The Return to Further Inquiry

For over a year, I have halted from writing on this blog. But I have not stopped from studying about Orthodoxy. However, it has been a constant roller-coaster; some days I feel positive about what the Orthodox Church teaches; but other days, not so much.

Sometimes I find myself wondering, "what is the truth?" The Orthodox Church says one thing, but those from the Evangelical circles say another. Some stuff sometimes are proven, while others are often disproven. I find myself going in circles and sometimes I feel that I'd like to start all over so that I can examine more closely and understand better the history and theology from both sides. Because often I feel like my brain has become muck... and I comprehend nothing, which leads to constant frustration.

Is there a winning side? What if, instead of rivals, the West and East are really complements to each other? Could that be possible? I'd like to think that, but at the same time, I'm not sure if it is possible to reconcile.

When I first started looking into Orthodoxy, I remember this feeling of awe, this feeling of, "I have finally found what I have been looking for." I remember reading and thinking, "I recognize Christ here! He is here, I see Him in the lives of the Saints. I see Him in history of the Church, in the teachings of the Church. This is where I need to go to experience Christ!" And even after 2 years of just reading about Orthodoxy, I still feel that way.

However, the recurring issue is that I cannot defend my reason to wanting to go to the Orthodox Church. And it is frustrating. Frustrating because while I know that reason doesn't always go in hand with faith, there has to be good solid reasons for WHY I believe what I believe about the Christian faith. So far, I haven't been able to give good solid reasons, and in all honesty, I believe that I need to be as honest as possible if I am to continue on this exploration.

SO...

I will attempt again to make sense of why I even commenced Reverting the Reformation. What is the truth? Who has the truth? And is there a True Church founded by the Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God?

Kyrie Eleison.

Discovering the Roots of Christian Orthodoxy: Judaism

For some time now I've been trying to be consistent in my reading and studying on the Orthodox Church. And quite recently, I've been devoting some time to "Surprised by Christ:: : My Journey from Judaism to Orthodox Christianity" by Fr A. James Bernstein, a Jewish convert to Orthodoxy. Coming from a Zionist Evangelical Protestant background, Fr A. James Bernstein's story on his journey to Orthodoxy has thus far been inspiring, and has helped propel me to continue on my exploration on Orthodoxy.

From a very young age, I was taught to have a respect for the nation of Israel; a love for the Jewish people was loosely instilled in me due to the facts that Jesus was a Jew and that Salvation comes from the Jews (John 4:22). Growing up, my mother was big on movies about Jews, especially films on the Holocaust. Messianic music was also something that tended to echo throughout the house; Joel Shernof was and still is my mother's favorite. At church, the emphasize of the nation of Israel still being God's chosen was not lacking. And while we weren't hard core Zionists (we weren't sending money for Zionist agendas, or mixing in politics), we definitely were encouraged to hold the view that Israel is God's chosen, that Israel has every right to the land of Israel (Israel, not Palestine) and that the Rapture is not the Second Coming, but a separate event in the end of times. There was a point in my life when I even wanted to live on a kibbutz and learn Hebrew.

As naive and young as I was, I kind of thought I knew enough about Judaism. I knew I didn't know all that is needed to know what Judaism is about (and I still don't), but I thought that my interpretation of the Bible and what I was taught at home and at church was enough justification for me to hold that view.  However, it wasn't until in the recent two years that I came to realize my perception of the nation of Israel and Judaism were extremely distorted. I was going through a spiritual crisis; I had come to realize that my view of Christian Zionism was a pretty double-standard theological view. I realized that there was something wrong with my theological view. I realized I wasn't satisfied for a reason, and from there I commenced to question my Zionist Evangelical Protestant faith, and I started searching for the Truth, on and off, until God brought to my attention Orthodoxy.

Now, by reading "Surprised by Christ", so far my realization that I don't know enough about Judaism has been accented. In his book, Fr James dedicates portions in which he describes how Christian Orthodoxy has its origins in Orthodox Judaism and how Orthodoxy is the fulfillment of Orthodox Judaism. In chapter 9, "Worship in the Ancient Church", he is descriptive of how the early Christians worshiped, citing various primary sources that were clear that worship in the Ancient Church was extremely different to how the many various Protestant churches worship today. In chapter 12, "Orthodoxy: Jewish and Christian", he goes into depth on how Scriptural worship in the Orthodox Church is and her roots in Jewish Orthodoxy. In these two chapters, he demonstrates the historical continuity of the Orthodox faith as well as her connection to Jewish worship, two points that as a Zionist Evangelical Protestant Christian have helped me to push me to keep exploring Orthodoxy.  

