| Republicans more likely to understand, admit that Islam is violent Moscow, February 8, 2017 Photo: billionbibles.org A new CBS poll reveals that more than two-thirds of Democrats believe that Islam is no more violent than other religions around the world. Meanwhile, nearly two-thirds of Republicans grasp and are willing to admit the violent nature of Islam, especially as compared to other religions. The poll was conducted on behalf of CBS News by SSRS of Media, PA, by telephone February 1-2, 2017 among a random sample of 1,019 adults nationwide. Among other political questions, participants were asked: “Generally speaking, do you think the Islamic religion encourages violence more than other religions around the world, less than other religions around the world, or about the same as other religions around the world?” Shockingly, only 33% of Americans of any political persuasion believe that Islam is more violent than other religions, with 50% responding that it is equally as violent as other religions, including Christianity, which is the most persecuted religion in the world. 63% of Democrats and 53% of Independents believe Islam is only equally as violent, while 9% and 5% respectively believe it is less violent. While 63% of Republicans responded that Islam is indeed more violent than other world religions, 25% did also side with the Democrats and Independents, believing Islam is only equally violent, although only 2% believe it is less violent. In 2016 , there were 2,477 Islamic attacks in sixty-one countries (or nearly seven a day), in which 21,240 people were killed and 26,682 injured. Already in 2017 there have been 229 Islamic attacks in thirty-two countries, in which 1,520 people were killed and 1,815 injured. The spread of Islam has been tied to violence since the days of its founder, Mohammed, who is the example all Muslims are called to emulate, who has left them such instructions: “Fighting is prescribed for you, and ye dislike it. But it is possible that ye dislike a thing which is good for you, and that ye love a thing which is bad for you. But Allah knoweth, and ye know not” (2:216). |
| Russian Orthodox official blasts Supreme Court decision on same-sex marriage Source: Catholic Culture Natalya Mihailova 08 July 2015 Metropolitan Hilarion, the chairman of the Department of External Church Relations of the Moscow Patriarchate, offered strong criticism of the US Supreme Court decision on same-sex marriage. “The people who are into ‘democracy the American way’ and trying to reconcile it with traditional values need to think hard after this decision,” he told the Interfax news agency. “You might not be told that they want to force you to adopt such a godless and sinful thing as same-sex marriages,” he added. “Remember: in reality they want to take your right to live according to the faith, take your soul, take your opportunity to build the life of your society and your state according to the eternal and invariable God-given moral laws.” Tweet Donate Share Code for blog Russian Orthodox official blasts Supreme Court decision on same-sex marriage Natalya Mihailova “The people who are into ‘democracy the American way’ and trying to reconcile it with traditional values need to think hard after this decision,” he told the Interfax news agency. “You might not be told that they want to force you to adopt such a godless and sinful thing as same-sex marriages,” ... 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. |
| Russian Orthodox spokesman: same-sex marriage could lead to collapse of West admin 11 June 2013 June 10, 2013 The head of the Synodal Department for Church and Society Relations of the Moscow Patriarchate says that acceptance of same-sex marriage could lead to collapse of the West in 50 years. “The main thing in life and international relations is not economics, not politics, but whether or not a specific group adheres to eternal moral norms or tries to contest them,” said Archpriest Vsevolod Chaplin. “Russia has an excellent chance of telling the whole world that same-sex marriages and attempts to legalize incest and pedophilia are death and suicide.” “Russia and Europe will not exist” without Christian ideals, he added. “Western civilization will not exist another fifty years without them.” The Russian Orthodox official also strongly criticized foreign adoptions and adoptions by homosexual couples. Source: Catholic Culture Tweet Donate Share Code for blog Russian Orthodox spokesman: same-sex marriage could lead to collapse of West admin June 10, 2013 The head of the Synodal Department for Church and Society Relations of the Moscow Patriarchate says that acceptance of same-sex marriage could lead to collapse of the West in 50 years. “The main thing in life and international relations is not economics, not politics, but whether ... 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. |
