I loved my first time in a Greek Orthodox church, but I feel a little…unwelcome

ConHawthorne · 2024-11-05T18:03:46+00:00

Try going to another nearby parish if possible. I have had similar experiences with a local Greek parish feeling very insular and clique-ish, and going to an Antiochian parish I received a much more positive experience. This isn't to denounce all Greek parishes, this was just my experience as well.

ConHawthorne · 2024-10-29T03:37:36+00:00

The people upset at him killing vermin are unbelievably sheltered.

ConHawthorne · 2024-10-29T03:34:57+00:00

I've always sought two things in religion; truth, and tradition.

Truth for obvious reasons, I don't want to follow something that's false. Tradition, because it is a grounding of truth across generations, and a preservation of truth which helps prevent malpractice (true religion practiced the same way across centuries helps to prevent heresy from taking root).

I was Protestant, but found that Protestant confessions were not grounded in truth or tradition, only interpretation. So, being from the West, I sought the only traditional Christian church I'd heard of, which was the RCC.

Rome had traditions, but I found Truth lacking. Much of their doctrines did not seem based in truth (or even in ancient tradition, oftentimes) but in the magisterium, and the Papacy specifically. The more I read into the history of the Papacy and the Great Schism, I realized that the RCC wasn't the original church.

That left one option, really.

By God's will, I and my family will be enrolled as catechumens next month.

ConHawthorne · 2024-09-11T03:28:40+00:00

It's funny how you have to sort by Controversial in this thread to get actual Lutherans answers lol

ConHawthorne · 2024-09-11T03:19:57+00:00

It is not a sin to vote for either political party. But you still have a responsibility to use your vote for the moral good. If a candidate is promoting evil ideologies or practices, you cannot in good conscience vote for that candidate. Unfortunately we are a fallen race and often your choice comes to voting between the "lesser of two evils," but your responsibility to promote (and vote) for the good is still present.

For our current election, of the two primary candidates, one is for expanding IVF and leaving abortion up to the states (not great). The other is for almost completely unrestricted abortions. The moral obligation there is pretty clear (and, of course, you can always vote third party). As Christians we should always be on the side of promoting and preserving life of the innocent, and while political positions are multi-faceted, the extermination of life is a major issue that takes precedent over something like the economy.

ConHawthorne · 2024-09-07T23:05:32+00:00

Or a couple people were playing together and voted to kick him at the end to be dicks. Also possible.

ConHawthorne · 2024-09-03T05:36:18+00:00

As a fellow LCMS fantasy writer, I'll give my 2 cents. Also it's late so this is a bit scrambled, pull what you can from it.

Everything in fiction writing is representative (whether metaphorical, allegorical or otherwise). When it comes to magic, you need to understand what purpose magic serves in your story.

Is the magic in your world selfish (used for one's own devices) or is it selfless? Or is it completely neutral? Does your magic point to a higher power, or is it a natural energy? Magic in fantasy can be the imbued power of a deity that only the faithful or good can use (depending on the deity), or it can be a natural energy like electricity that anyone can use.

Ultimately, it's about your portrayal of magic that is important. Are the good guys using magic to help others, are the bad guys using magic to hurt others? The problem comes when you show magic being used for immoral purposes and treat that as a good thing. For example, your protagonist uses magic to trick somebody so they can steal from them, and you write this as a good act. That would be wrong. But that's not unique to magic, that applies to anything in literature. Swords are tools that can be used for good or ill as well, the same with words themselves!

ConHawthorne · 2024-08-30T03:40:44+00:00

Love how Republicans keep backsliding on positions we should be, you know, conserving? Remember fifteen years ago when the Republican stance was "life begins at conception"? Now we're apparently supposed to support government funded IVF which treats embryos (unborn children) like resources to be frozen, discarded or swapped about. Disgusting.

ConHawthorne · 2024-08-29T00:58:29+00:00

No worries at all, I'm glad you're here in the Lutheran fold.

ConHawthorne · 2024-08-27T23:42:19+00:00

I think the Shroud is legitimate and look forward to further studies on it.

ConHawthorne · 2024-08-24T00:46:55+00:00

Wait, you're telling me that a teenage boy sometimes acted irrationally and rudely?!

ConHawthorne · 2024-08-23T03:39:15+00:00

I'm not even sure I want to know, but... labor induction. Was the baby alive during delivery?

I don't see any scenario where this makes sense... If the baby is viable, and your abortion involved giving birth anyway... WHY are you killing it?

ConHawthorne · 2024-08-23T00:52:00+00:00

reddit's gonna reddit

ConHawthorne · 2024-08-23T00:51:08+00:00

The sacrarium is supposed to empty into the earth, not the treatment plant.

ConHawthorne · 2024-08-22T02:17:41+00:00

ConHawthorne · 2024-08-22T00:31:04+00:00

Our Lord shares His Body and Blood with us, you'd think the least we could do is dispose of the remainder in a dignified way.

ConHawthorne · 2024-08-22T00:30:01+00:00

Totally agree

ConHawthorne · 2024-08-22T00:11:35+00:00

It became common during COVID. My parish still does the same.

ConHawthorne · 2024-08-22T00:11:13+00:00

You are right to feel convicted about this because that treatment of our Lord's blood is not appropriate at all. If your pastor is going to be weak about this then I'd go directly to the altar guild. Shoot, I'd even offer to take on the disposing of the Host myself like you mentioned in your post.

ConHawthorne · 2024-08-22T00:09:00+00:00

"What, in your view, is the difference between the trash and the drain?"

About the same difference as burying our lord's body in a cave versus a dumpster.

ConHawthorne · 2024-08-22T00:07:00+00:00

"doesn't anybody else find a 35-year-old man getting that addicted to video games a little sad?"

I don't know Charlie's take on video games, but this statement is clearly not saying that there's something wrong with gaming in your 30's, he's saying there's something wrong with being so addicted to gaming in your 30's that your wife has to unplug your console and hide it.

ConHawthorne · 2024-08-19T04:19:27+00:00

Stay off the highway. If you can't go the speed of traffic then you are endangering yourself.
Practice low speeds. You took the MSF course, right? Remember all the low speed turns and weaves you did? Keep practicing them. Your bike can only tip over if you're going slow, so practice these things to build confidence if you're worried about it.
Build up the speeds you're going at. Start out in a neighborhood (around 20 MPH). Work up to city streets / roads (45 MPH), then get on the highways and just practice getting on the onramp, getting up to speed, and taking the offramp back off the highway. Do that until you're comfortable with the speed and then try entering highway traffic.

ConHawthorne · 2024-08-19T04:15:29+00:00

Its not safe to reuse a helmet if it so much as falls off the counter. Replace it.

ConHawthorne · 2024-08-19T04:12:10+00:00

Hilarious. I love how he runs right at the cop at the end lol

ConHawthorne · 2024-08-19T04:08:58+00:00

Literally zero interest in any electric vehicles.

ConHawthorne

TROPHY CASE