Christos

I voted "no". I have never needed proof. Scholasticism, which was greatly taught by Thomas Aquinas brought much heresy and destruction to the church . Scholasticism is the attempt to explain everything. Some things can't be explained. I think this speaks for itself.Jesus was basically saying that Thomas had the advantage in belief in that he saw the death and resurrection with his eyes. Modern man however, does not see the death and resurrection with his eyes but rather with his faith, which gives great vision.

1. How/why did you become a believer of Mormonism? I'm not . Though I did spend about 4 months in the church. 2. What is your main attraction to your faith? Beauty, age and a firm foundation on doctrine. 3. What do you think that Evangelicals believe about Christianity? (God/Jesus/Salvation/Bible) I would rather not judge other persons. I do however believe that since finding Orthodoxy I have found a "fullness" of Christianity which was never filled with either Protestant, LDS or the Roman churches. 4. What do you think are the serious differences between Mormonism and Christianity? Why? The LDS do not accept the basic statement of faith which was settled in 385AD and first conceived in 325AD. The Nicene Creed. Their ideas about a three tiered heaven which is a strange interpretation of a quite explicit depiction by Paul on the difference between the saints. Their trinitarian views. Their view that the word is more than just bible. Eternal Marriage. They accept Joseph Smith as a prophet and believe that they will face Jesus, Father and Him at Judgement. That the LDS believe that the Father has a physical being . 5. Briefly, what are your views regarding: a)Highest Source/Authority (writings, leaders, etc), b)God, c)Jesus, d)Spirits, e)Humans, f)Salvation, g)Church/God's People, h)Future/Afterlife a) There is no authority but God. B) God is one, universal. God is three co-existant essences. The Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. All parts of the trinity are of one essence, consubstantial. c) Jesus is God incarnate. He was born of the ever virgin Mary, conceived by the Holy Spirit. Jesus came to fulfill the prophecies, and to save mankind through his perfect, immaculate sacrafice. d) Spirits? Dangerous word! If you are referring to the Heavenly Host, that is too big to discuss. e) Humans are fallen beings. Created in the image of God, this means, perfect, not, big white beard and pink nightgown as Michelangelo depicted him (I wonder if Michelangelo realised how much trouble he would cause with that painting ). Marriage is between a man and a woman but it is written that there shall be no marriage in heaven. When man is resurrected at the last judgement, the church (the communium of the saints) shall become the "bride of Christ". f) Through our Lord Jesus Christ, by the mercy of God. g) Woah! Huge subject! The church is the communium of the saints. That is, anyone who is baptised in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. However, baptism is not necessary for salvation, the mercy of God is. As I said, huge topic. h) Heaven. Revelations paints a nice picture . (again, huge topic, I am too tired to write my usual 4000 word essays this morning ) 6. Do you now, or have you ever had any doubts about Mormonism? If so, what are those doubts, and why? I don't believe it is good for me to answer that. When I found the Orthodox church I knew "this is home". 7. Do you have assurance of salvation? This is the same as saying "are you saved". To which I use the continous present, "I trust that by the grace of God I am being saved". It is possible to fall away. Daily prayers and bible reading help keeps me focused on God and thus on salvation. Saying that, I haven't said my morning prayers yet . I'll be back in about an hour

I thought it was good Lindy.

Decibels are a measure of volume, frequency is a measure of pitch. I can still hear 19000hz but if you wanted to keep me out of your grounds, set it to 17000, it sounds like am having a migraine! Horrible! BTW, do any of you get high pitch sounds when you get migraines? This applies to headaches as well. The lowest I can hear is 68, but it is more of a vibration than a sound. Arghhh! 17000 is really digging into me now. It isn't instant, it takes a while for it to affect you. It is like a dentist drill. I can even smell the sound, so sterile and metallic.

5. Put Decaf In The Coffee Maker For 3 Weeks. Once Everyone has Gotten Over Their Caffeine Addictions, Switch to Espresso. 17. When The Money Comes Out of the ATM, Scream "I Won!, I Won!"

