Sins before God - meditation and yoga, various spiritual practices and astral projection

[Russian Bear]

Posted by arjunaloka_official (here)
Russian Bear, your faith is strong, which I like! I think it is a good thing to follow Christ. I am not so sure about some institutions though.

What´s your take on the concept of transubstantiation?

Concepts of transubstantiation differ in Catholicism and Orthodoxy. These terms refer to the transformation of bread and wine into the Body and Blood of Christ during the sacrament of the Eucharist, but they have different meanings.

In Orthodox theology, the term "transubstantiation" has a different meaning. It neither describes nor explains, but merely points to the mystery of the Eucharist, the initial and final state of the holy offering.

Some concepts of transubstantiation in Orthodoxy:
St. Gennadius Scholarius, Patriarch of Constantinople, wrote that transubstantiation is the greatest miracle, during which one essence is instantly transformed into another while its properties remain unchanged. Moreover, transubstantiation occurs not physically, but mysteriously.

Holy Fathers, such as Cyril of Jerusalem, Gregory of Nyssa, and Ambrose of Milan, believed that after the consecration, there is no longer bread and wine, but only the body and blood of Christ under the species of bread and wine.

St. John of Damascus asserted that the bread and wine, having become one with the Divinity of Christ, become His flesh.

I don't know how the translator translated it.

The meaning is that the bread and wine prepared in the chalice on the altar during the Liturgy are transformed into the true body of the Lord and His blood. In short, we drink the true divine and human body of Christ and drink His true blood in the true sense. This is just not revealed to us physically, for we are unworthy (although physically it is the true blood and body of the Lord).

The Lord tests our faith in this way. Although Orthodox history knows the stories of saints to whom God revealed the communion of the body and blood, they saw the blood and true body of the Lord. It's terrifying to witness (some cried, others were stunned, unable to come to their senses; the great ascetics accepted it all calmly). And when they tasted it, like a fiery flame that scorches everything, this was given to the saints' disciples.The saints told them not to tell anyone about this until their death. Only after their death could this mystery be revealed. They probably said this so that no one would tell them what great saints they were, that God had revealed this to them. All saints hated flattery and considered themselves the most terrible sinners before God, unworthy of anything. This is a great mystery.

Also, the bread and wine must be consecrated; they already bear the grace of the Lord. But then they will be transformed, both spiritually and materially, into the true body and flesh of the Lord. Only this is miraculously hidden from us. God looks at our faith and heart.

It happens that a person, through spiritual and mystical means, comes to know God through their senses and becomes convinced of His reality (after all, it is through the spiritual senses that a person communicates with God). For such a person, even a convincing historical and archaeological argument will no longer be necessary. For example, a long time ago, when I was feeling down, I'd go to church and just sit alone, looking at the icons and images. I felt like this place was somehow unusual, otherworldly, and so familiar and peaceful, instilling hope. My soul understood that this was a sacred place. Demons find it hard to be in such places. They dislike incense, prayers, church candles, and so on.



The priest's answer:
What is transubstantiation (change) of the Holy Gifts?

- This is a Sacrament – ​​the Sacrament of the Eucharist. The word "sacrament" comes from the word "mystery." And we will never fully comprehend this greatest mystery of the change of bread, wine, and water into the Body and Blood of Christ. It is a miracle of God. It is the saving mystery of God's economy and providence for man.

In Orthodox theology, Saint Gennadius Scholarius, Patriarch of Constantinople, studied the question of the union of the Divine and the material in the Sacrament of the Eucharist in great detail. He wrote that transubstantiation is the greatest miracle, during which one essence is instantly transformed into another while its properties remain unchanged. And that transubstantiation occurs not physically, but mysteriously.

At the level of canonical statutory decisions, the Orthodox Church is guided in this matter by a document entitled "The Epistle of the Patriarchs of the Eastern Catholic Church on the Orthodox Faith (1723)."

Among other things, it contains the following lines: “We believe that in this sacred rite our Lord Jesus Christ is present, not symbolically, not figuratively (τυπικός, εἰκονικός), not by an abundance of grace, as in the other sacraments, not by inspiration alone, as some Fathers said about baptism, and not through the penetration of bread (κατ´ Ἐναρτισμόν – per impanationem), so that the Divinity of the Word enters into the bread offered for the Eucharist, essentially (ὑποστατικός), as the followers of Luther rather clumsily and unworthily explain; But truly and truly, after the consecration of the bread and wine, the bread is changed, transubstantiated, transformed, and transformed into the very true body of the Lord, which was born in Bethlehem of the Ever-Virgin, baptized in the Jordan, suffered, was buried, resurrected, ascended, sits at the right hand of God the Father, and is to appear on the clouds of heaven; and the wine is changed and transubstantiated into the very true blood of the Lord, which during His suffering on the cross was shed for the life of the world. We further believe that after the consecration of the bread and wine, what remains is no longer the bread and wine themselves, but the very body and blood of the Lord under the form and image of bread and wine."

Let us pay attention, dear brothers and sisters, to the last lines of the document, which have become part of virtually all Orthodox catechisms: "We further believe that after the consecration of the bread and wine, what remains is no longer the bread and wine themselves, but the very body and blood of the Lord under the form and image of bread and wine." This is the Orthodox canonical understanding of the Sacrament of the Eucharist, or the transubstantiation (change) of the Holy Gifts.

Orthodoxy has avoided Catholic materialism, in whose dogma matter physically becomes the Body and Blood of Christ, and at the same time the Protestant approach, which is quite multifaceted, but whose core idea still postulates that Christ is not present in the Eucharist, and that the bloodless sacrifice is merely a symbol, an image, a remembrance of the Savior's redemptive work.

Orthodoxy, as always, has lightly and airily walked the path of the golden mean. The Lord is present in the Eucharist. Really. Essentially. Forever. And the rest is unknown to us. The rest is a mystery...

What a beautiful word "mystery" is. How much air there is in it. How many infinite worlds and mysteries are hidden beneath its veil. And humanity immediately becomes a child, just beginning a beautiful, blissful, joyful, and endless journey to its God. To its Father...

Priest Andrei Chizhenko

I hope the translator translated everything correctly; sometimes they translate poorly and change words. So that's how it is.

I wrote an article about the sacrament and the church in detail:
https://projectavalon.net/forum4/sho...=1#post1664881

I also want to say that faith is a gift from God; some have it, others don't.

But faith without works is dead. So it happens that a person has faith, but at the same time, they are a spiritual corpse, their soul far from God.
A person may try to be a believer but not religious.
In any case, a person without God is nothing and no one. Relying on oneself is foolish.

I edit my message even after it's published, finding translation errors so you can read it. After you've read my message, it may change slightly over time. I'm currently reading the text myself, along with the Russian translation that I've already published in English, to make sure my text is correct, even though I've already proofread it and errors still pop up.

[Irminsül]

Here I transcribe the response of a friend who is very skilled in the knowledge of yoga:


Yoga is universal. It is present in all human cultures. There are basically four types of yoga named and explained in the Bhagavad Gita: Karma Yoga, Jñana Yoga, Bhakti Yoga, and Raja Yoga.

Yoga means union—the union of the individual soul, the human monads or jivas, with the universal soul, which is God. It is not Satan—it is God. Yoga teaches that the divine has three inseparable aspects inherent to itself: Brahman, Paramatman, and Bhagavān.

Brahman is the divine, universal, omnipresent force, impersonal in nature. For example, when someone says, “For me, God is energy,” that universal force, the Holy Spirit, is Brahman.
Paramatma is the focused aspect of the Absolute in the deepest interior of every being, not only human but also in every creature: a beetle, an ant, a butterfly, an elephant, a whale, even in a plant or a cedar tree. In the human being, it resides in the heart, the Anahata chakra.
Bhagavān is the personal, non-dual aspect of the Absolute, what some religious traditions call the personal God. For instance, Christians follow this personal aspect of the Absolute.

These three aspects are mentioned in the scripture Shrimad Bhagavatam, considered the essence of Vedic knowledge, a complement to the Mahabharata, often called the fifth Veda of the Aryan humanity. We are in the Aryan cycle, and the Aryans too have their yoga. So, to connect with the Absolute, with the divine, we have the yogas. There is nothing satanic about that.

I have practiced some forms of yoga and finally chose Bhakti Yoga, the simplest yet also the deepest. Bhakti Yoga is the yoga of devotion to God, cultivating love for God. This spiritual feeling must be awakened consciously because it is not natural to us. Normally, we are indifferent to God. Bhakti Yoga takes the relationship with God (sambandha) as a science to be cultivated. That is why some religious lines speak of Krishna consciousness—the devotees of Krishna.

Raja Yoga works with the fifth principle, the mind (manas). It is a more mental yoga, while Bhakti is more emotional. Raja Yoga uses techniques for integrating consciousness, which is normally scattered in many directions. The Raja yogi concentrates the rays of the mind, turning them inward, calming the vrittis—the modifications of the mind—using yogic tools like pranayama, visualization of mandalas or yantras, and mantras.

Jñana Yoga is the yoga of knowledge, very analytical. A prime example is Sri Ramana Maharshi, the great knower of the Self. Another was Krishnamurti.

Karma Yoga is the yoga of action—doing works for the benefit of others and offering the results to the Divine. It is service dedicated to creation, offered back to God.

These are the main yogas: Karma, Bhakti, Raja, and Jñana. Hatha Yoga is considered a subdivision of Raja, focused mainly on posture (asana).

So why call yoga satanic? Let us look at its ethical values—there is nothing satanic in them. Ultimately, it depends on what one means by “God” or “Satan.” The Abrahamic traditions—Judaism, Christianity, and Islam—often take an exclusivist stance. Yet esoteric Christianity, for example, is very close to the spirit of dharmic traditions.

There are even Puranic verses mentioning Jesus as the Messiah (Isra Masihá). These allow us to recognize a Vedic Christology. Jesus of Nazareth essentially taught Bhakti Yoga—devotion to God, concentration on the sun (Surya Mandala), and the chanting of the Holy Name (Japa Yoga). In this sense, Jesus is seen in the Vedic scriptures as a teacher of dharma (dharmacharya), one who preached even to the mlechhas (enemies of Aryan culture).

So, these four yogas—Karma, Bhakti, Raja, and Jñana—are paths of light, not darkness. Of course, yoga is vast, and there are traditions like Tantra that are more complex. But yoga as a whole is a discipline of self-transformation, a process that yields results over time.

[Casey Claar]

Posted by Russian Bear (here)

Posted by Casey Claar (here)

Posted by Russian Bear (here)

Posted by Sirus (here)
Has the Holy Spirit or Jesus Christ told you this about yoga, or have you just adopted someone else's opinion?

Yoga is a conditional religious philosophy that officially does not recognize the existence of God; it suggests a connection with dark spirits. Practicing yoga is a sin related to the first and second commandments, that is, a sin against the Lord God (being like God, like Buddha, is a Stanian sin).

This is just simply not true.

Yoga is a word that describes a fundamental, pre-existing and unbreakable Oneness/Union between the Supreme and personal.
It is also a practice by which a person may come to experience this for themselves.

Yoga. -translation -Oneness/Union. (true)
Yoga is. -translation -Oneness/Union is. (true)
Yoga is conditional. -translation -Oneness/Union is conditional. (false)
Yoga is a conditional religious philosophy. -translation -Oneness/Union is a conditional religious philosophy. (false)
Yoga does not recognize the existence of God. -translation -Oneness/Union does not recognize the existence of God. (false)

Within the very word YOGA is the presence of the Supreme and the suggestion for the personal expression of this (ie: you, me, etc) to "yoke" ourself with This.

Yoga is not Hinduism -it is not any religion.

It is more accurately what I have stated.

Yoga doesn't contain Jesus Christ, the true God, or divine salvation. All the unities and unions you mentioned are demonic in nature. I'll be frank. Because words can be interpreted in different ways. I'm not a priest and didn't graduate from a theological seminary, so my answer may be incomplete. I'm communicating through a translator, and I don't speak English. Besides, priests explain things better than I do. And I'm an ordinary peasant.

