www.byzcath.org Forums General Discussions Town Hall Hello all

Hello everyone.

I'm from Charleston,Sc and I am a Protestant. I've been studying the Catholic faith for a while now, about a year, and am trying to get an understanding of it.

One of my friends from another board, phamass, is Byzantine and he was explaining some things to me. I just wanted to learn a bit more from yall and to fellowship with other believers in Christ our Lord.

Hi,

Welcome to the Forum.

We hope to hear from you soon.

Any particular topic you'd like to discuss?

Many blessings!

Shalom,
Memo

Welcome Desertwoman,

You are in the right place. I used to live in Ladson!

This is a wonderful situation for you. There is now an Eastern Catholic Church in Charleston. The website is here [geocities.com] .

They are currently meeting at Sacred Heart Church on King Street. The Divine Liturgy is Sundays at 9 a.m.

What questions would you like to ask? We are all here to help.

In Christ,

Michael

Dear Desert Woman,

Welcome! We have people from all denominations on this forum. I myself am Orthodox, and a member of the Greek Orthodox Church.

Zenovia

Thanks for the love everyone!

I already believe in the real presence of our Lord in communion because this is in John 6. I just need help in other areas that us Prots get caught up on, like Marian Devotion, Immaculate Conception, Confession and the like.

Welcome Desert Woman!

Stick around and you will start to understand those things about our faith that you presently do not...I believe that you will start to understand the love of our Blessed Virgin Mary, the Mother of God, for us all, and how, like a good and loving Mother, she intercedes for us before the throne of her Son, our Lord Jesus Christ!

Your sister in Christ,
Alice, Moderator

Welcome Desert Woman. Stick around, look up some old posts on the topics you want to learn about, and ask questions. You'll find that the folks here are usually friendly.

God Bless You,

Dr. Eric

Welcome, Desertwoman !

I hope your visits here will be fruitful !

Here are some thoughts to help you on the topics that you mentioned. These are not the last word on these topics, just some ideas to help you understand them.

Devotion to Mary: It's all based on a very simple idea: she is His mom. In other words, devotion to Mary is more about her Son, Jesus Christ, than her. But because of Him, we render honor to His mother. Also, He made her our mother (see John 19: 26 - 27), so we honor her as our spiritual mother too.

Immaculate Conception: The Christian East understands this truth somewhat differently than the Christian West. That is because of our different understandings of original sin. As you know, original sin is the inherited consequence of the sin of our first parents, Adam and Eve. Mary, because she is the mother of the sinless Savior, is believed to be free from original sin. The difference in Eastern and Western interpretations occurs because of the different interpretations of original sin. The Christian West (Catholics and most Protestants) tend to view original more a violation of Divine law that carries a Divine punishment. The Christian East tends to see original sin as a chosen condition in which people are more likely to choose to sin. Both Christian East and West acknowledge both points about original sin-- a violation of Divine law requiring punishment and a condition of selfishness that makes people more likely to sin. The difference is one of emphasis. And thus, the Christian West felt it was necessary to emphasize that Mary never fell under this violation of Divine Law; and that was articulated in the doctrine of the Immaculate Conception. The Christian East, however, felt that this was so obvious that it didn't need to be said. This is a simplification --and there are other dimensions to this issue (such as the question of Church authority, either to declare "new" doctrines or to "articulate" implied and always existing doctrines, etc.)-- but that is the debate about the Immaculate Conception in a nutshell.

Confession: People can always confess their sins directly to Jesus, and He will forgive them. The sacrament / mystery of Confession is for forgiveness and more. (See John 20: 19 - 23.) It is also for special grace from Christ and the Holy Spirit to renew the soul to baptismal purity and healing from the damage of sin. It is also (especially in the Eastern Christian tradition) an opportunity for spiritual direction by one's spiritual director (a pastor, a monk, etc.).

I hope this helps, and I hope you enjoy and find fruitful your visits to this Forum.

-- John

Dear Desertwoman welcome!

As a former Southern Babtist who the Lord brought East twenty five years agoa, I understand where you are at

At the Melkite Mission there in Charleston - oh I am from Lancaster/RockHill area - you will find some very knowlegable people. Take time to check them out.

Pani Rose

I shall Panni Rose, and I will read what you wrote my friends.