| According to World Health Organization and UN data from 2005, Georgia has 19.1 abortions per 1,000 women of reproductive age, one of the highest rates in Europe, although it is in the middle among former Soviet countries. The average woman in Georgia will have three abortions in her lifetime. To Ban Or Not To Ban Conservative forces in Georgia, including the influential Orthodox Church, see a broader problem and are urging an outright ban on abortions. In his Easter message this week, Patriarch Ilia II declared: “This happens because of the desire and decision of the parents. It is a horrible murder of an innocent, helpless creature. And the doctor is an accessory to this murder. When the country is in such a difficult demographic situation, I think that the government must pass a law banning abortions, with just a small number of exceptions, of course.” Feminists and other women’s advocates see the debate as a question of fundamental women’s rights. Tbilisi-based gynecologist Mzia Gambashidze says abortion bans are dangerous and counterproductive. “No bans! We had one under the communists and how many people died from unsanitary, illegal abortions? How many doctors were thrown in prison for performing them?” she asks. “This is not a way out of the current situation.” Gambashidze urges greater family-planning education to reduce the abortion rate. She recounts seeing patients who wanted abortions because they had been advised by their Orthodox priests not to use birth control. Nina Tsikhistavi, head of the Caucasus Women’s Network NGO, says the right to abortion must remain sacrosanct, although she, too, is concerned about the alarming figures on sex selection. Is Development The Answer? Lawmaker Khundadze agrees that an outright ban is no solution. “It is impossible to completely ban pregnancy termination, since that would increase the number of abortions done unprofessionally and that would lead to more deaths,” he said. “We will consider this topic together with the appropriate specialists at a session of my committee.” |
| However, what is the cause of the deaths? Alas, but it is due to a sad imperfection of human nature, namely, that it is natural for people to die. They die regardless of whether they are participating in trials or just watering the plants at their country house. If there is no war or other emergency in the country, people die with approximately the same rate: this is called the natural death rate. It is by the way how much it has exceeded that epidemiologists are now calculating how many lives the coronavirus has taken. Trials of the Prizer/BioNtech vaccine took place from April 29 to November 14 (to be more precise, they are still ongoing, it is simply that documents with a report for this period have been submitted to the FDA). In total, more than 40 thousand people took part in them. It is almost inevitable that some people out of these 40 thousand would die. Moreover, calculations based on the natural mortality rates in the countries, where the tests were conducted, show that the rates are almost the same. Yet, the trials of other vaccines were suspended several times due to side effects in participants and a special investigation was conducted, and only after it established that there was no connection, the trials were resumed. This is true, but it concerns suspicious side effects: that is, those for which natural causes of death are not immediately evident, and which are similar to complications that may somehow relate to the vaccination. Obviously, deaths in the placebo group should be excluded: especially since Pfizer/BioNtech used normal saline and not another vaccine as in AstraZeneca trials, for example. Heart attacks and strokes are the most common causes of death in all people from western countries, so there is no reason to believe that these two deaths are due to the vaccine and not due to the natural course of things. Moreover, the overall mortality rate among volunteers did not differ from the average one. When a participant developed transverse myelitis, an autoimmune disease, during the AstraZeneca vaccine trials, they were immediately suspended, as this is, to put it mildly, not the most common disease and, importantly, it can theoretically be related to vaccination, since both vaccination and transverse myelitis affect the immune system. |
| Russian intellectuals in exile analysed the reasons of the collapse of their ideas in the storm of the Russian revolution, unleashed by them: “The prevailing simple explanation, which every average “repenting” Russian intellectual arrived at, is “people’s unreadiness”, S.L.Frank wrote in the “repentant” collection “From the depth”. “According to this explanation “people” due to their ignorance and lack of education in state issues, where the same the “old regime” was at fault, turned out to be unable to realize excellent reforms planned by the intellectuals and ruined the country and the revolution with their rude and awkward behaviour. Today there is a tendency to explain all the faults of “democracy” and market and criminalization of the Russian economy again with the primeval Russian habit of slavery, irresponsibility and paternalistic role of the state, Russian inability of self-dependence and unreceptiveness of civilization. Such explanations are a diagnose of irresponsibility of the politicians, who developed their programmes and actions counting on some invented ideal people, and not the existing one. But such statement of the question is inherently false. It goes without saying, that it depends on the cultural and moral consciousness which ideas and mode of operation will be most effective. But the general total is always determined by the interaction between the public consciousness and the course of ideas of the minority that becomes the herald. If Frank is not surprised that in the course of the revolution “people’s passion” in its straightness only tested in real practice the given ideas, and uncovered “the intellectuals’ slogans from the wraith of philosophising and moral-free tactical distinctions”, so one should not be surprised at the mass moral lapse in the 90s. Double experience in the 20th century shows the rule: in the same society and the same individual there always co-exist anarchical, anti-state and socially destructive passions and instincts as well as great creative, conservative-protective, spiritually healthy, nationally uniting forces. |
