Saint Spyridon: Protector of the Poor, Father of Orphans, Teacher of Sinners

By Photios Kontoglou

Saint Spyridon is one of the most honored saints of the Orthodox Church, whom Christians call upon in situations, as is St. Nicholas, St. George and St. Demetrios. Kerkyra has his precious relics, just as Zakynthos has the relics of St. Dionysios and Kefallonia has St. Gerasimos.

He was born on the island of Cyprus, of poor parents. This is why in his younger years he was a shepherd who kept sheep. He was very simple in his thinking just like the fishermen Christ chose to make his disciples. When he came of age, he married, and after some years he widowed, and so great were his virtues that they made him bishop in a city called Trymithounda, even though he was completely illiterate.

Receiving this spiritual office in the time of Emperor Constantine the Great, he became even more simple and humble, and shepherded his reasonable flock which Christ entrusted to him with love, though was strict if needed for their salvation. He was a protector of the poor, a father of orphans, a teacher of sinners. And he had such purity and holiness that he was given the grace from above to work many miracles, which is why he is called "the Wonderworker". With his prayers he would gather the clouds and it would rain on the dry earth, he healed the sick, and he punished deceptive people, as he did with certain black marketers for whom he tore down their storage barns in which they kept the wheat even though the people were dying of hunger, and they were crushed together with the wheat. And despite this he lived in such poverty that when a poor man went to him for help to pay a debt, he had nothing to give him, and by a miracle he made a snake that was in the area into gold, gave it to the poor man, he melted it, and payed off his debt. Another time a cataclysm occurred and the rivers flooded the area, but when St. Spyridon prayed, the waters pulled back and the land that was flooded dried up. He healed also the Emperor Constantius who came down with an incurable illness, a deacon who became dumb he made well, evil and greedy people he punished with supernatural strength, and other innumerable miracles did he also perform so that the lawless and unrighteous may fear him and have him as a protector and refuge. But he always had great love and sympathy towards sinners, which is why when certain robbers went one night to steal sheep from his pen, which he managed in order to help the hungry, they went blind and could not escape, crying out for mercy. The saint did not only restore their sight, but gave them also a ram because, as he told them, they suffered all night, and since he exhorted them to be good people, he sent them back to their homes without letting anyone know of the robbery they wanted to commit. He also foretold things before they occurred with exactness, making the people wonder whether he was a superhuman personality, since from a shepherd he was found worthy to achieve such heights. And at the First Ecumenical Synod which took place in Nicaea, St. Spyridon was among the three hundred and eighteen God-bearing Fathers, and though illiterate, he shut the mouth of the heresiarch Arius who was the most learned of all the bishops present.


Throughout his whole life he did not cease to perform miracles. The greatest was that of the resurrection of his dead daughter who arose from her tomb and gave witness to the place she had left some money which belonged to another woman, and afterwards she fell back asleep. Another time a woman whose child just died went to the saint, and implored him with many tears to resurrect him, so accustomed were the people to the miracles of the saint. And he resurrected him through his prayers. When the mother saw the child alive, the same died out of her great joy. And St. Spyridon resurrected the mother as well.

Word of these great miracles spread throughout the world, and St. Spyridon, while still alive, was honored as a saint and wonderworker. And till this day he works many miracles in his shrine which is the treasure of the citizens of Kerkyra.

When he liturgized, angels stood around him which many of the pious Christians saw with their own eyes; and when he said "Peace be to all" the Angels responded "And with your spirit" instead of the chanters. And he was showered in supernatural light.


He reached deep old age in such an angelic state shepherding his reasonable sheep, and ascended to the Lord. His holy relics for a time remained in Trymithounda and from there went to Constantinople where they placed him in the Church of the Holy Apostles in which the relics of many saints were kept. During the Turkish occupation they fell into the hands of a pious Christian named Boulgari and he with great effort brought them to Albania hidden in sacks, and from there crossed over to Kerkyra in a kayak. The Venetians kept them and since then he is found on that island, untouched by the weather, after all that they have endured 1600 years since his falling asleep. In his kouvouklion the saint stands upright, hands crossed, dressed in liturgical dress, and they bring him out in procession twice a year. The people of Kerkyra hold his sacred shrine with great reverence and regard it a treasure of their island. During the time that I worked in the Museum of Kerkyra I came to know Papa-Boulgari, who was the parish priest of the church by lottery, a man who loved the arts and learning. The holy relics work wonders always until today to whoever implores the saint with faith.

In Orthodox hagiography [iconography] St. Spyridon is depicted in old age with a turned nose and with a forked short white beard, wearing a skoufi. The skoufi is strange, like it is Chinese, pointed at the tip. He is never drawn without a skoufi. Except for icons on planks of wood or in other walls of the church, he is often drawn in the Holy Altar with the other great hierarchs Basil, Chrysostom and Gregory under the Platytera. On the paper which he holds, it is written: "To You we offer this reasonable and bloodless sacrifice".


Our hymnology has decorated him with unwithering flowers, which very few of us have meditated on to see how truly they are unwithering.

Apolytikion in the First Tone
O Father, God-bearer, Spyridon, you were proven a champion and Wonder Worker of the First Ecumenical Council. You spoke to the girl in the grave and turned the serpent to gold. And, when chanting your prayers, most sacred One, angels ministered with you. Glory to Him who glorified you; glory to Him who crowned you; glory to Him who, through you, works healing for all.

Kontakion in the Second Tone
Wounded by your love for Christ, O holy One, your mind given wings by the radiance of the Spirit, you put the practice of theory into deeds, becoming a sacred altar, O Chosen by God, and praying for the divine illumination of all.

