Do you even Christian Bro? (Apologetics)
Scenario: Your friend approaches you and hits you with a "you guys clearly worship Mary in your prayers. Otherwise why would you mention her so often?" He is speaking rudely and clearly trying to trip you up. What do you do?
1. Pray
2. Follow Christ's example (Luke 23:8-9)
8 Now when Herod saw Jesus, he was exceedingly glad; for he had desired for a long time to see Him, because he had heard many things about Him, and he hoped to see some miracle done by Him.
9 Then he questioned Him with many words, but He answered him nothing.
10 And the chief priests and scribes stood and vehemently accused Him.
3. If he's actually curious, hit him with a "come and
see" like Philip to Nathanael.
John 1:46 'And Nathanael said to him, “Can anything good come out of Nazareth?”
Philip said to him, “Come and see.”'
What/who is a friend?
Someone you trust outside your family.
What should you do if you don't know what to say in prayer?
1. Force yourself to keep going
2. Ask God to help you pray
3. Use Agpeya (or a similar structure)
What does the Cross represent in Christianity?
BONUS 300 PTS: Why do we say that Christ is the Logos
Love being in the form of sacrifice.
BONUS: Logos = Word, Pattern, way of living. Christ is the example and the pattern by which we should exist.
If you force yourself to do something spiritual (pray, fast, etc) then God won't accept it and you won't grow spiritually.
Stance 1: God will accept it.
Stance 2: Nah
God condescends to our level. He accepts your offering, if you do your best. That's why he accepts the right hand thief's request.
Steps of love: Doing it out of fear, doing it for the reward, doing it because you love Him. All of these are acceptable to God (-St. Basil)
Prove to me the resurrection of Christ is real.
Evidential: Eye witness testimony- to the extent of dying brutally for their belief.
Non-Christian Historians: Josephus and Tacitus
What is the role of man and women in marriage?
BONUS 200 PTS: What does this relationship represent?
Women: To obey
Man: To die for the other
Bonus:
The relationship represents Christ and the church
Ephesians 5:
22Wives, submit to your own husbands, as to the Lord. 23For the husband is head of the wife, as also Christ is head of the church; and He is the Savior of the body. 24Therefore, just as the church is subject to Christ, so let the wives be to their own husbands in everything.
25Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself for her
Why is judging considered the absolutely worst sin (according to St Dorotheos)
You take God off his throne and you put yourself on the throne. You make yourself to be God.
Note: Judging is when you sentence someone to a punishment ("he deserves xyz to happen", "he's not a good person", etc).
Why do we attend church more often during Pascha?
So we can walk through the suffering of Christ with Him.
As science gets better and better, we will need religion less and less because science will be able to explain everything.
Stance 1: We will always need religion
Stance 2: At one point, science will explain everything
Religion explains the "why and who"
Science explains the "what and how"
Prove to me God exists.
Morality: Objective morality can only be real if there is an objective Truth. We all agree that killing kids is bad, therefore, objective morality exists. Therefore God which is Truth exists.
Cosmological: Everything that happens has a cause. But if you trace it back there must be an unmoved mover, an uncaused causer. Otherwise the universe would have no beginning. Since the universe has a beginning, something must've caused it (law of causality).
Design of the universe: The universe can only be so perfect because it has a creator (pi, e, gravity, earth, human design, ecosystems, atomic structure, etc.). The chance it happened randomly is too small to have happened.
Faith: There's no definitive proof that God DOES NOT exist. Therefore, if theres a chance he could exist, then he MUST exist. Otherwise he wouldn't be all powerful, etc. You need more faith that God doesn't exist than to have faith that he does exist.
How do you know if you are ready to date?
1. Physical, emotional, and spiritual maturity
2. Male: Are you able to provide? Female: Are you able to obey?
3. Are you ready to love to the point of death?
4. Are you dating because you are lonely?
5. Are you filled with the love of God to the extent that you can fill someone else up as well?
Why is sin not just black and white (i.e is all lying bad?). Give an example inside and outside scripture.
Sin is not black and white. Not all lying is bad and not all anger is bad (i.e. Christ in the temple). Something being sinful depends on the heart, intent, and situation. Something can be a sin for one person and not a sin for another because of their heart and intention.
Examples: Fasting to appear spiritual. Giving money to appear good. You go to church dressed well so you can feel good about yourself or want people to praise you.
Why do Orthodox Christians fast the way they do?
1. We try to empty of ourselves so we can make space for God.
2. We try to discipline the body so that the Spirit can take over.
3. We try to imitate Adam and Eve in the garden before they ate animals and death was introduced into the world.
Scenario: There's a lady about to give birth but she finds out there's a 50% chance the birth of the baby will kill her. The baby will be fine.
Stance 1: This is a rare scenario where the baby can be aborted
Stance 2: Nah
Stance 1: You are not intending to kill the baby
You are trying to save the mother’s life
Stance 2: "Greater love has no one than this than to lay down one's life for his friends" John 15:13