Guest Post: Are You Ready to Date?

INTRO: This is probably the most common social question/issue that is discussed in our circles. Rather than trying to take a stab at it myself (being unmarried and not ready for dating at this time myself), I had someone who is in a very beautiful Christian marriage give me his take based off of his experiences. In this way, I think it’s wiser to learn from someone who has accomplished this part of his life. Out of humility, he chose to stay anonymous. Without further ado, let’s see what this very spiritual servant has to say about this topic!

The Fault of American Society and Dating

A lot of youth have asked me before, “how do you know if you are ready to start dating?” The truth is that it’s not an easy question. It takes a great amount of self-analysis, blessings from your father of confession, and whether or not the person you are interested in courting is also ready. The truth is, more youth are focused on someone that will satisfy their wants rather than focusing on glorifying God in his perfect timing. More youth are less focused on God and more focused on themselves. It explains why there are so many problems in marriages today.

We live in an American society that has trained us to think: “what do we want and how quickly can we get it?” “What traits must our future spouse have?” He/she must be successful, come from a good family, cook, clean, be social, etc. We almost have a checklist of traits that our future spouse must have. It’s a dangerous way to look for a future spouse because you are setting them up for failure in the future. The real questions that you need to ask are:

1. What can I offer to someone else?
2. Do I practice what I believe?
3. Do I have the ability to love my future spouse?

 

The divorce rate in America is roughly at 50%, and it’s simply scary it’s that high. No one that gets married expects to eventually get divorced. If they did, then why get married in the first place? But why is the divorce rate that high? The expectations of what the other spouse is providing to the relationship falls short. They become so dissatisfied that separating from this person will better fit their current needs and wants.  It is American society that has implemented a mindset that marriages need constant and immediate satisfaction. Anyone that has been in a marriage for a long time knows that this is impossible but it is also not a reason to divorce.

The true problem actually was planted when the couple was courting before marriage. They were focused on what their future spouse could do for them rather than their future spouse’s relationship with God. They were more focused on what their future spouse had to offer rather than what they could offer. A true Christian relationship between a man and woman is rooted in God by following biblical examples and the wisdom of the church.

My Wife and I

When I first started courting my beautiful wife, she gave me a set of 5 tape cassettes (google tape cassettes if you don’t know what they are) that contained talks about marriage. I figured what the heck and listened to them. I wasn’t expecting much from them but the real truth is I really liked her and she was wayyyyyy out my league. I was a little leaguer playing in the World Series.  I had to make this work and I couldn’t be more thankful that it did.

Well the guy that was giving the talks said a statistic that forever stuck in my head. 1 out of 1,156 couples that pray together daily get a divorce. He riddled off another statistic that 1 out of 10,000 couples that pray and read the Bible together daily get a divorce. I don’t have a reference for the second statistic but the message was clear:

• Pray together to God to bless and strengthen the marriage by making Him the center of the marriage
• Practice and believe in biblical principles of marriage

If you can do that than your marriage, from a statistical purpose, is divorce proof. Not only divorce proof but your marriage overall will be more satisfying.

Orthodoxy and Dating

As Orthodox Christians we also have the wisdom of the Church and the Church Fathers to help guide us successfully through our marriages. If we don’t practice prayer and reading our bible before marriage then what are the chances we will do it with our spouse after you get married? My guess is very low. Are you ready for marriage if you don’t do those two basic Christian actions? Nope, plain and simple.

Let’s look at the story of the union between Rebekah and Isaac in Genesis 24. The premise of the chapter is that Abraham, Isaac’s father, sent out his servant to find a wife for his son. Rebekah, who was beautiful, as it is stated in Genesis, did not wish to use her beauty as a way to attract attention. It was almost as if she did not know how beautiful she was.  If we read carefully in Genesis 24, she did not even wear jewelry before she met Abraham’s servant even though she came from a rich family. She also kept herself pure by not knowing any man before.

When Abraham’s servant, after a long journey, approaches Rebekah, she is more than willing to serve him in any way possible. Even to the point of serving his camels water: “And when she had finished giving him a drink, she said, ‘I will draw water for your camels also, until they have finished drinking’” Genesis 24:19.  Rebekah did not know the purpose of Abraham’s servant’s journey at this point. She did not even know who he was. She was only focused on serving him to the best of her abilities.

What we learn is that Rebekah is filled with boundless loving kindness to anyone she encounters.  She teaches us to look for times and places where we can be of service, to be proactive and useful, without calculating whether there are others around who could, or should, do the same. Don’t forget she was a woman and her acts of service to Abraham’s servant were better suited for man but these acts of service convinced the servant that he has found Isaac’s bride. She was a woman who was not focused on finding a husband or her beauty.  She was simply a content woman that sacrificed without regard.

Later on in the chapter in verse 63 “Isaac went out to meditate in the field in the evening…” We see here that Isaac, even though he is mourning the passing of his mother, Sarah, still has a strong relationship with God by taking the evening to meditate with God. Keep in mind, it was not even Isaac that was looking for his future wife but rather his father Abraham. Both Rebekah and Isaac were content with their current status of being single, but here we see that it was God’s intentions to bring them together. It was God’s blessing of their union by both of them having strong relationships with God evidenced by their behavior of service and meditation in Genesis 24.

“Then Isaac brought her into his mother Sarah’s tent; and he took Rebekah and she became his wife, and he loved her.” – Genesis 24:67

Notice the last three words. He loved her. Isaac loved Rebekah. It took three years from the passing of Sarah, his beloved mother, for Isaac to be ready to love his new wife. Isaac’s love for Rebekah took three years to develop even though they did not know of each other until the day they met. Love takes time to develop and to offer as a sacrifice of commitment.

The union of Isaac and Rebekah makes it clear that by prayer and following the principles that God provides for our good that our future spouse will be found. Patience is needed. For Isaac it was 3 years. For you it might be longer. But in the meantime your sole focus is glorifying God. These practices when you are single will lead to successful and happy marriages that glorify God in His abundance. Are you ready to court? Ask yourself: what do you have to offer? Are you practicing what you believe as a Christian? Do you have the ability to love your future spouse?

“The love of husband and wife is the force that welds society together. Men will take up arms and even sacrifice their lives for the sake of this love just as Christ sacrificed His life for the life of the church.” – St. John Chrysostom , Sermon on Marriage

 

 

 

 

Why I Stopped Listening to Modern Music

 

This may or may not (depending on how well you know me) be a surprise to you, but I DO NOT listen to any sort of popular/modern/Western music whatsoever *gasp*. Yup! That means no Lil’ Wayne, Drake, Taylor Swift, Lady Gaga, Justin Bieber, and even Adele! This may seem as a shock to many, but I have been so much happier since I’ve cut this type of music out of my life.

Before I go into why, let me go on the record and say that I do believe that music itself is beneficial and that there are some modern songs that aren’t so bad. I do believe music has a place in the Christian’s life. However, I think the vast majority of modern music, including the artists I listed above and others of the like, is ultimately detrimental to a person’s psyche, and isn’t worth the minimal benefits that come with it.

