Orthodoxy

We are many members but one body.

Ask the Philistines.

>Why would I join some shitty Catholicism knockoff when I could just...be Catholic?
Because maybe you're not a Satanic pedophile?

>Scripture and liturgy originally composed in Greek
R u even trying? condom wearer

Romans are NOT Catholic.

Romans were early Protestants

Romans have always been Romans.

I have. Orthodox spiritual writings are amazing

>because I gave a man a handjob when I was young and naïve I should surely be put to death
Lol faggot.

You could always become a catholic priest though.

No, we are to love our brothers, not judhe, condemn, fight, accuse, slandor, or murder them.

The Church is also the Body of Christ, through the Holy Sacrament of Holy Communion by receiving His Body and Blood literally, we are in Communion with Christ.
As the Church is the physical Body, thus His Spiritual body is the members in Spirit and Commuinon with Him. The visible and invisuable Church.

However, the organ theory is incorrect as Christ cannot be corrupted. You cannot have one long Orthodoxy and another Roman Catholic, because the Roman Catholic is very much fallen and corrupt. Christ cannot be corrupt. Likewise, as the two natures of Christ cannot be divided yet are distinct, the visible and invisible Church cannot be divided or broken into 30,000 churches, as Protestants like to think. That is very much Nestorianism.

>God is supremely good. Of all creation that is capable of rational thought and free will, some are friends to God, some are His true servants, some are estranged, and there are others who, despite their weakness, take their stand against Him. We might imagine that God's friends are those angelic beings which surround him (Seraphim, Cherubim etc...). His true servants are those who sincerely attempt to do His will to the best of their ability. The estranged are those who have not yet met Christ. His opponents are those who go out of their way to attack Him and those who believe.

>Lets focus on His true servants because that is all humanity can ever hope to be. In order to be His servant we first must attempt to know who He is. God is the life of all free beings. He is the salvation of all, of the just or the unjust, of the pious or the impious, and of the young or the old. He is like the sun's warmth which is the same for everyone without exception (Rom 2:11). An impious man is a rational being, one that must die, who willingly runs away from life. A Christian is one who attempts to imitate Christ in thought, word and deed to the best of their ability.

Welcome brother. Christ is Risen!

I am Catholic but not Roman.

Is a man truly a "brother" if he, and his family, are killing me or my family?

>The angelic friends of God live in a higher plane of existence which is uncorrupted by sin. These beings are capable of rational thought and attempt to influence our plane of existence when they can. Of course they are not omnipotent so their influence is limited to what God permits. The blessed man attempts to mirror his life to those angelic beings (who are themselves imitators of Christ). In his mind, the Christian attempts to spiritually raise himself up to heaven and perceive the world as Christ did, then act accordingly. We are incapable of perfectly achieving this goal, but the mere act of striving for it is a key to our redemption. The blessed sincerely believes the validity of God's commandments and does all that he can to obey them even through failure. Attempting to live righteously is a constant struggle within one's consciousness but by simply engaging in it we begin to imitate God Himself. Rejecting earthly values is the willing acceptance of ridicule in exchange for a spiritual kingdom.

>Christians have many reasons to reject the world; either for the hope of things to come, or because of the number of their sins, or simply because they love God. Without these objectives, denial of the earthly pleasures would make no sense. We believe God will judge us if we do not prepare for Him and will likewise reward us if we love Him (Heb 11:6).

>Those of us who wish to escape this worldly prison, to free ourselves from Pharaoh, need our own version of Moses to be our intermediary with God, to translate His will for us. Those who believe in God but attempt to serve Him on their own terms, without a leader, are deceiving themselves. We need someone to teach us how we can best serve God.

Christ is our leader and although we fail Him, let us try our best to follow His example because He truly knows how to make us happy. His teachings are those of our Creator Himself, it would be arrogant and foolish to reject them. Let all those considering this marvelous, tough and painful yet paradoxically easy leap of faith remember that Christ promised to help us and that our rewards are peace and happiness.

>If we decide to take the leap, we must prepare a fertile soil from which Christ's vine can grow. Therefore, a Christian will attempt to turn away from worldly pleasures in order to pursue heavenly ones. Innocence, abstinence and temperance are a thrice-firm foundation upon which we can pursue our faith. Let all infants to Christian life begin with these virtues, taking real infants as their example; for among young children no evil is found, nothing deceitful, no insatiable greed or gluttony, no flaming lust. A Christian must remember that we are all children before the Lord.