But I didn't lie to you.

I'll put it differently then.

"If something decreases somewhere, it means that something has increased somewhere else"—that's the law of conservation of matter, formulated by Mikhail Vasilyevich Lomonosov on July 16, 1748, in a letter to the mathematician Leonhard Euler.

This law implies the transfer of energy—not only mechanical movement, but also thermal movement.

- "Not every spirit is from God" (1 John 4:1).

So, if God's grace is absent somewhere, that space is occupied by a demonic force. And also, if a person displaces God's grace from their soul and makes room for it, that space is occupied by an evil, demonic nature.

Thank you for your reply, Russian Bear, and for making a new attempt to explain.

Yoga, however, excludes no-one and no thing.

Once again, at its basis Yoga is a STATEMENT declaring a fundamental and unbreakable (already and always existent) Unity/Oneness between the Invisible and visible, ie: the Supreme and the Supreme in direct expression. The Supreme IS ALL THERE IS of what we tend to like to think of as "ourself". There is no-one and no thing outside of the Supreme, we all live, breathe and find our being within This. -- This is the statement of Yoga. Once more, it is also a practice by which those who have wandered into separation and become lost, may again experience this directly for themselves. This said,

Relative to your next sentence in bold,

"Not every spirit is from God"

Here you have entered the Lila, the play - DUALITY - separation <-- this is not fundamental but the experience of it is very real.

Souls get lost here. Yes. - from the beginning it is in its entirety a DISTORTION of what is fundamental to it.

All war begins here. War that can never been won, just perpetuated seemingly unendingly. See our world, and its history for case in point.

The only way to succeed is to step out of the duality altogether.

So many will not. They are entrenched. They do not hear those who come to help. Often these ones are in fact killed by them.

I find it interesting, that once a duality system is entered, the only way out is through. So, to your point, (polarity - light-and-dark - "not every being here is from God"), yes each of us who enters the duality is cast to one or the other of these roles. I would only add, and suggest, however, that it is our DUTY in either sense to perform this service to the absolute best of our ability. Without this there is not the torque, and no-one ever achieves the spin required for lift. This is another subject in itself. But it is central, and fundamental to the game of (opposing) forces.

[xeon]

Posted by Matthew (here)
I'm with Russian Bear on this one.

This is an anti-Christian forum but not intentionally or maliciously. Hey, I love you guys and this beautiful forum means a lot to me I treasure you all, but I've long believed that the unseen world is more real than the 'real world' and fallen angels come as beings of love, light, and knowledge to seduce us then throw us away like spent candy wrappers.

Jesus came to divide us not unite us:

Luke 12, KJV: (emphasis mine)
I am come to send fire on the earth; and what will I, if it be already kindled? But I have a baptism to be baptized with; and how am I straitened till it be accomplished! Suppose ye that I am come to give peace on earth? I tell you, Nay; but rather division: For from henceforth there shall be five in one house divided, three against two, and two against three. The father shall be divided against the son, and the son against the father; the mother against the daughter, and the daughter against the mother; the mother in law against her daughter in law, and the daughter in law against her mother in law.

If you find my opinion powerfully obnoxious then that's on you. I'm entitled to my own opinion. How does my opinion here really effect you? Don't be mad with me for what I think. I'd still fight hard to defend you, your right to your opinion, and treat you like my family given the chance. God gave us free will that is His choice. It means for example I respect your right to abortion but shudder at the thought.

The Bible is super clear about spiritual practices. It warns very strongly against occult and divination. And on the other hand we are invited to talk DIRECTLY to God Almighty on a very personal level, not even via a priest or whatnot but yourself directly with Him. The God of the universe wants to be our close personal friend. It's so awesome. Occult practices mean not going directly to God, when you do occult stuff it's going via familiar spirits.

Occult, divination, sacrifice and general witchcraft are the natural language of this world, which is run by what the Bible calls 'the prince of this world'. Although the prince of this world, and his crew, hate us because of our disobedience and rebellion against God. But then God offers us redemption through the blood of Jesus Christ. This undermines the fallen angels and their lofty pride, and this redemption is not offered to them, they're just plain going to Hell. God gave us superpowers in Jesus Christs name to combat these demons. Talk about turning the tables.

Anyway, probably not what you want to read from me but this feels like the time and the place. I seriously love you guys.

Amen brother. The precedent on division was the Tower of Babel under King Nimrod, which is being being rebuilt today in earnest. What all of us would call the "New World Order".

Disclaimer - From the Christian perspective. God destroyed the Tower of Babel (One World Government) and separated mankind into Nations, because this is the temporary Divine plan all along. The ultimate plan is for Jesus to reign over the world as King when He returns. One world under Jesus.

The Devil also has a similar plan, albeit under the Antichrist or the Beast. With the rollout of Digital ID, AI, CBDCs and Transhumanism across ALL the nations, this is taking shape right before our eyes. My theory is the Devil will provoke a WW3, and with one stroke under the guise of "Peace and Safety", bring on this One World Government. The United Nations is now all for "Peace and Safety". Problem, Reaction, Solution.

For when they shall say, Peace and safety; then sudden destruction cometh upon them, as travail upon a woman with child; and they shall not escape.

1 Thessalonians 5:3

This is why you're experiencing mass immigration in UK, because the Illuminati is flooding the UK with foreigners in line with their goal of One World Government. Spiritually dark forces are at war with Nationalism and trying to do away with it. I believe you're not allowed to preach Christianity on the streets in UK now. But if you're a Muslim preacher, it is fine.

Coincidentally (or maybe not) - Zionism is Jewish Nationalism. The Jewish concept of "God" is very much joined at the hip with their Nation. The Jews rejected Jesus because Jesus did not seem to be the person to free their Nation from the Romans and lead them to glory.

[Matthew]

Posted by xeon (here)
...

Coincidentally (or maybe not) - Zionism is Jewish Nationalism. The Jewish concept of "God" is very much joined at the hip with their Nation. The Jews rejected Jesus because Jesus did not seem to be the person to free their Nation from the Romans and lead them to glory.

Yet God is faithful to Israel despite this, just as He is faithful to us when we screw up; we are able to repent in the future and God is there. Just going to say this: God is the ultimate Jewish Nationalist.

[Russian Bear]

Posted by Bill Ryan (here)

Posted by arjunaloka_official (here)

Well, the Old Testament describes the creation of the world, but when was it written? Most scholars seem to date it around 1500 BC, which seems similar to early Hindu texts like the Rigveda. Interestingly, both contain a very similar flood myth (in the Bible the hero´s name is Noah), however a similar flood myth is also part of the epic of Gilgamesh and the epic of Atra-Hasis, which both seem to be a bit older (2100-1800 BC) than the Old Testament and Hindu texts:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flood_myth

For reference, here's the Avalon thread about this:

• An Ark pre-dating the story of Noah

I answered the question at this link.

Regarding the ark, I can say that scientists are talking about a find on Mount Ararat in Turkey. Noah's Ark fully corresponds to the description in the Bible! The archaeological evidence has been confirmed. Of course, I haven't seen this video, but it seems to be about it. I've watched similar films. There are many documentaries and articles, photographs, books, I've watched them all. And they even found the anchor. And many other facts... : https://projectavalon.net/forum4/sho...=1#post1687232


Ark Anchor


Noah's Ark

In 1955, French industrialist and researcher Fernand Navarre visited Mount Ararat and brought back the remains of a board, broken off, according to him, from the ark. The piece was analyzed using the radioactive method. Studies have shown that the tree is about 5,000 years old. The analyses were carried out in two laboratories: in Cairo and in Madrid. Today, September 30, 2025, marks the 7534th anniversary of the creation of the world according to the Orthodox Church calendar (To understand what I'm saying, click on the link above that I indicated). According to the chronology of the chronology, everything fits.

The methods used to determine the age of a rock or artifact are incorrect.
It is believed that the results of radiocarbon dating are not infallible. The dating method has errors that depend on various factors. Therefore, the earth is not 1,000,000 years old.

Surprisingly, after this discovery, the Turkish authorities banned archaeological excavations and research there. And they put the military there, cordoning off the perimeter. I have heard such information. A coincidence? I don't think so. There are forces that are trying to hide the truth in every possible way.

Although if you read the Internet, there are different opinions on this subject, but the sources that I read were convincing to me.

At first, documentaries in Russia talked about this. Then I read a book by a scientist who was personally engaged in research. Unfortunately, I don't have this book anymore... I would tell you the name...

The global flood.

 The Bible says that after the Flood, Noah's Ark stopped "on the mountains." Of Ararat" (Gen. 8:4). This means that the search area for traces of the ark would have to include, in addition to Mount Ararat itself, part of the Armenian Highlands around it. However, contrary to the instructions of the Bible, many times people tried to find some remains of the ark only on Mount Ararat. Their search was unsuccessful.   When in 1959 A Turkish pilot took a picture of a strange object resembling an ark on the top of a mountain located 20 miles from Mount Ararat (in Turkey), many expeditions wanted to explore the mountain. However, not everyone was able to get through the difficult bureaucratic barriers of the Turkish government. Those who discovered the object photographed by the Turkish pilot considered it a bizarre natural formation. At that time, the ark was hidden by lava after the eruption of a nearby volcano and only its upper surface part was visible.



The first picture of the Ark.   In 1977. Ron and his sons visited Turkey for the first time and saw the object of interest with their own eyes. It turned out that the shape and size of the object corresponded to the shape and size of the biblical ark, and Ron had no doubt that it was Noah's Ark, but a lot of money was needed for detailed research of the object, which was not available at that time.  

In 1978, an earthquake occurred in this area of Turkey, as a result of which the soil surrounding the ark settled, opening the sides of the ark, and a deep crack appeared on the ark itself, from the stern to the bow. The latter circumstance later allowed Ron to take samples of materials for research from the depths of the ark.



The photo shows the Real Noah's Ark.   At first, it was noted that the edges of the object are rock deposits with a symmetrically bumpy surface resembling the shape of logs.



 Geophysical studies have shown that this is not a homogeneous natural material, but the work of human hands. Then, with the help of a molecular generator, it was found out that it was a petrified wooden product.   It should be noted that the vegetation in this area is very sparse and it is rare to find a frail tree.   The metal detector made it possible to detect many iron fasteners at a symmetrical distance from each other, (pictured)




which obviously fixed the tree as follows: (in Fig.)



Radar scanning allowed us to determine the internal structure of the ark.Photo.


As you can see, it's really a little round.

In 1985, a six-inch (~15 cm) well was drilled deep into the ark, through which rock samples were taken. A thorough examination of the breed showed that the samples contain various fibers. The fiber study was conducted by a fiber expert at the Main National Criminal Laboratory of the United States. The study of their structure has shown that the fibers have all the special characteristics of the hair of the mammalian feline family. One hair belonged to an animal that did not exist in our time: it was bright red in color. The other type of fiber was of plant origin. And finally, one of the fibers taken from the rock did not have the characteristics of either plant or animal fibers. Experts have agreed that it is artificial!

Not far from the location of the ark, huge stones with a round hole in their upper part were found. The hole was made so that a rope knot could be placed and held in it. There is no doubt that these were ark anchors (previously, ships had several floating anchors on both sides of the ship for balance).   Photo: The stone anchor found by Ron.



There are 8 crosses on the stones.: in the middle there is a large cross symbolizing Noah, below there are 3 smaller crosses - sons, and 4 small crosses - women. By the way, not far from the ark there is a village named "Village of Eight", clearly named after Noah's family - its first eight settlers.   The Turks declared these places a national park. They built a research and tourism center near the ark so close that you can look at the ark through the window - in the photo



In the photo on the right: February 1987 - Press conference. Sevket Ikinsi from the Government (Agri-Ararat) And Ron Wyatt. Official registration of the Noah's Ark discovery.