I know the argument I’m presenting here is a hard pill to swallow. Believe me when I say that it was for me as well. However, ever since I made the step to get rid of modern music in my life, I’ve never once thought about turning back.

My Personal Experience

As a teenager, I felt that listening to music wasn’t a big deal at all. I used to spend hours on the computer downloading songs and searching for new releases to the point where I had thousands (no exaggeration) of songs on my iPod that I listened to any chance I had: during drives, walks, working out, while in the shower, trying to go to sleep. Literally any chance I had to listen to music, I would, and I know that many of you are/were the same way.

However, as a Christian, there was something that always bothered me. The music I listened to did not match my belief system. Not only that, but I realized later on that it had converted me to a belief system that I didn’t ascribe to and made me a person that I wasn’t. Whether you think so or not, the music you listen to does have an internal, hidden effect on a person. For example, I remember starting out not listening to music that had curse words at all. Eventually, I listened to music that had curse words, but I downloaded the “clean” version which bleeped out the inappropriate words. Later on, I stopped caring about which version of the song I was downloading and not long after that, I started saying those words myself. My priest always had a saying: “Garbage in, garbage out.” Ultimately, what he was saying is that the more bad influence you intake, the more it will come out of your mouth. You can apply 1 Corinthians 15:33 to this: Do not be deceived: “Evil company corrupts good habits.” (NKJV). I found myself doing that. The more I spent time with my music, the more I would develop bad habits. There were lyrics in those songs, that are directly against my faith, but I sang them anyways. I started using the same words as in the songs, and eventually started thinking that way as well.

Why am I saying all of this? Because, unfortunately this is all too common a scenario and I was there. However, the faithful Christian will understand this issue, and will take steps to fix it.

The Problem with Modern Music

Why is modern music so bad? Well, for a number of reasons. The most obvious of which mostly occurs in rap (but even in rock and heavy metal songs). There are horrible and ridiculous lyrics in some songs that are covered under “Free Speech” that I can’t believe people listen to. It isn’t uncommon now to hear a song that is promoting some sort of evil such as drunkenness, hedonism, degradation of women, violence, etc. There are songs that promote lifestyles and behaviors that are not only against Christianity, but against the law itself. I would quote some lyrics, but they are so explicit, that I don’t want to taint this page with that type of language. Suffice it to say that constantly exposing oneself to music with that type of message or language does have a negative effect on a person’s psyche. I’m not saying that listening to a song where someone talks about doing horrible things to an ex-girlfirend (that’s a real song, but I don’t want to link to it) will make you do those things (although it can). What I am saying is that it desensitizes us and, ultimately, dehumanizes us.

It’s not just the explicit language and the content, but it is the mindset itself. Some people think that Taylor Swift is a good person to take relationship advice from or that rappers have some profound political ideas. We tend to worship these people and listen to them when they go outside the scope of music. Why? You would never trust a mechanic for medical advice or ask a dentist how to code an app. So why do we blindly take anything these artists say and apply it to our lives? They’re good at singing, but they are not moral teachers or philosophical guides. Yet, many people treat them as so. They know this too, and they use that to push various agendas such as this famous one. This isn’t even too mention the overly sexual performances that occur on stage, or sometimes, even demonic ones. I don’t think I need to keep going to prove my point.

The point I’m trying to make is that you can’t, in good faith, call yourself a Christian and listen to Lady Gaga’s “Born This Way.” Let us remember the words of 1 Corinthians 10:21 which says: You cannot drink the cup of the Lord and the cup of demons; you cannot partake of the Lord’s table and of the table of demons (NKJV). How can you go to Church and be against the very things that you say when you sing these things?

The Fundamental Difference between Eastern and Western Music

The music I listen to now is Coptic music. Very old ancient music that, when you look into the history of it, blows any sort of modern music out of the water. There is a fundamental difference in the music I listen to: the words. The words in Coptic music are the focus. They praise God and speak of nothing evil.

Other than this, there is a difference in the composition of the music. Since ancient times, especially in the East, music was composed by first having words, then putting them to a well-known tune (the Psalms are a major example of this). Our church does a great job of this, and it’s for a reason. Sometimes, we may feel in church that the words don’t match the melody, but that’s because the Church is trying to teach us a message. The words in the hymns have deep theological meanings. The tune itself also has a meaning. The tune is secondary though. The tune usually sets the mood and the pace, but the words are the content of what we are trying to express. Essentially, the church is telling us that the content takes priority over the melody. What we say is more important than the music itself.

Unfortunately, this type of mentality is absent in modern music. Music now is made with a beat first, then words are fit into it to match the beat. What’s the difference? The focus isn’t on the content of the song, but on whether it’s catchy or not. That’s why so many people listen to songs with horrible messages. It’s because it sounds catchy rather than having some deep meaning. How do I know that? Let’s take a look at the top song on iTunes right now. That song is “Work” by Rihanna. I highly doubt this song is number one because of some profound lyrics considering that the lyrics of the chorus are:

So me put in
Work, work, work, work, work, work
Ner ner ner ner ner ner!
When you a guh ner ner ner ner ner ner!
Before the tables turn turn turn turn turn turn!
(Lyrics taken from here)

It’s not only me that thinks this! Others don’t understand the lyrics either and are questioning the song in general. Yet, this song is number one on iTunes right now. What does this say about modern music? What does this say about its listeners?

I love the deep meaning behind Coptic Music and the purity of its lyrics. Even though it’ll never be on the Billboard 100, nothing modern society will produce can even touch it!

I encourage everyone reading this to try and put that type of music behind you, so that when you praise with God, you can do it with more than just our tongues, but with our lives as well. We will sing to him with “a new song.” As St. Augustine says:

“Strip off your oldness; you know a new song. A new person, a New Covenant, a new song. People stuck in the old life have no business with this new song; only those who are new persons can learn it, renewed by grace and throwing off the old, sharers already in the New Covenant, which is the kingdom of heaven. All our love yearns toward that, and in its longing our love sings a new song. Let us sing this new song not with our tongues but with our lives.” (St. Augustine, Expositions of the Psalms 33.6)

Some Christmas Facts You May Not Know

 

All around the world, people are celebrating Christmas on December 25th. As some may know, some Orthodox Christians (such as the Coptic Orthodox Church) celebrate Christmas on January 7th. How did this happen and why was this date chosen? Also, how did some of the current customs such as Christmas trees, lights, giving presents, and others evolve and how do they pertain to Christmas? Some Atheists will also argue that Christmas celebrations are purely pagan in origin; is this true? I hope to discuss all these issues briefly in this post.

