Orthodox Priest Murdered in Moscow for His Anti-Muslim Stance

November 20, 2009
Pravda.Ru

Orthodox Priest Daniil Sysoyev was assassinated in Moscow on the night of November 19. The crime was most likely committed for religious reasons. The priest might have fallen victim to Islamic radicals or sectarians, investigators say.

The unidentified assassin was wearing a doctor’s mask when he attacked the priest, Interfax reports. The criminal entered Holy Apostle Thomas Church in the south of Moscow on Thursday night, at about 10:40 p.m. It was a well-built tall man, eye-witnesses said. The eyewitnesses said that the man was of the Caucasian origin, although it is not clear yet how they could come to such a conclusion.

The man rushed into the church and shouted: “Who is Sysoyev here?” The 35-year-old priest came forward, the attacker pulled out a gun with a silencer, and shot him in the neck and in the head. The assassin left the crime scene walking – he was not running.

Father Daniil died at hospital about an hour later. The priest had a wife and three children.

Daniil Sysoyev was born on January 12, 1974 in Moscow. He graduated from the Moscow Theological Academy. The priest was mostly dealing with missionary activities. He particularly founded a school for street preachers in Moscow.

Sysoyev also was an active opponent of Islam. For example, he conducted two public disputes with former Orthodox priest Vyacheslav Polosin, who converted to Islam. Sysoyev published a book “Marriage with a Muslim” in which he wrote that God and the Church condemned marriages conducted with Christians and non-Christians.

Radical religious groups started threatening Daniil Sysoyev four years ago. They were sending emails threatening him to “cut his head off and let his guts out”. It was also reported that Islamic groups had sentenced the Orthodox priest to death. Last year, a Muslim man called the church in which Sysoyev was serving, and said that the priest would be killed if he continued to publicly express his negative attitude to Islam.

Sysoyev was forced to address this to Russia’s Federal Security Bureau twice, asking for help.

In addition to disputes with Muslims, Daniil Sysoyev was struggling against sectarians. He was communicating with those who had suffered from sects. The priest was an active member of the center for the rehabilitation of the victims of totalitarian sects and pseudo-religious movements.

One of the most controversial assassinations of Russian clergymen was committed on September 9, 1990 when Alexander Men was killed. Father Alexander wrote dozens of books (including his magnum opus Son of Man, which served as the introduction to Christ to thousands of citizens in the Soviet Union); baptized hundreds if not thousands; founded an Orthodox Open University; opened one of the first Sunday Schools in Russia as well as a Charity Group at the Russian Children's Hospital. His influence is still widely felt and his legacy continues to grow among Christians both in Russia and abroad. He was murdered early on Sunday morning, 9 September 1990 by an ax-wielding assailant just outside his home of Semkhoz, Russia.


Russian Orthodox Priest Critical of Islam Shot Dead

November 20, 2009

MOSCOW (AFP) - An Russian Orthodox priest who was an outspoken critic of both Islam and ultra-nationalist groups was shot dead in his Moscow church by a masked assassin, investigators said Friday.

Daniil Sysoyev, a well known figure who appeared on television talk shows and published a blog, had received threats over his extensive missionary work among Muslims in what was a highly unusual activity for a Russian priest.

"An unknown man in a mask walked in and fired no less than four shots at the priest of the church," the investigative committee of prosecutors said in a statement.

The killer also wounded the choirmaster, named as Vladimir Strelbitsky. The priest died of his wounds in the ambulance after the shooting late on Thursday, the investigative committee said.

The man walked into Saint Thomas's church in southern Moscow and asked for Sysoyev by name, the head of the investigators' Moscow branch Anatoly Bagmet told the RIA Novosti news agency.

The murder was most likely committed for religious reasons, Bagmet added.

Russian Orthodox Patriarch Kirill in a statement warned against placing the blame on any group while the investigation continues.

Kirill described Sysoyev as "a zealous pastor who worked hard in the field of enlightenment and devoted himself to the end to serving God and people."

Sysoyev received several threats from Muslims, said a statement on the web site of the missionary training centre he founded.

"Father Daniil said several times that he received threats from Muslims, but the word of Christ was more important to him," the statement said.

Sysoyev, who was criticized by Muslim organizations for his statements on Islam, had contacted the federal security services several times over threats, Interfax reported, citing a security source.

Russia is estimated to have a population of more than 20 million Muslims and observance of the religion has grown stronger since the fall of the Soviet Union.

Last year, a Muslim journalist, Khalida Khamidullina, asked the Moscow prosecutors to investigate Sysoyev for extremism, saying he insulted Islam and allegedly called it a "green plague." The case ended in nothing, experts said.

In 2007, the co-chairman of the Council of Muftis of Russia, Nafigulla Ashirov, called Sysoyev "a Russian Salman Rushdie" after he wrote a book called "Marriage to a Muslim Man" that criticized the treatment of women.

The head of the Council of Muftis of Russia, Ravil Gainutdin, condemned the killing, saying that "the murder of an Orthodox priest is a terrible sin."

Experts said that Sysoyev had broken a tacit rule among Russia's main religious confessions not to carry out missionary activity among the adherents of another religion.

Roman Lunkin, an expert from the Slavic Legal Center for Law and Justice, said that Sysoyev began missionary activity among Muslims from 2001.

"He felt that he had to preach actively among Muslims. In that respect, he was an exception," Lunkin said. "He wasn't politically correct in that way, he didn't respect the canonical territories."

"In our country, it's accepted that among the main religions, people don't preach in each other's circle of influence," said Alexander Verkhovsky of the Sova Centre. "It's a political practice."

Komsomolskaya Pravda tabloid posted a video on Friday showing Sysoyev's missionaries preaching to Central Asian street cleaners. It quoted Sysoyev as saying that he had baptised more than 80 Muslims over the last two years.

Sysoyev also worked with former members of religious sects and wrote a book on Seventh Day Adventists and Jehovahs' Witnesses.

He also spoke out against nationalists and Stalinists, whom he criticized on his blog for ignoring the murder of innocent people.

A prominent Orthodox theologian, Father Andrei Kurayev, told the Echo of Moscow radio station that "Father Daniil's fiery, polemic character increased the circle of his opponents, which included pagans and radical Muslims and even some chest-beating Russian patriots."

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Ray Comfort Reproduces 'Origin of Species' with Alternative Introduction

The Examiner
June 23, 2009
Jake Jones

Read the entire 50 page introduction here.

According to a recent survey, more than a third of professors at the top fifty universities describe themselves as atheist or agnostic. Among biology professors, it's a whopping 61%. It's no surprise then that belief in atheism has doubled in the college age bracket in the last 20 years. Best selling author, Ray Comfort, says, "Keeping intelligent design out of schools, is a hill to die on for evolutionists, so when I found that Charles Darwin's Origin of Species was available in the public domain, I had an idea that would get the truth onto college campuses. We are therefore reproducing Origin of Species in an abridged form (280 pages) with an added 'Special Introduction.'"

The introduction gives a time line of Darwin's life, and his thoughts on the existence of God. It lists the theories of many hoaxes, exposes the unscientific belief that nothing created everything, points to the incredible structure of DNA, and notes the absence of any undisputed transitional forms.

To show the dangerous fruit of evolution, it also mentions Hitler's undeniable connections to the theory, Darwin's racism, and his disdain for women. In addition, it counters the claim that creationists are "anti-science" by citing numerous scientists who believed that God created the universe -- scientists such as Einstein, Newton, Copernicus, Bacon, Faraday, Pasteur, and Kepler.

This special edition includes many original graphics and (as it says on the back cover) is designed for use in schools, colleges, and prestigious learning institutions. Its release is timed to coincide with the 150th anniversary of Darwin's book, initially published in November 1859 as On the Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection, or the Preservation of Favored Races in the Struggle for Life.

The back cover lists the above information as well as saying the book contains "Information on Intelligent Design vs Evolution." The publication, which has already pre-sold over 20,000 copies, is already getting raving reviews from evolutionists.

Comfort said: "People that feel strongly about this issue can simply stand on the sidewalk at the main entrance of any college or university with a sign that says: 'Free 150th year anniversary editions of Origin of Species.' Having an indication of how many want the book will greatly help us with our print-run quantity. We want to get one million copies into the hands of students and professors in colleges and universities throughout the U.S. Let's see if they try to ban Darwin's Origin of Species. That would be interesting.

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Funeral of Patriarch Pavle (video footage)

Funeral Service of His Holiness, Patriarch Pavle of Serbia

Posted 11/19

BELGRADE, SERBIA [www.st-catherine.ru] -- On Thursday, November 19, 2009, with the blessing of His Beatitude, Metropolitan Jonah, His Grace, Bishop Irenee of Quebec City and Auxiliary to His Eminence, Archbishop Seraphim of Canada, together with Archimandrite Zacchaeus, Representative of the Orthodox Church in America to the Moscow Patriarchate, participated in the Divine Liturgy and Funeral Service for His Holiness, Patriarch Pavle of Serbia, officially representing the Orthodox Church in America at the event.

