crazy book

[jckstraw72]

http://biblicalthought.com/blog/is-eastern-orthodoxy-christian/

check out the chapter summaries of this book. the most interesting thing i saw is that it claims that we count the Buddha among our Saints (?!). any of ya'll heard of this book or encountered anyone who's read it?

[Khaleas]

That looks pretty scary to me...

I like the fact that they got it all wrong right from the beginning...and if you need that many titles to prop yourself up... well, that's a red light for me (reminds me of Bishop Draperod)....
Scholar, theologian, apologist, and pastor, Dr. Robert A. Morey, defines, documents, and refutes the group of religions that go by the name "Eastern Orthodoxy," in his latest book Is Eastern Orthodoxy Christian? (http://shop.faithdefenders.com/product_p/books-colon-iseochristian.htm)

And this... yikes...sounds like they are out trolling here to figure out how we work... If you go to the front of the page and look where it says, that the EO book has arrived... look at the comments... *barf* These are the kinds of christians I always wonder how they can indeed consider themselves that...
I'm still looking for the forums...

One advantage in purchasing multiple copies (http://shop.faithdefenders.com/product_p/books-colon-iseochristian.htm)of the book is because, usually, Protestant converts to Eastern Orthodoxy like to read, and read a lot. So, this book acts like a big fat tract that will get read, and as I mentioned earlier, perhaps by God's sovereign grace He'll save some. There will also be mass discussions on the internet. So, get your copies today (http://shop.faithdefenders.com/product_p/books-colon-iseochristian.htm)and get up-to-speed so you can participate intelligently in these highly influential discussion forums. See biblicalthought.com for forum and blog listings discussing this book and its topics.

[nutroll]

I love the lines where it says Dr. Morey quotes [insert Orthodox theologian or Saint] and says "...." and what is in the quotes is Dr. Morey's words masquerading as an official Orthodox proclamation. The way the sentence is constructed to deliberately deceive is telling. It's obvious that a certain amount of research must have been done if for no other reason than to collect quotes to distort. It's a shame that the research wasn't done with an open heart.

[Thekla]

hmmm ...

http://www.pakistanchristianpost.com/articledetails.php?artid=181

[Khaleas]

hmmm ...

http://www.pakistanchristianpost.com/articledetails.php?artid=181
That's probably closer to the truth LOL...

[Thekla]

on his faithdefenders.com website, says he studied or worked with (?) Francis Schaeffer -- Frankie Schaeffer's dad.

(the 'offending degree', mentioned in the previous link, is not mentioned)

[Jacob4707]

http://biblicalthought.com/blog/is-eastern-orthodoxy-christian/

check out the chapter summaries of this book. the most interesting thing i saw is that it claims that we count the Buddha among our Saints (?!). any of ya'll heard of this book or encountered anyone who's read it?

Read the comments. Perry Robinson has now read the book and made some scathing remarks in the comments already. He intends to review it more fully on his blog, along with other recent books by Protestants about Orthodoxy:

http://energeticprocession.wordpress.com/

[ClementofRome]

Man, Perry is going after that guy in the comments section of the authors site!!!

Prediction, ..... Morey will ultimately be too busy to debate him...

[ArnautDaniel]

http://biblicalthought.com/blog/is-eastern-orthodoxy-christian/

check out the chapter summaries of this book. the most interesting thing i saw is that it claims that we count the Buddha among our Saints (?!). any of ya'll heard of this book or encountered anyone who's read it?

I'm guessing they are referring to the medieval text "Barlaam and Joasaph". Yes, it appears to have taken the biography of the Buddha and created a fictional person "Joasaph" from him that was a Christian.

Joasaph was treated as a saint in the West.

Anyway, given that several pagan deities became saints as well, where is the surprise?

[cassc]

hmmm troubling....

[MacariusRomanus]

I'm guessing they are referring to the medieval text "Barlaam and Joasaph". Yes, it appears to have taken the biography of the Buddha and created a fictional person "Joasaph" from him that was a Christian.

Having read Barlaam and Joasaph, and it is a very good book, I have serious doubts that Joasaph is a Christianization of Buddha. Granted, there are certain elements that are parallel to the Buddha story, but they could easily be coincidental (considering that India is, well, a rather big area where many kingdoms flourished). And of course, since hagiography isn't necessarily 100% accurate, there might have been some foreign elements mixed into a story of a real Christian saint. But I'm more than sure that St. Joasaph really existed.

[jckstraw72]

Anyway, given that several pagan deities became saints as well, where is the surprise?

examples?

[Andrew21091]

Lord have mercy.

[ArnautDaniel]

Having read Barlaam and Joasaph, and it is a very good book, I have serious doubts that Joasaph is a Christianization of Buddha. Granted, there are certain elements that are parallel to the Buddha story, but they could easily be coincidental (considering that India is, well, a rather big area where many kingdoms flourished). And of course, since hagiography isn't necessarily 100% accurate, there might have been some foreign elements mixed into a story of a real Christian saint. But I'm more than sure that St. Joasaph really existed.

I've read it as well, and I'm inclined to credit the idea that it is an altered version of the story of the Buddha.

Anyway, given the amount of this sort of thing that goes on in the modern day (especially on the internet), it is very likely to have happened in the past.

[ArnautDaniel]

examples?

Brigid of Kildare.

[Thekla]

Brigid of Kildare.
respectfully submitted, thats going to be hard to prove


(was this proposed by Frazer? or is it earlier ?)

[Rick of Wessex]

Brigid of Kildare.

Sorry, but this is just a modern fantasy invented by Protestant iconoclasts and "bought" by New Agers and Neo-pagans (for very different reasons, though).

Saint Brigid was a very real person (just like you and me), whose life was was latter embelished by her many biographers.

Please, read this paper about her - it is very well written and extensivelly researched. It will dispel the unfounded myths about her being a "pagan deity":

http://monasticmatrix.org/commentaria/article.php?textId=6

Rick

[Prawnik]

Just because there may have been a pagan Irish deity named "Brigid" doesn't mean that Saint Brigid and that deity were one and the same.

After all, there was a Saint Dionysus and a pagan Greek god "Dionysus". I don't think anyone claims that the two are one and the same.

[ArnautDaniel]

respectfully submitted, thats going to be hard to prove


(was this proposed by Frazer? or is it earlier ?)

With all due respect, the alternative is just as hard to prove.

[ArnautDaniel]

Just because there may have been a pagan Irish deity named "Brigid" doesn't mean that Saint Brigid and that deity were one and the same.

I don't recall the details off hand, but the argument goes well beyond the common name. It gets at the particular stories attributed to St. Brigid and the kinds of things associated to the deity.

After all, there was a Saint Dionysus and a pagan Greek god "Dionysus". I don't think anyone claims that the two are one and the same.

I thought the Greek name was typically "Dionysius" for a person and "Dionysus" for the deity.

[Thekla]

With all due respect, the alternative is just as hard to prove.
exactly !

however, I think this may have come from Sir James Frazer or his 'ilk'.
Not only was his thesis "loaded", his scholarship is found to be wanting. Given this, I think it would be wise to view the information with some skepticism.