Polycarp1 said:
No, Terese. You are among the last people on this board I would ever have suspected of being a "Nine Commandment Christian" (a sarcastic phrase usually directed at Protestant fundamentalists meaning they dropped the one about bearing false witness, if you weren't aware).
Polycarp, I have born no false witness. Please do not falsely accuse me like this.
Basil attacked our Church in his OP . . He knows it, he personally attacked me and basically told me to come back to the Orthodox Church before it was too late .. basically saying I was going to helll unless I did.
Now, he apologized for all of this . . . It really happened. Then it started up all over again . . .
But Basil started a thread to witness to why he had found a church home in Orthodoxy. In the course of that, he of course had to explain their claim to be the original church, from which everyone else has schismed. With you having done that song and dance about Catholicism enough, I'm sure you recognized the tune and steps, even when set to an Eastern tempo.
There is no need to explain why your Church is the true Church by having to attack others if it is indeed the true Church. no Polycarp . . you may wish to ignore it, but the claims made against our Church to support why he is Othodox and why others should consider it too only undermined his claim. The fact that he never supported them with objective evidence when asked for it made it even more evident. Contrary to what you claim happened here, people did notice and commented on it in the thread.
Then you, Shelby, Jason, and a few others showed up and began bemoaning that woe, it's just another attack on Catholicism.
No Polycarp . . we wanted him to provide objective evidence, which he never did.
Well, let me explain this to you in the simplest of terms.
By your own church's teachings, grace is not reserved to practicing Catholics. By your own church's teachings, the Orthodox are guilty of at most schism, and are in full communion with the Catholic Church as far as it itself is concerned (cf. Paul VI).
No Polycarp, they are not in full communion . .that is why they are in schism.
The person doing all the attacking in this thread has been you -- with assists credited to Jason and Shelby. And I would venture to guess that in the eyes of every non-Catholic involved here, and I'd bet at least one Catholic, you have won the battle but lost the war.
Polycarp . . why is it OK with you that people can attack our faith and not provide objective evidence to back it up when requeted to do so?
Why is it OK with you that people can make claims that their Church has never changed its doctrines but don't have to back it up?
Why is it that insistance that they do so is turned into accusations that we are attacking them?
Why is it that when we are put into the position of defending the truth that we are the attackers and everyone would rather we just crawl into a hole in the ground somewhere and let everyone else have a hayday at our expense?
Jesus Christ himself gave us the touchstone to know who His true disciples were, and where truth can be found. It's in the 13th chapter of John.
Jesus also turned over the Money Changers, spoke in direct, forceful manners with the Pharisees, called them names even .. but alwasy spoke the truth . .
TRUTH MATTERS Polycarp . ..
What saddens me is how little it matters to some here . . .
And you have been showing Christian charity, grace, and mercy to such an extent that Fred Phelps is taking notes in envy of your skill.
Right . . And this demonstrates what fruit of the Spirit exactly Polycarp?
Can you show me where this is in the bible?
It is not for me to say this, but I sincerely think you need to repent, get off your high horse, and start acting like a Christian woman instead of the Arbiter of Catholic Doctrine to whom Pope Benedict looks when he needs to be set straight about something.
You are right, you should not have said it , . . . you are out of line.
Forgive me, but a little straight talk of the Dutch Uncle variety seemed called for.
It's not straight talk Polycarp . . it is personal attack.
You don't like what has been said in this thread . . you do not agree with our positions on some things, in fact, you are highly offended by it . . . then you have made it personal.
That is your choice. I choose not to reciprocate.
Bless you
Peace to all