| After his transfer to Seattlés Orthopedic Children " s Hospital and later to Seattlés Medical Center, Dr. Morse began to systematically examine the question of dying. He questioned many children, who had experienced clinical death, comparing and documenting their accounts. Additionally, he remained in contact with his young patients through adulthood observing their mental and spiritual maturity. In his book Closer to the Light, Dr. Morse insists that all the children whom he studied grew up to be more serious, moral, and spiritual than the average adult. All of them accepted their experiences as a manifestation of God " s mercy and a sign from above that they should live in uprightness. Until most recently, such accounts of the afterlife could only be found in the realm of religious literature. Worldly magazines and medical journals, as a rule, avoided publishing such material. An overwhelming majority of physicians and psychiatrists reacted very disapprovingly to any spiritual accounts and did not acknowledge the existence of the human soul. It is only within the last twenty years, at the very, so-called triumph of materialism, that some doctors and psychiatrists have begun to seriously examine the existence of the human soul. A catalyst for this movement was Dr. Raymond Moody " s well-received book Life after Life published in 1975. In it, Dr. Moody collected a series of first-hand accounts of near death experiences. Initially, Dr. Moody " s interest in the subject was sparked by stories related to him by some of his friends. As he began to collect these stories, he realized that there were large numbers of people who had out-of-body experiences during the time they were clinically dead. This shocked him. However, many of these people, did not relate their stories to anyone to avoid embarrassment or worse, the questioning of their sanity. Soon after the appearance of Dr. Moody " s book, the sensation-hungry press and television media widely publicized the contents of his book. A firestorm of discussions and public debates on life after death issues followed. This caused a flood of doctors, psychiatrists and spiritual leaders, some of whom felt their field of expertise had been infringed upon by an incompetent source, to launch independent investigations to review the data and results published by Dr. Moody. Many of them were very surprised when the accuracy of Dr. Moody " s observations were verified. Specifically, that upon a person " s death, their existence does not cease, but on the contrary their soul continues to hear, think and feel. |
| More often than not there will be a small number of people who use the leader and they themselves are the true authorities. Either way, the average follower is under scrutiny to keep up the appearances of perfection. All this gives the schismatic a sense that he belongs to a different and superior society. The rules of the group are more important than that of the greater society. This gives the schismatics a sense of superiority and entitlement. Worldly society has no real authority over them and sinful people have no real rights. They may obey civil laws begrudgingly to avoid prison. Many begin to talk about belonging spiritually to theocracies and ideal governments that do not exist. The realpolitik of political life is scorned. Some will even begin to develop their own communities. The schismatic, suffering from a sense of superiority, entitlement and exclusion, begins to see his group as an island haven in a sea of sin and hostility. The overwhelming sense of hostility will lead to the group developing paranoia. These groups become suspicious of others. People in the group begin to doubt the loyalty and fidelity of others. They speak little of their internal conflicts. The group image of perfection is upheld at all costs. When this occurs, the Christian schismatic become apocalyptic. People begin to talk more about the Devil and the Antichrist ruling the world. This way of thinking only increases the schismatic’s justification for his behavior. There becomes an increasing belief that the end is near. Talk in the community will be about how God will only save the faithful remnant. Now an interesting phenomenon occurs. The superior people, especially the leaders, begin to fall into antinomian behaviors. Antinomianism means against or opposed to the law. Through out history exclusive apocalyptic movements end up justifying immoral behaviors for themselves. The most common sins involve money and sex. It is not uncommon for the leader or leaders to exploit members for money and sex. |
