Eleventh Doctor Q&A

[Miss Friendship]

I'd go underground and start illegal debating clubs.

I think I'd want to support this but likely I'd argue you are disobeying the government on nothing extremely important.

Why don't you like street preachers? Jesus preached to mass crowds, as did his disciples and apostles....following their example seems like a good thing. *asks Eleventh a question and adds her own opinions*

What do you think of outdoor weddings? (Or has this been asked before)

[Eleventh Doctor]

Free speech is extremely important, the right of the people to assemble.

Jesus did preach to mass crowds, that had come to hear Him. His Apostles went to the synagogues or to the gatherings of philosophers where people had gathered to discuss theological issues. I don't see an example of them standing on a street corner and yelling at people. Maybe I've just had bad experiences with street preachers but I can't imagine what I've seen to be a good way of spreading the gospel.

I am very much against outdoor weddings, my own brother is thinking about having one and it distresses me greatly. I of course place importance on the church building itself and think that an altar specifically is important. But also from a strictly pragmatic viewpoint that's just inviting so many logistical issues.

[Miss Friendship]

Well how else to you get a message across to people who will never come to a Church in the first place? Its quicker to preach vs. handing out tracts which can be rejected in the first place. I guess holding a sign is effective because it can talk for you and people can't reject seeing it.

I happen to actually agree with you here, but I don't see anything wrong with an outdoor wedding if that's someone's preference. I mean, its a marriage under Gods sky and in His great outdoors. What's wrong with that? The Church is more traditional, but why can't people change? Can't you carry an alter outdoors if that's what's needed?

Would you rather get married outdoors or in a stuffy basement?

[Eleventh Doctor]

I don't see why speed is a factor in deciding how to preach the gospel. I would rather serve others before trying to preach to them, form relationships rather than impersonally hand them tracts or shout messages to them.

The church building is more traditional and I'm not sure about carrying an altar outside but I suspect that would be highly unusual. God since the OT has always commanded the building of temples, starting with the Tabernacle. While the outdoors are His creation it seems clear to me that worship is to take place in temples.

I refuse to answer false dichotomies

[Doll]

I am very much against outdoor weddings, my own brother is thinking about having one and it distresses me greatly. I of course place importance on the church building itself and think that an altar specifically is important. But also from a strictly pragmatic viewpoint that's just inviting so many logistical issues.

Plus outside weddings in the summer are so hot, especially if you have a lot of layers of clothing on. Bleh.

Do you have a specific church building you would like to get married in, and if not, what are your specifics for the church? Are they physical specifics, or spiritual ones, or both?

[Eleventh Doctor]

If I were getting married soon I'd get married in my home parish. As for ideals in the future, it'd have to be Orthodox so all of the physical and spiritual specifics that go with that. Mostly involving icons, an altar, priest. Spiritual, being an Orthodox church obviously. If I want to continue to be Orthodox I can't get married in a non-Orthodox wedding or church.

[Miss Friendship]

Speed isn't really the thing here. How do you reach as many people as possible? You can't form a personal relationship with every single person that you pass by in your life. And yet, we have a duty to warn the lost.

No more unusual than carting a piano outdoors. But marriage is more of a ceremony than worship to God (Not saying this shouldn't be included)

OK fine, but you have to define dichotomies for me.

[Doll]

If I were getting married soon I'd get married in my home parish. As for ideals in the future, it'd have to be Orthodox so all of the physical and spiritual specifics that go with that. Mostly involving icons, an altar, priest. Spiritual, being an Orthodox church obviously. If I want to continue to be Orthodox I can't get married in a non-Orthodox wedding or church.

Okay. Are all orthodox churches fairly similar in layout, or are there different types (i.e., the number of aisles, the size, the ceiling height, etc.)

[Eleventh Doctor]

I don't think the goal is reaching as many as possible, I think it's about reaching people effectively and helping them start a life with Christ not say a prayer.

I would consider an altar and a piano different. Also I think it is about worship of God.

Dichotomy meaning everything must belong to one part or the other. You have given me two options, those are not the only two options.

There are many different types of layouts, most not having aisles since traditionally we don't use pews or seats. This picture shows the various parts of an Orthodox church that are included in most in different ways: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eastern_O ... terior.jpg

[Doll]

There are many different types of layouts, most not having aisles since traditionally we don't use pews or seats. This picture shows the various parts of an Orthodox church that are included in most in different ways: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eastern_O ... terior.jpg

Oh, okay.

In orthodox weddings, does one wear certain garments as opposed to regular wedding?

[Eleventh Doctor]

Nope, we wear the same clothing all though we do wear crowns during the service.

[Miss Friendship]

Nope, we wear the same clothing all though we do wear crowns during the service.

Crowns? What? Trying to be Kings and Queens?

So you don't dress up at all?

Do all Orthodox churches have to look exactly the same inside and out?

[Eleventh Doctor]

Yes, monarchs of your household

No I didn't say that, I said we don't dress up any differently than most.

