God bless you

Bless you; you are an inspiration, and you are beautiful, body and soul... I have the same feeling that Orthodoxy is indeed "correct worship". I sincerely hope to join you in worship someday, God willing.

Having glanced at your channel, I'm curious; what does "arcturian" mean? (I could "Google" it, but I'd rather read a first-hand definition from a real person, does that make sense?)

Blessings to you Yarnell.

+cedonullidude To you as well

Glory to God!

i want to be an orthodox too

I also converted from Reformed Baptist to Russian Orthodoxy in 2004. There was and is no other way. May God save you, brother.

That was me also. I had to finally purge my thinking (in 2010) of nearly everything the was associated with Reformed/Protestant doctrine, because it was drenched in Age of Enlightement/Age of Reason theology. I have no regrets!!!

Roger McIntyre Exactly.

Just like biblical and historical evidence proves that jesus and his apostles were vegatarians biblical and historical evidence also proves that the trinity, atonement, original sin and hell are very late misinterpretations and are not supported by the early creed hence its not a part of Christianity I pray that Allah swt revives Christianity both inside and out preserves and protects it and makes its massage be witnessed by all people but at the right moment, place and time The secred text of the Bible says ye shall know them by their fruits So too that I say to my christian brothers and sisters be fruitful and multiply Best regards from a Muslim ( line of ismail )

Jesus wasn't a vegetarian he was Jewish so he would eat the passover lamb luke 22:7-8.

*two weeks before the Holy week:)

Well said.

so so true, christianity is experiential as orthodox church understands it; is the passed on experiences/practices of the apostles, and it is a way of thinking, an attiitude, a perspective. It has a specific phronema.

@@SignalsOfVirtueEphesians 2:9 ***not of works, lest anyone should boast**** 1John 1:8 ***if we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us.vs 10 If we say that we have not sinnned, we make Him a liar and His word is not in us***

+Randy Churchill We do indeed ....

Actually if you have been a Protestant all your life everything about Orthodoxy is shocking. I was a Protestant all my life and I started reading books on the Orthodox faith and within a year I found myself converting more and more to the east. Most Protestants don't have a high enough level of curiosity to make the transition. It is not easy to make the journey to the Orthodox Church largely because Orthodox Christians are not that good at communicating their faith to the west. I think that is improving though. I see more and more on the Internet. The first time you go to an Orthodox Church it's like going to the planet Mars. As you begin to understand what the worship is all about you begin to experience the spiritual power and meaning of it. I am no longer a Protestant. But to say that with conviction will take some time and study. If your still trying to figure it out keep digging. It's worth the effort.. .

Randy Churchill Orthodoxy is difficult for the people to take a taste because today's people like the taste of coka cola of porn, quick cars ,different women, and generally of living at this life.When jesus want from us the sacrifice for him and the others,and to stop living for the material world.Ortodoxy teaches to give your blood in order to gain spirit

Argiris Milonas I understand.

***** God is love. See with the heart, and do with the mind, and you will be doing God's work.

yes.

+Evgnevius We must give up our own pride, we must deny ourselves, in order to let GOD clean up our hearts of all the passions which are the roots of death !!!

your absolutely correct amigo! Read the scriptures they are our map!

+Evgnevius One could fairly say that their conscience, if they live a holy life, becomes the method of God's communication. I agree with you, but I do believe there can be hints of revelation through that.

"Orthodox" isn't for those that want a personal relationship with Jesus. It's more for those that like rituals to make them feel religious. And way too Catholic... most of their doctrines are false and so many contradict the Bible.

@@ytmember1 ""Orthodox" isn't for those that want a personal relationship with Jesus. ...." Where did you get this from, this could not be further from the truth???

@@SignalsOfVirtue so you dont know anything about it...

@@SignalsOfVirtue no you are stating what you think is obvious, but could not be further from reality.

@@SignalsOfVirtue well yes, I agree that facts dont care about emotions, but facts are that not a sigle Orthodox or any person that knows most basic things about Orthodoxy would agree with you.

Will Benton The world is stupid because King James with the story of Jesus hid philosophy and what is philosophy but knowing our culture...No one died and saved us from the perversions of our culture CAPITALISM

re-examine that Rx (prescription) friend... u r either way above or well below the recommended dose.

Marry me!