| Chapter II. The Predicament of the Christian Historian Veritas non erubescit nisi abscondi. – Leo XIII «Christianity is a religion of historians.» 1 It is a strong phrase, but the statement is correct. Christianity is basically a vigorous appeal to history, a witness of faith to certain particular events in the past, to certain particular data of history. These events are acknowledged by faith as truly eventful. These historic moments, or instants, are recognized as utterly momentous. In brief, they are identified by faith as «mighty deeds» of God, Magnalia Dei. The «scandal of particularity,» to use the phrase of Gerhard Kittel, 2 belongs to the very essence of the Christian message. The Christian Creed itself is intrinsically historic. It comprises the whole of existence in a single historical scheme as one «History of Salvation,» from Creation to Consummation, to the Last Judgment and the End of history. Emphasis is put on the ultimate cruciality of certain historic events, namely, of the Incarnation, of the Coming of the Messiah, and of his Cross and Resurrection. Accordingly, it may be justly contended that «the Christian religion is a daily invitation to the study of history.» 3 Now, it is at this point that the major difficulties arise. An average believer, of any denomination or tradition, is scarcely aware of his intrinsic duty to study history. The historical pattern of the Christian message is obvious. But people are interested rather in the «eternal truth» of this message, than in what they are inclined to regard as «accidents» of history, even when they are discussing the facts of the Biblical history or of the history of the Church. Does not the message itself point out beyond history, to the «life of the Age to come»? There is a persistent tendency to interpret the facts of history as images or symbols, as typical cases or examples, and to transform the «history of salvation» into a kind of edifying parable. We can trace this tendency back to the early centuries of Christian history. In our own days we find ourselves in the midst of an intense controversy precisely about this very matter. |
| However, he foresaw that 70 years later, the Church would again shine. In 1990, his relics and personal items were found in Petersburg and were brought to Diveevo. Today, 250 nuns live in Diveevo, who practice the sleepless prayer, just as of St. Seraphim directed. Another renown monastery is Valaam, located on the evergreen islands of Lake Ladoga. Monastic life began there during the twelfth century. Initially, the central monastery was built and around it many sketes. It's a quiet and beautiful place. Another very important one is the monastery of Optina, which played a catalytic role in Russia's spiritual life during the nineteenth century. Within 100 years, it unveiled 15 saints; they are the famous starets. Thousands of people went to them, including intellectuals and scientists of that era. In Western Ukraine lies the Pochaev monastery, a blessed spot, where the Virgin Mary appeared and where her footprint remains on a rock. This monastery was a bulwark for the Orthodox and against the Uniates. We now come to 1877. St. Luke was born on April 14, known in the world as Valentin Voino-Yasenetsky. His earthly motherland was Kerch, the ancient Greek-Pontian area in Crimea. During the ninth century in this area, the Greeks built the famous church of St. John the Baptist, one of Crimea's most important monuments. Today, St. Luke's bust also sits in front of the Church. The saint's father was a pharmacist. However, the pharmacy was not doing well so he decided to leave it. He then worked as a civil servant. The saint's mother was Maria Kudrim, distinguished for her philanthropic works. Apart from St. Luke, the couple Voino-Yasenetsky had four other children, three boys and two girls in total. Because the family's financial situation was worsening, the parents decided to move to Kiev, the cradle of Russian Christianity. It is a very beautiful and exceedingly green city, with the Dnieper River running through it. The first Christian prince, St. Vladimir, baptized his people in this river in the year 988, and established the Orthodox faith in the Russian land. The Voino-Yasenetsky family lived in a house in the city centre, on Kresatic Street. Young Valentin did not seem to be unique as a child. They all considered him average and said, " nobody can expect this child to do anything significant with his life. " However, he did stand out due to his seriousness, honesty, morals, and sensitivity. From a very early age, he manifested his talent in art. While in secondary school, he also studied in Kiev's academy of fine arts. At the age of 15, he took part in an art contest and won first prize. |
| A wide ranging faculty has been assembled, having an average teaching experience of over 15 years; and, all classes are taught by a faculty who have earned terminal degrees in their academic field. Most have already become distinguished scholars. The college staff at St. Katherine has enough know how to help the incoming students with the traditional on boarding issues and other needs students have at college; including a very enthusiastic Orthodox priest who understands something about the trials and tribulations of linking college studies to professional careers. Most importantly the college has the qualified faculty to offer an arts and sciences curriculum. Yes, theology and biblical studies are offered, but the College is to be known as a College of Arts and Sciences. The Vision: A New Pedagogical Philosophy As with all start-up ventures, the entrepreneur always begins with a very high aim to solve a problem and fill a unique market niche with either a product or service. It seems that St. Katherine’s vision does just that! St. Katherine offers a participatory academic culture, small class sizes, and high-caliber professors. But beyond this, the college has a unique approach to curriculum and organization. Typical colleges and universities are organized around departments, in order to allow specialization to occur within each of the academic disciplines (i.e. biology, chemistry, literature, etc.) Though this allows for specialization of knowledge, it also contributes