Usually, people prefer to remain silent concerning a matter which they know nothing about and do not understand. This, of course, is completely sensible. Let us imagine, for example, a person who knows nothing about chemistry but who, nevertheless, constantly insists upon interfering in the affairs of chemists. He corrects their scientific formulae which have been obtained with great difficulty, changing their order or replacing one with another. We would agree that such a person is acting with the highest degree of imprudence and that we can only have pity for him. There is one field, however, in which too many people consider themselves to be complete masters, in fact, almost legislators; that is the area concerning the Christian faith and the Church. In this field also, clear and definite formulae have been established with a great effort of theological thought, spiritual guidance, faith, and piety.
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Usually, people prefer to remain silent concerning a matter which they know nothing about and do not understand. This, of course, is completely sensible. Let us imagine, for example, a person who knows nothing about chemistry but who, nevertheless, constantly insists upon interfering in the affairs of chemists. He corrects their scientific formulae which have been obtained with great difficulty, changing their order or replacing one with another. We would agree that such a person is acting with the highest degree of imprudence and that we can only have pity for him. There is one field, however, in which too many people consider themselves to be complete masters, in fact, almost legislators; that is the area concerning the Christian faith and the Church. In this field also, clear and definite formulae have been established with a great effort of theological thought, spiritual guidance, faith, and piety.
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Book the Indication of the Kingdom of Heaven by St. Innocent of Alaska
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Lecture 3 THE RENAISSANCE The life of the saint which we just heard1, St. Paul of Obnora, gives us an insight into a civilization which is exactly the opposite of the civilization we are studying now – the Western civilization since the Schism, since the Middle Ages. In the traditional Orthodox civilizations such as that of Russia, very similar events repeat themselves. That is, there are barbarian invasions, monasteries may be laid waste, the monastic life at one time flourishes, at another time it grows lax, and then again it flourishes.
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Lecture 2 THE MIDDLE AGES Now begins a series of lectures on the intellectual history of the modern age, that is, from the time of the Schism of Rome. This will not actually be a history of the intellectual currents. It will be a noting of the tendencies and movements which are of historical significance, which are symptomatic of the spirit of the age and point to future developments. We will try to distinguish the essential points from incidental ones, that is, the features which are characteristic of the underlying philosophy of the times which endure from age to age, from other views which simply depend on passing events.
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ORTHODOX SURVIVAL COURSE Fr. Seraphim Rose Lecture 1 INTRODUCTION - ORTHODOX WORLD VIEW This course is to give one a perspective on those things which are happening in the world today which we come across in our daily experience, every one of which has a philosophical undercurrent. If one goes to any big city one will find that there are churches of every description and they all offer a different view, a different doctrine.
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Questions often asked about the Mother of God Why do you pray to the Mother of God? Since Jesus Christ died on the cross and rose from the dead, conquering death for us, there is no reason why we cannot ask those in heaven to pray for us just as we ask those still living on earth for their prayers. After all, in Christ all are alive. Therefore we ask the Ever-Virgin Nary to pray to her Son for us, just as we also ask the angels, the saints ,and all faithful believers here on earth to pray on our behalf, as Scripture Commands us to do: “I exhort therefore, that, first of all, supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks, be made for all men… I will therefore, that men pray everywhere (I Tim.
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A Talk Delivered at the Saint Herman Winter Pilgrimage, December 25, 1979, at Holy Trinity Monastery, Jordanville, N.Y. By Hieromonk Seraphim Rose St. Herman of Alaska Monastery, Platina, Ca.
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Book the Indication of the Kingdom of Heaven by St. Inncent of Alaska
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Chapter 6: The whole purpose of Unseen Warfare is to give the Orthodox Christian teaching concerning perfection in virtue and the unseen warfare necessary to accomplish this: I will tell you plainly: the greatest and most perfect thing a man may desire to attain is to come near to God and dwell in union with Him.
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