The repentance thread: let us love one another, so that with one accord, we may confess Farher Son and Holy Ghost

[The Liturgist]

We are called, as recent events in our hitherto placid community have shown, to repent, which in Greek means metanoia, which literally means, to change our mind. Lets change our mind about not paying attention to the numerous sticky posts in this forum about not posting in anger, but instead dedicate ourselves to loving one another, even when we disagree.

Our doctrinal importances are different and important, but we will never persuade others that our beliefs are the right ones by being unpleasant to them.

To quote Metropolitan Kallistos Ware, memory eternal, negative proselytism is extremely unorthodox.

And I, your fellow servant of God, propose that it is contrary to the Holy Tradition of the Traditional Churches and of Traditional Theology.

I love you all very much. God bless you,

Rev. Gene

 

[chevyontheriver]

We are called, as recent events in our hitherto placid community have shown, to repent, which in Greek means metanoia, which literally means, to change our mind. Lets change our mind about not paying attention to the numerous sticky posts in this forum about not posting in anger, but instead dedicate ourselves to loving one another, even when we disagree.

Our doctrinal importances are different and important, but we will never persuade others that our beliefs are the right ones by being unpleasant to them.

To quote Metropolitan Kallistos Ware, memory eternal, negative proselytism is extremely unorthodox.

And I, your fellow servant of God, propose that it is contrary to the Holy Tradition of the Traditional Churches and of Traditional Theology.

I love you all very much. God bless you,

Rev. Gene

In a world falling apart the reconciliation of Christians points out our faith in God to the watching world. Not much else is actually effective.

 

[dzheremi]

As my beloved father Fr. Marcus liked to put it (in the context of talking about the Latins, since we were in New Mexico, but also everyone else), the line between who is a Christian and who is an Orthodox Christian is not the same line. This does not mean, however, that we cannot or should not recognize those of other churches for what we hold in common, which is a considerable amount when we are looking at other churches which also hold to the first three councils (to say nothing of what else they may believe or hold to, of course). There were pilgrimage sites in the local area that he told us about going to and when someone asked him if it was okay that we laypeople go to those sites too (with the implied question of if doing so would give the impression of lending credence to the miracles that are claimed to have happened there, when they are miracles belonging to churches that are not Orthodox), his reply was of course we can go -- those are fellow Christians there, visiting their own Christian pilgrimage sites, and what on earth should be keeping us from meeting other Christians and establishing good relations with them?