Orthodox Christianity failed

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Orthodox Christianity failed

fschmidt
Administrator
I contacted 49 Orthodox churches about how their service is organized (whether the sexes are separated).  This included churches in the Philadelphia and NJ area, and also all True Orthodox groups that I could find anywhere in America.  Of the 49, I only got one promising response from this True Orthodox group:

http://orthodoxmetropolia.org/
http://abbeyoftheholyname.org/

What I contacted is actually a monastery, not a church.  They have few churches.  I talked to the leader of the group and he suggested I read this book to really understand Christianity:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B009CHHRMG/

I read it and was horrified.  The author says that the key to Christianity is to repeat the Jesus prayer continually (like a montra).  Here is the prayer describe:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jesus_Prayer

It is simply "Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner."  The author isn't interested in doing anything, just in wondering around the Russian countryside repeating this prayer.  That the Orthodox Church endorses such nonsense helps explain why it is so weak.  Orthodox Christianity can only survive where it is supported by the state.

I had considered Orthodox Christianity to be the only credible alternative to Islam.  Now I see no alternative.  The world will become muslim unless some new religion emerges.  Traditional Anabaptists and Orthodox Jews will do fine as dhimmis in a muslim world.  Everyone else will either convert to Islam or just live in total poverty under Islam.

I believe in accepting reality and aligning with what works.  Islam works and represents the future.  So I will align with it.  I won't convert to Islam but I will learn their prayer and say it daily.  Once I have learned the prayer, I will go back to attending my local Islamic center.

This forum will remain as a social club for the Old Testament.  Anyone who is really interested in religion should join a local religious community.
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Re: Orthodox Christianity failed

Allen
But surely there must have been a time when Western Christianity was somewhat functional.
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Re: Orthodox Christianity failed

fschmidt
Administrator
Of course there was.  There was also a time when the Greek and Roman religions were functional.  Those times have passed.

Also it's worth considering what happened historically when Christianity and Islam competed within a society.  In most cases Islam was dominant and Christianity lost ground.  The one case I can think of where Christianity was dominant was in Lebanon, and there Islam gained until it took over.  Can you think of any case where Christianity and Islam competed within a society and Christianity won?
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Re: Orthodox Christianity failed

Allen
I think Christianity held its own in the Balkans. There’s arguably the reconquista of Spain, but maybe that’s not the same thing.

Anyway, since Islam leaves a bit to be desired, maybe the idea of a new religion as suggested by me in an old HA thread is looking better.
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Re: Orthodox Christianity failed

qwerty
In the late 19th century and early 20th century, the major European powers conquered most of the Middle East (Egypt, Iraq, etc). They only did a military conquest and didn't try to convert the Muslims to Christianity, but they probably could have accomplished a cultural takeover if they wanted to and didn't decolonize a few decades later. I think that generally, either Christianity or Islam can be dominant depending on which culture is more economically prosperous and has better military technology. In the Middle Ages, the Islamic Empire was more prosperous, and in the 19th century, Europe was more prosperous. In order for a hypothetical Islamic takeover of Europe and elsewhere to occur, the Middle East would need to get on better footing economically.