The Anon Road to Damascus Thread

[Anon]

there are deeper and more hidden sins in the human heart such as pride

I think out of all the things I listed above, this is the one that made me the most miserable, and still makes me so. Nothing says pride like admitting you were incorrect about a position you held for fifteen years, sometimes passionately, and continuing to hold onto it for no reason to the detriment of your own mom and letting her pass before even making a decision (choose you this day, indeed).

Nothing said pride like the way I used to act, and even the way I've acted lately: "wow, look at the attention my little Facebook note got! Aint I something?" Out of pride I even omit pride from the list of ways I've gone wrong. Is making this post confessing my own pride itself an act of pride? You really start to look into yourself deeply when you gain principles (not saying Christians by any means have a monopoly on moral principles, only that I lacked enough of them before now).

[jpholding]

I
I think the article I read was your one on either Mithraism or Osirus and Horus. Maybe even both. Looking at them now brings the "distantly familiar" ring to me. I know I read quite a bit, and I remember that one of your common links was to a guy named Glenn Miller, because I kept on thinking of that song we played in jazz band, "In the Mood." I've been long away from the historical side of the search, and I need to get back into it!

Ah, OK. And I sympathize re Glenn Miller though it has a triple troubler for me, since Glenn Miller was ALSO the name of the director of the Orlando Public Library when I worked there in the 80s.

[Cow Poke]

I think out of all the things I listed above, this is the one that made me the most miserable, and still makes me so. Nothing says pride like admitting you were incorrect about a position you held for fifteen years, sometimes passionately, and continuing to hold onto it for no reason to the detriment of your own mom and letting her pass before even making a decision (choose you this day, indeed).

Nothing said pride like the way I used to act, and even the way I've acted lately: "wow, look at the attention my little Facebook note got! Aint I something?" Out of pride I even omit pride from the list of ways I've gone wrong. Is making this post confessing my own pride itself an act of pride? You really start to look into yourself deeply when you gain principles (not saying Christians by any means have a monopoly on moral principles, only that I lacked enough of them before now).

I see no pride in this, Anon.
Unless, of course, it was written to impress people.

SERIOUSLY --- I really can identify with what you're saying, and I'm thrilled you're able to open yourself up to introspection.

[Chrs]

Hello, we're right here. >_>

I share this sentiment as well. For me, the Christian ethos can be be particularly irritating for me at times.

Makes sense. Some of us don't have to unnecessarily restrict our lives, though...

(We have cookies! )

[Cow Poke]

(We have cooties! )

fify n/c

[Rational Gaze]

http://triablogue.blogspot.com/2011/...-damascus.html

[T-Shirt Ninja]

Hey Anon. In your studies did you look up the Eastern Orthodox? If so, what did you think of what we believe?

[One Bad Pig]

I think out of all the things I listed above, this is the one that made me the most miserable, and still makes me so. Nothing says pride like admitting you were incorrect about a position you held for fifteen years, sometimes passionately, and continuing to hold onto it for no reason to the detriment of your own mom and letting her pass before even making a decision (choose you this day, indeed).

Nothing said pride like the way I used to act, and even the way I've acted lately: "wow, look at the attention my little Facebook note got! Aint I something?" Out of pride I even omit pride from the list of ways I've gone wrong. Is making this post confessing my own pride itself an act of pride? You really start to look into yourself deeply when you gain principles (not saying Christians by any means have a monopoly on moral principles, only that I lacked enough of them before now).

Pride grows in the human heart like lard on a pig. - Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn

[Andius]

Makes sense. Some of us don't have to unnecessarily restrict our lives, though...

(We have cookies! )

Well.... as long as I don't run into any ethos that restricts my eating of bacon, I am as content as a clam. ^^*

[One Bad Pig]

Well.... as long as I don't run into any ethos that restricts my eating of bacon, I am as content as a clam. ^^*

How do you know clams are content?

[Andius]

How do you know clams are content?

I once got ranted by a clam, this pic sums up my story;

[Cow Poke]

How do you know clams are content?

With all due respect, OBP, we say "happy as a dead pig in the sunshine". You can tell they're happy cause they're all swollen up with pride and they have big grins on their faces.

[Anon]

Hey Anon. In your studies did you look up the Eastern Orthodox? If so, what did you think of what we believe?

I'm having trouble organizing what it is that the East exactly believes. I've seen anywhere from "basically Catholic without the Pope" to "completely different philosophy and Christology." It's certainly worth considering. I know a few people here at TWEB have been prompting me to explore it.

[Rational Gaze]

I'm having trouble organizing what it is that the East exactly believes.

I've been recommended the following books, which I plan to get into as soon as possible:
Encountering the Mystery: Understanding Orthodox Christianity Today by Patriarch Bartholomew
The Cambridge Companion to Orthodox Christian Theology by Elizabeth Theokritof
The Orthodox Study Bible
The Orthodox Church by Timothy Ware
Orthodox Dogmatic Theology by Michael Pomazansky
The Way: What Every Protestant Should Know About the Orthodox Church by Clark Carlton
The Truth: What Every Roman Catholic Should Know About the Orthodox Church by Clark Carlton
The Life: Orthodox Doctrine of Salvation by Clark Carlton
The Faith: Understanding Orthodox Christianity by Clark Carlton

I hope this helps.

[One Bad Pig]

I'm having trouble organizing what it is that the East exactly believes. I've seen anywhere from "basically Catholic without the Pope" to "completely different philosophy and Christology."

From the POV of someone who doesn't know much about Rome or Orthodoxy, they can look quite similar. In general, the East tends to be apophatic in theology (defining what we know in terms of what we don't know), whereas the West tends to be more cataphatic in its theology (where what we do know tends to be described to the n^th degree); I don't think there's much difference in Christology.

It's certainly worth considering. I know a few people here at TWEB have been prompting me to explore it.

A good introduction, IMO, is Introducing the Orthodox Church: Its Faith and Life by A. M. Coniaris, which I studied as a catechumen.