Re: Death of Zoya Krakhmalnikova

Catawumpus wrote:

>++ <friend@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
>:
>
>  
>
>>Sure, during theocratic times when there was a pretence of a Roman 
>>emperor, there was some engagement of the emperor with the church, 
>>chiefly ceremonial.
>>    
>>
>
>     Sure, if you feel embarrassed by the Church's relation****p
>with the Empire, you'll try to pretend they just had a few
>casual dates, nothing serious, and never went beyond first base.
>
>  
>
>>The reigning emperor called church councils, but 
>>the highest (or after Rome was excommunicated for heresy) or the local 
>>Patriarch chaired and opened the meeting.  Some emperors were considered

>>heretics. The appellation julian the Apostate is a prime example
>>    
>>
>
>     Apostasy doesn't make a good example of heresy:  
>different things.  Julian tried to restore paganism, re-opening
>the temples and removing the privileges Rome had given
>Christianity, including the money the Church had been receiving
>from state coffers.  
>
>     In other words, Christianity was _already_ Rome's official 
>religion, a status granted it by the Theodosian code, which 
>went even further by banning other religions and turning heresy 
>into a crime.  Example:
>
>      ...  According to the apostolic teaching and the
>      doctrine of the Gospel, let us believe in the one
>      deity of the father, Son and Holy Spirit, in equal
>      majesty and in a holy Trinity. We authorize the
>      followers of this law to assume the title Catholic
>      Christians; but as for the others, since in out
>      judgment they are foolish madmen, we decree that
>      the shall be branded with the ignominious name of
>      heretics, and shall not presume to give their
>      conventicles the name of churches. They will
>      suffer in the first place the chastisement of
>      divine condemnation an the second the punishment
>      of out authority, in accordance with the will of
>      heaven shall decide to inflict. 
>
>     Theodosian Code 16.1.2.  Source: http://tinyurl.com/5ohkeo.
>
>  
>
>>The system of rendering unto Caesar that which is Caesar's included such

>>things as paying taxes and meeting other legal obligations. 
>>    
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>     A misunderstanding of the Gospel-saying, though in keeping 
>with the Pauline version.
>
>  
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>>We have thousands upon thousands, some in our recent century of 
>>communism and fascism, Christian martyrs who chose the way of God 
>>instead of the way of a non Orthodox ruler serving the cause of evil in 
>>one respect or another. 
>>    
>>
>
>     Lovely for you, I'm sure.  But the standard spelled out in
>Romans 13:1-6 doesn't allow for picking and choosing which 
>rulers to reject and which to obey.  It says the powers that be 
>are established by God and warns "they that resist shall 
>receive to themselves damnation."  Of course the Bible is a big
>book, and not always a consistent one, but going by that
>criterion, your martyrs are all damned for rejecting God's will.
>
>-- Catawumpus
>  
>

Not at all, as there are Orthodox interpretations of the Bible to 
consider. Note that the Theodosian Code was superceded by the Justiniac, 
among others.