Kathisma 1 in the Third Tone
You turned a snake to gold, O holy Hierarch, and with your words like cords you stifled Arius who was a wicked and impious heretic, O Godbearing Saint. You, O father Spyridon, made the Emperor well again, and you resurrected the dead, and you drove demons out of men. We therefore come together to honor your venerable memory with hymns of praise.

Kathisma 2 in Tone Four
O Father, you beautified the Church of Christ by your words; moreover you honored by your deeds the image of God, O blessed Saint Spyridon, shining the light of virtue in the world by your temperance, flashing the grace of healing over all who entreat you. And therefore with faith we observe your festive memorial.

Kathisma 3 in Plagal of the Fourth
To both rulers and churchmen at the august convocation ingeniously you explained the power of the Trinity in a manner that honored God. They witnessed you proclaiming the single Divinity and dogmatizing clearly that three are in essence one. Therefore by divine inspiration you brought down the wordy philosopher, by the power of the Spirit, O most godly Hierarch. Intercede with Christ our God that forgiveness of offenses be bestowed upon those who with longing observe your holy memory.

Oikos
Let us now extol Spyridon, the Hierarch of the Lord, who was sanctified from the womb, who received the tablets of grace and divine glory, who was famous to all by his miracles. He was fervent and an eyewitness of divine illumination, a defender of the poor, and spiritual guide for sinners. He proved to be a faithful Hierarch, offering sacrifices at the altar of Christ, and he earnestly prays that God illumine all.

For more information and pictures, see here and here.

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The Economic "Crisis" : An Orthodox Perspective

St. Nikolai Velimirovich on the World Economic Crisis
(this is from a 1929 letter to a priest)

You are asking me, man of God, about the reason and meaning of the present crisis. Who am I that you ask me about this great mystery? "Speak if you have something greater than silence," said St. Gregory the Theologian. And although I find that presently silence is higher than any word, I will, out of love for you, write what I think about this question.

"Crisis" is a Greek word, and in translation it means "judgment". In the Holy Scripture the word "judgment" is used many times. We read in the Psalms, "Therefore the ungodly shall not stand in the judgment" (Ps. 1:5). Later again, "I will sing of mercy and judgment: unto thee, O LORD, will I sing". (Ps. 101:1). The wise king Solomon writes that the judgment will come to everyone from the Lord (Proverbs 29:26). The Savior himself said, "For the Father judges no man, but has committed all judgment unto the Son." (John 5:22). The Apostle Peter writes, "For the time is come that judgment must begin in the house of God" (1 Pet. 4:17).

Replace the word "judgment" with the word "crisis" and read, "I will sing of mercy and crisis", "Crisis will come to everyone from the Lord", "The Father committed all crisis unto the Son", "For the time is come that crisis must begin in the house of God".

Previously the Europeans, when some trouble befell them, used the word "judgment" instead of the word "crisis". These days the word "judgment" is replaced with the word "crisis", a clear word with one less clear. A drought would come and people would say - "God's judgment!" Flood - "God's judgment!" A war or epidemic would start - "God's judgment!" Earthquakes, locust, other trials, always the same - "God's judgment!" Therefore, crisis is because of the drought, because of the flood, of the wars and epidemics. And people see the present financial, economic catastrophe as God's judgment, but they call it "crisis" rather than "judgment". So that the trouble would increase from lack of reason! Because when the clear word "judgment" was said, the reason that led to the trouble was clear, and the Judge who allowed the trouble was known, and so was the purpose for which the trouble was allowed. But after replacing the word "judgment" with the word "crisis", which is unclear for the most, no one can explain why it is, from whom, and for what. And this is the only thing in which this crisis differs from the crisis that happens from drought and flood, war or epidemic, locust or other tribulation.

You are asking about the reason of today's crisis, or God's judgment? The reason is always the same. The reason for all droughts, floods, epidemics and other troubles is the same as of today's crisis - the falling away from God. The sin of falling away from God has resulted in this crisis as well, and the Lord allowed it so as to wake people, sober them, so that they would repent and come back to him. The crisis is commensurate to sins. And truly, the Lord used modern means to teach modern people: he struck the banks, the stock exchanges, the entire financial system. He overturned the tables of money-lenders just as he once did in the temple in Jerusalem. He created an unprecedented panic between merchants and money-lenders. Stirred up, brought down, mixed up, confused, bestowed fear. And all that so that proud European and American wise men would wake up, repent, remember God. So that they who are anchored in the haven of material comfort would remember their souls, acknowledge their trespassings, and bow down before God the Highest, the living God.

How long will the crisis last? Until the proud culprits acknowledge the victory of the All-Powerful. Until the people would realize that they have to translate the unclear word "crisis" into their native language and would exclaim with the repentant sigh, "God's judgment!"

Therefore you, honest Father, should also call "crisis" "God's judgment", and you will understand everything.

Greetings to you and the Lord's peace!

Greek

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Dinesh D'Souza Talks About Life After Death

Kim Trobee, editor
Friday Five

Dinesh D'Souza is the cofounder and director of the Y God Institute. He served as a White House policy analyst during the Reagan administration. He's authored several books, including What's So Great About Christianity and his latest, Life After Death: The Evidence. He lives in California with his wife Dixie and their daughter Danielle.

1. Tell me about your interest in life after death.

I think the topic of life after death is an interesting one, because if you're a religious believer or seeker or even a non-believer, you have to wonder, is that the end or is there something more?

