Total posts: 8,050
Not too long after the "Russian Social-Democratic Labour Party" or the Bolsheviks took over Russia, they held elections. They lost and decided to do away with elections.
If you want a fine example of what an anti-Christ government looks like, The Soviet Union is a fine example from modern history.
Is it any suprise that the most vocal socialists are also very atheistic? It isn't, because socialism and militant atheism are inseparable.
Created:
Posted in:
The Bolsheviks claimed to be democratic socialists. First thing they did when they seized power was hold elections. The people voted against them, so they scrapped elections.
How did these people ever seize power? Look at what is happening now. The very same tactics they used to gain enough support to seize power are being used today to trick America into socialism.
Created:
Posted in:
Tolerance is not a vortue.
Charity is.
Charity is superior to tolerance.
Created:
Posted in:
-->
@ludofl3x
Of course I wouldn't support such a thing, but they certainly have a right to exist.
Created:
Posted in:
-->
@3RU7AL
When I say reasonable, I am not simply talking about what leads up to something so much as I am talking about being rational.
Created:
Posted in:
I don't think these studies can be accurate anyway, because the vast majority of people who claim to be religious(at least here in America) don't put that much thought into it.
I think it is some sort of identity fallacy to equate self identification with proof of identity. Someone who goes to church simply to socialize is not in the same category as the person who lives and breathes the faith itself.
These studies can't be scientific because they can not accurately isolate the many variables at play here.
Created:
Posted in:
-->
@ludofl3x
And it should be apparent that mistaking correlation with causation leads to superstitious thinking.
Created:
Posted in:
Homosexuality in itself is a symptom of idolatry.
That is, to show preference to one's desires and passions over Truth and Love.
Created:
Posted in:
-->
@ludofl3x
My parish in particular is full of programmers and doctors. Business owners too, most notably the people who own Twin Liquors(which has 80 locations in central Texas) go to my church. Not to mention that so many of them are fluent in 2 or more languages.
The education level at my particular church is so high, I am one of the least educated attendees.
Created:
Posted in:
-->
@Salixes
If I truly was indifferent towards the issue, I wouldn't have an opinion on it.
I certainly don't hate people who engage in sodomy. That is a baseless accusation.
Throughout all of history and in every part of the world marriahe has always been recognized as a union between a man and a woman. It doesn't even make sense for same sex couples to marry.
The fact of the matter is, people who think they are homosexual are deceived. There is no such thing as an innate homosexual. It is a mental illness. Me saying that in no way condones the mistreatment of the mentally ill.
Created:
Posted in:
-->
@ethang5
They sound just like the bolsheviks.
And just like the bolsheviks, they call themselves democratic socialists. Just like the bolsheviks, when they seize power they will hold elections. Just like the bolsheviks, when they lose the election they will simply do away with elections all together and do what they want.
Young people are really falling for this shit.
Created:
Posted in:
Salixes is calling for the gulags to come to America.
It really hurts to see how popular all these Soviet Union type ideas are among the people on this forum.
Created:
Posted in:
-->
@Salixes
You got it backwards. People get brainwashed into thinking they are homosexual.
There is no such thing as an innate homosexual.
Created:
Posted in:
-->
@3RU7AL
As we live in an age where people's minds have been turned into mush by nihilism and its brother absurdism, reason will become less and less effective as a means of communicating. If there is no absolute truth, reason becomes indistinguishable from rhetoric. It is simply a means to achieve an end. At thisnpoint reason is little more than magic, and it ceases to be reason in any meaningful sense.
Created:
Posted in:
To be able to spell your name in the snow while urinating is TOTALLY male privilege.
Created:
Posted in:
-->
@Discipulus_Didicit
If I didn't care about people who lacked understanding and good sense, I wouldn't be here.
Created:
Posted in:
-->
@3RU7AL
That's the idea, they are being unreasonable.
You can't reason with someone who is being unreasonable.
Created:
Posted in:
-->
@Salixes
Your uncharitable attitude is not conducive to intelligent conversation. Rather, it stops conversation all together.
That is what nihilism does, it is the doctrine of negation.
