Recent content by MrWGW

The majority of schisms have healed, however; there are only three major schisms that remain other than the multiplicity of Protestant denominations.

The RCs and Orthodox have a multiplicity of liturgical rites. For example, in Oriental Orthodoxy there are four entirely different rites, and regional variations within these; Eastern Orthodoxy has at least two, and the RCs have one liturgical rite to correspond with each Orthodox rite, and at...

What about baptism? This seems to be rather emphatically commanded at the end of the Gospel of Matthew, including the Trinitarian formula. Also, on this point, there is a distinction between uninteresting secular ritual or superstitious rituals or those related to psychological infirmities...

How do you define "ritual magic"?

Thank you for the warm welcome!

Thankfully no, although from an Eastern/Oriental Orthodox perspective there are some denominations with equivalent problems (see Nicea II, Dositheus). On this point I think the "heresy" label comes in handy in that it allows us to broadly recognize self-identified Christians while rejecting...

The only problem with the orherwise admirable expression of ecumenical unity you express is a sort of Pietist deprecation of doctrine. Doctrine is important, and heresies do exist and are not simply a mean-spirited classification hurled by state-backed churches at their opponents. The unifying...

The schism occurred for a legitimate reason - Eutyches on the one hand, and rampant crypto-Nestorianism on the other. There was legitimate heresy, and the entire atmosphere of the late fifth / early sixth century church was extremely toxic. The schism should have resolved after the Fifth...

You have a very valid point I think. Now the J/Ws embrace an Arian Christology - Jesus is not God. In their eschatology there will be more saved than the group you mentioned, which if memorynserves numbers 144,000; however, there is some special status conferred on the 144,000; individual...

On this point I generally agree; contemporary terms like "Jesusism," and "Christ Movements" to refer to the various communities in the Early Church really bother me. There is an urgent need for the Christian label to be asserted by all denominations in a coherent way against the looming...

This list leaves much to be desired: It radically downplays Gnosticism, which via the Ophite conceit that the serpent was a sort of Christological allegory imparting life sacing gnosis to Eve, instructing ner to rebel abainst the evil demiurge, has historically been the most dominant form of...

On this point I highly agree. The ecumenical movement has at least had success in bringing the mainline Protestant churches closer together, however, demographic shifts are having the disagreeable effect of negating this. I do believe it is important for denominations to be honest about their...

They certainly will admit you. The duration of the Divine Liturgy pf St. John Chrysostom is 90 minutes or so unless there is a bishop present in which case it is signifigantly lengthened; the style of the service should be evocative of a Latin mass, if you ever attended one, albeit longer. If...

As an Orthodox Christian I have to say "yes," because doctrine matters, however, I shy away from the exclusivist approach favored by the Old Calendarist sort and am a proponemt of ecumenical reconciliation. The extent to which this will actually happen however seems impaired by doctrinal...

This takes us into the interesting realm of Liturgical Hours. Vespers is nominalky pegged to sunset, but is in fact usually reckoned as the eleventh or twelfth hour (11th in the Coptic Rite, 12th I think in the Byzantine; the 12th in the Coptic Rite is Compline); so one could hypothetically...