The day began with the celebration of the Divine Liturgy at 7:30 a.m., led by His All Holiness, Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew of Constantinople, together with His Eminence, Metropolitan Amphilochije of Montenegro and theCoastlands and Locum Tenens of the Serbian Orthodox Church; His Beatitude, Archbishop Daniel of Bucharest, Metropolitan of Muntenia and Dobrudgea, Locum Tenens of the throne of Caesarea of Cappadocia, Patriarch of Romania; His Beatitude, Anastasios, Archbishop of Tirana, Durres, and All Albania; and His Beatitude, Metropolitan Christopher, Primate of the Church of the Czech lands and Slovakia. Also concelebrating were the official representatives of all 15 Autocephalous Orthodox Churches at Belgrade's Archangel Michael Cathedral, across from the Patriarchate's official Chancery.

After the conclusion of the Patriarchal Divine Liturgy, Patriarch Bartholomew, together with the other Primates of the Local Autocephalous Orthodox Churches and the concelebrating hierarchs and clergy, processed to the Memorial Church of Saint Sava of Serbia, where the funeral service was celebrated in the open air before the church's main entrance. In attendance at the funeral was the President of Serbia, Boris Tadic, who offered words at an appropriate time, following sermons by Patriarch Bartholomew and Metropolitan Amphilochije on the life and legacy of the newly departed and ever memorable Serbian Patriarch. Also in attendance were other members of the Serbian government, foreign ambassadors and official representatives of numerous sovereign nations, inter-faith religious leaders, and over one million Serbian Orthodox faithful.

Bishop Irenee of Quebec City and Archimandrite Zacchaeus participated in the memorial meal following the funeral, attended by the concelebrating Patriarchs, hierarchs and clergy. There, they conveyed condolences to the Serbian Orthodox Church, through their hierarchs, on behalf of Metropolitan Jonah, the Holy Synod of Bishops, and the clergy, monastics, and faithful of the Orthodox Church in America.

Earlier in the week, Metropolitan Jonah concelebrated a Memorial Litiya for Patrairch Pavle with His Eminence, Metropolitan Hilarion, First Hierarch of the Russian Orthodox Church Outsie [SIC] of Russia, at Saint Sergius of Radonezh Chapel at the OCA Chancery.

May Patriarch Pavle's memory be eternal!

Click here to view the photo gallery accompanying this release:
http://ocaphoto.oca.org/PhotoViewer.asp?EID=1768

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Researcher Says Text Proves Shroud of Turin Real

By ARIEL DAVID
Associated Press
November 20, 2009

ROME – A Vatican researcher claims a nearly invisible text on the Shroud of Turin proves the authenticity of the artifact revered as Jesus' burial cloth.

The claim made in a new book by historian Barbara Frale drew immediate skepticism from some scientists, who maintain the shroud is a medieval forgery.

Frale, a researcher at the Vatican archives, said Friday that she used computers to enhance images of faintly written words in Greek, Latin and Aramaic scattered across the shroud.

She asserts the words include the name "Jesus Nazarene" in Greek, proving the text could not be of medieval origin because no Christian at the time, even a forger, would have labeled Jesus a Nazarene without referring to his divinity.

The shroud bears the figure of a crucified man, complete with blood seeping out of nailed hands and feet, and believers say Christ's image was recorded on the linen fibers at the time of his resurrection.

The fragile artifact, owned by the Vatican, is kept locked in a special protective chamber in Turin's cathedral and is rarely shown.

Skeptics point out that radiocarbon dating conducted in 1988 determined it was made in the 13th or 14th century.

While faint letters scattered around the face on the shroud were seen decades ago, serious researchers dismissed them due to the test's results, Frale told The Associated Press.

But when she cut out the words from photos of the shroud and showed them to experts they concurred the writing style was typical of the Middle East in the first century — Jesus' time.

She believes the text was written on a document by a clerk and glued to the shroud over the face so the body could be identified by relatives and buried properly. Metals in the ink used at the time may have allowed the writing to transfer to the linen, Frale claimed.

Frale claimed the text also partially confirms the Gospels' account of Jesus' final moments. A fragment in Greek that can be read as "removed at the ninth hour" may refer to Christ's time of death reported in the holy texts, she said.

On an enhanced image studied by Frale, at least seven words can be seen, fragmented and scattered on and around Jesus' face, crisscrossing the cloth vertically and horizontally. One short sequence of Aramaic letters has not been translated. Another Latin fragment — "iber" — may refer to Emperor Tiberius, who reigned at the time of Jesus' crucifixion, Frale said.

"I tried to be objective and leave religious issue aside," Frale told The AP. "What I studied was an ancient document that certifies the execution of a man, in a specific time and place."

Frale is noted in Italy for her research on the medieval order of the Knights Templar and her discovery of unpublished documents on the group in the Vatican's archives.

Earlier this year she published a study claiming the Templars at one time had the shroud in their possession. That raised eyebrows because the order was abolished in the early 14th century and the shroud is first recorded in history around 1360 in the hands of a French knight.

But her latest book, titled "The Shroud of Jesus Nazarene" in Italian, raised even doubts among some experts.

"People work on grainy photos and think they see things," said Antonio Lombatti, a church historian who has written books about the shroud. "It's all the result of imagination and computer software."

Lombatti said that artifacts bearing Greek and Aramaic texts were found in Jewish burials from the first century, but the use of Latin is unheard of.

He also rejected the idea that authorities would officially return the body of a crucified man to relatives after filling out some paperwork. Victims of the most cruel punishment used by the Romans would usually be left on the cross or were disposed of in a dump to add to the execution's deterring effect.

Lombatti said "the message was that you won't even have a tomb to cry over."

Unusual sightings in the shroud are common and are often proved false, said Luigi Garlaschelli, a professor of chemistry at the University of Pavia.

Garlaschelli recently led a team of experts that reproduced the shroud using materials and methods that were available in the 14th century, proof, they said, that it could have been made by a human hand in the Middle Ages.

Decades ago entire studies were published on coins that were purportedly seen on Jesus' closed eyes, but when high-definition images were taken during a 2002 restoration the artifacts were nowhere to be seen and the theory was dropped, Garlaschelli said.

He said any theory about ink and metals would have to checked by analysis of the shroud itself.

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Remarks of Patriarch Kyrill Regarding Seminarians

Below is a small portion from Patriarch Kirill's report presented before an assembly of rectors of Russian Orthodox theological schools. See the full report here.

We constantly speak about obedience in our theological schools. But does not this mask a desire to obtain totally obedient and intimidated individuals incapable of speaking up before authorities under any circumstances? Do we not, along with obedience, inoculate them to act like toadies and cow-towing hypocrites? Can such a person be a spiritually unimpeded and a responsible pastor, a true leader of their flock? We both know too well that often, behind a noble external facade, there lurks hypocrisy, pretense and cynicism. I am now reading some of your reports asking about canonical procedures for coping with certain clerics. I also read correspondence from the laity. I sometimes wonder what kind of priests some of these people are... I read all this with a heavy heart. Somewhere and somehow these priests received their formation. They didn't drop from the heavens. The majority of these are seminary graduates; some even finished an academy. We both know what hypocrisy and cynicism can be found in Church circles.

We must prepare and educate neither slaves nor rebels, but free and, at the same time, responsible people. Freedom does not mean a lack of discipline. Freedom must primarily be an internal freedom, a freedom in Christ. We must be convinced that all restrictions and burdens placed by sacred ministers are accepted by them consciously and voluntarily. This recognition of the voluntary acceptance of the burden of the Cross must be a characteristic of every priest since, the taking up of the Cross is inherent in the very desire to be a priest.

Discipline must first of all be self-discipline, and obedience to the hierarchy must not be motivated by fear but by a firm and conscious adherence to tradition as a preservation of the Divinely established structure of the Church. This canonical discipline and obedience is not something dreamed up by the present hierarchy. This is a principle from the Lord Himself. It lies in the foundation of Church life and every priest must understand this clearly. Every seminarian must understand this before his ordination, that he is entering upon a path of obedience.

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Myths of the First Ecumenical Synod ( Council of Nicaea - 325 AD)

In these videos are explored and debunked a few of the common myths surrounding the Council of Nicaea (First Ecumenical Synod), as propagated by books like The Da Vinci Code; movies like Zeitgeist, The Movie; groups like the Jehovah's Witnesses and Mormons; and pseudo-scholars like Bart Ehrmann and Elaine Pagels.

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What Shines in "Twilight"?

Looking at four key ideas of the vampire saga that stand out for Christ followers.

Stacey Lingle
Thursday, October 2, 2008
Christianity Today

It's your typical romance. Boy meets girl. Boy and girl fall in love. Obstacles keep them apart. They overcome the obstacles. Happily ever after.

Except for the vampires. And werewolves.

