[Kolokotronis]

“...just as I’m sure Martha Stewart could whip up a great Greek dinner.”

I sincerely doubt that, HD!

I’m at the office and have a busy day ahead, but this whole discussion could become very interesting; more tonight with any luck. In haste, however, I can understand your vehemence. If Orthodoxy is correct, its good bye to all that “Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God” phronema of the West. The opposite, of course, is also true.

“In a way Kolo is right. People wouldn’t be so quick to embrace ecumenicalism if the truly understood the differences.”

No “in a way” about it, HD.

[HarleyD]

In haste, however, I can understand your vehemence.

Vehemence??? No. Pointed, terse??? Yes. I'm busy myself and my thoughts are flying. I don't have time to make my comments fancy-smancy, nicey-nice at the moment. (Are they ever??? :O) )

If Orthodoxy is correct, its good bye to all that “Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God” phronema of the West. The opposite, of course, is also true.

I would agree; it's "Goodbye hell." In retrospect this discussion shouldn't surprise me. Hell is seldom preached in Protestant or Catholic quarters anymore. The closer a church is towards synergism, the less they believe in hell. FK statistics bear that out; more people believe in a God of love than hell. You hear this in many of the "God is love" crowd; "God wouldn't punish those who never heard of Him." Hell is done away with. We don't like to talk about it or think about it because it doesn't fit with the "God of Love" synergistic view.

[FourtySeven]

I'm not one to mince words as probably some on FR realize, so I'm just going to come out and ask it:

Kolokotronis, are you saying that the Eastern Orthodox Church does not believe Hell exists, at all?

Or, are you saying that after we die, we are in the presence of God, and for the unrepentant sinner, this presence is "torture" (for lack of a better word), but for the repentant, it's more pleasant?

Or are you saying that there exists no form of separation for the repentant and unrepentant sinner at all?

Please answer each of these questions with a yes or no answer, so I may learn (even if it may seem redundant to you). I read the website you linked to in your post #10,387, and quite frankly, I don't see how it's that much different than the Catholic position, at least in so much as to say that "While Heaven and Hell are decidedly real, they are experiential conditions rather than physical places, and both exist in the presence of God. In fact, nothing exists outside the presence of God." and, "The Bible indicates that everyone comes before God in the next life, and it is because of being in God's presence that they either suffer eternally, or experience eternal joy. In other words, both the joy of heaven, and the torment of judgment, is caused by being eternally in the presence of the Almighty, the perfect and unchanging God. "

The Catholic position is to simply distinguish the two "experiences", and, in some largely mysterious way we call "Heaven" and "Hell", the two groups of people are separate in their personal experience vis a vis the full presence of God. IOW, the people "in Heaven" do not interact with the people "in Hell" and vice versa. Note, the phrases "in Heaven" and "in Hell" are in quotes in the previous sentence to denote the largely mysterious way this separation is done. At least as far as I understand it.

Anyway, I'm looking forward to hearing your answers to the direct questions above.