I believe that the most dangerous of emotions or mindsets is Pride. It can lead to so many bad things and is usually the root of the evil. (K.J.V. of 1611) Pro 16:18 Pride goeth before destruction: and an hautie spirit before a fall. Pro 16:19 Better it is to be of an humble spirit with the lowly, then to diuide the spoile with the proud. (K.J.V. as we know it ) Pro 16:18 Pride goeth before destruction, and an haughty spirit before a fall. Pro 16:19 Better it is to be of an humble spirit with the lowly, than to divide the spoil with the proud. Gotta love the Early Modern English spelling

On one of my trips to Turkey, I went to Marmaris and sampled their Turkish Delight. It was so much nicer than the stuff we get imported. I prefer the clear jelly stuff to the stuff with coconut sprinkles on it and rolled up. Of course, it is extremely fattening.

I must agree. The Youth board isn't as busy as it ought to be. But the main forums are usually quite busy.

The purpose of life is to serve God as Father, Son and Holy Spirit. To keep the commandments and to give pleasure to God.

Heres one of my favourite pictures of the Lake District which I took. The lake is Lake Windemere, the most well known lake. Nearby is the home of William Wordsworth and Beatrix Potter (the creator of the Peter Rabbit books) And here is one of my favourite pictures I took of Snowdonia (my favourite place to go for hiking) Yes, the weather was pretty awful, it was Spring so the weather was even more unpredictable than normal. And here is a picture of approaching the summit of Mount Snowdon.

Strictly speaking there are no mountains in England. They don't surpass the 1000 metre mark. But they are increadibly impressive, especcially the crags. The hills were carved by ice in this area of England during the melting of the glaciers. Wales has a mountain, mount Snowdon which I have climbed.....okay, I caught the steam train to the top . It was freezing at the top and it is strange to be stood above the cloud. You could climb to the absolute summit but it was dangerous because of the high winds and the clouds which momentarily blind you as they fly past. Scotland has plenty of Mountains. I love the lake district and will be going camping there in a few weeks. I love tent camping but the friends I am going with want to hire a chalet instead, so it isn't really camping but more like renting a chalet. Personally, I love to camp. But I haven't for so long. . It is costing us hundreds of pounds to hire the chalet when we could just camp for a small fee.

I already have my perfect trip sorted out. Start off on Mount Athos in Greece. Move on to Constantinople (otherwise known as Istanbul ) Take a boat down to Lesvos (a Greek Island) Cruise down the Turkish coast down to the Dodecanese, a series of Islands I have fallen in love with through many vacations there. Spend a few days in Crete. Move on to Crete. Take a ferry to the Holy land. See the Sea of Galilee Go to Iraq to see the remains of the Babylonian empire (hopefully without being blown up in the process) See Sinai and Alexandria (Egypt). If I could only choose one place, it would be, Mount Athos.

Straight away I too thought of that strange poem by William Wordsworth, made famous by the music set to it by Hubert Parry. And did those feet in ancient time Walk upon England's mountains green And was the Holy Lamb of God On England's pleasant pastures seen Bring me my bow of burning gold Bring me my arrows of desire Bring me my spear - O clouds unfold Bring me my chariot of fire I will not cease from mental fight Nor shall my sword sleep in my hand 'Til we have built Jerusalem In England's green and pleasant land Here are some problems with this text (sorry Mr Wordsworth, you are a great poet) England does not have any mountains England did not exist till much after Christ's time. (the land may have but the name "England" certainly didn't) Wordsworth (in my interpretation) is writing about how the church has always seemed to have existed in England. And indeed it has. The church has existed in England well before the famous crossing by St Augustine. There is evidence of Christianity upon these islands from the first century. BTW, there are some texts which were recently found which talk about Jesus living with Buddhists in India (or Hindustan as it was known). I consider this far more likely, though (as you may guess) extremely dodgy.

Actually, I find the mystery quite sexy . I do like the italian humour in the opening post. If there is one thing the Italians are good at, it is sarcastic humour.

