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[SERMON] Sermon #011 -The Blessing of Faith

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Archbishop Amarr PIE Inc.	Posted - 2007.08.26 04:07:00 - [1] "The Truth Will Set You Free" series of sermons presents sermon #011 on The Blessing of Faith. Main Entry: 1faith Pronunciation: 'fAth Function: noun Inflected Form(s):plural faiths /'fAths, sometimes 'fA[th]z/ 1 a : allegiance to duty or a person : LOYALTY b (1) : fidelity to one's promises (2) : sincerity of intentions 2 a (1) : belief and trust in and loyalty to God (2) : belief in the traditional doctrines of a religion b (1) : firm belief something greater than oneself (2) : complete trust 3 : something that is believed especially with strong conviction; especially : a system of religious beliefs <the Amarrian faith> Brothers and Sisters of Amarr and the lessor races dedicated to God I come to you today with a sermon about perhaps the greatest of blessings provided to us by God. That is the blessing of FAITH itself. How can faith be a blessing you might ask? Well the answer is quite easy in reality. As a living being it is in our nature to seek knowledge and answers to questions that are enigmas to us. Where do we come from? Where do we go? What created us? What gave us a soul and conciousness? All of these questions are asked by all living beings at one time or another. I myself as a young teenager in military school often wondered at these mysteries of the creation and of our purpose here in this place. The answers were here all along. Faith. That simple five letter word means so much for it is our answer to the unknown questions that haunt us to this day. With faith all is clear and nothing is unknown. All things are for a reason both good and bad and we're assured of our place in Gods realm. Yes Faith is a blessing for those who choose to open their eyes and hearts to the truth. When you have faith there are no questions. You put your beliefs in God and let Him worry about the problems. You know in your heart that God is responsible for everything and God is the architect of the building of our lives. God is the puppetmaster of our show and God the conductor of our orchestra. Without God and Faith one lives in the darkness and despair of self-doubt and confusion. Without God one would spend time wondering in conflict about mysteries and enigmas rather than living a good life. Without God there is no life. Where do we come from? Well the obvious answer is God of course. Having faith in God means we don't have to worry about wasting time with foolish questions. Why do things happen? God again orchestrates our lives and provides us not only with the victories but also the defeats. Other virtues like Humility and Commitment are served on us by God. How do we know this? We have Faith.
Archbishop Amarr PIE Inc.	Posted - 2007.08.26 04:08:00 - [2] I must say having Faith is truly liberating. Some would consider a life in service to God as restrictive and structured and to those not of God it is. But this life is also free of worry and concern and gives us the freedom to explore the moment as we don't need to worry about the little things. Faith will provide all the answers we need both in prayer and in the Holy Scriptures. There is no question that can be asked that God has not already answered. We must open ourselves to believe in Him and the answers will be ours. Faith is the key to open the doorway of our lives and it allows us to enter a state of knowing and wisdom that others without can not even begin to comprehend. Cast free of the worries of self-ego and self-promotion those with Faith are peaceful in heart and mind as all is answered already. Yes Faith is a blessing for those who open their hearts. Won't you come join me and share in it? I pray you will. Go with God. Archbishop PIE Priest Please read the other sermons in this series at these locations: Sermon #001 - Virtue Sermon #002 - Commitment and Dedication Sermon #003 - Unity Sermon #004 - Sin of Hypocrisy Sermon #005 - The Virtue of Humility Sermon #006 - The Duty of All Amarr Sermon #007 - The Sin of Ego Sermon #008 - The Sin of Hate Sermon #009 - The Virtue of Consistency Sermon #010 - The Blessings of Amarrian Nationalism PIE WEBSITE & FORUMS
Vlad Cetes Caldari Elite Storm Enterprises Storm Armada	Posted - 2007.08.26 05:02:00 - [3] Your "God" never existed in the first place. How many times have your prayed and recieved it. NEVER. You never did, you never will. Every time a mod nerfs my sig, Chuck Norris kills a kitten, please mods think of the kittens.
