[Shabiha]

Hello, everyone. I'm an Orthodox Christian from Syria. You may be surprised to know that not everyone in the Middle East, where Christianity originated, is Muslim. We tend to view your crowd as white roleplayers in bed with the Jews, but you guys seem to be more reasonable. My favorite Bible verse is Matthew 27:25 because it's the most undeniable proof that the Jews are evil.

[Basilissa]

Hello and to our friendly forum! While it is unimaginable for us why a seemingly reasonable person would follow an obscure religion like yours, when there is Baptism to choose from, we do hope that we can change your mind and convert you to the proper True Christian™ faith.

[Mary Etheldreda]

Welcome, dear! Do tell us something about yourself. Are you married? Are you a man or woman? Your name sounds feminine, but I find a lot of men on the African continent have very feminine sounding names so I don't like to assume.

[James Hutchins]

I'd love to welcome you with open arms but the idea you could be (and probably are) wearing a bomb vest precludes close contact. So I am sure you'll take no offense if I give you a hearty hello from 3,000 miles out of the blast radius.

[Shabiha]

Originally Posted by Mary Etheldreda

Welcome, dear! Do tell us something about yourself. Are you married? Are you a man or woman? Your name sounds feminine, but I find a lot of men on the African continent have very feminine sounding names so I don't like to assume.

I'm an unmarried woman. My name isn't actually Shabiha - it's a pejorative term for supporters of the Syrian government in its struggle against the Wahhabi-Zionist conspiracy used by its opponents. I prefer to own it.

[Didymus Much]

Originally Posted by Shabiha

...supporters of the Syrian government in its struggle against the Wahhabi-Zionist conspiracy...

The what now?

...used by its opponents. I prefer to own it.

I'll cheer all the sides when they stop with the shooting and the bombing and the gassing.

[MitzaLizalor]

Hello Welcome to the forum. If you support the Syrian government (which I understand to be socialist) and its leader, how do you reconcile your position with Scripture?

Proverbs 23:31 Look not thou upon the wine when it is red, when it giveth his colour in the cup, when it moveth itself aright.

It must get pretty dusty over there and refreshments could be a problem. Here's a recipe that complies with the cited passage and is quite refreshing if refrigerated.

Vodka Trifle

.70cl rose vodka
.some blue jelly
.stale cake, diced
.custard
.whipped cream
.assorted fruit to taste, diced
.crystallised rose petals

.Place cake into a bowl
.Add the vodka
.Add the fruit, jelly and custard
.Top with whipped cream
.Garnish with crystallised rose petals

[Basilissa]

Originally Posted by Shabiha

I'm an unmarried woman. My name isn't actually Shabiha - it's a pejorative term for supporters of the Syrian government in its struggle against the Wahhabi-Zionist conspiracy

So when it comes to the Muslim pagan beliefs, you side with the Shia over the Sunni. Interesting. Or is that just because the Orthodox churches are so helplessly tied to political power, so you have to cheer whoever is in power?

My knowledge of the eastern Orthodox heresies is a bit rusty - please remind me, where does the Syriac church stand on the issues of monophysitism and transubstantiation? Not that it's super important - you will still go to for following what a funnily clothed bearded man tells you, rather than the Bible itself.

[Shabiha]

I would not describe the government as socialist. Maybe it was under Hafez, but definitely not under Bashar. Right now, it can't really be said that Syria has an economy at all.

[James Hutchins]

So... you are not a Christian. You do know, by not following the Word of the True God™ you are going to burn for eternity in Hell. Is that what you really want? For a female, you do not appear to be entirely stupid.

[Shabiha]

Originally Posted by Basilissa

So when it comes to the Muslim pagan beliefs, you side with the Shia over the Sunni. Interesting. Or is that just because the Orthodox churches are so helplessly tied to political power, so you have to cheer whoever is in power?

My knowledge of the eastern Orthodox heresies is a bit rusty - please remind me, where does the Syriac church stand on the issues of monophysitism and transubstantiation? Not that it's super important - you will still go to for following what a funnily clothed bearded man tells you, rather than the Bible itself.

It's kind of both. The Shiites (or Alawites) are much more reasonable because they know what it's like to be despised by the Sunnis.


