Do you follow the New Testament?

fschmidt

Well-Known Member
Oct 30, 2010
427
28
El Paso, TX
Visit site
✟25,365.00
Country
United States
Faith
Other Religion
Marital Status
Married
Matthew 19:16-19 - Adultery, theft, and bearing false witness are rampant in modern culture.
Romans 13:8-10 - Add coveting.
Matthew 10:16 - If I say who the wolves are, I will be banned.
Matthew 7:2 - I literally beg others to judge me as I judge others.
Matthew 7:3-5 - Applies to a group that I cannot name without being banned.
Matthew 7:6 - This is why I am only posting in the Orthodox subforum.
Matthew 7:7-8 - Exactly what I am doing and how I found Islam.

In modern culture, the superficial is actually much better than what is underneath. Modern culture still has a veneer of civility while being completely evil inside.
 
Upvote 0

Lukaris

Orthodox Christian
Supporter
Aug 3, 2007
7,840
2,533
Pennsylvania, USA
✟745,599.00
Country
United States
Faith
Eastern Orthodox
Marital Status
Single
I just want to say that my previous post was intended in a general overall sense. I believe if you love the Lord’s commandments, you will love the Lord Jesus Christ, God, the Son of God: The Father, The Son, and The Holy Spirit.
 
Upvote 0

Presbyterian Continuist

Senior Veteran
Supporter
Mar 28, 2005
21,810
10,792
76
Christchurch New Zealand
Visit site
✟827,333.00
Country
New Zealand
Faith
Charismatic
Marital Status
Married
The truth is that there is only one way to eternal life and that is through Christ. All our modern churches, especially the Orthodox, put people to Christ as their only Saviour the best they are able. The fact is that we are all imperfect, and that the church is a hospital for sinners and struggling believers - to build them up and strengthen them in the faith. Christian believers are not perfect. They are forgiven.

Because I put Christ first in my faith, I can go into any church and worship Him in Spirit and in truth. I could do that in a rowdy Pentecostal church at one end of the spectrum, and a completely liturgical Orthodox church at the other end. Both churches and all the others in between point people to Christ, although by different ways and means. I spent three years worshiping in Anglican churches and enjoyed the liturgical services where you could set your clock by the different stages of the proceedings. I found that behind those services there was a group of people who loved the Lord, and before long I became as mad as the rest of them. Then I spent about eight years in Baptist churches when I moved cities, and I found that the people there were just the same Jesus worshiping folk as the Anglicans!

I know that people attend church for all sorts of reasons and not always to worship Christ as their principal motive. But we can't judge people, because we can only look on the outward appearance and not into their hearts. For that reason I treat every professing Christian as genuine and the judgment of them up to Christ Himself.

After 50 years in the faith, I don't think that in myself I am a better person than I was on the first day I received Christ. I still have doubts and fears at times, and go through times where I think I have learned nothing about the ways of God. All I can do is to trust Christ that He knows what He is doing with me.

But at the same time, I am bold enough to say that our friend who is railing against Christian churches and is making Islam part of his belief structure, is on the road to hell and God doesn't know him at all. One day, when he stands before God in the judgment, and it will most certainly come, he will discover the awful truth and it will be too late for him. While he spends an eternity in hell, he will curse himself that he said the things on this thread that were his undoing.

Unless the Holy Spirit gets hold of him and changes his heart, he won't believe what I am saying, and it may be best if he doesn't respond to my post because in doing so he might be digging himself into a deeper place in hell than he has already dug himself.
 
Upvote 0

fschmidt

Well-Known Member
Oct 30, 2010
427
28
El Paso, TX
Visit site
✟25,365.00
Country
United States
Faith
Other Religion
Marital Status
Married
I just want to say that my previous post was intended in a general overall sense. I believe if you love the Lord’s commandments, you will love the Lord Jesus Christ, God, the Son of God: The Father, The Son, and The Holy Spirit.
I agree that anyone who loves the Old Testament would also love Jesus because Jesus was a great defender of the Old Testament.
 