A couple of years ago a close friend of mine got cancer. He is a successful entrepreneur. I remember he said to me that when something like this happens we discover that the apparent normalcy of our everyday life is a bit of a sham, so that we suddenly reorder our priorities. We realize this big wrecking ball that is waiting for us. So I thought it would be fascinating to tackle this issue. I believed in life after death on the basis of faith for a long time, but I've been debating many of the leading atheists around the country, and they deny life after death. And they claim that they do it on the basis of 'evidence.' They say, "We know science. We have been looking at these studies of the brain. We can tell you we've looked inside the human being. We've looked and looked for a soul. We just haven't found anything in there." So they say, "We can tell you on the basis of reason that there is no life after death." So in this book, I kind of tackle the atheists with their own weapons. And I make a case for life after death on the basis of reason alone.

2. You say that modern science lays the groundwork for such belief. How so?

I think that with life after death, it's a tricky subject, because we can't go over to the other side and come back. We can't interview dead people. We don't have direct evidence. So, we're sort of like detectives on a crime scene, and there's no eyewitness, but there are a lot of clues.

The atheists are always saying, "Give us some empirical evidence." And, in fact, there is some. The evidence is not people who have come back from the dead, but the evidence of people who are very near death -- near-death experiences. And these were first publicized in the 1970s and were initially written off as being anecdotal. But now, there are tens of thousands of these near-death experiences. They occur all over the world and there's a similarity to them. The people who have them are often people whose hearts have stopped. So, they're clinically dead or no brain activity is measured. And yet they claim, very interestingly, that even when the body stops, experience in consciousness continues. Now this is remarkable, because it's kind of like saying, "I took the key out of the ignition, and the car kept running." How can this be? So, the atheists have been making a supreme effort to try to discredit these near-death experiences, but to no avail.

3. What are the distinctions between mind and brain, and how do those affect life after death?

The distinction between the mind and the brain is critical for this reason: The philosopher Socrates a long time ago made an ingenious argument for life after death, and it's worth noting for a moment, because we think of life after death as a religious view sustained by the Bible or sustained by faith. But Socrates didn't rely on that. He made an argument based on reason. And what he said was: If we look inside of ourselves, we discover that we human beings are made up of two kinds of stuff. We're made up of physical stuff: our legs, our arms, our lungs. But we're also made up of mental stuff: our thoughts, our feelings, our emotions, our ideas, our consciousness, our free will. Now those things don't have the same attributes as physical stuff.

If somebody were to ask you, "What is the length of your consciousness?" or "What do your thoughts weigh?" the answer is there's no answer to those questions. Thoughts and consciousness aren't physical things. So as a result, Socrates said they don't have physical attributes. So, physical things break down, bodies decay and die. But, Socrates said that thoughts don't, ideas don't, consciousness doesn't. Those things don't have an expiration date stamped on them in the way that material things do. So, Socrates' argument was: When we die, think of your mind as a kind of vapor in the bottle. You smash the bottle, you haven't smashed the vapor, you've really released it. So Socrates' argument relies on separating the mind from the body or separating the mind from the physical brain.

But what's happened in recent decades is that, drawing on brain science, unbelievers have tried very much to equate the mind and the brain to say they're the same thing. And if they are, then it's very difficult to envision life after death, because no one denies that the neurons in the brain decay and die. If the brain is all there is and our entire mental world, including our conscious, our free will, our moral choices, if all of that is nothing more than the operation of atoms and molecules in our brain, then it's very difficult to see how there could be life after death.

So, what I do in the book is, I have a couple of chapters that show why the mind cannot be reduced to the brain, why the soul cannot be reduced to the simple motion of neurons in the head. The two really are distinct. Now, they go together kind of like the way software and hardware on a computer goes together. And so you need the computer for the software programs to run. If you smash the computer, the software won't function. But again, it doesn't follow that the computer or the hardware is causing the software. The software is actually independent of the hardware. It could run on a different computer. You could download it onto your iPod or a different application, and it'll function just fine. So, all that is a way of saying that our nonphysical realm, while it comes attached to the body, is not the same as the body.

4. In the book, you talk about the Christian view of the afterlife presenting the most compelling argument in favor of such a place. Why is that?

That's very important, because belief in the afterlife is absolutely universal. It's existed in all known cultures. And right away, that itself demands some explanation. Why have all these cultures that haven't always been talking to each other independently derive this idea that we live on after our death?

That being said, there are two main views of immortality: the Eastern view and the Western view. And the Eastern view, which is common to Hinduism and Buddhism, is that we survive, but we don't survive as individuals. Our soul kind of merges with everybody else's soul and with a divine soul into a kind of single oneness and that's all that there is. The Western view, common to Judaism and Christianity, is very different. We survive as individuals. Our soul is ultimately united to a resurrected body. So, who is right? You've got these competing ideas of immortality.

So, in the latter part of my book, I start with a rather interesting and unique claim made by Christianity, which is that life after death isn't merely in the future. It's not just something we have to wait for. In fact, the Jews believe that life after death does occur, but only at the end of the world. So, the Jews are kind of in a long-term waiting period, waiting for the Messiah, waiting for the end of the world. Whereas, in Christianity, the idea is "No! Life after death has already happened in one case. Jesus died and he came back from the dead. He was resurrected." So, He had life after death. And what I say is, alright, let's look at the resurrection. If we can defend the resurrection as a historical event, if it makes sense historically, then the Christian view of the after life rises above the pack. It becomes the one to take seriously. All the other visions of immortality are also ran. So, I look at the historicity of the resurrection and I show that it does hold up by historical standards, objectively applied.