In chapter 12, Fr James writes,  "Jewish worship was always physical. The Old Testament people of God worshiped with music, with color, with light and candles, with sweet aroma and incense, with art, with rhythmic chant, with feasts and fasts, with cycles of holy days, and with godly order and liturgy. I came to realize these things were neither pagan in origin nor temporal in character . They were fulfilled in Christ and retained." When I first read that paragraph some weeks back, it stuck to my mind. And I contemplated how that could be true. As I continued reading chapter 12, Fr James gave Scriptural support of the things that the Orthodox Church practices because of her Jewish heritage, but are lacking for the most part in the various Protestant churches. I further realized that I was missing a lot of information that I had skipped over when reading the Bible; the ritualistic nature of worship, for instance. There were some things that I still wasn't sure about, like that of icons (which is the usual nemesis of the Protestant exploring Orthodoxy). But I was still intrigued and I decided not to give up; that with time I would come to understand more.

Quite recently, I came across a Youtube video, "The Liturgy: From the Ancient Israelites till the Messiah"; a comparison between practices of ancient and modern day Judaism and the Christian Orthodox Church. As I watched the video, Fr James' book came to my mind, and it clicked; from the veneration of icons to the Eucharist to the chants and EVEN the vestments. I saw the continuity of the ancient Jewish tradition in the Orthodox Christian tradition in this video. No one can deny the similarities between both traditions. One SHOULD note that despite the approximate 1,500 year-old schism between the Oriental Communion and the Eastern Communion, in this video it can be seen that BOTH churches continue with their Jewish roots.   

 As I continue my walk towards Orthodoxy, I hope that with time I will come to learn more about Ancient Judaism and how it shaped Christian Orthodoxy in contrast to today's Zionist Christian ideology that is lacking, to me, the depth that Christian Orthodoxy has due to the fact that Christian Orthodoxy is the fulfillment of ancient Judaism.   

- Kassia Diakonia 

Sources:

Bernstein, Fr. A. James. Surprised by Christ: My Journey from Judaism to Orthodox Christianity. Conciliar Press.

Now That I am Orthodox - Ruth Obadiah

Today's blog post will be from Ruth Obadiah on her experience as a new Orthodox convert. She recently wrote a piece on her journey into Orthodoxy, "Why am I becoming Orthodox?" She also has recently opened up her own blog site, "The Orthodox Truth". 

Now that I am Orthodox.

One can be forgiven for thinking “that is it now, baptized – all done, just carry on with your life, you are saved! Go be happy!” Despite being an Orthodox baby, that is not my understanding of the Orthodox Faith, not at all. This is the beginning, not the end. I’ve just been born, not died. This is the beginning, and the Christian life is hard. The gate is narrow. I am learning that, and learning it fast.

About 3 years after finding Christ and investigating the early Church, I found myself looking at Orthodoxy. However, there was still so much I needed to know. So I concluded that I needed to speak to Orthodox people, clergy and laity alike. I needed answers desperately, but I knew no local Orthodox people.

I decided to use Facebook and dialogue with Orthodox people in Orthodox Groups. Speaking to Orthodox people is a perfect way to study the Orthodox Faith, and how it is lived day by day – in an objective and honest manner.  This posed a problem however, the Church that I was a member of – despite being full of people I love and who love Christ passionately – was also a Church that was, and still is – very much against the Established Church. You can’t get any more established than the Orthodox Church.

So, I created for myself another Facebook account and joined many Orthodox Groups – this gave me the opportunity to study Orthodoxy without external and subjective distractions.   I started asking questions about Orthodoxy, about the theology, how it compared to modern theology. I started studying more intensively literature and writings from the early Church Fathers – and I asked questions, a lot of them.

I often played a game, a simple game of ask a specific question, and address it to several Orthodox clergy from across the world.  The response I received staggered me, it seemed that Orthodox teachings were uniform everywhere! How could this be? Surely some people must have their own opinion on interpretations? And that is the difference I found, Orthodoxy isn’t about picking up a Bible and deciding for ourselves what it means.  After all, God is not a God of confusion – is He?

Sadly, ignorance has played a big part in the rejection of me from my old Church since leaving to become Orthodox.  Other people around me saw the journey I was on, saw the beautiful deep quotes I posted every day and read the many articles I posted about Orthodoxy – and they began asking me questions. They asked me.