Date of Christmas

The date of Christmas is the most complicated of these issues. It’s also the one that most Atheists like to point at as an error in Christianity. The first point they will not fail to make is that December 25th is not the day the Christ was born due to the fact that shepherds don’t herd their sheep in the winter. This is true, but Christianity has never claimed that this day (or any other day) is the legitimate birthday of Christ. This misunderstanding here comes from the misunderstanding of feast days in ancient Christianity. Just because Christians celebrate on a certain day doesn’t mean that that day is the actual day He was born. Actually, the most ancient of Christians thought that Christ was born in the spring (possibly March or April) which would solve the problem of the shepherds. There are other theories that place His birth in the autumn, but the most important thing to remember is that Dec. 25th (or Jan. 7th) was never meant to mark the exact day of His birth.

So why/how did the Church come up with the date of Christmas? To understand this, we have to go to the date of Easter. Traditionally, the date of Easter was calculated to be March 25th (Paremhat 29th, according to the Coptic calendar) (which is fairly accurate). Christians, therefore, used this day to celebrate what was called the “Feast of the Incarnation.” This feast was celebrated as a combination of the Feast of Resurrection, Feast of Annunciation, and Feast of Nativity (Christmas). Later on, there was a controversy over when the Feast of Resurrection should be celebrated. Some felt that it should be celebrated on this day (called the Quartodecimans) while others felt that it should be celebrated on a Sunday. At the Council of Nicea, the verdict was decided in favor of celebrating on Sunday. Therefore, Easter is now celebrated on Sunday, leaving March 25th as a celebration of the Annunciation and Nativity. Another reform happened in order to give each feast its own day. This was done simply by moving the Nativity to nine months (the length of pregnancy) after the Annunciation making it Dec. 25th (Koiahk 29th). March 25th is now just the Commemoration of the Annunciation and is also seen as a recognition of the actual day of Resurrection, although the feast is not celebrated on this day.

Coincidently and unintentionally, Dec. 25th happens to be the same day as the Roman Feast of Winter Solstice. Atheists use this coincidence to argue that the Feast of Christmas is actually a pagan feast. Although the coincidence is eerie, it is just a coincidence and the history argues otherwise. (This type of argument is called the “Mythicism Argument,” and I hope to write a separate post on this later on).

So how about January 7th? This is a lot easier. Dec. 25th was Koiahk 29th up until the Julian calendar was no longer used. In order to make a more accurate calendar, the Gregorian calendar (today’s current calendar) was put into affect pushing the date by 10 days, essentially making Dec. 25th in the Gregorian calendar coincide with January 7th in the Julian Calendar. So essentially, both dates are December 25th, depending on the calendar being used.

Christmas Trees

No one knows the exact origin of Christmas trees, and there are many legends associated with how they were introduced. The best we know is that it started in Germany. Although there are some pagan origins to using the tree during the winter solstice, it was merely used as a signal and hope for the coming spring. Seeing this, Christians may have adopted a similar interpretation and used the evergreen fir tree to signify the everlasting hope of Christ who came on this day to deliver us. It was seen as a symbol of eternal life because of the ability of the evergreen to stay lush through harsh winters.

Christmas Lights

Candles have always been used in Christianity for church services for a variety of uses. One common one is to signify Christ, who is the light of the world. The origin of the use of Christmas lights as they are now is not really known. However, one possibility points to the Christians in Egypt who celebrated this feast with lanterns. According to Muslim historian Al-Maqrizi (see page 5-6), Copts of all classes used to celebrate with these lights and with delectable treats (possibly, the origin of Christmas treats as well). These lights signify that in the darkness and hopelessness of the world, Christ came as a light to guide us to hope.

Giving Presents/Santa Clause

It is commonly thought now that giving presents is associated with the Wise Men giving presents to the Child Jesus. However, it is widely documented that giving presents actually occurred on the Feast of St. Nicholas celebrated on Dec. 6 (or Dec. 19th in the Coptic Church). Martin Luther, in his process of reformation, wanted to eliminate any feasts of saints and practices associated with them. However, the practice of giving gifts became so popular, that it was hard to eliminate. Therefore, taking advantage of the feast’s proximity to Christmas, he pushed the gift-giving to the day of Christmas in order to associate with Christ rather than a saint. This rough transition caused there to be a missing “gift-giver” that is associated with the story of St. Nicholas. This is where Santa Claus comes in. The Santa Claus we see today is a fusion of St. Nicholas with some Germanic pagan gods that is very loosely based on this story. As a result, Santa Claus now appears on Christmas.

Conclusion

Knowing these facts now, the Christian can understand some of the beautiful symbolisms behind Christmas. The symbolism of the tree points to Christ’s everlasting gift of himself, the lights, His hope, and the gifts, His generosity. Understanding these things can help us worship Christ in the proper way on the Feast of His Nativity, and appreciate this Feast even more. To read more about other Christmas traditions, this is a good website.

Merry Christmas to all who celebrate. Christ is born! Glorify Him!

Abort or Abide? The Biblical Case for Life

 

This post is the result 0f a question from a friend about some who are “pro-choice” who use the Bible in support of abortion. I’ll discuss that in the second section of this post. Firstly, I want to discuss the Church view on abortion, then I’ll discuss the biblical evidence that “pro-choicers” use in support of abortion.

The Church View on Abortion

The Church has always believed that abortion is a sin. If we look at one of the most ancient (1st/2nd c. A.D.) extra-biblical Christian texts, the Didache (which means teaching), we can see that it says:

“Do not commit murder; do not commit adultery; do not corrupt boys; do not have illicit sex; do not steal; do not practice magic; do not practice witchcraft; you shall not murder a child, whether it be born or unborn. Do not covet the things of your neighbor.” (Didache 2:2)

This is clear and without a doubt in reference to abortion. Even later on, the Church always looked at abortion as a grave sin. In the Coptic Orthodox Church, St. Pisentios (Arabic: بيسنتاوس), the bishop of Coptos (Qift/ قفط) in the 7th century, said:

“Any woman who aborts what she carries in her womb of the incomplete foetus, the Lord shall throw her into the depth of the pit of Hades.” (St. Pimentos, First Letter, 13th c. manuscript) (Read more about this quote here)

Abortion is a grave sin, and one that is condemnable in almost every case. This is the general rule. The only exception is in the case of “therapeutic abortion” where the continuation of pregnancy is threatening to the life the mother. In this very special and rare case, this is the last option and should be discussed with a priest or bishop before making a decision. However, in all other cases, abortion is not allowed and is strictly forbidden. For other reasons such as an abnormal fetus, to conceal sin, etc., read this post.

The Church is very adamant that life itself begins at conception. Once a zygote, or embryo is formed by the meeting of the sperm and egg, life has begun and to stop or hinder the process that follows by human intervention is abortion and a sin. Some people may say that it is very irresponsible to just have kids, especially when the parent(s) is/are financially incapable of taking care of the child. Just as with anything in life, there must be some sort of responsibility placed on the parents for their actions. A responsible adult will take into account proper methods of family planning in order to avoid the need for ever having an abortion. Unlike the Catholic Church, the Coptic Orthodox Church is not strictly against contraceptives, so long as they are used pre-zygote. There are many methods for proper family planning, and if this is a concern that needs addressing, read this very informative post.