Then in the last section of the book, I explore the radical implications of Christ's teaching about immortality, which is the sort of powerful idea that we can have eternity right now. In other words, we don't just have to wait to die to experience eternity. The moment we become Christians and come into the kingdom, eternal life begins for us at that instant.

5. So what does this mean for our lives right here, right now?

What it really means is that the world beyond the world makes all the difference in our world. And what I mean by that is that if there's no life after death, then we are like passengers on the Titanic. We can rearrange the deck chairs, we can turn up the music – but essentially, we're doomed. If we face that as the philosopher Sartre did – he ended up in despair because he said that means everything we do is pointless; all our past efforts, our current plans, our future projects. Ultimately, there's no meaning to any of it, because we're all going to be decimated by this great destructive force, death.

Now, on the other hand, if there is life after death, that changes the picture totally, because that means that, first of all, we can face death better, knowing that it is not the final end. It is an end, but it is, in some ways, also a gateway to another life. Second, we have a good reason to hope that there is cosmic justice. We have a good reason to hope that good will be rewarded and evil held accountable. That doesn't always happen in this world, but we have good reason to believe it does in the next world. So, we also have a reason to teach morality to our children. And our lives, every day, here and now, take on a meaning and a significance that they wouldn't otherwise have, because we're now part of this larger cosmic drama.

So, all of this is a way of saying that the belief in life after death isn't just about what comes later. It pays very important practical dividends in this world, here and now.

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Greek Diet Can Lengthen Life

by STEPHEN HULL
Mail Online

A Mediterranean diet rich in cheese, nuts and olive oil can protect against heart disease and cancer, new research shows.

A study of 22,000 Greeks showed that large amounts of the foods, combined with fresh fruit and vegetables, cut the chance of death from heart disease by 33 percent.

The risk of dying from cancer was 24 percent lower.

The diet, which varies from country to country, often includes monthly servings of meat and weekly meals of poultry, eggs and sweets.

Vegetables, fruits, nuts, legumes, olive oil, unrefined cereals, cheese and yogurt are eaten most days, as is fish.

Wine is enjoyed frequently, but in moderate amounts.

Although olive oil is widely credited with many of the diet's benefits, the research, published in the New England Journal of Medicine, did not find any one specific food in the diet was responsible for the improvement in health.

Dr Frank Hu of Brigham and Women's Hospital, in Boston, said the study showed it was more a case of combining particular nutrients or foods which somehow interact to reduce the risks of cancer and heart disease.

Daily physical activity also played a critical role in cutting death rates, the study found.

People who exercised daily for at least an hour had a 28 percent lower risk of cancer or heart disease.

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Turkey Prepares to Join EU in a Building Confiscated from the Orthodox

Asia News
12/11/2009

The new headquarters of the Secretariat for entry into the European Union is an old school of the minority Orthodox in Ortakoy, seized in '90. Embarrassment of Erdogan government and Europe.

Istanbul (AsiaNews) - Unbelievable but true: the headquarters of the Secretariat for the entry of Turkey into the European Union is a building confiscated from the Orthodox Christian community in the 90's. The building is located in Istanbul, in the well-known area of Ortakoy, under the first bridge over the Bosphorus.

Before the seizure, the building was used as a primary school for children of the minority Orthodox in Ortakoy. Here once lived a thriving Orthodox community, now non-existent because of past purges against minorities, executed by the "secular" Turkish State.

Thanks to the policy of purging, the building and many other schools at one point found themselves without students, unused and then confiscated. The forfeiture rule however prevented foundations - owners of buildings - from allocating them to different uses. The community of Ortakoy appealed to the administrative courts in Istanbul, which have yet to rule on the issue. In case of a ruling to the contrary, the Orthodox intend to apply to the court in Strasbourg. The inauguration of the Secretariat took place in the presence of Prime Minister Erdogan, accompanied by Minister for European Affairs Bajis and by various authorities and European representation.

The event has aroused unease in diplomatic circles in Brussels, so much so that on the eve of the inauguration, a senior government official visited Patriarch Bartholomew I to let them know that the courts decision will be respected. The question also arises whether the current Turkish government aware of the building’s history.

Meanwhile in Brussels some discomfort is spreading towards politicians who are champions of Turkey’s entry into the EU. Ankara has not yet shown a convincing European orientation, it is believed that the "champions" are tied to the country by economic and financial interests.

One suggestion for resolving the issue comes from Lakis Vigas, representative of minorities in Turkey in the General Directorate of Foundations. Interviewed by the newspaper Milliyet on the case of Ortakoy, he says a possible solution would be if the Ortakoy foundation were granted the possibility to lease the building to the Turkish nation. This gesture would have a noble purpose: the entry of Turkey into the EU the "source of our hopes."

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Outrage in Cyprus at Tassos Papadopoulos Tomb Raiders

11 December 2009
BBC News

Politicians in the Republic of Cyprus have voiced outrage after thieves stole the corpse of former President Tassos Papadopoulos from his grave.

His ex-rival and successor as president, Demetris Christofias, condemned the "unholy" theft and urged the public to remain calm.

The remains were stolen during a thunderstorm, shortly before the first anniversary of the ex-leader's death.

As investigators sought a motive for the act, three people were questioned.

The desecration is bound to stir up passions over peace efforts aimed at reuniting the Turkish and Greek parts of the island, the BBC's Malcolm Brabant reports from Greece's capital, Athens.

Papadopoulos made many enemies during a long and eventful political career, after fighting British colonial rule in a guerrilla group.

