If someone reads what I have to say here and wants to block my posting, I will understand. I am searching for answers, I am hoping no one questions their faith on my account. I am struggling, not with my belief in God. God is an obvious truth. Not even with my faith in Christ. I believe that Jesus Christ is fully man and fully God. I believe in the Trinity. I am simply wondering if perhaps the church does indeed embrace all believers in Christ who believe in the Trinity. I saw online Roman Catholic incorrupt saints. Part of coming to Orthodoxy for me was coming because Orthodoxy is supposed to be the one and only church that imparts grace. I feel like I have seen many instances where TRUE grace seems to be imparted to even Baptist Communion. There was an instance where a man was given communion after he confessed his sins and he was deathly ill. He recovered his health and began to repent more fully (this is atleast the way I remember it: maybe I am remembering it wrong). This was a Baptist minister named Chuck Coleson. I have read Seraphim Rose's book Orthodoxy and the religion of the future, but it is not all that cut and dry. There are instances that really are very Grace filled. I believe that the Pentecostal church is in deep deception, but that does not mean that every protestant is deceived by it. Many protestants have stood against it. I also heard of a man raising from the dead after 2 days and telling the story of how he was escorted by two angels. He saw heaven and hell, and after that event he was brought to Jesus. Jesus told him, \"I should let you go there,\" pointing to hell. The man was told it was because of his lack of forgiveness. He began preaching Forgiveness immediately telling others that it did matter if they forgave and that they couldn't go to heaven without forgiving. Jesus clearly was teaching that once saved always saved is not true. There are many other things as well. I am struggling because I think others in other denominations have a right to be called the Church as well. Jesus said the gates of hell wouldn't prevail against the church. The church is still standing even if sinful people are divided. It is the church that frees us from hell, therefore hell does not prevail. The 7 ecumenical counsels main point was to say the Trinity is God and Jesus Christ is fully man and fully God. Many protestants believe this. Why am I unable to take communion at a church that believes in the Trinity? I don't have to understand to believe, but it seems to me that the church is All that encompasses the Trinity and Christ's divinity. Since demonic deception exhists, we don't believe every miracle even if it happens in the Orthodox church, so that does not mean we need to believe what happens over in other churches either, but that some of them are true. We can believe in our authentic tradition, but perhaps without excluding ALL protestants. Forgive me, and if anyone feals that what I have said is heretical, please feal free to ask that this message be removed. If I am wrong I do not want to contaminate the rest.
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