Offshoot discussion of "what religion are you" thread

[Arien the Maia]

Originally posted by Gwaimir Windgem
[B"right...the Roman Catholic Church is just the Western rite of the entire Catholic Church under the Pope. There are about 22 different Eastern rites...they are extremly similar to the Orthadox church only that they except the Pope as the head of the Church."

I don't really know, but would I be correct to guess that they also adhere to the Catholic (Rather than Orthodox) teaching of clergy; celibacy for all priests, that is?
[/B]

Eastern Catholic married men can become priests if they do desire. But men who are already priest, cannot marry. That is I think that same tradition that the Orthodox hold. Eastern Catholics have the same customs as the Orthodox but the belief in the Pope is the only difference. I've always been interested in ther EAstern Church and the Great Schism of 1054.

[Brill]

Wow, alot of -discussion- (cough, arguements, cough)

Since I am brand spankin' new, I'm goin' to post on the first topic questions.

What religion are you? What race are you? Where did your family originate?

Religion- I consider myself a biblicist. I believe what the Bible says, although I may not do what it says to do all the time.

Race- Huh...wouldn't race also be the same as origin?

Origin- mother was French (actually born in France), Dad is a Canardly. (You --Can Ardly tell what he is) (I'm cheesy)

I'm impressed with how well people here (entmoot boarders) defend what they believe, whether they are agreed with or -fought- against. (I've seen some of the other threads )

[Earniel]

Originally posted by Gwaimir Windgem
Two words: Divine Revelation.

Hi Gwai.

Isn't that a bit a too easy answer? I can imagine god has more important things to reveal divinely than whether or not your neigbour is a sinner.

[Gwaimir Windgem]

Hi, Earniel.

Indeed, of course! Of infinitely greater importance than your neighbour is a sinner is thiss: YOU are a sinner. So many people while telling everyone what sinners they are forget this hugely important part of Christian belief; IMO, this is a big part of what separates the true Christian from the judgementalist who uses Christianity to attempt to rationalize his bigotry.

An interesting story regarding this:

The Hapsburg Emperor Franz Josef was returning from a military campaign and sought refuge in monastery. He sent a soldier before him to announce his coming. "The Emperor Franz Josef seeks lodging in your monastery. Prepare a place for him."
The guest master replied, "There is no room for him."

When the soldier reported this to the emperor, he was furious. He approached the monastery surrounded by his military escort. He called out the guest master and said, "Do you not know who I am? Ruler of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. I demand to spend the night here."

The guest master looked at the emperor in his splendid clothes. Around him were the soldiers with their weapons, but the monk held his ground. "There is no room for you here," he told him.

One of the soldiers drew his sword and said, "Sir, shall I kill this insolent monk?"

The emperor paused. Then he said to the monk, "No, I did not tell you who I really am. I am Franz Josef, a sinner."

The monk said, "Come in, there is room for you here."


But even more important than this, is that God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten son; that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life. For I came not to condemn the world, but that the world through Me might be saved.

[Gwaimir Windgem]

By the way, here is the link to the Religious Knowledge thread.

[Rían]

Originally posted by Arien the Maia
I'll try but I'm getting married next week so it's gonna be hard for me to balance everything! heheh

Congratulations Arien and hubby-to-be !!
Best wishes and prayers for a beautiful marriage!!

Yay! *dances around*

What day is it? (if you have time to post here before the wedding, which I doubt!)

Enjoy your honeymoon!

[Rían]

Originally posted by Gwaimir Windgem
"well yer in the right thread if you have questions."

Almost, but not quite. This thread is for religious debate, I believe; there is a separate thread called the "Religious Knowledge Thread", started (by me ) for the purpose of learning more of other faiths. [/B]

I agree with IRex (I think it was) - "well yer in the right thread if you have questions." This thread is for religious discussion, mainly about Christianity, including discussion of questions Anyone is welcome, as long as they are polite and honest

[Arien the Maia]

Originally posted by RÃ*an
Congratulations Arien and hubby-to-be !!
Best wishes and prayers for a beautiful marriage!!

Yay! *dances around*

What day is it? (if you have time to post here before the wedding, which I doubt!)

Enjoy your honeymoon!

Thanks! It's the 11th of Oct! only in 3 days!!!!

I'm going to Chicago for 2 days afterwards b/c I can't take alot of time off of school...when I graduate in May we'll go on a real honeymoon!

[Rían]

Yay!!!!!