The pinnacle of his career came in 2004, when he made an emotional denunciation of a UN plan to reunite the island, our correspondent says.

His tearful appeal convinced 76% of Greek Cypriots to reject the proposal in a referendum, which Turkish Cypriots overwhelmingly approved.

He died on 12 December last year of lung cancer at the age of 74, and a memorial service is due to be held on Saturday.

'Warped minds'

Police in Nicosia said that three people were being questioned in relation to the theft but no arrests had been made.

There has been no sign of the corpse, which was stolen either late on Thursday or early on Friday, and there were no immediate claims of responsibility.

"This is an unacceptable, unholy, unethical and condemnable act that damages our tradition, our culture and our respect toward the dead," said President Christofias.

Andros Kyprianou, head of the ruling Akel party, described the theft as "macabre and utterly condemnable".

"I am honestly still trying to comprehend what kind of warped minds could even think of doing such a thing, let alone actually carry it out," he added.

State television interrupted normal programming throughout the day to broadcast live reports and reaction to the desecration, AFP news agency reports.

The theft was reported by a former bodyguard who visited the tomb and found piles of earth by the graveside and an empty coffin.

The inscription of the late president's name on a wall above the grave had been spattered with a white substance.

The thieves had to shift a marble slab weighing 250kg (40st) to dig up the grave and apparently used asbestos or gypsum to cover their tracks.

Police described the theft as "deliberate and carefully planned".


TASSOS PAPADOPOULOS
*Born in 1934
*Trained as a barrister in London during the 1950s
*Achieved prominence in the political wing of the right-wing paramilitary group EOKA
*Became youngest government minister, aged 24, in 1959 after independence from *British rule
*Occupied several ministerial positions, before narrowly winning the presidential election in 2003
*Lost a bid for a second term as president in February 2008, before dying in December 2008

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The Diplomatic Potential of Romanity in the 21st Century

The National Herald
Christopher Tripoulas
October 01, 2009

In a recent interview with TNH (June 19, 2009), Thea Halo stressed the importance of the Christian genocide that took place in Asia Minor. Ms. Halo called for a concerted effort by all the ethnicities affected by the massacre (Greeks, Armenians, Assyrians) – the first genocide of the 20th century – as opposed to the go-at-it-alone approach presently being undertaken by individual ethnic groups. In doing so, she expresses the characteristic perspective of “Romanity” – which has been overshadowed since the rise of the nation state.

In a post-modern era, with the need for broad collaboration driving individual nations to come even closer through mutual participation in international unions, organizations, and other bodies (EU, NATO, etc.), it is evident that no nation – not even superpowers – can afford to stand alone. The eight years of Bush Administration isolationism that led to Barack Obama’s sweeping victory, amid widespread calls for America to restore its international image, is proof of this. Global developments show that the day may very well come when Romanity - written off as passe by 19th and 20th century Greek politicians eager to mimic the West - might return to the forefront.

On June 24th, Greek author/politician Nikos Dimou was quoted in the NY Times as saying “we used to call ourselves Romans.” Prolific theologian and author John Romanides argues that the revolutions sweeping through Europe in the 18th and 19th centuries were the product of oppressed Roman peoples rising up against Frankish warlords turned landowners. The late Samuel Huntington seems equally aware of this dynamic, maintaining that Orthodox societies are inherently different from the Protestant/Roman Catholic West. Preeminent Greek poet Kostis Palamas summed it up nicely quipping: “We are Hellenes in order to hoodwink the world, but in reality Romans.”

By no means should this be interpreted as an attempt to minimize our connection or relation with Hellenism. However, there is no such thing as a “bridge” that leads from antiquity to the modern era, without being grounded in our medieval Roman past. The term “Roman” is as close to heart a “Hellene” because one does not exist without the other. The Western Renaissance can never truly grasp Hellenism without being baptized in Romanity. And so, it is worth looking into what aspects of our Romanic heritage can be incorporated into the amalgam that is the European Union, and by extent Western culture. Orthodoxy must certainly play a central role. Also, priorities of traditionally Orthodox “Roman” societies, pushed aside with the formation of the modern nation state, must also return to the forefront (i.e., prevalence of a community of “persons” over a society of “individuals”).

Presenting the genocide in Anatolia in its Christian context is a good start. The undertaking would engage members of different ethnic groups who share similar characteristics in a common effort to commemorate the martyrdom of their ancestors. It would bring our communities closer together. It would also help reestablish Romanity as a force in international world affairs.

Meanwhile, there is a growing movement to promote cooperation between Orthodox Christian deputies in the European Parliament. In April 2009 MEPs from Cyprus and Romania broke party lines to join their Bulgarian counterparts in defending the rights of the Bulgarian Orthodox Church against a ruling made by the European Court of Human Rights over schismatics’ attempts to seize local churches. Similar views have been echoed by the new Patriarch of Moscow about trying to advance the values of Orthodox civilization in a Europe whose demographics are rapidly changing.

Efforts to have the Armenian genocide recognized have achieved a good deal of progress, but continually stumble upon the powerful Turkish lobby, and Turkey’s willingness to make good on threats of diplomatic/economic repercussions against nations recognizing the genocide. Turkey's geostrategic stock remains high, in spite of its refusal to allow US troops to pass through its land during the Iraqi War (a show of Muslim solidarity). Until the country is fully discredited in the eyes of its Western partners, or until it overextends itself in its bid to gain regional hegemony, it will prove difficult for smaller nations to go head-to-head with a country of 80 million, with the second largest army in NATO after only the U.S.