OK, so maybe the Twilight saga isn't so typical after all. Especially considering the four-book saga has become one of the hottest pop culture phenomena since Harry Potter, prompting midnight release parties and vampire proms. Typical teen romances don't cause that type of response. There's something decidedly different about Twilight.

I picked up the first book out of curiosity, mostly to see what my friends were raving about. And, to be honest, I'm always looking for a good story.

If you haven't read it, Twilight is the story of teenage Bella who falls in love with Edward, a 108-year-old vampire frozen at age 17. Edward and his family have chosen to not feed on humans, hunting only animals. Bella and Edward, throughout the series, are torn between their feelings for each other and the inevitable problems that arise from a human-vampire romance.

After reading all four books—Twilight, New Moon, Eclipse, and Breaking Dawn—I started to think back. What was I taking away from them? What do these books say about God, about life, and about love? In over 2,300 pages of reading, there's a lot to digest. What are the key ideas and attitudes in the Twilight saga? A few stood out to me as a Christian.

Love

Bella and Edward show us a type of romantic love that's powerful, passionate, and perfect. They are ready to sacrifice anything for each other. They always try to act in the other's best interest. They are thrilled to simply be in each other's presence. Their biggest conflict is whether or not Bella should become a vampire: She wants to spend eternity with Edward, but he doesn't want her to forfeit her humanity for him. Pretty different from the fights between most young couples.

Bella and Edward's relationship actually exemplifies a lot of what the Bible says love should be. Think about the Bible's description: "Love is patient, love is kind." (1 Corinthians 13:4); "Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends" (John 15:13). Of course, no real couple can be this perfect all the time. But these passages, and stories like Bella and Edward's, remind us of the perfect love that God has for us. God intends for romantic love to reflect his deep desire for an intimate relationship with each of us. The Bible even calls us his bride! (Isaiah 62:5) While there may not be an Edward or Bella in our lives, God's love is a perfect love that never ends and never fails.

Temptation

Temptation provides a lot of the compelling tension in the Twilight world. The vampire in Edward is tempted by Bella's scent—it's all he can do to not devour her at first. And then as their relationship progresses, they face a different physical temptation: sex.

Yet the characters show an impressive mastery of temptation. Edward makes up his mind that he will not eat Bella, no matter how hungry he feels or how good she smells to him. He decides that something is more important than his hunger: Bella's life. And when Bella pressures Edward to have sex with her, he explains his belief that sex is for marriage, and it's important to him that they wait. Even though he wants her just as much as she does him, Edward decides that doing the right thing is more important than doing what feels good.

If you're like me, you face temptation about 100 times a day. It may be the temptation to lie, to cheat, to envy, or slack off when we should be working. Temptation affects everybody, even Jesus. The Bible describes how, after fasting for 40 days, Jesus was tempted by Satan in the wilderness. Satan tried to use food, power, and pride to cause Jesus to sin. Yet Jesus didn't sin, even though he was tempted.

How can we, in our day-to-day life, respond to temptation without sinning? Well, for starters, we take a cue from Jesus and, yes, even Edward.

First, think about Jesus' temptation and check out Matthew 4:1-11. Every time Satan presented a temptation to Jesus, Jesus responded by quoting Scripture. He knew the Scripture so well it overflowed from him, even when he was hungry, thirsty, and exhausted. God's Word gives us all the truth we need to detect Satan's lies and empty promises.

Second, set thoughtful boundaries to avoid temptation in the first place. In Twilight, Edward sets limits for himself. He takes temptation seriously. He knows actions have consequences and that if he gives himself one tiny inch, he could lose control. He recognizes, like Paul, that "nothing good lives in me, that is, in my sinful nature. For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out" (Romans 7:18, NIV). Because of that, Edward has to be very careful about what situations he puts himself in. When he wants to eat Bella, he doesn't let himself get too close to her. And when he wants to sleep with Bella, he doesn't let their physical relationship go past kissing. This is a decent example of the Christian life. He understands that sin is often a slippery slope. For us, this might mean setting boundaries for the types of movies we see, or the kind of conversations we participate in, or the way we interact with the opposite sex.

Spirituality

Some of my Christian friends are concerned about these books centering on "demonic" creatures. Aren't vampires evil? Shouldn't we stay away from anything Satanic? These are good questions, and it's so crucial to be careful about what we feed our minds.

As I read the Twilight books, I found that the vampires in these books don't fit the classic vampire mold. No protruding fangs, no coffins, and they're not repelled by garlic or crosses. They have no dark mission, demonic connection, or contact with the spiritual underworld. They aren't "spiritual beings," but are more like humans with a horrible contagious disease. The only thing "vampiric" about them is that they feed on blood—which of course is forbidden by the Bible. Other than their thirst for blood, these vampires operate very like human beings. They have free will. They can choose to do good or to do evil. Edward and his family choose to do good because they believe that even vampires are not exempt from ethical standards. Unlike most vampires, this clan doesn't feed on humans, but they do drink the blood of animals because they must to live. Edward's father, Carlisle, even believes that they have souls and an afterlife. To me, it seems the vampires in these books are not demonic at all, but are metaphors for the human experience. These vampires' darks sides represent the very real monsters inside each of us. They are fighting against the temptation to do evil, which is what we as humans have to do everyday.

Nevertheless, spirituality is certainly relevant to the reading of Twilight. After all, part of the allure of the Twilight series is that it is "other-worldly." It's a fantasy. Sorry ladies, but there aren't really gorgeous, shimmering, chivalrous vampires and werewolves out there waiting to complete your life and mine. Yet the idea of them is captivating. Why? Because we are, essentially, spiritual beings. We know this world is not all there is, and we long for more. But fantasies like Twilight can become a distraction to our faith when we allow them to become a replacement for what we should be "fantasizing" about—spending eternity in the presence of God.

Bella is a clear example of someone who has misplaced her affections in this way. In her whirlwind romance with Edward, she directs all her love and desire toward Edward. She is so single-minded that the she doesn't even blink at the thought of giving up her soul (which is what would happen if she became a vampire so that she could be with Edward forever). This should strike us Christians as seriously wrong. She is choosing romantic love over her soul? As Jesus said: "What good will it be for a man if he gains the whole world, yet forfeits his soul?" (Matthew 16:26, NIV) Now Jesus wasn't talking about becoming a vampire, but he was saying that our soul is the most important thing about us. Our soul, and our relationship with God, should be something we treasure and nurture, not willingly damage or discard for an earthly high.

One last spiritual note: The books don't have a great amount of God content (no major characters are believers), but the stories also don't discourage or deny God's existence. In fact, the characters live in a world—like that of most vampire fiction—where God is present. For instance, Carlisle, the respected leader of Edward's vampire family, mentions at one point that it wasn't his choice to become a vampire and lose his soul. For most vampires it isn't and so he hopes there's a way they can be saved and enjoy an afterlife.

Leaving Twilight

So, now that all four books are neatly lined up on my shelf, and I have left the world of Twilight, a couple questions remain. Was it worth it? Did my time reading this series profit me in anyway? It's a mixed bag. Was it entertaining? You betcha. I definitely got swept up in the heady romance of Bella and Edward. Was it encouraging and uplifting? Kinda. I saw good win out over evil, and was reminded of the power of love. Was it filled with a Christian worldview? Definitely not. The saga of Bella and Edward contains some elements that I know aren't part of the Christian life. When I weigh things presented as true in the books to the Truth of the Bible, they don't measure up. For instance, I cannot agree with Bella's attitudes towards spirituality or sex.

(As with all things, it's important to use discernment in choosing what you read. This series does contain scenes of kissing and references to married sex. It has some language and violence. And there is a pretty gory scene in the final book. If you do read Twilight, talk about it with your parent or youth leader.)

But on the whole, I believe there were some valuable lessons tucked in those 2,300 pages. Love. Sacrifice. Good triumphing over evil. Those are things that I, as a Christian, can appreciate.

Now What?

Some discussion/reflection questions from the Twilight saga.

The only two openly Christian characters in the books are Carlisle's father (a minister who led vampire hunts in the 16th century) and Angela Weber (Bella's classmate). How do these characters portray Christianity differently? Who is portrayed as being more Christ-like and in what way?

On p. 307 of Twilight, Edward says "You see, just because we've been dealt a certain hand … it doesn't mean that we can't choose to rise above … to try to retain whatever essential humanity we can." He is talking about his choice to not drink human blood. How could his words apply to the Christian life? What does he mean by "essential humanity"?

Edward expresses his belief that God created vampires alongside humans, in a predator/prey relationship. How do you react to this? Does this fit the character of the God that you know?

In New Moon, Edward explains he doesn't want to have sex with Bella because he doesn't want to ruin her chances of going to heaven. Is this a Christian perspective? Why or why not? What do you think of Bella's stance on sexuality?

Breaking Dawn, the fourth book, features an unplanned and dangerous pregnancy. Some characters advise abortion to protect the life of the mother, yet the mother chooses to deliver her child regardless of the cost to her own life. What did you think of this plot point? What did you think of the arguments for and against from various characters? Is such self-sacrifice biblical? Can you think of examples from the Bible when someone suffered for the sake of another? What is the Bible's take on this?