Created:
Posted in:
-->
@Stephen
Right at the beginning of Genesis you see that God speaks things into existence and His spirit hovers over the waters.
God is One with His Word and Spirit.
If this wasn't the case, God would not be present in creation. If God wasn't present in creation, creation would not exist.
Created:
Posted in:
-->
@zedvictor4
I speak of things I know. I have spent plenty of time entertaining folly.
Created:
Posted in:
-->
@zedvictor4
I understand your version of the God concept but regard it as non-sense.
Neither of us can prove the other to be wrong, because as you are well aware the God concept is only a concept. That is to say an internal data construct. A figment of our imaginations in other words.Therefore God is unprovable and the ultimate reality is currently unknowable.
"The Ultimate Reality" is not an arbitrary string of words that can be replaced with anything. The Ultimate Reality is not a concept, it is reality in the truest sense.
And it certainly exists, there is nothing unprovable about it. In fact, the evidence for God is so overwhelming you have to be blinded in some way not to see it.
Nonetheless I still maintain that the God concept is reasonable, but certainly not in the way that you devote yourself to it.No singing or uttering of prayers or incense burning or fancy outfits or pointy buildings required
You don't understand why these things are done, so you don't have an informed opinion.
Created:
Posted in:
Every major religion in the world recognizes sexual immorality. It isn't strange that the godless communists who want to force the world into anarchy delude themselves and others into denying the reality that these things are understood as immoral for no arbitrary reason. It has everything to do with accepting reality.
Created:
Posted in:
-->
@Stephen
The problem here Stephen is that in denying the incarnation you exclude the possibility of having epignosis.
That is why we in the church recognize that yours is a false gnosticism. In denying the incarnation, you undermine your claim to being a true gnostic.
For what? So you can say that what you do with your body doesn't matter because it is all ashes? It is a way to avoid real spirituality while at the same time feeling smug in one's ignorance, and secure in one's science falsely so called.
God is One with His Word and Spirit. Certainly Moses believed this, as did all the prophets. Otherwise, how could they even say, "thus sayeth The Lord?"
The Jews who accepted Christ became Christians. The ones who rejected Christ failed to see how their messiah is The Incarnate Word of God. They don't recognize their God. However, they have been prepared to see it should they come and see for themselves.
Created:
Posted in:
-->
@Salixes
"We certainly don't recognize a union between two members of the same sex as a marriage."....is a euphemism for "we hate homosexuals".
No, see, we don't hate homosexuals. We understand that they have been deceived into believing things about themselves that are not true.
Why accuse me of hating so called "homosexuals"? Why not accuse them of being intolerant of the opposite sex? There is no such thing as a homosexual, it is a choice of behavior.
The issue here is one of pride. Pride is not something to be glorified, it blinds people to the trurh and corrupts the heart.
grounded in identity fallacies" is both hollow and devoid of any substantial meaning.The facts I presented are irrefutable and were fully backed up by viable evidence.I have also clearly demonstrated and proven that adhering to (many) Christian "disciplines" is the root cause of inciting hatred towards others.Trying to sell up draconian hateful beliefs by ignoring facts and an overwhelming groundswell of (well-justified) disgust certainly isn't going to enhance such a (lost) cause.The days of utilising religion to mask what is no less than unwanted, anti-social evilness are well and and truly over."Deviation" (as you put it) from Christian discipline is what has made made decent, secular society to surge ahead in leaps and bounds in terms of quality of life and moral standards. We have long ago cast the shackles of the negative, hate-ridden, fear-mongering, morbid religious influences which have caused more harm and suffering to mankind than any good it has ever (deceptively) promised.
Orthodox Christianity in no way resembles your caricature of the faith.
Our religion is Truth worship, plain and simple. You do not understand our ways, and your approach is counterproductive towards getting understanding.
If you want understanding, humility and charity is the way. Pride and hatred will only lead you down a path of delusion. It is choosing death over life.
Choose life.
Created:
Posted in:
-->
@Salixes
The Incarnate Truth does not lie.
Rather, to deny The Incarnate Truth is to say that not even a type or shadow of The Truth is present in creation.
