Eleventh Doctor Q&A

[Eleventh Doctor]

I did not

[Miss Friendship]

If you had to visit either OxR and his dairy farm or me and my weird church, which would it be?

My church isn't actually "weird" but everyone here would probably consider it so

[Eleventh Doctor]

I'd have to say you so I could see your weird church

[Miss Friendship]

So I was reading in your Eastern Orthodox Q&A and had a question. I guess I could have asked it there and bumped that thread, but I figured you'd want it here for page reasons.

Is your normal church service always exactly the same? And just a bunch of prayers and chanting of the same repetitive phrase? That is what the link you had looked like. So the Priest does not share something new each week that he has heard from God?

Speaking of weird churches....

[Eleventh Doctor]

We don't chant the same repetitive phrase. It is true that about 75% of the service is the same from week to week, this is the framework of our service. But we do the daily readings which are different from day to day and we also have hymns that change depending on the day. For example today they will be about John the Baptist, last week they were about Mary, so it's not exactly the same. Also in the middle of the service after the daily readings the priest gives a homily or sermon, usually about the daily readings, the homily is usually shorter than sermons usually about 7-10 mins.

[aragtaghooligan]

This isn't a question but it made me think of you and MF and I didn't know where else to post it where I'd be sure you both would see it but others could see it too and laugh.

[Miss Friendship]

So, your service can be predicted down to who you will sing about? Why go to church if its 75% the same? What did you learn new today?

@Ragtag That meme describes ED, not me.

[Eleventh Doctor]

There are set dates for when we sing about certain people so that all Orthodox in the world are singing about the same person.

As for why go to church if its 75% the same, why do you read the Bible when it's 100% the same? Or why do you re-read portions?

As for what I learned today, the sermon was about Christ and the temples but I spent most of my time cooking for the meal afterwards. But I have learned new things from the 75%, just like I assume you learn new things from the Bible even if you're re-reading it.

[aragtaghooligan]

You didn't comment on my picture.

[Eleventh Doctor]

I like the credible Hulk

[Miss Friendship]

My next question has to do with icons. Doesn't the Ten Commandments forbid the use of images that are worshiped? Because you pray to Saints right?

Also, is it true that the Catholic Bible takes out this Commandment from their Ten Commandments and rearranges one commandment to form two?

[Eleventh Doctor]

The Ten Commandments forbid the worship of images and we do not worship the images or the Saints. The book of Exodus commands the making of objects and images for worship actually, there is a line between objects and images used in worship and actually worshiping objects and images.

Nope, not true.

[Miss Friendship]

Ok, but you didn't answer my question about praying to the Saints. Do you?

How do you know that? You've checked?

[Eleventh Doctor]

I don't pray to the Saints, I ask them to pray for me. Just like you'd ask others to pray for you.

Where did you hear they did? It doesn't fit with anything I know of my Catholic friends, also the Catholic Bibles I've read have all the same commandments.

[Miss Friendship]

Ok, so can Saints hear prayers from people from around the world?

You wouldn't like the source, so I won't bother.

[Eleventh Doctor]

They can

Can you PM me the source?

[Miss Friendship]

So they are like mediators between you and God? What do you do with John 14:6? Or 1 Timothy 2:5?

Sent.

[Eleventh Doctor]

They're no more mediators than your father or pastor or friend is a mediator when they pray to God with you. Those verses don't apply because the Saints are not acting as my mediators.

[Miss Friendship]

So you said they can hear everyone. So are Saints omniscient and omnipresent, so that they can understand thousands of prayers from all over the world in many different languages, all at the same time?

[Eleventh Doctor]

They are in Heaven, I would argue they no longer experience time like we do and they are more like God so they are able to do those things. This has been the witness of the Church for centuries.