Leonard Cohen Wrote A Song About Me !

( You may wish to turn up the volume on your computer ).

Famous French Philosopher On The Sublime Thoughts And Noble Ideas Expressed On My Blog

Between ourselves, I have ever observed supercelestial opinions and subterranean manners to be of singular accord.

Michel de Montaigne,
Essays, XXI, Of Experience

Famous Greek-Orthodox Theologian and Priest Exposing the REAL Reasons Behind My Blogging

Because man is afraid of becoming meaningless, he is constantly endeavoring to prove, to himself and others, that he is worth something. He thirsts after compliments and is afraid of insults.

Father John S. Romanides,
Original Sin According to Saint Paul

Famous Romanian Intellectual And Spiritual Father On My Blogging-Endeavors

To Satan they consecrate their sinful life, and to Christ their speeches and writings praiseful of the purity most refined.

Father Nicolae Steinhardt,
The Diary of Happiness

Jesus Christ On My Impeccable Taste In Clothing

Matthew 23:27 Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye are like unto whited sepulchres, which indeed appear beautiful outward, but are within full of dead men's bones, and of all uncleanness.

On My Departure From My Previous Blog

Here is how it didn't happen... :-)

The Historical Jesus and the Christ of Faith: An Orthodox Approach to Bultmann

Both Bultmann and the Orthodox agree that One of Them is alive only in religious myths and legends.

Where they differ is in that the Eastern Orthodox believe that the One alive in religious myths and legends only is the Christ of Faith, Who still lies dead in our filthy, rotten, unrepentant hearts, buried under layers upon layers of sin and evil, while the real, historical Jesus rose from the dead some 2,000 years ago...

Saint Paul On My Abstinence-Related Articles

Romans 2:21 Thou therefore which teachest another, teachest thou not thyself? 22 Thou that sayest a man should not commit adultery, dost thou commit adultery? Thou that abhorrest idols, dost thou commit sacrilege?

I Know You're Glad That Lent Is Over...

...but what you don't quite seem to understand just yet is that the Kingdom of Heaven has NO end...

Eastern Orthodoxy: Taking All the Fun Out of Holidays Since 1,500 BC

Exodus 19:15 And he said unto the people: Be ready against the third day: come not at your wives. 16 ¶And it came to pass on the third day in the morning, that there were thunders and lightnings, and a thick cloud upon the mount, and the voice of the trumpet exceeding loud; so that all the people that was in the camp trembled. 17 And Moses brought forth the people out of the camp to meet with God; and they stood at the nether part of the mount. 18 And mount Sinai was altogether on a smoke, because the LORD descended upon it in fire: and the smoke thereof ascended as the smoke of a furnace, and the whole mount quaked greatly. 19 And when the voice of the trumpet sounded long, and waxed louder and louder, Moses spake, and God answered him by a voice. 20 And the LORD came down upon mount Sinai, on the top of the mount: and the LORD called Moses up to the top of the mount; and Moses went up.

1 Samuel 21:4 And the priest answered David, and said: There is no common bread under mine hand, but there is hallowed bread ; if the young men have kept themselves at least from women. 5 And David answered the priest, and said unto him: Of a truth women have been kept from us about these three days, since I came out, and the vessels of the young men are holy, and the bread is in a manner common, yea, though it were sanctified this day in the vessel. 6 So the priest gave him hallowed bread: for there was no bread there but the shewbread, that was taken from before the LORD, to put hot bread in the day when it was taken away.

Fasting Is Dead !

Long live abstinence!

Speaking Of Resurrections...

( You may wish to turn up the volume on your computer ).

See You In Hell !

...to save you from Gehenna!

God Is Dead !

...and we have killed Him...

Friedrich Nietzsche

People like to wash their hands of the violence. But we all wash our hands in blood.

Arturo Vasquez

Fasting: Bringing Out the Worse in People Since 1,500 BC

In vain were you brought out of Egypt, if Egypt wasn't brought out of you...

Exodus 16:2 And the whole congregation of the children of Israel murmured against Moses and Aaron in the wilderness: 3 And the children of Israel said unto them: Would to God we had died by the hand of the LORD in the land of Egypt, when we sat by the flesh pots, and when we did eat bread to the full; for ye have brought us forth into this wilderness, to kill this whole assembly with hunger.

Numbers 11:5 We remember the fish, which we did eat in Egypt freely; the cucumbers, and the melons, and the leeks, and the onions, and the garlick: 6 But now our soul is dried away: there is nothing at all, beside this manna, before our eyes.

Psalm 95:8 Harden not your heart, as in the provocation, and as in the day of temptation in the wilderness: 9 When your fathers tempted me, proved me, and saw my work. 10 Forty years long was I grieved with this generation, and said: It is a people that do err in their heart, and they have not known my ways: 11 Unto whom I sware in my wrath that they should not enter into my rest.

Job 2:9 Then said his wife unto him: Dost thou still retain thine integrity? Curse God, and die!

The Price Is Right !

We interrupt our usual series of boring, ethereal Lenten posts to provide those of you struggling with the current economic recession and financial crisis with a few practical, down-to-earth business tips, which we believe to be right on the money:



Judas sold Christ for thirty silvers.

Adam and Eve traded Paradise for apples.

Esau gave up his birthright for a plate of porridge.

What price tag do you put on your soul?

The Waxing & Waning of Ascetic Enthusiasm During Great and Holy Lent

Luke 22:33 And [Simon Peter] said unto [Jesus]: Lord, I am ready to go with thee, both into prison, and to death. 34 And [Christ] said: I tell thee, Peter, the cock shall not crow this day, before that thou shalt thrice deny that thou knowest me.

Jesus Christ is NOT the Reason for the Lenten Season !