No, I was just giving some elements that are present in most Orthodox churches. There can be lots of variety with those elements.

[Tarol]

Okay, a few comments since I was gone all week:

I have seen Kent Hovind in an age of the earth debate, and really wasn't impressed. He was up against an Astronomer who knew his science, and Kent just kinda ignored him... >_> And I would think there are better places to get YEC information that from Kent, like the ICR or CMI.

>_> The Harbinger. Ugh. I had to give a report on that book to my entire family this last week.... But, anywayz.

I know you said this a while ago, but by saying you are going to The Church, aren't you acting like the Jews during Paul's time? The Christian-Jews said they had the history so they were better Christians, while the Gentiles were just passing by as Christians, "non-normative" as you would say.

Does your church have a "Mary-ology"?

Why do you think we need to worship in a certain building? I thought when Jesus died for us, the Holy of Holies was destroyed, signifying that God lived in all of us, and we could worship Him anywhere. Jesus even says this when talking to the woman at the well, I believe...

[Eleventh Doctor]

I don't believe I'm acting like the Jews during Paul's time. I believe that I am simply holding true to the teachings of the Apostles in the Church that Christ established. I talk about the history not because things are better if they're older, well that is true but not the point here, but to show that these teachings do come from the Apostles. I don't believe that the Apostles taught something that was lost until the Reformation and then not "really" understood until today; because the Reformers wouldn't recognize most modern Protestant denominations.

We have theology dealing with Mary yes, so do Protestants they just don't have much.

I don't think we need to worship in A specific building. I think though that the normative is to have a temple we worship in, not The Temple but a temple. I mean Christ when He was here on earth would go to the porch of the Temple and the Apostles continued to go to the temple even after the Holy of Holies were destroyed. I'm not denying we can worship God anywhere but the NT makes it clear that we are to gather together to worship and my belief is that it is normative to do so in temples.

[Tarol]

Okay, whatever. Just be careful when you are talking about things like that. We don't need more church division then there already is.

My brothers and I were talking about church history the other day, and it gave me the idea... Can you give a brief history lesson on the Catholic/Orthodox schism and what the main "breaking points" were?

[Eleventh Doctor]

True we don't need church division, let's all reunite.

A brief history, you've given me quite the task. To explain the schism you need to understand the importance of the Apostolic Sees, these were bishoprics founded by one of the Apostles and were centers of historical Christianity. The five Apostolic Sees were Rome (St. Peter), Constantinople (St. Andrew), Alexandria (St. Mark), Antioch (St. Peter), and Jerusalem (St. James). The bishop of Rome was given special honors, he was viewed as the first among equals, he would often act as mediator between the different Sees if disputes arose. However in 467 when the western Roman empire fell to the Germanic tribes the See of Rome was cut off from the other Sees. In 661 Muslims had taken over the territory of the Sees of Alexandria, Antioch, and Jerusalem further dividing the Sees. In 692 some issues of married vs celibate clergy arose, as well as issues over the date of Easter, the fasting rules, and the use of unleavened bread. The churches continued to drift apart over these differences.

Fast forward to 1014 and Pope Leo IX claims Papal Supremacy over the other four Apostolic Sees because of the issue of the Filoque; which is the addition to the Nicene-Constantinople Creed of "And the Son" where it says "And I believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, and Giver of Life, Who proceedeth from the Father" The four Apostolic Sees besides Rome claim that the Pope does not have Papal Supremacy and that the Creed cannot be changed. The Bishops of Rome and Constantinople excommunicate each other. The other three Apostolic Sees maintain communion with Constantinople and break communion with Rome and the other Western churches. At the time this is not seen as an unrecoverable act as there had been lesser East-West schisms over those earlier issues but East and West had been reunited. However this time after what came to be known as the Great Schism historical events conspired to separate the two to this day. A source of major distrust to this day are the events of the 4th Crusade in 1204 and the sacking of Constantinople by Latin Crusaders. The Fall of Constantinople to the Ottomans in 1453 cut off the Eastern Sees from the West until just recently. The rise of the Moscow Patriarchy in the 17th century and their claims to be the New Rome further divided East and West, their eventual fall to Communism cut them off from all the Sees until the fall of the USSR. Today the rise of ISIS threatens many of the historical Apostolic Sees in the East and threaten to exterminate much of Eastern Christianity.

[Blitz]

I am honored you would want to meet me.

If you had to switch from an orthodox church which other church would you go to?

[Eleventh Doctor]

You have been my loyal second in command for many years now, it would be an honor to meet you.

The only reason I can think of for switching churches would be if I no longer believed in Orthodoxy and if that was the case I'd probably return to what I was before, an atheist.

[Miss Friendship]

An atheist? So its only through the EO Church that you see God?

Random Questions;

What's your average number of hours of sleep?

Have you forgiven me for being a stalker?

Favorite actor?

Which user would you miss the most if they suddenly vanished from the SS?