An unfortunate phenomenon that may cause some hinderance is the case of miscarriages or “spontaneous abortions” (abortions that occur without human intervention). Although this is a sad case, the Bible still considers them children. In this, we take comfort in knowing that God has knowledge of each one and is merciful in his dealings with them.

The Biblical Evidence Against Abortion

The Bible is very clear that God recognizes fetuses as living beings. This is clear in the cases of David, Jeremiah, and John the Baptist, as well as others that are mentioned in the previously linked articles. There are some that He spoke of even before their conception such as Isaac, Samuel, John the Baptist, and the Lord Jesus Christ himself. It’s asinine to think God would have been okay with aborting any one of these people before their birth.

So now, to get to the arguments. This article claims that without a doubt, the Bible proves that abortion is okay and gives five pieces of Scripture that prove it. In essence, the writer’s arguments are not only weak, but intellectually dishonest and on the verge of completely moronic. I’ll present the Scriptures as he presents them in pink, his arguments in red, and my rebuttal in black. 

1. “When men have a fight and hurt a pregnant woman, so that she suffers a miscarriage, but no further injury, the guilty one shall be fined as much as the woman’s husband demands of him, and he shall pay in the presence of the judges. But if injury ensues, you shall give life for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot, burn for burn, wound for wound, stripe for stripe.” Exodus 21:22-25

This Biblical verse lays out the penalty for accidentally causing a woman to miscarry, and it’s just a fine. If the woman herself is injured during the incident, however, the good old “eye for an eye” rule comes into play.
So if the mother dies, the person who caused the death dies. If only the unborn child dies, however, the at-fault party has to fork over a few shekels. If an unborn fetus is a human life, why is it not treated as such in this verse?

This passage is the most widely-used passage by “Pro-choicers” and is their go-to verse. The key word in this passage is miscarriage. The translation of this word is both good and bad depending on the definition. I’ll explain. The Hebrew word that is translated into “miscarriage” here is a combination of the noun, yeled, and the verb, yasa. Literally translated, this means “the child comes forth.” In a comparison of this passage among many translations (I tried to choose the mostly widely-accepted and scholarly ones), we can see that most of them (including the Orthodox Jewish Bible) don’t use the word miscarriage at all, but rather, “gives birth prematurely” or “have come out”. These translations avoid the use of the word miscarriage, because it does not properly represent the meaning. So why is “miscarriage” used in the RSV and some other translations? According to Merriam-Webster, miscarriage means, “spontaneous expulsion of a human fetus before it is viable.” So, in a sense, the term could properly fit the intended meaning as long as the reader is under the implication that the fetus survives. This flies directly in the face of the author due to the fact that this verse actually has the opposite meaning. In neither case is it talking about an aborted fetus. The first case talks about the birth of a premature baby and the second talks about an unaffected fetus. No abortions here.

On the whole, “miscarriage” is not the proper translation, especially since the word yasa is used 1,061 times in the Hebrew Bible and is never translated as “miscarriage” in any other case. Why should the Exodus passage be any different? The word “miscarriage” in the sense that the author wants to use it in is more properly represented by the Hebrew term nepel, which is only used three times in Scripture. One of which is in the next verse. Because this verse is the most commonly used, I wanted to go into detail on it. Most of my information was taken from this article which goes into further detail for those who want it. In the following verses, I’ll be more brief.

2. “If a man beget a hundred children, and live many years, so that the days of his years be many, and his soul be not filled with good, and also that he have no burial; I say, that an untimely birth is better than he. For he cometh in with vanity, and departeth in darkness, and his name shall be covered with darkness. Moreover he hath not seen the sun, nor known any thing: this hath more rest than the other” Ecclesiastes 6:3-5

This text says that it is better for a person to suffer an “untimely birth,” meaning to die from miscarriage, than to live an unhappy life. That’s right:  the Bible literally says it’s better to die in the womb than live an unhappy life. This flies directly into the face of all anti-choice believers.

This one is one of the reasons I called the author intellectually dishonest. Although the words “untimely birth” can be translated as “miscarriage” as I mentioned above, this is not a good argument for abortion at all. The book of Ecclesiastes is traditionally attributed to Solomon who was known for his wisdom. He is not at all talking in a literal sense, but in a metaphorical sense as he does all throughout this book, Proverbs, and Song of Songs. Solomon was a very allegorical writer and often used hyperbole to get his point across as he does here. The meaning of this verse is that an unfulfilled life is not a life worth living. It would have been better not live at all. It’s a metaphor. However, even if the author did want to take it literally, how would you know that the unborn fetus would live an unfulfilled life? It’s impossible to know until the person lives his/her life. Therefore, to abort it before knowing whether or not the fetus’s life is a fulfilling one is premature and against the nature of the verse. Anybody can take Scripture and twist it. It’s reminiscent of what Satan did to the Lord on the mountain. However, taking the passage and book as a whole, you can clearly see that God is not telling us through Solomon to abort every fetus that we think will have an unfulfilled life. That’s a bit of a stretch don’t you think?

The last three verses are answered in this podcast. In order to save you the hassle. I’ll summarize the answers below. 

3. “The total number of Levites counted at the Lord’s command by Moses and Aaron according to their clans, including every male a month old or more, was 22,000. The Lord said to Moses, ‘Count all the firstborn Israelite males who are a month old or more and make a list of their names.’” Numbers 3:39-40

In these verses, God tells Moses to conduct a census of all Levite males, but he only tells him to count those who are at least one month old. It’s almost as if those younger than a month don’t hold human value.
Is it possible that the Bible is implying that a soul doesn’t enter a child’s body until it’s one month old? The following verse seems to contradict this, but not in a way that benefits a “pro-life” advocate’s argument.

No, it’s not possible. I can’t believe that the author is seriously implying that a soul doesn’t enter the body until the baby is a month old. As if a month is when the soul magically appears. This is such a fallacious argument, that it’s not even worth rebutting. However, for the sake of clarity, I’ll explain what was said in the podcast. It was common for children at this time to die in the first month of birth from natural causes. The absence of hygienic practices, common medical knowledge, vaccines, etc. made it difficult for babies to survive. It’s unfortunate, but true. It is likely therefore, that every culture would have some sort of waiting or incubation period for the baby to determine whether it would survive or not. That’s all. They still hold as much value as any other being. For more information, listen to the podcast. 

4. “And the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul.” Genesis 2:7

This verse talks about the creation of Adam. It specifically states that God formed Adam from dust, but he wasn’t yet a living soul. Not until God breathed life into this inhuman form did it become alive. If Adam, the first human to ever exist, had to take a breath before being considered a living soul, why is the same not true for unborn fetuses?