God helped Ron find the ark in our time, so that we would not doubt that the Flood was real, and it was in God's power to bring another catastrophe upon the unrighteous.

Do you want me to tell you about the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah?

[Russian Bear]

Posted by Raskolnikov (here)
You’ve opened a whole can of worms here Russian Bear. Your topic states to be “Sins before God” but all I keep hearing is Orthodox Christianity contains the only truth and everything else is a lie. That’s a bold supposition my friend.

That's what the Bible says.

Jesus said to him: I am the way, the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father except through Me.

The Gospel of John 14:6
Hence we know that all religions except Christianity are not salutary. God also spoke:
Jesus answered, "Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. John 3:5

But Jesus said to them, "Truly, truly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you will have no life in you." John 6:53

To understand what he was talking about, read the sacraments of the church. Every Orthodox Christian should participate in these sacraments every week: https://projectavalon.net/forum4/sho...=1#post1664881

He who rejects Me and does not accept My words has a judge for himself: the word that I have spoken, it will judge him at the last day. John 12:48

There are other verses, but I think this is enough to understand that Christianity is the only salvation. And not in Islam, Judaism and other pagan religions.
And here is another question, where is the true tree with the roots of the true Christian teaching of the Lord among many other paths?

To do this, you need to know the history of the church. I have a channel in Discord dedicated to Russian culture. I have met many people who came to Orthodoxy on their own. A friend from Canada told me that he is a former Protestant, and he studied church history for several years, which eventually led him to the Orthodox Church, and he had the same experience with a Catholic.…

For interest, I asked a former Protestant what literature he had read on the history of the church to find, he said the first books were these:

"The Orthodox Church" by Timothy (Metropolitan Kallistos)
Should also read the Ante Nicene fathers. Especially St. Ignatius of Antioch, St. Justin Martyr, The Didache, St. Polycarp, and St. Clement. As well as the Ecumenical councils Including Constantinople 4 879-880 (Reinstallment of St. Photios) if possible
 
The date for constantinople 4 is important as there is a 4th Constantinople council from 869 which affirms the fillioque (followed by Roman Catholics) but the 879 council which is Orthodox overturns that council affirming the Orthodox teaching against the fillioque.

Posted it for reference

Posted by Raskolnikov (here)
How long have you been Orthodox Christian? Have you always thought this way or is it a recent acquisition?

When I was born, I was baptized after a while because I am Russian. All my ancestors were Orthodox, from the moment how Rus' was baptized in Orthodox Christianity (The year 988 is the traditional date of the baptism of Rus). In the Russian Empire, my ancestors served the Tsar and were White Guards, in Soviet times they were Red Army soldiers, but they were always Orthodox. Under Soviet rule, the time was difficult and difficult, atheistic, churches were destroyed, priests and monks were shot. People were not preached to, and it was somehow unacceptable to speak openly about God, but Russians were secretly baptized anyway. The Soviet era influenced Russians. That's why I haven't been taught God's laws since I was a child. I went to church with my parents on holidays. This is a problem for many Russians. All of them are baptized into God, believe in God, consider themselves Orthodox and call themselves that, but they do not go to church or rarely go. With this, the Soviet government has greatly harmed us from the spiritual side. Of course, a lot of Russians regularly attend churches. But there are also many who only call themselves Orthodox, but do not live by the commandments and do not go to church. So I didn't think much about God.

But then, one of my school friends introduced me to Protestants, I began to ask questions about my Orthodox faith, to search for the truth, but it was quite easy to understand the history of Protestantism and that this is not a saving path. I won't give many arguments, I'll say it briefly.

The Lord said: Matthew 16:18 - King James Version (KJV)
<18> And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.

Matthew 28:20 - King James Version (KJV)
<20> Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen.

Protestantism appeared in 1517, founded by the Catholic monk Martin Luther. Where was their church before that? The historical connection of the church is being severed. And the Lord said that the gates of hell would not prevail against her. The history of the church from beginning to end can only be traced back to the Orthodox and Catholics. But even here, historical fruits reveal where the true church is and where the false one is. So I was once again convinced of the truth of the Orthodox Church. I said that very briefly. But everything was much more interesting. Both the mystical path and the contact with the demonic phenomenon, if I tell you, you probably just won't believe me. I didn't have to prove anything anymore. Maybe I'll tell you next time.



https://projectavalon.net/forum4/sho...=1#post1677293

Posted by Raskolnikov (here)
Are you proclaiming that people from any faith other than Orthodox Christianity are going to hell and cannot be helped (saved)?

Yes, the Bible says that such people will go to hell. Then there will be the End of the World, and then the Terrible Judgment of God, and all souls will come out of hell, and the Lord will judge everyone according to their deeds, and everyone will receive reward and punishment according to their fruits and how they sought the Lord. (What will be the second and last judgment is a mystery, but it will be terrible for sure) The first trial of the soul is when a person dies, and the second after the apocalypse and the Antichrist will be (the end of the World).

It's not for me to judge who God has mercy on and who doesn't. Who will be saved and who will not. But I will say for sure that some souls who are in hell can be pardoned. For example, we Orthodox Christians, and especially monks, pray for non-Believers, Muslims, and Catholics.… We pray for the living as well as for the departed. Begging and asking the Lord to have mercy and save their souls. Orthodox monks are generally obligated to pray for the entire world and all of humanity. Monasticism is an angelic rank.

Therefore I say to you, whatever you ask in prayer, believe that you will receive it, and it will be done for you.
Mark 11:24

Confess your faults to one another and pray for one another to be healed: the intense prayer of the righteous can do much.
James 5:16

The final judgment and fate of sinners who are not in hell. There was only the first trial. Love never ceases, prayer is a manifestation of love for one's neighbor.

I also recommend reading this article: Orthodox teaching on the soul after death:

https://projectavalon.net/forum4/sho...=1#post1664206

The custom of praying for the dead also existed in the Old Testament Church, as evidenced by the Holy Scriptures. During the liberation war, in the days of the pious Jewish leader Judah Maccabee, when they were collecting the bodies of the dead soldiers, they found pagan talismans under their clothes. And it became clear to everyone why they had fallen. So, everyone glorified the righteous Judge of the Lord, who reveals hidden things, and turned to prayer, asking that the sin they had committed might be completely blotted out (2 Mac. 12: 40–42). But Judas himself, having collected up to two thousand drachmas of silver, sent to Jerusalem to offer a sin offering, and acted very well and piously, thinking of resurrection; for if he had not hoped that those who fell in battle would rise again, it would have been unnecessary and in vain to pray for the dead. But he thought that those who died in piety would receive an excellent reward–what a holy and pious thought! Therefore, he offered a propitiatory sacrifice for the dead, that they might be delivered from sin (2 Mac. 12: 43–45).

The warm prayers of the Church help to ensure that the good beginnings, the seeds of a new life with which our neighbors departed, if these seeds did not have time to unfold sufficiently here on earth, develop under the influence of prayers and the grace of God, as a good seed develops in the earth under the influence of solar heat and moisture. But nothing can revive rotten seeds that have lost the beginning of plant life.

The most terrible thing for a person is to die without repentance and communion of the body of the Lord with sins and without God. And the most valuable thing on earth for a person is time for repentance and good deeds. After death, it's too late to change anything. If there are people on Earth who will pray for this person, this soul will receive relief in hell and, in the end, it will be possible to beg. This is a very complex spiritual science, and demonic attacks occur on witches, fortune tellers, and suicides. This is a separate topic.

Saint Paisios of Svyatogorets said about prayer for the dead: "Those condemned in hell – those who have a little piety – feel their guilt, repent and suffer for their sins. They cry out for help and receive substantial help from the prayers of the faithful. That is, God is now giving these condemned people a favorable opportunity to receive help until the Second Coming comes.

In the earthly life, a friend of the king can intercede with him to help some convict. Similarly, if a person is a “friend” of God, then he can intercede with his prayer before God and intercede for the condemned deceased to be transferred from one “dungeon” to another – to a better one, from one “cell” to another, more convenient one. He can even arrange for them to be transferred from a “cell” to some kind of “room” or “apartment.”

God wants to help the deceased because He is hurt for them, but He does not do this because He has the nobility. He doesn't want to give the devil the right to say, “How are You saving this sinner, because he didn't work at all?”However, by praying for the deceased, we give God the 'right' to intervene. I must also say that it is more “touching” God is led by our prayers for the dead rather than for the living.

Posted by Raskolnikov (here)
What are your views on the Nag Hammadi texts and Dead Sea scrolls, are they forgeries because the church doesn’t approve?

1) The Nag Hammadi Scrolls

The Gnostic gospels were discovered in Nag Hammadi, Egypt (near Cairo) in 1945 and translated into English in 1977. Against the background of the canonical gospels, the Gnostic gospels have serious shortcomings. The confirmed date of creation of the canonical gospels is no later than 60-100 years, and the Gnostic gospels appeared almost a century later. According to O. C. Edwards, "as historical reconstructions, they can in no way even be compared in terms of their reliability."

In general it is heretical texts.

The Gospels of Nag Hammadi
Some radical critics of the New Testament claim that the Gnostic gospels are equivalent to the New Testament, but they do not confirm the resurrection of Christ. The representatives of the Jesus Seminar include the Gospel of Thomas in their otherwise ruthlessly stripped-down Bible. Both points of view pose a serious threat to the historical Christian Faith.

The Gnostic gospels were discovered in Nag Hammadi, Egypt (near Cairo) in 1945 and translated into English in 1977. The Gospel of Thomas (140-170) contains 114 hidden sayings of Jesus.

The authenticity of the Gnostic Gospels. The best way to assess the reliability of these "gospels" is to compare them with the New Testament gospels, which the same critics are very pessimistic about. Against the background of the canonical gospels, the Gnostic ones stand out with serious shortcomings.

Late creation date. The confirmed date of creation of the canonical gospels is no later than 60-100 years.. And the Gnostic gospels appeared almost a century later. According to O. Ch.According to Edwards, "as historical reconstructions, they can in no way even be compared in terms of their reliability" (Edwards, 27).

Historical value. The earliest Christians carefully preserved information about the words and deeds of Jesus. The scribes of the gospels were close to the eyewitnesses and adhered to the facts (cf. Luke 1:1-4). There is evidence that the evangelicals were honest historians. Further, their gospels present, in fact, the same image of Jesus.

The New Testament canon. Contrary to the claims of some critics, the New Testament canon, which contains the gospels and most of the Pauline epistles, was formed by the end of the first century. The only controversial book, Antelegomena, has no apologetic significance for arguing about the reliability of historical materials pointing to the divinity of Christ.

The New Testament itself notes the existence of a number of books already in the first century.

Peter says that he has the Pauline epistles (2 Peter 3:15-16), and equates them to the Old Testament "Writings." Paul was familiar with the Gospel of Luke (Luke 10:7) and quotes it in 1 Timothy 5:18.

Outside of the New Testament, the existence of the New Testament canon is confirmed by the existing canonical lists (see Geisler and Nix, 294). Indeed, all the gospels and the main epistles of Paul are present in such lists.
Even the heretical Marcion canon (c. 140) recognizes the Gospel of Luke and the ten epistles of Paul.

Confirmation from the Church fathers. The Church Fathers in the second century copied a commonly used set of biblical books. It included six critically important books confirming the historical authenticity of the coming of Christ and His Resurrection, namely the Gospels, the Book of Acts and 1 Corinthians. Clement of Rome quoted the Gospels in 95 (Corinthians, 13, 42, 46). Ignatius (c. 110-115) quoted Luke 24:39 (Smyrnaeans 3). Polycarp (c. 115) quoted all the Synoptic gospels (Philippians 2, 7). In the Didache (the beginning of the second century), the Synoptic gospels are quoted (Didache, 1, 3, 8, 9,15-16). The Epistle of Barnabas (c. 135) quotes Matthew 22:14. Papias (Oracles, c. 125-140) speaks of Matthew, Mark (based on Peter's stories), and John (the last of them), who wrote the gospels. He points out three times that Mark did not make a single mistake. The fathers of the early Church valued the gospels and Paul's epistles on a par with the divinely inspired Old Testament (cf. Clement's Corinthians [47]; Ephesians [10], Ignatius's Polycarp [1,5], and Polycarp's Philippians [1,3-4,6,12]).