to building overhead bureaucracy and self-promoting interests of the departments, generally at the expense of the student’s ability to build and follow their own path to inquiry and learning. Frank and Eve have in mind a different method. They have evolved an integrated method of pedagogy, a method that has its roots in the lyceums of the Socratic Greeks. The basic liberal arts course curriculum are being offered, however, it includes a matrix approach to course delivery that promotes the students ability to reach out to different areas of knowledge and inquiry of their own interests; rather than fitting the student into a “pigeon holes” that traditional academic departments usually force on them. Rest assure, the student is getting the liberal arts and science education needed to become well-rounded and to prepare them, if they so chose, to go on to professional education in graduate school. |
| Shmuel Khan died on the 3rd of March 1918 (according to the Julian calendar, which Assyrians used then; 16 March according to the Gregorian calendar) together with the Assyrian Catholicos Mar Shimun XIX. During the First World War, His Holiness the Catholicos had communication with Emperor Nicholas II through Grand Duke Nicholas Nikolaevich and conveyed words of support to the Emperor in the war with the Ottoman Empire. The Assyrian people were then living in the Ottoman Empire and were fighting for autonomy. Nicholas II responded by conveying words of gratitude for the support and expressed his hope that the Russian people would free the Turkish Christians fr om oppression. When the Russian Civil War broke out in 1918, the Assyrian people were still resisting the Turks, but the Entente countries pressured the Catholicos to negotiate with the Kurds. Catholicos Mar Shimun was invited to a reception with the Kurdish leader Simko Shikak. Shmuel Khan accompanied him. It was the Saturday before Lent: he warned the Catholicos that there might be provocations, and he was right. Almost all the Assyrians at the reception were shot, more than a hundred people were killed, and among them were the Catholicos and my great-grandfather. In 2014, a monument to Patriarch Mar Shimun XIX was unveiled on the grounds of the Church of the Blessed Virgin Mary ( " Mat Maryam " ) in Moscow. Shmuel Khan " s son Avimalek is also connected with Russia: he studied here, became an officer and commanded an Assyrian cavalry unit of two hundred horsemen fighting on the Russian side on the southern flank of the Caucasus Front in Persia. His niece Florence is my mum. Given that my ancestors lived in Russia, I have a special appreciation for Russian culture. The personality of Emperor Nicholas II, who had contacts with my predecessor, and his family are of great interest to me. Of Russian writers, L. Tolstoy is of particular importance. In his novels he analysed the spirituality of Russia, of the average believing Russian, and I find that very interesting. |
| The Dogmas of the Post-Christian World: Obstacles to Evangelism Every culture lives by dogmas—that is, by moral presuppositions and habits of mind so ingrained that they are rarely openly asserted, much less examined or defended. Few people examine their fundamental presuppositions; rather these presuppositions form the prism through which they examine everything else. To people these presuppositions as so self-evident that they scarcely need examination or defense. In the modern West there are a number of these presuppositions that impede the Church’s work of evangelism and make it difficult for the average westerner to accept the Church’s view of Scripture. These reigning dogmas of the modern West include the following. 1) Truth is relative . The modern West allows for a multitude of competing and mutually incompatible worldviews and for the open practice of many religions. This is a good thing, for tolerance of contrary opinion allows for personal growth and charity. But our political pluralism which found room for many different religions has morphed into a tacit agreement that there is no one true religion—or at least that if there is, society as a whole is incapable of discovering it. One now therefore hears expressions like “That is your truth” or “What is true for you is not necessarily true for me”. These assertions are not just admissions that opinions differ, but the more radical view that an absolute truth, discoverable and available to all, does not exist. In this understanding, religious pluralism in society is not merely political inevitable; it is also philosophically necessary. There can be no national commitment to a particular faith because it is impossible for the nation to discover which religion is true. This presupposition that society should not opt for a dominant religion is ingrained, and is never examined or questioned. That is why we look back in history upon societies which did make a religious choice with studied incomprehension, if not with a fair bit of revulsion. For example, just as pagan Rome insisted on a public honouring of their gods as the state cult, so also the Christians ejected the old gods and substituted the worship of Christ when they came to power. Their logic was clear: the old gods were demons and worshipping them would mean forfeiting divine favour. Therefore, the old gods had to go and a different choice be made for state allegiance. It took some time: the altar to the goddess Victory was not cleared out of Rome until 382 by the Emperor Gratian. Two years later when Symmachus, the senator and prefect of Rome, wrote to the next emperor asking to have it restored, his request was strenuously opposed by St. Ambrose, who succeeded in having the request denied. |
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