If you truly knew who Christ is, you would have no doubt. Being that The Truth is revealed to us, we are not speaking of things that we ourselves are not witnesses to.
I can see plain as day that God is everywhere present and fills all things. How could I deny my Lord and my God? The Incarnate Truth is revealed in the things that are made, for the things that are made are unified to His flesh. The Spirit of Truth clearly gives life to creation.
The Supreme Being is God. If you say there is no supreme being, you are denying that there is even reality.
Created:
Posted in:
I don't think an unreasonable person is someone who acts without reason, so much as a person who refuses to be reasonable.
That said, I think it is silly to think that there isn't a reason for doing something. Unreasonable people are even unreasonable for a reason!
Created:
Posted in:
-->
@Salixes
Yet if people actually followed the teachings of Jesus, we would have a saner society.
Why attribute the violence of those who deviate from Christ's teachings as being the fault of Christ?
Christ Himself says,
"Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven. Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity."
Created:
Posted in:
-->
@Salixes
I dispute your facts, because they are grounded in identity fallacies.
Deviation from Christian discipline is what leads to things like hatred. Hatred is incompatible with true Christianity.
And so if someone does not behave as a Christian should, how can you ascribe this as Christian behavior? It isn't.
Created:
Posted in:
-->
@Salixes
We certainly don't recognize a union between two members of the same sex as a marriage.
That being the case, it isn't right for the government to demand churches to conduct marriage ceremonies between same sex couples.
That all said, it is a different ballgame when you are working for the government.
Created:
Posted in:
-->
@Salixes
As God is The Ultimate Reality, denial of this God can only be ignorant or superstitious. It is a deluded position.
But the key here is that someone who is deceived by definition is not aware that they are deceived, so it isn't right to hold it against them.
You don't know what God means, so you deny God exists.
The Ultimate Reality is God. God is reality as it truly is.
Created:
Posted in:
God forbid we make this about getting pregnant, lest men of the future think that being modified surgically to be able to become pregnant makes it ok for them to live in defiance of reality.
Created:
Posted in:
-->
@BrotherDThomas
It is simply a matter accepting that God is reality, and being that it is reality that catastrophes befall mankind, making peace with that is making peace with God.
Created:
Posted in:
-->
@BrotherDThomas
To accuse God of being a serial killer is not something real Christians do.
Created:
Posted in:
-->
@TheRealNihilist
The road is tough, it is hard. But you get a real nice view of downtown.
Run me over, it's ok, Like I said. Hard. Tough. Enjoy the view.
Created:
Posted in:
-->
@TheRealNihilist
Exactly what I mean.
I suppose the pursuit of understanding would be meaningless to someone who identifies as a nihilist.
Created:
Posted in:
-->
@TheRealNihilist
Science means I know I am a state highway.
If you say otherwise, that means you are a nazi-commie who is against highway rights.
Created:
Posted in:
-->
@TheRealNihilist
I believe that I am consistently a high quality poster.
What you get out of me is directly proportional to the amount of honest effort you put into having a conversation with me. Simply trying to disprove my position is a waste of time when you don't understand it. You won't understand it if you reject it upfront.
I represent a very simple position, one that gets to the root of atheistic superstition. If I was believed, it would be apparent that I am only speaking the plain and simple truth. There is no reasonable argument against the position I represent, because it is flawless.
What is my position? The Eternal Way of Truth.
Certainly a position that goes beyond me.
Created:
Posted in:
-->
@Salixes
Your accusations are unfounded, you are simply trying to justify your unwillingness to entertain or even come to understand what I am saying.
The Ultimate Reality is what we have always meant by God. For thousands of years. You don't understand our ways, because they are hidden from you.
If you do not know the God you worship, how can you meaningfully do so?
Or religion is worship of God in Trinity, that is, worshipping The Ultimate Reality in Spirit and in Truth. That looks like somethjng. These are not fill in the blank words that could be arbitrarily replaced with any and mean the same thing.