>It is detestable and dangerous for a wrestler to be slack at the start of a contest, thereby giving proof of his impending defeat to everyone. Let us have a firm beginning to our spiritual life, for this will help us if slackness comes later. A bold and eager soul will be spurred on by memory of its first zeal and new wings can thus be obtained.

>When the soul betrays itself, when our innocence becomes blemished and our happy warmth grows cold, the reasons for such a loss ought to be carefully sought and, once found, ought to be combated with all possible zeal. The man who turns away from worldly pleasures out of fear is like burning incense, which begins with fragrance but ends in smoke. But the man who leaves the world because he loves God has taken fire from the start and ignited his heart creating warmth wherever he goes.

>Lord have mercy and forgive those who love us, and those that hate us
Yes.

>Some people build their house trusting in masonry. Others raise pillars up from the ground. The blessed builds his house with Christ as the cornerstone (Ephesians 2:20). A subtle mind will understand this analogy.

>Let us run our spiritual race eagerly for we are summoned to do so by God Himself. Our time is short; for what is a man's life compared to eternity. Let us not be found barren on the day of harvest and perish in hunger. Instead, let us please the Lord as soldiers please an emperor; for we are at the mercy of our commander in chief. We should fear God in the way we fear wild animals because God and His creation are both sublime. I have seen men do wickedness with no fear of God and these same men become afraid of a police dog. Such blindness is the precursor to spiritual death.

>We should love the Lord as we love our friends. I have seen people casually dismiss God and I have seen these same people resort to every device, plan and plea to mend a broken friendship. If we can afford such love to our friends, how much more can we love our Creator?

>In this world when our employer summons us to obedience, we answer the call without excuse. We had better be careful then not to refuse the summons of our God. Someone caught up in the affairs of the world can make spiritual progress, if they are determined, but it will be difficult. Just as a man in chains can still walk, so too can a worldly person undertake the spiritual journey. But both will often stumble and injure themselves.

>Some people living carelessly in the world asked a saint: "How can we who are married and have careers aspire to the spiritual life?"

>The saint replied: "Do whatever good you can. Speak evil of no one. Tell the truth and do not steal. Despise no one and carry no hate. Go to church. Be compassionate and avoid all scandals. Love your spouse. If you do all this, you will not be far from the kingdom of heaven."

Anyone who can take this pic seriously is probably beyond reasoning with so I'll just say that your proselytizing does not belong on Veeky Forums

>Let us pursue our spiritual lives joyfully and without fear of our enemies. They are unseen but can sense the disposition of our heart. A fearful and despairing soul is easily lead into darkness. Therefore, let us be brave and walk our spiritual paths confidently fully trusting in our Lord to deliver us.

>The Lord wisely eases the struggles of spiritual novices so that they will not be driven back into the world. Let us then rejoice always in the Lord because He even chooses the adversities we overcome and will never give us more than we can handle. God identifies courageous souls and allows them to become embattled from the very beginning, so that they may be rewarded sooner.

>Having accepted God's grace, it would be tragic to leave the spiritual kingdom we have inherited to go worry about something which cannot aid us in the hour of death. This is what our Lord meant when He told us not to turn back and not be found useless for the Kingdom of Heaven. God knows that we are very susceptible to turning back to the world at the start of our spiritual life. He also knows that some of our relationships can tempt us to give up on our spiritual quest. When the eager man said to our Lord, "Let me go away to bury my father," He replied, "Let the dead bury the dead" (Mt 8:22) because the world is dead compared to the spirit. There are also spiritual entities which attempt to convince us to return to our worldly ways. They make us envy those who have worldly and spiritual successes. They make us regret that we seemed deprived of these virtues.. Their goal is to make us give up in false humility or to cause us despair during our journey. Vanity can lead us to mock the secular life or secretly despise those who do not pursue spiritual paths.

>However, when we are afflicted with worldly desires, we should remember the courage of the saints who have gone before us. We should investigate why these blessed people chose to endure slander and violence. Why they accepted fasting and kept vigils. Why some choose to withdraw from the world entirely and enter into monastic life. Surely these great people were driven by something to not only endure, but to joyously accept hardship. Meditating on the zeal of those who have embraced the spiritual life can inspire us to follow their example. If God answered the prayers of the saints, He will certainly answer our prayers as well.