Whom does the Church mourn during this particularly holy and especially sacred period of the year? For whom has the whole interior of the church-building been dressed in dark funeral gowns? Why do Priests wear such pitch-black clerical vestments this time of the year? Whom are they mourning? Christ, perhaps? God forbid! He's seated in glory, at the right hand of the Father! We're mourning for our own souls and wicked deeds, for we're all dead in our sins!

Luke 23:27 And there followed him a great company of people, and of women, which also bewailed and lamented him. 28 But Jesus turning unto them said: Daughters of Jerusalem, weep not for me, but weep for yourselves, and for your children.

On the Forty Days of Great and Holy Lent

In forty days has all sinful flesh been destroyed by the waters of the Great Flood in the days of Noah.

In forty years has the wicked, ungrateful, and rebellious generation of Israelites that came out of Egypt, and gnashed their unthankful teeth against Moses and the Lord, been wiped out in the wilderness, without ever entering into the Promised Land.

For forty days stood Moses with God on top of Mount Sinai, without touching any food or water, to receive the Law of the Old Covenant, being kept alive only by the power of God, and when he came back down the mountain, his face shone brighter than the Sun.

For forty days after His Baptism by John in the Jordan has Christ fasted in the wilderness, to defeat the devil, before beginning His Messianic activity here on earth.

Orthodox Skull-Worship 101

Romans 7:24 O wretched man that I am! Who shall deliver me from the body of this death?

On the Sixth Week of Fasting, the Savior Said to Me...

Luke 21:34 And take heed to yourselves, lest at any time your hearts be overcharged with surfeiting, and drunkenness, and cares of this life, and so that day come upon you unawares.

Why Calvinists Should Definitely Fast

To be confirmed and (re)assured of the truthfulness of their teachings,
by letting fasting, abstinence, and ascetic efforts expose and bring out to light the Total Depravity and Inability hiding in their fallen nature... because you'll never know just how estranged you truly are from God, and how far you actually lie from the Kingdom of Heaven, or how much filth there really is in your heart, and how enslaved you are by sin, or just how much power passions have over you, until you'll start seriously engaging in this kind of spiritual endeavors.

Just Because There Will Be No Sin, Sex, Meat-Consumption, Tobacco, and Alcohol in the After-Life...

...doesn't mean that the insatiable and asphyxiating craving for such things will be absent
from the souls and bodies of the damned...

The Hideous Sins for Which God Wiped Out All Humanity in the Great Flood

Luke 17:27 They did eat, they drank, they married wives, they were given in marriage, until the day that Noe entered into the ark, and the flood came, and destroyed them all.

Fasting: It's Heaven on Earth!

There was no intercourse and meat-consumption in Paradise, before the Fall,
nor will there be any in the Kingdom of Heaven:

Genesis 1:29 ¶And God said: Behold, I have given you every herb bearing seed, which is upon the face of all the earth, and every tree, in the which is the fruit of a tree yielding seed; to you it shall be for meat.

Genesis 2:16 ¶And the LORD God commanded the man, saying: Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat.

Genesis 3:6 ¶And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her; and he did eat. 7 And the eyes of them both were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together, and made themselves aprons. 8 And they heard the voice of the LORD God walking in the garden in the cool of the day: and Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the LORD God amongst the trees of the garden. 9 ¶And the LORD God called unto Adam, and said unto him: Where art thou? 10 And he said: I heard thy voice in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked; and I hid myself. 11 ¶And he said: Who told thee that thou wast naked? Hast thou eaten of the tree, whereof I commanded thee that thou shouldest not eat?

Matthew 22:30 For in the resurrection they neither marry, nor are given in marriage, but are as the angels of God in heaven.

Mark 12:25 For when they shall rise from the dead, they neither marry, nor are given in marriage; but are as the angels which are in heaven.

Luke 20:34 And Jesus answering said unto them: The children of this world marry, and are given in marriage: 35 But they which shall be accounted worthy to obtain that world, and the resurrection from the dead, neither marry, nor are given in marriage: 36 Neither can they die any more: for they are equal unto the angels; and are the children of God, being the children of the resurrection.

Then again: Heaven itself may be Hell for some...

Mid-Lent Crisis

Empty bellies... what are we living for?

Hold the line: does anybody want to take it anymore?...

Lent must go on!

I'll top the bill, I'll overkill: I have to find the will to carry on...

They've Done A Movie About My Life, And Josh Hartnett Is Playing My Role!

The Subtle, Subliminal Message of My Last Five Weeks of Postings

1 Corinthians 15:50 Flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, neither doth corruption inherit incorruption.

Possible Reactions to the Utterly Absurd and Outright Impossible Fasting Demands of the Orthodox God

1.

Job 2:9 Curse God, and die.

2.

Matthew 25:18 But he that had received one talent went and digged in the earth, and hid his lord's money. 19 After a long time the lord of those servants cometh, and reckoneth with them. 24 Then he which had received the one talent came and said: Lord, I knew thee that thou art an hard man, reaping where thou hast not sown, and gathering where thou hast not strawed: 25 And I was afraid, and went and hid thy talent in the earth: lo, there thou hast that is thine.

3.

Matthew 19:25 When his disciples heard it, they were exceedingly amazed, saying: Who then can be saved?

Mark 10:26 And they were astonished out of measure, saying among themselves: Who then can be saved?

Luke 18:26 And they that heard it said: Who then can be saved?

4.

Romans 7:24 O wretched man that I am! Who shall deliver me from the body of this death?

Sylvester Stallone Illustrating the Hardships of Lent

( You may wish to turn up the volume on your computer ).

Why does the Orthodox Church impose such heavy, unbearable burdens on the feeble and fragile shoulders of its poor, innocent followers?

About the Longings of our Hearts, the Passions in our Lives, and the Desires of our Souls

Luke 15:16 And he would fain have filled his belly with the husks that the swine did eat: and no man gave unto him.

Deep down inside, we're all starved and craving for something...

Hunted Down by Sins and Devoured Alive by Passions

1 Peter 5:8 ¶Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour.

Hell: It's Nothing, Really...

