What can we do to improve E Cafe to make it more pleasing to God?

[Maria]

Dear Bishop Irineos,

As you are aware, the spiritual life is intense, as it should be. We should be engaged in unceasing prayer, and we should be praying for those who hate us that they may repent and be saved.

With all the pollution in Los Angeles, and a lot of it is from geoengineering that we can actually see and then smell it when it falls, my husband and I find ourselves exhausted. Whereas we used to chant a lot during the day, our voices are now weak. How can one sing with the terrible gray pollution that we see and breathe in daily, hourly. These jets fly day and night. Others in major cities are also complaining that it is now more difficult to chant and to pray. Lord have mercy.

Anyway, if you could post some of your sermons and some of your thoughts to stimulate spiritual conversations, this would be good.

In Christ,
Maria

[Agios_Irineos]

My first suggestion would be to examine how the intra-TOC polemics forum pleases God. Discussions can be had without being polemical, but yet we seem to endorse that approach to "discussion" be sanctioning it with a forum of that name.

[Maria]

My first suggestion would be to examine how the intra-TOC polemics forum pleases God. Discussions can be had without being polemical, but yet we seem to endorse that approach to "discussion" be sanctioning it with a forum of that name.

What if we changed the name to Intra-TOC private discussions? This would also mean changing the rules to stress that we are not to use pejorative terms like Kallinikites, Kirykites, Matthewites, etc. The term polemics implies from other forums that nasty terms can be used, and that dissension can be heated. This should not be happening.

Believe it or not, those in the Kirykos faction prefer to be called "Matthewites."

In that regard, what do you think of the discussions currently being held in the Intra-TOC forum?

I have tried to be truthful, yet tactful.

[Agios_Irineos]

My first suggestion would be to examine how the intra-TOC polemics forum pleases God. Discussions can be had without being polemical, but yet we seem to endorse that approach to "discussion" be sanctioning it with a forum of that name.

What if we changed the name to Intra-TOC private discussions? This would also mean changing the rules to stress that we are not to use pejorative terms like Kallinikites, Kirykites, Matthewites, etc. The term polemics implies from other forums that nasty terms can be used, and that dissension can be heated. This should not be happening.

Believe it or not, those in the Kirykos faction prefer to be called "Matthewites."

In that regard, what do you think of the discussions currently being held in the Intra-TOC forum?

I have tried to be truthful, yet tactful.

I think changing the name is a good start. Polemics invites uncivil dialogue. It is wholly unnecessary for the purposes of discussion. I think for the most part, people try to be civil. It has been far worse in the past. Still, I think we should try to make the forum a place where edifying and informative exchanges can occur.

[Maria]

Based on this exchange with Bishop Irineos, we are in the process of changing the rules here to make the entire experience at E Cafe more more conducive to our prayer life, which is to be unceasing.

[xenondrum]

I agree that we need to explore more ways to make E Cafe a more spiritual experience without the polemics and dissension which tends to be so political.

Xenios

[Maria]

The forum descriptions have all been changed. No polemics is allowed anywhere on this board including the private forums. Only polite discussions are allowed with no name-calling, and no gossiping.

Isn't this the behavior that is expected of us in the Church Hall?

Is this too much to ask?

We need to learn to speak the truth with love.