>There are three renunciations we can take which will aid us greatly in our spiritual journey. We can turn away from the world's expectations, from the appraisals of men, by remembering that only God judges us. Having turned our back to the world, we can then let go of our own expectations for ourselves because we are often our own worst critics. Having success with the first two, the third step is to rebuke the vanity that comes with obedience. As we make spiritual progress and begin reaping some fruits from our labor, it becomes very tempting to view ourselves as superior to those who have not received the same grace. Just as the devil himself was first among the angels, we must remember that "pride goes before destruction" (Proverbs 16:18).

>We should pray to attain a state of holy exile; an irrevocable renunciation of everything in one's familiar surroundings that hinders one from attaining virtue. Holy exile is a disciplined heart, unheralded wisdom, an unpublicized understanding, a hidden life, masked ideals. It is private meditation, prayers for humility, a wish for simplicity, the longing for what is divine. It is overflowing love, a rebuke against vanity, a deep silence.

...

>The Lord says that every prophet is without honor in his own country (Jn 4:44). We then must remember that our act of renunciation is not for empty honor. Holy exile is a spiritual separation from everything, in order that one may hold on totally to God. It requires great sacrifice. A holy exile is a fugitive, running from all that tries to distract him from God. Do not wait for souls that are still enamored with the world when you are pressing on your spiritual journey. Even our loved ones may not understand the spiritual task we are undertaking but we must wish them well and not let their doubts distract us from our eternal glory. Many set themselves on rescuing the indifferent and become lost themselves. The flame within them is dimmed by their environment. So, if you have the fire, run, since you never know if it might be doused, leaving you stranded in darkness. Not all of us are summoned to rescue others. "My brothers, each one of us will give an account of himself to God," (Rom 14:12) Paul reminds us. Again, he declares: "You teach someone else, but not yourself" (Romans 2:21). Paul is admonishing us for being so preoccupied with teaching others that we forget that God is the teacher and that we are all His students.

>Once we are operating from a place of holy exile it becomes possible to liberate ourselves from attachments. Once you have left the world, there is no need to reach out for it; the Lord provides for you now.

>We must beware the ways and guiles of demons. They come with the suggestion that we should not really abandon the world. They tell us of the riches that await us if we pursue worldly passions. We must not give in to their lies, in fact we must use the power of prayer to oppose them.

>Some of us manage for a time to live away from worldly desires. We practice a little piety, compunction, and self-control, but then we are harassed by empty thoughts telling us to turn back. They might tell us that we are a lesson for others, that we are such a shining example of righteousness that we must parade ourselves about for the sake of others. Especially crafty demons will tell us that we would be great rescuers of souls and teachers to the world if only we bring our mind back down to earthly things. These lying thoughts tell us these things that they might scatter abroad the spiritual treasures we are accumulating for ourselves in private. Let us remember Lot's blessed example and flee the dying world without looking back. A soul that has tasted freedom but turns back to the world will be like salt that loses its flavor and becomes a useless ingredient. Run from Egypt, run and do not turn back. The part of you that yearns for worldly pleasure will never reach paradise, allow God to free you from it.

>It is better to offend your parents rather than God. He, after all, created and saved us, while they, despite their best intentions, have occasionally sinned against us (as we have against them).

>A true holy exile sits quietly amongst worldly men as one who speaks a different language.

>If we want to live spiritual lives that does not mean we have to give up our familiar relationships, we simply must be aware to avoid any harm which may come from them. Here, as in everything, Christ is our teacher. It often looked as if He were trying to rebuke his earthly parents. Some people said to Him, "Your mother and your brothers are looking for you," and Christ gave them a detached response that was nonetheless free from any harsh feelings: "My mother and my brothers are those who do the will of my Father in heaven," (Mt 12:50). So let your father be the one who is able and willing to labor with you in bearing the burden of your sins, and your mother the remorse to wash away your iniquity. Let your brother be your companion and rival in the race that leads to heaven, and may the constant thought of death be your spouse. Let your children be the joy in your heart. May your body be your servant, and your friends the holy angels who will always help you if you are true to them; "This is the generation of those who seek the Lord" (Ps 23:6).

>Your love for God will eclipse the love of your family. Your love for them is not diminished but simply reoriented to its source. Only the deceiver tries to convince us that we must place our family's expectations above those of God: "No one can serve two masters" (Mt 6:24). "I did not come to bring peace on earth," says the Lord, knowing how parents would rise up against their children who chose to serve Him. "It was for war and the sword" (Mt. 10:34), to separate the lovers of God from the lovers of the world, the spiritually-minded from the materially-minded, the humble from the proud, the sheep from the goats.

I don't like the idea of people being servants of God. If God wanted mindless servants, why were we given free will? God doesn't want people to submit blindly, because blind submission leads to ignorance.