@@M-i-k-a-e-l If you be driven by thoughts of romance, make haste to recognize THAT what might please you, would not my Lover Henri (Husband), two children & God... who own my love and affection, as I do theirs. And think of the others. All those who wait in line for my hand. Imagine the bitchin' & consternation, spittin' & stompin' that would issue !? Gosh Darn Man ! They might even start-up cussin' ! i.imgur.com/rgu4D0X.png

Simon Shields Why not become a Christian by receiving Christ?

Simon Shields The find your nearest Orthodox Church and come. All are welcome.

what do you suppose Holy Baptism is?

William Gill_Esq. Because Jesus left one church. And to feel the full grace of God that can only happen through Orthodoxy.

@@williamgill_esq.6487 Christ established a Church. When He becomes Orthodox, he recieves Christ as a member of His Body.

if you want to reach the lost, must you dress like you yourself are?

Considering the quality of seminary education these days, I would hope it is considerably better than seminary quality.

hurray!!! so beautiful for your share

read the saints and the church Fathers; they will show you with their lives what it means to be orthodox christian. the orthodox church is about the way of being.we are to acquire the mind of christ so we can be in a love relationship with God the father, son and holy spirit, as we were created to be, until humans decided they wanted to be in charge and be the powerful ones, became prideful.

Western Rite is an option!

only one true original christianity that is orthodoxy

Sadly people celebrate Luther and the reformation - the result which was over 12,000,000 deaths due to religious wars and now there are over 41,000 protestant denominations today. So sad

Christian unity can be achieved if we love one another in Christ in spite of our differences. We all agree on 90% of the doctrines anyway. I see myself as a Believer first, a Baptist second and Ecumenical third. If we all put the point of being a Believer first the secondary division can be overlooked. Jesus said that where two or three are gathered together in my name there am I in their midst. Also, when the disciples rebuked a man for teaching in Jesus' name because he was not a member of their group Jesus replied that those who are not against us are for us and to let the man continue to teach in his name.

NIck Doe, how can you say that. Luther's movement was from God, and he led true believers out of the great harlot, which is the Catholic Church. It was the Catholic Church that murdered all those saints... millions of them. I fear you have learned propaganda. Also, Jesus said he has come to bring division, not unity.

Nakis Peninta -- "correct faith" as in correct doctrine is not going to save you, or anyone. This is a deception. Only a personal relationship with Jesus Christ can save you... wash away your sins!

Yes, my brother in Christ, so very true. Our lives are full of much suffering as we resist the passions to perfect ourselves worthy enough to earn the crown of eternal life and enter the Kingdom of God! I read daily, "The Lives of the Saints", which gives me strength and encouragement through my struggles. God Bless.

sammy strain What makes you think Dr. Behr isn't?

***** i cant even fathom how many people went to hell due to the perverse protestant insta-saved teachings. without trying to come to the likeness of God. sure if they were pure and ignorant, the punishment would be lighter but still its deadly. evagelicalism is one of the most dead and dangerous christian teachings ive seen.

You are able to have a living experience through Christ because someone translated the Greek into English for you and interpreted its context. What is it that you fail to understand about this?!?!?!

Greek is my first language. Are you suggesting that if noone had interpreted the writtings of the Apostoles then noone would have experienced his presence?

GraduadoFigo No, I am saying that it is impossible for MOST PEOPLE to know anything about the New Testament without trusting someone to translate it for them. Even if the person being taught is being taught using icons, that person was taught by someone who was taught by someone who was taught by someone who had the original languages translated so that they can understand the teachings (whether it be directly from the New Testament, or even icons).

So the point is, MOST PEOPLE rely on interpretation for their understanding of Christ and the Gospels. I AM DEFINITELY ONE OF THEM AND HAVE NO PROBLEM ADMITTING IT.

***** What language was the New Testament originally written in?

We can't even start understanding love, if we don't belong to the real Church that the Lord established. Moreover, with your logic we can be hindu and muslim and if we love each other we're good to go.. belonging to the truth Does matter, dear friend. Hope you don't get me wrong, dear. God bless.

bluewren Reilly Wrong. The ONLY question will be " did you receive my Son." God the Father will never ask " what branch or denomination of Christianity did you belong to?"

And like Socrates we learned what he taught and did because of people who wrote about him.

Agreed

Let me shed some light, St. Cyrill and Methodios created the Glagolic alphabet, later on their bulgarian students created the "Cyrillic" alphabet in Bulgaria. The bulgarian czar gave the order for the creation and paid for the job. After it was spread around.