...just plain emptiness...

What God's Love for Sinners Does Not Mean
It doesn’t necessarily mean you are going to be saved. Yes, He will save every alcoholic in the sense that eventually He will bring each one to a “place” beyond the grave where there is no alcohol, but whether any given alcoholic will be grateful for that or be tortured by it remains to be seen. He will bring you and me to where there is no sin, but whether we feel delivered or deprived, indeed destroyed, depends upon us.

Anastasia Theodoridis

Blessed is the One Who Will Smash Your Babes Against the Rock

Sins and passions must be killed while still in their infancy:

Psalm 137:9 Blessed be he that shall take and dash thy little ones against the Rock.

1 Corinthians 10:4 And that Rock was Christ.

"The Matrix" and the Gospels on the Burden of Lent, Fasting, and Abstinence

The Matrix.

( You may wish to turn up the volume on your computer ).


The Gospel:

Matthew 4:2 And when he had fasted forty days and forty nights, he was afterward an hungred. 3 And when the tempter came to him, he said: If thou be the Son of God, command that these stones be made bread. 4 But he answered and said: It is written: "Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God". 8 Again, the devil taketh him up into an exceeding high mountain, and sheweth him all the kingdoms of the world, and the glory of them; 9 And saith unto him: All these things will I give thee, if thou wilt fall down and worship me. 10 Then saith Jesus unto him: Get thee hence, Satan: for it is written: "Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve".

Luke 4:2 Being forty days tempted of the devil. And in those days he did eat nothing: and when they were ended, he afterward hungered. 3 And the devil said unto him: If thou be the Son of God, command this stone that it be made bread. 4 And Jesus answered him, saying: It is written: "That man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word of God". 5 And the devil, taking him up into an high mountain, shewed unto him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time. 6 And the devil said unto him: All this power will I give thee, and the glory of them: for that is delivered unto me; and to whomsoever I will I give it. 7 If thou therefore wilt worship me, all shall be thine. 8 And Jesus answered and said unto him: Get thee behind me, Satan, for it is written: "Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve".

The Hold That Passions Have On A Man

Only because you know just how bad they actually are for you, doesn't mean you can quit.

( You may wish to turn up the volume on your computer ).

The Heart of the Matter

One night I had a dream. Outside, the sky was made into a single being. I couldn't look at it because of its brightness. I fell with my face to the ground, because I understood that it was a divine power. I heard a voice telling me: Look at this! Who does not know what this is will never see the Kingdom of Heaven! As I was lying with my face to the ground, I lifted up my head a bit, to look at what it was showing me. About where its face was, I could see only lightnings, and when it spoke, it was as if it thundered. Looking towards the frightfully-large hand, I saw that it held a human heart wherein there was much filth. I heard that thundery voice again: Look and know that whosoever does not know what this is will not see the Kingdom of Heaven! The dream scared me greatly. For three days I was not able to do anything. I shook the whole time, and stood in great fear, although I haven't understood too much of it.

Norica Ion, The Escape from Hell

The Author of "Basic Instinct" Repents of a Life-Time of Sin, Addiction, and Debauchery

Romans 10:13 For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.

During the summer of 2001, Eszterhas was diagnosed with throat cancer. His doctors worked to remove 80 per cent of his larynx and told him to immediately quit drinking and smoking. Eszterhas was 56. He lived a wild lifestyle and knew that changing his habits would not be easy.


His Conversion
On a day Eszterhas describes as “hellishly hot,” he was walking through a tree-lined neighborhood when he realized he had hit rock-bottom.

Eszterhas described his frame of mind: "I was going crazy. I was jittery. I twitched. I trembled. I had no patience for anything. … Every single nerve ending was demanding a drink and a cigarette.”

He sat on the curb and began to cry. In between fits of crying he began to pray, “Please God, help me.” He hadn’t prayed since he was a child. "I couldn't believe I'd said it. I didn't know why I'd said it. I'd never said it before," he wrote.


God reached out His hand
Eszterhas was immediately overwhelmed with peace. His twitching stopped. He no longer trembled. He saw a "shimmering, dazzling, nearly blinding brightness that made me cover my eyes with my hands." Similar to Saul seeing a blinding light on his way to Damascus, Eszterhas had seen the light of Christ.

Eszterhas described the experience as “absolutely overwhelming."

He went from doubting if he could make it through life without tobacco and alcohol, to knowing that he could "defeat myself and win."

Catholic News Agency

Psalms 34:6 This poor man cried, and the LORD heard him, and saved him out of all his troubles.



Psalms 120:1 ¶In my distress I cried unto the LORD, and he heard me.

After years of smut and violence, Joe Eszterhas says he found God one hot summer day in 2001 as he desperately battled to survive throat cancer and his addictions to alcohol and cigarettes.

“I didn’t even really know how to pray,” Eszterhas writes in his upcoming book Crossbearer: A Memoir of Faith. “I didn’t know what to say, so one of the first things I said was ‘I’m sorry. I’ve acted like a colossal A-hole. I’m really, really sorry. I don’t deserve to be forgiven, but please try to forgive me.’”

In their effort to prolong Eszterhas’ life, doctors at the Cleveland Clinic removed 80 percent of his larynx, put a tracheotomy tube in his throat, and told him he must quit drinking and smoking immediately.

While Eszterhas wanted to change his ways, after a lifetime of wild living, the 56-year-old Hungarian native knew it would be a struggle to do so. And it was.

In the summer of 2001, Eszterhas reached a breaking point and for the first time since he was a child, he prayed for God’s help.

"I was going crazy. I was jittery. I twitched. I trembled. I had no patience for anything. … Every single nerve ending was demanding a drink and a cigarette," he writes in Crossbearer.

After his prayer, however, he felt an overwhelming peace.

It was "an absolutely overwhelming experience," he recalled to the Toledo Blade earlier this month.