The Church Fathers certified the correctness of the canonical gospels already at the beginning of the second century. This was long before the Gnostic gospels appeared at the end of the second century.

Gnostic materials about the Resurrection. There is no real evidence that the so-called Q (Quelle, "source") document, which many critics believe, ever existed. This is a purely hypothetical reconstruction, so all claims that it says nothing about the Resurrection remain meaningless.

But the "Gospel of Thomas" exists, although it dates back to the end of the second century. However, contrary to the critics who have become adherents of this work, it recognizes the resurrection of Christ. In fact, the One to whom the sayings from it are attributed is the living Christ, the Christ after the crucifixion ("The Gospel of Thomas" 34:25-27; 45:1-16). It is true that it does not focus on the resurrection of Christ, but this is to be expected, because it is primarily a "collection of sayings" and not a historical narrative. Moreover, the Gnostics' theological prejudice against matter should have led them rather to silence the bodily resurrection.
Early Christian articles of faith. Since critics recognize the authenticity of 1 Corinthians 15, which dates from about 55-56 A.D., it is impossible to deny the historical authenticity of the Resurrection. At that time, it was only twenty-two or twenty-three years after Jesus' death (1 Corinthians 15:6). Moreover, in 1 Corinthians 15:1, it is possible that the creed confessing the death and resurrection of Christ is implied, which, in this case, appeared even earlier. Even with minimal assumptions that this creed was ten or twenty years old, it turns out that it was formed ten or twenty years after the events themselves. Not many ancient events had such direct, modern confirmation of them.

Conclusion. The testimony in favor of the authenticity of the Gnostic gospels is even incomparable with the testimony in favor of the New Testament. The New Testament is a work created in the first century. "The Gospel of Thomas" is written in the middle of the second table. The New Testament is supported by evidence from many categories, including internal references in its text itself, canonical lists, thousands of quotations in the writings of the Church fathers, and proven early dating of the gospels.

The Dead Sea Scrolls
The Dead Sea Scrolls do not refute the Gospel and have not shaken Christianity. Moreover, from the point of view of science, the Gospel has gained additional weight due to the research of the scrolls.

The imaginary Secrets of Qumran
The Archaeological War

In the spring of 1947, two boys from the Taamire nomadic tribe were herding goats. And quite by chance, in search of an escaped goat, they discovered a cave. Hoping to find the treasure, they climbed inside – and were very disappointed. Instead of gold and precious stones, there were clay vessels with leather scrolls wrapped in linen cloth. An attempt to cut the leather into straps failed – the material was too old and dilapidated. Then, on the advice of their tribesmen, they sold leather scrolls with incomprehensible inscriptions to a Jerusalem antiquarian.…
This is the official version of the discovery of the Qumran scrolls. However, it is possible that the Bedouins specifically combed the caves in search of treasures. In any case, when the opportunity arose to trade the finds, they did not fail to take advantage of it. In 1952, an international scientific expedition went to the Judean Desert in search of new scrolls. And here, a real archaeological war broke out between scientists and local tribes. The nomads tried to get hold of the manuscripts first, then sell them to archaeologists. Often they were lucky, and the scientists had to buy back the scrolls. At the same time, valuable information was lost – in which caves and how the manuscripts were found, how they were located, etc. Therefore, the archaeologists, in turn, sought to reach the vaults before the Bedouins did.
The "cold" archaeological war, thank God, did not turn into a "hot" one, but nevertheless bore its sad fruits. Many legends about the Qumran finds are connected precisely with the fact that scientists did not have the opportunity to do their work calmly, and the first found and published manuscripts, as it turned out later, were not directly related to the main part of what was stored in caves on the shores of the Dead Sea. The work of archaeologists and the painstaking desk work of scientists on deciphering and translating manuscripts stretched over four decades. Meanwhile, the sensationalist audience was discussing the "Qumran mysteries," which were supposed to blow up our entire understanding of the era of Jesus Christ and refute the Gospel.

One of the anti-evangelical theses says that many of the things that the Gospel tells us were invented by the Christianized Greeks, but they could not exist in the ancient Jewish environment. In fact, the Greeks were accused of either inventing or editing the Gospel. For example, the expression "Son of God" is often found there. It was said that this expression in relation to Christ did not originate in the Jewish environment at all, but in the Hellenized Christian communities of Asia Minor, that this was a purely pagan motif inspired by Greek mythology about the supernatural birth of various heroes. Meanwhile, there is such an expression in the Qumran manuscripts, and it refers specifically to the coming Messiah.

How the myth was born
Strangely enough, the main "culprit" of the appearance of misconceptions was ... the priest. He was a prominent Catholic Biblical scholar, the head of the archaeological expedition, Father Roland de Vaux. He suggested that the ruins of Qumran were a monastery belonging to the ancient Jewish sect of the Essenes. Four of the seven scrolls that were first found and immediately published spoke about the structure and life of this sect.

Remains of fortifications have been found in Qumran, and there are many manuscripts in caves nearby. Trying to determine what exactly he was digging up, Abbot Roland de Vaux thought in terms of a Catholic monastery. It is known that medieval Catholic (as well as Orthodox) monasteries were not only centers of spiritual life, but also military fortresses and educational centers where books were stored and copied. In any monastery, the central place was occupied by a library and a scriptorium (a room for copying books). As it seemed to the expedition leader, he found all this among the ruins of Qumran. In addition, the way of life of the Essene community, described in the published manuscripts, was very similar to the monastic way of life.

By itself, the hypothesis of Father Roland de Vaux is quite acceptable. However, there were ridiculous rumors surrounding the work of scientists who deciphered the manuscripts – the same type as newspaper "sensations" about how Christ was "actually" born, or that "science has proved" that Christ visited the Himalayas... in short, something that has nothing to do with real science.

In the first published manuscripts, a certain "Teacher of Righteousness" was repeatedly mentioned. As a result, a scheme emerged: monastery + Essenes+The teacher of righteousness. This gave rise to speculation about a certain "Essene Christ," whose stories, they say, inspired the authors of the Gospel, telling about Jesus. This myth existed for decades and collapsed only after the publication of all the scrolls in 1991 and the revision of the conclusions made by the archaeological expeditions of 1951-1956.

Of the 900 texts found near Qumran, only 11 were in complete scrolls, and all the others had to be reconstructed from about 25,000 fragmentary fragments, many of which were no larger than a postage stamp. The restoration of the texts was completed only by the early 60s. It was only in the 90s of the last century that it became possible to systematize the Qumran scrolls.

All of them date from the 3rd century BC to the beginning of the 1st century AD and are written in Hebrew and Aramaic, a small number in ancient Greek. Only a third of them were written by members of various Jewish sects: Essenes, Sadducees, Zealots, etc. About a third are Biblical scrolls, which contain excerpts of all the books of the Old Testament, with the exception of the book of Esther. Their text as a whole does not differ from the currently standard Masoretic, but still has a number of interesting discrepancies. About a quarter are non–biblical, non-sectarian texts. They are particularly interesting because they allow us to analyze the religious beliefs of the Jews of Palestine during the Second Temple period (538 BC – 70 AD). The rest of the texts are too poorly preserved and impossible to identify.
It has been established that most (perhaps all) of the scrolls were written outside of Qumran.

What have you dug up…
What does modern science say about Qumran? Firstly, the "monastic" hypothesis of Father R. de Vaux is questioned. The archaeologists came to the conclusion that the "monastery" was most likely a well-fortified country estate of some noble Jew. Agriculture and handicrafts were practiced there. Many luxury items and money were found on the territory of Qumran. This is absolutely impossible for the settlement of the Essenes, who were a mendicant sect and shunned any connection with the world of material goods.

Secondly, Roland de Vaux's beautiful theory about the Qumran scriptorium, where books were copied, could not stand criticism. Only one inkwell was found in the ruins, while an examination of the handwriting showed that the texts were written by more than five hundred different people! Not even the largest medieval monastery could boast of such a large number of scribes.

Today, it is obvious that the Qumran manuscripts are not the result of the activities of monastic scribes, but a library. More precisely, the library collections were most likely brought here from Jerusalem shortly before the beginning of the siege of the city by the Romans in 68 A.D. They were taken to various places in Judea and placed in jars for safekeeping, so that they could be returned and used again. It is even possible that the Jews evacuated the library, which was located directly in the Jerusalem Temple, and what was found in Qumran is a small part of it.
The Essenes were finally "evicted" from Qumran after the publication of all the manuscripts in 1991-92, when, following the hypothesis of the monastery scriptorium, the myth that the library belongs to the Essene community collapsed. About 900 texts were found in Qumran. All of them date from the 3rd century B.C. – the beginning of the 1st century A.D. Of these, only a few dozen turned out to be "Essene". In modern terms, the four sectarian scrolls that were published first and misled everyone turned out to be part of the "special storage" of a large library. Basically, the Dead Sea Scrolls are well–known biblical texts in which almost all the books of the Old Testament, as well as non-biblical non-sectarian manuscripts, are represented in fragments.

The Essenes were a religious sect that originated in Judea in the second half of the second century BC and existed until the first century AD. According to ancient authors (Philo of Alexandria, Pliny the Elder, Josephus, St. Hippolytus of Rome), the Essenes lived throughout Palestine, including in cities, in rather isolated communities which are characterized by common property, collective labor and everyday life. They condemned wars, slavery and trade, rejected blood sacrifices, and had a special ritual of ritual ablutions. Some Essenes led a celibate lifestyle.
The Essenes have long been considered the forerunners of Christians. However, the similarity is purely external. Their religious beliefs and spiritual practices have little in common with the teachings of Jesus Christ.

What you read
After the publication of the entire Qumran corpus of manuscripts, the answer to the question became obvious: do they refute the gospel story? To the great regret of fans of sensationalism: no. Moreover, the Qumran scrolls fully confirm it. The "Teacher of Righteousness" turned out to be a character characteristic only of sectarian scrolls, while non-sectarian manuscripts are filled with prophecies about the coming Messiah, who was eagerly awaited and about whom the Jews of that era wrote. The last texts found at Qumran were created shortly before the birth of Jesus Christ, so they accurately reflect the mood of that era. The Jewish people were waiting for the Messiah's birthday, but we knew about it before Qumran.
However, the Dead Sea manuscripts very clearly show why, having waited for Christ, the Jews rejected Him. The manuscripts "The Messianic Collection" and "The Messiah of Heaven and Earth" were found among the scrolls of Qumran. This is a collection of biblical prophecies and non–biblical texts that show exactly which Messiah the Jews were waiting for. And here, again, Qumran did not provide anything new. The Messiah from the non–biblical texts of Qumran is a political and military leader who will miraculously defeat all the enemies and enslavers of Israel and put the Jews at the head of the nations of the world.

Interestingly, among the manuscripts there is also the biblical book of the prophet Isaiah, who is called the Old Testament evangelist. It is precisely in Isaiah that the prophecies are contained that the Messiah, being God, will become a man, born seedlessly from a virgin, that He will take upon himself the sins of the world and voluntarily accept death for people. These prophecies are constantly referred to by the authors of the Gospel. But the idea of the suffering of the Messiah was not popular among Jews. There is no description of the Savior's suffering for the sins of His people in any of the non–biblical Qumran manuscripts, only descriptions of His power, glory, and might.

