces the point everyone else has made. Because we disagree with your brand of Christianity being snake oiled into Russia, we are now pro-abortionists? Please, Protestants on the whole are the biggest pro abortionists around...unlike your 40 thousand branchs, the Orthodox/Catholic Churchs have only one stance and it is against. Hell, there's even the Metropolitan Protestant Church...for all the gays out there.

[Stavka2]

Yup, you are so right, that's why my church is helping to support a monk on a mission, my priest's best friend is the Matropolitan for SE Asia where they run large numbers of orphanages, mission churchs and other charities...also why my church saved two families of Ethopian Orthodox Christians and brought them here from Eritria, where the Arabs are killing Christians. Why my church is active in habitat for humanity and regularly raises money for others. Why there is the Orthodox Mission Center for all Orthodox in America in Florida....you're talking and your mouth is moving but you're not making any truthful sense.

[Stavka2]

Oh and by the way, my church is a Greek church, though Greeks are only half the people. A fourth are converted protestants...and no, we weren't out stealing them...they filter in all the time on their own.

[Stavka2]

And we have an out reach program with the other 4 Orthodox churchs to the local State Maximum Security prison...so there.