| The mass media can play various socio-political roles by both being a unifying, enlightening and peace-making force in society, as well as by being a destructive and inflammatory force inciting enmity and hatred. Unfortunately, modern-day tendencies show that journalism can be easily transformed into a weapon for the manipulation of human consciousness. Today we Christians of both West and East are confronted by many challenges and problems which our conscience has to respond to. “The power of the word is stronger than the power of money or arms. All that has happened in history, all great transformations began with the word … The word contains within itself the potential for salvation and the potential for ruin, and the past twentieth century illustrated in an astonishing way the power of the word,” His Holiness Patriarch Kirill emphasizes. The average person today mainly believes that which he/she reads in print or in the electronic media, or sees on television. A script read aloud in authoritative tones on television accompanied by a video footage has no need of proof. It is not the conclusions that convince but the reader’s intonation and pictures on the screen. The paradox of the modern-day world is that in an apparent surfeit of information, people and society as a whole are in receipt of less concrete, evidential and proven information and become ever more victims of mythalogization and manipulation. It is these devices which are often used by new so-called religious organizations and fundamentalists for whom the recruiting of new followers is the primary objective. We mean here totalitarian sect It is within this new reality, when the volume of news reports overwhelms the consumer of information and he/she has no time to check their veracity, that ‘fake news’ is more often used. The technology of creating fake news is varied but, as a rule, by applying the discernment approach it is possible to recognize a fake. The problem is that people today, weighed down by the cares of their day-to-day lives, lack time to analyze the information they get and to determine what is true and what is a lie. |
| He also hoped that Westerners would not “forget our brothers and sisters whose faith is, quite literally, under fire; not to forget the unimaginable barbarity”. “He’s very conversant with the issues,” John Pontifex says. “We’ve been very impressed by his knowledge. He has a great deal of understanding. He’s aware of the sensitive issues between the different communions. His understanding is far greater than the average person might expect.” He adds: “In a world marked by religious illiteracy and which lacks confidence in talking about religion, here is a figure who does get it, and the role Christianity plays as a bridge-builder. He’s hastened the day when you can truly say we have woken up to the reality of the situation.” Charles is a deeply religious man. When he ascends to the throne he will be arguably England’s most theologically literate monarch since the union. While his faith is not straight-down-the-line Anglicanism, it isn’t as esoteric or wacky as the press has long made out. Born to be supreme governor of the Church of England, Charles was baptised in the Music Room at Buckingham Palace 30 days after his birth by the then Archbishop of Canterbury, Geoffrey Fisher. At university in Cambridge he corresponded with the Anglican Bishop of Southwark, Mervyn Stockwood, a leading liberal who spoke of “the Saviour’s oneness with nature” and encouraged clergy to wear jeans in public. Later Charles was influenced by the mysticism of his great mentor, the South African writer Laurens van der Post, who encouraged the Prince “to see the old world of the spirit”. The Prince’s formative years gave him awide-ranging interest in religions and what unites them. Cardinal Vincent Nichols has said that Prince Charles seems “thoroughly at home” in Westminster Cathedral and that “when he is abroad he happily goes to Mass, and is at peace with that”. Charles is also fascinated by Judaism and, especially, Islam. He believes that “the future surely lies in rediscovering the universal truths that dwell at the heart of [Abrahamic] religions”. |
| The videos, released by the Center for Medical Progress, purport to show Planned Parenthood officials engaging in illegal activities, like the selling of aborted baby body parts for profit. Supporters of Planned Parenthood have argued that the videos have been deceptively edited and point to little evidence of wrongdoing existing outside of the recordings. Since the videos " release, some states have moved to defund Planned Parenthood while efforts at the federal level have also been attempted with less success. Lila Rose, a pro-life activist and president of Live Action, pointed out in a statement released Monday that female Texans will be able to receive medical care from other facilities, adding that " low-income women in Texas — and all throughout America — have so many more choices than going to an unsafe and corrupt Planned Parenthood facility. " " In fact, there are over 13,000 federally qualified health care clinics that provide comprehensive and better care to women — on average, 20 clinics for every one Planned Parenthood facility, " stated Rose. " I encourage other states to show Planned Parenthood the same scrutiny that Texas has, because we know that these issues are certainly not limited to one region of the country. " Dawn Laguens, the executive director of Planned Parenthood Federation of America, said in a statement that the actions of Texas " should be a national scandal. " " It is completely outrageous that Texas officials are using these thoroughly discredited, fraudulent videos to cut women off from preventive health care, including cancer screenings, HIV testing, and birth control, " continued Laguens. While Texas has officially barred Planned Parenthood from receiving funds from Medicaid, some have speculated that this move will be challenged in court. " The decision is expected to draw a legal challenge, as have similar efforts in Louisiana, Alabama and Arkansas, " reported Peter Sullivan of The Hill. " Earlier Monday, a federal judge ruled that Louisiana must keep making Medicaid payments to Planned Parenthood for two more weeks as the case continues. " |
