Casey Rudd

thank God for Holy Orthodoxy

[Casey Rudd @Casey_Rudd]

An update to my prayer corner ☦️

"Grace comes when you set yourself into motion toward God, so act! No grace comes when there is no humility. Many times grace seeks you, but can’t find you, because you aren’t humble."

- Elder Arsenie Papacioc

[Casey Rudd @Casey_Rudd]

@Alex_Ortodoxie Another area Sam can't defend in his church would have been what worship is prescribed in the Scriptures. God outlines exactly how He likes to be worshipped. Hebrews 8:5, Malachi 1:11, altars, incense + vestments in Revelation, liturgical prayers in Acts 2:42, etc

[Casey Rudd @Casey_Rudd]

@JayDyer Bro stopped himself after "you can just do what you ---" cause he wanted to put his grift into softer terms lol these people are not serious

[NEPSIS @nepsisblog]

"Today, for example, I am in a good state in terms of purity of thoughts, and my soul glides like a dolphin in a tranquil sea. Everything is peaceful, and you think that it will continue like this forever. But the road which the wisdom of God has mapped out does not change its course. And behold, in a corner of the sky little clouds, simple unhealthy ideas, arise in the horizon and gather in the sky, in the mind. Soon afterwards, the wind begins; thunder follows; the sea becomes rough, and before long a tempest of thoughts is formed. Thus a state of bitter thoughts, etc., succeeds the purity, and various disturbances follow the calm.

If those who fear God lacked the various trials and temptations, some of us would have ended up in satanic pride, others in debauchery worse than Sodom, others in the darkness of unbelief and impiety, and so forth. So then, it is to afflictions that we owe this little piety of ours, as well as our hope of salvation."

—Geronda Ephraim of Arizona
Counsels from the Holy Mountain (p. 260)

[Casey Rudd @Casey_Rudd]

@Alex_Ortodoxie even Paul considered himself blameless concerning righteousness which is in the law (Philippians 3:6).

[Casey Rudd @Casey_Rudd]

This is the logical conclusion when you are led to believe that a book by itself is literally God. They think a page of Scripture is true food instead of His body and blood in the Eucharist (John 6:55-56). This is absolute absurdity / cc: @Alex_Ortodoxie

[Protestia @Protestia]

"Prophet" Kevin Leal rips a page out of a bible and LITERTALLY makes a teen swallow it.😲😲😲

"Eat it. When you eat this (bible page) the power of God is going to go inside of you. Eat it...swallow it. Look at his face guys! SWALLOW IT! You want some water?"

[Casey Rudd @Casey_Rudd]

@Alex_Ortodoxie It worries me that the same people who can't even understand that the implication this would be the SAME debate format and prompt moved to Tuesday are the people who believe that they are saved purely by intellectual means. It doesn't add up 😵‍💫

[Casey Rudd @Casey_Rudd]

@Alex_Ortodoxie Should all be easy Ws, although fully anticipating JP to resort to having to yell and have a meltdown and not answer any questions at all 🤣

[Casey Rudd @Casey_Rudd]

@EasternMilk Chrismated before Nativity in December. Not a penny was requested of me or mentioned at any point during my catechesis

[Casey Rudd @Casey_Rudd]

@Alex_Ortodoxie bro must hate the words of Christ then: John 14:15 - "If you love me, keep My commandments."
and later in verse 21: "He who has My commandments and keeps them, it is he who loves Me. And he who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and manifest Myself to him.”

[Casey Rudd @Casey_Rudd]

Had these ordered well before Pascha, now St. Seraphim Rose is officially canonized!

St. Dumitru Stăniloae and St. Seraphim Rose, pray for us! 🇷🇴🇺🇸☦️

[Casey Rudd @Casey_Rudd]

@xuu @JS_StrngstSldr Cope harder

[Casey Rudd @Casey_Rudd]

Do you know how crazy it sounds to think God Himself would disrespect the woman that bore Him? He said she was even MORE blessed because she heard the word of God and kept it. Her yes countered Eve's no. It's so simple, how do you miss this?

[Dr. Jayson, PhD 🌲 @JS_StrngstSldr]

Many Eastern Orthos like to say that the Eastern Orthodox church produced the Bible, but let's look into that claim.

