Orthodoxy and Popular Culture

[Mary of Bethany]

I've found that I like silence in the car - at least in the mornings. That's when I usually do my very poor excuse for Morning Prayers, and then personal prayers. So now I find that a lot of times I will just leave off the radio. Sometimes I pray the Jesus Prayer, sometimes I will listen to Orthodox CDs, or sometimes, just enjoy the silence.

Mary

 

[Protoevangel]

I've found that I like silence in the car - at least in the mornings. That's when I usually do my very poor excuse for Morning Prayers, and then personal prayers. So now I find that a lot of times I will just leave off the radio. Sometimes I pray the Jesus Prayer, sometimes I will listen to Orthodox CDs, or sometimes, just enjoy the silence.

Mary

The car is also where I all too often do my Morning Prayers... At least the Trisagion prayers, and the Jesus Prayer.

Up until recently, I had a non-functioning radio in my car. Recently, the car was broken into, and the thieves stole the non-functional radio.

 

[NyssaTheHobbit]

Lol

 

[Mary of Bethany]

The car is also where I all too often do my Morning Prayers... At least the Trisagion prayers, and the Jesus Prayer.

Up until recently, I had a non-functioning radio in my car. Recently, the car was broken into, and the thieves stole the non-functional radio.

LOL! Serves them right, I guess.

Mary

 

[authiodionitist]

Praying in the car!!
Anathema! Only those who pray in caves in the morning are saved!

 

[Mary of Bethany]

I don't think there are any caves in the Dallas area.



Mary

 

[Xpycoctomos]

Also, we try to limit the radio to NPR (I know, the conservatives out there will think that that in itself is violating the fast, ha, ha ),

I'm conservative and that's all I listen to!

 

[MichaelNZ]

My priest told me that first of all during Great Lent, we should abstain from sin.

I had a hard enough time this year keeping the fast from food. It made me quite depressed at times. If I'd had to fast from entertainment as well, I don't know how I would have gone.

Some entertainment is good, though. This story might be inspiring:

This hunter was going across the hills and he saw St. Antony with a group of monks. The Saint was telling jokes and anecdotes, and the monks laughed, which scandalized the hunter. Antony saw that, approached the hunter, and said: "Please, brother - pull the string of your bow."
The hunter did, and the Saint said: "Pull it harder!"
He did. "Harder!"
"I can't Father - the string will snap!"
And St. Antony said: "Well, that is what will happen to their souls as well if we burden them too much."

 

[Xpycoctomos]

Sometimes I wonder if fasting from entertainment rather than certain foods would bring about a greatre spiritual change.

Did people in the Early Church have so many forms of entertainment so easily at their grasp?

 

[Protoevangel]

My priest told me that first of all during Great Lent, we should abstain from sin.

I had a hard enough time this year keeping the fast from food. It made me quite depressed at times. If I'd had to fast from entertainment as well, I don't know how I would have gone.

Some entertainment is good, though. This story might be inspiring:

This hunter was going across the hills and he saw St. Antony with a group of monks. The Saint was telling jokes and anecdotes, and the monks laughed, which scandalized the hunter. Antony saw that, approached the hunter, and said: "Please, brother - pull the string of your bow."
The hunter did, and the Saint said: "Pull it harder!"
He did. "Harder!"
"I can't Father - the string will snap!"
And St. Antony said: "Well, that is what will happen to their souls as well if we burden them too much."

Great story!

Yes, the purpose of the fast is not to break one, but to strengthen one. If I begin weight-lifting with weights beyond my capability, and do too many reps and sets, and too often, and add to that other extreme exertions, I am bound to hurt myself or at least burn out. If I instead begin with what pushes me just a little over my limits, and increase slowly over the weeks and months and years, I will get strong. I see fasting the same way... That's why Father has me fasting (on fasting days) from a limited subset of the normal fasting foods, but has recently added to my fast the computer. He knows what I need to work on more than I do... Just as a personal trainer may see that your abs need more work, when you wanted to work on your glutes.

 

[Michael G]

My answer to NPR is "JUST SAY NO!"

 

[kamikat]

And as I put it.. less GDRADIO.net & more Ancient Faith Radio

This is the first I've heard of GDRADIO.net. I can't give it up now?!?!

Trying to fast from entertainment is a good thing. However, many of us come from mixed households and can't really just turn off the TV for the whole family. Limiting my consumption of talk radio is usually a common fasting goal for me, but I always fail.

 

[DavidBryan]

My answer to NPR is "JUST SAY NO!"

 

[Michael G]

DON'T DO IT!

 

[authiodionitist]

Public funding for left-of-center programming? I'm there.

 

[kamikat]

Hey now, my husband recently applied for an NPR grant and his show is anything but liberal, unless you consider internet security and intelectual property a liberal issue. He, and his listeners, tend to be libertarians.

 

[RobNJ]

This is the first I've heard of GDRADIO.net. I can't give it up now?!?.

There's also livefm.net & iTunes has radioDead on it

 

[Michael G]

Hey now, my husband recently applied for an NPR grant and his show is anything but liberal, unless you consider internet security and intelectual property a liberal issue. He, and his listeners, tend to be libertarians.

There are some things I agree with libertarians on, but I am still very, very conservative.