The evangelical Christ, Who came to free people from the bondage of sin, Who said, "My kingdom is not of this world," did not at all correspond to the ideal of the Messiah who was expected in Judea at the turn of the epoch. In this sense, Qumran does not add anything new to the conflict between Jesus and the religious teachers of Israel, about which the Gospel speaks and which eventually ended with Golgotha.…

This is the result of almost fifty years of research on the Dead Sea manuscripts. They did not refute the gospel or shake Christianity. Moreover, from the point of view of science, the Gospel has gained additional weight, it has been verified once again, this time by Qumran. And let some people with esoteric romanticism continue to talk about sensational finds at Qumran, allegedly revealing secret knowledge or hidden truth, but from the point of view of modern science, all these statements are nothing more than obsolete gossip that arose in the 60s of the last century. And there is no need to drag them into the new century.

The term "sect" was coined by Josephus in the 1st century A.D. to describe the religious life of Palestine at that time and is more consistent with the modern concept of "religious movement." In the modern world, a sect is thought of as something not only separate from the general trend, but also opposed to it (for example, the "White Brotherhood" in relation to the Orthodox or Catholic Church, etc.). In Palestine at the time of Christ, there was no single general trend, but there were a number of religious movements, not only comparable to each other in terms of the number of members, but also mutually influencing each other.

Posted by Raskolnikov (here)
What were Jesus’ own words as to why he came here?

In Orthodoxy, Christ is the second hypostasis of the Holy Trinity. This is God the Son, consubstantial with God the Father, from whom He is born "before all ages," that is, before the beginning of all time. Orthodox Christians believe that for the salvation of the human race, God the Son was incarnated by the Holy Spirit and the Virgin Mary, becoming a Man named Jesus. He was the very Messiah (Christ) spoken of by the prophets of the Old Testament.

The Gospel of John the Theologian says: "... God so loved the world that He gave his only begotten Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life" (3:16). This not only explains why the Savior comes, but also shows Divine permission.
By combining two natures in Christ, the Divine and the human, the Lord has given man the greatest honor. Man receives salvation through deification from the Deity by grace through the Holy Spirit.
God sent Christ to earth to correct the consequences of the fall, to heal human nature, which had become susceptible to death.
Jesus came to earth to save mankind from sin and restore the relationship between God and people. His sacrifice on the cross is considered a ransom for sins, which allows believers to receive forgiveness and eternal life. But only for those who voluntarily come to Him and accept His sacrifice.

Posted by Raskolnikov (here)
Was it to be worshipped?

Since in the Lord Jesus Christ the two natures are hypostatically united inseparably, the consequence of such unity is the inseparable worship of Jesus Christ both as God and as man. When God the Word became incarnate, he accepted human nature into the unity of His Divine Hypostasis for all eternity, and it became the human nature of God the Word, and therefore we owe him our worship. Both before the incarnation and after the incarnation, God the Word is inseparably one and the same, hence worship is appropriate to Him as always the same God and Lord. The Savior demands such worship of Himself, both as a God and as a human being, saying: "Yes, everyone honors the Son as they honor the Father. He who does not honor the Son does not honor the Father who sent him" (John 5:23). The God-bearing apostle, speaking inspiringly about the saving incarnation and incarnation of God the Word and His death on the cross, as natural and logical proclaims the one and indivisible worship of Jesus Christ both as God and as man, preaching the gospel: "That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven, on earth, and under the earth" (Phil. 2:10). To Him, as God and as man, everything in all three worlds is subdued (1 Corinthians15:27), and as such, all of God's angels worship Him (Hebrews 1:6). Forever hypostatically united with the flesh, the Lord Jesus ascended with it to heaven, and as such He is worthy to be worshipped by every creature in heaven, on earth, and under the earth (Revelation 5:11-13).

This divine truth of the Holy Scriptures about the undivided worship of the Lord Jesus Christ is strongly attested by Sacred Tradition through the sacred words of the holy Fathers of the Church. Thus, St. Athanasius writes: "The created body of the Lord must be given appropriate worship, for it has become the body of the uncreated Word, and worship is offered to the One Whose body it has become. Thus, worship is given to him–worship befitting a Deity, for the Word is God, and the body is His own body. The Gospel says that the myrrh-bearing wives "came and took hold of His feet and worshiped Him," which means: they took hold of His feet and worshiped God; the feet had bones and flesh to touch, but they were God's, and the wives worshiped God."
"When we worship the body of the Lord, we bow not to a creature," proclaims the holy Father of Orthodoxy, "but to the Lord of creation, the incarnate God, the Word. For although the flesh itself is a part of the creatures, nevertheless it has become the body of God. And we worship such a body not as a body proper, but without separating it from the Word; and we do not remove It from the flesh, desiring to worship the Word, but knowing that "The Word became flesh" (John 1:14), we recognize Him as God in the flesh. Therefore, who is so mad that he can say to the Lord, "Step away from the body so that I may worship You?". The flesh did not bring dishonor to the Word, but, on the contrary, it itself was glorified by the Word. Just as the Son of God, being "in the image of God," having assumed the "image of a slave," did not diminish His Divinity. On the contrary, He became the Deliverer of all flesh and every creature."
"Those who do not want to worship the Word made flesh turn out to be ungrateful for His incarnation... Those who separate the Word from the flesh do not recognize that the deliverance from sin and the destruction of death have been accomplished. Where will these atheists find the flesh that the Lord has perceived cut off and isolated, so that they may dare to say: we do not worship the Lord with the flesh, but separate the flesh and serve only the Lord. Blessed Stephen saw the Lord in heaven, "standing at the right hand" of God (Acts 7:55). The angels announced to the disciples: "This Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will come in the same way as you saw him going up into heaven" (Acts 1:11). And the Lord Himself, addressing the Father, said: "Father! those whom You have given Me, I want them to be with Me where I am" (John 17:24). And in general, the flesh is inseparable from the Word, so it is necessary that heretics reject error and worship the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, and those who do not worship and serve the Word that appeared in the flesh should be cast out and considered not Christians, but pagans and Jews." "When we worship the Lord in the flesh, we bow not to the creature, but to the Creator, clothed in a created body." "Therefore, he who does not honor the temple does not honor the Lord in the temple, and he who renounces the Word from the body rejects the grace taught to us in It."

Posted by Raskolnikov (here)
In short, was he born God or did he have to achieve this union through his own efforts?

"In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God." There has always been a Lord. What is God? This is the holy Trinity – God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit, they are inseparable from each other.

THE SUN AS THE HOLY TRINITY
 
How is the Holy Trinity explained?
 
Once the pagan sages asked St. Constantine the Philosopher:
 
– How do you Christians divide the One God into three Gods?
 
"Don't talk nonsense," replied the sage. - The Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit are not three Gods, but three persons of one Deity. Look at the sun, it has three features: a circle, radiance and warmth, and compare this with the Holy Trinity. The solar circle is the Likeness of God the Father, for just as the circle has neither beginning nor end, so God is beginningless and infinite; and just as radiance and warmth emanate from the solar circle, so the Son is born from God the Father and the Holy Spirit proceeds. The radiance is the likeness of God, the Son, who was born of the Father and enlightened the whole world with the Gospel. And warmth is the likeness of the Holy Spirit, Who eternally emanates from the Father. So, consider the sun and you will know the Holy Trinity. The sun consists of three components, but is it divided into three suns?
Similarly, the Holy Trinity, although it has three persons, is not divided into three Gods.
 
There has always been a God, but the Son told the Father that he wanted to save humanity, and it pleased the Father.
For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life.

The Gospel of John 3:16
And he was born on earth, the portal of which was the Holy Mother of God.

John 8:58 - King James Version (KJV)
<58> Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Before Abraham was, I am.

Luke 10:18 - King James Version (KJV)
<18> And he said unto them, I beheld satan as lightning fall from heaven.

Isaiah 9:6 - King James Version (KJV)
<6> For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.

Isaiah 53:5 - King James Version (KJV)
<5> But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed.

Daniel 7:13-14 - King James Version (KJV)
<13> I saw in the night visions, and, behold, one like the Son of man came with the clouds of heaven, and came to the Ancient of days, and they brought him near before him. <14> And there was given him dominion, and glory, and a kingdom, that all people, nations, and languages, should serve him: his dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom that which shall not be destroyed.

John 20:28-29 - King James Version (KJV)
<28> And Thomas answered and said unto him, My Lord and my God. <29> Jesus saith unto him, Thomas, because thou hast seen me, thou hast believed: blessed are they that have not seen, and yet have believed.

Revelation 1:17-18 - King James Version (KJV)
<17> And when I saw him, I fell at his feet as dead. And he laid his right hand upon me, saying unto me, Fear not; I am the first and the last: <18> I am he that liveth, and was dead; and, behold, I am alive for evermore, Amen; and have the keys of hell and of death.

Jesus Christ has always been and sat on the throne with his father, but was born on earth from the Mother of God. Her womb was a portal to Earth. And thus Christ assumed the nature of man. God can do anything, he is omnipotent. But he is also constant and merciful.

Posted by Raskolnikov (here)
Some say he practiced in the east to master himself before returning to the west to share the good news, the Old Testament's over and God is love and found within. Do you folks in Russia have an accounting of his missing years, if so, could you please share as I’ve always been curious why so much of his life has been left out of the canonical scriptures.

It is not true. Because God said: the words from the Gospel of Matthew, chapter 5, verse 17: "Do not think that I have come to break the law or the prophets: I have not come to break, but to fulfill." The Orthodox Church is based on the Old and New Testaments. The New Testament only made the old Testament perfect. Thanks to the sacrifice of Jesus Christ on the cross, the covenant promised by God was completed – God is love (now the covenant has become perfect). Through the death of Christ, all the promises have become perfect facts.

The New Testament surpasses the Old, but at the same time the Old Testament has not been forgotten and continues to matter, since the Holy Scriptures, consisting of the Old and New Testaments, are inseparable for the church.

India???
During his earthly life, Jesus Christ did not study in India and was not even there.
According to the Holy Scriptures, Christ spent his childhood and youth in Nazareth. Jesus' life up to the age of 30 was modest and quiet, without any teaching.
The version that Jesus Christ was educated in India is based on the apocrypha "The Tibetan Gospel", published by Nikolai Notovich. However, this text is not recognized by scholars as authentic and is not considered as evidence of the authentic life of Christ.

Of course, there are apocrypha that I read that talked about his life, it was interesting to read. But it would be wrong to rely on them as the primary source, since they cannot be confirmed. There are Apocrypha that really develop and confirm the Bible as a supplement, but again it is impossible to confirm or refute. But there are some apocrypha that are heretical and false.

Posted by Raskolnikov (here)
Is it possible that the books selected for modern Christianity (there are approximately 45,000 different Christian denominations worldwide) and those specifically rejected in Nicea were selected for a purpose?

God has made sure that the truth reaches humanity in its purest form. If you read the history of the church, the holy fathers at the Ecumenical Councils decided the dogmas of faith and rejected all heresy. Even amazing miracles have appeared that are hard to believe.

As an example, watch the movie:

Source: https://youtube.com/watch?v=rQqI8jwsy_s

A huge number of additions to the Bible are kept by the Vatican, they hide them from humanity. With their crusades, they looted a lot of places with valuable artifacts. They keep them accessible only to the highest Vatican priests, and this is unfair to humanity.

Posted by Raskolnikov (here)
It blows my mind that Jesus himself warned his followers not to worship him, a form of idolatry mind you, and yet the mass of Christianity continues to do so.

I answered this question for you above. He didn't say that, give me some Bible verses so I can explain it to you.

Posted by Raskolnikov (here)
And do you really think the sacrifices, incest, and murder could ever be ordered by the true God, the Source from which we all originate?

People often betrayed God with their sins, for which they received punishment. Even when the commandments on the tablet were already written, they still committed crimes. God cleansed and protected his holy chosen people so that they would not stain their family and soul with sins. Jesus Christ was supposed to be born of a pure ancestral branch. Therefore, committing sins among God's chosen people would turn them into pagans. God also killed other pagan nations with his holy chosen people in order to keep them from danger. For example, even the wisest Solomon went into the sins of idolatry because of the beautiful pagan girls. All this was spiritually dangerous and corrupted the people of God.

