Those Battling 45,000 Denominations

Author: RoderickSpode

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#301
Castin
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@Mopac
They would say the bible says it, I believe it, and thats that!
Yep. Cannot count the number of times I've heard that.

Or
I believe in Jesus Christ and that's that!

Maybe ignoring their own interpretation of these things!


Well, Jesus Christ left a church. The beginnings of which are accounted in The New Testament. The Church is still around today in The Orthodox Catholic Church. 


It isn't that we de-emphasize the Bible. Quite the contrary, we revere it as a holy icon. We love the bible. We kiss the bible even. We do everything in a very biblical way. Protestants tend to(I have to say tend to, because there is no unified protestantism) overemphasize the bible. They do this because they reject The Church!
To be honest, in America most Christians don't even seem to be aware of the Eastern Orthodox Church. The church foremost in their rejection is the Catholic Church. Can't really blame them for not liking the papacy. It practically deifies this one man sitting in a gilded palace. Though the current one seems to refuse to stay in the gilded palace.
#302
Mopac
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@Castin
Our issue with the papacy is pretty much the same thing.


However, we don't actually see them as the Catholic Church. They broke away from the Catholic Church a thousand years ago.


The Orthodox Catholic Church is the official title of our church. The Roman Catholic Church broke away with from us. This iis confusing to people, so we usually just say Orthodox in America. We are technically Catholics.

All of western Christianity descended from Roman Catholicism, protestantism is literally a protest against the Roman Church.


The Orthodox Church is tiny in the US, and we get confused with the Latins a lot. Protestants will say we are "too Catholic", which turns them off at first.

However, we get a lot of converts thst were formerly clergy in protestant churches. It is hard to avoid us if you study church history. In fact, there is a former Roman Catholic priest at my parish who says one of the reasons he became Orthodox is that the first thousand years of church history is all very much centered in the east!

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#303
RoderickSpode
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@Mopac
What is the Orthodox Church's view on house and underground churches in countries like China and the Middle East where there really is no denomination? Christians basically forced into house and underground churches to hide from persecution.
#304
Castin
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@Mopac
Keith doesn't know what he's talking about. He doesn't really understand our faith, so him claiming that Paul and John differed is a matter of his faulty interpretation not reality.

They were both Orthodox Christians with common faith.
keith usually knows a good bit of what he's talking about. He's annoying like that. One day I'd like to take him out of his comfort zone of knowledge and thrust him into something totally out of his element. Like make him sing karaoke. Or maybe force him to go on Dancing With The Stars. At gunpoint. I assume everyone who goes on that show has to be forced at gunpoint.

#305
Mopac
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@RoderickSpode
Well, we certainly wish the best for them and that God keep them safe.

Fyi Most Christians in the Middle East are Orthodox.  




#306
Mopac
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@Castin
When it comes to Christianity, he has a very western academic skeptical viewpoint which is more interested in undermining or casting doubt than anything

Besides thst, it is inaccurate.
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#307
RoderickSpode
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@Mopac
China would probably be a sufficient example. The house/underground churches tend to resemble more the Pentecostal church.
#308
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@RoderickSpode
There is an Orthodox Church in China, but the overwhelming majority are some type of protestant.


Here is a clearer expression of our position from scripture...


"John answered and said, Master, we saw one casting out devils in thy name; and we forbad him, because he followeth not with us.

And Jesus said unto him, Forbid him not: for he that is not against us is for us."