Phil Knox wrote:
"We are an open-minded, sincere, peace loving peoples. We accept all theories and only together can we search for the truth."

BYOB--Bring your own beliefs? Okay, I'll bring my beliefs of the four day workweek, insect-worshipping, and the prevention of breaking mothers' backs from stepping on cracks. Save the mothers' backs!!!

Can I join?

================================================

OK. My position is:

"Christians of the Eastern Churches call themselves Orthodox. This description comes to us from the fifth century and has two meanings which are closely related. The first definition means true teaching. The Orthodox Church believes that she has maintained and handed down the Christian faith, free from error and distortion from the days of the Apostles. The second definition, which is actually the more preferred, means true praise. To bless, praise, and glorify God Father, Son, and Holy Spirit--is the fundamental purpose of the Church. All her activities, even her doctrinal formulations, are directed toward this goal."
- Rev. Thomas Fitzgerald

I would, however add:
“For he who is not against us is for us.”
- Mark 9:40

and:
"He prayeth best, who loveth best
All things both great and small ;
For the dear God who loveth us,
He made and loveth all."
- The Rime of The Ancient Mariner
(Samuel Taylor Coleridge)

So there.

Sound bites from the bible can be a dangerous thing. However, here's a 'sound bite', with a link to some context:

John 3, vs 3: Jesus replied, I assure you, unless you are born again, you can never see the Kingdom of God."

https://raybradburyboard.com/eve/forums/a/tpc/f/10010939...591036372#9591036372

quote:

Originally posted by grasstains:
He cut and runned.

Runned is a good word.

quote:

Originally posted by grasstains:
...I'll bring my beliefs of the four day workweek...

Four! Three and a half - please!

quote:

Originally posted by Braling II:
To bless, praise, and glorify God Father, Son, and Holy Spirit...

God Father, indeed, but what about God Mother!?

I only offered a statement defining Orthodoxy.
There are, doubtless, millions of other beliefs.

The words of Jesus are prevalent in many ancient texts and scriptures, most of which were not included in the canon of the Bible by early church fathers with strange motives.

Some of them:

Jesus on reincarnation: "The soul is purified through many births and experiences."

Jesus on vegetarianism: "You shall not eat the flesh of any creature, nor yet anything which brings disorder to your health or senses."

Jesus on Father-Mother God: "Therefore shall the name of the Father God and Mother God be equally praised, for they are the great aspects of God, and the one is not without the other..."

Rubbish, absolute rubbish.
Why are you doing this? Do you expect Christians to say, "Gosh! Thanks for these revelations!"? The Church Fathers, whose minds (and motives) make most of ours appear pathetic by comparison, didn't know as much as you, I guess.
Read St. Athanasius, St. John of Damascus, St. John Chrisostom, or C.S Lewis - if you can!
Sorry for the rant, but this really is becoming unsufferable.

Probably more people read "The Da Vinci Code" than those works you mention.

True. Sad, but true.
More people could describe fictional characters on TV in detail or recount the latest gossip regarding the Glitterati than remember their neighbors' names or those of their children's teachers, too.

quote:

Originally posted by Braling II:
Read St. Athanasius, St. John of Damascus, St. John Chrisostom, or C.S Lewis - if you can!

Lewis, yes! Have read much of him, and he's brilliant (for a Protestant).

Don't read those other folks. By then the Church had become too tainted by Romanism to be taken seriously.

quote:

Originally posted by Braling II:
Do you expect Christians to say, "Gosh! Thanks for these revelations!"?

Sadly, I don't.

What is it about religion and politics, anyway?

I think it's because the beliefs held by folks on these matters are very close to their hearts, and to change their beliefs would be to cause pain to their heart.

SOME of us have gone through an awful lot of searching, reading, studying, etc, before settling on or arriving at our beliefs.
I personally know folks who have endured great persecution as Christians, especially in Soviet Russia and the Middle East. Believe me, you wouldn't last two minutes in an intellectual/religious discussion with some of these folks, nor would I.
As far as being 'too Roman", those I mentioned above (Lewis excepted) were Greek, actually.
Never heard of "Athanasius contra mundum"?
Best to really seek and really find before proselytizing.

What C.S. Lewis have you read?