It all depends on whether or not you believe in sola scriptura. Let me try to answer that.
- Bible itself doesn't say that it is the only source of the truth so if you say your Bible is the only source of truth, it clashes because where did you get that idea from?
- Christianity existed for a long time before the Bible we know of now was compiled.
By the way I am not saying all of this to disregard the Bible. It is the first and foremost thing we all should read. Yes us the believers may not be the best representatives of the teachings of the church, for that here is a thought:
People come and go, we change, but God and his beloved church remain constant. Yes, sometimes culture infiltrates the church and tarnishes its image. However, that doesn’t mean the church itself is bad. We may not always be the best representatives of what the church stands for, so don’t let others mislead you or deter you from becoming a member.
I often hear people say, "Oh, you guys are this or that," and yes, some of us might be, but you shouldn't draw the conclusion that the church is weird or wrong. This is not to say I don't understand where some of the misconceptions come from. I see more of a culture than faith or belief in us (the members of the church). We do most things just because "we are meant to do it". We don't question. We judge a lot. I mean a lot. We can't answer the basic questions. We don't read our bible. The list goes on.
However, if you truly seek to understand the teachings of the church without being biased about what you see on the surface, you will truly enjoy it. Experience it for yourself because it is one of the fullest and most beautiful experiences ever. Learn to view Orthodox Christianity separately from the cultural issues. Remember, anything in this world can be misused by people.
But in general, I advise you to study early church formation.
Jul 22, 2024As for Virgin Mary's intercession, Intercession honestly is quite an interesting concept in Christianity. So, for example your friend might ask you to pray for her right, so do you believe that God can listen to your prayer about your friend? Most protestants as I have heard and read believe that. So all of us can in a sense pray for eachother. Having said that. We believe that Virgin Mary's intercession is so powerful because she is the mother of God (Theotokos). . She is chosen by God to carry our lord Jesus Christ. What kind of pure and graceful heart does she have to be able to carry God!!! and eventhough there are many denominations of protestants Martin Luther himself acknowledges her as the mother of God so.. you may correct me on this one though
"2 be አዲስ ኪዳን sletabot miyawera ale eyesus kemeta behula"
Yes there are mentions of the Ark in the new testament. But I want to point this out where do you get the idea that the old testament can not be used as the source of truth? if anything, the new testament is the completion of the prophets in the old testament eko aydel.
"3 ገብርኤል ሩፋኤል ሚካኤል ...አባቴ tlalachu yenante abatoch ayalkum bible በሰማይ ያለ አንድ አባት አለ nw milew eski yhen mn tlalachu "
Well you shouldn't say your biological father your father then. The way we call them our fathers etc is just to show respect and how their intercession can help us to be closer to God and the life of saints can be an inspiration to all of us giving us an idea of what imitating Christ looks like.
"5 bible lmndn nw ማታነቡት ye ፀሎት መፅሀፍ bcha lmn tanebalachu እግዚአብሔር የፃፈልን በሱ መሰረት እንድንኖር ነው
እስኪ እራሳችሁን በደንብ ፈትሹ"
I agree with your statement here. That is wrong from our side. But there are also amazing people who read their bible along with prayer books.
That being said, let me ask you a couple of questions too
1. If like protestants teaching, we were to interpret the Bible alone with no guidance and such, why are there so many protestant denominations now? I mean clearly, the Bible is a complicated book and have been translated many times and is influenced by culture so it is subject to different interpretations if we were to read it alone without church fathers leading us to it.
However, This is not a discouragement for you to not read the Bible.
I have had your questions and I have been studying early church history and it has opened my eyes to a lot of things. I pray and hope that the Holy Spirit guides us through this journey.
Jul 22, 2024
