This is the secondary channel to Bible Illustrated (link here: ru-vid.com/show-UC4VktB44EEkmQV8DymZVGtQ?view_as=subscriber ) This is just a fun little channel where I answer questions and that's about it.
I had an interesting encounter with an American convert under the Serbian Church who attempted to declare all of Antioch (my jurisdiction) without grace purely on the grounds we have Western Rite congregations. He also responded to eyewitness accounts of Serbian militants literally raping children to death with “like you’d do anything different fighting the literal enemies of Christ.” Like 😬
Plus, christian warriors of old wore parement crosses over armor (cross-shaped military honours came from the idea), inscribed armor and belts with psalms, ect. Not mentioning the whole icons as banners. If you don't like it, that's your personal opinion which are based on your own likings, not actual religious practices.
Keep in mind it's a kind of counter-gesture toward ukraininans with their unit called 'Khorne group' after a chaos god from 40k universe, which oppose Imperium of Man
You do know the rosary and orthodox prayer beads were taken from a Muslim practice of using beads, and Muslims took the practice from ancient Hindu and Buddhist traditions using mala beads. Proof being that Christians didn’t use this before the crusades. But they seen a benefit to it so it became a Christian practice. If people want to have a cross seal with scripture written on it, that doesn’t seem that blasphemous honestly.
Interesting to see this now. As I been looking for icons and saw them and they just looked off to me and then I started to seeing comments and reviews of them.
Here is some advice you may appreciate: 1. If possible, go and speak to a canonical (not schismatic) Orthodox priest, elder or spiritual father/mother and tell him/her your situation. 2. Selling one's soul to the devil is not a one-way ticket to hell; you can repent of it, not to mention that Satan cannot truly own anyone's soul. That doesn't mean you should try to "sell" your soul, however. 3. Pray to God for peace in your soul; try to do so on a regular basis. 4. Go and do something. Anything. Go walk in nature, do a chore, partake in one of your hobbies, take a nap, volunteer for a cause. An idle mind (doing nothing) is the devil's playground. 5. Keep the internet and screen time to a minimum if you don't already. High internet usage has been shown to contribute to worse mental heath. How to do this? Refer to no. 4 I hope this helps you. May God be with you always :)
What about the Sokolica monastery statue of the Mother of God? Or Russian devotional statues of Sts. Nil Stolbensky, Paraskeva, Anthony the Roman, etc?
Bump after 5 years. Happy to hear you say she could be a saint. One thing that really scares me about becoming Orthodox is the idea that the holiness of the saints I’ve venerated for years are ubiquities and beyond knowing. Thank God for your work dude. It gives me hope for uniting myself with the Orthodox Church.
He was giving the man food for thought. If only God is good, and you are calling me good, are you saying that I am God? (And note, Christ never denies that he is.)
Let us pray for peace. Isn't it true that who picks up the sword will be killed by the sword (Mat 26,52) and that our first duties are to love God and to love our neighbors? Isn't all nationalism idolatry? Saint Velimirović was aware of that. What also troubles me is that Russians and Ukrainians include pagan symbolism in their military ranks while the most important reason to defect military service for the early Christians was not to participate in pagan rituals. This is already enough to stay away from any currently existing army. I adore Seraphim of Sarov very much. When I heard that the ROC declared him the patron of the nuclear forces, even though it had been the founders of these forces who killed all the monks at Seraphim monastery I became very sad. Let us pray against the enemy within the Church and in the Military. Let us not forget Psalm 79 and especially 79,4 because we do behave like hypocrites and don't deserve better than to be laughed at if we allow political forces to hijack our belief.
Hey bojan what do you think of taking a bible verse/verses and turning them into a secular song, like not in the evangelical way but in like the turn turn turn way by the byrds?
Thank you for your video, I enjoyed hearing your thoughts. I have a concern that most Orthodox living today probably wouldn't agree to first century terms of unity (the prime example is the centuries of unity with the western churches that already had added the filioque..). Unity in diversity (of scriptural canons, leavened/unleavened bread, liturgical expressions, etc.) was always the norm in the early church (and even post-1054 in many parts of the world). In my mind, the schism persists theologically because of the very real issue of universal jurisdiction (and now, post Vatican I: papal infallibility), but practically it seems that Orthodoxy is moving away from the ancient posture of allowing diversity and is increasingly becoming prone to legalism and fundamentalism, especially as American Orthodoxy welcomes in a great many loud and opinionated ex-Protestants. Would love to hear your thoughts, Bojan!
Wearing a purity seal is pharisaical, but wearing a ton of prayer ropes looking like some kind of orthodox mr. T is not? You don't have much self awareness do you?
Fear is no preventative measure. It makes it worse, increases the despair, the sense of failure, feeling of isolation, and self-damnation. What works for 5 minutes won't work for 5 years, you can scare someone for a decade but fear is a threat and a whip, not fuel to live. That person gets exhausted you'll lose them 20 or 30 years down the way. Fear of hell makes it easier hate yourself. Not all suicidiality is a momentary choice. Talking doesn't change circumstances, during the pandemic people were denied so much by totalitarian government behavior that the suicide rate shot up. The governments solution? A phone line. That is pittence, and it didn't change anything. What of the trauma victim, who has been demeaned and belittled? Damning someone doesn't help, it shuts them sown. I'm not mad, I'm just being honest. This position is problematic, wrong or right, because it creates another hurdle in overcoming mental health issues.
Not all displays of Christianity are for the sake of displaying piety. Someone of them could very well be for the purpose of raising morale, like drawing crosses on shields or parading icons in front of troops. If one wears an 'Orthodox purity seal' to show off their faith - then yes, it is a problem. But of one wears them to increase spirits (or just for the coolness of it), I don't see a problem
Totally unrelated to the video... I was listening to an interview on BBC radio this evening, and they were interviewing someone about their life story. I didn't know who it was, but as soon as I heard the voice I knew they were Serbian because their European accent was identical to yours. It was Marina Abramović. 😆
Hello Bojan! I don't know if this is the best way to reach out to you or how to submit questions to you but here is mine: How do we reconcile the fact that the words "I am the chief of sinners" are put into our mouths every Divine Liturgy when we know for a fact that we are not? I have never murdered a man, I have never committed adultery, I have never led thousands in schism, and the few times I have stolen, it was comparatively minor compared to the evils done by huge businesses today. I understand pride may be a real element at work here, but I fail to see it as such, for you don't need to be a chef to know when a burger tastes bad. If I see an evil I've got no problem recognizing it as evil and calling it out. I know I'm no saint and I've got a handful of sins I need to confess, but for me to compare myself to people whom I know to have done far worse than I have is what I call false humility.
Hi Bojan if possible could you go over the differences between East Orthodoxy and Old Calendarists or True Orthodoxy as some of them call it? I stumbled upon some arguements and find it very confusing.
What if one wears a cross or such item, not to publicly show "piety", but to show that you aren't afraid to proclaim Christ as your Lord? Not to doubt or argue just for legit understanding and criticism.
The space marines aren't the only people that wear purity seals it can be anyone in the imperial guard, inquisition or the imperial cult. Also the space marines are a rare sight in the Galaxy. The main fighting force would be the imperial guard.
Warhammer teaches never to compromise on your faith and to defeat your enemies. That's why you dont like purity seals, not becouse it is from the game or some pharasy nonsense. If these items where from some degenerate universe people like you would advertise them.
But what is this "Monastery Icons"? Something like a brand? Because in the beginning i got it literally. I mean, could monasteries from Mt. Athos for example be evil? So, lets say i received one as a gift. How could i tell they are not ok? What are the signs and the symbolisms in that make them be visibly wrong?
Teel me which one of your self-proclaimed saints speek for God or has authority over the words of God. Isaiah 44: 9 9 All who make idols are nothing, and the things they treasure are worthless. Those who would speak up for them are blind; they are ignorant, to their own shame. 10 Who shapes a god and casts an idol, which can profit nothing? 11 People who do that will be put to shame; such craftsmen are only human beings. Let them all come together and take their stand; they will be brought down to terror and shame. 12 The blacksmith takes a tool and works with it in the coals; he shapes an idol with hammers, he forges it with the might of his arm. He gets hungry and loses his strength; he drinks no water and grows faint. 13 The carpenter measures with a line and makes an outline with a marker; he roughs it out with chisels and marks it with compasses. He shapes it in human form, human form in all its glory, that it may dwell in a shrine. 14 He cut down cedars, or perhaps took a cypress or oak. He let it grow among the trees of the forest, or planted a pine, and the rain made it grow. 15 It is used as fuel for burning; some of it he takes and warms himself, he kindles a fire and bakes bread. But he also fashions a god and worships it; he makes an idol and bows down to it. 16 Half of the wood he burns in the fire; over it he prepares his meal, he roasts his meat and eats his fill. He also warms himself and says, “Ah! I am warm; I see the fire.” 17 From the rest he makes a god, his idol; he bows down to it and worships. He prays to it and says, “Save me! You are my god!” 18 They know nothing, they understand nothing; their eyes are plastered over so they cannot see, and their minds closed so they cannot understand. 19 No one stops to think, no one has the knowledge or understanding to say, “Half of it I used for fuel; I even baked bread over its coals, I roasted meat and I ate. Shall I make a detestable thing from what is left? Shall I bow down to a block of wood?” 20 Such a person feeds on ashes; a deluded heart misleads him; he cannot save himself, or say, “Is not this thing in my right hand a lie?” There's more, though, everyone prophet and God himself warned of exactly what Catholic and Orthodox do with idols. (Jer 2:11; 16:20). It is only a piece of wood or stone, carved by human hands. It has no power of its own. Exodus 20:3-6 3 “You shall have no other gods before me. 4 “You shall not make for yourself an image in the form of anything in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below. 5 You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God, punishing the children for the sin of the parents to the third and fourth generation of those who hate me. The Bible mentions idolatry over 200 times. Exodus 20:4-5 says, "You must not make any idols. Don't make any statues or pictures of anything up in the sky or of anything on the earth or of anything down in the water. Don't worship or serve idols of any kind, because I, the LORD, am your God". 1 John 5:21 says, "Keep yourselves from idols".
Haven't heard anything about this, so I was hoping it was some small aspect of Orthodoxy that Warhammer had appropriated. I enjoy Warhammer, and have an idea for a Sisters of Battle army, to kitbash them into something looking Orthodox, rather than Gothic/Catholic. But the other way around, it's kinda weird.
If we were to fight literal embodied demons (God forbid), would purity seals have use then? Not every "soldier" would be a miracle working saint afterall.
Nah,Purity Seals are good,GW are pissed tf off at the russian market,plus,i need purity seals for Milsim(Alongside an airsoft prototype ak12,and an SS Leto smock)
I have a question. What about the medieval era when Orthodox nations would have flags with the image of Christ on them as they go into battle. Do these fall in a similar vein?
I attend a GOARCH parish. We have an Icon of St Olga. Canonized by OCA. They have no right to canonize without official autocephaly. Yet we accept it. People call me the legalistic ex catholic but we have rules for a reason. She could easily be canonized soon in an autocephalous church that’s not in this odd diasporic situation, but it hasn’t happened yet so we should not possess that Icon.
It says something about the state of spiritual affairs, when you have soldiers facing combat and death looking to what is a parody/satire/inversion of traditional Christianity and Catholicism in particular for semi-serious religious paraphernalia. As a pastor who grew up with 40K, I agree with Bojan about the moral/spiritual issues in play here. Does it speak to a spiritual hunger/destitution when a parody of the faith (that has little fragments of church history and spirituality baked in) seems to have more spiritual potency/truth than a lot of Christianity today? Particularly for young men? Or is it just soldiers being soldiers because 40K has attained mainstream popularity... (I've seen UKR combat footage with Khornate watermarks)
I am becoming Catholic as an adult in the UK. I'm not here to argue and I am not saying this gives the devotion any authority. It is likely just figurative. But as someone interested in the devotion I thought of an old reference to God's heart... In the Old Testament where King David is described as 'a man after God's own heart'. I find that interesting. I am currently learning about the devotion through the book by Fr J Croiset called 'Devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus'. I know my profile picture is of Jesus' sacred heart but this to me atm represents God's love and I like this particular image. God bless