Mori Felding Minmatar Re-Awakened Technologies Inc Electus Matari	Posted - 2007.08.26 11:43:00 - [4] Edited by: Mori Felding on 26/08/2007 11:44:21 For once I agree with you, Archbishop, however faith is not only held before 'God', but any ideal you might open your heart having much the same effect. I find the saddest thing having a friend who seems to have lost his faith, a fate rivaling death in my eyes. ___ Memento Mori
Aria Jenneth Caldari Omerta Syndicate Exuro Mortis	Posted - 2007.08.26 17:19:00 - [5] Edited by: Aria Jenneth on 26/08/2007 17:21:33 When I speak of the Amarr having a fundamentally differing view of reality, it's largely of this that I speak. All your questions are answered before they are asked, all fears may be set aside in expectation of glorious ascension into God's presence, and all earthly purposes fade in comparsion to service to Him. It's for this reason that I find the Amarr to be the empire most strongly resistant to rational argument, and also the group whose interference in my peoples' lives I most fear. Even the Gallente, zealous though they are in trying to spread their cultural values, have based their ideals, in principle, upon earthly reasoning. The Amarr possess a particular kind of faith. With this kind of faith, one may take slaves into one's service and maintain the genuine belief that their misery is not only acceptable, but objectively justified, as it will lead them to God. With this kind of faith, one can annihilate continents, confident that God desires genocide. With this kind of faith, one can suppress any and all data that may contradict the orthodoxy, for that which runs counter to the one Truth cannot be anything but lies. With this kind of faith, one may set one's own instincts, reason, and conscience aside as unworthy in favor of the Word. To those of us whose thoughts dwell upon this world, rather than whatever may come next, this is insanity. This does not mean that we lack faith of our own: the Achur religion, for one, incorporates scientific pursuits and reason, and their conclusions, into its faith. The Amarr, precisely because they believe not only in a god who, like most, cannot have His existence proven or disproved, but who gives them orders as a matter of routine, take an essentially different view of reality from the rest of us. The Caldari State may need its marriage of convenience with the Amarr for the time being, but it is my devout hope that either this link will not last, or that the Amarr will, in time, moderate their views. It is popular among the opponents of the Amarr to denegrate the late emperor and the Pax Amarria. This seems to me to be a reflex reaction based merely on the fact that these two are both Amarr, and thus to be despised. If we are wise, however, we will encourage the permanent acceptance of the teachings contained within that book, which essentially seeks to transform the Amarr from a culture of murderous crusaders into comparatively gentle teachers who spread their faith through words rather than "holy fire." Were this vision of the Reclaiming to prevail (and the fact that the Amarr haven't really been on the war path for some time now, even after the emperor's death, indicates just how influential the late emperor has been), the rest of us would find ourselves with relatively little to worry us from the Empire, which might eventually even be coaxed into releasing its remaining slaves. The faith which conquers or the faith which persuades: between the two, which one I, as a heathen, would prefer to deal with should be plain enough.
Archbishop Amarr PIE Inc.	Posted - 2007.08.26 17:44:00 - [6] There is great serenity in life knowing all is taken care of by God. Even the negative experiences we of faith have from time to time are merely tests of His wisdom and our solutions to those problems are a testament to our faith in Him. By surrendering personal desires and ego to Him we live a life of understanding on a plain few can understand. With God there are no questions only answers. But you must have Faith to realize that. Archbishop PIE WEBSITE & FORUMS
Andreus Ixiris Gallente Mixed Metaphor	Posted - 2007.08.26 23:22:00 - [7] Archbishop, your arguments are fundamentally flawed. I too have faith - in a different religion, not that I'll bother to go into details about it since you would simply dismiss it as a heathen religion devoid of "the Truth", or at best a corruption of it. I don't, however, base my life around Faith. I take what is visible, what is provable, such as logic and reason, and I put it into practice first, and my religion second. Thus it is that Reason has become the guiding force of my existence as it relates to others, my outward motivation to help or hinder others, rather than Faith. You Amarrians believe that if you don't believe in the power of Logic and Reason, it won't apply to you. Well sadly it does. Stop enslaving people, stop killing people and denounce forcible Reclaiming. ----- Mixed Metaphor is now recruiting! Contact me for details.
Kormus Xaal	Posted - 2007.08.27 01:24:00 - [8] I will purchase copies of that filthy book the "pax Amarria" or whatever that heresy book is named for 250,000 isk each. I will pilot them to Amarr prime, urinate on them in public, and declare this an act on behalf of all the Matari. You sicken me you heathen.