I am Greek and u are right.

well said.

The feminine facet of Christianity is a jewel yet to be fully revealed. But it will be. And when it is it will be like a sunrise revealing and overcoming a darkness that was not even known as such.

Apparently you haven't seen how much reverence the Catholic Churches have paid and continue to pay towards Mary.

That is not the same thing at all because the Catholic Church has sanitized all the femininity out of Mary. In Catholicism Mary in the Assumption is a being stripped of any feminine associations.

That is such a bizarre statement I can barely fathom it. Motherhood is literally the most feminine thing in the world.

Where is your evidence that the four gospels are "eye witness accounts"? Do you realise how old these men would have had to be, to have written the gospels when they were written? I know of no scholarship that agrees with you. Please elucidate. Thank you.

There are not written by them.Thats why they called κατά Μάρκον that means what markos said etc.

Weren't written couple centuries later?

@@FirstnameLastname-py3bc No, they were all written in living memory, before destruction of the Temple, which is nowhere mentioned. There is no valid reason why the named authors may not have written them personally.

@@itisnow And the Gospels are written in very plain everyday Greek

Nicolas Eccles He is, or was, also the little boy I used to read to. Even then, he showed a remarkable capacity to see the wood despite the trees. This talk is brilliant!

said Peter about God.

I believe you have it the other way around The Catholic church and the Apostolic Church (Orthodoxy) were one. It was not until the Great Schism that the Catholic church broke away from the Orthodox Faith. Check your history again.

Greetings back to you! +

people often put a picture of something important to them. my daughter uses a picture of the st. Catherine icon because she was born on the name day for St. Catherine wno is her patron saint, and coincidently, is a lawyer like St. Catherine.

There are many Orthodox Churches, but they do agree on the main Theology. The separate organisational structures is also a great strength. No one leader of a Church can lead the whole Orthodox world astray, like the Pope of Rome is not doing.

Both LXX and the Masoretic text are OLD TESTAMENT ONLY. Having said that , they do not differ in essentials: seek God, do good, love your fellow-man.

If you haven't already requested this information from John Behr, that may be a good place to start. Another suggestions would be to find an Orthodox Church and inquire your questions with a priest or attend a Bible study or question and answer session if one is offered. In this way you can get your questions answered directly from the source if you follow what I am suggesting. In Jesus name. Hope this helps.

