| The real choice is not between HIV-AIDS or abortion on the one hand, and reproductive health and rights and sexual education on the other, but between life and death, good and evil, Christ and the antichrist (2). A choice is to be made, a choice that can only be personal, an engaging choice that has vital consequences for families, Russia and the whole world. What the West and the rest of the world really need is a holy Russia! What they really expect of Russia is that she be herself and give her specific and irreplaceable witness. In this particular kairos of history, such a choice is possible! ___________________ 1. Located at Ozerkovskaya naberezhnaya 22/24, office 318, Moscow 115184, Russia. See www.ranir.ru IPPF Russia’s youth centers in Moscow, Tula and Stavropol would receive an average of 100 visits from young people a day. In IPPF’s own words: “We seek to counteract opposition for the so-called ‘pro-life’ groups and the Russian Orthodox Church. We disseminate accurate information on the real reproductive needs of individuals in Russia, to national and local media.” 2. May non-Christian or non-believing participants understand that the use of a Christian language in this speech is due to a predominantly Orthodox audience. © Marguerite A. Peeters 2011 Code for blog Since you are here… …we do have a small request. More and more people visit Orthodoxy and the World website. However, resources for editorial are scarce. In comparison to some mass media, we do not make paid subscription. It is our deepest belief that preaching Christ for money is wrong. Having said that, Pravmir provides daily articles from an autonomous news service, weekly wall newspaper for churches, lectorium, photos, videos, hosting and servers. Editors and translators work together towards one goal: to make our four websites possible - Pravmir.ru, Neinvalid.ru, Matrony.ru and Pravmir.com. Therefore our request for help is understandable. For example, 5 euros a month is it a lot or little? A cup of coffee? It is not that much for a family budget, but it is a significant amount for Pravmir. |
| The third and fourth waves of Orthodox expansion in the Americas were by conversion. The third wave began when Fr. Alexis Toth, an Eastern Rite Roman Catholic priest, ran into conflict with the local Roman Catholic bishop who was trying to suppress Eastern Rite practices and other Roman Catholic ethnic groups. Livid from an unsatisfactory meeting with the local bishop, Fr. Alexis began to re-evaluate the nature of the Church and the claims of Rome, and eventually concluded that he needed to jump ship to the Orthodox Catholic Church. In March 1892, he and 361 Eastern Rite Catholics were received into the Russian Orthodox Church. He began to evangelize other Eastern Rite Catholics, explaining why the Orthodox Church was the true ark of salvation. By the time of his death in 1909, approximately 20,000 so-called Uniates had come into the Russian Orthodox Church, and by 1916 an estimated 100,000 had entered. Many of these parishes are still operational today as Orthodox churches. We now honor Fr. Alexis as St. Alexis of Wilkes-Barre. The fourth wave of growth has been slow and steady over the last generation. Evangelicals, Anglicans, Roman Catholics, and non-Christians alike are discovering the Orthodox Church, especially as many parishes have now embraced the English language, and the average parishioner has assimilated into the fabric of America (usually while holding onto his ethnic identity). People are discovering that this ancient, unchanged faith is surprisingly relevant to their lives today, and embracing it wholeheartedly. One of the more interesting stories of this fourth wave was when 2,000 evangelicals came into the Antiochian Orthodox Archdiocese in 1987. The short of it is that a group of Campus Crusade for Christ ministers were seeking to be true to the ideals of the early Church in their ministries, and through investigation, over time, their ministries and faith began to resemble that of the early Church (and consequently, the Orthodox Church). Despite having doors slammed in their faces by several Orthodox hierarchs, they found a warm reception in the Antiochian Orthodox Archdiocese. They were received en masse, and since then have integrated nicely into this Arab-Syrian jurisdiction, bringing a new enthusiasm and refreshment into American Orthodoxy. |
| “It Starts with Quarrels.” Lawyer and Former Investigator Speaks on Domestic Violence Statistics Source: Pravmir (Russian) How the police investigate such cases Photo: alamy Victims of domestic violence are silent. It is difficult for a mother, who is on her maternity leave, to leave her husband, and children rarely complain about their parents. District police officers are overwhelmed with paperwork and do not know what is going on in other people’s houses. Unfortunately, investigators work on only tragic cases when they already can’t change anything. Pravmir.ru talked about domestic violence with Dmitry Alekseev, a criminal and civil lawyer, who worked as an investigator at the Internal Affairs Directorate (IAD) from 2002 to 2008. I woke up, my wife was dead. Why he was acquitted “ How often did you encounter domestic violence in your investigative practice?” Dmitry Alekseev “ There is no concept of “domestic violence” in the criminal law. This vague term can include anything: from daily nagging at one’s husband with saying things, like “all men are normal, but you”, to pestering one’s children, to beating family members by an alcoholic, to rape and even to murder. On the other hand, the very terms “violence” or “violent acts”, on the contrary, have a very specific legal meaning and are subject to criminal punishment. At the same time, it is absolutely impossible to somehow combine them into something whole, because they can be either investigated by the Internal Affairs Directorate or by the Investigative Committee, depending on their severity and jurisdiction. Sometimes no one investigates a case at all, due to its specifics, as in the cases of the so-called private prosecution. And the process itself is different. I have always been a supporter of evaluating each crime separately.” “ Have you investigated crimes that people committed against their relatives – wives, elderly mothers and fathers, or children?” “ If we are talking about a kind of average domestic violence, meaning specific physical violence (we can’t talk about moral violence, this is not the competence of law enforcement agencies), then investigators rarely work on such criminal cases. |
