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Is not the idea that Christ shared our fallen nature in every aspect except sin?

Diak,

You mean all the words in our liturgical texts and hymns and prayers have to match our beliefs? That a 'faith not celebrated in word or song' is no faith at all? Can this be the smoking gun of what some mean by 'in-organic' traditions?

You speak with too much sense.

Joe

Dear Friends,

Perhaps we don't need to theologize any further on this?

Could Cantor Joseph's post above be the last word on this?

Just a suggestion . . .

Alex

Presvjataja Bohorodice spasi nas

Dear djs,

Happy Pascha to you and yours!

Alex

Hmm. This is a kind of puzzlement.

All humans die. It's part of being human.

Christ died to redeem us from the nastiness of the Old Testament dispensation.

The Theotokos also died because she was a human being.

Our Lord moved from His death on earth to a visitation to the realms of the dead and then back to the human earthly realm to rise from His death as a witness of His being our Savior and THE witness to God's powerful reality in our lives.

The Mother-of-God also died, as do all human beings, but upon her death, she was transported body and soul to the place that awaits all those who believe, the place that is prepared by Her Son for those who Love God and Love One's Neighbor. And the place that we all strive to attain.

What's the problem?

Sheesh. These theologians give me a stomachache. Sort of like unethical insurance salesmen: gotta buy this coverage; gotta get that indemnity; gotta be registered in this "group".... What a pain.

Blessings!

Dear Dr. John,

That's also exactly how I feel about those theologians in Rome! They tell us: You've gotta believe this or that. And they make everything a dogma!!! Even the Assumption!

I'm glad that we agree!

A blessed Holy Week to you.

In Christ,
Andrew

Dear Reader Andrew,

I think we ALL agree about the negative gastric impact theologians can give us . . .

But unless you agree with the Most Revered and Eminent Dr. John about the taking up of the Mother of God, body and soul, to Heaven - then you don't really agree.

Agreed?

Happy Easter!

Alex

Alex,



Andrew

If I am not mistaken, I remember reading in my research on R.Catholic church history, that the dogma of the Assumption was made in order to refute heresy abounding in the R.C. world to the contrary.

In my experience, in my Orthodox jurisdiction, here in the United States, such heresy (the word used by monastics in Greece, who are usually the bearers of the faith), is also catching on like wild fire with the liberal clergy. Alot of it has to do with anti-Rome polemics.

In any case, rather than have this 'heresy' take root, I would welcome the 'Assumption'of our blessed Lady Theotokos be made dogma in Orthodoxy.

In Christ our Lord,
Alice

Don't cha just love her?! Good points, Alice!

Logos Teen

Dearest Teen,

Thanks so much!

Wishing you a most blessed Easter,
Alice

The filioque was added in order to combat a heresy! Should that be declared to be a dogma?

May God bless you Holy Week/Pascha/Bright Week.

In Christ,
Andrew

The fact is: the faith of Byzantine/Constantinopolitan Christians derives from the whole body of our liturgies: all the odes, troparia, kondakia, akathists, theotokia, sticheria, and the popular hymns. We KNOW who the Theotokos is; we KNOW her life; we KNOW that she is in a special place prepared by Her Divine Son.

Why, in heaven's name, are we preparing a triple-A Triptik of her life and her current location? This may be necessary for the legalists; for us Byzantines, the answer is: why the hell are you asking this stupid question?

The Mother-of-God (Theotokos) by virtue of her saying "Yes!" to the Holy Spirit has earned a special place in all of creation. And we Byzantines just "know" that she is with Her Son. It's a mother-son reality. She's NOT a co-savior; she's the Mother of the Savior, the "introducer of Divinity into humanity" perforce of her "yes, be it done to me according to your word".

So, pardon us when we get a bit 'testy' when commanded to affirm this or that perspective. We don't like it when we are pushed into a corner. The fact is: We know. If you don't, it's YOUR problem, not ours.

CHRIST IS RISEN FROM THE DEAD!!

Dear Alice,

If our Churches ever allowed for women priests and bishops, you would have my vote!!

(I hope Snoopy isn't reading this . . . ).

A blessed and holy Orthodox Pascha to you this week!

Alex