There were also other spiritual laws before the Babel Wall, and human DNA changed after that moment (this is my guess). Because the lives of Old Testament people and New Testament people are completely different times. At some stage, the Lord changed the human program and his DNA. People used to speak the same language. And now we're so different. Russians, Americans, British, Germans, and others are such unique peoples and their way of thinking... It's amazing.
Also, killing Animals was an offering to God as a prototype of the future Sacrifice of Christ, there are spiritual laws that it was important to observe. The cross is the altar, Jesus Christ is the sacrifice.
Another moment when Jesus Christ was crucified, he was from the Heart of the earth for 3 days, it is underground that hell is located, it is closed from us mortals. Jesus Christ defeated the devil and took away the keys of hell from him. There was also a sermon in hell. And all the sinners who were in the dungeons of hell, all the bars were opened and the souls who accepted the gospel were all saved.
From the Gospel of Matthew (12:40): "For as Jonah was in the belly of the whale for three days and three nights, so the Son of Man will be in the heart of the earth for three days and three nights."
I read interesting apocrypha about how the gates of hell were destroyed, and how demons fled and hell shook with fear and souls rejoiced, it was incredibly interesting ...
and alive; and was dead, and lo, alive forever and ever, amen; and have the keys of hell and death.Revelation John 1:18

You're touching on a huge amount of information. I want to tell you everything in detail. But it will take a long time. I can recommend books to you, for example.

Posted by Raskolnikov (here)
And what of reincarnation? Your faith doesn’t view it kindly I’m assuming. So what of the countless children who have proven reincarnation to be true? Scientifically proven. I can’t be bothered looking them all up right now but will if you need me to. That is a glaring omission and oversight in your chosen faith.

You shouldn't bother with all these searches. I've seen these movies. But understand that it is the demons who speak through these people, deceiving them and all those who hear their testimonies.

I also saw a lot of testimonies from people who had experienced clinical death, who were on the verge of death and life from different countries, and they all told the same story in the same way. As they came out of the body, they saw my body, then a bright light, a tunnel. Hell and the kingdom of heaven.
There are many quotes in the Bible on this topic that demons possess people and you can not believe possessed people. I advise such people to go to church to pray, and then the demonic charm will leave them. It's like spiritualism in the occult, when the dead appear to the living, when the living evoke them. But these demons are having fun deceiving people, don't believe them.
Yes, the church denies reincarnation.

What do the Church think about reincarnation?
The idea of reincarnation, or, in other words, reincarnation, originated quite a long time ago. The doctrine of the transmigration of souls after the death of the physical body into other material forms is present not only in Hinduism and Buddhism, but also in one form or another in primitive African, Australian and other religious cults. However, it was in India that the ideas of reincarnation found their fullest embodiment and were placed in close connection with the very essence of local religious systems. And here one of the main and fundamental differences between Hinduism and Buddhism from Christianity is the perception of personality. This also implies that the doctrine of the resurrection of the dead is alien to religions that believe in reincarnation.

Of course, Hinduism and Buddhism are also different from each other, but when it comes to reincarnation, they have a lot in common. In general, the purpose of human life on earth is to merge after death with the Absolute, the Atman, the beginningless being, of which we are all embodiments. But for this it is necessary to come to the appropriate state of perfection, to gain freedom from desires and from the world, to become neutral, empty. In such a purified state, there is no place for personality, it's just that the Absolute regains itself, lost for a while in a series of tedious reincarnations as a result of the law of karma — retribution, when the part of the Absolute enclosed in the body is condemned to new suffering by virtue of the evil committed until it comes to the realization of the "true" mode of being.
In such a belief system, a person's personality is completely eliminated. It has no value because it does not exist as such. She is only a part of something larger, which disappears at the highest point of perfection, merging with the whole and restoring the original unity.

On the contrary, in Christianity, a person created in the image and likeness of God has unconditional value and infinite potential for perfection. At the same time, a person's personality is not limited to the soul or the body. If in the doctrine of reincarnation the body is nothing more than a mortal shell, then in Christianity it is an integral part of our individuality. The Church teaches that God creates the human soul together with his body, which is as unique as the soul. The totality of these unique gifts of God makes up a person's personality, which distinguishes him from all other people. At the same time, in the Christian worldview, God's deeply personal attitude towards each of us is very important. As the Psalmist says, my bones were not hidden from You when I was created in secret, when I was formed in the depths of the womb. Thine eyes have seen my embryo; in Thy book are written all the days appointed for me, when none of them yet existed. (Ps 138:15,16).

Yes, in death the soul separates from the body, but in Christianity death is rather an unnatural phenomenon, resulting from the fall. This is a catastrophe, the disintegration of a single being into its component parts, each of which is not fully human. That is why the doctrine of the universal resurrection is one of the key ones in Christianity. Christians believe that in the resurrection of the dead, God will restore everyone to their original fullness and wholeness, restoring us to our own bodies, only transformed and capable of eternal life in the Kingdom of Heaven. For reincarnation, the idea of a universal resurrection is completely alien. If the body is just a shell, given as a punishment and hindering the path to perfection, then what is the point of his resurrection?

Posted by Raskolnikov (here)
Please keep in mind, I respect your views and your right to express and share your chosen faith, but the major shortcoming of Orthodox Christianity is the complete intolerance of all other faiths and the inability to extend that same respect.

It's all right, comrade, the Bible openly says that it is intolerant of other pagan faiths.

"I am the way, the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me" — the words of Jesus Christ, which are given in the 14th chapter of the Gospel of John, verse 6. 
Do not worship them or serve them (idols that are other gods or spirits) I am the Lord your God, a jealous God who punishes children for the iniquity of their fathers, even to the third and fourth generation of those who hate Me, Exodus 20:5

Luke 12:51-53 Jesus said: "Do you think I came to bring peace to the earth? No, I'm telling you, but separation."

"I have not come to bring peace, but a sword, for I have come to divide a man from his father, and a daughter from her mother, and a daughter-in-law from her mother-in-law" (Mt 10:34-36)

 
His shovel is in his hand, and He will purify his threshing floor and gather his wheat into the barn, and burn the straw with an unquenchable fire. The Gospel of Matthew 3:12
I call heaven and earth to witness before you today: I have offered you life and death, blessing and curse. Choose life so that you and your descendants may live, Deuteronomy 30:19
There are just a lot of such quotes, I have quoted the smallest part. The Bible and Christianity are intolerant of other religions. It divides people.
 
And all nations will be gathered before him; and he will separate the one from the other, as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats; Matthew 25:32
 
I also respect the choice that you have made or will make, because the Lord has given you freedom of will and action. After all, every person will answer for himself in court before God.


Everything has been translated from Russian into English by Russian Bear. I cannot guarantee the quality of the translation. I'm also not a priest who graduated from a seminary and knows everything, so my answers are at the level of an ordinary Orthodox Christian layperson. If my answers are incomplete or unclear anywhere, please forgive me. The article may be edited over time.

[Raskolnikov]

Thank you Russian Bear for your erudite and voluminous response, a real saga for the ages. I will take some time to ponder your words and will get back to you when I feel so inspired. I sincerely appreciate the time and energy you put into it. Time will tell, eh comrade, for the dark and the light in this world is becoming very apparent today...

[Russian Bear]

Posted by Raskolnikov (here)
Thank you Russian Bear for your erudite and voluminous response, a real saga for the ages. I will take some time to ponder your words and will get back to you when I feel so inspired. I sincerely appreciate the time and energy you put into it. Time will tell, eh comrade, for the dark and the light in this world is becoming very apparent today...

I'm surprised you foreign comrades can understand me through a translator who can't be perfect.
If you have any questions, I'll be happy to analyze them and try to answer them to the best of my ability and time. The questions you asked were truly interesting.

[arjunaloka_official]

Russian Bear, I have a few more questions:

1.
Do you believe hell is eternal? If so, how can one deserve an infinite punishment in a finite period of time—would you call that loving/forgiving, or at least balanced?

2.
I agree that humans can be possessed by demons.

Be that as it may, we observe the linearity of existence in the sense of "grandfather – father – child". That wouldn't be considered demonic, would it? Then why should the linearity of personal existence, i.e., reincarnation, be demonic? Also, would a truly loving father give you just one chance to pass a test, i.e., one life?

3.
Is the Bible 100% God's Word? If so, do the Ten Commandments consist largely of negatives, e.g., "Thou shalt not kill"? If so, can the human mind process negatives? If I tell you NOT to think about a pink elephant, you actually can't NOT think about that elephant, can you? Isn´t "kill, steal, lie" what goes to your subconsciousness, if one uses negations? Would a loving and forgiving Father chose negations, if your brain cannot digest them, even though he knows exactly how your brain works? Even if your brain could digest negations, why would He focus on the negative instead of the positive, like "honour life", "honour truth", etc.?

4.
In this "reality," do you observe that life nourishes life? Don't humans eat animals and animals eat plants, and plants minerals? Would you describe this as a divine concept based on love and forgiveness - to have to destroy to avoid your own destruction?

May the Lord protect you!

[Russian Bear]

Posted by arjunaloka_official (here)
Russian Bear, I have a few more questions:

1.
Do you believe hell is eternal? If so, how can one deserve an infinite punishment in a finite period of time—would you call that loving/forgiving, or at least balanced?

2.
I agree that humans can be possessed by demons.

Be that as it may, we observe the linearity of existence in the sense of "grandfather – father – child". That wouldn't be considered demonic, would it? Then why should the linearity of personal existence, i.e., reincarnation, be demonic? Also, would a truly loving father give you just one chance to pass a test, i.e., one life?

3.
Is the Bible 100% God's Word? If so, do the Ten Commandments consist largely of negatives, e.g., "Thou shalt not kill"? If so, can the human mind process negatives? If I tell you NOT to think about a pink elephant, you actually can't NOT think about that elephant, can you? Isn´t "kill, steal, lie" what goes to your subconsciousness, if one uses negations? Would a loving and forgiving Father chose negations, if your brain cannot digest them, even though he knows exactly how your brain works? Even if your brain could digest negations, why would He focus on the negative instead of the positive, like "honour life", "honour truth", etc.?

4.
In this "reality," do you observe that life nourishes life? Don't humans eat animals and animals eat plants, and plants minerals? Would you describe this as a divine concept based on love and forgiveness - to have to destroy to avoid your own destruction?

May the Lord protect you!

Your questions are also interesting and important; they cover a great deal of information, just like Raskolnikov's. I think I should take a break for now. I'll answer you when I have time; I've saved your questions on my computer.

I am currently writing articles for a Russian-speaking audience on a Russian website, and I will also translate them into English and share them with you. I am preparing an article about nephilim and giants; they are mentioned in the Bible, and this is very interesting material.

As I said, I will answer your questions, but I cannot say for sure when I will answer you. I blogged quite actively because I was on sick leave. I don't have much time right now.

I also published a new article, if you are interested in this topic, you can pay attention to it.
(UFO demons) ACCORDING TO THE SCENARIO OF THE NEW WORLD ORDER
https://projectavalon.net/forum4/sho...=1#post1687554

As Raskolnikov said, I'm really opening Pandora's box. If I answer your questions briefly, it will not reveal the full depth of the essence of the questions. I will have to touch on a whole range of spiritual topics. I didn't think it would be that easy. I have to write all this. But that's a good thing. And it’s good that there are questions.

If you can't wait to hear the answers to your questions right now, you can find Orthodox articles on the Internet and read the teachings of the Orthodox Church on these topics. Or wait for my reply.

It would be great to talk to you on the microphone, but I don't speak English. But in any case, the answer will be better if I write them down.

[Raskolnikov]

Take all the time you need responding Russian Bear, I can see you're staying busy. Just wanted to get my response to your last post on the record...

Thank you again Russian Bear for the thorough response, seriously above and beyond, so beyond I sometimes wonder if those I’m conversing with on this forum are still human or have merged with the AI construct, pesky little pin pricks. I’m definitely with you on one thing, comrade, this world is being run by outright evil forces, unseen forces, but I do not agree with you that anything that does not conform to, and remain within the bounds of, Orthodox Christianity becomes automatically evil or sinful by default.