Once again, this argument is based on an improper understanding of Scripture. It is because Adam was the first human to exist that he had to be given a “breath of life.” No other being, including Eve was born this way or will ever be born this way again. Adam was never fetus because there was no womb for him to be in. It makes no sense to compare childbirth now to the first man because they were different processes. What happened with Adam was a one time thing and for him to perpetuate through sex to his offspring. Adam was formed from dust. Fetuses are not. It’s that simple. Like I said before, any piece of Scripture can be twisted. However, understanding the Scriptures as a whole is not also necessary, but is the most honest way of interpretation. 

5. “If she has made herself impure and been unfaithful to her husband, this will be the result: When she is made to drink the water that brings a curse and causes bitter suffering, it will enter her, her abdomen will swell and her womb will miscarry, and she will become a curse.” Numbers 5:27

This is a fun one. Earlier in Numbers, it’s stated that, if a man suspects his wife of sleeping with another man, he may bring her to a priest who will create some sort of magic potion with water and dirt. The woman is then made to drink said magic potion. If she has not cheated on her husband, nothing will happen.
If the woman has cheated and is carrying another man’s child, though, the mystical dirt water — we can call it magic mud — will cause her to immediately miscarry. This is a directive coming straight from God himself to Moses. So even if pro-lifers can dodge all these other verses, they can’t deny that this one essentially says, “Abortion is okay as long as it’s forced upon a woman, against her will, for cheating on her husband.”
Yeah… that’s way more acceptable than what pro-choice advocates are going for…

For some reason, the author thinks he has an open-and-shut case with this verse. Unfortunately for him, this isn’t the case. In the quoted verse, the translation is bad again. The Hebrew word here is not nepel, and should therefore not say “womb will miscarry”. Almost every other translation has some sort of variation of “thigh {sexual organs} will rot.” The vast majority of scholars, according to the podcast, interpret this as meaning that the woman will become barren. The very next verse, Numbers 5:28, says, “But if the woman is not defiled, but is clean, then she shall be innocent and may conceive children” (SAAS). This is a clear indication that the punishment from God is not miscarriage, but barrenness. If she is innocent, than she is allowed to give birth. Barrenness was seen as a curse in Jewish society, and so the punishment of barrenness meant that the woman was sinful. This makes sense in light of all of Scripture (as in the stories of Sarah in Genesis and Elizabeth in Luke) a lot better than the ludicrous interpretation that the author has. For more information on this Jewish practice see the Wikipedia page.

All in all, when one looks at the entirety of Scripture, it is impossible to think that God would condone something as heinous as abortion. Without support of the Church and the Early Fathers, interpreting the Scripture for self-gain is what usually occurs. The good Christian doesn’t change Scripture to fit them, but changes themselves to fit Scripture. Therefore, let not the Christian be confused by the noise of the other side, knowing that trusting in the Author of Life is the moral way to live.

Why is the Wage of Sin Death?

We all know that the wage of sin is death, but have we ever asked the following questions:

Why is the wage of sin death? Isn’t that too harsh of a punishment? Couldn’t a loving God have made the punishment something else?

These are a series of questions that I received a while ago and that many may ask who are both inside and outside the church. Hopefully, this post will answer all these questions. In order to fully answer it though, there are some basic things that need to be understood.

The first thing to understand is that God made man perfect and “very good” (Gen. 1:31, “very good” is only used after the creation of man). When God created man, He created man with the intention of immortality. In Gen. 2:7, we see God giving man the breath of life. This Breath of life is the human spirit & the gift of the Holy Spirit for immortality (I got this from a Coptic Orthodox Theologian). Also, in Wisdom of Solomon, “For God created man for immortality and made him an image of His own eternity” (Wis. 2:23 SAAS). If we understand this concept, than we can move on to answering the question.

Man, as long as he was sinless, portrayed all of the characteristics of God that He gave to us. These characteristics are ingrained in us since we are created in the Image of God (Gen. 1:26). These characteristics are: Immortality/incorruption, rational, free will, authority to rule, and goodness/holiness. We were created with these characteristics before the fall. These are also the same characteristics that the Incarnate Logos would posesss as well. (Note: We were created IN THE IMAGE of God, but Christ is THE IMAGE of God). About this concept, St. Irenaeus says:

“In previous times man, it is true, was said to have been made according to the image of God, but he was not revealed as such. For the Word according to whose image man was made was still invisible. Therefore also man easily lost the likeness. But when the Word of God was made flesh, he confirmed both image and likeness. For on the one hand he truly showed the image by becoming what His image was. On the other hand He firmly established the likeness by the co-assimilation of man to the invisible Father through the visible Word.”
(Against Heresies 5.16.2)

Because of our free will, we corrupted these characteristics when we sinned. This isn’t how God wanted us to live, but to have true free will, we needed a possibility of not living according to God’s way. God gave us that opportunity so that we may choose to love Him instead of having no choice but to love Him.

So here is the punishment for sin: death. Now I can finally answer the question. Why death? There was no choice but death! It had to be death.

Man was living in the presence of God. As a result they lived like gods: perfect, incorrupt, holy, and eternal. When man sinned, we became corrupt and this corruption cannot live symbiotically with immortality. God is life, and is incorrupt. St. Athanasius says it better:

“But men, having turned from the contemplation of God to evil of their own devising, had come inevitably under the law of death. Instead of remaining in the state in which God had created them, they were in process of becoming corrupted entirely, and death had them completely under its dominion. For the transgression of the commandment was making them turn back again according to their nature; and as they and at the beginning come into being out of non-existence, so were they now on the way to returning, through corruption, to non-existence again. The presence and love of the word had called them into being; inevitably, therefore when they lost the knowledge of God, they lost existence with it; for it is God alone Who exists, evil is non-being, the negation and antithesis of good.” (On the Incarnation, 1, 4)

So basically, what St. Athanasius is saying is that the corruption of sin was slowly destroying the goodness of man. The knowledge of good and evil would now give them the ability to sin more and since they were already corrupt, they would not be able to resist sin.

The wage of sin is death, but there are three deaths. The physical, spiritual, and moral death. The death that happened due to sin was all of these but in different ways. The first one that happened was moral death. That’s what I described in the previous paragraph. The ability to sin came to man and man lost his goodness. He lost his morality. Moral death is death to goodness. The second death is a spiritual death. Sin is separation from God because God cannot abide in sin. He is sinless and so if we sin, we cannot abide with/in Him. Therefore, man and God had separated. This isn’t “death” in the way we think. This “death” rather, is separation from the SOURCE OF LIFE, God. Since we’re separated from that source, we are dead.

Now the question is, why the physical death? The physical death is out of God’s mercy. The physical death is necessary due to God’s love. God allowed us to die a physical death in order to protect us from the spiritual death, which came about from the moral death. Can you imagine if we lived eternally in our corrupt state? God used death as a way for us to get rid of corruption. He also used death in order to redeem us.

