Good Wednesday or Good Friday?

[rramlow]

Hello rramlow,
St. Mark and St. Luke were never witnesses to miracles of Jesus Christ. So they made few minor confusions. But these minor confusions were corrected by Apostle John and Apostle Matthew. This also applies other way too. There was one minor confusion in Apostle Matthew's Gospel. And this minor confusion was corrected by St. Luke.I love all Four Gospels. But I think Apostle John's Gospel is the strongest out of four, because Apostle John applies more of a personal experience. And I believe Apostle John was one of the few people who saw the second coming of our Lord.

I thought I should post some interesting information about Christianity in Kerala. Unlike Catholics, Many christians in other denominations still use Jewish dietary laws. I am one of them.

Dear konway87,

Your comments bring me joy. I have long heard we had brethren in Kerala, but did not know to what degree the faith survived the Portuguese. Like you, my people also abstain from unclean foods. Again as you mention, in many ways we are unlike Rome and those she has ..."influenced strongly" to accord with her.

I am fascinated to learn directly from brethren in Kerala, and to find out how many aspects of the primitive faith have survived there after the Jesuits arrived. I want to be sensitive, so it's hard to ask specifics. Suffice to say, I doubt that anything you practice or believe will seem "too jewish" to me. <!-- s --><img src="{SMILIES_PATH}/wink1.gif" alt="" title="Wink" /><!-- s -->

Also, is Kerala where you live now, or only in the past?

Shlama!

rramlow: Despite Calendar differences the Church has deemed the Ressurection was on Sunday and that on Good Friday the Lord passed on from this world. If you disagree with this you might as well throw out the entire Peshitta out the window. Also the issue of diet is not considered a fundamental dogma of the faith by any Apostolic Church including the ACOE :

"It is not what enters into the mouth that defiles the man, but what proceeds out of the mouth, this defiles the man."

-Matthew 15:11 (that is in fact the verse the ACOE used to rule on this matter according to a priest I know. note that prelates have many important restrictions though)

rramlow, It is obvious that for 3 days and 3 nights the Son of Man was in the belly of the earth (Matthew 12:40), we are called to respect the plain meaning of scripture.

Dear Rafa,

First, I wish you peace.

Secondly, it's not simple for me to decide the correct responses to the strange attitude coming across in your posts. I will do my best...

RE: "Apostolic Churches", It is easy to claim "Apostolic" authority. You may even have a list of bishops or something, and it's very important to you. If because of that deeply heartfelt loyalty, you are offended at my plain view below, I'm sorry. It's not my intent. It's just that I can't relate to having a loyalty to a tradition of men or an organization of men that defines how I must read the Scriptures. In my background the priorities are exactly the opposite of that, so I don't know how to be sensitive to that way of thinking.

Regardless, it's a pretty well-established principle that a group or "church" of people will change beliefs or practices over time. Generally these changes do not come in the form of improvements; no wonder the actual Apostles warned in Scripture against anyone who might come along preaching the Gospel differently - even themselves.

(WARNING - IRONIC HUMOR) Of course when we read this, it's always an affirmation of our own little religion and a curse on everyone else's. Because after all, everyone knows that what they have is the real original - it's every OTHER group that's strayed! We've never changed! Well... maybe a little... but it's OK! Because we give ourselves...

<!-- s:bigups: --><img src="{SMILIES_PATH}/bigups.gif" alt=":bigups:" title="Big Ups" /><!-- s:bigups: --> APOSTOLIC AUTHORITY. Yeah! We even came up with this special way to read the "keys to the kingdom" passage that makes everything OK! Like, whatever we say goes because after all, we are the "successors to the Apostles"! Woohah!

Except, see, that way of thinking doesn't work with the rest of the Scriptures, but rather against them. It turns the Book into one big argument. So I'm not buying. I don't currently see anything compelling in believing Apostles must have successors. I believe Yehuda had a replacement because he became invalidated before the work for the Twelve was completed. I don't believe Kefa or Yukhanan, etc. needed replacements.

As for the rest of your points, I would love to address them and feel very "up to it", but this is already more than I wanted to post. Suffice to say that I love what you brought up and have much to say, but I see it very differently than how it appears you may.