| The (Challenge of) the Care of Bivocational Ministers Source: OrthoCuban Priest Ernesto Obregon 08 August 2017 Photo: https://vk.com/simbirskaya_mitropolia Bivocational ministry is on the increase. There are many people who see this as a positive thing. And, many of those people are not pastors. Bivocational ministry raises many challenges to those who are involved in it. On the one hand, it sounds great. What is not to love about bivocational ministry, particularly if you are a small church that is trying to maintain itself, or a mission that is trying to grow? There are various books written about bivocational ministry, such as the one above . However, equally, there are articles written that warn about the perils of bivocational ministry. Frankly, the church is not sure what to do about bivocational ministry. On the one hand, it points to the example of Saint Paul, who worked as a tentmaker. On the other hand, most jurisdictional and denominational structures are set up to support the full-time minister and have little to say or little with which to support the bivocational minister. So, what are some of the challenges with the bivocational minister? Well, there is something called margin. At least one author speaks of margin as being the space between living comfortably with yourself and reaching a burnout of epic proportions. This can occur in various areas of one’s life. However, for the bivocational minister, time is one of the largest areas in which margin is lost. Most bivocational ministers work the standard 40-50 hours a week, plus are expected to put in an additional 10-20 hours a week into the ministry. They are left with no time margin should anything come up which requires extra time from them. But, more than this loss of time margin is happening. A modern minister is expected to be well-trained. Almost every congregation, regardless of its size, expects that its minister will have that appropriate Master’s degree from seminary. The modern pastor is expected to not only know theology, but some psychology, and some significant theory of group dynamics and church management. But, I have never heard of any church that felt any responsibility to help that minister out in repaying any loans that they may have outstanding. Nor, do I hear that from any jurisdictional or denominational structure. This, perhaps, would not be unexpected, after all physicians, lawyers, and other professionals are expected to pay for their own degree. However, when that is coupled with what is a regular desire by congregations to low-ball any reimbursement toward a minister, then this leads to a situation in which a congregation expects a highly trained bivocational ministry for the price of a fast-food worker. That the bivocational minister may be struggling with how to pay off their loan while working full-time along with a pittance from the church is not their problem. |
| Find God’s Work in Unexpected Places Source: The Pueblo Chieftain Priest Barnabas Powell 20 August 2018 Pacific Rim National Park from the blog: http://joelschat.com/phosphorescenes/ I recently returned from a fantastic vacation, full of encounters with nature that I found quite spiritual — not in a pagan sense, but an authentically Christian one. As a priest, I get two Sundays off (and the weeks that go with them) each year. And this year, my wife and I decided to explore a national park. Since she’s Canadian, we picked one in her home and native land: Pacific Rim National Park Reserve, on Vancouver Island, British Columbia. What did we expect to see? Trees. Big ones. Lots of them. And we did. No magazine or website could’ve prepared us for the experience of walking through old growth, coastal red cedars, some of which range from 800 to 2,000 years old. This is the land of Ents, or perhaps even long-lost Ent Wives. And like Tolkein, I recognized in such magnificent beauty the incredible handiwork of God; the beauty and grandeur of creation as an icon of the Creator’s loving kindness. Some forms of contemporary Christianity (particularly liberal ones) are starting to affirm this awareness, too, though as a novelty. Ecological concerns have become trendy, with the sad result that some conservative Christian elements may respond with reactionary rejection. For too long, (Western) Christianity misapplied the creation account and its gift of dominion — the command to fill the earth and subdue it — as a license to exploit, conquer and destroy. This is one of several excesses that have led so many to reject the Christianity they think they know. But it’s also one thing that led me, as a functionally -animist or -panentheist youth with little exposure to Christianity growing up, to embrace the ancient, apostolic, Eastern Church. In its annual, outdoor blessing of waters, for example, I found a call to stewardship of God’s world — and an appreciation of its sacramental nature — that goes back to church fathers of previous millennia, rather than being the agenda of some latter-day seminary faculty looking for something new to rave about. |
