Mastodawn

In 2 Corinthians 6:17-18, #Paul presented a pastiche of #quotations from the Hebrew #Bible to encourage the Corinthian #Christians to live distinctly from the ways of the #pagans around them.

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Venice church of Christ 22h ago

In 2 Corinthians 6:17-18, #Paul presented a pastiche of #quotations from the Hebrew #Bible to encourage the Corinthian #Christians to live distinctly from the ways of the #pagans around them.

Rachel W.1d ago

Oberon Zell, the well-known Pagan Elder, Artist, and Author, has started this group to help those that are facing religious discrimination and to fight against the extremism going on in the USA. Costs nothing to join. Thanks!

#oberonzell #paganism #pagans #paganalliance #socialjustice #rights

MistressPrime

Mar 3

Join Us for Our Monthly Dinner Gathering! 🍽️
Orange County, California Pagans, Witches & Heathens

🍀 Date: Wednesday, March 11th
⏰ Time: 7:00 PM
📃 RSVP: Meetup.com/OCPagan

Connect with fellow #Pagans, #Witches & #Heathens over great food & conversation! All paths are welcome. 🌙🌟

MistressPrime

Feb 25

Meetup members made a request so we're making it happen.

Wednesday, February 25th at 7pm
Orange County, CA

The NEW Divination Club will discuss and learn about various types of divination, then put them into practice. This month, we invite members to bring their favourite divination tools to share. #Tarot or oracle decks, #runes, #scrying mirrors or bowls, pendulums, coins, and more are welcome!
#pagans #witches #tarotreaders
https://www.meetup.com/OCPagan/

RevDrMatthewFox Feb 18

#Aquinas: " #Revelation has been made to many #pagans...the old pagan #virtues were from God." So-called "pagan" teachings are not w/o deep truths that lead to transformed hearts, & to actions, stories, & practices that can transform others. https://bit.ly/4qqZFGo
Photo: Starhawk, OccupyLA, by Laura Sharkey

INSANE THROTTLE Feb 2

PAGANS MC EXPOSED RAT IN THEIR MIST

https://youtu.be/tW9Sji16Lrg

Dive into the shocking story of a potential rat in the Pagans Motorcycle Club! Is there an informant lurking in the Pagans biker gang? In this explosive video, we uncover the deep dive on John Ray Melvin, a self-identified Pagans outlaw motorcycle gang member arrested in the Florida Keys after fleeing deputies on felony gun and drug warrants. Pagans Motorcycle Club drama unfolds as we expose paperwork from Flame Trotter’s YouTube channel, revealing substantial assistance and cooperation with the government by this biker gang member. Outlaw motorcycle clubs like the Pagans MC need thorough background checks for bikers to avoid rats and informants

don’t skip the hangaround period or probate period! Flame Trotter digs deep into biker backgrounds, finding hidden court documents on cocaine possession, firearms by convicted felon, and more. Motorcycle club members, learn why cheap $25 background checks fail—go for expert biker background investigations for peace of mind. Pagans biker gang secrets, outlaw motorcycle club scandals, and informant exposes— this is must-watch for biker enthusiasts, motorcycle riders, and outlaw biker culture fans. Join the conversation on Pagans Motorcycle Club rats, biker gang arrests, and how to protect your motorcycle club from informants. Biker news, motorcycle gang pursuits, Florida Keys chases, and court paperwork breakdowns— all here in this Pagans MC deep dive!

#bikerGangs #bikerMagazine #BikerNews #bikerNewsToday #bikerNewsUpdate #bikers #insaneThrottle #JohnRayMelvin #motorcycleClub #motorcycleClubNews #outlawBikerNews #outlawBikerPodcast #outlawBikers #outlawMotorcycleClubs #pagans #pagansMc #pagansMotorcycleClub

Spirituality & Religious Studies Jan 30

Polycarp of Smyrna

Polycarp (69-155 AD) was a Christian bishop of Smyrna (modern-day Turkey). According to the Martyrdom of Polycarp, he passed away a martyr, bound & burned at the stake, then stabbed when the fire failed to consume his body. Polycarp is regarded as a saint & Church Father in the Eastern Orthodox Church, Catholic Church, Oriental Orthodox Church, Lutheranism, & Anglicanism.

