Why?

I'm sure we have all had to interact with the annoying child who is constantly asking "why?"  Instead of a natural curiousity that is seeking satiation, the child is simply being childish.  We, on the other hand, ought to be asking "why?" often, typically of ourselves.  There are so many things that we do, simply out of habit or convenience, to which we never give a second thought.  So ask yourself, "Why?"
We can probably classify our actions into categories.  Things we do out of necessity, eat and sleep are two examples.  Of course, these two things can be done in the wrong way.  We may eat simply because we feel like eating, which is, simply put, gluttony.  We may sleep because we are lazy, or because we are bored.  There are also things we do out of preference.  Our desires and passions move us to "do" things.  This is where the "why" question comes into place.  Why do we spend 20-30 thousand dollars on a car?  Probably out of our desire to be comfortable.  Why do we spend 300 thousand dollars on a house?  Probably out of a desire to be comfortable or to fit a particular appearance.
But these are things we ought to ask ourselves.  Why do we dress the way we do?  Why do we eat the way we do?  Why are we entertained by the things by which we are entertained?  Why do we choose the friends we do? All of these questions have answers and, unfortunately, as Americans, many of them have the same answer, we desire to be comfortable, which, again unfortunately, reveals a serious problem with selfishness.  Ask the questions.

Philosophical Baggage

Any time we make a shift in our beliefs, we will, inevitably bring with us, residual philosophical beliefs. To my mind, this is negative. We ought, as living, thinking human beings, to strive for consistency and coherence in our worldview.  Any kind of radical shift or change in our belief system ought to include a comprehensive analysis of what we previously believed in comparison to what we currently believe.

Unfortunately, many do not make this effort.  Instead, they carry into the new system, previous beliefs.  This results in two things. One, in communicating their new belief, they impose false beliefs onto their hearers.  Two, this is intellectual dishonesty. One cannot claim to believe, for instance, in election (as in Calvinism) and yet claim to be an Orthodox Christian.  These two are diametrically opposed.

It is, in my opinion, extremely important to know and understand exactly what it is that you believe and to be cognizant of beliefs from one’s past.  At a bare minimum, one can become part of a belief collective, and claim adherence to that systems beliefs. At the same time, one can also admit to embracing some aspects of that same system on “faith”.  In other words, you do not have to have a perfect understanding of each tenet in order to be faithful. But you must be aware of what you actually do believe.

Acknowledging passions

Imagine you were born in 2002.  You are male but you find yourself being attracted to other guys.  The culture at large will tell you that this is all fine and normal, you merely are oriented that way.  But at the same time, the Orthodox church is telling you that homosexuality is a sin and that one should never follow their passions, simply because they are “natural”.
This is the difference with the Orthodox church in comparison to the Evangelical/ Protestant world. The latter will tell you that homosexuality is a sinful perversion and you need to not do it.  That you need to be cured. Orthodoxy, on the other hand, will tell you that it is simply a passion that some people have, not much different that any other sexual passion. It’s mere presence means nothing. Natural or unnatural, as Christians we simply do not excuse away the passions we have a “natural” and then indulge. No, we fight against our passions and our soul tells our flesh what to do, not vice-versa.
The question here is not one of natural or unnatural, perverse or normal, but of who is in charge, one of to whom you are listening and following. When we think and act, these things are done according to the leadership of something. When we think or act, are we following the whims of our flesh, i.e., we "feel" like doing it. On the other hand, the Orthodox church would tell us, we ought to live in a way that is preparing us for an eternity of holiness. We can look back at the saints of historic Christianity and those things that the church has always believed and practiced, and align ourselves with this. We do not follow and practice something based on our feelings, but on what the church has identified as holy. We do not follow our passions, we follow the direction of the Holy Spirit. But this is not a personal, interpretive thing. It is a corporate, defined, articulate path of light and holiness.
Whatever our sins, whatever our inclinations are, are irrelevant. If our desires or inclinations are leading us away from holiness, we must fight against them. For our very life depends upon it.

Reactions and responses

All of our actions and words are responses to the situations in which we find ourselves.  An undesirable situation will elicit some sort of action on our part, the more disagreeable, the more aggressive the response.  So, when we see someone acting in some sort of desperate or extreme manner, we must realize that whatever it is they are going through, it is not according to their wishes or desires. Should we not have mercy on that person, regardless of rightness or wrongness of the action?

Judging others

When we observe the things people do or have done, we need to remember that these are fruit. Another way of saying this is that everything we do or say is the consequence of our experiences and beliefs, even unrecognized. Experiences, thoughts, and things learned will influence and direct our actions and choices.  So instead of seeing someone and judging them, especially if they are different than us or different from what we find acceptable, we ought to ask the question (to ourselves), “What has influenced and motivated them to embrace such action?”

Far too often, we know little to nothing of people and therefore we have no ground upon which to stand in judging another.  It is not our place to judge someone, especially since we do not know them in any depth. Better, instead, is to assume the best and love that person anyway.

The problem with experience

Do we dare appeal to experience to define and concretize our belief?  Do we dare appeal to experience to define the foundation of our reality?  What then when someone appeals to an experience that promotes that which is contrary to our own belief?  Answer: we must appeal to the concrete and objective teachings of the church, not our experience within that structure.
We cannot claim to appeal to experience and then when someone else appeals to a differing experience then appeal to the objective teaching of the church.  We also cannot appeal to “relationship” for our relationship with God is unlike any other relationship.  We speak to him, he does not speak in return in the way that any other relation would.  He speaks through the liturgy, through the Bible, and through the sacraments.  We may “feel” something when we are involved in private prayer, but this cannot be appealed to as authoritative or validating, for our feelings may not be what they seem.
As natural and as easy as it may be to live by, be encouraged by and enjoy an experience, we cannot look to experience for a foundation.  Our only foundation is the objective body of Christ, as seen, touched, tasted, smelled and heard in the local church.

Choosing hell, part 2

If you choose to live a lifestyle that moves you away from God and what he considers holy and good, you are free to choose to do that. He won’t stop you.  But at the end of time, when you enter eternity, you cannot complain that you do not get to spend eternity in his presence, for you have spent your lifetime rejecting exactly that.