[Gwaimir Windgem]

Originally posted by RÃ*an
I agree with IRex (I think it was) - "well yer in the right thread if you have questions." This thread is for religious discussion, mainly about Christianity, including discussion of questions Anyone is welcome, as long as they are polite and honest

My apologies, then. I thought this was for religious debate more than learning, but it's your thread...

[Ruinel]

Originally posted by Gwaimir Windgem
My apologies, then. I thought this was for religious debate more than learning, but it's your thread...

RÃ*an has made it perfectly clear, several times, that the purpose of this thread is for people to learn more about Christianity, not to debate religion, despite what the thread title is. She prefers for people to come here and ask her and the other Christians questions and then they can answer them.

However... I could open a new thread, since that's not the purpose of this one. hhhhmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm

[Rían]

NO, NO, NO!

That's NOT what I mean it to be!

Debate is fine, as long as it's not a stupid technical formal debate where there is no interest in discussion, only stupid debating points.

I'm interested in DISCUSSION and logic and thinking things thru.

It just seemed to happen that people addressed questions to me, so I try to answer them, and I enjoy hearing opposing opinions, and enjoy discussing opposing opinions.

I haven't seen your opinion on the questions I asked about suffering, Ruinel, or your comments on my answers, now that I finally answered your question. Did my explanation answer your questions on suffering? If not, what do YOU propose for a better answer?

If people are going to ask things along the line of "how can God be good and powerful if there's suffering in the world?", then I"m gonna give it my best shot to answer it.

I don't think I'm some wonderful know-it-all but I do happen to know quite a bit about Christianity, just from being a Christian so long, and I like to explain Christianity's answers to topics, and I like to hear opposing opinions and debate them.

[Gwaimir Windgem]

Ru, I must say that I honestly don't get it. Why do you so delight in antagonizing Rian?

[Guillaume le Maréchal]

Eastern Catholic married men can become priests if they do desire.

Unfortunately this is not the current case in the United States. It continues to be a point of contention between the eastern and western Catholic Churches in the US as many eastern Catholics would like to reinstate this tradition.

[Gwaimir Windgem]

I was browsing through a Bible dictionary, and I found a reference in there to the "Old Catholic Church". As this topic has been declared proper for all forms of sincere religious discussion (by my understanding), I would like to ask: Does anyone know what the Old Catholic Church is; or in what way it is different from the Roman Catholic Church?

[Gwaimir Windgem]

I was browsing through a Bible dictionary, and I found a reference in there to the "Old Catholic Church". As this topic has been declared proper for all forms of sincere religious discussion (by my understanding), I would like to ask: Does anyone know what the Old Catholic Church is; or in what way it is different from the Roman Catholic Church?

[Gwaimir Windgem]

Disregard this message. :P

[Rían]

Don't know the answer to your question, Gwai, but thank you very much for your kindness it really made me feel better.

[Guillaume le Maréchal]

Old Catholics are an off-shoot of a movement that originated in Germany. This movement opposed the first Vatican Council (1869 to 1870) that defined papal infallibility. Aside from this Old Catholics claim to remain true to all of the nineteen preceding Ecumenical Councils, though today many Old Catholics seem to be in the process of rejecting many of the teachings defined by the Council of Trent, i.e. the canons regulating the sacrament of marriage. While I’m sympathetic toward some facets of this particular issue, for example, the push to simplify the canons pertaining to validity, I’m not all that keen on some Old Catholic churches that conduct same sex marriages and consider themselves in conformity with the Council of Trent.

The Old Catholic Church seems to be plagued by a wide divergence among its members regarding theological, social and moral teachings.

--Dave

[Gwaimir Windgem]

Thanks for your answers. I looked it up on the internet, and I found that it seems they ordain men and women, hold the deacon, priest, and bishop to be the three ranks of ordination (thus evidently denying the Petrine office); though strangely they referred to their archbishop , offer the Most Sacred Eucharist to all (whether that meant all Christians or all people, I'm not sure), reject the Immaculate Conception, and have a few other minor differences. Aside from the papacy (which actually I never saw mentioned; I just guessed from the absence) and the Eucharist (I also noted it was merely referred to as the wine being the Blood and the Host being the Body; do they then not believe in the presence of His Soul and Divinity, and all four being present in both bread and wine, I wonder), it seems that they don't have very many differences; I guess I was looking for something bigger, since many people remain in the Catholic Church while rejecting much more of Church teaching than that. Although it is strange, I saw that it said they considered homosexuality a sin, and would not ordain people living in a gay or lesbian lifestyle; I guess that's part of the divergence you mentioned.

Again, thanks.