Many people have reacted negatively to Breaking Dawn because it positively portrays "teenagers" getting married and having a baby. Why do some feel this is a dangerous message? Do you feel it is inappropriate? How were you able to relate to such character developments?

(For the opinion of the Vatican, see here.)

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Book Reveiew: "Atheist Delusions"

Reframing Human History

How we got into the atheism culture war in the first place. A review of David Bentley Hart's Atheist Delusions.

Kate Kirkpatrick posted 9/23/2009
Christianity Today

Atheist Delusions: The Christian Revolution and Its Fashionable Enemies
By David Bentley Hart
Yale University Press, April 2009

Upon seeing the title Atheist Delusions: The Christian Revolution and Its Fashionable Enemies (Yale University Press), I confess to having suspected it would follow the formula of other debunkings of the "Bright brigade," decrying the illogic and inaccuracy of the New Atheists' arguments. Instead, I found someone (in this case, theologian David Bentley Hart) taking a step back from the carnage of the current (pop) culture war to ask bigger questions about how we ended up here in the first place.

Hart, a visiting professor of theology at Providence College, begins by looking at the New Atheist phenomenon, lambasting Richard Dawkins, Christopher Hitchens, and Daniel Dennett et al. for their carelessness with and rhetorical manipulation of philosophy, theology, and history. But that is quickly left behind; in the book's second half, we begin to see the Orthodox theologian's real intent: to offer a counter-narrative of religion's role in human history.

The New Atheists trade in "fruitless abstractions of religion," Hart writes, and reduce Christianity to its history's "bloodthirsty crusaders and sadistic inquisitors"—in other words, to its worst constituent parts. But far from being an obstacle to human flourishing and fulfilment, Hart asserts, Christianity gave birth to the idea of humanity as we know it. Never before the 2,000-year-old religion were slave and free, man and woman, rich and poor, Jew and Gentile welcomed in equal measure and with immeasurable love.

Much of Atheist Delusions reminds readers of the importance of remembering what Christianity has done for us—not just for the believer in personal salvation, but also for the nonbeliever in human history. Would we have had medieval leper hospitals if not for Christ's teachings of kindness and his charge to seek the good of those less fortunate? Would almshouses, orphanages, and hospitals have come into existence without the Christian message that God dwells in "the least of these"? Hart finds no precursor in pagan society that shows that Christ's message was anything but revolutionary.

He also refutes many of the New Atheists' unjustified charges regarding witch hunts, the Inquisition, wars of religion, the destruction of the Alexandrian Library (which supposedly symbolizes Christians' antipathy toward learning), and so forth. You might think, as I did, that saying that much of Christian history has been distorted in this debate is hardly revelatory. But Hart goes further, asserting that itself has a mythology of its own, according to which the Age of Reason came to birth during the Enlightenment (Genesis), scientists such as Galileo have been sacrificed (as martyrs) for the cause, and the superstitions of religion (evil) must be fought in order for science and reason (good) to prevail. Modernity has rewritten the past, editing out the role of the church, the cradle of many triumphs of scientific inquiry.

A good deal of the modernists' mythology parades in the name of education; science and religion are presented as polar opposites, while misinformation about this battle, such as the belief that Galileo suffered at the hands of the church, prevails. Galileo's own irascible character, in fact, was the source of much of his misfortune. This is not to say that science and religion have always existed harmoniously, but where such tensions existed, they were often internal; many conflicts arose because so much early science was done in the church's pursuit of learning.

The New Atheists often dismiss the faith of leading scientists as irrelevant with the line, "everyone believed in God back then." But they forget, as Hart claims, that "we have no real rational warrant for deploring the 'credulity' of the peoples of previous centuries toward the common basic assumptions of their times while implicitly celebrating ourselves for our own largely uncritical obedience to the common basic assumptions of our own." In sum, the modernist mythology needs to be dismantled.

A Hope Beyond Ourselves

Hart describes our world as "post-Christian," stressing that even unbelievers are, for good or for ill, post-Christian. We all have inherited the consequences of Christianity and, most importantly for Hart, its morality and definition of human life. For him, post-Christian culture precariously stands on the brink of being post-human. The God-free Age of Reason promised to usher in a new cultural reality in which liberty, justice, and equality would be protected by rulers who in reality saw human lives as expendable in achieving their ends. For all its "enlightenment," secular society has come with unprecedented violence in the form of revolutions, imperialism, chattel slavery, and ideologically inspired mass murder (one need only think of Stalin and Pol Pot).

Meanwhile, the freedom of the will has become a god unto itself, transcending the Christian "superstition" that every life is of immeasurable value. And with the will so exalted, it is choice itself, not what we choose, Hart writes, that now matters. We see this in many of today's ethical debates—abortion, euthanasia, genetic engineering, economics, and censorship—where choice is invoked frequently and seems to exercise "an almost mystical supremacy over all other concerns."

Hart concludes by asserting that we need a re-education of what it means to be human. We must learn more about the story that we Christians have inherited. In doing so, we must also face the uncomfortable fact that Christianity is not shaping civilization today as much as it once did. "Innumerable forces are vying for the future, and Christianity may prove considerably weaker than its rivals," Hart warns.

But Hart's message is not as disempowering as it may seem: it is a call to action, for learning more of our history better equips us to fight the battle to reclaim it. If Hart is correct that "Christianity has been the single most creative cultural, ethical, aesthetic, social, political, or spiritual force in the history of the West," then we must ask ourselves: Why? Christian hands are by no means free of blood and wrongdoing. As Hart writes repeatedly, "human beings frequently disappoint." We are corrupt and callous, and the temptations of power and conquest have snuffed out the holiness of many. But through the darkness, a glimmer of hope shines, for unlike atheism, Christianity offers hope—a hope of transformation from beyond ourselves.

As we survey modernity's rewriting of history, we must remember this hope as we look to shape the future. For it is the life and death of Jesus Christ that has transcended the ages: for Christians, faith is not merely "a cultural logic but a cosmic truth."

Atheist Delusions is a stimulating and challenging contribution to the New Atheist debate, and is recommended for any believer who wants to confront modern misconceptions about Christianity and its history. I say believer because I think that, although Hart prefaces the work by saying that his prejudices are "transparent and unreserved," occasionally his historical analysis is laced with the rhetorical flourishes of a preacher. His argument is strong, but some "prejudices" might be seen to beg questions. I would not expect a non-Christian to be won over on the neutral grounds of abstract argument. But if "we used to produce better atheists, atheists who had a better arsenal of arguments to make"—that is no reason not to better furnish our own.

Kate Kirkpatrick, an editor with Lion Hudson in Oxford, England

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When Atheists Believe

The confounding attraction of the Christian worldview.

Chuck Colson with Catherine Larson
10/22/2009
Christianity Today

In recent years Great Britain's chief export to the U.S. has been a payload of books by atheist authors such as evolutionary biologist Richard Dawkins and literary critic Christopher Hitchens. They contend that faith is irrational in the face of modern science. Other prominent British atheists seem to be having second thoughts. Is there some revival sweeping England? No; they are examining the rationality of Christianity, the very beliefs Dawkins and others are so profitably engaging, but are coming to opposite conclusions.

Well-known scholar Antony Flew was the first, saying he had to go "where the evidence [led]." Evolutionary theory, he concluded, has no reasonable explanation for the origin of life. When I met with Flew in Oxford, he told me that while he had not come to believe in the biblical God, he had concluded that atheism is not logically sustainable.

More recently, A. N. Wilson, once thought to be the next C. S. Lewis who then renounced his faith and spent years mocking Christianity, returned to faith. The reason, he said in an interview with New Statesman, was that atheists "are missing out on some very basic experiences of life." Listening to Bach and reading the works of religious authors, he realized that their worldview or "perception of life was deeper, wiser, and more rounded than my own."

He noticed that the people who insist we are "simply anthropoid apes" cannot account for things as basic as language, love, and music. That, along with the "even stronger argument" of how the "Christian faith transforms individual lives," convinced Wilson that "the religion of the incarnation … is simply true."

Likewise, Matthew Parris, another well-known British atheist, made the mistake of visiting Christian aid workers in Malawi, where he saw the power of the gospel transforming them and others. Concerned with what he saw, he wrote that it "confounds my ideological beliefs, stubbornly refuses to fit my worldview, and has embarrassed my growing belief that there is no God." While Parris is unwilling to follow where his observations lead, he is obviously wrestling with how Christianity makes better sense of the world than other worldviews.

Could this signal a trend? Well, not yet. But it does illustrate something I have been teaching for years: Faith and reason are not enemies. We are given reason as a gift. And while we can't reason our way to God (only the power of God can transform fallen men—I've seen that in prisons for over 32 years), I have long believed that Christianity is the most rational explanation of reality. And that fact, winsomely explained, can powerfully influence thinking people to consider Christ's claims.

