www.byzcath.org Forums General Discussions Town Hall A question for all

Good Day and God Bless,
Some years ago ( maybe 6 ) I was kind of active on this site. I returned recently and noticed that it is drastically less active. Can anyone help me understand why?
Pax,
Eamon

Christ is in our midst!!

It's anyone's guess. People move on. People have become less engaged in anything and everything outside their own home. People have drifted away from the Church because of the clergy scandal in the Catholic Church--which has also engulfed the Eastern Catholic Churches. There is turmoil in the Orthodox Church.

It seems to me that we have entered a time when people have become less interested in the Faith. I deal with many clergy of many different Churches and communities. The story seems to be similar all around with a few exceptions: numbers are down; people don't bring their children for worship or for education; people say they're busy on Sunday morning; kids have many more sports practices scheduled on Sunday morning than in previous decades.

So many reasons; so many questions.

Bob

Hi Eamon,

I think Bob is right. People move on. And discussions tend to get repeated over time (the Forum has been online for over 20 years!), so participants often don't have anything new to say. Add into this that Eastern Christians tend to be older, and less likely to use things like forums. Also, some have moved to Facebook, where there are always similar discussions.

John

Some of the more interesting folks who could light a few sparks in discussions are not here any more. What has happened to them, I don't know, but age and health may have caught up with some. I wish them all well. Correct about many things have already been discussed.

There is another, much livelier forum I could name, but I'm not sure if that's allowed.

You can mention whatever you want.

Just saw an article where someone was banned from Facebook for posting a picture of the Holy Coptic Martyrs being executed in 2015. Perhaps people will leave there and some may return here.

This is so terrible, but so much a part of our current anti-Christian world-wide culture. Calls for a minute of silence just to let it sink in. Like the martyring of these men, this censure calls all of us to remember that we are not called to shrink from our call to be active witnesses of Christ and all He has done for us and for the whole world.

Bob

I was specifically alluding to the forum orthodoxchristianity.net. I would suggest everyone check it out.

Posting graphic violence on facebook is generally frowned upon and most facebook users are aware of that.

This image shows coming graphic violence, but is not actually violent. Facebook should not have banned it:



Holy Coptic Martyrs, pray for us!

I highly doubt anyone was banned for sharing that image. A long clip of the video has been making the rounds on facebook. It is still viewable and none of my connections who posted it were banned. This smells like a typical case of persecution fantasy/ fetishism by Americhristians.

Well... it's true. It's one of many examples of people being tossed off social media for such posts. You are free to doubt it's truthfulness, but that's your concern.

Here is the video on facebook, still viewable and shared by many: https://www.facebook.com/ProChristi...illed-by-islamic-state/1366809513340385/

Neither the video, nor the group that posted it, nor the thousands of people who shared it, have been banned. Claiming otherwise feels like a cheap way for internet culture warriors to put their "martyrdom" on par with the real martyrdom endured by the true Christians on the beach in Libya.

Good. I'm glad that person has not been banned. Others have. That you feel that such things are false and cheap is your opinion.

Ponder this: In every age, the Church has taught, practiced, and confessed "Memory Eternal."

The hostile culture which inflicted red martyrdom has done everything in its power to ensure that their memory would be forgotten.

On this 23rd day of February, make time to read "The Martrydom of Polycarp". Why did the Romans seek to destroy the Hieromartyr's body by fire? They were attempting to destroy all relics.

On the 24th we celebrate the recovery of relics, namely the head of the Forerunner.

These feasts are placed back to back very intentionally.

Christ is in our midst!

My understanding of "Memory Eternal" is a petition for God to remember us in His Kingdom, eternally. I am sure that there will always be those who are martyred who will never make it to the Church's official calendar, but as long as the One Who accepted the Scourging, the Cross, and the Tomb for us keeps us in His Memory things will always be okay. Think of the millions martyred under the Communist Yoke, the Turkish Yoke, and recently under Islamic persecution. The 20th century is said to have been the bloodiest one in the Church's history. It is also said that the blood of martyrs waters the Church.