| “Above all, we are living in a pilgrimage place, because from here all things begin,” he said.” Understanding is the basis for coexistence and our goal is to promote further understanding of the Christian presence in the Holy Land.” Father Pierbattista Pizzaballa, of St. Savior’s Monastery in the Old City, discussed the historically tenuous relationship between Christians and Jews, although he noted a marked improvement over the past 50 years. “The history between the Church and Judaism is well known,” said Pizzaballa. “In the last 50 years relations have changed dramatically for the better, but the past was painful – was difficult.” “Of course the problems are always there because you can’t change the problems of 2,000 years in 50 years,” he added. While Pizzaballa conceded that “many things remain to be done,” he noted that the Catholic Church has an 800-year presence in Israel and therefore must be treated with greater “legitimacy.” “Catholics are not foreigners here, they are citizens of Israel,” he said. “We want cultural relations to improve from all aspects of our lives. We know that what happens in Israel is important for the Catholic Church around the world.” Pizzaballa cited the need for a strengthened relationship between the church and local authorities to provide better housing, professional and education opportunities for Catholics. Although he said the education level among Christians is high, many still are finding it difficult to find sustainable jobs. Indeed, the employment rate for Christians stands at 54% – 63.8% for men and 45.3% for women – according to CBS. Meanwhile, the national average is 75% and 66%, respectively. Among Christian Arabs, the rate is 48% – with men at 59.5% and women at 37.7%. “One of the problems for the Catholic Church in Jerusalem is land and housing, which is very expensive,” he said. “To get more land that means money, but for a normal family, the prices are almost impossible [to afford].” While Pizzaballa said the Church has built hundreds of housing units for Christians – including 400 in the Old City’s Christian Quarter, with projects planned in Jaffa and Nazareth – it is struggling to provide more, due to pronounced fiscal limitations. |
| In a 2010 stud y on 438 World of Warcraft gamers conducted by the International Journal of Mental Health and Addiction, it was found that 44 percent openly stated they were addicted to the games, while the average playing time was 5.5 hours per day. One person surveyed even admitted to feeling withdrawals similar to that of caffeine when playing. “Amazingly, not playing Warcraft for a few days can send me into withdrawal, similar to my old vice, caffeine addiction,” the participant said. Where do you draw the line? If video games have a tendency to become addictive and contain violent content, should parents ban their kids from playing them altogether? Just like many activities in life, it should come in balance. Not all video games are violent, gory escapades that revolve around mass annihilation. Some are educational, some help with a child’s level of communication, while others are simply good, clean fun . Kevin Schut, a professor of Media and Communication at Trinity Western University, urges parents to not be afraid of the world of video games. Instead, he encourages them to “stay alert and stay engaged,” when it comes to moderating their kid’s games. “If your kids want to dive into digital worlds, don’t automatically say no. God made people infinitely creative, and video games are just a newer version of our age-old impulse to imagine and play,” he said. 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. |
| 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. |
| Seraphim Danckaert is currently a staff member at the Orthodox Christian Network, a media ministry of the Standing Conference of Canonical Orthodox Bishops in the Americas (SCOBA). OCN produces Come Receive the Light, the national Orthodox Christian radio program, and other Internet-based media products for local parishes. Seraphim earned an M.Div. with highest distinction from Holy Cross Greek Orthodox School of Theology. You can reach him at seraphim@myocn.net and read his other articles on media and ministry at www.myocn.net . Tweet Donate Share Code for blog Cultivate Your Parish Website An average Internet surfer, potential visitor or local resident certainly isn " t going to go the extra mile to uncover your ... 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. If everyone reading Pravmir could donate 5 euros a month, they would contribute greatly to our ability to spread the word of Christ, Orthodoxy, life " s purpose, family and society. Donate Also by this author " “Le monde entier reste silencieux au sujet de l’Artsakh” : 120 000 personnes sont bloquées, dont des enfants en bas âge. pravmir_com_team Depuis le 12 décembre 2022, la région de l " Artsakh, où vivent 120 000 Arméniens, est bloquée par l " Azerbaïdjan.… |
| 25 See, e.g., Hooykaas, Religion and the Rise of Modern Science; and Jaki, The Savior of Science. These sources do not deal seriously with the impact of Christianity and Hellenistic science. There is, however, an underlying desire to shape the relationship between Christianity and science in an idealized way in which historical contingencies are disregarded. This makes the nature of these claims rather apologetic, which promotes a simplified view of Christianity as a stimulating force for scientific development. 27 See, e.g., Daniélou, Gospel Message and Hellenistic Culture; and Chadwick, Early Christian Thought and the Classical Tradition. 28 It was in this period, generally known as the Patristic period, that the fundamental Christian doctrines were fixed by the Fathers of the church in a series of church councils. The Patristic period as understood within Orthodox Christianity is often extended far beyond these “official” historical limits until at least the fourteenth century, the century of St. Gregory Palamas. In a sense, however, the Patristic era never ended: “In the eyes of Orthodoxy the ‘Age of the Fathers’ did not come to an end in the fifth century, for many later writers are also ‘Fathers.’