Thinking about converting to Orthodoxism

[TCO]

The Petrarchan theory! The bishop of rome. Rome is the prime.

[OzzyKP]

Originally posted by Ben Kenobi


Then we've got our work cut out for us, eh?

Ozzy:

When I went to see my girlfriend this summer, they had a visiting priest. The focus of his homily, was the importance of being able to accept communion to your salvation. She was so apologetic after the mass for the fire and brimstone homily, and I just looked at her and said, why should I be? It's what I get in my church anyway.

Well I suppose there are fire and brimstone Catholic churches out there, I've just never come across them. Not that I've been trapped in liberal bastions my whole life, I've been to lotsa different churches. I never saw it though.

Could there be touchy-feely Baptists too?

[Elok]

Originally posted by TCO
The Petrarchan theory! The bishop of rome. Rome is the prime.

And Dubya is the equal of George Washington via "Democratic Sucession?" Sorry, I'm not buying it. We give him great respect for the revered post he occupies, but the pope is NOT St. Peter, and even St. Peter did not possess unilateral authority over the entire church like the pope has over catholicism and asks from the rest of us.
Note also that Peter said nothing about the Immaculate Conception. But his friends and advisors weren't formalized and wearing red hats, so I guess he could have been wrong.

[Ted Striker]

Originally posted by TCO
ON THIS ROCK, I WILL BUILD MY CHURCH!!!!

Let's do it.

[TCO]

THE ROCK!!!!!

And you took your orders just fine for 1000 years.

[Ted Striker]

On a serious note though, most Christian churches really suck, and suck bad:

1) They are boring as hell
2) There is no spirituality whatsoever
3) They are way too judgemental

[Elok]

No, we didn't. We spent the first two centuries or so building your church up from the ground, and the next eight growing apart from you and trying to ignore an increasingly bossy pope. The pope began claiming authority that traditionally was never his. During the first seven ecumenical councils (we don't acknowledge Vatican, etc., seeing as we weren't there), he had roughly the same position as the U.S. Speaker of the House. He got respect, but he was still only one voice in the crowd. His spot is roughly filled by the Patriarch of Constantinople today.

We have apostolic succession too, but sitting in St. Peter's seat doesn't make him St. Peter's equal, especially when he starts expressing ideas that would have horrified the original Cephas. The Treasury of Merit comes to mind, in addition to that recent announcement that the Virgin Mary is "as instrumental to salvation as the trinity itself" or something.

[Elok]

Originally posted by Ted Striker
On a serious note though, most Christian churches really suck, and suck bad:

1) They are boring as hell
2) There is no spirituality whatsoever
3) They are way too judgemental

The same is true of the Supreme Court. What's your point?

[TCO]

Originally posted by Elok
No, we didn't. We spent the first two centuries or so building your church up from the ground, and the next eight growing apart from you and trying to ignore an increasingly bossy pope. The pope began claiming authority that traditionally was never his. During the first seven ecumenical councils (we don't acknowledge Vatican, etc., seeing as we weren't there), he had roughly the same position as the U.S. Speaker of the House. He got respect, but he was still only one voice in the crowd. His spot is roughly filled by the Patriarch of Constantinople today.

We have apostolic succession too, but sitting in St. Peter's seat doesn't make him St. Peter's equal, especially when he starts expressing ideas that would have horrified the original Cephas. The Treasury of Merit comes to mind, in addition to that recent announcement that the Virgin Mary is "as instrumental to salvation as the trinity itself" or something.

He is still first. BOW!

[Elok]

If we're going by who's "first," he was Bishop of Antioch, and established the church there with St. Paul, long before he was Bishop of Rome. Any more boasting to be shot down?

[Ted Striker]

Originally posted by Elok


The same is true of the Supreme Court. What's your point?

What are you talking about?

The POINT which I thought was obvious, is that nobody wants to go to the churches for the reasons I mentioned. The churches also have lost all meaning when there is no spirituality involved in them.

[TCO]

He is first among equals. He is better then the ortho bishop. Kicks his azz.

[Elok]

Jeez. "Boring" is irrelevant, spirituality is subjective, and what do you call judgmental, if not a blanket statement that the majority of a belief system followed by like a third of the planet sucks?

TCO: Are you actually Catholic, or just irritating me because there's nothing on TV? You said it yourself: first among equals. He has no right to decide the fate and action of our bishops all by himself, and if we don't follow the orders he insists on giving, which all reason and precedent dictates we shouldn't, what's the point of "following" him at all? We have Holy Synods for a reason. It doesn't matter if two or three are gathered in His name if one of them is just calling all the shots and the others quietly following. If the Pope were St. Peter himself we wouldn't give him the authority you ascribe to him. Not that he'd ask for it.

[TCO]

I just like teasing you. I am a member of the CE sect of the Church.

[Ted Striker]

Originally posted by Elok
Jeez. "Boring" is irrelevant, spirituality is subjective, and what do you call judgmental, if not a blanket statement that the majority of a belief system followed by like a third of the planet sucks?

I'm not talking about the belief system silly

i'm talking about the individual chuches themselves

who wants to listen to some old man make me feel guilty for an hour

inspire me. but don't condemn me for not following a bunch of rigid rules