I have been accused of many things and people now ignore me in the street, I have lost almost every Christian friend I had, but the goal - the goal is so worth it. God sees all things, He is my witness and it is to Him alone that I am accountable. The gate is narrow, the Cross is heavy – Christ did not say that it would be easy, did He? Never look back, never ever look back. 

This treasure that I have found, it never ceases to take my breath away.  When I first realized that the world did not revolve around me, and I found God – I was constantly sharing this with people, this wonderful amazing God actually loved and wanted me, despite all the bad things I had done. Now that I have found this treasure, the Church that even history agrees is the one that Christ established through His Apostles – this I also want to share, this beautiful gift.

So, here I am on this wonderful journey. Continually discovering new things and every day I am facing new challenges. I am studying, I am constantly being encouraged to study by my Spiritual Father, both academically and things of my own choice – i.e, the Scriptures, comparative theology and Church history. This goes against everything I was led to believe before, as I was always taught that those who educate themselves are so full of “head knowledge” that they lose the concept of the Gospel. I can’t even begin to explain how much my understanding of the Scriptures has changed, there is a depth to Orthodoxy that truly has to be experienced.

You cannot argue with recorded history. For the first 1,000 years of Christianity, the world was Orthodox (the see of Antioch, Alexandria, Jerusalem, Rome and Constantinople) – to argue with recorded history is as futile as denying the existence of King Henry VIII because you dislike his creation of the Church of England. Facts are facts.

Then, Rome broke away from the other 4 sees, in effect becoming the first “Protestants”. Over time adding doctrine after doctrine – until the Roman Church barely resembled that of the early Church. It is hardly surprising the Reformation occurred. Sadly, modern day evangelicals are basically doing what the Roman Church did – adding doctrine after doctrine. Sola Scriptura has a lot to answer for. The Rapture and the modern day interpretation of the state of Israel are two perfect examples of this. Both are barely 150 years old and neither have ever been taught in the Church at any time.  The true irony for me, is that despite the reformers hatred of all things “Catholic”, almost all their theology is a convoluted branch from Rome. Who is curious enough to research this…?

I had to ask myself “who is right?” The Apostles and their Disciples – the men who actually got their teachings from Christ Himself and faithfully recorded their teachings in the many Epistles, like Ignatius, Polycarp and also through Holy Tradition? Or various men who came nearly 2,000 years later whose theology not only disagreed with the Early Church, but also with each other?

How can I be true to myself unless I am being obedient to God? Compromising is not being obedient, it is telling God that He did not quite get it right. Christ said that we are to pick up our Cross, He did not add a footnote saying “unless it becomes difficult or inconvenient, or makes you really unpopular”.

Now that I am baptized, I have received the most precious Gift of the Holy Spirit, and I am Orthodox. The desire to share this incredible gift burns away in me like an enormous fire. The sacraments and guidance I receive strengthen me both Spiritually and physically. Orthodoxy is not emotional, it is deeply Spiritual and every single day I am reminded of this. I am home. Yet my journey has only just begun.

I am saved, I am being saved, I will be saved.

Ruth Obadiah - Reverted Protestant.

Why am I becoming an Orthodox Christian? - By Ruth Obadiah

Today, I have the privilege and pleasure to share with you the life experience, her reasons for reverting, of Ruth Obadiah, guest writer for today's post. Ruth comes from an agnostic back ground, but later on through a series of events transitioned into evangelical Christianity, and had been for about 4 years. Now, in a matter of 16 days she will, as she likes to say, "be going home" to Orthodoxy. She is preparing for her baptism into the British Orthodox Church, which is a part of the Coptic Orthodox Patriarchate. Please keep her in your prayers as she continues her walk with Christ. 

I have been a Christian for only around 4 years and I was a member of a local evangelical non-denominational Church.  Right from the beginning I had a love of Church history. I loved reading about the Apostles, the Early Church and the Church Fathers.  This was a major factor that led me to the doors of the Orthodox Church.

But, why do I want to become an Orthodox Christian?

Well, I truly believe that the Orthodox Church is the Original Church – the Church that Christ established through His Apostles. History proves this, and that her teachings have remained the same since the first century. Recorded evidence shows that the theology of the Orthodox Church is that of the Early Church, everything is fully available to those that seek.