A strong empirical case can be made to show that Christianity is the only rational explanation of life. For the past six years, I've been teaching students in the Centurions Program to draw a grid listing the four basic questions that most people ask about life: Where did I come from? What's my purpose? Why is there sin and suffering? Is redemption possible? Then, on the other side of the matrix, we list the various philosophies and prominent world religions. By examining how each view answers the four questions, we can determine which worldviews conform to the way things really are. This is the correspondence theory of truth—a thoroughly rational test.

Students quickly see that only Christianity teaches that humans are created in the image of God, thus protecting their dignity. It's no coincidence that Christians have waged most of the great human rights campaigns.

Or take the question of sin. If people are good, as French political philosopher Rousseau argued, problems can be solved by creating a utopian state. Yet all of history's utopian schemes have ended in tyranny. Meanwhile, Eastern religions see life as an endless cycle of suffering. There's no way for sin to be forgiven. And grace is an unknown concept in Islam.

This is nothing particularly novel. A long history of prominent atheists, interestingly concentrated in Britain, have traveled back to faith. These doubters began to examine the rationality of Christianity's claims. Whether in the Victorian era, with Thomas Cooper, George Sexton, and Joseph Barker, or in the 20th century, with T. S. Eliot, Graham Greene, and C. S. Lewis, all of them concluded that the Bible speaks most accurately to the human condition—the very definition of a rational choice. It is rational to choose the worldview that provides the best choice for living, consistent with the way life works.

What does this tell us? People today have a caricatured view of Christians, seeing us as followers, often hypocritical and judgmental, of an outdated book of mere illusions. But if we can explain why Christianity is so reasonable, our faith becomes a very winsome proposition, which will at least open the mind, if not the heart, of many a doubter.

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The Wall Street Broker Who Became A Monk

Wall Street Broker Dons Cassock and Sandals

NICK SQUIRES
October 4, 2008
Telegraph

A FORMER Wall Street broker has swapped Manhattan for a monastery in Bulgaria to become an Orthodox monk.

Hristo Mishkov, 32, had a successful career as a broker on the Nasdaq stock exchange in New York until he decided to give it all up to return to his native Bulgaria.

Exchanging tailored suits and expensive shoes for a cassock and sandals, Brother Nikanor, as he is now known, believes Wall Street and the City deserve all they get as the credit crunch bites deeper and the global financial system goes into meltdown.

"It is right to see people who consume more than they deserve shattered by a financial crisis from time to time, to suffer so that they can become more reasonable," he said.

The collapse of banks and investment firms was a necessary correction because they had grown greedy, he said.

Brother Nikanor wakes at dawn to attend to a herd of buffalo in the 12th-century Tsurnogorski monastery, 50 kilometres west of the capital, Sofia. But he has not entirely turned his back on his past. When he became a monk five years ago, he retained one luxury, a mobile phone, and has used it to raise hundreds of thousands of dollars from former colleagues to rebuild the monastery.


Broker Turned Monk Offers Home Truths to Needy

Oct 01, 2008
Tsurnogorski Monastery (Bulgaria)
Indian Express

Brother Nikanor, a Nasdaq broker turned monk, advises former colleagues to put a jar with soil on their desks to remind them where we are all heading and what matters in life.

As western banks fold into each other like crumpled tickets and commentators portray the current crisis as the last gasp of modern capitalism, Hristo Mishkov, 32, shares the pain -- and offers home truths.

His story partly resembles that of Brother Ty, the monk-tycoon protagonist of the 1998 satire "God is my Broker" by U.S. writers Christopher Buckley and John Tierney -- he failed on Wall Street and became a monk.

But 10 years later, the similarities are superficial: the Bulgarian had a successful broking career, does not write self-help manuals and aims to get happy, not rich.

His interest in financial markets began under communism in the 1980s when he and other children created their own play stock exchange in their apartment block's basement in Sofia.

Five years ago, after failing to find happiness in the life he lived, the Christian Orthodox who hadn't practiced as a child quit the New York-based market for a dilapidated Bulgarian monastery that once served as a communist labor camp.

Retaining one luxury -- a mobile phone, which connects him with both potential donors and former trading colleagues -- he has brought the rigor of his broking experience to his faith.

He has helped to raise hundreds of thousands of levs (dollars) to rebuild the monastery -- a hard task in a country where charity is not part of the mentality and building shopping malls and golf courses is a priority.

"Many people... in the world do not realize that they have not earned the food they eat, that they take without giving," Mishkov said. "But if someone consumes more than they have earned, it means someone else is starving.

"It is right to see people who consume more than they deserve shattered by a financial crisis from time to time, to suffer so that they can become more reasonable."

Being a trader has seldom been more traumatic: placing bets on political decisions about billion-dollar bank bailouts which, if they fail, could mean much more than a bad day for yourself or colleagues, but also jeopardize livelihoods.

Some have found solace in religion, others in humor, but a few fall. Surveys show traders reporting more stress and every news report of a trader suicide is accompanied by suggestions the pressure may have been too much.

HAPPINESS

"We always search for happiness in the outside world, in material things, which makes us constantly unsatisfied, angry with ourselves and the world," said Mishkov, who exudes a sense of tranquility, intelligence, and humor.

Greed and the marketization of our lives have reached the point where people have been turned into a commodity -- even their health can be traded like a stock, he said.

"We have so quickly lost our human appearance, we have become beasts ... There's no-one to count on and say 'hey neighbor come help me.' He will come but demand a payment."

His monastery, tucked among hills 50 km (31 miles) west of Sofia, was founded in the 12th century. The communist regime which banned religion turned it into a labor camp, then a children's pioneer camp and a livestock farm.

Now Mishkov works hard every day milking buffalo cows and building stone walls. He says he is not against rich people but can only respect those who contribute to the good of society -- pointing to Microsoft founder Bill Gates as an example.

As a younger man working for more than two years for Karoll, one of Bulgaria's leading brokerages, Mishkov was good at his job, former colleagues say.

"He was a religious person and that annoyed me sometimes," said Alexander Nikolov, head of international capital markets at Karoll. "There were occasions when he would not show up at work because of some religious holiday."

His colleagues were stunned when he decided to become a monk, but Mishkov felt the time had come to look after people's souls.

"Everybody can be a good broker but this does not bring much benefit for the world," he said. Religion can help people cope in today's stressful times and find answers, Mishkov added.

Churches in New York's financial district reported last month increased attendance at lunchtime meetings, with many more people in business attire than usual, when some of the world's biggest investment banks collapsed.

Steven Bell, chief economist of London hedge fund GLC, said keeping a sense of reality is what traders needed.

"It is very important to just remind yourself that there is a real world out there. In any job but particularly in financial markets, you need to try and keep your feet on the ground," Bell told Reuters by phone.

Mishkov says the crash should also help correct a dangerous global trend of an excessive outflow of labor to the service sectors, by people attracted by high pay and an easy life.

"Milk is not produced by computers, bread doesn't come from a good company PR. It is necessary to plow, sow and harvest before that," says the monk.

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Serbs Bid Emotional Farewell To Patriarch Pavle

Hundreds Of Thousands Bid Farewell To Patriarch Pavle, Late Leader Of Serbian Orthodox Church

Nov. 19, 2009
CBS News

BELGRADE, Serbia (AP) - Hundreds of thousands of people joined a somber funeral procession Thursday for Patriarch Pavle, who led the Serbian Orthodox Church through its post-Communist revival and the Balkans' bloody ethnic wars in the 1990s.

Pavle, a highly popular patriarch known for his modesty and humility, died over the weekend at age 95 after being hospitalized for two years with heart and lung problems. He had led the 7 million-member church since 1990.

White-robed church elders held funeral prayers in Belgrade's Saborna Church, where Pavle's body, covered by a green-and-gold embroidered cloth, lay surrounded by flickering candles in an open casket.

The casket was placed on a caisson as crowds joined Serbian leaders and clergy in a procession to the white-marbled St. Sava Temple, the biggest Orthodox Christian church in the Balkans.

Istanbul-based Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I - the spiritual leader of world's Orthodox Christians - led a liturgy in front of the masses gathered outside the church.

Bartholomew described Pavle as a "great spiritual leader" during the turbulent era for the nation.

"His face and appearance were radiant with holiness and righteousness," he said. "He was a true monk, a man of endless prayers, kind and calm but also a fighter who does not back down and is ready for any sacrifice when needed."

Serbia's President Boris Tadic, who attended the prayers, thanked the late patriarch "for having been there for us with his deeds and message that we should always be human and never respond to the evil in the others with the evil within us."

State television estimated that about half a million Orthodox believers, many from neighboring Bosnia and Montenegro, attended the funeral procession through downtown Belgrade as bells tolled from churches.

Pavle is to be buried later Thursday at a monastery in a Belgrade suburb in a private ceremony attended only by church leaders and Serbian officials.


"I come to bid last farewell to the best man who ever lived," said Gojko Ljubovic, 53-year-old teacher from the southern town of Vranje. "He has done so much for the Serbian nation."

