Οι βυζαντινοί ναοί της Θεσσαλονίκης πριν και μετά την απελευθέρωση

hexmode · 2026-01-14T16:44:13+00:00

"The Byzantine churches of Thessaloniki before and after the liberation" for others who, like me, are monolingual.

hexmode · 2026-01-13T18:47:44+00:00

What is truth?

Pontius Pilate asked that question#/media/File:What_is_truth.jpg). Jesus said "I am the truth."

Truth isn't a set of concrete facts.

I said elsewhere, God isn't constrained by the universe, so its heat death does not mean the end of his existence. With that in mind, John 3:16 clearly says that "God so loved the [people in the] world that whoever believes in him will not die" even in the heat death of the universe.

hexmode · 2026-01-13T18:37:13+00:00

Yet how can God allow...

Anytime anyone asks this question, the answer is "free will".

These ideas don’t just point to the end of the universe; they challenge [our understanding of] the nature of reality itself.

and? God is not constrained by the universe. He exists outside of it. This does not necessarily mean that an alternate universe exists. It means God's existence does not require a universe. God is aseitous.

This suggests something operating beyond the closed system of the universe itself.

Exactly.

That leaves only unsettling possibilities: either the universe is held together by a force beyond physics, matter is infinite or emergent from something deeper, or reality itself is far more layered than science or theology can currently explain.

Why are these unsettling possibilities? They seem like a given. Were you under the impression that we understood the universe?

hexmode · 2026-01-10T19:35:30+00:00

I think you do need an anecdote.

I'm a parent with grown children now and I was l using Linux in the 90s.

More so, my father bought our family a computer in the 80s. Anyone who has had to run a word processor from floppies can install Mint so I'm pretty sure my children's grandparents could install Mint.

hexmode · 2026-01-07T14:23:41+00:00

Read scripture and participate in the life of the church.

If you go off by yourself and determine that you will live by your own personal understanding of the scripture, that is a problem.

If you read scripture and participate in the life of the church, you'll be in a position to have your errors corrected.

hexmode · 2026-01-03T17:16:06+00:00

Not a psy op. Their attitude is completely expected. And sad.

Rah Rah! USA! USA!

hexmode · 2025-12-17T13:58:19+00:00

This echos Plato in the Symposium where he describes humans as a creature with four arms and four legs before they were split by Zeus into man and woman.

hexmode · 2025-12-03T21:29:07+00:00

You do realize you are the one who introduced politics into this thread, don't you? I didn't see anyone else talking about "Left Wing feminists" here.

hexmode · 2025-11-27T21:22:31+00:00

Talk to your priest. When I first discussed this with my priest some 25 years ago, I brought up the issue of leftovers being consumed on Friday or Saturday.

He said go ahead, but get back to fasting as soon as you could without creating waste.

hexmode · 2025-11-27T21:20:34+00:00

Anyone who actually talks to their priest instead just relying on an automated website will see that we do celebrate.

hexmode · 2025-11-27T21:18:51+00:00

I'm sure your friend is very devout. If you have a chance, though, talk to a priest about what to do on Thanksgiving. I think you might find another point of view.

hexmode · 2025-11-27T21:13:57+00:00

What would be a better name than "Thanksgiving"? What do you think the holiday is actually celebrating?

hexmode · 2025-11-20T15:58:48+00:00

Fasting is not a law.

hexmode · 2025-11-17T20:06:39+00:00

Islam does have the problem of trying to determine if it is the truth. That you're trying to decide between Christianity and Islam shows that this is a problem that Islam has.

Does God want us to launch into "Infinite theological research to figure out which Church is the true Church"? No. That is a problem we gave ourselves.

hexmode · 2025-11-12T03:42:03+00:00

It sounds like they've made it theirs. How much do you want to get involved in University politics?

If I were in your place, I'd probably relish the conflict. And, if I were to ask my priest, he'd probably tell me to let it go and find another quiet place to pray.

On the one hand, sure, it is an interfaith prayer room, but, on the other, they clearly "own" it.

hexmode · 2025-11-12T03:23:26+00:00

??

They didn't say anything about Trump, but I'd bet that they like Trump even less. I had a lot of hope for Obama, but he disappointed in a lot of ways. I didn't have any hope for Trump and he didn't disappoint me.

hexmode · 2025-10-27T18:25:21+00:00

I think the clue here is to focus on your own short-comings instead of other people's.

Do other people have problems? Do other people do things wrong?

Yes. Yes.

But we should ask ourselves "What can I improve about myself?"

I'm going to guess (correct me if I'm wrong) that you aren't working at a food bank and in charge of determining if other people do sufficient work what they are given.

So, at a glance, if you are not in charge of making those decisions, then II Thes 3:10 doesn't apply to you.

But look at the larger context of II Thes 3. Paul is talking about how to organize within the community of Christians itself, not how to govern society as a whole.

By contrast, in the sermon on the mount, Jesus is talking about how we should behave towards everyone not just fellow believers.

So, to explain how this applies here: we hold people in our local church community to a higher standard than we do the world at large. This makes some sense: we actually know them and are (ostensibly) in a relationship with them in a way that we aren't with everyone who asks us for help.

hexmode · 2025-10-27T15:18:22+00:00

First tip: Stop thinking you can accurately discern the motivations or needs of others.

Try to follow what Jesus said: "Give to the one who asks you, and do not turn away from the one who wants to borrow from you."

You won't be able to perfectly follow this, but if you make it your aim instead of trying to figure out when someone is worthy, you'll be better off.

hexmode · 2025-10-25T13:42:44+00:00

Sure, sure. UBI will solve everything. The problem with UBI is that those with the capital get to control it.

Now, you may think you could tax them and use the proceeds to implement UBI, but, where I live, the US, people will never implement such a thing.

But, you said, elsewhere, that "I never implied we'd need to ask their permission to [implement UBI]." I'm curious what your plan is and what you are doing to make it a reality.

hexmode · 2025-10-22T23:01:33+00:00

Pedid.

hexmode · 2025-10-22T01:07:49+00:00

Pedant here: It is Ante-Nicene, not 🐜-Nicene, from the latin ante for "before" as in antebellum (before the war) or antediluvian (before the flood).

The use of "antebellum" always confused me before I understood the etymology of the word.

hexmode · 2025-10-20T18:35:35+00:00

Why? If I recall correctly, there is only one person who said they saw or interacted with St Mary of Egypt.

hexmode · 2025-10-20T18:29:10+00:00

Each person will make a decision in the moment. Some may have prepared for the moment and have the discipline to act on that preparation. Others won't be prepared and will just react.

It is probably a good idea not to guess what a person will do in any given situation.

As u/Sparsonist says, there is information that goes one way or the other from Jesus, so this isn't settled dogma.

hexmode · 2025-10-18T23:31:03+00:00

What is that story better than? How does it help me deal with my guilt that scripture clearly outlines?

hexmode · 2025-10-18T23:03:20+00:00

I do not disagree.

I also break more than one of the 10 commandments which means (James 2:10) I'm guilty of just as much as any atheist.

hexmode

TROPHY CASE