Eszterhas went from doubting if he could make it through life without tobacco and alcohol to knowing that he could "defeat myself and win."

The Christian Post

What Does God Even Want From Us Anyway !?

Why does He demand so much of us? Who does He even think He is!? GOD !?

Well... yeah!
Remember our father Abraham, who was righteous in the sight of the Lord, fulfilled all His laws, and never broke any of His commandments? Well, now, ask yourself this: Was God satisfied by that? Or did He ask for more?

Genesis 22:2 And [God] said [to Abraham]: Take now thy son, thine only son Isaac, whom thou lovest, and get thee into the land of Moriah; and offer him there for a burnt offering upon one of the mountains which I will tell thee of.

Or the rich young man, who kept all the commandments from his youth? Was Christ satisfied by this? Or did He demand more?

Matthew 19:21 Jesus said unto him: If thou wilt be perfect, go and sell that thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come and follow Me. ²² But when the young man heard that saying, he went away sorrowful: for he had great possessions.

Luke 18:22 Now when Jesus heard these things, he said unto him: Yet lackest thou one thing: sell all that thou hast, and distribute unto the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come, follow Me. ²³ And when he heard this, he was very sorrowful: for he was very rich.

There's a very special Lenten Prayer that we frequently say during this particularly sorrowful time of fasting and repentance: it begins with the simple words Lord, and Master of my life – is God really the Lord and Master of your life?

Kicking the Habit: The Struggle With Sin Continues

Exodus 20:2-3, Deuteronomy 5:6-7
I am the LORD thy God: Thou shalt have no other gods before me.
Matthew 6:24 No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon.

Proverbs 23:26 My son, give me thine heart.

Matthew 6:21, Luke 12:34 For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.

Embracing the Emo Subculture: Depressing Orthodox Lenten Songs

Orthodox Zionism 101

Psalm 137:1 ¶By the rivers of Babylon, there we sat down, yea, we wept, when we remembered Zion. 6 Let my tongue cleave to the roof of my mouth, if I do not remember thee, Zion.

Why the Mother of God was Ever-Virgin

Because the following statement makes no sense coming from the lips of an already-engaged and soon-to-be-married young woman:

Luke 1:34 Then said Mary unto the angel, How shall this be, seeing I know not a man?

We've already been told several verses earlier, in Luke 1:27, that she was "espoused to a man whose name was Joseph ".

Thus, the usual reaction one would normally expect from her in such a situation would be: "Are you telling me that mine and Joseph's future child will be the Messiah of Israel ?"

Hence why the Church's "unbiblical" interpretation of their engagement as being one of paternal protection is more tenable than the equally-unbiblical ¹ Protestant belief that their betrothal was meant for future wedding and child-bearing.

¹ Unless one can show me just where exactly in the Bible the brethren of the Lord are called "children" or "sons of Mary"...

Al Pacino on God, Guilt, Fasting, Abstinence, and Morality

- What do you want from me?

- I want you to be yourself. You know, I’ll tell you, boy: guilt... it's like a bag of bricks. All you got to do... is set it down. I know what you're going through: I’ve been there. Just... Let it go.

- I can't do that.

- Who are you carrying all those bricks for? God? Is that it? God!? I’ll tell you... Let me give you a little "inside information" about God. God likes to watch. He's a prankster ! Think about it! He gives man instincts. He gives you this extraordinary gift... and then what does He do? I swear, for His own amusement, his own private, cosmic gag reel, He sets the rules in opposition ! It's the goof of all time ! Look... but don't touch ! Touch... but don't taste ! Taste... but don't swallow ! And while you're jumpin' from one foot to the next, what is he doing? He's laughin' !... He's a sadist! He's an absentee landlord ! Worship that? Never!

Al Pacino and Keanu Reeves in The Devil's Advocate

Tom Cruise On Lent, And Its Effects On People

Poor guy: he sure seems worn out by all the fasting... :-(
(Looks like all that asceticism and abstinence really got to him... big time!)

The First Words From The Savior's Lips:

Matthew 4:17 From that time Jesus began to preach, and to say, Repent: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.

Mark 1:14 ¶Now after that John was put in prison, Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God, 15 And saying, The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand: repent ye, and believe the gospel.

Protestants Were Right All Along: The Orthodox Are Idolaters And Worship Pagan Gods !

Before, there were idols, pagan temples and those who offer sacrifice to the idols. And now, they exist as thoughts in the soul. He who is a slave to debauchery worships the idol of Aphrodite. He who becomes angry and enraged worships the idol of Ares. He who is avaricious and closed to the pain and misery of his neighbor worships the idol Hermes. If you refrain from all of this and preserve yourself from passions, you have overcome idols, you have rejected an evil belief and have become a martyr for the True Faith.

Abba Athanasius

What's Holding You Back?

Here's what's holding me back...

Exodus 20:2-3, Deuteronomy 5:6-7
I am the LORD thy God: Thou shalt have no other gods before me.

Proverbs 23:26
My son, give me thine heart.

Matthew 6:21, Luke 12:34
For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.
Matthew 6:24 No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon.

Philippians 3:19 Whose end is destruction, whose God is their belly, and whose glory is in their shame, who mind earthly things.

The Difference Between Orthodoxy and Jainism

Hey, don't look at me, I don't got all the answers...

The Difference Between Lent And Ramadan

None, if you're not willing to give up on the one thing that truly counts and really matters...

The Lenten Equation

Fasting = Castration + Evisceration

(Just do the math, if you don't believe me...)

If You Think Catholics Are Evil For Not Allowing Their Priests To Marry...

Think again!
At least they have the decency, common sense, and courtesy to restrict such impossible demands to clergy alone! In Orthodoxy, on the other hand, everybody's canon-fodder, and no one's safe...