When I say Orthodox, I mean the Greek Orthodox Church of Antioch, which is different from the Syriac Orthodox Church, which is one of the Oriental Orthodox churches. As such, we reject monophysitism. However, we do believe in transubstantiation.

[handmaiden]

Originally Posted by Shabiha

I'm an unmarried woman. My name isn't actually Shabiha - it's a pejorative term for supporters of the Syrian government in its struggle against the Wahhabi-Zionist conspiracy used by its opponents. I prefer to own it.

Wasabi has always been a little too hot for my taste. I'm glad someone is trying to do something about it.

[Mary Etheldreda]

Originally Posted by Shabiha

When I say Orthodox, I mean the Greek Orthodox Church of Antioch, which is different from the Syriac Orthodox Church, which is one of the Oriental Orthodox churches.

Shabiha, I just wanted to remind you that we God created us for a purpose, and that purpose is to Worship and Glorify Him. But God want's us to use this life to Seek Him and to Know Him. We would never know Him without His Guidance, which is the Holy Scriptures and the Holy Ghost, both of which have been hidden and despised by the Orthodox Churches.

These Orthodox Churches, with their rituals and incantations, were Satan's invention. He planted the idea in the minds of Lost Men centuries ago so they would build an Empire to him instead. This Empire has been since converted into the Harry Potter series, which was his long-term plan all along. Nothing has corrupted more billions of souls than Harry Potter, and your Orthodox Churches are the root of this Evil.

I implore you to get on your knees and Repent of your Cosplay Church affiliation and embrace Jesus Christ the Alpha and the Omega! Don't miss out on having a Relationship with the Master and Creator of the Universe! He rejoices in the grovelling of sinners, recognizing their shame makes His countenance to Shine upon us all! Will you not Please the LORD by admitting your sins and accepting Him into your heart?

[Isabella White]

Originally Posted by Shabiha

Hello, everyone. I'm an Orthodox Christian from Syria. You may be surprised to know that not everyone in the Middle East, where Christianity originated, is Muslim. We tend to view your crowd as white roleplayers in bed with the Jews, but you guys seem to be more reasonable. My favorite Bible verse is Matthew 27:25 because it's the most undeniable proof that the Jews are evil.

Greetings to you, dear Miss Shabiha, and We are so pleased that you have found us, in our blessed space in this vast interwebs galaxy, and I so hope that your time with us will be one where you will join with the servants of the in discovering the many wondrous truths that are contained within the glorious pages of the .

I must hasten to mention that the is the only version that we use, here at -- none of those other watered-down versions, please.

I'm a bit confused by one of your statements, and I wonder if you can clarify what you mean by, "We tend to view your crowd as white roleplayers in bed with the Jews ..." What on Earth do you mean by this, Dear? I can assure you that we, most certainly, have no such association or intention, and our loyalty to Almighty is our primary focus, here at .

It is my hope that you will be blessed by the , as you seek to leave your sinful past and to walk with , on a daily basis. May bless you richly, Dear.

[Isabella White]

Originally Posted by MitzaLizalor

Here's a recipe that complies with the cited passage and is quite refreshing if refrigerated.

Vodka Trifle

.70cl rose vodka
.some blue jelly
.stale cake, diced
.custard
.whipped cream
.assorted fruit to taste, diced
.crystallised rose petals

.Place cake into a bowl
.Add the vodka
.Add the fruit, jelly and custard
.Top with whipped cream
.Garnish with crystallised rose petals

My, what a lovely recipe, dear Sister Mitza, and I do thank you for providing this for the benefit of all who are lucky enough to read of it. One wonders if a small substitution in your very precise ingredients list could be made, for those who might not fancy the vodka. I was thinking that one could make a patriotic version of this, as a tribute, of sorts, to our beloved still-my-President Donald Trump. How would this recipe work if the vodka is replaced with President Trump's beloved Diet Coke?

[Joanna Lytton-Vasey]

Originally Posted by Isabella White

One wonders if a small substitution in your very precise ingredients list could be made, for those who might not fancy the vodka. I was thinking ...