The frail-looking Pavle, known here as "the walking saint," had called for peace and conciliation during the Balkan wars. But critics say he had failed to openly condemn the extreme Serb nationalism of former President Slobodan Milosevic, which triggered the clashes with Catholic Croats and Muslims in Bosnia and Kosovo in the 1990s.

There have been reports of an internal struggle over who will succeed Pavle. The election cannot be held until at least 40 days after Pavle's death. The favorite is influential Bishop Amfilohije, a hard-liner known for his anti-Western and ultranationalist stances, who served as the acting head of church during Pavle's hospitalization.

After the liturgy, Amfilohije described Pavle as a "modest and quiet man who is now a beacon of light that shines on us from the sky."

"People have poured like a river only to touch him," Amfilohije said of the large crowds who have come to the Saborna Church to pay their last respects to Pavle since Sunday.

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Frank Schaeffer Responds to Evangelical Death Threats Against Obama

Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy

Rachel Maddow, Frank Schaeffer Discuss The Latest In Thinly-Veiled Evangelical Christian Obama Death Threats

11-18-09
The Huffington Post
By Jason Linkins

Apparently, the latest thing in "Debasing The Institutions You Pretend To Hold Dear In Order To Suggest That President Barack Obama Should Be Murdered Without Actually Coming Right Out And Saying So" goes by a shorter name: Psalm 109:8.

And Psalm 109:8 is just straight up memetastic, appearing on bumper stickers and T-shirts, all of which carry the benign sounding message, "Pray For Obama." But, as Gawker's John Cook points out, this is just one more in a "long line of cheekily coded Obama death threats." The verse in question reads: "May his days be few; may another take his place of leadership." That leads fairly naturally into the Psalm 109:9, "May his children be fatherless, and his wife a widow." You know, in case you miss the point.

Rachel Maddow took up this issue last night, inviting Patience With God author and Huffington Post blogger Frank Schaeffer to explain whether or not the citation of this Biblical text "means something less threatening to people hearing this in a Biblical context."

SCHAEFFER: "No. Actually, it means something more threatening. I think that the situation that I find genuinely frightening right now is that you have a ramping up of Biblical language, language from the anti-abortion movement for instance, death panels and this sort of thing, and what it's coalescing into is branding Obama as Hitler, as they have already called him. And something foreign to our shores, we're reminded of that, he's born in Kenya. As brown, as black, above all, as not us. He is Sarah Palin's "not a real American." But now, it turns out, he joins the ranks of the unjust kings of ancient Israel, unjust rulers to which all these Biblical allusions are directed who should be slaughtered, if not by God, then by just men. So there's a parallel here with Timothy McVeigh's t-shirt on the day of the Oklahoma City bombing. He said the tree of liberty had to be watered by the blood of tyrants. That quote, we saw at a meeting where Obama was present carried on a placard by someone with a loaded weapon.

"What we're looking at right now is two things going on. We see the evangelical groups I talked about in my new book, Patience With God, enthralled by an apocalyptic vision that I go into in some detail there. They represent the millions of people who have turned the Left Behind series into best sellers. Most of them are not crazy, they're just deluded. But there is a crazy fringe to whom all these little messages that have been pouring out of Fox News, now on a bumper sticker, talking about doing away with Obama, asking God to kill him. Really, this is trolling for assassins. This is serious business.

"It's un-American. It's unpatriotic. And it goes to show that the religious right, the Republican far right have coalesced into a group who truly want American revolution. If it turns out to be blood in the streets and death, so be it. It's not funny stuff anymore. They cannot be dismissed as just crazies on the fringe. It only takes one. You know, look at the Boston Globe article from a few weeks ago that says the threat level faced by the Secret Service has gone up 400%, higher than any other time in 52 years, for any president, Democrat or Republican. These are no jokes."

Schaeffer added, "Look, this is the American version of the Taliban... this is the Old Testament Biblical equivalent of calling for holy war."

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Patriarch Pavle and Public Transportation

Patriarch Pavle was often referred to by some as a "walking saint" based on his simple lifestyle and humility. Whereas bishops around the world are often wrongly criticized for the cars they drive and despite the fact that every bishop in Serbia owns a car to travel around their diocese, he did not. When asked why he never obtained an automobile, he replied: "I will not purchase one until every Albanian and Serbian household in Kosovo and Metohija has an automobile."

Below are two other stories regarding the way Patriarch Pavle preferred to travel:

The deacon of Patriarch Pavle of Serbia once learned the following lesson while in Belgrade as they were going to a church in Banovo Brdo.

He asked the Patriarch: "With what shall we go, with a car?"

"No, with the bus!" said the Patriarch emphatically.

"But the bus is always crowded and the heat is esphyxiating. It is not even nearby."

"This is how we are going", said the Patriarch.

"Your Holiness", said the deacon in an effort to convince him otherwise, "it is summer time and the people are going swimming to the small island of Tsigalia and the majority of people are nearly naked. It isn't right?"

"Father", said the Patriarch silently, "each person sees whatever he wants."


The residents of Belgrade frequently saw the Patriarch in the streets, on the train and on the bus. One day as he was walking to the bus, a Mercedes of the latest model pulled up next to him. It was a priest of one of Belgrade's richest churches.

The driver of the Mercedes told the Patriarch as he was getting on the bus: "Your Holiness, please allow me to take you wherever you want."

"Father, to whom belongs this fabulous car?"

"It is mine, Your Holiness."

"Stop right there immediately!" said the Patriarch. He got down off the bus, went over to the priest, blessed him with the sign of the Cross, and told him: "May God protect you!"

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GUIDELINES FOR ALL ORTHODOX CHRISTIANS

By Metropolitan Philaret Voznesensky, the New Confessor (+1985)

Metropolitan Philaret's sermons and advice to his spiritual children were always characterized by the simplicity in all his words which paralleled his action; there was never anything artificial about him. "Be, and not merely appear to be"—-this testament of his famous namesake was incarnated in His Eminence throughout his earthly presence.

1. Remember, you are a son (daughter) of the Orthodox Church. These are not empty words. Remember the commitment this entails.

2. Earthly life is fleeting; one is hardly aware of the swiftness of its passing. Nevertheless, this transient life determines the eternal destiny of your soul. Do not forget this for a moment.

3. Try to live piously. Pray to God in church, pray to God at home—fervently, with faith, trusting yourself to God's will. Fulfill the holy and saving precepts of the Church, Her rules and commandments. Outside the Church, outside obedience to Her, there is no salvation.

4. The gift of words is one of God's greatest gifts. It ennobles man, lifting him above all other creatures. But how this gift is now misused by a corrupt humanity! Safeguard this gift and learn to use it as befits a Christian. Do not judge, do not speak idly. Avoid, like fire, bad language and seductive conversation; do not forget the words of our Lord and Saviour: "By thy words thou shalt be justified, and by thy words thou shalt be condemned" (Mt 12:37). Do not indulge in lying. Holy Scripture sternly forewarns: "The Lord shall destroy all them which speak a lie" (Ps. 51:4).

5. Love your neighbor as yourself, according to the Lord's commandment. Without love there is no Christianity. Remember, Christian love is SELF-SACRIFICING, and not egocentric. Do not miss an opportunity to show love and mercy.

6. Be meek, pure and modest in your thoughts, words and deeds. Do not imitate the profligate. Do not take their example, and avoid close acquaintance with them. Have no unnecessary dealings with unbelievers - unbelief is infectious. Observe meekness and propriety always and everywhere; avoid becoming contaminated by the shameless habits of today's world.

7. Fear vanity and pride; run from them. Pride caused the highest and most powerful angel to be cast down from heaven. Remember, 'thou art earth and to the earth shalt thou return...' Deeply humble yourself.

8. The fundamental task in life is to save one's soul for eternity. Keep this as the most essential task, the main concern of your life. Woe to those whose indifference and neglect bring their souls to eternal ruin.

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Ten Swine Flu Lies Told by the Mainstream Media

The mainstream media is engaged in what we Americans call “bald faced lies” about swine flu. It seems to be true with this issue more than any other, and it became apparent to me recently when a colleague of mine — a nationally-syndicated newspaper columnist — told me their column on natural defenses for swine flu was rejected by newspapers all across the country. Many newspapers refused to run the column and, instead, ran an ad for “free vaccine clinics” in the same space.

The media, it seems, is so deeply in bed with the culture of vaccinations that they will do almost anything to keep the public misinformed. And that includes lying about swine flu vaccines.

There are ten key lies that continue to be told by the mainstream media (MSM) about swine flu and swine flu vaccines.

Lie #1 – There are no adjuvants used in the vaccines

I was recently being interviewed by a major U.S. news network when the reporter interviewing me came up with this humdinger: There are no adjuvants being used in the swine flu vaccines, he said!

I assured him that adjuvants were, indeed, a crucial part of the vaccine recipe, and they were being widely used by drug companies to “stretch” the vaccine supply. It’s no secret. But he insisted he had been directly told by a drug company rep that no adjuvants were being used at all. And he believed them! So everything being published by this large news network about swine flu vaccines now assumes there are no adjuvants in the vaccines at all.