God created us in his own image. He wants us to think and feel and generate our own ideas. He wants us to find our own way to Him. He does not want slaves and servants. He wants brothers and sisters.

>For by grace you have been saved through faith, and this not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast.

>Contradiction and dissent are pleasing to God when they arise from love of Him; do not let parents or friends distract you from your spiritual birthright. When we are surrounded by doubts and images of those we care about imploring us to give up our spiritual quest, let us think of death so as not to forget the holy reward that awaits us. The deceiver can even use friends and our own families to detain us from the noble contest and draw us back into the world. We had better withdraw from such temptations lest we turn into pillars of salt.

>God gave us the greatest example of renunciation through Abraham's faith when he heard the command: "Leave your country and your family and the house of your father" (Gen 12:1). Obediently, he went to a foreign country where the language was different. We should be inspired by Abraham's faith and trust that God will provide for us when we leave our familiar way of living.

>When we find that God blesses us and we become successful like Joseph amid Pharaoh's courts, we must arm ourselves with a shield of humility. When demons or men lavish praise on us for our successes as if they are some great achievement, let us remember God's infinitely superior achievements which He allows us to enjoy. Let us remember the hands that fastened Orion's belt and set the seasons in motion. Let us remember how He came down from Heaven for our benefit and exiled Himself to earth because He loves us. Let us then offer up our achievements to the ultimate achiever and rejoice that such a Being cares for us.

>To establish a good character within ourselves, to build a fitting temple for the Holy Spirit to dwell, is a difficult and toilsome task. Made all the more so by the fact that no matter how far we progress in the spiritual life, we will never be immune to temptation. Lucifer himself was the brightest Angel before he fell and we must remember not to follow his example. When a man has renounced the world and still returns to its affairs or draws near to it, he will either fall into its snares or will defile his heart with thoughts of it. He will imagine other routes he might have taken and begin to doubt the straight and narrow path laid before him.

You dont have to be an atheist to see the historical half truths and omissions in that pic and the difference between discussing theology and begging for converts

Christ's Church is but One Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church, but this Church is made up of all true believers in Christ, and no mere man holds authority of the whole of it
"For where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I among them"
Matthew 18:20

Jesus Christ doesn't judge you for your failings and your limitations. He Himself was subjected to these things. He fasted in the desert and was tempted many times. He did not falter, but that does not mean he was not tempted.

The Living Word became flesh and saw what we experience. The purpose wasn't to judge and condemn, but to understand. To give the divine a view on our emerging consciousness and the trials and tribulations we face.

Jesus Christ showed us a way through them, but he by no means judged us for our failings. He experienced them himself, and he still loves us. That's what Christianity is.

>Jesus Christ doesn't judge you for your failings

IF you are sincerely repentant.

Sincerity being the key component. Choosing good over evil is the great struggle in all our lives. Fighting indoctrination that tells you that evil is good is the second.

Amen.

>because I gave a man a handjob when I was young and naïve I should surely be put to death

I'm born and raised Roman Catholic, baptized and first communion. it just seems like a lot of hassle to convert to another branch of Christianity.
I do like Orthodoxy more desu

>Why haven't you joined Christ's Church?

b-But im scared of ghosts.

I'm terrified even by the idea of going to church. Somehow, I've gotten in a position where I feel everyone would ridicule me if I went.

I also find it very difficult to believe that (((God))) exists.

Because I find the premise of Christianity distasteful.

>because I gave a man a handjob when I was young and naïve I should surely be put to death
Mate you'll be fast tracked to bishop with that kind of work experience.

ATHEIST FAG:

I have a proposal for you.

Purchase this book, or get info about a good book on quimbanda.

Mess with those entities, try to summon them and mess with them.

The reason why I'm picking these is that they are spirits not related to satan in any way, shape or form.

So if you were a son of satan, you would run the risk of getting posessed like a tool and tormented like a faggot :^)

I have this notion of existence, that most people belong to satan, and since he's at war with yhvh, these fags start atheist memes everywhere.

Well, fuck you because the world is gnostic and there are spirits besides these of satan, I ALWAYS dare people to mess with these spirits instead of satanic ones because these will fuck you up royally apart from being impevious to your possible satanic heritage, while being relatively safe for normal humans.

youtube.com/watch?v=fvSwMpnm76I

>God
>Arguing about who sucks God's cock the best
This is why I don't take you people seriously.

catholics don't need to be re-baptised, it's only a matter of going to a different building

Fuck off and stop ringing the bell.

God finds you distasteful