| Many Confess, But Few Repent What is repentance and confession? Confession is a God-given commandment, and it is one of the Sacraments of our Church. Confession is not a formal, habitual (“to be on the safe side”, or, “in view of upcoming feast-days”), forced and unprepared act, springing from an isolated duty or obligation and for psychological relief only. Confession should always be combined with repentance. A Holy Mountain Elder used to say: “Many confess, but few repent!” (Elder Aemilianos of Simonopetra Monastery, Mt. Athos) Repentance is a freely-willed, internally cultivated process of contrition and sorrow for having distanced ourselves from God through sin. True repentance has nothing to do with intolerable pain, excessive sorrow and relentless guilty feelings. That would not be sincere repentance, but a secret egotism, a feeling of our “ego” being trampled on; an anger that is directed at our self, which then wreaks revenge because it is exposing itself and is put to shame—a thing that it cannot tolerate. Repentance means a change in our thoughts, our mentality; it is an about-face; it is a grafting of morality and an abhorrence of sin. Repentance also means a love of virtue, benevolence, and a desire, a willingness and a strong disposition to be re-joined to Christ through the Grace of the almighty Holy Spirit. Repentance begins in the depths of the heart, but it culminates necessarily in the sacrament of divine and sacred Confession. During confession, one confesses sincerely and humbly before the confessor, as though in the presence of Christ. No scientist, psychologist, psychoanalyst, psychiatrist, sociologist, philosopher or theologian can replace the confessor. The father-confessor. No icon—not even the most miracle-working one—can provide what the confessor’s stole can: the absolution of sins. The confessor takes the person under his care; he adopts him and ensures he is reborn spiritually, which is why he is called a “spiritual father”. Normally, spiritual paternity is lifelong, sacred and powerful—even more powerful than a family bond. Spiritual birth is a painful process. The confessor must keep track of the confessing soul, with a fear of God (as one who is “accountable to God”), with understanding, humility and love, and guide him with discretion in the ever-upward course of his life in Christ. |
| Metropolitan Kallistos Ware, one of the most prolific writers and prominent Orthodox theologians of our times, sat down with TNH in Boston. BOSTON, MA – Metropolitan Kallistos Ware is one of the most prolific writers and prominent Orthodox theologians of our times. He came to know Orthodoxy at age 17 in London, when he accidentally entered a Russian Orthodox Church that happened to have been conducting a vigil Service at the moment, and immediately realized “this is my home.” Worship, the mystical tradition and especially the prayer attracted him, so six years later he formally converted to Orthodoxy. Since then, he has become the preeminent voice of Orthodoxy in the West. Metropolitan Ware visited Boston recently for the Conference of “The Divine Compassion and Women of the Church” and he granted the following exclusive interview to TNH: TNH: What are some of the most pressing challenges the Orthodox Church faces today? KW: One challenge is the situation of the Orthodox in the Western World. We are divided into so many different jurisdictions; we have many Orthodox Bishops in the same city. If we could be more closely united with one another, we would have a far greater influence. TNH: Obviously, you are talking about the problem of Diaspora. According to your estimation what is the most practical way to resolve this problem? KW: If I had a simple and clear answer to that question, then you could immediately make me Patriarch of the West. I don’t think that there is at this moment a complete solution. But the first step forward is to develop in each country Episcopal Assemblies gathering together all the Orthodox Bishops in that country – and this is already happening. Of course, in many countries, inter-Orthodox Conferences had existed in the past, in America you’ve had SCOBA since 1960. These Episcopal Assemblies need to be develop, need to be given greater authority, and this is, I think, the best thing that we could do at the moment. TNH: Don’t you think that we should make the differentiation between Synaxis (Assemblies) and Synod? |
| Orthodox Anglicanism and Christian Reunion SOURCE: Virtueonline ONE HOLY CATHOLIC AND APOSTOLIC CHURCH For the first millennium of Christianity there was only one Church. Denominationalism as we know it today did not exist. The Church was one. No matter where a Christian lived, whether in Jerusalem, Antioch, Asia Minor, Greece, Rome, Gaul, Britain, Ireland, Russia, Africa, or anywhere else, everyone belonged to the same Church and believed the same thing. The Church was known as the " Catholic " Church, and we find that word in use to describe the Church as early as AD 105. The word Catholic means universal, and whole and complete. Although the Church was one, there were a variety of rites and languages used in worship. There were Eastern and Western families of rites, and various national and regional rites and uses in each of these liturgical families, yet the Faith was the same everywhere. There was a unity amid cultural, national and liturgical diversity, and the Catholic Church was knit together by a common doctrine, apostolic ministry, sacraments and conciliar Church government. The Catholic Church was the Church for all peoples, of all races and nations, throughout the whole world, and for all time. As Christianity grew, five great centers were developed for the administration of the Church: Rome, Constantinople (modern Istanbul), Alexandria (Egypt), Antioch (where the disciples were first called Christians) and Jerusalem. These centers are called Patriarchates, and their bishops are known as Patriarchs. The Patriarch of Rome, also known as the Pope, from the Greek word for " Father, " was the primus inter paras (first among equals) and had a primacy of honour, with the right to preside at councils of bishops, because he was the bishop of the chief city of the ancient world. The Church governed herself through councils of bishops, with the first council meeting in Jerusalem, as recorded in the fifteenth chapter of the Book of Acts. Throughout history the Church has used local, national and regional councils, or synods, to deal with problems in the Church and to administer its affairs. There have also been seven Oecumenical (Universal or General) Councils of the whole Church which met to deal with global problems, the first in AD 325 and the last in AD 787. The first two Oecumenical Councils, Nicea in AD 325 and Constantinople in AD 381, wrote the Nicene Creed that we say every Sunday during the Eucharistic Liturgy. |