P.S.: I can't help thinking about the poor Catholic Priest as some sort of scapegoat or 'sacrificial victim', whose "Vicarious Chastity" and Celibacy is meant to atone for the general half-heartedness, superficiality, and lukewarm-ness of his parishioners... Speaking of being in persona Christi !

A (Re)Loaded and Impertinent Question

Just what exactly is the essential, fundamental, and ontological difference between myself, and half-naked Hindu priests worshipping erect golden phallic symbols in their pagan Temples?

Heaven as Hell: The Gospel According to Mark (Twain)

For instance, take this sample: he [mortal man] has imagined a heaven, and has left entirely out of it the supremest of all his delights, the one ecstasy that stands first and foremost in the heart of every individual of his race -- and of ours -- sexual intercourse!

It is as if a lost and perishing person in a roasting desert should be told by a rescuer he might choose and have all longed-for things but one, and he should elect to leave out water!

His [man's] heaven is like himself: strange, interesting, astonishing, grotesque. I give you my word, it has not a single feature in it that he actually values. It consists -- utterly and entirely -- of diversions which he cares next to nothing about, here in the earth, yet is quite sure he will like them in heaven. Isn't it curious? Isn't it interesting? You must not think I am exaggerating, for it is not so. I will give you details.


You know what the human race enjoys and what it doesn't enjoy.
1. First of all, I recall to your attention the extraordinary fact with which I began. To wit, that the human being, like the immortals, naturally places sexual intercourse far and away above all other joys -- yet he has left it out of his heaven! The very thought of it excites him; opportunity sets him wild; in this state he will risk life, reputation, everything -- even his queer heaven itself -- to make good that opportunity and ride it to the overwhelming climax. From youth to middle age all men and all women prize copulation above all other pleasures combined, yet it is actually as I have said: it is not in their heaven; prayer takes its place.

That rich gift [intercourse] which, possessed as we possess it, makes all other possessions trivial and not worth the trouble of invoicing.

Mark Twain, Letters from the Earth, pp. 8-11

Why Orthodoxy is the True Faith (Extended Version)

Antiquity. Universality. And Consensus.

These are the three marks of truth, according to Saint Vincent of Lerins, and -among all Christian denominations- only Orthodoxy possesses all three of them, as we shall easily show in the following paragraphs:

Protestantism lacks all three of them, primarily antiquity, the first Protestant denominations dating back to no sooner than the 16^th century, or -more precisely- to 1517 AD. Even the so-called Pre-Reformers did not exist prior to the 12^th, 14^th, or 15^th centuries.

Among the remaining four¹ ancient and apostolic churches, only Orthodoxy possesses universality, as we shall now demonstrate:

Catholicism is distinguished by its unique, local belief in the Filioque, completely unknown to all other ancient and apostolic churches.

Monophysitism or Miaphysitism is distinguished by its unique, local belief in the one nature of Jesus Christ, completely unknown to all other ancient and apostolic churches.

Nestorianism is distinguished by its unique, local belief in the two persons of Jesus Christ (Jesus the man, and Christ our God), completely unknown to all other ancient and apostolic churches.

	Protestantism	Catholicism	Orthodoxy	Monophysitism	Nestorianism
Antiquity	No	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Filioque	-	Yes	No	No	No
One Nature in Christ	No	No	No	Yes	No
Two Persons in Christ	No	No	No	No	Yes

Therefore –among all the ancient and apostolic churches– Orthodoxy is the only one that possesses catholicity, being thus "the one holy catholic and apostolic church" of the Nicene creed.

¹ I did not take into account artificial hybrids, or unification movements, such as Eastern Catholicism (between Catholicism and Eastern Orthodoxy), Oriental Catholicism (between Catholicism and Oriental Orthodoxy), and Monothelitism or Monoenergism (the Maronites of Lebanon: between Eastern and Oriental Orthodoxy), all of which lack both antiquity, as well as universality.

Halloween on the Old Calendar: When "Tales from the Crypt" Meets the Menaion

Today is the Saturday of Saint Theodore.
He was an early Christian Martyr and Military Saint, along with Saint George and Saint Demetrius. He was killed by being tied to running horses, and dragged by them for miles, until he died exhausted from severe wounds and bleedings. His celebration is especially honored among the Slavs: i.e., working on this day would be forbidden. My maternal grandmother is of Slavic (Bulgarian) background: her family-name is Putin. (Sounds all really sweet and innocent until now, doesn't it?...)

Now I'm gonna tell you a creepy little horror-story, that my granny used to tell me back when I was a little kid, and which scared the living life out of me: it's the kind of stuff that they don't tell you in Convert-Land. (If you have enough trouble dealing with the Ascension of Mary, then you better hold your horses [pun intended], 'cause this one's gonna give you a heart-attack...)


