Welcome to Chris Hoctor's Collection of Quotes

There are many laws in religions that are based upon the needs of the time they were revealed in, and so when another time comes and other needs are important the laws change. But there are also eternal laws that do not change, these are the laws governing spiritual development and are important for the growth of the soul and the Church. Here is one such law given by the Buddha, "Occasions of hatred are certainly never settled by hatred. They are settled by freedom from hatred. This is the eternal law." We could quote many teachers, people of other religions, I see a lot of it on FB. But the truth of the matter is that our 'one, holy catholic' church has such laws as well, and they say it all, if not enough (see Matthew 22: 36-40). Can we live by that law? It's a pressure to be perfect, to be like Christ, which is a noble venture but impossible. We have a hard enough time sticking to church policy! And that is Satan at work dividing the tree into tooth picks. Christ's Church gave us many other timeless laws; guidance, canons, doctrine, carefully written and interpreted for 20 centuries. These are not as well known as they used to be, but they haven't changed. Sadly, they have fallen under decay and people say they do not fit 'in these times'. I say they fit more than ever, in these times. Reading Compline at the end of every day is more than a way to remember how 'nice' it ended the day when we all read it together. It is a connection to your Church past, and present, a timeless liturgy with true purpose. I would encourage everyone to find new ways (new to us); ask your priest, from time to time, to resurrect a less used practice that has just as much meaning today as it did 1500 years ago. Connect to the rich heritage of the church, know more about the liturgies you are using, the canons and laws, make life an ongoing church school. Although there are lots of interesting things to know and learn about other religions, it would serve us well to understand our own religion before allowing ourselves to be absorbed by the quips and quotes of others.