The First Century Christians received letters by Paul, John, Peter, etc. These were Apostles and their letters were safeguarded by these First Century Christians. Apostles produces the New Testament scriptures. The Eastern Orthodox Church has no current day 12 Apostles.

Was this church the same as the Eastern Orthodox Church?

The Eastern Orthodox Church practice Marian Devotion, a practice not only not practiced in the First Century by strongly dissuaded by Jesus Christ in Luke 11:27-28

And it came to pass, as he spake these things, a certain woman of the company lifted up her voice, and said unto him, Blessed is the womb that bare thee, and the paps which thou hast sucked.
But he said, Yea rather, blessed are they that hear the word of God, and keep it.

The earliest unambiguous Marian veneration appears in the Sub Tuum Praesidium papyrus, dated roughly 250-300 AD at the earliest. That's the same distance between now and the Revolutionary War. That's like saying Skibidi was a Colonial Practice when it was just created a few years ago.

Icon Veneration: This practice is not found among the First Century Christians. Origin (184-254) responded to Celsus (in Contra Celsus, Book VII), admitting that Christians used no images, mocking the notion that images were helpful in worship, and, citing the Second Commandment wrote, “It is in consideration of these and many other such commands, that they not only avoid temples, altars, and images, but are ready to suffer death when it is necessary, rather than debase by any such impiety the conception which they have of the Most High God.” Origen died in full fellowship of the Proto-Catholic church. Early depictions of Jesus Christ and the Apostles in the catacombs does not mean there was veneration, that is an assumption. Those were most likely used as to teach the Biblical narratives.

Irenaeus describes Carpocratian Gnostics venerating images of Jesus in the late 2nd century, and treats that as scandalous.

In 306 AD, the Council of Elvira prohibits images in churches. It will not be until 787 AD, at the Second Council of Nicaea, that icon veneration is finally and officially approved. This shows that icon veneration was an obvious innovation, not by Apostles but by people who weren't Apostles.

The First Century Christians baptized one time.

Can they claim that the First Century Church was synonymous with the Eastern Orthodox Church? No. The practices do not line up. The EO Church had many innovations that were implemented without actual Apostles teaching or practicing those traditions.

Did the EO Church produce the Bible? No. That premise is false. The First Century Church bears little resemblance to the EO Church of 300 AD or 2026 AD.

[Casey Rudd @Casey_Rudd]

@JS_StrngstSldr Oof. Seems synonymous according to actual definitions. Seems you disagree with the dictionary. Also you seem to go against the Scriptures themselves since you consider those in Christ being dead. You believe an entirely different (false) gospel

[Casey Rudd @Casey_Rudd]

@JS_StrngstSldr It's quite literally honoring your mother. Fifth Commandment. Honoring is venerating. The hoops y'all go through to avoid this is crazy. Christ literally told John while on the cross "Behold your mother" talking about Mary. It's so evident in the Scriptures.

[Casey Rudd @Casey_Rudd]

@C2Antiquity If they want to follow the definition of continuity they don't even have it within their own denomination from the time it was founded. It's completely changed. No apostolic lineage from the first 1k years = no continuity with the early church full stop.

[Casey Rudd @Casey_Rudd]

'Lord, what must I do to save my soul?'
Jesus replied, 'Sell everything you have and join me.'

This is the cost. But a finite amount of worldly esteem is like a quarter lost to the cushions of a couch quickly forgotten about. We have eternal treasures waiting for us.

[David @ThePolemikOne]

There are hundreds of protestant/evangelical pastors right now that wish to become Orthodox, but aren't, due to their fear of loss of

- income
- status
- leadership role
- identity
- autonomy

I know several personally, and dozens second hand.

[Casey Rudd @Casey_Rudd]

"None of those who consider themselves worthy to enter the Kingdom will enter it."
- Fr. Philotheos Faros

[Father Spyridon Bailey @Fatherspyridon]

"Just as the thought of fire does not warm the body, so faith without love does not actualize the light of spiritual knowledge in the soul." - St Maximus the Confessor

[Casey Rudd @Casey_Rudd]

This fires me up in so many ways. Seeing more young women sharing their journeys and coming into the Orthodox Church is such a blessing. So glad to have new sisters in the faith, and this is only the beginning!

"I tell you, one day, America will be holy."
- St. Paisios