Aria Jenneth Caldari Omerta Syndicate Exuro Mortis	Posted - 2007.08.27 03:04:00 - [9] Mr. Xaal, either you're confused or you're trying to be confusing. A Matari talking about "heathens" sickening him? Sorry, but which side are you on, again?
Becq Starforged Minmatar Ship Construction Services Ushra'Khan	Posted - 2007.08.28 01:21:00 - [10] Originally by: Kormus Xaal I will purchase copies of that filthy book the "pax Amarria" or whatever that heresy book is named for 250,000 isk each. I will pilot them to Amarr prime, urinate on them in public, and declare this an act on behalf of all the Matari. I have a supply of these that I captured from destroyed slaver convoys. I tried using them for kindling, but the toxic fumes from the cheap ink ended this idea. Then I tried using them as toilet paper, but the ink smeared in unfortunate places, with the result that for some time I carried the word of their god with me wherever I went. So they're useless to me, but if you need copies for such a worthy cause, I'd happily donate them for the cause. Contact me and we'll set up a transfer. -- Becq Starforged proprietor of Starforge Industries, a subsidiary of Minmatar Ship Construction Services At Starforge Industries, the world of tomorrow is being blown apart today!

Arnulf Ogunkoya Minmatar The Causality Electus Matari	Posted - 2007.08.29 12:03:00 - [11] Originally by: Becq Starforged I have a supply of these that I captured from destroyed slaver convoys. I tried using them for kindling, but the toxic fumes from the cheap ink ended this idea. Then I tried using them as toilet paper, but the ink smeared in unfortunate places, with the result that for some time I carried the word of their god with me wherever I went. So they're useless to me, but if you need copies for such a worthy cause, I'd happily donate them for the cause. Contact me and we'll set up a transfer. Becq. The Pax isn't the word of the slaver's god. Even Amarrian loyalists make no such claim. It contains the words of a, for them, shockingly reformist leader. So I don't quite see where you are coming from there. Are you saying you don't find any signs of a reformist tendency within the empire encouraging? I'll grant you the ideas within the work are far short of what would be acceptable for the Matari people, but at least they do represent a softening of the crusading tradition amongst the Amarr. Regards, State of the Art Bang-Bang.
Becq Starforged Minmatar Ship Construction Services Ushra'Khan	Posted - 2007.08.30 01:41:00 - [12] Originally by: Arnulf Ogunkoya Becq. The Pax isn't the word of the slaver's god. Even Amarrian loyalists make no such claim. It contains the words of a, for them, shockingly reformist leader. So I don't quite see where you are coming from there. Are you saying you don't find any signs of a reformist tendency within the empire encouraging? I'll grant you the ideas within the work are far short of what would be acceptable for the Matari people, but at least they do represent a softening of the crusading tradition amongst the Amarr. I disagree with your interpretation of the meaning behind the Pax Amarria. I don't see it as a 'softening' of the tenets that are the cause of so much pain to so many of our brethren. The Pax is, simply put, an admission that the Amarr don't have the military strength to achieve what had been their stated goal for the previous centuries -- the unconditional conquest and/or enslavement of all non-Amarrian peoples. Recognizing this inability, the emperor 'rephrased' Amarrian philosophy from one which allowed for nothing but open warfare with any who refused to be subjugated to one which allowed for diplomacy with the other interstellar governments, without giving up the pursuit of the 'Reclaiming'. If you want to see this as a positive change, you're welcome to do so. But in doing so, you are judging a book by it's cover only. The Amarrian Empire may no longer be in a formal state of war with the Republic, but that's nothing more that a political cover. Now, instead of war, we live with a 'peace' in which they commission daily raids against our more remote settlements to steal more of our brethren to satisfy their hunger for more slave labor. And, of course, nothing at all is mentioned in the Pax about the countless millions -- BILLIONS -- of our brethren whose very lives, and the lives of their children, hang on the whim of their Amarrian masters. And in the name of this 'peace', our own government reciprocates by turning a blind eye to the slavery being perpetuated IN OUR OWN HOMELANDS. I've converted parts of several of my hangars into housing for the former slaves I've rescued from the wrecks of Amarrian convoys in such systems as Gelfiven and Gulfonodi. I've provided them food and a place to live because they have nowhere else to go; the Republic has closed the re-education camps in the name of this 'peace'. The softening of what should be our goal -- the freedom of all of our people -- is far more worrisome. Yes, this book represents a positive change, in much the same way a mass-murderer who slaughters a household but lets the family pet survive can be described as lenient. Frankly I see the occasional self-proclaimed 'Free Amarrian' who joins anti-slavery organizations such as yours and mine to be true signs of hope for the future. ...Oh, and while it's true the the Pax Amarria is not in itself a holy text, the fact is that the page I used happened to have a scriptural quote on it... -- Becq Starforged proprietor of Starforge Industries, a subsidiary of Minmatar Ship Construction Services At Starforge Industries, the world of tomorrow is being blown apart today!