The Lenten season in the Orthodox church is not a small amount of time. It must have taken up a good fifth of the year. Myself, I like vegetables and rarely eat ready made meals. I love cooking and bake my own bread and make my own meals. Generally if I want a meat, I might have salmon, trout or chicken. I am more of a fish person than I am for heavy red meats. My family has a strong Arthritis gene and I am trying to keep up on Omega 3 and the oils to lubricate my joints even when I am young. I play piano often as well to stop the fingers and wrists from stiffening up. Yesterday people said they heard me crack when I got out of a chair . I grow a few fruits in our garden and there is nothing better than fresh fruit. As for vegetables, we do try to get it from local farms. Humans are omnivores, not carnivores. Though we should lean more towards the Herbivore. The refrigeration point was very true. I don't know if you have heard of the amazing poet William Wordsworth but he lived near me and his house was built over a brook. The room which was directly over the brook was the refrigeration room. Obviously not everyone could have their own cool brook. Also people had to preserve their meats in ways we don't need to now, like salting, pickling, smoking and soaking it in brandy or another strong alcohol. Yes alcohol does serve a purpose as a preservative. Lord Nelson was preserved in Brandy when his corpse was shipped back to land after the battle of Trafalgar.

I know that it is most possible to give up meat. I did it for Lent. It is Orthodox tradition to fast for the period of Lent. One week before lent there is a week of preparation called "meatfare", this is when all meat apart from fish is cast out of the diet. Then there is clean Monday which comes a week after Meatfare Sunday. This is when you are thrust into the fast. No meat is to be eaten, no fish, no dairy products or anything that comes from an animal. (technically caviar and seafood is allowed but I wouldn't personally allow that, it is an ancient loophole). After a few days your body starts to adjust, first of all you get stomach rumbles. You always feel full. And your stool improves. I felt a lot healthier, my skin was wonderfully clear and I became very healthy in general. After about a week, there is no longing for meat and you forget why you even eated it in the first place, however, giving up dairy is annoying because I do prefer milk chocolate than plain etc. When Lent finishes, at Great and Holy Pascha (otherwise called Easter) people take in the meat carefully. There is a feast after the service which consists of meat (and lots of it) and eggs, and anything that was abstatined from in Lent. I felt so ill after the feast but so happy! Also I was a lot thinner, at the end of Lent I was probably at the correct shape I should be....now I am a little wider round the waist than I should be. . Something which the Orthodox and LDS church can unite in is that the abstainance of such foods is not a personal selfish act but an act of prayer, a means to become more meditative in God. Both churches acknowledge that it is to clean the body, which is described as the "Temple of the Holy Spirit". I watch my cat catch her prey (whether it be bird or mouse) and it really makes me think how we should be like a cat. Excercise plenty and eat occasionally. Eat only when you are hungry. If there is too much food on your plate, do not eat it! If the person is a good host, they shouldn't be offended plus if it were in a restaurant, you do not know what the size of the portions are.

Thanks. I have just come back from Ladyewell which is a Roman Catholic shrine near where I live, dedicated to Saint Mary. I went not for the well, not for the beautiful reflective gardens or for a service but to have a look in the shop which I didn't see have a look round last time I went. Anyway. I bought myself a wooden cross to wear under my shirt (I prefer it to be wooden than gold) and a note cube with a footprints surround. (the footprints poem). Then I saw a second hand book shop next door and in there I bought two books. The Old testament in two volumes. The reason is because they are beautifully bound, only cost £1 and had the apocrypha (which I don't have a compact version of). Then I saw a crucifix. A crucifix which was second hand. The wood was old and worn. The figure was loose, the INRI banner was loose and the cross beam was loose. I put a donation for it and took it home. Then I thought. I better tidy it up a little bit. I noticed that the whole cross was held together not by glue but by the nails of Christ. I took a hammer and tapped the nail for the foot stool. Instantly I felt like the Crucifiers, who I am. The very reason and method for Christ's crucifixion. Then I nailed the banner on again, "Jesus Christ, King of the Jews". Then I nailed the hands, the actual nails went through the hands and as I nailed, I only wanted to tap lightly, the amount of guilt was horrific, I actually felt as though I were nailing Christ to the cross. I looked at this old rugged cross and saw the old figure staring at me. Then I saw what looked like a fault in the casting. There is a rip in the side of the torso. This is where the spear was thrust. I could see right through it. It felt eerie. Though it is an old crucifix, I am glad that I got it because if it hasn't served as anything else, it has been a wonderful tool of meditation and prayer and would have meant a lot more to me than if I bought a new one. BTW, I am not Roman Catholic. My main cross is a bare cross, but I do believe that we should remember the crucifixion as well as the resurrection.