But God’s love was the reason he ALLOWED us to die. Look at Genesis 3:22-24: “Then the LORD God said, “Behold, the man has become like one of Us, to know good and evil. And now, lest he put out his hand and take also of the tree of life, and eat, and live forever”— therefore the LORD God sent him out of the garden of Eden to till the ground from which he was taken. So He drove out the man; and He placed cherubim at the east of the garden of Eden, and a flaming sword which turned every way, to guard the way to the tree of life.”

This verse is key to understanding death. Because man was now corrupt (knows good and evil), he was taken away from the tree. God made sure that man wouldn’t get to the tree of life after corruption. He sent man out of the Garden and protected the tree with the Cherubim. So why? He did this so that man would not live eternally as a corrupt being.

God created us with those characteristics I mentioned above, but we lost those characteristics when we sinned. Why should we live forever like that? God loves us, and wants to “restore us to our first estate” (as we say in Church). He did this through His death on the cross and through giving us the Holy Spirit.

When we grow in His Likeness, we become more and more like how we originally were through His Grace and the help of the Holy Spirit. Once we are deemed worthy, we become restored through His Resurrection. Then, God will give us eternal life again through the same way he prevented it from us: The tree of Life. Revelation 22:1-3 says, “And he showed me a pure river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding from the throne of God and of the Lamb. In the middle of its street, and on either side of the river, was the tree of life, which bore twelve fruits, each tree yielding its fruit every month. The leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations. And there shall be no more curse, but the throne of God and of the Lamb shall be in it, and His servants shall serve Him.”

So we see that God, at the end, gives us the tree of life when we overcome sin. Death was necessary because we separated ourselves from God, but through His Death he abolished death, raised us with Him, and gave us eternal life. When we say this stuff in church, this is what we mean. If God never allowed us to die, we would never have the opportunity to be raised with Him and live eternally.

Response to Buzzfeed’s “Questions Christians Have for Other Christians” Video

The video embedded below is a video by BuzzFeed that was posted last Saturday. The premise of the video is that some (what some people may call) “Progressive Christians” ask “Other Christians” some questions in a demeaning way with the intent of correcting them. I’ll let the video speak for itself:

What’s sad is that people who would even call themselves Christians would ask questions like these. Since I definitely do not agree with any of these so-called Christians, I guess I’m part of the group they call “Other Christians”. As such, since these people sincerely (I hope) want answers, I’ll do my best to give the Orthodox Christian world view. Overall, I can’t imagine that this video is supposed to be taken seriously. However, there are people that may look at this and find some sort of point to use against Christianity in it, and that’s why I’m posting this.

Before I start though, I want to say that although some of the questions do seem like sincere issues, others are just purely social questions that have nothing to do with Christianity. It seems that in this day and age, Christianity is supposed to fit in with society as opposed to guiding it. I’ll clarify when I answer the questions below which are highlighted in red.

1. Do you really think He’s [God] freaking out because His name is not on a cup, that you get to hold for ten minutes, while you drink a pumpkin spice latte?

I’m pretty sure that the answer is obvious, but in case it isn’t, and you’re really wondering, you can find your answer here.

2. Why does Christian music always sound like a mixture of like Nickelback, and Third Eye Blind?

Once again, I highly doubt that this is a serious question. I would argue that what this person is describing is not true Christian music. The ancient Christian hymns of old are beautiful acapella (sometimes with cymbals in the Coptic Church) compositions that are designed to move the spirit. Here is an example of one from my church in English (just in time for Christmas).

3. Did your devotions actually happen, if you didn’t post about it on Instagram?

This, I will concede, is an issue, if the intention is harmful. Some people like to share Christ in any way possible. Take a look at the example of Sts. Peter and Paul: 

But Peter and John answered and said to them, “Whether it is right in the sight of God to listen to you more than to God, you judge. For we cannot but speak the things which we have seen and heard.” (Acts 4:19-20 NKJV)

 As long as what is done isn’t to show off your spirituality, but to edify others, than there is no problem. My group of youth have a group text where we share Bible passages and quotes from the early fathers with each other in order to fill each other up. What’s wrong with that? Once again, it depends on the heart of the person posting it, which neither you or I can judge.

4. How come we all love Tim Tebow? I mean I do love him, I just don’t why.

Once again, I highly doubt this is a serious question. We love everyone. We’re Christians it’s what we do. Tim Tebow is a good role model because he’s not afraid to express his faith even when it’s unpopular. I’m not saying he’s a saint, but I’m saying that that’s why Christians support look up to him. What’s wrong with that?

5. Why can’t you just pray? Why does it have to be a prayer, and then like someone in the background being like blow, blow-beow?

I’m honestly not sure what this is referring to so forgive my ignorance on this one. But rest assured that you can just pray. Don’t worry about that. 

6. Yeah how come everyone’s still supporting Donald Trump?

To answer the question: I don’t know. I also have no idea what this has to do with Christianity. Either way, Christians shouldn’t put their hopes in politicians, because there is not one who can do what Christ can. 

7. Why are we so afraid to talk about sex? Sex is good! Have you read Song of Solomon? 

No one ever said sex is bad. But in this sex-crazed society where anything goes, purity is looked down upon as “prude” and “old-fashioned.” Sex is good in the context of a legitimate Christian marriage. In Song of Solomon, the book is talking about the love between HUSBAND and WIFE (notice that they’re married and also a male and female). This is a symbol of God’s pure love for his faithful people and their reciprocal love. The most ancient Christians interpreted this book allegorically to represent Christ’s love for His Bride, the Church. For proper sexual conduct, read 1 Corinthians 5-8. 

8. How come we all love Chick-fil-a?

I don’t (gasp) and I’m a Christian! But once again, it’s a company that stands for its beliefs regardless of what society says. That’s admirable.

9. Why do you think Facebook is an appropriate place to discuss theology? 

I’m not really sure of the issue here, but I guess it’s for the same reason you think BuzzFeed is an appropriate medium for your questions (burn?). My personal Facebook is a representation of my thoughts, beliefs, and feelings. It is about me. If I want to speak about theology, I will and can and have the right to, especially in a country that grants that freedom. Why is it an inappropriate place? 

10. Why, when Paul said that we all have our own individual gifts, that we feel the need to fit into this absolutely perfect mold? That’s impossible. 

I think that you’re referring to Ephesians 4:11-16.  If that’s the case, then I suggest you reread it. And of course it’s impossible to be perfect, but we must do our best to imitate Christ. Even though it may seem impossible, nothing is impossible with Christ. Yes, it’s hard, but that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t do it. We should always grow and perfect ourselves to be pure images of Him. 

11. Why are we as Christians more known by the things we hate, than by our acts of love?

This is a pretty good question, and one that is not unexpected as Christians. We know that as Christians, the world will hate us just as they hated Christ. In fact, Christ himself was hated because he made known the world’s sin to them. All this is what Christ himself said in John 15:18-25. Of course this should not deter us, because Christ has overcome the world. My question to you is, why are we looking to please the world instead of Christ?

UPDATE: It has been pointed out to me that I may have not answered this question entirely. For that I apologize, and will include an additional answer. 