Irenaeus & Tertullian said that Polycarp had been a disciple of John the Apostle, one of Jesus’ disciples. This is Polycarp’s primary claim to fame. John the Apostle was the 1 who ordained Polycarp as Bishop of Smyrna. Polycarp is regarded as 1 of 3 chief Apostolic Fathers, along with Clement of Rome & Ignatius of Antioch.

In an period before the New Testament was fully formed into its modern version, Polycarp represented the “Living Voice.” If a dispute came around about what Jesus had meant, people went to Polycarp because he’d heard it from people who were actually there.

The only 1 authentic surviving work credited to Polycarp is the: Epistle/Letter of Polycarp to the Philippians. This Epistle/Letter is essentially a “mosaic” of early Christian writings. Polycarp quoted or alluded to almost 1/2 of the New Testament books (including Paul’s letters, 1 Peter, & the Gospels).

As early as the 2nd century, Polycarp was already fighting Docetism. This is the idea that Jesus only seems to have a body. He called, famously, anyone who denied the reality of Christ’s physical suffering “the 1st born of Satan.”

In particular, Irenaeus had heard the account of Polycarp’s discussion with John & with others who had actually seen Jesus. Irenaeus reports that Polycarp was converted to Christianity by the apostles, was consecrated a presbyter, & communicated with many who had seen Jesus.

Smyrna (modern-day Izmir, Turkey) was the center of “Emperor Worship.” In 26 AD, it won the right to build a Temple to the Emperor Tiberius. Smyrna also had a large, & influential, Jewish population. The tense relationship between the synagogue & the emerging Christian “sect,” which would play a role in Polycarp’s eventual arrest.

In his old age, Polycarp traveled to Rome (circa 154 AD) to meet with is fellow Syrian, the Bishop of Rome, Pope Anicetus. They come together to talk through a major secular & religious disagreement: Quartodecimanism.

Polycarp & the Eastern Churches celebrated Easter on the 14th of Nisan (the Jewish Passover), regardless of what day of the week it fell on. Rome, however, insisted it must ALWAYS be a Sunday. The Pope & Polycarp couldn’t find a compromise. This would become a problem in later centuries.

But Polycarp & the Pope stayed respectful, & friendly, towards each other. Pope Anicetus even let Polycarp celebrate the Eucharist in his own church in Rome as a sign of respect.

The Martyrdom of Polycarp is the 1st recorded account of a Christian martyrdom outside the New Testament. During a period of local unrest, the crowd in the Smyrnaean stadium began shouting for Polycarp. Initially, he didn’t flee but retreated to a small farm.

When he was eventually betrayed by a young servant under torture, he welcomed the guards, fed them a meal, & asked for an hour to pray. The Roman Proconsul, Quadratus, didn’t want to actually kill Polycarp. He pleaded with Polycarp to “have respect for our age” & to simply say, “Away with the atheists” (in this case, “the atheists” were the Christians).

Polycarp looked at the pagan crowd in the stadium, pointed at them (the pagans), & said “Away with the atheists!” Also in Martyrdom of Polycarp, Polycarp is reported to say on the day of his death: “Eighty & six years I have served Him, & He has done me no wrong.”

Polycarp was sentenced to death for not burning incense to the Roman Emperor. He was “burned” at the stake but the flames arched around him like a sail, refusing to touch him. Eventually, he was killed with a dagger/spear.

Relics of Polycarp are under the main altar of the church of Sant’Ambrogio della Massima. The right arm of St. Polycarp had been kept at the Monastery of the Dormition of the Theotokos-Saint Polycarp, in Ampelakiotissa near Nafpaktos, Greece, for over 500 years.

It was stolen on March 14, 2013 & was never found. A fragment, however, taken from the arm on a previous occasion, was discovered & returned to the monastery on July 14, 2019.

In the Roman Catholic, Eastern Orthodox, & Greek Catholic Churches, the feast day of St. Polycarp is February 23. In the Coptic Orthodox Church, his feast day is on Amshir 29 (March 8 in the Gregorian Calendar). In the Church of England, he was honored with a Lesser Festival on February 23. In the Lutheran Church, his feast day is on February 23.

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