Orthodoxy is for everyone – it is for the ordinary everyday person. I am an ordinary woman, born into an ordinary working-class family; in an ordinary working-class part of the UK. A quick look at the history of the Early Church in my own country shows that England was fully Orthodox in its doctrines for almost the first 11 centuries of Christianity. During this time, Orthodoxy was practiced by ordinary average people, just like me.

The Orthodox Church was responsible for compiling and approving the New Testament. In my eyes, this provides an enormous sense of reliability and trustworthiness, something I have not found anywhere else.  This is extended into the uniformity of the teachings of the Orthodox Church, it doesn’t matter which Orthodox Church I visit, or which Orthodox priest I speak to (and I have spoken to many), the teachings do not vary. This is such a refreshing blessing.   I love the fact that the Orthodox Church is Apostolic, and that every priest can physically trace back his ancestry through the Church directly back to the 12 Apostles.

One of the major attractions for me regarding Orthodoxy is that it not all about “me, me, me” “I, I, I”. It is all about God.  Everything about Orthodoxy, from the doctrines to the worship – are all about glorifying God in His fullness – about worshiping the Trinity of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. 

I also love the emphasis that Orthodoxy places on the Divinity of Christ, fully God, fully Man – always.  This is unsurprising, considering how many times this was defended against heresies in the first few centuries – and how many Orthodox Christians died defending the Faith.    Orthodoxy aims to actually “make” us holy, not to simply appear to be so.

One of the great blessings I found in the Orthodox Church is that it meets you where you are, and guides you by the hand on a life-long journey.  Orthodoxy does not teach that you must be Orthodox to be “saved”, or that all Orthodox Christians are “saved”.  Nor does it teach that it is the only way to reach God, we reach God with our heart.  This is refreshing and contrasts somewhat with many modern evangelicals who often base ones salvation on who jumps around the most, waving arms and speaking in “tongues”. This is emotional worship, not spiritual. To think that a person is uncomfortable or standoffish with the Holy Spirit for not wishing to worship in this way saddens me greatly, and shows an incredible level of shallowness and ignorance.

In Orthodoxy, the worship is breathtakingly beautiful, and mysterious. There is an unbroken continuity in the style of worship, with a reverence and holiness unlike anything I have experienced before. It stimulates all my senses simultaneously. It hasn’t tried to rationalize it - as in the case of the Roman Catholic Church, nor has it tried to remove it in the way that Protestants have. It is simply unchanged heavenly worship, with more Scripture per service than you can shake a stick at.

During my initial research into Orthodoxy, my only real challenge was a common one amongst Protestants, and that is the intercession of the Saints. But, after much prayer, study and many in-depth discussions with many Orthodox clergy – I soon overcame this hurdle and I now have no theological problem with it.

I have struggled accepting just how far in general Christianity has drifted from the Early Church, so much has changed. The gifts of the Holy Sacraments have become mere “symbols” and the theology varies depending on who is reading the Scriptures and how they interpret it.

No.  God does not change, and neither does His teachings. That is why He chose His Disciples and gave us His Church.

My journey into Orthodoxy has seen me lose many friends on the way, I will always pray for them. For hearts, minds and eyes to be opened – so that they can see this beautiful treasure for what it truly is.

The narrow path is very narrow. As a person, I feel I have changed a lot since my journey into Orthodoxy first began. I have matured, and I am more aware of my (many) faults and I try (usually unsuccessfully) to address them.

It is very exciting to wonder what the future will hold for me, an Orthodox Christian.  I don’t wish to simply “read the Gospel”, I wish to “live the Gospel” – the first century Gospel.

I am saved, I am being saved – I will be saved. 

Ruth Obadiah.  - Reverting Protestant 

Intercession of the Zombies (Saints)

The first Orthodox Christian Tradition that I bumped heads with when I started to look into Orthodoxy was that of the intercession of the Saints. It didn't make sense to me that it would be permissible by God for us to talk to the dead, and much less in the spirit of prayer. For a Protestant, the dead are dead; they can't hear us nor can they see us. And what's more, it's forbidden.

Or so I thought.

Being Protestant, I am big on Sola Scriptura (or so I was...erhm). It is what defines the faith of the Protestant Christian. Without the Bible, there is no Gospel. Without the Bible, there is no Word of God; no truth to abide by. The Bible is the manual to every day living. Man-made traditions do not override the Bible; they are beneath the Bible. And if they contradict the Bible, one must throw the tradition out!

 And intercession of the Saints to me (such as I was taught) was such a tradition; one that I thought was wrong and should be thrown out. I believed it to have been something that arose centuries later after the conception of Christianity. I did not believe it to come from Christianity.