Above, I mentioned that “Christ himself was hated because he made known the world’s sin to them.” I’ll expand on this answer to answer the question above. The truth of the matter is that Christians stand against sin. We are known by what we believe in. Therefore, in this day and age, when sin is not only commonplace, but the norm, anybody standing against it may be seen as a threat. It’s more comfortable for us to live how we want, rather than taking moral responsibility for what we believe. In other words, being a Christian means I have to live a moral life and to abstain from things that are now commonplace in the world such as: heavy drinking, cussing, fornication, homosexuality, drug use, etc. Increasingly this world is fighting for “gay rights” and “legalization of marijuana.” Additionally, fornication and cussing are so widespread, that it is strange if someone is not doing these things.

All these things that the majority of the world (U.S.) are fighting for or are participating in are WRONG. We, as Christians should not participate but rather expose these things as evil. Good Christians follow this wholeheartedly, so when they do stand up against evil things, people see that and react violently (as in slandering, and verbal attacks) in order to be able to justify their sin. The media sees this controversy and eats it up. An article that says, “Christians support helping the poor” is not as eye-catching as “Christians are against gay marriage.” Therefore, the media plays a huge role.

Ultimately, St. Anthony the Great sums up what I’m trying to say in the following quote: 

“A time is coming when men will go mad, and when they see someone who is not mad, they will attack him, saying, ‘You are mad; you are not like us.’” – St. Anthony the Great, The Sayings of the Desert Fathers

Ladies and gentlemen, we live in the time mentioned by St. Anthony, and we are known by what we hate because we are not like the people who love those things.

12. Why do you think Christianity and science are incompatible? If anything, science makes God look a lot cooler.

Ummm… I don’t think that at all. Christianity answers the why questions of life and science answers the how. This is a long discussion, but I absolutely think they are compatible. Since you like cool things, here is a cool video that shows how compatible they are.

13. Why are you so adamant about exercising your religious freedoms, but then get so offended when people of other faith exercise their religious freedoms?

We shouldn’t be. As St. Paul says, we don’t worry about judging those who are outside. However, we do get offended at people who disgrace our faith. Of course, we shouldn’t attack back like what Peter did, because we know that our Lord can defend himself.

14. Why do you feel like I have to constantly be preaching in order to be a good Christian?

I’ll just leave this here. It’s not for me to decide, it’s for you. I’m not sure as to why you’re so worried about my opinion.

15. Is showing my friends love and grace, not allowed to just speak for itself sometimes?

Sometimes it is, but sometimes it isn’t. There is no one way to do something for every situation. Of course it can speak for itself, but sometimes you have to take other measures. We must pray for wisdom and discernment to know when to do which. 

16. How come there’s a church on every block, but for some reason, we can’t figure out a way to work together?

I don’t know what this is referring to, but the answer has to do something with the fact that humans are not perfect and we make mistakes. Everyone expects the church to be magically perfect and gets upset when people in there are not. That’s like walking into a hospital which is supposed to be a place of healing and seeing sick people and getting angry.

17. Why is there so much racism, sexism, and homophobia in the church? Galatians 3:28 says it’s neither Jew nor Greek, neither slave nor free, nor male nor female, for all are one in Christ Jesus. So done’t that pretty much tell you that not of that stuff matters?

There isn’t. At least not in my church. Our church doctrine and the Bible (like the verse you quoted) tell us to not hate anyone. We stand against sin, not people. 

18. Why, when the main message of the Bible is to love one another, that we choose to do the opposite?

It is because we are weak sinners who fall short of the Glory of God. I thought that was obvious. We fail to live up to our standards, but through Christ, we may overcome our sins.

19. How come when we talk about men having several wives in the Old Testament, we say cultural context? But then when we talk about marriage today, it’s strictly one man, and one woman?

Cultural context is not the right answer. God didn’t allow this. Man did. When Christ came, he set the law straight. Read this passage, especially verse 8. 

2o. Why does having a diverse group of friends make me less Christian?

It doesn’t, but St. Paul does warn against it. 

21. Why does the church consider LGBT Christians as less than? I don’t remember there being a demographic of people that Jesus saw as less than. 

They’re not considered “less than” whatever that means, but it is important for them to acknowledge their sin and repent of it. The story of the Adulterous Woman is a good example of how to deal with them. Look at verse 11. Christ tells her that she is NOT condemned but ALSO tells her to SIN NO MORE, not to stay how she is. 

22. You know all that grace and forgiveness and love we’ve all received? How come we can’t find a way to extend that to other people?

These unfounded generalities are honestly getting tiring and wearisome, but we do. I don’t even want to go into how many Christian converts, charities, food drives, missions, etc. there are in the world. Just rest assured that we do. 

23. Why do you feel like love the sinner and hate the sin is an okay thing to say? You realize that’s condescending, and still separating them as an other, right?

Wrong. It is an okay thing to say. Christ himself talks about how he hates sin. I don’t think you can (or would dare to) say that Christ hates the people. He hates the sinful doctrine. Put it this way: let’s say your biological sibling is a helpless meth addict. Wouldn’t you hate the fact that he/she is doing drugs? Does that mean you hate your sibling? People who cannot separate an action from the person seem to be the condescending ones. If your mistakes define who you are as a person, than I feel bad for you.

24. Why do you think you can judge my relationship with God, off of a handful of statements?

I don’t. However, Jesus does warn us about individuals to beware of, and that we should judge by their fruits (actions, words, etc.). But that doesn’t mean we judge your relationship with God.

25. You get mad at me for not being able to back-up what I have to say, but you end up taking scripture out of context so many times.

This is a very subjective battle. Suffice it to say that Scripture is not up to private interpretation. So how should we interpret? Based on what was handed down to us by the Holy Apostles. My Church is apostolic, and therefore, is founded in and by the authority of the apostles.

26. What makes you decide what makes me a good Christian? Last I checked everyone’s relationship with God is personal. 

Not entirely. While we do have a personal relationship with God, we must live as a communal body. We have no salvation outside of the Church. Read this for clarification.

So, there you go BuzzFeed. I answered your questions. I hope that others that have had similar thoughts can see that this type of Christianity portrayed by BuzzFeed is highly individualistic and completely off from the true Christianity that Christ established.

Giving Thanks on Thanksgiving

 

Since tomorrow is Thanksgiving, it seems only fitting that this post be dedicated to the holiday. As Christians the act of thanksgiving, or giving thanks, is essential in our relationship with God. Just the very definition of the word implies that the Universal Giver is on the receiving end of the thanksgiving. Something that may not be well-known to Christians is that this holiday was actually established in the United States as a Christian holiday. This post will, hopefully, do two things: Explain the history of the Thanksgiving holiday, and explain the importance of giving thanks in the Christian life.

The History of Thanksgiving Day in the U.S.