I, on the other hand, was thinking (towards the end of what has seemed like an unusually long day) that a mere 70cl was a little light on the vodka. I would love to try Sister Mitza's recipe - we have enjoyed so many of her creations - but sadly stale cake is unknown in this house. Even with five ovens I am unable to keep up with my boys' voracious appetites.

[MitzaLizalor]

Originally Posted by Isabella White
Diet Coke?

Originally Posted by Joanna Lytton-Vasey
stale cake

Thanks for appreciating my recipe. Normally this would serve two persons but for more hungry mouths the quantities could be increased. If ingredients were being substituted, such as diet cola, what about shop-bought croutons instead of cake? For a savoury note perhaps the rose petals could be replaced with dehydrated onion flakes and maybe the sugary element would be better done as a stilton mix with walnuts and dried pears? I would add some Turkish chillies in that case.

[MitzaLizalor]

Originally Posted by Shabiha

I would not describe the government as socialist. Maybe it was under Hafez, but definitely not under Bashar. Right now, it can't really be said that Syria has an economy at all.

Thank you for replying. I thought it was a Ba’athist government?

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-18582755

The party's early slogan "unity, freedom, socialism" attracted a generation of Arab political activists who wanted to overthrow the European-backed governments of the Middle East and create a modern industrial economy.

In 1953, the Baath Party merged with Akram Hawrani's Arab Socialist Party to become the Arab Socialist Baath Party. The shrewd alliance helped the new group quickly become a serious challenge to its rivals.

In 1973, the Syrian constitution was amended to give the Baath Party unique status as the "leader of the state and society", ushering it into all areas of public life.

Its main role was to issue directives from the central government to regional representatives, mobilise the masses for political activities, and gauge the "mood" of the general population.

Ahead of a rare Baath Party regional conference in 2005, state media talked of an opportunity for the party's "revitalisation". But expectations that the constitution would be amended to remove the article making it the leader of state and society were never met.

Sounds socialist to me.

[Basilissa]

Originally Posted by Shabiha

I would not describe the government as socialist. Maybe it was under Hafez, but definitely not under Bashar. Right now, it can't really be said that Syria has an economy at all.

The only Hafez I know of was a Persian poet who really appreciated women and lived 1000 years ago.

Originally Posted by Shabiha

It's kind of both. The Shiites (or Alawites) are much more reasonable because they know what it's like to be despised by the Sunnis.

When I say Orthodox, I mean the Greek Orthodox Church of Antioch, which is different from the Syriac Orthodox Church, which is one of the Oriental Orthodox churches. As such, we reject monophysitism. However, we do believe in transubstantiation.

Well, you are still going to Hell for not following God's Word. There are many bad things that can be said about the crusades, but the one good thing is that European crusaders were equal opportunity killers, wiping off Muslims, Jews, and Orthodox Christians alike.

[MitzaLizalor]

Hell was also the best I could expect when I was born. These days folk suggest that words in The Bible do not mean what they say but have "special" "magic" meanings that we have to work out for ourselves. Somehow. They never seem to know how, exactly. “Behold, I was shapen in iniquity; and in sin did my mother conceive me.”

Psalm 51:5 Behold, I was shapen in iniquity; and in sin did my mother conceive me.

This is the sin transmitted to every baby (other than Jesus) from Adam, once he had been contaminated and started reproducing, and the reason Jesus had to die so horribly to set us free.

The Bible explains that an alternative exists. Hell need not be one's eternity, even though everybody deserves it, because of love and grace. Accepting it leads to everlasting delight praising Him in the world to come. Saying, "No thank you Jesus, I'd rather dress up and show off here on earth for a few decades, dissing your advances," has a different result: molten brimstone or (for those who like to make up their own meanings for words) everlasting torment of an undefined nature, wailing (metaphorical or otherwise) and tooth gnashing (symbolic of infinite duress or literal) over and over again.

The shallow love of this world is just that. Shallow. Fleeting. A century at best. Jesus offers Real Love with real consequences; joy for accepting, yes, but the outcome is just as real for rejection.

Christians choose Christ. I understand this may be difficult in Syria but it's always possible to read The Bible and understand the foundation of the hope offered in its pages because once The Truth is known it becomes possible to share with others and build a world not based on lies.