If you do not understand something, it is more humble and even reasonable to ask questions for the sake of clarifying. If you are not interested in anything other than to win the argument, you are no longer debating. Debate without the intention of arriving at The Truth is vain. If you are simply trying to "win" with a false position it is more beneficial to obscure what your opponents actual position is than to come to understand it and then meaningfully address it.
So yeah, if you want to simply be a mocker, go ahead. It is easy. You'll find that it is a lot easier than having a real debate. You'll find that mocking is more common than real debate.
Created:
Posted in:
-->
@Salixes
Our religion is love of The Truth, and that discipline in action is the purifying of the nous of intentions, passions, and motivations that compromise that love of The Truth.
Orthodox Christianity when practiced properly leads to a saner and more rational people.
But if you want to believe that because you aren't "religious" that means you are smarter and that religious people are dumb, I'd say that this uncharitable attitude is not conducive to really learning the truth of things.
Created:
Posted in:
-->
@Salixes
The Orthodox Church certainly recognizes God as The Uncreated Creator.
The Orthodox Catholic Church is the definitive Christian Church.
Created:
Posted in:
It isn't right to hate gays or anyone.
I would say that someone who thinks they are a homosexual is deceived. I don't accept that as being who someone truly is. When you make these behaviors a matter of personal identity, you are doing something perverse and demeaning.
I don't believe that homosexuality is an innate part of a person anymore than thievery is. No one is born a murderer or to be less extreme, an electrician. Our behavior is what manifests these things, not genetics or feelings.
Created:
Posted in:
-->
@Salixes
I suggest you learn about the faith at an Orthodox Church, because the bible isn't intended to be interpreted and understood outside the context of the church.
Would I bake the cakes? Sure. Do I personally believe that a business has the right to refuse service to anyone for any reason? Certainly.
In other words, if a baker does not want to bake a wedding cake for a man and his g.j orse, he should have the right to do so.
The government shouldn't tell churches who they can and cannot marry.
The government shouldn't tell churches that for anti-discrimination reasons we have to have sodomites on staff.
The government should stay out of the church, and that is what I care about. We don't need to be told we need women priests or deacons with sugar in the tank.
Created:
Posted in:
-->
@TheRealNihilist
Reasoning has very little to do with why I identify as a state highway.
It's all feels.
And being that self declaration is proof of identity in 2020, my feelings are validated by science or something.
Created:
Posted in:
-->
@ethang5
I see what you mean.
And it is certainly an error to say that The Trinity implies 3 Gods or that God is divided in 3, or is in 3 parts.
Created:
Posted in:
-->
@Stephen
That isn't true, and we have documents to prove that The Trinity has always been a part of church teaching, that Jesus was considered divine even pre-nicea.
You don't understand The Trinity, and neither does the west because the filoque that the Latins added to the creed perverted the doctrine into something unrecognizable.
The problem here Stephen is that you are one of those pseudognostic types who rejects the divinity of Jesus and thus the incarnation. So integral is the incarnation to the doctrine of salvation that it is inseparable from enlightened Christianity. A Christianity that rejects the divinity of Jesus is no longer Christian.
There is nothing difficult about the trinity if you understand incarnational theology. It's simple. God's Word and Breathe share in His divinity. To deny this is to deny God's presence in the world.
Created:
Posted in:
-->
@zedvictor4
It isn't possible to show how these things are wrong to people who don't understand morality in the same way.
Do whatever you want so long as you are not hurting anyone is not moral to us. In fact, it is the type of thinking that comes from a moral system so alien to ours as to be utterly incompatible.
Created:
Posted in:
-->
@Salixes
I am filly capable of explaining the position I hold.
However, because you are dismissing me for not presenting evidence rather than asking me to explain, it is apparent that you have your mind made up and are not actually wanting to hear any rationale.
What did I say? Sexual immorality is a symptom of idolatry. It certainly is.
Created:
Posted in:
-->
@Salixes
Homosexuality falls in the category of sexual immorality.
Created:
Posted in:
-->
@BrotherDThomas
God cannot break the law, the premise is foundationally delusional.
Created:
Posted in:
-->
@ludofl3x
It is not an argument thst I am making, rather an assertion of what we believe.
Created: