Please forgive me if I come across as uncharitable toward your beliefs. My goal is for dialogue and mutual understanding. I have difficulty with the majority of what is stated and unstated in the article you shared. At face value, there appears to be a total lack of awareness or at least acknowledgement of the Eastern Orthodox Church and the Oriental Orthodox Church both of which share apostolic roots and were in the beginning one Church along with what later became the Roman Catholic Church. These Christians have very clear lineages and recorded histories from the time of Pentecost through today and comprise a large chunk of Christianity worldwide and yet the link you provided makes zero mention of them. These are the very same Christians experiencing large scale persecutions at this time. The Christians you read about in the newspaper getting their heads chopped off and being raped and enslaved by ISIL/ISIS/Daesh are the very same Christians that are being discounted in this revisionist version of history that you are putting forward. Syria, where the Apostle Paul himself was baptized, is home to one of the oldest Christian centers on earth. There has been a continuous, unbroken succession of Christianity for nearly 2000 years throughout the Middle East and Nile Delta region. It was never just the Catholics and the Protestants. I hope you had a chance to view the graphic that was posted earlier. It came from Newsweek Magazine over 20 years ago. It is worth studying. http://www.stmatthewbr.org/images/tree_of_church_history.jpg

Church history is not such a hazy topic for such theories as this to pass muster. There are plenty of reputable universities that offer courses and texts in Church History. I don't think you will find much credibility given to the version of events put forth in that article in the classrooms of Cambridge, Oxford, Yale, etc.

I read the article linked. This is a rather embellished account to put it lightly. I find the lack of evidence to support such claims rather spurious and insulting to common intellect.

I for one agree that the Byzantine texts that were used in translating the KJV were superior. I'd even go so far as to say that the KJV is superior to many other English versions. Do I think KJV is the only bible translation inspired by God? No. The NKJV does form the foundation of my Orthodox Study Bible. My church uses RSV and KJV and for the New Testament we use the EOB (The Eastern Greek Orthodox New Testament: Based on the Patriarchal Text of 1904 with extensive variants). Someday we will have a true Eastern Orthodox Old Testament translation into English, but for now the OSB based on NKJV will suffice.

I think you misunderstand Cammie's question. The influence of the Early Church includes Holy Tradition. Take the Gospel of Matthew for instance. How do you come to have it in your Bible today? The original manuscripts or copies of the Aramaic text were lost long ago. It was passed down through oral tradition and the earliest copies used by the church were translated to Greek. Furthermore, I think Cammie may have been referring to the fact that there'd be no KJV or any other translation/version were it not for the Early Church. Everyone has a Catholic bible.

I think ecclesiastical unity in the first 1000 years was only as loose as the speed with which communications could be transmitted. Differences were beginning to appear particularly in the West and we did see a definitive break once we started physically going to war with one another in the 13th century.

Sorry but no. A small percentage of Chinese speakers have acquired English as a second language.

There was ecumenical unity throughout Christendom at least through the 3rd ecumenical council. After the Council of Chalcedon we saw a definite break with the Oriental Orthodox though the East and West remained unified for another several centuries. Were there splinter groups that were not unified with the church and yet considered themselves Christian? Yes. There were major Christological differences and the Church maintained that certain doctrines were heretical. I would say that it is inaccurate to say that all who called themselves Christian shared the same gospel message.

We have food restrictions. My husband will often do things that are along these lines. He will go to the store and get treats that dd can't have and when she asks him whether he got her something, too, he will reply a little sharply that she *always* gets special treats. I usually step in by requesting that he go back and get her something gluten free. He complains and then he does it. She has never been one to get attached to certain store bought things, but if I made her favorite dish-chicken pot pie- with regular flour and ate it in front of her, she'd be crushed. I would never do that. Your husband is being insensitive. I don't think you are qualified to diagnose him, but I understand wanting to believe that he can't help being insensitive. My dh doesn't have npd, adhd, or aspergers. He's a good man and he doesn't want to be a jerk but he is sometimes just like the rest of us. It's normal to be sad when you can't have a favorite treat and others eat it in front of you. It's normal to be blind to your short comings and act like a jerk sometimes. This is not an issue that needs to be worked over much. Store bought goodies can be nice but none are as good as the special treats moms and wives make with love for their families. Be the glue, mama. You got this!