What an excellent topic! :) We must never, ever forget the Holy Spirit. Though it is full of mystery, it is in its own right a part of the trinity which must be acknowledged. I believe in the Father, the Son and of the Holy Spirit. To blaspheme against the Father is forgivable, to blaspheme against the Son is forgivable but to blaspheme against the Holy Spirit... Mar 3:28 Verily I say unto you, All their sins shall be forgiven unto the sons of men, and their blasphemies wherewith soever they shall blaspheme: Mar 3:29 but whosoever shall blaspheme against the Holy Spirit hath never forgiveness, but is guilty of an eternal sin: There is a certain fear to be found in the Holy Spirit that isn't among the Father and the Son. The Holy Spirit seems to be the very essense of the Christian nature. It would be tempting to say that the Holy Spirit is the highest part of the Trinity, but that would be foolish as the Trinity is equal. I do not know, nor claim to know anything about the Holy Spirit, but what I do know is that I want to learn so much more, but how much is to learn on Earth?

What does it take to be born again? First of all, the Grace of God! Secondly, the Grace of God! Thirdly, the Grace of God! I hope you have understood that this is the greatest requirement. We are all sinners, regardless of how perfect some of us may appear to others. Remember the story of the Pharisee and the Publican? You must be humbled to the Lord. You must accept that in your own power, you can accomplish nothing. You are the creature, not the creator. You must be Baptised in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Repent for your sins! Remeber, our God is a merciful God. Lord have Mercy upon me! Again, humble yourself in God. If you truely believe in Jesus as the Messiah and God as the Trinity of The Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, then you shall (in God's Mercy) be accepted into the Heavenly Kingdom of which there is no higher. Excelsis! This comes with prayer, humility and penitence....not overnight. I am still on a very bumpy journey of which I see no foreseeable end. In the words of Pope Benedict XVI (I am not R.C.) "I am a humble worker in the Lord's Vineyard"

elaborate.

The musician has changed but the song is the same. :) The core disagreement is whether our spirits were descended from God or created by God (like making a lego man). I see no union of belief any time soon. Nice quote though, as far as couching your views in a more formal paragraph. We were created by God, in your words " like making a lego man". We were created from dust and to dust shall we return. Also we are made, not begotten, unlike the member of the trinity.

I am coming to the end of "The Orthodox Way" by Bishop Kallistos Ware and I have come across a most excellent paragraph. It is from a subtopic on "Union with God" and this is the first of three examples of unity. I just thought the different viewpoint from a learned theologian would be interesting.

Miracles do happen on Earth today and to increadible degrees! In one of my churches a woman was spontaneiously cured of cancer. Literally over night. We all prayed for her and the doctor found no evidence of the cancer he had seen a few days before. She was diagnosed as terminal but now is a free woman. I have also heard of other medical miracles such as hearts being repaired miraculously. There are even accounts of a saint who lost his hand. He prayed about it and a new one grew from where the last once was. In my very town there have been evangelical miracles. About 70 years ago there was a sudden surge of Christian converts in my town. Churches started to spring out as over three thousand people became converted. There are also sentimental miracles like the crying statues of Mary (I have never seen one of those so I can't be certain on it). There are many records of Christian icons which have poured myrhh from the eyes, as though tears. The Myrhh was used to cure people and they were cured. I have experianced personal miracles. Miracles of evangelism, learning and even had visions. Just because something is old, does not mean it doesn't happen anymore. Jesus is no longer walking on our Earth but he is still among us. He has trampled down death and all affliction. God is the same today, yesterday and tomorrow. Miracles are not of men but of God.

Welcome to the forums Jeanette. I know it sounds a bit pedantic but Forum regulations forbid us from putting our personal details on, and I think that includes first names. I'm sure there is more than one Jeanette out there . Anyhow, welcome to the forums.

Whether it be Hell or the Lake of Fire, the wicked will cease to exist. If God does not know you, you do not exist.