Even Greece has come under pressure from certain “new world order elements” or Realpolitik practitioners who “encourage” downplaying the Pontian Genocide and Asia Minor Catastrophe in history books, school curriculums, and political rhetoric. And so, rather than competing against each other to gain support for the recognition of an ethnic Pontian, Armenian, or Assyrian genocide, it would prove wiser to adopt a common strategy. Presenting the genocide as one against Christian Romans of Anatolia would likely muster more support because of the evident religious persecution committed. It would also demonstrate the diplomatic potential of Romanity as a multi-ethnic strategy in the 21st century.

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Sacrilege at the Monastery of St. Naum at Lake Ochrid

December 11, 2009
VatopaidiFriend

Hotel Complex Saint Naum
Spa Center

An Orthodox monastery of the 10th century in FYROM has been transformed into a hotel spa and practice Hinduism!

The monastery of St. Naum is located on the southeast side of Lake Ochrid, in the immediate vicinity of the FYROM-Albanian border. Its building is linked to the name of St. Naum, the closest associate of St. Clement of Ochrid. Records about the life and work of St. Naum can be found in three literature works dedicated to his life. Also the Archbishop of Ochrid, Constantine Cavassila, wrote about him. In the Historical Archives of Ochrid there is a "Chronicle" written by a priest that lived in the second half of 19th century. It reveals a series of interesting details about the construction of the monastery, the estate of the church, and the lives of the monks. Among other things, there is a record about a disastrous fire that occurred on the night of 2nd and 3rd of February 1875, when the largest part of the monastery compound was burnt to ashes.

Towards the end of his life, St. Naum of Ochrid built the Monastery of the Holy Archangel where he was buried in 910. The church of Naum was similar to the monastery of Clement, St. Pantheleimon, and was built in a trefoil shape.

In the course of the archaeological excavations carried out after the Second World War, only the foundations and part of the walls of that church were discovered. It is unknown when the church was ruined, but the assumption is that it happened before the arrival of the Turks.


During the Ottoman period (presumably 16th century), on the foundations of the original church, the church that exists today was built in two phases. Today the church is cruciform in a square space with a dome supported by four pillars. A similar dome with a tall tambour was added onto the narthex. The tomb of St. Naum is located on the southern side, in a separate chamber.

In the church there are no preserved frescoes from the time of St. Naum, nor have the excavations prove that there were any paintings in the beginning of the 10th century.

According to the inscriptions in the church, the frescoes were painted in the period of the priest Stefan, in 1806. They were painted by the fresco artist Trpo, son of the Master Constantine from Korcha, Albania.

Particularly impressive are the scenes from the life and miracles of St. Naum of Ochrid. They were painted in he second zone of the chapel above Naum’s tomb. The five painted scenes were passed from one generation to another, and are deemed to be the miracles of Naum. These are: “Harnessing the Bear”, “The Stupefied Monk Who Tried to Steal the Body of Saint Naum From His Tomb”, “Healing of the Mentally Disturbed”, “Horse Thief Who Was Caught at the Gates of the Monastery Church at Dawn” and “The Bucket Leaves Traces in the Rock”. The belief that St. Naum was capable to heal the mentally disturbed predominates. According to some sources, a “hospital” was operating within the monastery in 1662.

The iconostasis in the church was carved in 1711. The authors are unknown. They were influenced by the woodcarving traditions of Mount Athos and they created a genuine masterpiece. During the same year the artist Constantine painted the dais and the holiday icons. Most outstanding are the icons “Crucifixion” and “Entrance into Jerusalem”. The icons of the iconostasis are treated as one of the best achievements from the first part of 18th century.

Two Cyrillic and one glagolitic-cyrillic inscriptions dating from the period between the late 10th and 12th centuries can be found on the pillars of the parvis. These inscriptions testify about the development of the oldest Slavic scripts, Glagolitic and Cyrillic, in the Ochrid region.

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Memorandum of the People of the Karpas Peninsula

9 December 2009
Hellenic Antidote

I've been given by Bishop Christoforos of Karpasia the following memorandum, which speaks for all the Greeks of this the most beautiful region of Cyprus, calling for it to be returned to its legitimate inhabitants and for it, in any future settlement, to be administered by the proposed Greek Cypriot constituent state.

Memorandum of the People of the Karpas Peninsula

In view of the current talks to resolve the Cyprus issue, being deeply concerned about the future of the Karpas peninsula (which is defined as the area starting from, at its western boundary, a line running from the villages of Akanthou and Trikomo and extending east to Cape St Andreas), we state here the position of the whole of the peninsula's Greek Cypriot people, who overwhelmingly form the population of Karpasia.

1. We state that we fully support a federal system of government that will be in accord with the summit agreements and the resolutions of the United Nations, which will make provision for the withdrawal of Turkish troops from Cyprus; confirm human rights and the three basic freedoms (freedom of settlement, freedom of movement and the freedom to own and use property); and which will exclude any right of unilateral military or other intervention. Consequently, we support the bi-communal talks currently taking place between President Dimitris Christofias and Mr Mehmet Ali Talat, hoping that these will come to a conclusion with an agreed solution.

