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no, because death and hades are defeated. they gain no victory when we desire what leads to them and cannot, since God grants us life.That appears to me that both death and Hades have, in some manner, won a victory.
you are, to ask us about Orthodoxy. that’s the purpose of St Basil’s in the Orthodox subforum.Am I not allowed to ask questions here?
I read it before. Unfortunately, due to my slowness, I have no idea what your points are from that link. Perhaps you can enlighten me.
I think the best way to look at it is as C.S. Lewis stated, "Hell is locked from the inside".So in other words, the "free-will" defense. How is that not defeating the Cross, especially when there is so much working against my own soul: the lies of demons, my inner passions, the history of my life (for instance, never even hearing of Christ or the Gospel), false teachers, the lure of sin. All of these things are powerful inducements to sin, to ignoring Christ, to turning from Him to sin. We poor sinners are at a great disadvantage in this life because of all these things.
So what you are saying is that Christ has saved all, but all will not take advantage of it. They will choose to follow the devil into the permanent state of death, separation from God, aka "death." That appears to me that both death and Hades have, in some manner, won a victory. And for that reason, I find that the hymns we so joyfully sing at Pascha, which indicate that Christ has won the victory, trampled death, broken down the gates of Hades, cannot be completely true because death and Hades wind up holding, according to some of the saints, a majority of the human race forever, and that to me is winning, not being trampled, and not being defeated.
**This conversation is getting perilously close to a subject I do not wish to discuss - Apocatastasis. My intent was, and still is, trying to discuss my confusion over what appears to be a contradiction in the hymns and understanding of the Church.
I can't even post anymore in Christian Scriptures as he has completely choked the entire board up. You have to go to page 7 or 8 before you get to posting other than by him. I put him on ignore because of his demands that we format our posts with his cut and paste demands of formatting.I've reported his posts. I expect a cleanup if the mods are not too busy.
That should make the Christian Scriptures forum a lot less cluttered. None of the threads he has started should show up if you have him on ignore.I can't even post anymore in Christian Scriptures as he has completely choked the entire board up. You have to go to page 7 or 8 before you get to posting other than by him. I put him on ignore because of his demands that we format our posts with his cut and paste demands of formatting.
Oh I do, it's incredibly annoying because that was one of my favorite boards. However, no one posts there anymore because he jumps in with his admonition that you have to post in his desired formatting like he did with Fr. Matt. So I think a lot of the regulars have just stopped visiting there.That should make the Christian Scriptures forum a lot less cluttered. None of the threads he has started should show up if you have him on ignore.
Oh I do, it's incredibly annoying because that was one of my favorite boards. However, no one posts there anymore because he jumps in with his admonition that you have to post in his desired formatting like he did with Fr. Matt. So I think a lot of the regulars have just stopped visiting there.
I've been Orthodox for 21 years now, chanting for pretty much all of them. For me, most important part is humility. I will learn something from someone every time I go to church.I understand where he is coming from because I was just like that (and still struggle a bit with it). Thought I knew EVERYTHING about the Christian life and just had to run to every forum I could to teach people, admonish them, argue with them, etc.
It's amazing how much I have learned that I do not know since becoming a member of the Orthodox Church! The best thing I can do right now is
SIT DOWN!
SHUT UP!
LISTEN!
LEARN!
May our gracious Lord help and enable me to do such!
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