Numbers 31:18 and Moses

[GOCPriestMark]

Is not God the Author of all goodness, righteousness and holiness? Do we not trust that He is at all times doing everything to save as many as He can? Then we should certainly give God the benefit of the doubt in all things and account to ourselves the lack of understanding.

Here is something I received in an e-mail yesterday. It could easily apply as a reason why we can't always understand everything in Holy Scripture:

From St. Isaac the Syrian.
"If God is slow in answering your request, and you ask but do not promptly receive anything, do not be upset, for you are not wiser than God.
"When you remain as you were before, without anything happening, it is either because your behaviour is not worthy of your request, or because the paths in which your heart was traveling were far removed from the aim of your prayer, or because your interior condition is far too childish, when compared with the magnitude of the thing for which you have asked."

It is not how much we study, but for what purpose we study. God gives gifts to some and not to others according to His wisdom and what He sees in our hearts. Why stumble over as small a passage and this one, not even something that we could apply to help us achieve humility or some other virtue?

[Olympiada]

What do you mean which Theophan?

By "canonical" do you mean "World Orthodox"? Well actually that strikes me as Origienistic and it was the Antiochian as opposed to the Alexandrian school of exegesis that has always been considered more Orthodox. That said the "World Orthodox" will always go with the way of the "World"- creating an "Orthodoxy" paltable to our fallen natures bringing us into Communion with demons.

You yourself know something of the extent of homosexuality among the higher clergy of certain "jurisdictions".

The problemn is not that we should fear demons per se but fear our own evil selves. If we follow after our fallen nature than we enter into communion with the demons. The angels are always there but we drive them away by our evil ways.

Theophan.

I mean are you the Theophan from another group?
I do not care about canonical. I am an excommunicate. I should not be writing in this Forum. I do not know anything of the homosexuality of any of the bishops. None of them have told me of their homosexual orientation. One of them told me about how he dated girls from grade school until the armed forces, after which he became a celibate deacon, by my deduction. His stories are widely available on the Internet. I can point you in his direction if you like. I am not afraid of my self. Nor am I afraid of the demons with the angels and Christ to fight for me. It is for me to surrender to the light.

[Olympiada]

Is not God the Author of all goodness, righteousness and holiness? Do we not trust that He is at all times doing everything to save as many as He can? Then we should certainly give God the benefit of the doubt in all things and account to ourselves the lack of understanding.

Here is something I received in an e-mail yesterday. It could easily apply as a reason why we can't always understand everything in Holy Scripture:

From St. Isaac the Syrian.
"If God is slow in answering your request, and you ask but do not promptly receive anything, do not be upset, for you are not wiser than God.
"When you remain as you were before, without anything happening, it is either because your behaviour is not worthy of your request, or because the paths in which your heart was traveling were far removed from the aim of your prayer, or because your interior condition is far too childish, when compared with the magnitude of the thing for which you have asked."

It is not how much we study, but for what purpose we study. God gives gifts to some and not to others according to His wisdom and what He sees in our hearts. Why stumble over as small a passage and this one, not even something that we could apply to help us achieve humility or some other virtue?

You are correct. It was an atheist who told me about that scripture. I just parted ways with him. It is over now. I have moved on, I hope. I am a bit obsessed with the subject of concubinage in the Old Testament to be honest, well, a lot obsessed with it.

[TomS]

I am a bit obsessed with the subject of concubinage in the Old Testament to be honest, well, a lot obsessed with it.

In what way? Repulsed by it or intrigued by it?