@jessejames5335 Read Rev 5:5 and Rev 7:13-14 and you will see the Elders in heaven are talking with John. From this we can see that, while their bodies are in the earth "sleeping" their spirits are in heaven. They are able to communicate. The dead, or departed's status is often misstaught and misquoted from passages like "the dead know nothing". Lets look at that passage in the 9th chapter of Ecclesiastes. "For the living know that they will die, but the dead know nothing; they have no further reward, and even the memory of them is forgotten. Their love, their hate and their jealousy have long since vanished; never again will they have a part in anything that happens under the sun." Well, its awkward to build any kind of foundation with this verse. Solomon spoke/wrote this with the divine revelation that had been given so far. We know later with the 1st Coming of Christ that the dead will in fact have a part in anything that happens under the sun. We know that Lazarus was dead, Jesus waited until he died from his sickness before coming to raise him back up. Where did the dead go before Jesus died? Jesus affirmed an older Jewish religious tradition that the righteous dead went to a place called "Abraham's bosom" but the unrighteous went to a place called Hades. Since the human has parts such as a body, and a soul or spirit, we should ask what is death? Death is the separation of body from the soul. Bodies decay away leaving bones, and even bones will turn back to dust. A soul or spirit doesn't. Jesus speaks to the thief on his right, the one who repented. "Today you will be with me in paradise." Orthodox Christianity holds an ancient doctrine called "The harrowing of Hell" or "The harrowing of Hades" After His human soul (which was fully part of the Divine Logos, or second person of the Trinity) was severed from his body at death, He descended into the underworld. He proclaimed liberty to the captive righteous dead, such as Abraham, and Adam and Eve, and took the keys of Hell itself, and led them out. You can google and research this term "The harrowing of Hell" to learn more. So, in John's book of Revelation we see all these people who had been brought from that place, and now they were abiding in the place where angels are, a place where thrones exist, and an altar. "And another angel came and stood at the altar, having a golden censer; and there was given unto him much incense, that he should offer it with the prayers of all saints upon the golden altar which was before the throne. And the smoke of the incense, which came with the prayers of the saints, ascended up before God out of the angel's hand" (Rev. 8.3,4) Now we can ask what the bible verse means when it says: "Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us". If you ask protestant bible teacher and scholars, they will reject the ancient Fathers of the earliest church and deny that we are surrounded by Saints, who witness our lives. But the ancient church says something else. The living faith says not only do they witness our lives, they pray to God with us, when we ask them to. Not only that, but God uses these same saints to minister to the living body of Christ. Some times they bear miracles to us, or appear visibly and talk with us, delivering guidance. They very much are not dead. They live in the place of the Most High, and they work there, and here. This is rejected by rationalism, modernism and Protestantism but is very much held by all forms of Apostolic Christianity. In the 5th Century Christianity divided over doctrines of who Christ is after the council of Chalcedon in 431AD. This was a very long time before Roman Catholicism separated from the Orthodox. This 5th century group of churches are the Copts, the Ethiopians, the Arminian, Indian Malankara and the Syriac orthodox. Originally the Georgians of the country Georgia were in this group as well. They are called Oriental Orthodox, and the ones of accepted Chalcedon were called Eastern Orthodox. From the Eastern Orthodox, the Roman or Latin speaking western Church departed in schism, formally in 1054. Now, all of these are apostolic churches that go back to the very apostles themselves with unbroken lines of succession. And even though they are in profound disagreement about a lot of things, the doctrines concerning the Departed are the same. The saints who died in right standing with God, in Christ, make their way to heaven to be with Jesus and the Father, and the angels. Rome added a thing called Purgatory where the stains of sin on the soul are bleached away, before being allowed into the presence of God, but it is a recent innovation or invention. It is remarkable that such a broad and diverse group will keep these things in common and in agreement, but only protestants since Martin Luthor and Jean Calvin and protestants after them teach something else. Lastly, let us speak about Mary. Or the Blessed Theotokos (Mother and Bearer of God). At the age of about 70, the Holy Mother died. She did not remain dead. But she either was transformed into the resurrected state by Christ at the moment of her passing, or after several days. This was seen by several of the Apostles as she was seen following Christ back up into Heaven. So, she currently is what all saints will become when the Lord returns to rapture the church. The bodily new person. This is called "the Dormation of Mary" or "the Assumption of Mary" doctrine. The Dormation one is how the Orthodox teach it, and the Assumption is how the Roman Catholics teach it. St. Paul says "At His coming, we will become as He is" Whatever Jesus is after the resurrection, we will be partakers of that. I do not think we get to join the Holy Trinity, but we become something other than normal humans. Thus, in addition to the special status of having given birth to God, the Son, she is also the first to be truly ressurrected. It is in this place or state we can realize she isn't like us normal humans anymore. More God given abilities, would seem to indicate more responsibilities. Can she join us in prayer? Try asking her to find out. Bear in mind what Christ said on the Cross "Mother, behold your son" speaking to her and John. "Son, behold your mother" he also said. Now, if we are joined to Christ by Adoption, and are given all things of the house of God, be aware that we now have a Mother who cares about her adopted children, even the ones in ignorance about her. We have someone near and dear to Jesus, who will pray with us! How wonderful God is to grant us all such a blessing. Pray and ask Jesus Christ our Lord to reveal the truth of these things. I have only put forward my human understanding of the ancient teaching of the Church, and I am not perfect. Christ is. He is without blemish or wrinkle, the very spotless lamb of God. Please forgive the length of this response.

