Dear byrdele, dear Thomas,
An excellent and inspiring exchange of views; may we all do likewise.
if I can just correct a little history here (being an historian it is an occupation hazard), we often read that the Church of England was created beca…
Dear Georgios,
We should, indeed, pray for him.
I am sure that you are familiar with the joint statement from the Pope and the Greek Patriarch at this site: http://www.copticpope.org/downloads/commondec/commondec-2-2006eng.pdf
His heresy will com…
Dear Orthodox11,
We are, again, in your debt; many thanks.
Questions 4-7 are for our sisters to answer.
The Anglicans, of course, now have women priests ands even a woman bishop. As an ex-Anglican I am more than familiar with all the arguments us…
Dear QT,
The problem with prohibition in the west is that even if you can get those spineless things called parliaments to pass such laws, the stuff does not go away - alas.
I quite agree with you about its effects, and about the offence it causes…
Dear Vassilios,
Since one of them is 21 in a few weeks and the other is 25, they are both at the stage where I can only hope that what they know to be right is what they will do in their lives. As you know, here in the west, the custom is not for f…
Dear Orthodox11,
An interesting answer, but given the view which that website takes of the Coptic Church, not one that could be recommended without some hesitation here, surely?
For many modern people St. Theophan's advice would be easier to bear …
Dear Vassilios,
Yes, I suspect this isn't the most edifying of your topics! ;)
But the answer is pretty clear. Surgeons can mess about cutting people up and claim they have turned a man into a 'woman', but all they have done is to practice surgery…
Dear Orthodox11,
Thank you for the information. For those interested in an accessible modern text, The Lost Gospel of Mary by Frederica Mathewes-Green (Paraclete Press, 2007) is recommended.
It has three texts:
The Protevangelium of St. James whic…
Dear Byrdele,
I am, likewise, touched by your eirenic attitude and your understanding.
I shall not be posting for the next few days as I have to be away from home, but I could not leave off without saying that if there were more people with your w…
Dear byrdele,
Thank you for a very interesting and thought-provoking post; it would be most interesting to know what the younger people here think.
For my part, I could not agree more with you; and how encouraging to know that some young people a…
Dear byrdele,
Thank you for these words of wisdom.
One of the many remarkable things about the Copts is that for sixteen centuries they have been under persecution of one kind or another; the Church is one of the few not to have been guilty of per…
Dear Vassilios,
One of your most challenging sets of questions. I shall do my best to answer them as far as is possible, but two things to start with:
- God does not change - our understanding of what He tells us may;
- the law of Moses was the f…
Dear Κηφᾶς,
Very wise advice.
Such a discussion can be an important part of a developing relationship; it is good that at every stage both of you are comfortable with such matters. Men ought to beware, however, of inadvertently putting too much pr…
Dear Kerestina,
That is too kind of you.
Here we are all brothers and sisters helping each other to live the life in Christ to which we are called; if we help each other here, as we do, then the work we do is awesome, because it bears witness to w…
Dear byrdele,
Since this is a Coptic site, there is much here that reflects not only Orthodox praxis but also Egyptian cultural practice; Egypt, like most Middle Eastern societies, has what we in the west might regard as a more restrictive attitude…
Dear Vassilios,
I don't think anyone is disagreeing with your attitude towards pornography; indeed, if it were more widely shared then there would not be this problem.
Nor is anyone (I think) saying that there is nothing that can be done; simply t…
Dear Kerestina,
Good points.
In John 13:34-5 we are given 34 A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another. 35 By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for …
Dear Vassilios,
God decides who goes to heaven.
I cannot imagine why an innocent baby should not go to Heaven - but as I say, God knows - and since He is the only Just Judge, we could be in no better hands.
In Christ,
Anglian
Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
Call me slow, but would I be correct Vassilios in thinking that with your new name here, if we do it in French, it amounts to calling you 'Cutie (QT) Everywhere (Par Tout T)' - or, if we go the Franglais option,…
Dear byrdele,
When you write most of them are totally uninformed or partially informed on what we really believe. I you touch on a subject dear to my heart.
So often people who are condemnatory of others' beliefs are so on the basis of what they …
Dear Orthodox11,
I don't know enough about the Catholic interpretation of Chalcedon to judge whether or not this is correct, but I do remember Vladimir Soloviev in his famous defense of the papacy suggesting St. Cyril's "one (mia) nature of the inca…
Dear Vassilios,
What can you do in France? Not a lot I suspect, because the French have been more 'relaxed' about this than the British.
Certainly try to persuade the bishop to talk to members of the French parliament, but, as you can see in the U…
Dear Orthodox11,
An interesting point. I have not seen any official position taken by the Coptic Orthodox Church on this.
If the 'Immaculate conception' refers to the conception of Our Lord we have no problem, as you say; if it is the RC version, …
Dear Hizz_child,
In terms of what action to take, such as the petition to +Angaelos, you will find there are already laws in the UK about cards in telephone boxes (they are illegal, and those placing them can be prosecuted) and that pornographic ma…
Well, that is one I haven't heard, so it is difficult to say - but it would be worth listening to the exact words and the context - as you say, His Holiness was himself a great ascetic.
Perhaps you could let us have the words?
In Christ,
Anglian
Dear Aidan,
My question is, why has God given me so many chances and yet why is no one else I know remotely interested in Orthodoxy or, indeed Christianity of an colour? It would seem that God wants me, fairly unpleasant piece of work that I am and …