Lie #2 – The swine flu is more dangerous than seasonal flu

This lie is finally starting to unravel. I admit that in the early days of this pandemic, even I was concerned this could be a global killer. But after observing the very mild impact the virus was having on people in the real world, it became obvious that this was a mild flu, no more dangerous than a seasonal flu.

The MSM, however, continues to promote H1N1 swine flu as being super dangerous, driving fear into the minds of people and encouraging them to rush out and get a vaccine shot for a flu that’s really no more likely to kill them than the regular winter sniffles. Sure, the virus could still mutate into something far worse, but if it does that, the current vaccine could be rendered obsolete anyway!

Lie #3 – Vaccines protect you from swine flu

This is the biggest lie of all, and the media pushes it hard. Getting a vaccine, they insist, will protect you from the swine flu. But it’s just flat-out false. Even if the vaccine produces antibodies, that’s not the same thing as real-world immunity from a live virus, especially if the virus mutates (as they often do).

As I pointed out in a recent article, statistically speaking the average American is 40 times more likely to be struck by lightning than to have their life saved by a swine flu vaccine. (http://www.naturalnews.com/026955_swine_flu_vaccines_flu_vaccines.html)

Lie #4 – Vaccines are safe

And how would any journalists actually know this? None of the vaccines have been subjected to real-world testing for any meaningful duration. The “safety” of these vaccines is nothing more than wishful thinking.

The MSM also doesn’t want you to know what’s in the vaccines. Some vaccines are made from viral fragments grown in diseased African monkeys. If that sounds incredible, read the true story here:

http://www.naturalnews.com/026779_swine_flu_patents_vaccines.html

Lie #5 – The vaccine isn’t mandatory

You hear this lie all the time: The swine flu vaccine shot is voluntary, they say. But it’s not true if you’re an employee at a place where vaccines are being mandated. Millions of Americans are now being told by their employers that if they don’t get vaccine shots, they will be effectively fired from their jobs. It’s especially true with health care workers, day care employees and school teachers.

Lie #6 – Getting a vaccine shot is a good bet on your health

In reality, a vaccine shot is far more likely to harm you than help you. According to one viral expert, the actual mortality rate of the swine flu virus is estimated to be as low as .007 percent.

(http://www.reuters.com/article/healthNews/idUSTRE58E6NZ20090916)

That means H1N1 swine flu kills less than one person in 100,000. Even if the vaccine works, let’s say, 10 percent of the time, you’d have to vaccine one million people to prevent one death from swine flu.

And in vaccinating one million people, you would inevitably harm or kill several people, simply from the vaccine side effects! Your net risk of death is increased by getting a swine flu vaccine.

Lie #7 – The vaccine isn’t made with “attenuated live virus”

When the swine flu vaccines were first being announced several months ago, they were described as being made with “attenuated live virus.” This was directly mentioned in CDC documents, among other places.

This term apparently freaked out the American news consumer, and it has since been all but erased from any discussion about vaccines. Now, journalists will actually argue with you and insist the vaccines contain no attenuated live viruses whatsoever.

Except they’re wrong. The vaccines are, indeed, made with “attenuated live viruses.” That’s how you make a vaccine: You take live viruses, then you weaken them (“attenuate”) and inject them into people.

Lie #8 – Wash, wash, wash your hands (to avoid exposure)

This idea of washing your hands a hundred times a day is all based on the assumption that you can avoid exposure to the swine flu virus. But that’s impractical. The virus is now so widespread that virtually everyone is certain to be exposed to it through the air if not other means. This whole idea of avoiding exposure to the swine flu virus is nonsense. The conversation should shift to ways to survive exposure via a healthy immune system.

Of course, hand washing is a very good idea in a hospital setting. Recent news reveals that doctors are too busy to wash their own hands, resulting in the rampant spread of superbugs throughout most large hospitals in first world nations.

Lie #9 – Children are more vulnerable to swine flu than adults

This is just a flat-out lie, but it makes for good vaccine sales. Vaccines are right now being targeted primarily to schoolchildren.

But the truth is that swine flu is extremely mild in children. “It’s mildest in kids,” says Dr Marc Lipsitch of Harvard University. “That’s one of the really good pieces of news in this pandemic.” Reuters actually had the guts to report this story, but most of the larger media outlets are still reporting that children are the most vulnerable.

Lie #10 – There is nothing else you can do beyond a vaccine and Tamiflu

This is where the media lies by omission. The mainstream media absolutely refuses to print just about any story that talks about using vitamin D, anti-viral herbs or natural remedies to protect yourself from swine flu. In the MSM, there are two options and only two: Vaccines and Tamiflu. That’s it. No other options exist in their fictional reality.

Why is the mainstream media so afraid to print the truth these days? Why can’t reporting on swine flu see the light of day… literally, with a mention of sunlight and vitamin D? Apparently, Big Pharma has such a tight grip on mainstream newspapers that no true story on swine flu can ever make it past the editor’s desk.

Killing stories, deceiving the public

It must really be depressing to work for the mainstream media. Even the reporters I know can’t stand it. The truth, they admit, rarely makes it into print.

Over the last few years, I’ve had a couple of job offers from large media outlets. They want to pay me a six-figure salary and stick me behind a desk where they can control what I report. Needless to say, I routinely reject those offers. If I can’t write the truth like I do here on NaturalNews.com, there’s no point writing at all. In too many ways, the mainstream media has become little more than a corporate mouthpiece, whoring itself out to the highest bidder / advertiser.

It’s no fault of the frontline reporters who actually work there. For the most part, they agree with what I’m saying. It’s the fault of the profit-oriented corporate mindset where news is about selling newspapers rather than actually informing the public.

Important news stories get killed every day in the newsrooms across America. They get killed not because they are poorly investigated or poorly written, but because they upset advertisers and corporate string pullers who shape the news and reject any stories that threaten their own financial interests.

Here in 2009, the distorted reporting on the swine flu vaccine has been one of the greatest media frauds ever perpetrated. The media has in every way contributed to the widespread ignorance of the American people on the subject of vitamin D and natural immune-boosting defenses that could reduce swine flu fatalities. Rather than informing readers, the MSM has made it a point to keep the people stupid, and in doing so, the media has failed its only mission and betrayed the very audience is claims to serve.

Source: http://www.naturalnews.com/027055_swine_flu_vaccines

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Fifty Philosophers Who Converted to Christianity

On November 17 we celebrate the memory of 50 philosophers and rhetors who were converted to Christianity from Paganism following a debate with the wise Katherine of Alexandria, whose memory is celebrated on November 25. At this time the emperor Maximinus was himself in Alexandria for a pagan feast day and ordered its citizens to offer a sacrifice to the idols. Katherine refused and the emperor sought her conversion. Because of her God-given wisdom the emperor was unable to persuade her so he called for 50 of the most learned men. The emperors plan backfired. Following their conversion they were immediately martyred for their new Christian faith. Seven days later St. Katherine also was brutally martyred for her Christian faith.

Below is the account of the debate between St. Katherine of Alexandria and the 50 philosophers and rhetors who sought to persuade her to deny her Christian faith, as recounted by St. Dimitri Rostov:

The Emperor commanded that Katherine be brought before him. Entering his presence, she prostrated herself, rendering him due homage. Then she said boldly, "Know, 0 Emperor, that you have been led astray by the demons, for the idols you serve are lifeless and subject to corruption. Great is the shame of the blind, foolish men who worship such vile things! Accept the words of your wise philosopher Diodorus, who says that your gods were once impious men and that because of the notable deeds they worked during their lifetime, the people raised up pillars and statues in their honor. Later generations were unaware of the intention of their forefathers, who erected these things only as memorials. Counting the statues as worthy of reverence, the people began to worship them as gods. Know also that the famed Plutarch of Cheronea considered that your gods were not divine, and reviled them. Believe the words of your teachers, O Emperor, and do not make yourself guilty of the perdition of many souls. In this way you may escape the eternal torment that awaits you. Come to know the one, true God, Who is ever-existent, unoriginate, and immortal, and became man in the last times for our salvation. By Him kings reign and nations are ruled, and the whole world is sustained. He created and upholds all things by His word, for He is the almighty and all-good God, Who has no need of your sacrifices and takes no delight in the slaughter of innocent beasts but commands only that we steadfastly keep His commandments."

Hearing this, the Emperor was greatly enraged, remaining speechless for a long time. Unable to reply to Katherine’s words, he said only, "Leave us now to offer sacrifice, and we will hear you at another time."

After his vile festival had come to an end, the impious Emperor commanded that Katherine be brought to his palace. He said to her, "Tell us, maiden, who you are, and repeat what you said before."

"I am the daughter of one of the previous emperors," the saint replied, "and my name is Katherine. Formerly I was engaged in the study of rhetoric, philosophy, geometry, and the other sciences, but now I have abandoned these things as vain and useless and have betrothed myself to the Master Christ, Who said through the prophet, 'I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and do away with the understanding of the prudent'."