I was the weird case that was not textbook. I had to be hospitalized for 5 days after my surgery and I needed an additional week after that to recuperate. It was 4 weeks before I felt normal again. It was harder on me that the c-section I'd undergone a couple months beforehand.

This is gonna be fun! Thanks for the heads up!

That sounds insane and cruel. I'm so sorry you had to endure that without anesthesia. (((Hugs)))

Do you cover full time, Milovany? Do others in your church community do this? The only orthodox I know of who do this are either monastic or are considering the monastic vocation.

I know. I really wanted to comment. Were I to become a monastic, I'd cover full time. 😉

I don't think it's appropriate to cover all the time. I cover during corporate prayer at home and at church. It makes a statement to God and before others that I'm committed to the offering I'm making. I am not making such spiritual offerings at all times. Sometimes I'm just working on something, watching TV, or playing a game where my focus and attention are not specifically directed at God. It would be arrogant of me to pretend otherwise. It would render the times that I do cover meaningless. When privately in prayer, I'm not going to make a show of it by covering my head, either.

He knew that the trooper wasn't telling him the whole truth. He asked the trooper point blank and the trooper told him that he would tell him everything later. I don't think he feels betrayed. He feels cared for.

I was stalking the sister on FB just now and saw that her mom (the Grandma) is in the hospital with chest pains and possible heart attack. :( Poor family. Praying for the family.

I think it's possible that the kids had figured it out, but wanted to wait and hear the news when their grandma arrived. The girl had watched enough episodes of Law and Order SVU to fill her DVR so I am guessing she is savvy. I would surmise that the older kids wanted to protect the younger ones and went along with the charade enthusiastically and graciously. Bless them all. Coming back to add that I just read one article where the officer reports that the oldest son knew something was up and he asked if the trooper was going to be honest with him.

Have you seen this story? I just want to hug these dear children and the state trooper who took care of them on Halloween. https://www.gofundme.com/WreckOnHalloween Lord have mercy!

I think this investigation is a result of the CREDO study that is talked about in that thread. ETA: that didn't take very long did it?

Do your kids live with you and their step-dad full time? If this is the case, your step-kids probably feel a lot of pain over the fact that they are now visitors who see their dad part-time while your children see him daily in their own home. I was the step-daughter who had access to my step-siblings father 24/7. I always wanted to be accepted by them but it didn't happen. I strongly encourage you to do family counseling with everyone together. These are hard dynamics to work out and both sets of children need to have their pain and concerns heard in a safe, well-moderated environment with a professional.

I can't speak to the mental state of the man in the op, but in my mom's case, it's not senility. It's untreated anxiety. She frequently has panic attacks but she's convinced she has a "bad ticker" even though the doctor says she's healthy as can be. She subscribes to a religion that pushes a very stout end-of-the-world narrative. She is bored and these things keep her busy and give her life meaning. She's also a tad paranoid which makes her a prime target for the doom and gloom wonks. She's always been like this. 😔 Before 9/11 her focus was the "Big One" as in the earthquake to end all earthquakes. Then it was terrorists and civil war and now the collapse. It must be terrifying and fatiguing to live inside her head.

I plan to be buried in my dress since I didn't get a formal baptismal smock when I was received into the church. It's not pure white but it will do just fine. The right thing will come to you...(((hugs)))

My mother is one of these people. She is always calling to tell me to get food and water in for the collapse. She could have used her savings to buy a house and live closer so I could care for her as she ages but she recently put everything in gold and then it tanked. It should be illegal for these "experts" to put so much fear in the hearts of vulnerable older people. It is criminal if you ask me.

My kids are night owls. They are typically up until midnight. I have no answers for you, just following cause I'd love to change this. If I wake them up early they will just fall asleep mid day and wake up with reset clocks to charge through the night with. If I try to keep them from falling asleep they become way overtired and go bonkers with delirium that fuels a 2nd wind. I will wake them at 9 am tomorrow and see if I can get them to sleep by 9pm. It's a constant struggle. I was the same way and still am so I fear it is a hopeless case. Good luck!