The first thing that comes to mind is that the protagonist of the New Testament was about works, about action and doing, that He came here to show the Way (there’s that nod to the East again) through the actions we take, through our own beliefs and the reactions we make. “If you believe it, then it is so.” (Paraphrase, may not be exact.) He couldn’t heal anyone unless they first believed it was possible, unless they believed and opened the door to allow the healing to take place. We are all connected within the body of God. He came to show us the Way through his own actions, he walked the path and so must we, form the union with God, wake from the dead and begin living again, that was the ultimate lesson he came to teach. I have trouble believing in vicarious atonement (then again we’re talking about beliefs, lol, so maybe one could believe it into existence for themselves), but if Jesus taught us anything it’s that a life lived in service and reverence for God and all living things is the Way. I have difficulty that one can just say, “Yep, I’m on that team now,” and be instantly “saved.” From the view of reincarnation, we have all the time in the world in this grand game called Life. I read somewhere that death is not the opposite life, that life has no opposite, that death is the opposite of birth, and the cycle continues. It makes sense to me that we’d have an endless variety of chances to progress as we gradually gain wisdom through much trial and error. It’s the devolving side of that equation that gives me pause, but that’s being orchestrated by the puppet masters who remain out of view, the ones who put the screens before, the scales over, our eyes.

I attempted to read the entire Bible in my early twenties, in a back and forth tutorial pairing of Old and New Testament verses to slowly and evenly work my way through both. I made it through about two thirds and became so disgusted by the Old Testament that I had to put it down, I couldn’t go on. I simply couldn’t believe a just God could order such nonsense. “That’s not God,” I thought, “that’s something else entirely.” Villagers forced to sacrifice their best animals to appease a jealous and wrathful God, in the Temple no less, forced to give their most valuable possessions, villagers who could barely make ends meet (sound familiar?), to the priests in order to remain in good graces? Who are these priests and how did they come to wield such power and authority? I know, some call it devotion. I call it coercion. And the stories of ordering incest and murder. To say He did it to keep a favored race from falling into sin is a stretch to say the least and could never come from a God of love. A little g god, a god of hate perhaps, a “jealous god,” but not the true Source of all that is. Of course incest and murder falls right in line with the little g god that’s still running this world today from he/her/they/them’s more secretive location. Maybe the (g)od of the Old Testament still demands these sacrifices, hmmmm, the money changers love war, for profit yes, but could there be something more? And maybe the incest these so called elites still practice today is the continuation of that same favoured race, to keep the bloodlines pure, we’ve all seen the photos of these inbred royals. By the way, did Jesus ever mention a favoured race? I enjoyed the New Testament much more than the Old but that was some time ago so maybe you could help me.

First off, let me apologize up front to you for not responding in the same excellently and extensively footnoted fashion that you’ve been producing to this point RB, and through a translator no less. It really is impressive. I honestly didn’t know what to make of you at first. AI? Or one of those God loving, God fearing Russians that I fell in love with when reading such sublime works of literature from your beautiful country. Absolutely nothing finer. Works with real heart and soul. I remember one of my teachers in college attempting to explain the differences in the world’s most prominent literature. He said, “English literature comes from the mind, German literature comes from the heart, but the Russian, the Russian comes from the soul,” and I thought that was pretty spot on being an English major while also a real fan of Goethe’s works. I remember that same teacher recounting that when Goethe died at the ripe old age of 82, his jealous contemporaries breathed a big sigh of relief saying, “Oh, thank God that’s finally over.” Ha! Selfish pricks, it was all vanity for them, and that’s why their names are forgotten to history while Goethe’s lives on. We need more brilliant minds in this world. And you Russians had, and still have, quite a few. So please forgive the leniency in my approach. Sometimes I feel inspired to write and just let er rip. And please understand that I’m not so much questioning your faith as much as approaching the subject of our discussion with both serious questions as well as some slightly out there hypotheses based on my more unorthodox library. Just trying to get to the heart of the matter and sometimes the details (devil’s in the details) get in the way, if you know what I mean.

I’ve read and reread your take on the Gospel of Thomas:

Posted by Russian Bear (here)
But the "Gospel of Thomas" exists, although it dates back to the end of the second century. However, contrary to the critics who have become adherents of this work, it recognizes the resurrection of Christ. In fact, the One to whom the sayings from it are attributed is the living Christ, the Christ after the crucifixion ("The Gospel of Thomas" 34:25-27; 45:1-16). It is true that it does not focus on the resurrection of Christ, but this is to be expected, because it is primarily a "collection of sayings" and not a historical narrative. Moreover, the Gnostics' theological prejudice against matter should have led them rather to silence the bodily resurrection.
Early Christian articles of faith. Since critics recognize the authenticity of 1 Corinthians 15, which dates from about 55-56 A.D., it is impossible to deny the historical authenticity of the Resurrection. At that time, it was only twenty-two or twenty-three years after Jesus' death (1 Corinthians 15:6). Moreover, in 1 Corinthians 15:1, it is possible that the creed confessing the death and resurrection of Christ is implied, which, in this case, appeared even earlier. Even with minimal assumptions that this creed was ten or twenty years old, it turns out that it was formed ten or twenty years after the events themselves. Not many ancient events had such direct, modern confirmation of them.

Conclusion. The testimony in favor of the authenticity of the Gnostic gospels is even incomparable with the testimony in favor of the New Testament. The New Testament is a work created in the first century. "The Gospel of Thomas" is written in the middle of the second table. The New Testament is supported by evidence from many categories, including internal references in its text itself, canonical lists, thousands of quotations in the writings of the Church fathers, and proven early dating of the gospels.

and get a mixed review, at once siding with it’s authenticity yet still not giving it the credence and authority of the New Testament because of the stronger corroborating evidence of the later.

The Gospel of Thomas, in my opinion, offers a revealing portrait of this great being, of the height of his attainment and the message he set out to share knowing full well the masses of humanity would shun him in exactly the same manner as anyone attempting to speak the truth today is shunned, not only with scorn but with violence. And the question of the church still bothers me. Did Jesus preach from a church or ask his disciples and followers to build churches from which to preach? No, he went to the masses wherever they were gathered and talked of all manner of things, demonstrating with metaphysical and metaphorical perfection that that which was taking place in the natural world around them perfectly illustrated the reasons for and the causes behind the ailment or problem afflicting them. The Gospel of Thomas displays this mastery beautifully:

1)And he said: Whoever find the correct interpretation of these sayings will never die.

2)Jesus said: The seeker should not stop until he finds. When he does find, he will be disturbed. After having been disturbed, he will be astounded. The he will reign over everything.

3a) Jesus said: If your leaders say to you “Look! The Kingdom is in the sky!” then the birds will be there before you are. If they say that the Kingdom is in the sea, then the fish will be there before you are. Rather, the Kingdom is within you and it is outside of you.

3b) When you understand yourselves you will be understood. And you will realize that you are the Sons of the living Father. If you do not know yourselves, then you exist in poverty and you are that poverty.

17)Jesus said: I will give you that which eyes have not seen, ears have not heard, hands did not touch, and minds have not conceived.

39a) Jesus said: The Pharisees and the scribes have taken the keys to knowledge and have hidden them. They did not go in, and they did not permit those desiring to go in to enter.

57)Jesus said: The Kingdom of the Father is like a man with good seed. His enemy came at night and scattered the seed of weeds in with the good seed. The man did not let them pull out the weeds but said, “Don’t do it. You might pull out the grain along with the weeds.” During the harvest the weeds will be obvious, and then they can be removed and burned.

70)Jesus said: When you give rise to that which is within you, what you have will save you. If you do not give rise to it, what you do not have will destroy you.

108)Jesus said: He who drinks from my mouth will become like I am, and I will become he. And the hidden things will be revealed to him.

Those last two speak volumes on many levels but quite clearly allude to one fact - the Kingdom is found within and we must give rise to it. And this quite smoothly takes us back to the original premise of yoga and meditation as a form of conjuring evil spirits and being ultimately sinful in the eyes of God. So I must ask: If God and the Kingdom are to be found within, why would placing all ones focus and energy there, within, and genuinely searching for the hidden key to the Kingdom and earnestly striving to connect with God be sinful in the eyes of God? Didn’t Jesus himself often go off by himself to commune with God? I’m guessing he sat in nature and remained very quiet, opening himself up to hear what many have called the “still small voice.” Call it demons if you like, but that kinda neuters God to say that He couldn’t speak to you as well, eh comrade? He talked to a few in the Old Testament if I remember right.

In 62a, from my point of view at least, Jesus alludes to what took place in the missing years when he says, “I tell my mysteries to people worthy of my mysteries,” and ends many other sayings with those fateful words, “For those who have ears to hear, let them hear.” This alludes to both the ancient mystery school’s strict code of 1) only teaching those who are ready to receive such teachings, 2) only admitting those who’ve acquired a certain level of spiritual attainment, and 3) the three levels of interpretation embedded within such teachings, both his own and those found throughout the Bible.

Origen, though posthumously condemned by the Second Council of Constantinople in 553A.D., names the three levels of interpretation as 1) the “bodily” or “somatic” sense, 2) the “soulish” or “psychic” sense and, 3) the “spiritual” sense:

“The individual ought, then, to portray the ideas of holy Scripture in a threefold manner upon his own soul; in order that the simple man may be edified by the ‘flesh,’ as it were, of the Scripture. For so we name the obvious sense. While he who has ascended a certain way may be edified by the ‘soul,’ as it were. The perfect man, again, […] may receive edification from the spiritual law […]. For as man consists of body, and soul, and spirit, so in the same way does Scripture […].”

So when Jesus says, “For those who have ears to hear, let them hear,” he’s alluding to the ultimate truth to be found for those who are ready, while he’s planting seeds in the fertile soil of those seeking answers and ready to learn, those just beginning the awakening process, for future growth. In other words, some take the Bible and Jesus’ words literally, then there’s a deeper metaphysical interpretation, and ultimately, for those with ears to hear, there’s the truth.

The last thing that strikes me is your glossing over and dismissing the reincarnation kids by claiming demon possession. An easy out, but not everything can be so summarily dismissed. “There are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio…” I believe there are demons and unseen spiritual influences of both the light and the dark persuasion but I didn’t sense any such spirits in those kids. Those were memories, not spirits, or more accurately, their spirits recalling memories from a recently lived life, so recent they were able to find the house they lived in a country or town they’d never been in the current incarnation and then name all the inhabitants along with all their idiosyncrasies. But hey, who knows, maybe our present day demons are possessed with a macabre sense of irony and the absurd.

[Russian Bear]

You urgently need to study the Orthodox faith. When you ask a question, write the word Orthodoxy next to it, so you will open an Orthodox website and read how the Orthodox Church explains this or that question.

Source: https://youtube.com/watch?v=Xd35W6lp3GQ

He predicted the conflicts that have been and will be about Russia. A lot has already come true. I wrote about this in the prophecies section. 29) ☦☦☦✅(Orthodox) Default Orthodox Prophecy of a Greek Orthodox Monk about the future of Russia and Europe
https://projectavalon.net/forum4/sho...=1#post1663756


The Russians made this film to tell people about the Greek saint, to understand who the saints are, and what it means to fulfill the teachings of Jesus Christ. It was also shown in Greece (this is just a small example).

Hebrews 13:7 - King James Version (KJV)
<7> Remember them which have the rule over you, who have spoken unto you the word of God: whose faith follow, considering the end of their conversation.

