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Please use the BLOG link on each page to go to
our discussion forum. Post by replying to threads or starting new
threads via the "new topic" link. Current questions and answers will be
posted here, all others may be found on the BLOG forum itself. We're
waiting to hear from YOU!
Please note, we attempt to provide
answers to your question with haste. Thank you for your patience!
Gospel Questions
- 1.
In Matthew
3:15, we believe that Christ says the following to John regarding
his own baptism: "Permit it to be so now, for thus it is fitting for
us to fulfill all righteousness."
How exactly is Christ's baptism a
"fulfillment of righteousness?"
In John Kadavil, PhD's explanation, he
asserts that Jesus was showing his "obedience to God" and completing
"God's will, which is always righteous." Is it stated anywhere in
the Bible that such a baptism was the will of the Father or a
fulfillment of any OT prophecy? If so, when was this command given
and where is this located?
- Orthodox Book Club, Dallas
- OBC
General Questions
-
3. As Syrian
Orthodox Christians, do we support war? The Ten Commandments from
the OT has clearly listed "Thou shalt not kill" as one of the rules
for human conduct, yet many other characters, such as David, are
glorified for killing.
In the NT, Christ advocates the idea of
"turning the other cheek", yet He always made it a point to stand up
against injustice.
I guess this question is thus twofold:
1. Do we support war or killing others
in any situation?
2. IF killing is supported in our faith,
in what types of situations does the church view this kind of
action as legitimate?
- OBC
-
4. I was
passing a church one day, and in the front a sign said "Defeat Osama
Bin Laden, bring a Muslim to Christ". Can that necessarily be true?
In a sense it is true, but it'd probably make [Bin Laden] even
angrier. And about the Christian persecutions, why can't Christians
help the persecuted Christians? Is our faith not strong enough? Are
we not courageous enough to defend Jesus Christ? Or are we
tolerating all of the persecutions because since the beginning
Christianity meant to be persecuted?
- Bincy Yeldo
- Bincy Yeldo
-maya22
– happy15
General Answers
-
3. Those are some tough questions. To be fair I've heard
that that commandment is actually translated "Thou shalt not
murder." If that's the case it takes on quite a different meaning.
"Murder" is defined as the unlawful killing of another. But how does
one determine unlawful killing?
Are the soldiers who fight wars considered
murderers? Some would say yes. If you did consider them
murderers, then would you ever compare their behavior to how one
should behave as a Christian? Of course not. Yet in 2 Timothy 2 we
see the verses
Endure hardship with us like a good
soldier of Christ Jesus. No one serving as a soldier gets involved
in civilian affairs—he wants to please his commanding officer.
If soldiers are evil murders, then why are
we told to exemplify them to such a degree?
After saying all that I'm sorry to say I
have no answer to your questions. 
-Maximvs
-
4. Let me be clear - Most Muslims respect Christians.
Recently, the communists were the ones most guilty of persecution.
However, these days when Christians are persecuted, most often the
culprits happen to be Muslims, although the Chinese are in the mix
too.
-DZV
- lijumoolayil
-
5. Please see a
very informative article on sainthood in the Saint's Say section.
Note that before Chalcedon, the church was one, so it's not entirely
appropriate to call saints from before that time " Roman Catholic"
or "Syrian Orthodox" etc. These were the commendable followers of
our Lord. Simple as that, and so we remember them.
http://www.saintgregorios.org/PARUMALA/reciting.htm
-
DZV
-
6. This is a common question, but it has no answer. This is
because the question presupposes the application of the dimension of
time to God. God created time when He created the universe. God
exists outside of time where cause and effect relationships do not
necessarily exist. There is no such thing as "before" or "after" if
there is no time. Hence, the concept of a "moment of creation for
God" becomes unnecessary.
-
DZV
-
7. The Orthodox view is that there is nothing wrong with
creation and the "good life" on its face. The problem arises when
the things of the world get in the way of our relationship with God.
Jesus came into flesh and reconciled matter with the divine. We
should pursue all good things, spiritual and material, from the
point of view of piety. That's why being rich is not a sin. Who
wants to be hungry and in poverty? Jesus never advocated poverty for
the sake of poverty itself. Some give up food for the sake of
others. They have spiritual resources to draw from. But eventually
those that fast for the sake of others have to eat themselves - some
one has to buy them bread! We have to follow the path God leads us
into and seek His provision. On the other hand, there are those
(like the Apostles) who are told to exchange all material for the
adventure that comes with abandoning oneself to faith.
– DZV
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