2. The Third Vienna Agreement

After the capture and occupation by the Turkish army of the Karpas peninsula on 14 August 1974, some 12,600 Greek Cypriots remained in their homes in Karpasia – this amounted to two-thirds of the total Greek population of the peninsula. On the 2 August 1975, the Third Vienna Agreement was signed by Glafkos Clerides and Rauf Denktash, under the aegis of the UN secretary general, Kurt Waldheim. This agreement stipulated, inter alia, that every assistance would be afforded to the Greek Cypriots who remained in the Turkish-occupied north to live a normal life, including rights to education, the exercise of religious beliefs, medical care by doctors of their choice, as well as freedom of movement. In addition, the agreement allowed for those who had previously been expelled to be reunited with their families in Karpasia. This agreement was never implemented. In fact, the Turkish army continued to expel Karpas Greek Cypriots from their homes, so that by September 1976 only a few hundred Greek Cypriots were left, where they remain until today enclaved.
The immediate adoption and application of the Third Vienna Agreement will indicate Turkey's credibility and trustworthiness, prove that it has the potential to honour its signature in any future Cyprus agreement, and will afford the opportunity to the people of the Karpas peninsula to return to their homes, under Greek Cypriot administration.

3. The organisations, local authorities and the whole of the population of Karpasia unanimously state and demand that in any future settlement the Karpas peninsula forms part of the area to be administered by the proposed Greek Cypriot constituent state, for the following reasons:

a) This will result in natural justice, meet the expectations and justify the struggles and sacrifices, not only of the enclaved Karpas people, but all the Karpas people, who are overwhelmingly Greek Cypriot.

b) Cyprus is heavily dependent on tourism for its economic viability. With the Karpas peninsula as part of the proposed Greek Cypriot constituent state, this state will have access to a much greater portion of Cyprus' coastline. Currently, the Republic of Cyprus is in control of just 37.5% of the total length of the coastline of Cyprus.

c) The St Andreas Monastery located at the easternmost tip of the Karpas peninsula is the most important religious and cultural centre of Cyprus' Greek population. It must be liberated so that Greek Cypriots from all over the island can exercise their religious rights without hindrance or restrictions.

d) Such a settlement of the status of the Karpas peninsula is justified on historical and religious grounds, given that Karpasia has, down the ages, always been settled by Greek Christians.

4. We are convinced that the demands of the people of Karpasia are just and must be taken into account during the current talks. We will not accept a solution that will not make provision for the return of the Karpas peninsula. It must be realised by all concerned that for any solution to be viable, it must be just, otherwise, like the Annan plan, which was heavily biased against the Greek Cypriots, it will not be approved.

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Does Science Have a Magisterium?

By Jay Richards
December 9, 2009
The American

At National Review Online, conservative curmudgeon John Derbyshire has weighed in on the Climategate scandal by encouraging conservatives not to jump on the anti-science bandwagon. I share his worry and find his advice is good so far as it goes; but I think Derbyshire’s defense of science might actually encourage the skepticism he wants to prevent. Most of the trouble comes from his invocation of the word “science,” and his claim that science has a magisterium.

His article is called “Trust Science.” I’m not sure what that means. What is “science,” and how do we “trust” it? Imagine if someone said: “Trust philosophy” or “Trust humanities” or “Trust religion.” The command in each case is far too vague to inspire confidence. “Science” isn’t a person or a finite set of propositions that can be tested or divine revelation. It’s not even a single institution. So how exactly do you trust it?

What we should trust is solid conclusions derived from valid reasoning based on publicly available empirical evidence, especially when it leads to reliable results—such as getting your 737 from Seattle to New York. But the abstract noun “science” is too vaporous to capture that. Perhaps “science at its best” would be a better substitute.

A related problem is that Derbyshire appeals to a scientific magisterium: “Science contains a core magisterium, which we can and do trust.” This should give anyone who has followed the climate change debate the creeps—a reaction Derbyshire anticipates in the column. But he seems blind to why talk of a scientific magisterium is creepy; so let me spell it out.

Other than listing the things Derbyshire thinks are settled and “without serious competitors,” he doesn’t really even identify what the magisterium is. This gives the impression that the magisterium is the subjectively determined list of things that people with power claim are settled. And that impression encourages the postmodern doubters of truth that Derbyshire hopes to keep back from the gates.

Science is different from the Catholic Church, which has a magisterium. This refers to the settled teaching authority of the Church, based on Scripture, the divine traditions reliably passed down from the apostles, guided by the Holy Spirit, and represented in the bishops in communion with the Bishop of Rome. And even this magisterium is only considered infallible under certain narrow circumstances. Although the Catholic explanation of the magisterium is subtle, the basic teachings of Catholicism—and the distinctions between negotiable and non-negotiable teachings—are contained in texts such as the Catechism. The magisterium is easily identified with a single institution, which one is free to trust or not to trust.

But science has none of that, and doesn’t claim to. It’s not a single institution. It doesn’t claim to be based on divine revelation or be guided by the Holy Spirit. It doesn’t have a priesthood or a central authority. It doesn’t even have a settled body of teachings. Science isn’t, and ought not to be, a surrogate religion.

Of course, most of what we believe to be scientifically verified truth is based on the testimony of scientists, textbooks, and journalists. In fact, most of what we all believe about most things is based on testimony. That’s okay. But anyone with a passing acquaintance with the history of science knows that every age has had a reigning intellectual orthodoxy or orthodoxies, declared to be “settled science” (a term Derbyshire summons) that were later seen to be erroneous. It doesn’t follow that because most scientists believe something to be true, or hold to a “consensus,” it ought to be doubted. Sometimes there are well-founded consensuses. But if you have good reason to be suspicious of a claim made by scientists, including lots of scientists, then you’re not under an intellectual obligation to submit to it.