… It is dangerous to look on ‘the Fathers’ as a closed circle of writings belonging wholly to the past, for might not our own age produce a new Basil or Athanasius?” T. Ware, The Orthodox Church, p. 212. 29 St. Gregory the Theologian (Nazianzus) Orations 28 [ET: NPNF, pp. 300 – 301]. It is interesting to note that the recent translation of the same oration instead of the word science uses the word knowledge, which probably reflects more accurately the usage of the terms related to the particular sciences in the time of St. Gregory. See F. W. Norris, Faith Gives Fullness to Reasoning, p. 242. 30 It is known that religion or theology is considered by some modern scientists as being irrelevant in any scientific context. Some of the educated public treat religion as giving important insights when it deals with some scientific beliefs in the field of biological evolution and cosmology. This feature of knowledge, its integrity and all-encompassing domain, is quite unpopular and even hostile to the modern understanding of sciences as strongly differentiated branches of research with quite narrow and strictly professional applications. Knowledge as a universal intellectual and cultural attitude to the world is not pursued now as part of the educational agenda in the average university. |
| For long periods of its history we have precious little information about what life was really like for the average monk on the Holy Mountain. Since for the most part there was nothing particularly remarkable about it, there was no reason to write it down. We only know about the stars who shine out by reason of their exceptional qualities, their enduring writings, or their adventurous exploits. ‘When exploring Athonite spirituality,’ writes Metropolitan Kallistos, ‘we are like children gathering sea shells on the margin of an uncharted ocean.’ 338 Certainly for the seventeenth century and the early part of the eighteenth there was a mood of gloom and despondency throughout much of the Greek world and Athos was no exception to this trend. Economic decline set in as a result of punitive taxes imposed by the Ottoman authorities, followed by intellectual decline which manifested itself particularly in neglect of the libraries and their contents. There is also some evidence of spiritual decline, though standards of asceticism were upheld and vows were strictly observed, despite the universal adoption of the idiorrhythmic system. We gain some idea of conditions for monks on Athos at the time from the accounts of pilgrims. The Russian traveller Vasily Barsky (1702–47), for example, visited the Mountain as a pilgrim in 1725 and again in 1744, leaving copious accounts of both journeys. When he arrived at the Russian monastery of St Panteleimon in 1725, he found just four monks, two Russians and two Bulgarians; on his second visit, in 1744, he noted that the monastery was now in Greek hands, that it was idiorrhythmic, and that its buildings were in a serious state of disrepair. 339 He observed Russian monks ‘wandering hither and thither about the hills, living by manual labour, eating scraps and being despised by all’, though he suggested that they only had themselves to blame for this sorry state of affairs: ‘for in Russia, where all labour is carried out by dedicated Christians, the monks live in great ease and comfort’. 340 Spiritual life on the Holy Mountain had clearly reached a pretty low ebb, especially for the Slavs. |
| One must make, however, a distinction between knowledge of the presence of the principles of creation – that is, that there are the logoi that hold the creation – and the contemplation of the logoi as a special stage of an advanced spiritual development. If the former is probably accessible to discursive reason (through scientific research, for example), the latter requires one to have made an advance in religious contemplation, which is sustained by one’s participation in ecclesial life. When both knowledge of the existence of the logoi and their contemplation are combined in one human person, then science definitely can be said to participate in the contemplation of the logoi of creation. On average, however, it would be a modest task to demonstrate only the presence of the logoi in created being. On the relation of knowledge of the logoi to knowledge of the Logos, which holds them together, Maximus the Confessor asserts that the contemplative activity reflects the convergence of the logoi to the divine unity and the unifying intention of God and the Logos. The Logos is itself the many logoi, but then the logoi may be said to be the one and only Logos, although what we know of them and their variety does not exhaust what is contained in the Logos. Thus there is no complete identity. In addition, what we know about the logoi can contribute only to our knowledge of the Logos as the common source of their differentiated inhabitation in the created world. In other words, knowledge that the logoi exist does not provide itself the inference to the divine Logos, as the personal God of Christianity. The latter requires one to advance in apophatic mystical theology, that is, in religious life in God. The logoi of Creation and Antinomies Because natural contemplation of the logoi is not entirely based in discursive thinking, it is important to try to formulate an algorithm of demonstration of the presence of the logoi (not their contemplation) in the rubric of a purely discursive analysis of scientifico-philosophical affirmations about created nature. In a way, this task is quite paradoxical, for we are trying to discover through analysis of worldly things their logoi, the presence of the uncreated principles of the existence of created beings, which manifest that the ontological grounds of the worldly things studied by science are beyond the world and that everything in the world is rooted in its otherness. This is why these transcendent principles, if they exist, are present in scientific or philosophical arguments only in a hidden, mystical way. They can be revealed only from an a priori theological perspective and expressed in an apophatic and paradoxical way. |
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