Russian Orthodox Church made an expedition to Greece to make a film about the holy Greek elder Paisios of Svyatogorets, who is very much loved and revered by Russians in Russia. For the Greeks, he is a beloved saint, as in Russia St. Seraphim of Sarov or Sergius of Radonezh. I also advise you to read his books.

books by Paisii Svyatogorets
VOLUME I. WITH PAIN AND LOVE ABOUT MODERN MAN
VOLUME II. SPIRITUAL AWAKENING
VOLUME III. THE SPIRITUAL STRUGGLE
VOLUME IV. FAMILY LIFE
VOLUME V. PASSIONS AND VIRTUES

These are not all books. I have published only a part of the books. Due to the lack of information, a person has doubts and uncertainty about various issues. You should overcome this barrier. And start studying something that you would never pay attention to.

This film will also show you an example of who Orthodox saints are and what it means to live according to the gospel.

[Matthew]

I'll answer too: Jesus is God because God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit are one thing. There aren't two or three Gods with a capital G there's one. Therefore God the Son, Jesus Christ, is God Almighty.^*1

Fallen angels who loath us actually run this world. The Old Testament defines God's high standard but we are tormented by it. God is merciful unlike the fallen angels who use it to bully us.

These fallen angels come down from Heaven and take our women sheesh. History has a way of repeating.

Just see how fallen angels or supernatural horrors react to the name of Jesus Christ. If you're covered by the blood of Jesus they hate the mercy of it, - it spoils their gleeful condemnation. And even people who don't accept Jesus' sacrifice as the price of their sin can still use His name to expel supernatural horrors^*2

*1

Posted by *1
Romans 8:29 says: "For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren".

*2
Emphasis mine:

Posted by *2
True and False Disciples
21 “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. 22 Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name and in your name drive out demons and in your name perform many miracles?’ 23 Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’

God will keep His promise whether we accept His gift of salvation or not. Hint even non-believers can expel demons with the name of Jesus Christ


The Gospel of Thomas, the foundation of Christianity in India, is a beautiful book but it's not the word of God like the King James version. Surely the KJV is too modern to hold divine water?

Well, I believe it is with no proof, but it's worth noting there are patterns of 7's with word counts that are impossible. I bet this word-count pattern doesn't exist in any other book. It doesn't exist in other versions of the Bible this guy looked at:

Source: https://youtube.com/watch?v=nLO6BQY_lj0

This isn't like the flawed bible code or anything like that, it's simple word counts. It's literally impossible. The crazy thing is: this pattern of word counts, relating to number 7, goes across ALL EDITIONS OF THE KJV, through all its revisions. It is impossible, utterly impossible... no way should this pattern be happening, it's divine... my mind is blown.

As you all know I could rant about this forever. I forgot what my point was. Oh I remember now: Jesus is God and the Gospel of Thomas while beautifully quoting Jesus is not the Word of God in the same way that the KJV is.

Since God now dwells within us we're invited to talk to him directly especially in solitude. He has been known to talk back as a loving father does with his children. Faith at least the size of a mustard seed helps.

GOD BLESS YOU ABUNDANTLY!!! <3 <3 <3

[Raskolnikov]

So what I'm hearing is,

Posted by Russian Bear (here)
You urgently need to study the Orthodox faith.

I desperately need to be saved,

Posted by Matthew (here)
The Gospel of Thomas, the foundation of Christianity in India, is a beautiful book but it's not the word of God like the King James version. Surely the KJV is too modern to hold divine water? ...Jesus is God and the Gospel of Thomas while beautifully quoting Jesus is not the Word of God in the same way that the KJV is.

and I should listen to authority. You may very well be right, Russian Bear, and I appreciate you keeping an open mind for our discussion. But Matthew, you know I can't do that. I no longer have any respect for the authorities in this place, nothing but deceivers and dividers, at least at the top, and a King is most definitely at the top. And it's your own verse, Matthew 19:24,

"Again I tell you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle
than for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of God."

Though I find the fact that it's patterns of 7's and not 6's a refreshing change from all the 6's found in today's advertisements and patent numbers, the key to the Digital ID and money system that's still rapidly barreling down the tracks for instance: W02020060606 - Cryptocurrenty System Using Body Activity Data.

https://irp.cdn-website.com/540907fb...ment%20PDF.pdf

There's something oddly hypnotic in those mirrored numbers joining in two zeros at the center. They love their numbers, spells, and symbolism.

And now I must apologize because I'm no longer talking about yoga.

God bless you all!

[Russian Bear]

Posted by Raskolnikov (here)
So what I'm hearing is,

Posted by Russian Bear (here)
You urgently need to study the Orthodox faith.

I desperately need to be saved,

Posted by Matthew (here)
The Gospel of Thomas, the foundation of Christianity in India, is a beautiful book but it's not the word of God like the King James version. Surely the KJV is too modern to hold divine water? ...Jesus is God and the Gospel of Thomas while beautifully quoting Jesus is not the Word of God in the same way that the KJV is.

and I should listen to authority. You may very well be right, Russian Bear, and I appreciate you keeping an open mind for our discussion. But Matthew, you know I can't do that. I no longer have any respect for the authorities in this place, nothing but deceivers and dividers, at least at the top, and a King is most definitely at the top. And it's your own verse, Matthew 19:24,

"Again I tell you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle
than for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of God."

Though I find the fact that it's patterns of 7's and not 6's a refreshing change from all the 6's found in today's advertisements and patent numbers, the key to the Digital ID and money system that's still rapidly barreling down the tracks for instance: W02020060606 - Cryptocurrenty System Using Body Activity Data.

https://irp.cdn-website.com/540907fb...ment%20PDF.pdf

There's something oddly hypnotic in those mirrored numbers joining in two zeros at the center. They love their numbers, spells, and symbolism.

And now I must apologize because I'm no longer talking about yoga.

God bless you all!

I want to tell you about the Russian soul; the Russian soul is contained in the Orthodox faith. Dostoevsky also possessed an Orthodox spirit; all his books are imbued with this spirit. Russia has also given the world more saints than any other country. Therefore, you can acquire the Russian spirit, like the American Seraphim Rose. Seraphim Rose is an American, but for every Russian, he is a brother and a Russian (he is greatly loved and respected in Russia). If you are Orthodox and follow the truth, you have already acquired the Russian soul and are my brother in Christ. This is precisely why Russia is a spiritual country, and the Russian spirit is present here. We are a people who have accepted the true teachings of Christ and defend our faith. Regardless of your nationality, our common spirit unites us. If you are not against us, then you can be one of us.

[Matthew]

Posted by Raskolnikov (here)
...But Matthew, you know I can't do that. I no longer have any respect for the authorities in this place, nothing but deceivers and dividers, at least at the top, and a King is most definitely at the top. And it's your own verse, Matthew 19:24,
....
And now I must apologize because I'm no longer talking about yoga.

God bless you all!

Thank you! And thanks for engaging my rant. I can go a bit wild in the eyes sometimes. I actually feel like I agree with you, but from my point of view I associate 'authorities' with the spiritual rulers of this world who are fallen angels. Things that happen here in this plane of existence don't happen in Heaven, the authority and condemnation we think of ...well... I don't believe are God. Bible says there's no fear in love. Jesus is pure powerful love causing a compulsion in us that changes us, rather than fear of condemnation. Oh dear, I'm doing it again. Yes.. yoga... yoga yoga yoga. Let me say something on topic.

Here are two videos about yoga from a Christian perspective. One is very long and the other under ten mins.

I believe both would be considered fundamentalist Christian, although I argue this is basic Christianity but pew-warmers might find it hard work; in my limited Christian experience there's a split between Christians who follow the routine and ritual, and those that believe in the supernatural.

This forum is full of, typically but not always, non-Christian people who believe in the supernatural. Then there are those that don't believe in God or the supernatural. It's like a box split into quadrants, or a Venn diagram.

Here are Christians talking about yoga:

Under ten mins:

Source: https://youtube.com/watch?v=rDEL65GZXt0

Almost two hours:

Source: https://youtube.com/watch?v=iumAG43azVw

Here's a flippant Venn diagram:


PUT YOUR HANDS IN THE AIR!

The Russian brotherly bond: I can believe it Russian Bear. I believe us in the west can learn a lot from the Russian attitude to comradery (the non-communist variety) and group identity.

[Raskolnikov]

Posted by Matthew (here)

Posted by Raskolnikov (here)
...But Matthew, you know I can't do that. I no longer have any respect for the authorities in this place, nothing but deceivers and dividers, at least at the top, and a King is most definitely at the top. And it's your own verse, Matthew 19:24,
....
And now I must apologize because I'm no longer talking about yoga.

God bless you all!

Thank you! And thanks for engaging my rant. I can go a bit wild in the eyes sometimes. I actually feel like I agree with you, but from my point of view I associate 'authorities' with the spiritual rulers of this world who are fallen angels. Things that happen here in this plane of existence don't happen in Heaven, the authority and condemnation we think of ...well... I don't believe are God. Bible says there's no fear in love. Jesus is pure powerful love causing a compulsion in us that changes us, rather than fear of condemnation. Oh dear, I'm doing it again. Yes.. yoga... yoga yoga yoga. Let me say something on topic.

I completely agree with this sentence Matthew. And through the three levels of interpretation, it can be viewed from different levels. I believe the rulers of this world are more spiritual as well, I really wasn't trying to equate the top level of interference as the royal crown of England. It's a spiritual battle and a king will be used as a player upon the chessboard. But what moved me to write was the fallen angels. Cut me some slack here but if we are essentially spirit, in that all is energy and derived from God, and then there was that whole business with the Fall, has anyone else ever had the sinking feeling that maybe we are those fallen angels, in other words, we existed in spirit in the garden and then maybe ate some seductive fruit and have been trying to recover ever since.

And yet, to clarify, some fallen angels continued down the dark road and some didn't seeing the error of their ways. It feels like we're here to be confronted by The Choice - Good or Evil (as Nietzsche takes another shot), why else would we be here in the midst of the battle between Good and Evil? Love or hate. God Bless and may you live in interesting times...

[Matthew]

I do not personally believe we are those fallen angels.

"may you live in interesting times..." is a Chinese insult, but sadly we do live in interesting times

Nietzsche was into Dionysus; I'm not convinced he was non-religious.

[Russian Bear]

Comrade Matthew! I want to add one more point. An interesting fact is that occult teachings distinguish three main planes of existence: physical, astral, and mental-spiritual. In Agni Yoga, for example, these are: the dense world, the subtle world, and the fiery world. Incidentally, according to the teachings of Agni Yoga, the spiritual foundation of the universe, thanks to which progress along the path of perfection occurs, is a certain "Hierarchy of Light, Brotherhood, High Spirits united in labor for the Common Good." Hidden behind these lofty names are none other than fallen angels, who taught humanity the impious and soul-destroying "perfection" and the path of "progress"—in evil...


Comrade Raskolnikov! As St. John of Damascus wrote, "the soul is a living, simple and incorporeal entity, by its nature invisible to the physical eyes, immortal, endowed with intelligence." There is no definite answer to the question of where it comes from. At different times, learned theologians tried to make sense of it, argued with each other, but did not come to a consensus. One thing is indisputable: the soul, like all created creatures, arises with the participation of the creative force of the Creator of the visible and invisible worlds.

The Holy Fathers saw God's involvement in the origin of the soul in different ways. Some authoritative theologians, including Clement of Alexandria and John Chrysostom, believed that God directly creates every soul, while other prominent thinkers and saints of the Church — Macarius the Great, Gregory the Theologian, Gregory of Nyssa believed that just as a child's body occurs as a result of the connection of parental cells, so does his soul from the souls of parents with minimal involvement of the Creator. These fathers based their hypothesis on the thesis that when Adam was created, God created all mankind in his person according to the word of the Holy Scriptures: from one blood He produced the entire human race (Acts 17:26). Thus, they argued, God creates souls not directly, each time creating a new essence, but indirectly — through the souls of parents who, in union with each other, fulfill the commandment given to Adam and Eve in paradise: be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth (Gen 1:28). This theory of the creation of the soul explains why all people bear the consequences of the fall of their ancestors. If God had directly created every soul out of nothing, like the soul of the first man, then it would not have had the gravity of original sin in it.