Saint Theodore's Horses
It was Saint Theodore's day. Everybody was supposed to rest. But, in a small remote village, an old mother and her young daughters had still a lot of unfinished business around the household... lots and lots of chores to be done... The younger sibling was feeling a bit sick and under the weather (plus, she was weak, and way too young), so her mother decided she better stay at home, while the others go and wash all the clothes and bed-sheets down by the river... While they were doing that, a group of handsome and fine-looking young men approached them, dressed in nice festive clothes, and wearing long boots. The girls started giggling, as they considered them strong and attractive... The lads approached the young women, and asked them why they work on Saint Theodore's day. They answered that they didn't really want to, but -then again- they didn't have much choice in the matter either, since there was all this work that still had to be done... But -as the lasses looked closer at the fine, handsome young men- they saw hair coming out of their curiously-long boots... It looked strange... like a horse's tail... and their manly laughter sounded like neighs... As evening drew close, and the day became darker and darker, the elderly mother was beginning to worry about the daughters she sent away to wash bed-covers down at the river, as they didn't seem to be coming back, nor was any shadow to be seen at the horizon... So she prepared some food, and sent the youngest away to bring them dinner... As the young maiden approached the place where her older sisters were supposed to be, she saw no sign of them, but only what from a distance appeared to be bed-clothes, hanging out to dry. As she came closer and closer, a frightening sight began to slowly reveal itself to her young and innocent eyes: what she at first thought resembled clothes left out to dry on a wire, were actually human guts and bowels, dripping with blood... Terrified to death, and barely able to hold her breath, the young child ran desperately home; her agonizing flight seemed to last an eternity... As she finally arrived, with tears running down her cheeks, and with her white dress all soaked in cold sweat, she told her mother the gruesome news: -- but the night was far from over!... Quickly, in fear, shock, and sheer terror, the old woman left everything that she was working on, locked everything up, and turned everything in the house upside-down, save for the egg and the rasp (which are symmetrical). Then they just sat there... waiting quietly, in the dark... all alone, just the two of them... frightened and scared to death... shivering, and holding their breath... As midnight drew near, strange whickering sounds began to be heard in the distance... As the disturbing noises drew closer, footsteps of boots (or were those hooves?...) resounded on the ground, near the door of the house... Knock, knock... "Open the door!" No answer. The door-latch clanked and clicked and turned... but the door was locked! "Open the door!" All the things in the house were turned upside-down, so they were unable to respond the call... except the egg and the rasp. The first fell, being round and slippery, and crashed, splashing on the floor... the second also slipped, and cracked as it hit the ground, breaking into pieces. -- And this is how the two helpless women were able to escape the avenging wrath of... Saint Theodore's Horses !

(And you thought the Jews were harsh for stoning people who broke the Sabbath!...)

Sweet dreams, everyone!

(And sleep tight!)

The Joy of Lent !

You just want to SCREAM for joy!

Matthew 8:29 What have we to do with thee, Jesus, thou Son of God? art thou come hither to torment us before the time?

The First Two Rules Of Fasting

Matthew 6:16 ¶Moreover when ye fast, be not, as the hypocrites, of a sad countenance: for they disfigure their faces, that they may appear unto men to fast. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward. 17 But thou, when thou fastest, anoint thine head, and wash thy face; 18 That thou appear not unto men to fast, but unto thy Father which is in secret: and thy Father, which seeth in secret, shall reward thee openly.

1 Timothy 6:12 Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life, whereunto thou art also called, and hast professed a good profession before many witnesses.

2 Timothy 4:7 I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith: 8 Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day: and not to me only, but unto all them also that love his appearing.

1 Corinthians 9:24 ¶Know ye not that they which run in a race run all, but one receiveth the prize? So run, that ye may obtain. 25 And every man that striveth for the mastery is temperate in all things. Now they do it to obtain a corruptible crown; but we an incorruptible. 26 I therefore so run, not as uncertainly; so fight I, not as one that beateth the air: 27 But I keep under my body, and bring it into subjection: lest that by any means, when I have preached to others, I myself should be a castaway.

Ephesians 6:11 Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. 12 For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. 13 Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. 14 Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness; 15 And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace; 16 Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked. 17 And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.

What Do Protestants Give Up For Lent?

Fasting.

(See? Whoever said Protestants don't give up anything for Lent!?...)

Christ Refutes One of the Solas !

Matthew 4:4 It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.

Luke 4:4 It is written, That man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word of God.

Are you an adept of Sola Pane ? Do you believe that man shall live by bread alone ?

What Would Jesus Do?

He'd fast.

Matthew 4:1 ¶Then was Jesus led up of the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted of the devil. 2 And when he had fasted forty days and forty nights, he was afterward an hungred.

Luke 4:1 ¶And Jesus being full of the Holy Ghost returned from Jordan, and was led by the Spirit into the wilderness, 2 Being forty days tempted of the devil. And in those days he did eat nothing: and when they were ended, he afterward hungered.

Matthew 9:14 ¶Then came to him the disciples of John, saying, Why do we and the Pharisees fast oft, but thy disciples fast not? 15 And Jesus said unto them, Can the children of the bridechamber mourn, as long as the bridegroom is with them? but the days will come, when the bridegroom shall be taken from them, and then shall they fast.

Mark 2:18 ¶And the disciples of John and of the Pharisees used to fast: and they come and say unto him, Why do the disciples of John and of the Pharisees fast, but thy disciples fast not? 19 And Jesus said unto them, Can the children of the bridechamber fast, while the bridegroom is with them? as long as they have the bridegroom with them, they cannot fast. 20 But the days will come, when the bridegroom shall be taken away from them, and then shall they fast in those days.

Luke 5:33 And they said unto him, Why do the disciples of John fast often, and make prayers, and likewise the disciples of the Pharisees; but thine eat and drink? 34 And he said unto them, Can ye make the children of the bridechamber fast, while the bridegroom is with them? 35 But the days will come, when the bridegroom shall be taken away from them, and then shall they fast in those days.

The Lenten Prayer of Saint Ephraim the Syrian

Lord and Master of my life¹,

The spirit of laziness, and of the care for many things, of the lust for power, and of idle-talk, take away from me.

But the spirit of purity and meekness, of patience and love, grant unto me, Thy servant.

Therefore, Lord and King, grant that I may realize my own mistakes, and keep me from judging my brother,

For You are blessed forevermore,

Amen.
____________________________________
¹ Is God really the Master of your life ?...

Our One True God

I said our one true God, NOT the one true God...

A Short Summary of Over Five Years of Apologetic Efforts

Romans 10:21 All day long I have stretched forth my hands unto a disobedient and gainsaying people.

Fasting: The Entrance-Gate Into A Sexless Eternity

Matthew 22:30 For in the resurrection they neither marry, nor are given in marriage, but are as the angels of God in heaven.

Mark 12:25 For when they shall rise from the dead, they neither marry, nor are given in marriage; but are as the angels which are in heaven.