| Doctors speak about what has changed since the beginning of the pandemic The number of people with coronavirus infection in the world has exceeded the 31 million mark, almost a million people have died. In March and April, hospitals in Russia and other countries were overcrowded, and doctors were forced to work around the clock. In the summer, the situation began to stabilize, but many feared that in the autumn incidence rate would resume. Doctors told Pravmir about the changes that have occurred in the six months since the beginning of the pandemic, what is happening in hospitals now and whether we should expect the second wave of COVID-19. Treatment has become more effective Andrey Olshevsky Andrey Olshevsky , a senior doctor at the first-aid station named after Puchkov in Moscow, says that doctors have learned to deal with COVID-19 more successfully, and there are fewer complications in patients. — There are much fewer coronavirus cases now compared with spring. And we are coping with the situation. All mechanisms and processes have been set up: patient sorting and their further treatment. A whole system has been launched and it is constantly changing and adjusting to the situation we are seeing. That is, everything is much easier now than it was in spring, when strategies changed almost every day, there were a lot of patients, including among doctors. Measures aimed at containing the virus and limiting its spread, including lockdown measures, have borne fruit, stopped the flow, and now we are working at an average pace. A small increase in the incidence that we are seeing now is due to the fact that people came back from vacation, returned to work, a new school year started for schoolchildren and students. Public areas have become more crowded. Therefore, the number of new coronavirus cases may increase. Yet, at the same time, many hospitals have switched to normal operation. We have learned to fight coronavirus better: to treat it, to deal with the symptoms it causes. As there are fewer cases, the number of people in intensive care and those connected to a ventilator has decreased. |
| Pronouncing of the word “Christmas” is punishable by death on the territories occupied by ISIS Mosul, December 27, 2014 The outrages of radical Islamists on Iraqi and Syrian territory have not only deprived Christians who live under the yoke of the takfirists of the joy of Christmas, but also alarmed neighboring regions that for the moment are free of the terrorists, reports Linga with reference to news agencies. According to the eyewitnesses’ evidence, on the territories occupied by “the Islamic State” the very utterance of the word “Christmas” is equated with the public preaching of Christianity and is punishable by death. According to Suleiman Yusuf, an international human rights activist, at the present time even an indirect suggestion of the festive mood that is reigning in homes of Christian families of the Nineveh Valley is dangerous. Thus, unusual activity on Christmas days may attract attention of inspectors-takfirists who take the law into their own hands and cruelly deal with “disturbers of the public peace.” “Needless to say hundreds and hundreds of Iraqi churches have not been decorated and adorned for the Christmas feast: today rain is pouring down either on ruins of the centuries-old churches or else on deserted and desecrated altars,” he said. Father Maysar Bahnam, Rector of the Catholic Church of St. George the Victory-Bearer in Baghdad, in his interview dispelled the myth of the safety of Christians in the Iraqi capital which is not under control of militants: “Around 400 people are present at my services; but we cannot arrange a procession of the cross or organize something for the feast outside the church—this is absolutely dangerous now.” The days of Nativity, joyless for 250,000 Christians of the Nineveh Valley, became a hectic period for believers of Lebanon. According to Lebanese Bishop Michel Qassarji, on an average, a Lebanese community has sheltered around 1,800 refugees since the beginning of the Iraqi conflict; 25 new families come to churches every week to ask for help. “All this is very difficult. But as the Church, we are doing our best to meet the needs of these unfortunate people, particularly in food and education,” the hierarch assured the journalists. 29 декабря 2014 г. Смотри также Комментарии Мы в соцсетях Подпишитесь на нашу рассылку |
