OPPONENTS OF CHRIST AND CHRISTIANITY

      For almost two thousand years, the many opponents of Christ striking out against the Church, have achieved results exactly opposite those that they would expect. From the beginning the Jewish leaders loudly demanded the crucifixion of Christ, believing that they would do away with Him once and for all. They deemed Christ only worthy of death by crucifixion crying: Away with Him! Crucify Him! They achieved the opposite of their intentions for after His glorious third-day Resurrection 

     He continues to be honored and celebrated throughout the world. This showed Christ not just alive but as the Giver of Life He offers eternal life to the whole world. The river of Christianity keeps on flowing on always getting larger and traveling further, opponents attempted to block its flow and instead it became widened and deepened, and now has spread everywhere. Their plans were to get rid of memory of Christ and dry up Christianity but they achieved opposite results for instead of drying up, Christianity has continued to flood over the entire world.

Martyrs appeared in many places and glorified Christ; trying to stamp out the Christian faith opponent rulers tortured and put many to death and as a result often hundreds of new Christians observing their brave and firm actions, followed them in strong faith and acceptance of Jesus Christ

The killing of one martyr would cause dozens of new believers to be baptized. The opposite of their intentions was the result, for God’s power is invincible.

CHRISTIANITY IN AMERICA AND THE WEST

CHRISTIANITY IN AMERICA AND 

THE WEST

     The chief error of western civilization is that people want to be people but without God. However, the Creator of man and of  heaven and earth, wants every person to be personally united with Him, which is the only way to become the real person he is meant to be!  God’s plan is for men to become His own image and likeness, so all who live without God live badly and  walking away from God they travel the path leading to destruction and eternal death.

     Most people look at new born babies delighting in what they see and hear, unspoiled innocence with delightful cooing and coupled with sweet smiles but no laughter. In a godless society, the formerly innocent babies will more than likely follow the path to godlessness, and if so  be caught up in well tolerated sins and live badly. Happiness will always be evasive for as long as they travel off their predestined path. The Lord called for the little children to come into His Kingdom and he still calls. There are only two ways to go through the temporary life of this world, 1. with faith following Christ and  2. faithlessly following the devil without Christ. Following Christ leads us up to heaven and eternal life, without Christ leads us down to eternal death. There is no other way.  To those who ignore or hate Him He warns that they will be judged and condemned. To those who love and follow Him, he gives help and the firm promise of eternal and everlasting joy.

     Although Christ and the church are preached outside of Orthodoxy the preaching is woefully distorted by Catholics and Protestants. They all choose to acknowledge that the one holy Church established and headed by Jesus Christ necessarily has remained faithful for almost two-thousand years, as Christ promised. Roman Catholics, who were once part of the true church, placed a man in Christ’s place, thus usurping Christ’s position as head and they morphed into the Papacy, which is not a part of the Church founded by Christ and their sacraments are invalid. Protestants broke from Rome introducing countless errors of dogma and faith, and many leaders formed their own religions, such as Jehovah Witnesses and Seventh Day Adventists. They all preach their distorted gospel and deceive many, especially those who do not know the history of the true Church and its Head Jesus Christ.

     The true Church, Orthodoxy has not escaped the influence of western Christianity due to the breaking of divine laws and violation of sacred Canons by hierarchs.  Contrary to divine and sacred laws and Canons converts are being deprived of triune baptism, in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, and cannot put away their sins. For genuine baptism cannot possibly exist outside the Church.  Inter marriage of Orthodox with non-Orthodox has been illicitly introduced by false interpretation of St. Paul in Holy Scripture.

   Those who willfully distort the words of Christ and of Holy Scripture have no place in the heavenly kingdom, which includes those outside of the Church. Christ will not be present in the heretical and schismatic churches as the Scripture says and as we Orthodox confess: “I believe in One Holy Catholic and Apostolic Church.” “And in one Lord Jesus Christ, the Only-begotten Son of God, begotten of the Father before all ages. Light of Light, true God of True God, begotten not created, co-essential with the Father through whom all things were made.” Also every word spoken in Scripture is true, for all Divine Scripture is God-inspired. God is the Absolute Truth and is the Source or Fountain of Truth.