https://youtubetranscript.com/?v=lWZvAlIwt6w
Alright, so Riz Oliver asks, As a follow-up to my lower resolution question about the place of disagreeable people in the church Oh, yeah last month that was last month. What is the center that we might defend given the diverse history of Christian interpretation? We propose we join church only to attempt to argue with everyone and St. Christopher’s style flip the church’s foundational assumption from the inside By which I mean any heretical to a scientific naturalism fundamentalism Mostly I think I speak for other disagreeable people in asserting that I don’t defend Defunct institutions, okay Wow. All right. I would definitely say that don’t do that. Like really don’t do that It’s very it’s really really not would not be helpful for you to do that If you join a church if you convert if you if you’re a chrismated if you’re baptized if you join a church The first thing you need to do is shut up and listen That’s the first thing you need to do. I’m not saying turn off your your I’m not saying turn off your brain I’m not saying turn off your critical ability none of that none of that. But the first thing to do is just shut up and Learn to play the game before you start to criticize the rules Learn to play the game learn to learn what this is all about, you know You know find your place in the community and then I know you’re gonna hate me for saying this but then after several years Then you can start to have influence in that community and hopefully by then you will have gained the wisdom to have Influence in that community in a manner that will be helpful to that community and when I say helpful to that community I don’t mean I don’t mean in helping people Become scientific naturalists, that’s not what I mean How can I say this Okay, I know this might be hard for some people to think to understand but this stuff that I’m talking about this symbolism stuff I never talk about this with anybody. I Don’t talk about this. I talk about this with you guys I put these on on YouTube for people who are interested in in in discovering this and I figure the the subject is difficult enough and it’s it’s strange enough and it’s kind of Optuse enough that only people who are really interested in this will will even Have the capacity to pay attention and watch my videos But if I go to church and I meet the little old lady, you know, who’s there? Who who who who I don’t know came from Russia five years ago. I have no interest in questioning her assumptions at all Because those things they don’t they in everyday life. They don’t matter What really matters is how we are with each other What really matters is how we’re able to engage in the life and be transformed as people And transform others not in the sense of transforming the way they think first of all But transforming each other in the way we act towards each other in the way that we engage with each other now Once you’re there for several years and once you’re there for a long time in that church you will have Deciphered the people in the parish in your in your actual church who have the interest and the capacity to talk about symbolism where the interest in the capacity to understand things at a more deeper level and to under and to To go further and then you can engage those people in discussion and you can hash it out with them as much as you want but But it’s really really okay for the little lady and for most people in church To not have a intellectually deep understanding of this stuff. They don’t have to They they need to understand it to the extent that it train changes their life and to the extent that it that it helps them get closer to other people in their community and and and makes them want to pray and want to To engage in the spiritual life, but that’s what that’s what that’s what matters guys All right, which says sorry if it’s a hard question I like getting my money’s worth Like I said, don’t turn off your brain If you do go to a church don’t turn off your brain and you might go to a church and be in that church and realize It you just can’t do it. You can’t there are some churches that exist around me. There are some churches That I’ve been to in my life that I could never go there ever. I couldn’t I I you know, I can respect the people I can respect the people. I can respect the people. I can respect the people I couldn’t I I you know, I can respect the people I can admire their faith I can admire the way that they take care of the poor that they help each other but the the I I just couldn’t and one of the reasons why I go to an orthodox church is because The the effect that single individuals can have on the very shape of the church is rather limited The way that the liturgy is laid itself out the art the architecture the history the tradition is so strong That there’s very little that some idiotic pastor who doesn’t understand anything could do to change that You know and you do get priests that are horrible horrible priests monstrous priests that are idiots that are stupid that that have bad Intentions that are that are subversive all of that exists in the Orthodox Church but the the capacity they have to affect the actual functioning of the parish is limited because of the tradition