Luke 20:34 And Jesus answering said unto them: The children of this world marry, and are given in marriage: 35 But they which shall be accounted worthy to obtain that world, and the resurrection from the dead, neither marry, nor are given in marriage: 36 Neither can they die any more: for they are equal unto the angels; and are the children of God, being the children of the resurrection.

Orthodox Family Values

2 Maccabees 7:20 But the mother was marvellous above all, and worthy of honourable memory: for when she saw her seven sons slain within the space of one day, she bare it with a good courage, because of the hope that she had in the Lord. 21 Yea, she exhorted every one of them in her own language, filled with courageous spirits; and stirring up her womanish thoughts with a manly stomach, she said unto them: 22 I cannot tell how ye came into my womb: for I neither gave you breath nor life, neither was it I that formed the members of every one of you; 23 But doubtless the Creator of the world, who formed the generation of man, and found out the beginning of all things, will also of his own mercy give you breath and life again, as ye now regard not your own selves for his laws' sake. 28 I beseech thee, my son, look upon the heaven and the earth, and all that is therein, and consider that God made them of things that were not; and so was mankind made likewise. 29 Fear not this tormentor, but, being worthy of thy brethren, take thy death that I may receive thee again in mercy with thy brethren. 41 Last of all after the sons the mother died.

Orthodoxy: providing a safe and secure family-friendly environment since 170 BC

The Difference Between Orthodoxy and Other Religions

I want God, not my idea of God. – C. S. Lewis

Our God is the One true God, Who described Himself by the words "I am Who I am", and Who shaped man in His own Image; whereas the gods of other faiths can properly be described by the words "we are whomever you want us to be", being nothing more than mental 'idols' and ideological constructs fashioned by the perverted lusts and sinful imaginations of fallen men, in their own corrupted image.

The Difference Between Orthodoxy and Social Justice

Psalm 141:4 Incline not my heart to evil words, to make excuses in sins.

Christ said to the woman caught in adultery "Go and sin no more", not "Go and sin some more"; nor did He deny the sinfulness of her actions, by ascribing it to social norms of a transitory nature, relative to the cultural mores of the time and space in which one happens to find him- or herself living in...

Lent

It's coming, it's coming, it's here, have no fear!

About Me

Theodicy and the Problem of Evil

The gods may throw a dice
Their minds as cold as ice
And someone way down here
Loses someone dear...

ABBA, The Winner Takes It All

Pro Choice

When life is not an option.

Protestantism, Pelagianism, and Eastern Orthodoxy

Protestantism:

John 15:5 Ye can do nothing.

Pelagianism:

Philippians 4:13 I can do all things.

Eastern Orthodoxy:

John 15:5 For without Me ye can do nothing.

Philippians 4:13 I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.

Short Commentary on the Lord's Prayer

Our Father, Who are in Heaven,

John 8:41 Ye do the deeds of your father. Then said they to him: We be not born of fornication; we have one Father, even God. 42 Jesus said unto them, If God were your Father, ye would love me: for I proceeded forth and came from God; neither came I of myself, but he sent me. 44 Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it. 47 He that is of God heareth God's words: ye therefore hear them not, because ye are not of God.

1 John 3:8 He that committeth sin is of the devil; for the devil sinneth from the beginning. 9 Whosoever is born of God doth not commit sin; for his seed remaineth in him: and he cannot sin, because he is born of God. 10 In this the children of God are manifest, and the children of the devil: whosoever doeth not righteousness is not of God, neither he that loveth not his brother. 12 Not as Cain, who was of that wicked one, and slew his brother.

1 John 5:18 We know that whosoever is born of God sinneth not; but he that is begotten of God keepeth himself, and that wicked one toucheth him not.

Hallowed be Thy Name.

Romans 2:24 For the name of God is blasphemed among the Gentiles through you, as it is written.

Thy Kingdom come.

Matthew 3:1 In those days came John the Baptist, preaching in the wilderness of Judaea, 2 And saying, Repent ye: for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand. 7 But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees come to his baptism, he said unto them, O generation of vipers, who hath warned you to flee from the wrath to come? 8 Bring forth therefore fruits meet for repentance: 10 And now also the axe is laid unto the root of the trees: therefore every tree which bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire.

Matthew 4:17 From that time Jesus began to preach, and to say, Repent: for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand.

Mark 1:14 Now after that John was put in prison, Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God, 15 And saying, The time is fulfilled, and the Kingdom of God is at hand: repent ye, and believe the Gospel.

The Three Holy Hierarchs

Luther, Calvin, and Zwingli.

Why Orthodoxy is the True Religion

See previous post.

Orthodox Distinctives

There aren't any.

The Monarchy of the Father

...because no one can better express the Trinitarian view of the fourth century Eastern Orthodox Nicene and Cappadocian Fathers than a 21^st century Western tongue-talking Charismatic-Pentecostal!

666 - The Mark of the Beast

( You may wish to turn up the volume on your computer ).

The $64,000 Question

Romans 7:24 Who shall deliver me from the body of this death?

Pascal's Wager

After all, what do you have to lose?

The Eternal Punishment Of Sinners

No sinning is possible in the World to Come.

Their unquenchable thirst and insatiable drive for the various cravings, lusts, sins, and passions that devour them will starve and asphyxiate them forever, without ever being even remotely satisfied.

Baby Jesus: Cutting The Throats Of Zion-Haters Since The Eighth Century AD

Let those who hate Zion become as grass, before it shall be plucked, for Christ shall cut their throats with agonizing torments.

Second Stanza of the First Antiphon on the Eighth Voice

You who hate Zion shall be put to shame by the Lord, for as grass seared by fire, so shall you be parched.

Second Stanza of the First Antiphon on the Fourth Voice

By Whose Hands Was Christ Baptized In The Jordan?

If you thought that it was by the hands of Saint John the Baptist... think again!