Upvote 0

Lukaris

Orthodox Christian
Supporter
Aug 3, 2007
7,840
2,533
Pennsylvania, USA
✟745,599.00
Country
United States
Faith
Eastern Orthodox
Marital Status
Single
I agree that anyone who loves the Old Testament would also love Jesus because Jesus was a great defender of the Old Testament.
Yes, He fulfilled it ( Matthew 5:17). Those who saw Him, saw the Father ( John 14:7-11).
 
  • Agree
Reactions: anna ~ grace
Upvote 0

Chesterton

Whats So Funny bout Peace Love and Understanding
Supporter
May 24, 2008
23,749
20,197
Flatland
✟860,379.00
Faith
Eastern Orthodox
Marital Status
Single
In modern culture, the superficial is actually much better than what is underneath. Modern culture still has a veneer of civility while being completely evil inside.
We are told to resist the world, the flesh and the devil. Part of the world is the culture. You seem to have a weird obsession with "modern" culture. Do you not realize how various cultures have always had their own evils? Orthodoxy has amazingly maintained it's theology and worship under the subjugation of horrible cultures like paganism, Islam and Communism. I myself don't watch TV or go to movies, but I'm sure some modern entertainment is not going to ruin the faith of the Orthodox compared to what it has survived for 2,000 years.
 
  • Useful
Reactions: anna ~ grace
Upvote 0

fschmidt

Well-Known Member
Oct 30, 2010
427
28
El Paso, TX
Visit site
✟25,365.00
Country
United States
Faith
Other Religion
Marital Status
Married
We are told to resist the world, the flesh and the devil. Part of the world is the culture. You seem to have a weird obsession with "modern" culture. Do you not realize how various cultures have always had their own evils? Orthodoxy has amazingly maintained it's theology and worship under the subjugation of horrible cultures like paganism, Islam and Communism. I myself don't watch TV or go to movies, but I'm sure some modern entertainment is not going to ruin the faith of the Orthodox compared to what it has survived for 2,000 years.
Cultures vary enormously as the Old Testament makes clear. Any study of history would also make this clear. I have had the privilege of witnessing this with my own eyes as I have seen Americans change from fairly decent people into the scum of the earth in just a few decades. Modern culture is one of the most evil cultures in history, comparable to Sodom and Gomorrah.

What we are seeing is the rise and fall of Christian culture. Orthodox Christianity has never faced a challenge like this before, and whether it survives depends on how much it distances itself from the rest of degenerating Christianity.

I am not Christian, so this isn't my fight. I don't care whether or not Christianity survives. What I care about is whether or not morality and intelligence survive, as opposed to humanity degenerating into stupid beastly lower primates. Not only is modern culture stupid and evil, but it is also dysgenic which means that it causes negative human evolution. Human intelligence has been dropping since roughly 1800.

What I am looking for is allies in the fight against evil. Are any Orthodox Christians interested in defending goodness against evil? That is what I am here to find out.
 
Upvote 0
Feb 27, 2019
12
7
36
SAN ANTONIO
✟9,090.00
Country
United States
Faith
Eastern Orthodox
Marital Status
Married
Politics
US-Others
Orthodox Christianity has never faced a challenge like this before
It might have its own unique character, but there have been plenty of other enormous challenges that Orthodoxy has faced.

Human intelligence has been dropping since roughly 1800.
I'd like to know why you say this.
 
Last edited:
Upvote 0

fschmidt

Well-Known Member
Oct 30, 2010
427
28
El Paso, TX
Visit site
✟25,365.00
Country
United States
Faith
Other Religion
Marital Status
Married
I'd like to know why you say this.

A simpler explanation:


And again, my personal experience matches this. When I was younger, I knew 2 other people of high intelligence. One went crazy and the other killed himself. Modern culture is basically intolerable for intelligent people. As far as I know there are no intelligent people left in modern culture. And I think average American today would have been classified as mentally retarded in the America of my youth.
 
Upvote 0

ArmyMatt

Regular Member
Supporter
Jan 26, 2007
41,470
20,026
41
Earth
✟1,456,009.00
Country
United States
Faith
Eastern Orthodox
Marital Status
Married

A simpler explanation:


And again, my personal experience matches this. When I was younger, I knew 2 other people of high intelligence. One went crazy and the other killed himself. Modern culture is basically intolerable for intelligent people. As far as I know there are no intelligent people left in modern culture. And I think average American today would have been classified as mentally retarded in the America of my youth.

this is a really weird thing to say.

why are you posting here?
 
