Alas! Whatever Happened to Mercy in the Orthodox Churches in America? I consider myself somewhat of a "spiritual warrior" in that I publish articles from all faiths, irrespective of any bias that others have tossed in my face. In doing so, I am finding a questions being asked of me as to "why do we need churches when they offer little if any solace or example" for modern day people who are disenfranchised from orthodox religions? In my role, I am hopeful that in offering these various perspectives that clarity can be found among the various viewpoints. More importantly, from my perspective, this is an invitation to look within to find the True God that dwells there, if we are willing to open our hearts to the guidance that exists there and to act accordingly.
“Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy.” Mathew 5:7
"Mercy in the bible means compassion and forgiveness to the undeserving and the guilty. Joseph’s brothers sold him into slavery in Egypt. But God raised him up and made him a prime minister of Egypt. When famine hits Israel, his brothers came to Egypt to beg and buy food for the family. But his brothers thought Joseph was dead. He knew them when they showed up. As far as I am concerned, they deserved their heads cut off. This is how a sinful worldly man like me thinks. But Joseph, who was a man of God, showed mercy and kindness to them even though they were guilty. Here is what Joseph said as written in the bible."
http://ethioforum.org/?p=7525
“... You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives.21 So then, don’t be afraid. I will provide for you and your children. And he reassured them and spoke kindly to them.” (Exodus 50:20-21). This is what the bible teaches Christians about mercy. Now look at what is happening in Orthodox churches throughout the Diaspora. They are in turmoil. These churches preach about love and forgiveness Sunday after Sunday. They supposedly pray day after day. But where is the beef? Where are the fruits of mercy, forgiveness and kindness in their own lives? Where are the mercy and the forgiveness they are preaching about when it comes to forgiving one of their own who may have made a forgivable mistake? How dare they fire one of their own clergymen on the spot for an alleged mistake or misunderstanding?"
"... reflecting what Christ is about, the Orthodox churches have become places of infighting and controversy over money and power. Jealousy, backbiting, factions, cliques, rumors and gossip are rampant and in some cases nastier than those that are found in the world. Nobody can tell the difference between the churches and the world today. How can these churches represent Christ when they themselves look like the world and in some cases even worse? The Orthodox Churches look like community centers rather than holy places where Christ is preached and glorified. And this has to change."
http://ethioforum.org/?p=7525
"These churches are fighting so much worse than the pagans, they are splitting like an amoeba every other week. Do you know how many churches by the name St. Michael are in Seattle? Are you ready? Three. Three churches with the same name. It is hard to believe but it is true..."
"...This is no way to represent the Prince of Peace, Jesus Christ, on planet earth. Instead of glorifying God, these churches are invaded with the prince of war and darkness."
"Love and mercy is supposed to flow out from our churches to the lost and sinful world. But the reality is love and mercy is not flowing even between the members of the clergy within our Orthodox churches. If we have churches that do not practice mercy and fail to express love and forgiveness toward fellow Christians, we can be sure that these churches do not know Christ. For Christ is all about love, forgiveness, and mercy. And if the churches don’t have these virtues, then these churches have not obeyed God. And we can call these churches rebels who in no way represent Christ and our Father in Heaven."
"How can these churches be a light to the sinful world when the prince of darkness, the devil, is running the churches? How can anyone in his right mind say that Christ is honored in these churches? Do these churches remember or actually know who God is? The bible says God is love. How can you find God (Love) in these churches if they are war zones where people are hurt by those who do anything for power and money?..."
"...All these mess sounds like a curse to me. We can’t find one good news about our country and our people at this time including our Orthodox Churches. Our churches were supposed to be a refuge for all of our people who are in turmoil. Where will our broken hearts go when the church itself is broken? Where? What will be our future and the fate of our country fifty or a hundred years from now? Mercy is supposed to be the message of the Orthodox Church to our people who are in pain, confused and some of them hopelessly lost. But our own churches are in trouble and chaos..."
http://ethioforum.org/?p=7525
"Mercy in the bible means compassion and forgiveness to the undeserving and the guilty. Joseph’s brothers sold him into slavery in Egypt. But God raised him up and made him a prime minister of Egypt. When famine hits Israel, his brothers came to Egypt to beg and buy food for the family. But his brothers thought Joseph was dead. He knew them when they showed up. As far as I am concerned, they deserved their heads cut off. This is how a sinful worldly man like me thinks. But Joseph, who was a man of God, showed mercy and kindness to them even though they were guilty. Here is what Joseph said as written in the bible."
http://ethioforum.org/?p=7525
“... You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives.21 So then, don’t be afraid. I will provide for you and your children. And he reassured them and spoke kindly to them.” (Exodus 50:20-21). This is what the bible teaches Christians about mercy. Now look at what is happening in Orthodox churches throughout the Diaspora. They are in turmoil. These churches preach about love and forgiveness Sunday after Sunday. They supposedly pray day after day. But where is the beef? Where are the fruits of mercy, forgiveness and kindness in their own lives? Where are the mercy and the forgiveness they are preaching about when it comes to forgiving one of their own who may have made a forgivable mistake? How dare they fire one of their own clergymen on the spot for an alleged mistake or misunderstanding?"
"... reflecting what Christ is about, the Orthodox churches have become places of infighting and controversy over money and power. Jealousy, backbiting, factions, cliques, rumors and gossip are rampant and in some cases nastier than those that are found in the world. Nobody can tell the difference between the churches and the world today. How can these churches represent Christ when they themselves look like the world and in some cases even worse? The Orthodox Churches look like community centers rather than holy places where Christ is preached and glorified. And this has to change."
http://ethioforum.org/?p=7525
"These churches are fighting so much worse than the pagans, they are splitting like an amoeba every other week. Do you know how many churches by the name St. Michael are in Seattle? Are you ready? Three. Three churches with the same name. It is hard to believe but it is true..."
"...This is no way to represent the Prince of Peace, Jesus Christ, on planet earth. Instead of glorifying God, these churches are invaded with the prince of war and darkness."
"Love and mercy is supposed to flow out from our churches to the lost and sinful world. But the reality is love and mercy is not flowing even between the members of the clergy within our Orthodox churches. If we have churches that do not practice mercy and fail to express love and forgiveness toward fellow Christians, we can be sure that these churches do not know Christ. For Christ is all about love, forgiveness, and mercy. And if the churches don’t have these virtues, then these churches have not obeyed God. And we can call these churches rebels who in no way represent Christ and our Father in Heaven."
"How can these churches be a light to the sinful world when the prince of darkness, the devil, is running the churches? How can anyone in his right mind say that Christ is honored in these churches? Do these churches remember or actually know who God is? The bible says God is love. How can you find God (Love) in these churches if they are war zones where people are hurt by those who do anything for power and money?..."
"...All these mess sounds like a curse to me. We can’t find one good news about our country and our people at this time including our Orthodox Churches. Our churches were supposed to be a refuge for all of our people who are in turmoil. Where will our broken hearts go when the church itself is broken? Where? What will be our future and the fate of our country fifty or a hundred years from now? Mercy is supposed to be the message of the Orthodox Church to our people who are in pain, confused and some of them hopelessly lost. But our own churches are in trouble and chaos..."
http://ethioforum.org/?p=7525
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