Most of us who grew up in the United States learned that the first Thanksgiving was between the Pilgrims and the Native Americans. Although there was a feast between these two peoples, it is poorly documented and not very relevant to the Thanksgiving we have today (sorry to ruin your childhood). In fact, days of thanksgiving were common among Christians and were usually accompanied with days of fasting. Whenever a calamity or tribulation would occur, the Christians would fast, and when deliverance would come, they would celebrate with a feast of Thanksgiving.

The first nationally recognized day of Thanksgiving was instituted by the first President, George Washington. In 1789, Representative Elias Boudinot wanted to establish a national day of thanksgiving. He told Washington:

[I] could not think of letting the session pass over without offering an opportunity to all citizens of the United States of joining with one voice, in returning to Almighty God their sincere thanks for the many blessings he had poured down upon them.

President Washington agreed and established November 26, 1789 as a day of nationwide celebration for Thanksgiving and “as a day of public thanksgiving and prayer to be observed by acknowledging with grateful hearts the many and signal favours of Almighty God” (source). Later on this day was celebrated by many states at different times, and it wasn’t until President Abraham Lincoln’s time that it became an official holiday celebrated on the same day for all states (in an effort to unite the North and South) on the last Thursday of November. Later, President Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1939 moved it to the fourth Thursday of November for the purpose of giving merchants more time to sell goods before the Christmas holiday.

Therefore, it can be seen that at its origin, days of thanksgiving are a Christian custom, and the national Thanksgiving Day here in the U.S. was originally established as a day when Americans would unite to give thanks to God.

The Importance of Christian Thanksgiving

It is undeniable that thanksgiving to God is an important concept to Christians. In the Old Testament, Leviticus 7:12-15 describes how the Jews used to offer a thanksgiving offering in the temple. Not only that, but all throughout the psalms, there are many instances of giving thanks, one example of which is Psalm 92 (91 LXX). In the New Testament, there are also a multitude of examples of giving thanks to God, but suffice it to say that St. Paul starts every one of his letters (except Hebrews) with some sort of thanksgiving to God. An example is Romans 1:8.

In the Coptic Orthodox Church as well, we start every prayer with “The Prayer of Thanksgiving” (chanted, with lyrics). In the Coptic tradition as well, if it is a leap year, the leap day is dedicated as a day of Thanksgiving to God. Other than this, the underlying emotion or feeling in most Christian feasts, hymns, praises, prayers, etc. is a feeling of thankfulness. For example, on Easter, we are thankful that Christ rose from the dead for us, conquering death and giving us life and hope. The truth of the matter is, every Christian activity must be accompanied with thankfulness to God.

As our liturgy says, “We thank God for everything, concerning everything, and in everything.”

In the Coptic tradition, the congregants, whenever giving thanks perform a hand movement that some may not know the meaning to. Most Copts will know what I’m talking about, but for the non-Copts, I will try to explain (forgive me if I fail). The Copts, when saying the word thanks, will make a hand gesture sort of like this and kiss their hands, then they will flip their hands so that their pointer fingers are parallel and touching and kiss the back of their hands. This gesture is supposed to symbolize the words quoted from the liturgy in the paragraph above. The first gesture symbolizes that we thank God for what he has given us. That’s why the hands look like they’re waiting for something to be put in them. The second gesture is supposed to symbolize giving thanks to God for the things he has kept away from us or prevented us from. That is why we kiss the back of the hands, as if we are telling something or someone to keep away from us. The reason I went through the trouble of attempting to explain this little ritual is that in it we can see the true Christian faith. We can see that the Christian accepts everything God gives him/her with thankfulness and everything that God hasn’t given him/her with thankfulness. The thankful Christian is one that understands that everything God does is for the Christian’s benefit whether it be trials or triumphs, curses or blessings, persecution or praise.

Therefore, having said all this, let us celebrate Thanksgiving Day the Christian way. When we see all the delectable food and our family, friends, and loved ones gathered around the table with us, let us recognize these blessings from God and always be thankful for everything he has given us and kept away from us.

Why “Love & Knowledge”?

For the inaugural blog post, I decided to answer the obvious question of why I chose the name of this blog to be “Love & Knowledge.” Most people know of the famous verse, “knowledge puffs up, but love edifies” (1 Corinthians 8:1). So doesn’t that mean that there’s a contradiction? Is there no room for knowledge in the life of a Christian?

Of course not. In fact, the prophet Hosea shows us that God rejected his people because of a lack of knowledge! (Hosea 4:6 ) So how are we supposed to make sense of this verse?

St. Augustine comments on this verse and says, “Paul means that knowledge only does good in company with love. Otherwise it merely puffs a man into pride.” (City of God, 9.20)

If all we have is knowledge about our faith, but have no love, we are, according to St. Paul in 1 Corinthians 13:2, NOTHING.

That’s the point of this blog.

One of the jobs of the Christian is to be an ambassador of Christ (2 Corinthians 5:20). We must promote the truth of the Gospel as much as we can. In order to do that we must be well-equipped and “ready to give a defense to everyone who asks you a reason for the hope that is in you, with meekness and fear” (1 Peter 3:15). But we have to do this with Love. Love is the only way.

When St. Paul tells us to “speak the truth in love” (Ephesians 4:15), he means that we must portray the truth only in a loving manner. Some people think that we should deliver the truth by any means necessary. In my experience, this can be more damaging than fruitful. We may have seen Christians lose sight of themselves in the middle of a heated debate or get defensive when someone asks a question. Many, myself included, react in negative ways that deter a person rather than helps them. You can be saying the truth, but if it comes off the wrong way, people won’t listen. People pay more attention to how you say something rather than what you’re actually saying. That’s why love comes first in the title of the blog. It’s the formula for success. When talking to anyone, you must present love first, and only after a relationship is established, should you bring in the knowledge.

So now, the question is: how do we do this with love?

The love that I’m talking about can only be felt by a Christian. You must first understand the importance of your faith. Once the mind begins to comprehend what we actually gain by being a follower of Christ, only then can you begin to understand how to preach with love. A Christian who understands that knows that without Christ, we are doomed. We have no hope in anything of this world. As a result of this deeply held belief, we sometimes cringe when we see non-Christians, or even fellow Christians, hope in things other than Christ.

Take the classic example of the Allegory of the Cave by Plato. When you watch the linked video, you see that the person who “sees the light” tries desperately to convince his former prisoners of the outside world. In some versions of this allegory, the prisoners in the cave violently resist him and accuse him of being crazy when he tries to tell them about the outside world. Plato used this allegory to explain how hard it is to teach philosophy to the laymen. Imagine how hard it must be for the Christian! That’s why love is important. Only when a person trusts and respects you will they be able to understand this “crazy” religion we bring to them. To someone who only sees shadows, anything else seems like illusory. However, to someone who has seen the outside world, it is our duty to inform them on what they are missing out on.

This is the struggle of the Christian. We try so desperately to portray something that we have experienced to someone who has not had the same experience and can’t relate. It’s a tough task, and there will be other blog posts to talk about methods of doing this. But suffice it to say that without love and knowledge, it cannot be done.