 However, after a few discussions here and there with a friend of mine who at time was also looking into Orthodoxy (and is now a catechumen - soon to be baptized... yay!), a little research on early Christianity (more on that later), I began to see that there was something deeper in that tradition - not only theologically, but spiritually as well.

The usual arguments are as follows:

"It's forbidden to talk to the Dead. Necromancy was actually punishable by death in the OT."

"Only God can hear and answer prayers. No one else is omnipresent and omniscient."

"Only Christ is our intercessor. There is no other than him."

"The Bible says that people are destined to die only once, and after that to face judgment. And that during that time, people are asleep. Daniel says that too..."

To be continued...  

  

 

The Prayer Letter - Part 3 - Apathy: Consequence of Church Structure

Continuation of The Prayer Letter. For part 1, click here. For part 2, click here.  

The last few things that I touched based in the letter were my thoughts on fasting, festivities, and praying. As I wrote this last part of the post, I realized that it would get pretty extensive. So, I decided to cut this part 3 short, and will later on expand on each point as a separate post.

I must confess that as a Christian, I have never fasted. Sure, I've skipped a few meals here and there. And at times, my church leaders occasionally encourage fasting. But it isn't something we practice as a congregation, something I believe that would be helpful if we did.

In my congregation, as most Protestant Christians make habit of, we celebrate Easter and Christmas to commemorate the Birth, Life, Death, and Resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ, similarly to the Orthodox. We don't, however, commemorate the deaths of the Christian martyrs on a daily basis, honoring them for having denied themselves, for having picked up their cross, and imitating them just as they imitated Christ. Paul said, "Imitate me, just as I also imitate Christ" (1 Cor 11:1, NIV) For a while, it seemed to me strange to honor someone I've never spoken to or seen, and much less a 'dead' person. But gradually, it started to make sense to me. If Paul calls us to imitate him as he imitated Christ, then what difference is there in imitating others (who are actually alive in Christ) who imitated Christ as well?

Like all normal people, I go about my daily living, but like all normal Christians, when do I stop to pray to God and consistently make him the focal point of my life? Which goes to the final point: prayer. In many Protestant Churches, prayer is suppose to come from the heart. Repeating other people's prayers is considered vain, and often times the words of Christ are used to resonate against such a practice: "But when ye pray, use not vain repetitions, as the heathen do: for they think that they shall be heard for their much speaking." (Matthew 6:7, KJV) However, I came to the conclusion that when Christ mentioned 'heathens' he certainly wasn't talking about pious souls in search of unity with God in holiness, something I see in the Orthodox Church. Further more, another conclusion that I have come to is "What difference is there in memorizing Bible verses and memorizing the prayers of others?" We are encouraged to memorize the prayers of King David (Psalms); if the prayers of other people reflect our own emotions and needs, than why not?

When I came to the end of the prayer letter, I came upon a very sad conclusion. I don't pray like I should. I don't fast. In all honesty, I don't imitate Christ, and much less honor those who have. I don't take Holy Communion every Sunday (and haven't done so in three years since the last time I partook in it), and I don't confess my sins on a daily basis, nor am I held accountable for my sins. What fruit am I producing as a Christian?

Indeed, is this the fruit of a Christian? If I were living in the 1st century, and lived this life equivalent to one of 1st A.D., would I be considered a true Christian? We all know the answer, and it's a big NO! Of course, with this I am not saying that all Protestants are like me, or have experienced their faith as I have. But the fact that I am the daughter of a Protestant minister of more than 20 years, born and raised as a Protestant Christian, bring these questions into light, "Is apathy a consequence of the structure of a church?" "Considering that the Orthodox Christian doesn't teach Once Saved, Always Saved, what does this say in regards to my salvation?"

Exploring Christian Orthodoxy and considering to become Christian Orthodoxy? May I suggest that when you consider Christian Orthodoxy, evaluate your spiritual life in the context of Christian Orthodoxy. A Prayer Letter might do the trick...   

The Cross, the Nativity, and Iconoclasm

Today I was reminded of the emphatic need to examine myself in what I believe. "Examine yourselves to see if you are in the faith. Test yourself." (2 Corinthians 3:5) It's amazing how many Christians have a different perception of what the truth is, and what interpretation they use to examine and test as genuine faith. And today, all it took was a small box with simple stamps of simple Nativity caricatures to highlight this notion. 