Evanda Char Minmatar Re-Awakened Technologies Inc Electus Matari	Posted - 2007.08.30 02:45:00 - [13] Originally by: Becq Starforged Originally by: Kormus Xaal I will purchase copies of that filthy book the "pax Amarria" or whatever that heresy book is named for 250,000 isk each. I will pilot them to Amarr prime, urinate on them in public, and declare this an act on behalf of all the Matari. I have a supply of these that I captured from destroyed slaver convoys. I tried using them for kindling, but the toxic fumes from the cheap ink ended this idea. Then I tried using them as toilet paper, but the ink smeared in unfortunate places, with the result that for some time I carried the word of their god with me wherever I went. So they're useless to me, but if you need copies for such a worthy cause, I'd happily donate them for the cause. Contact me and we'll set up a transfer. You can get quite a lot of Nocxium from them. -Eva- Electus Matari - taking it one bad guy at a time
Arnulf Ogunkoya Minmatar The Causality Electus Matari	Posted - 2007.08.30 12:01:00 - [14] Originally by: Becq Starforged I disagree with your interpretation of the meaning behind the Pax Amarria. I don't see it as a 'softening' of the tenets that are the cause of so much pain to so many of our brethren. The Pax is, simply put, an admission that the Amarr don't have the military strength to achieve what had been their stated goal for the previous centuries -- the unconditional conquest and/or enslavement of all non-Amarrian peoples. Recognizing this inability, the emperor 'rephrased' Amarrian philosophy from one which allowed for nothing but open warfare with any who refused to be subjugated to one which allowed for diplomacy with the other interstellar governments, without giving up the pursuit of the 'Reclaiming'. If you want to see this as a positive change, you're welcome to do so. But in doing so, you are judging a book by it's cover only. The Amarrian Empire may no longer be in a formal state of war with the Republic, but that's nothing more that a political cover. Now, instead of war, we live with a 'peace' in which they commission daily raids against our more remote settlements to steal more of our brethren to satisfy their hunger for more slave labor. And, of course, nothing at all is mentioned in the Pax about the countless millions -- BILLIONS -- of our brethren whose very lives, and the lives of their children, hang on the whim of their Amarrian masters. I see your point. I also think this response gives a much better impression of your intelligence & appreciation of cluster politics for the casual reader. That is, after all, who we are addressing here as Archbishop is a lost cause. Originally by: Becq Starforged And in the name of this 'peace', our own government reciprocates by turning a blind eye to the slavery being perpetuated IN OUR OWN HOMELANDS. I've converted parts of several of my hangars into housing for the former slaves I've rescued from the wrecks of Amarrian convoys in such systems as Gelfiven and Gulfonodi. I've provided them food and a place to live because they have nowhere else to go; the Republic has closed the re-education camps in the name of this 'peace'. The softening of what should be our goal -- the freedom of all of our people -- is far more worrisome. I can't say I'm too thrilled about the re-education schemes closing myself. Hopefully the private concerns that are taking an interest in such matters, such as our own Rho Dynamics, can eventually pick up the slack. Originally by: Becq Starforged Yes, this book represents a positive change, in much the same way a mass-murderer who slaughters a household but lets the family pet survive can be described as lenient. Frankly I see the occasional self-proclaimed 'Free Amarrian' who joins anti-slavery organizations such as yours and mine to be true signs of hope for the future. Amen to that brother. May we see many more of them as time goes on. I'll gladly have a little faith in that notion. Regards, State of the Art Bang-Bang.

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