Not too late to investigate, and change .... may God bless you

@@sunnyland3952 Oh no. It's never too late, and I'm so much better off because of it. Check out orthodox dot net, ancient faith dot com and my ocn dot net. If you add radio. in front of the last two web sites, you'll find two radio stations each featuring music and talk stations with each site. I've been a fan of both, because they each cooperate with one another, and ancient faith radio features probably the most extensive collections of podcasts, specials and special films. Here on KZfaq, Trisagion Films also features many types of films. Also, since the Coronavirus shut us down, there are dozens of churches who regularily broadcast live here on KZfaq including 4 Monasteries. The best way to find all of them is to type "Orthodox Channels" in the search field, and in "Search Filters", select the "Channels" filter, and have fun investigating. The best way to learn about the Faith is to experience all the Divine Services, and there's a podcast that started last year with Fr. Alexis Cor where he walks us through the Orthodox Study Bible. What's different about it is that there are ten books which were included in the original Bible when it was cannonized on July 15, 367 known as the Second Cannon which is not to be confused with the Apocrepha. These books were originally in the Hebrew Bible, but the Jews removed them, because they contained books they didn't consider important. The Greek Jews, however, did, because these books contain the things that the Jews considered scandalous. Of course, they also convicted some of them for killing the prophets, but they also preface more of the miracles which took place before the Incarnation of Christ. I could go on and on, but I'll let you discover for yourself this amazing, historic Church. I really hope you do enjoy it. I know I do, and I've been His Servent since April 5, 1987, and I took exactly two years before that day to learn all I could. You'll learn so much about yourself, too. God Bless!

***** In the early days, we had many groups calling themselves Christians. Now we have the Catholics, Protestants, Eastern Orthodox Church, Amish, LDS, SDAs...etc. How do we know whose teachings and understandings were and were not inspired by the Holy Spirit? If one group is right, then is everyone else wrong and on their way to you know where? Surely, that cannot be? It behoves us to examine scriptures from all sources to find the ultimate truth. Take another example, that of the Gospels. The accounts of the crucifixion were inconsistent. Which are we to believe? Only by reading them all, do we get the gist of what happened. It's the heart of the matter we need to get at and we won't do that through literal interpretation and confining ourselves to limited pieces of text.

***** Orthodoxy was still one of many, so once again, how would anyone know what the true teachings are? I'm just making a point that we need to be careful to get to the heart of the matter and not stick with literal translations or limit our reading.. Merry Christmas and blessings to you.

LawOfOneDaughter i'm afraid you are confusing "one of many" with culture. All Eastern Orthodox Churches (and Roman Catholic until the changes starting in the 7th century) worship Christ in the same way. It matter not at all if you go to a Antiochian or Greek Church, the service is the same. The only "variance" is cultural. If you change something, even a small thing, you are no longer "the same" as the other Churches and are no longer Orthodox. It's amazing just how important that is. No matter where you went, be it in the 1st century catacombs or 6th century Greek/Ethiopian or even today's Russian/Serb/Greek/Antiochian/French etc. They all worship the same.

Are you basing this on a study of the Gnostic texts (i.e., their date, context, content) vs. the canonical Gospels (w/ similar background data in view) or are you reading second-hand opinions? Where is your "understanding" coming from?

***** @gnostiicism: 2 Corinthians 11:14

Show me your Faith without works and I will show you my Faith BY my works. (St. James.) Faith without works is dead. When Paul writes about works, he means primarily observing the Jewish laws. If we bear no fruit (another kind of works), we will not be spared either, like the barren fig tree.

@@sunnyland3952 Faith = Salvation + Works. Not Salvation = Faith + Works. True faith is manifested BY works, not salvation being manifested by works, lest any man should boast.

@@doriesse824 We can swap words, the main things are simple enough. Works do not save us, but lack of works can condemn us. The devil knows what the truth, but will be condemned for his lack of good works. What is work, then? Repentance is first, which does not just mean confessing our sinfulness, but turning from sinfulness to God. Repentance is forever to be deepened throughout our time here. Next come all the other things that should characterized the life a Christian: forgiveness, prayer, fasting, charity, service of the ill and the poor. No-one can practise all works, but we must all practise some of them.

This is an interesting statement, and it might be thought to make sense if the Talmudic Jews did so. The masoretic text was fixed rather late - finally in the 10th century with few alterations later. Do any earlier versions of it exist? Do they corroborate your statement? Or do we only have the LXX to compare with? WikiPedia's entry 'Masoretic Text' is worth reading, and does not support your claim. The Peshitta, Qumran and Samaritan texts show that variants existed from early times, some are close to LXX and others not; but not that systematic expunging took place. If you have more information it will be welcome.

and the keys were given to all twelve

God forgave 'graven images' because they lead to idol worship, worship of other gods. It was reasoned (during the controversy over icons) that since God took form (as a man, in the form of Jesus Christ), depictions of Jesus are permissible, whereas the Father and the Holy Spirit are only shown symbolically (a hand, a dove). Orthodoxy still does not allow graven images - though some Crucifixes have made their way into some homes, and not many are deeply troubled by that.