  • Informative
Reactions: anna ~ grace
Upvote 0
This site stays free and accessible to all because of donations from people like you.
Consider making a one-time or monthly donation. We appreciate your support!
- Dan Doughty and Team Christian Forums

fschmidt

Well-Known Member
Oct 30, 2010
427
28
El Paso, TX
Visit site
✟25,365.00
Country
United States
Faith
Other Religion
Marital Status
Married
this is a really weird thing to say.

why are you posting here?
The Hebrew word translated as evil ("ra") also means bad. There is no difference between evil and bad. So an evil culture is against everything good, not just morality. It is against intelligence, good art, good architecture, good everything. And this perfectly fits modern culture.

As I said, I am posting here to see if any Orthodox Christians are interested in defending goodness against evil. I know that some traditional Anabaptists and some Muslims are interested in this. And I am certain that no modern Christians are interested in this. So I want to see where Orthodox Christians stand.

I have a practical reason which is that I am trying to organize a group to defend goodness and I want to see which religions are worth targeting for this. See:

Undepraved - An Alliance Against Evil
 
Upvote 0

ArmyMatt

Regular Member
Supporter
Jan 26, 2007
41,470
20,026
41
Earth
✟1,456,009.00
Country
United States
Faith
Eastern Orthodox
Marital Status
Married
The Hebrew word translated as evil ("ra") also means bad. There is no difference between evil and bad. So an evil culture is against everything good, not just morality. It is against intelligence, good art, good architecture, good everything. And this perfectly fits modern culture.

As I said, I am posting here to see if any Orthodox Christians are interested in defending goodness against evil. I know that some traditional Anabaptists and some Muslims are interested in this. And I am certain that no modern Christians are interested in this. So I want to see where Orthodox Christians stand.

I have a practical reason which is that I am trying to organize a group to defend goodness and I want to see which religions are worth targeting for this. See:

Undepraved - An Alliance Against Evil

of course we stand against evil, but you're still not defining it right, and Islam is wicked. your call for an alliance won't work, when you want goodness to ally itself with something wicked.

seriously, this is weird.
 
Upvote 0
This site stays free and accessible to all because of donations from people like you.
Consider making a one-time or monthly donation. We appreciate your support!
- Dan Doughty and Team Christian Forums

fschmidt

Well-Known Member
Oct 30, 2010
427
28
El Paso, TX
Visit site
✟25,365.00
Country
United States
Faith
Other Religion
Marital Status
Married
I don't know much about them so it is a fallacy, they have Lot so at least there was hope until he left.
God had Lot leave because there was no hope. Modern culture is the same, hopeless. Decent people should reject modern culture and withdraw from it.
 
Upvote 0

Not David

I'm back!
Apr 6, 2018
7,356
5,235
25
USA
✟231,310.00
Country
United States
Faith
Eastern Orthodox
Marital Status
Single
God had Lot leave because there was no hope. Modern culture is the same, hopeless. Decent people should reject modern culture and withdraw from it.
You don't get to decide if a whole culture is moral or not. Christianity has always tried to work with the best of a culture.
 
Upvote 0

RDKirk

Alien, Pilgrim, and Sojourner
Supporter
Mar 3, 2013
39,140
20,185
US
✟1,441,619.00
Faith
Christian
Marital Status
Married
The Hebrew word translated as evil ("ra") also means bad. There is no difference between evil and bad. So an evil culture is against everything good, not just morality. It is against intelligence, good art, good architecture, good everything. And this perfectly fits modern culture.

As I said, I am posting here to see if any Orthodox Christians are interested in defending goodness against evil. I know that some traditional Anabaptists and some Muslims are interested in this. And I am certain that no modern Christians are interested in this. So I want to see where Orthodox Christians stand.

I have a practical reason which is that I am trying to organize a group to defend goodness and I want to see which religions are worth targeting for this. See:

Undepraved - An Alliance Against Evil

If you think Islam is an ally with you against evil and for good, then your definitions of evil and good are wrong and you have yoked yourself to a jackass that wears a lion's skin.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Chesterton
Upvote 0