Protestant Ecclesiology

Genesis 11:1 ¶And the whole earth was of one faith, and of one denomination. 6 And the LORD said, Behold, the people is one, and they have all one religion; and this they begin to do: and now nothing will be restrained from them, which they have imagined to do. 7 Come, let us go down, and there confound their theology, that they may not understand one another's doctrines. 8 So the LORD scattered them abroad from thence upon the face of all the earth: and they left off to build the Church. 9 Therefore is the name of it called Protestant Reformation; because the LORD did there confound the creeds and dogmas of all the earth: and from thence did the LORD scatter them abroad upon the face of all the earth.

The Lvka-Myth Theory

My name is Craciun Lucian. My mother's name is Eugenia, and my father was born on January 3^rd. My paternal grandparents are Stephen and Mary, and my maternal uncle and cousin are John and Basil. My favorite color is red, I love drinking milk, I enjoy giving alms, I like listening to Christmas Carols, and have had my heart broken way too many times...

Calvinist Christmas Carol

Sinners roasting on an open fire ...

How NOT to Celebrate the Holidays

Luke 12:19 And [the rich man] will say to [his] soul: Soul, thou hast much goods laid up for many years; take thine ease, eat, drink, and be merry. 20 But God said unto him: Thou fool, this night thy soul shall be required of thee: then whose shall those things be, which thou hast provided ? 21 So is he that layeth up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God.

How NOT To Await The Birth Of Christ

With our souls adorned by sins, as Christmas trees by globes...

The Christmas Hymn

Thy Birth, O Christ our God, has shone unto the world the light of knowledge; for -through it- those who worshipped the stars, were taught by the Star to adore Thee, the Sun of Righteousness, and to know Thee, the Sunrise from on high: O Lord, Glory to Thee!

On The First Day Of Christmas, My True Love Said To Me...

...that we've still got two whole weeks of total sexual abstinence before us...

Eastern Orthodoxy: taking all the fun out of Holidays since 1,500 BC.

Inspiring Bible Verses

...too bad they don't actually apply to anyone reading this post...

2 Timothy 4:7 I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith: 8 Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day: and not to me only, but unto all them also that love his appearing.

James 1:12 Blessed is the man that endureth temptation: for when he is tried, he shall receive the crown of life, which the Lord hath promised to them that love him.

Revelation 2:10 Be thou faithful unto death, and I will give thee a crown of life.

As Christmas Was Approaching, Our Demons Cried To Christ:

Matthew 8:29 What have we to do with thee, Jesus, thou Son of God? art thou come hither to torment us before the time?

On The Last Week Of Fasting, The Devil Said To Christ...

Matthew 4:3 If thou be the Son of God, command that these stones be made bread.

My Heart Is Catholic

...but my stomach is Protestant.

Erasmus of Rotterdam

Matthew 26:41 The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.

Galatians 5:24

And they that are Christ's have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts.

Hauntingly-Beautiful Romanian Christmas Carols

Mankind: Selling The Messiah For 30 Pieces Of Silver Since 33 AD

Matthew 26:14 ¶Then one of the twelve, called Judas Iscariot, went unto the chief priests, 15 And said unto them, What will ye give me, and I will deliver him unto you? And they covenanted with him for thirty pieces of silver. 16 And from that time he sought opportunity to betray him. 27:9 Then was fulfilled that which was spoken by Jeremy the prophet, saying, And they took the thirty pieces of silver, the price of him that was valued, whom they of the children of Israel did value; 10 And gave them for the potter's field, as the Lord appointed me.

Mankind: Selling Our Birthright For A Plate Of Pottage Since 2,000 BC

Genesis 25:29 ¶And Jacob sod pottage: and Esau came from the field, and he was faint: 30 And Esau said to Jacob, Feed me, I pray thee, with that same red pottage; for I am faint: therefore was his name called Edom. 31 And Jacob said, Sell me this day thy birthright. 32 And Esau said, Behold, I am at the point to die: and what profit shall this birthright do to me? 33 And Jacob said, Swear to me this day; and he sware unto him: and he sold his birthright unto Jacob. 34 Then Jacob gave Esau bread and pottage of lentiles; and he did eat and drink, and rose up, and went his way: thus Esau despised his birthright.

Mankind: Trading Paradise For Apples Since 5508 BC

Genesis 3:6 ¶And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her; and he did eat.

It's Not Hard To Fast...

...it's impossible.

Romans 4:18 Who against hope believed in hope; that he might be made the father of many nations, according to that which was said to him: So shall thy seed be. 19 And he was not weak in faith; neither did he consider his own body now dead, whereas he was almost an hundred years old, nor the dead womb of Sara. 20 In the promise also of God he staggered not by distrust; but was strengthened in faith, giving glory to God: 21 Most fully knowing, that whatsoever he has promised, he is able also to perform. 22 And therefore it was reputed to him unto justice.

John 15:5 For without Me ye can do nothing.

Philippians 4:13 I can do all things through Christ Who strengtheneth me.

It's Not That We Don't Love God...

...it's that we DON'T love Him MORE than we love His creation...

Matthew 6:24 No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon.

Matthew 10:37 He that loveth father or mother more than me is not worthy of me: and he that loveth son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. 38 And he that taketh not his cross, and followeth after me, is not worthy of me.

Luke 14:16 A certain man made a great supper, and bade many: 17 And sent his servant at supper time to say to them that were bidden, Come; for all things are now ready. 18 And they all with one consent began to make excuse. The first said unto him, I have bought a piece of ground, and I must needs go and see it: I pray thee have me excused. 19 And another said, I have bought five yoke of oxen, and I go to prove them: I pray thee have me excused. 20 And another said, I have married a wife, and therefore I cannot come. 21 So that servant came, and shewed his lord these things. Then the master of the house being angry said to his servant, Go out quickly into the streets and lanes of the city, and bring in hither the poor, and the maimed, and the halt, and the blind. 24 For I say unto you, that none of those men which were bidden shall taste of my supper.