| Patriarch Kirill: Neither Investments Nor Technology Useful Until People Learn to Change Following the celebration of the Divine Liturgy in the Dormition Cathedral in Moscow’s Kremlin, His Holiness, Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia, joined in a common meal, patriarchia.ru reports. His Holiness shared the following with those assembled: “It has become commonplace to talk about bureaucracy and about how much the country is losing because the powers that be do not always fulfill their responsibilities. It is likely impossible to locate the cause of this loss in any lack of material compensation or in external conditions. The cause is within people. “It is not enough to have an education, knowledge, and skills – one also needs to have inner strength and the will to succeed; to have what is called ‘passionarity,’ that is, an internal springboard that, when triggered, propels one upwards. Only someone strong inwardly and spiritually can be effective, since otherwise one gets destroyed by the passions.” The Primate of the Russian Church related how, when he was ruling bishop of the Smolensk Diocese in the nineties, he had occasion to interact with directors of the regional administration to discuss ways out of the prolonged economic crisis. “Nearly everyone, to a person, said exactly the same thing, if in somewhat different words,” His Holiness remarked. “The essence of these words was this: we need investments and technology, and then we will be able to accomplish something.” According to His Holiness, only one of the local leaders stated that neither investments nor technology will be useful until people learn to change. “This twenty-seven-year-old young man could see further than his more mature colleagues,” the Primate pointed out. “Indeed, our progress both as a country and as a nation is largely determined by people’s inner, spiritual qualities.” “Therefore, it is my prayer today that power of spirit would return to the Russian land, so that our people might recognize themselves as successors to great traditions, absorb the spiritual power of these traditions, and rise up to the fullness of our mighty stature. The role of the Church – of the episcopate, clergy, monastics, and laity – cannot be overemphasized here, because people can be fostered only with the assistance of God’s grace,” concluded His Holiness, Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia. |
| Patriarch Kirill: Today " s Terrorism is Diagnosis of Entire Human Civilization/Православие.Ru Tweet Нравится Patriarch Kirill: Today " s Terrorism is Diagnosis of Entire Human Civilization Source: Interfax-Religion Kaliningrad, November 16, 2015 Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia called terrorism a new form of obsession and called for it to be fought not only militarily, but also through education and culture. " The world is now faced with a different obsession, a different madness, which we call terrorism, " the patriarch said after a liturgy in the Cathedral of Christ the Savior in Kaliningrad on Sunday. He said the tragedy that has occurred in Paris indicates " people's obsession to achieve political goals using any methods, even by destroying innocent people. " " The fight against terrorism should not only be military. Not only the special services, but also ordinary people should overcome this horrible misfortune of this age through education, culture and maybe most importantly through prayer and through increasing the level of one's faith, " the patriarch said. The patriarch said one thing is connected to the other and " the removal of God from our world, the destruction of holy places and ideals, the obsession by dark spirits - all these things are links in one horrible chain. " " The fight against terrorism is not only the task of the state, law enforcement officials, Armed Forces, it's also a task of each one of us. We should learn to live in the freedom that God gave us so that no obsession, including obsession determined by political ideas and ideologies, can deprive us of God's image and cause us to commit horrible crimes, " he said. " Today's terrorism is a diagnosis, and not to specific peoples and countries, it's a diagnosis to the entire human civilization. Why is all this happening? The Church has only one answer: look inside your hears, repent again and turn to God. Let our universal prayer in different languages, by different means and even through different religious traditions to God, the Creator, entraet Him to have mercy on the human race and rescue us from the horrible captivity of obsession, " the patriarch said. |
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