| BREAKING: Undercover video catches Planned Parenthood selling aborted baby body parts URGENT: Sign the petition demanding that Congress stop Planned Parenthood " s illegal and inhuman practice of harvesting, selling baby body parts. Click here . Los Angeles, July 14, 2015 An undercover video released this morning shows a national leader of Planned Parenthood admitting that the abortion provider uses the illegal and highly controversial partial birth abortion procedure to sell intact fetal body parts. The average asking price for fetal body parts? Between and per specimen. Dr. Deborah Nucatola has been senior director of medical services at Planned Parenthood since February 2009, where she oversees medical practices at all Planned Parenthood affiliates nationwide. She has been employed by Planned Parenthood for more than a decade. She also performs abortions up to 24 weeks in Los Angeles. In the video, she met with investigators posing as buyers from a human biologics company on July 25, 2014. While casually sipping wine and eating salad, Dr. Nucatola revealed that she charges to per specimen, and that fetal livers are especially in demand—although “a lot of people want intact hearts these days,” and she has had requests for lungs and “lower extremities.” Planned Parenthood affiliates “absolutely” want to offer such organs, she said. Nucatola admitted that Planned Parenthood " s abortionists take great care not to appear to be profiteering off fetal body parts. She said, “They just want to do it in a way that is not perceived as, " The clinic is selling tissue. This clinic is making money off of this. " ” The issue is not merely PR—there is also the little matter of federal law. Trafficking in human body parts is a federal felony punishable by up to 10 years in prison and a fine of The method of abortion she describes, on video, also appears to violate federal law. Dr. Nucatola said she has “a huddle at the beginning of the day” to determine what fetal body parts consumers are requesting, and which patients that day will have babies from which they will be able to harvest them. Then Planned Parenthood abortionists tailor the procedure to assure they do not destroy the organs, maximizing profitability. |
| 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. |
| Family life : Bringing up children Last Updated: Feb 8th, 2011 - 05:50:02 Let’s Have More Teen Pregnancy By Frederica Mathewes-Green Dec 15, 2010, 10:00 Discuss this article Printer friendly page Source True Love Waits. Wait Training. Worth Waiting For. The slogans of teen abstinence programs reveal a basic fact of human nature: teens, sex, and waiting aren’t a natural combination. Over the last fifty years the wait has gotten longer. In 1950, the average first-time bride was just over 20; in 1998 she was five years older, and her husband was pushing 27. If that June groom had launched into puberty at 12, he’d been waiting more than half his life. If he been waiting, that is. Sex is the sugar coating on the drive to reproduce, and that drive is nearly overwhelming. It’s supposed to be; it’s the survival engine of the human race. Fighting it means fighting a basic bodily instinct, akin to fighting thirst. Yet despite the conflict between liberals and conservatives on nearly every topic available, this is one point on which they firmly agree: young people absolutely must not have children. Though they disagree on means-conservatives advocate abstinence, liberals favor contraception—they shake hands on that common goal. The younger generation must not produce a younger generation. But teen pregnancy, in itself, is not such a bad thing. By the age of 18, a young woman’s body is well prepared for childbearing. Young men are equally qualified to do their part. Both may have better success at the enterprise than they would in later years, as some health risks—Cesarean section and Down syndrome, for example— increase with passing years. (The dangers we associate with teen pregnancy, on the other hand, are behavioral, not biological: drug use, STD’s, prior abortion, extreme youth, and lack of prenatal care.) A woman’s fertility has already begun to decline at 25-one reason the population-control crowd promotes delayed childbearing. Early childbearing also rewards a woman’s health with added protection against breast cancer. |
| 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. |
| My Summertime with God I’m not shocked about how much people spend on taking care of themselves, nor the time wasted in front of the TV, I am shocked how little attention people give to their souls: 6 minutes a day! Everything else is more important. Of course this is an average, but an average means that some like, say, very pious people or monks, may spend considerably more time praying, while others may spend absolutely no time with God. Time is a very precious asset. As a priest, in Confession one of the most common sins I hear is the lack of time for prayer. The majority of the people realize that their prayer life lacks the breadth and the depth it should have and yet over and over they repeat the same mistake. I know very well out of personal experience what a busy schedule looks like, so I generally have a lot of compassion in this respect. The other day however I read an interesting survey from the Bureau of Labor Statistics regarding how the average Americans spend their time, and my sympathetic mindset has been severely shook. Here is the daily schedule of the average working American over the age of 18. Personal care activities (including sleeping) 9 hours, eating and drinking 1 hour and 10 minutes, , household activities 1 hour and 15 minutes, shopping 42 minutes, caring for others (including children) 1 hour and 44 minutes, working 5.6 hours, educational activities 5 minutes, leisure and sports 3.7 hours (out of this 1.9 hours of watching TV, physical activity only 10 minutes), volunteering 5 minutes, religious and spiritual activities 6 long minutes. Photo by fotoshow, www.photosight.ru If you are as surprised as me take a deep breath then continue reading. I’m not shocked about how much people spend on taking care of themselves, nor the time wasted in front of the TV, I am shocked how little attention people give to their souls: 6 minutes a day! Everything else is more important. Of course this is an average, but an average means that some like, say, very pious people or monks, may spend considerably more time praying, while others may spend absolutely no time with God. |
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