Today, my beloved, hard-core Protestant, wife of a minister, grandmother said, "That of the Nativity is satanic." When she uttered such nonsense, my stomach churned and a taste of intense disgust emerged in my mouth. You might wonder in what context she uttered such blatant blasphemy? Let me convey to you the general context of such a comment. 

The women in my family have an immense love for thrift stores. And whenever we get together, the possibility of going thrift shopping is without fail. Today was no exception. However, on this occasion, I decided not to go. We were visiting family out of town, and near their house, downtown, one can find a few Christian Protestant thrift stores where Christian material is abundant. My mother, my aunts, and my grandmother went to scout them out while I stayed back at my relative's house. An hour later, they came back to the house, we said our goodbyes, and then departed back to our house. 

On our way back home, my family commenced to talk about their shopping, and my mother commented that in a box that my grandmother bought with stamps contained icons. "Icons?" I asked surprised, looking up from a book I was reading. My mother chuckled (she is one of the few people in the family who knows about me exploring Christian Orthodoxy), and said, "yes, icons." I paused and asked, "grandma, can I see?", hoping to see some elaborate handiwork of Christian Orthodox icons. My grandmother paused (she doesn't know about my interest, at least I don't believe so...) and said, "what for?" I persisted, and she reluctantly handed me the box. 

I opened the box, eager to find maybe an icon of some sort, expecting really Roman Catholic icons, as it would be highly unusual to find Christian Orthodox icons in the area where I live. But I found nothing of that sort; just stamps of the Nativity scene of individual cartoon-like characters of the Three Wise Men, the shepherds, the Nativity Star, and among these unrelated but Christian stamps as well as a stamp of a simple Cross.

"Grandma, these aren't icons..." I said bewildered, closing the box, and handing it back to her. "They are!", she said emphatically. "They are just stamps of the Nativity scene..." I said, as she took the box back. "It doesn't matter. There is a Cross in there too. I'm going to burn them.", she answered as she placed the box next to her. My heart literally jumped. Burn them?!, I thought to myself, incredulous. And then, with a voice of displeasure, she said,

"That of the Nativity is satanic." 

I looked up sharply, my eyes widening in disbelief at the back of her head as I was sitting in the back seat. Satanic? The Nativity? Even my mother turned her head to the side to look at her mother, and said, "Satanic? Mom, there is nothing wrong with celebrating the Nativity. In fact, we should celebrate it every day, not just Christmas..." The conversation trailed off into the background as I frowned and shook my head in disgust at the audacity of my grandmother's comment, and went back into my own world of musings, and wondering how my grandmother, who says she is a Christian, would find it ok to burn a stamper of the Cross? 

Of course, I know that those stamps are actually icons, because they are images in themselves. But when I think of icons, I think of images of the Saints with elaborate symbolism embedded in them, conveying holiness. Not a child's box with simple stamps of cartoon characters of the Nativity scene, which even so in a sense hold a holy significance because of what they represent in their simplicity. Even before I started learning about Orthodoxy and getting the gist of the beauty of icons, I don't believe I have ever had such a negative view of images conveying Biblical truths 

So, to hear such words come from my own grandmother's mouth shocked and displeasured me. To me, in that instance she desecrated something that is holy by saying she will burn those icons, along with the Cross, and topped it off with calling the Nativity satanic. From where will I now draw my respect for her? Obviously, I will continue to respect her, but believe me when I say it will be harder to take her seriously in regards to the spiritual.   

Iconoclasm is prevalent in my family. And the foundation for such virulent belief comes from the Ten Commandments,

“You shall not make for yourself a carved image or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth. You shall not bow down to them or serve them, for I the Lord your God am a jealous God... "
-Exodus 20:4-5 (ESV)

Never mind that icons have a profound and special place in the Bible, and that their place in the history of the Church has been for centuries. Never mind that it was a Christian practice to have icons of the Lord Jesus Christ and of the Saints. Never mind that the illiterate learned from such precious images. Images are forbidden in the Bible, it's satanic! And that's that! (Please note, sarcasm...)

How to test yourself if you are in the faith when you think that the Nativity is satanic? And go as far as to say that because of icons? It's not in my place to contemplate what that could possibly mean for my grandmother as I know that I too have a sinful heart that needs to be cleaned. But it is alarming and scary to have heard those words come from my own grandmother's mouth.

And I ask myself now, "What will grandma say if one of her grandchildren reverted back to what she considers pagan?" Good question. Let's not think about that now.