Find time to listen or watch the podcast below. There are many hot button topics in our society that cause confusion, anger, and even violence. This podcast is not going to solve any of them, but the discussion that takes place can help us get a better understanding at least of some things that are happening. Jordan Peterson and Ben Shapiro join Dave Rubin for a discussion about religion, trans activism, censorship, the IDW, and more. To listen to this podcast click on the picture below: Or you can watch it on youtube: With the spread of smartphones and tablets, a few dangerous trends are also noticed - more and more people get addicted to their electronic devices, including an alarming number of children; and, more and more people indulge themselves in watching pornography, including an alarming number of children.
Have you ever heard someone claiming that Christmas has pagan roots? That Christians stole (!) a pagan feast and made it Christian (how dare they!?)?
It's popular #fakenews. No one stole anything from anyone, and nothing was adapted or adopted. Below are two articles that do some myth busting. Read on. Source: PravMir.com Protopresbyter Serafim Gascoigne from the Holy Protection of the Theotokos Orthodox Church, Seattle, Washington, and Priest Sergei Sveshnikov, rector of the Holy New Martyrs and Confessors of Russian church in Mulino, Oregon answer Pravmir’s questions about the Nativity Fast and the Nativity celebration. Fasting is not difficult if we live in an Orthodox family. In fact the external act of fasting from animal products is not difficult, for this is part of our daily liturgical life. On a spiritual level it is more challenging, especially with the demands that are made on us at this time of the year. I am referring to our ‘obligation’ to join in office parties or socialize with non-Orthodox friends. For those of us whose immediate family is not Orthodox, this poses a challenge on the physical level as well.
Source: The Catalog of Good Deeds There is a remarkable story in the book Everyday Saints related to fasting. Russian monks came to the Caucasus during the Chechen War to hear confessions of the local Orthodox flock and to give them communion. The organizers of the trip decided to arrange a thank-you meal for the priests. They cooked a fabulous meal with smoking hot heaps of roasted lamb meat and other delicious dishes. When the monks learned about the “surprise”, they were shocked. First, monks don’t eat meat at all. Secondly, it happened during the Great Lent, or more precisely, during the stringent days of the Holy Week. What could they do? The author writes that the monks immediately realized that their refusal would be a horrendous insult for the hosts. So they ate meat and drank wine, and that meal was the most joyful feast of love in their lives.
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