The Emperor marvelled at Katherine’s wisdom, and seeing how fair she was, imagined that she was not the daughter of mortal parents but some goddess born to the deities whom he worshipped. He could not believe that a maiden of such indescribable loveliness could be the child of earthly parents, and wounded by her beauty, began to speak lustful words to her. The saint perceived that the Emperor’s thoughts had turned to iniquity, and said to him, "The demons whom you revere as gods lead you astray and tempt you with foolish desires. But I know that I am mere dust and earth. God has created me in His image and likeness, adorning me with comeliness so that the people might marvel at the bounty of the Creator, Who has deigned to bestow wisdom and beauty upon what is corruptible and worthless."

Katherine’s words annoyed the Emperor, who said, "Say no evil of the gods, for their glory is immortal!"

"If you wish to dispel the darkness and gloom of the deception that has ensnared you, understand that your gods are nothing, and come to know the true God. The mere sound of His name or the sight of His Cross traced in the air suffice to drive away and destroy your gods. If you wish, I shall prove to you the truth of my words," declared Katherine.

Afraid to be overcome and put to shame by the maiden’s bold and wise words, the Emperor replied, "It is not proper for the Emperor to dispute with women. Instead, I will assemble learned philosophers to debate you. Thus you will learn how groundless are your speculations and accept our beliefs."

The Emperor commanded that the holy virgin be kept under close guard and immediately sent the following decree to every city in his dominions: "The Emperor Maxentius to all the learned philosophers and orators in the lands under my rule: Hail! Come to me, all you who serve the most wise god Hermes and call upon the Muses as patrons of erudition, and stop the mouth of a certain learned maiden who has appeared as of late and mocks our gods, calling their histories myths and fables. Come, that you may display your knowledge of the wisdom of the ancients, be acclaimed by men, and receive from me gifts as rewards for your labors!"

Fifty chosen rhetoricians, skilled in debate and mighty in declamation, assembled in Alexandria. The Emperor addressed them thus: "Prepare yourselves diligently and carefully to contend with the maiden and to prevail in dispute with her concerning the gods. Do not be slack in your efforts because it is with a woman that you debate, but make every effort to overcome her as though she were the mightiest of opponents and the wisest of orators. Display all your learning, for I have tried her and found her to be wiser than Plato; strive your best in debate against her, sparing no exertion. If you prevail over her, I will bestow upon you rich gifts, but if you are vanquished, you shall be rewarded only with a bitter death."

One of the most learned and renowned of the orators answered the Emperor, saying, "Have no fear, O Emperor, for although the maiden may possess a keen mind, it is not possible that she has attained the highest degree of learning or perfection in rhetoric. Command her to stand before us, and you will see her quickly put to shame by the mere sight of such an assembly of philosophers and rhetoricians."

Hearing the philosopher’s declaration, the Emperor grew calm and was filled with joy, hoping that the vile, boastful tongues of his orators would prevail over the divine wisdom of the meek maiden. He straightway ordered that the saint be brought before him, and a great multitude of people assembled in the arena, eager to witness the debate. Before the messengers arrived, the archangel Michael came from heaven and said to the saint, "Fear not, 0 maiden chosen by the Lord! The Lord shall add to your wisdom even greater wisdom, and you will prevail in debate over fifty orators. Through you they and many others shall come to believe and receive the crown of martyrdom."

When the messengers arrived, they took Katherine and led her before the Emperor and the philosophers, to be made a spectacle unto all. The vainglorious philosopher who answered the Emperor immediately began to boast before Saint Katherine and asked, "Is it you who shamelessly and foolishly reviles our gods?"

"It is I," the saint answered meekly. "But I do not revile them shamelessly and foolishly as you say. I speak the truth gently and lovingly, proclaiming that your gods do not exist."

"The great poets refer to our divinities as ’the most high gods,’" said the orator. "How then can you insolently blaspheme the deities that have bestowed upon you wisdom and permitted you to taste of their sweet gifts?"

Katherine replied, "It was not your gods but my God, Who alone is true, that vouchsafed me wisdom; for He is Himself Wisdom and Life. He who fears Him and keeps His divine commandments is indeed a true philosopher. However, the deeds of your gods and the stories that are told of them are truly worthy of laughter and ridicule, and are full of deceit. But tell me, which of your great poets called your deities gods, and what did they say concerning them?"

The orator answered, "First of all, the most wise Homer prayed to Zeus, exclaiming, ’0 most glorious Zeus, thou great god, and ye other immortal gods!’ The renowned Orpheus likewise gave thanks unto Apollo, crying, ’O son of Leto, thou who loosest thine arrows from afar! Mighty Phoebus, who lookest down upon all and rulest over mortals and immortals, 0 sun that soarest on wings of gold!’ Thus do the most eminent and celebrated of the poets refer to the gods, speaking of them as immortal. Therefore, do not be deceived, nor worship the Crucified One as God, for the wise men of old never called Him a god, nor indeed did they know of Him."

"But did not your Homer say in another place that Zeus, the greatest of your deities, was a liar and a wicked deceiver, and that other gods, Hera, Poseidon, and Athena, would have bound him had he not fled?" said Katherine. "Your books are full of similar things which show your gods to be disreputable. Although it is not fitting that vain, disrespectful enquiry be made concerning the Crucified One (since He is the true God, the Maker of heaven and earth, the sea, sun, moon, and stars, and the whole race of man), yet because you say that none of the teachers of antiquity confess Him to be God, I shall bring forth testimony to refute you, thus confirming the truth. Hear how the most wise Sybil witnesses to His divine Incarnation and saving Crucifixion: ’In the latter times One shall come Who will take on flesh, but without sin. He shall destroy the corruption of the incurable passions by the boundless omnipotence of His divinity, and the unbelieving people will hate Him. Upon a high place shall He be hung, as though He were worthy of such a death.’ Hear also how your Apollonius, compelled by Christ’s power, speaks the truth, although unwillingly, confessing Him as the true God. He says, ’He Who dwells in the heavens constrains me to speak. He is the triune light, the God Who undergoes suffering (although His divinity does not suffer), for He is both mortal according to the flesh and a stranger to corruption. He is at once God and a man Who endures all things at the hands of mortals: the Cross, revilement, and burial.’ Thus spoke Apollonius concerning the true God, Who is coeternal and of one essence with Him Who begot Him. He is the source, the root, the fount of every blessing; He it is that brought the world from nothingness into being and continues to uphold it. Consubstantial with the Father, He became man for our sake and walked on the earth, instructing, teaching, and benefiting men. He also submitted to death for us, to abolish our former condemnation and to vouchsafe us the sweetness and blessedness that were once ours. Then, having opened for us the gates of paradise, closed by evil, He rose on the third day and ascended into heaven, from whence He came. He sent down the Holy Spirit upon His disciples, and they went about preaching His divinity, in which you also, 0 philosopher, ought to believe, so that you may become His true servant. For He is merciful and summons all who have sinned, saying, 'Come unto Me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.' Believe, then, your own teachers and gods, Plato, I say, Orpheus, and Apollonius, who although unwillingly, plainly confessed Christ to be God."

Hearing the wise Katherine say these things and much else besides, the philosopher was amazed and fell silent. The Emperor saw that his champion had been vanquished and left speechless, and commanded the other rhetoricians to enter into dispute with the holy virgin, but they refused, saying, "We are unable to withstand the truth. If the most learned of our number was overcome and silenced, what can we hope to accomplish?"

The Emperor was moved to wrath and ordered that a great fire be prepared in the middle of the city to burn alive all the philosophers and orators. When they learned of the sentence pronounced upon them, they fell at the saint’s feet, beseeching her to pray for them to the one true God so that He might forgive them the sins they had committed in ignorance and deem them worthy of Holy Baptism and the gift of the Holy Spirit.

The saint responded joyfully, "Truly you are blessed, for you have abandoned darkness and come to know the true Light! Having forsaken an earthly emperor, subject to corruption, you have come unto the King of heaven, Who knows no corruption. Believe firmly that the fire with which the impious threaten you shall serve as your Baptism and be a ladder leading you up to heaven. In that fire you will be cleansed of every defilement of flesh and spirit, and you will be presented pure and radiant as the stars before the Lord of glory, Whose beloved friends you shall become."

While saying this, Saint Katherine traced over each of the philosophers and orators the sign of Christ’s sacred Cross. Full of hope and gladness, they went joyfully to their martyrdom. It was the seventeenth day of the month of November when the soldiers cast them into the fire. That evening, pious Christians collected their bodies, which remained whole: even their hair was untouched by the fire. Many turned to the truth because of this miracle, and the relics were reverently buried in a fitting place.

The Emperor could think of nothing but how he might bring Saint Katherine to accept his impious beliefs. Unable to accomplish this through philosophic debate, he sought to lead her astray by flattery and deceit....

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