In fact, no one appeals to consensus on the really solid stuff. Have you ever heard anyone cry consensus when talking about the Periodic Table of the Elements? More often than not, “consensus” is used to intimidate and silence dissenters. A scientific magisterium sounds like consensus-on-steroids, and brings to mind the big, state-funded “science” of which philosophers of science like Michael Polanyi have rightly been suspicious. It’s reminiscent of the way the UN’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change is often invoked to silence debate about the causes of climate change.

Derbyshire is right that no one, conservative or not, should infer from the collusion and evidence manipulation of leading climate scientists that science is just one more political power trip. But in light of Climategate and the previously known shenanigans confirmed by the scandal, it’s up to scientists and the journalists who serve as their megaphones to rise to the defense of science at its best—science based on solid, publically available evidence, valid arguments, and reasonable conclusions. We’ll see if they do that. In the meantime, invoking the authority of a scientific magisterium looks too much like an extreme form of an appeal to consensus, which may be one of the reasons for public skepticism in the first place.

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More U.S. Christians Mix in New Age Beliefs and Reject Authority

More U.S. Christians Mix in 'Eastern,' New Age Beliefs

Cathy Lynn Grossman
USA TODAY
December 9, 2009

Going to church this Sunday? Look around.
The chances are that one in five of the people there find "spiritual energy" in mountains or trees, and one in six believe in the "evil eye," that certain people can cast curses with a look — beliefs your Christian pastor doesn't preach.

In a Catholic church? Chances are that one in five members believe in reincarnation in a way never taught in catechism class — that you'll be reborn in this world again and again.

Elements of Eastern faiths and New Age thinking have been widely adopted by 65% of U.S. adults, including many who call themselves Protestants and Catholics, according to a survey by the Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life released Wednesday.

Syncretism — mashing up contradictory beliefs like Catholic rocker Madonna's devotion to a Kabbalah-light version of Jewish mysticism — appears on the rise.

And, according to the survey's other major finding, devotion to one clear faith is fading.

Of the 72% of Americans who attend religious services at least once a year (excluding holidays, weddings and funerals), 35% say they attend in multiple places, often hop-scotching across denominations.

They are like President Obama, who currently has no home church. He has worshiped at a Baptist church, an Episcopal one, and the non-denominational chapel at Camp David.

"Mixing and matching practices and beliefs is as much the norm as it is the exception," Pew's Alan Cooperman says. "Are they grazing, sampling, just curious? We really don't know."

Even so, says Pew researcher Greg Smith, "these findings all point toward a spiritual and religious openness — not necessarily a lack of seriousness."

Among the findings:

•26% of those who attend religious services say they do so at more than one place occasionally, and an additional 9% roam regularly from their home church for services.

•28% of people who attend church at least weekly say they visit multiple churches outside their own tradition.

•59% of less frequent church attendees say they attend worship at multiple places.

The survey of 2,003 adults Aug. 11-27 has a margin of error of plus or minus 2.5 percentage points. It measures Protestants, Catholics and the unaffiliated; there were not enough people of other faiths surveyed for analysis.

"For an extremely long time, most of us thought belonging or membership or home church was monogamous, even if it was serial monogamy, because we all know about church-switching," says sociologist of religion Scott Thumma, a professor at the Hartford Institute for Religion Research in Hartford, Conn. "Today, the individual rarely finds all their spiritual needs met in one congregation or one religion."

'Rampant confusion'

In the 1980s, Albert Mohler and Julia Jarvis were in graduate school together at Southern Baptist Seminary in Louisville.

Today, Mohler is president of the seminary and a leading voice for Baptist orthodoxy. He sees a "rampant confusion" about faith revealed in the Pew findings.

"This is a failure of the pulpit as much as of the pew to be clear about what is and is not compatible with Christianity and belief in salvation only through Christ," Mohler says.

Pew says two in three adults believe in or cite an experience with at least one supernatural phenomenon, including:

•26% find "spiritual energy" in physical things.

•25% believe in astrology.

•24% say people will be reborn in this world again and again.

•23% say yoga is a "spiritual practice."

Mohler calls these "the au courant confusions," attachments to the latest fashionable free-floating beliefs.

"One hundred years ago, it would have been 'spiritualism.' They wouldn't have known what yoga was but might have been attracted to the 'New Thought' of the time," Mohler says.

His former classmate giggles at that. She's an ordained minister in the progressive United Church of Christ and leads the Interfaith Family Project, which meets for weekly worship at a Silver Spring, Md., high school.

Jarvis, of Takoma Park, Md., also studies with Buddhist teacher Thich Nhat Hanh and finds a spiritual dimension in yoga.

"I don't do astrology, but my mother, who grew up in Birmingham, Ala., and was a staunch Baptist all her life, looked at her horoscope daily and totally believed it," Jarvis says.

Jarvis says her late mother, like 49% of adults in the Pew survey, also had a moment of "religious or spiritual awakening."

"My mother feared for years that I was no longer saved, but just two days before she died, she had an epiphany," Jarvis says. "She said she was 'told' in a spiritual experience to put aside all religious and political differences and just love each other. That was her blessing to me, and that's what I'm doing."

Regina Roman of Alexandria, Va., calls herself "a very grounded Episcopalian" who's active in her church. But, she says, "I'm also stretching the boundaries of how we are to be here and now in this day, age and culture."

She leads pilgrimages to Egypt, New Mexico and Ireland to help travelers discover the truths and visions in Coptic, Native American and Celtic traditions. Roman celebrated the winter solstice with a home ceremony for guests to delight in the sun's gifts.

"We are all in relationship with the cosmos. We need to honor that," says Roman, who doesn't see herself crossing barriers but rather "coming full circle" with ancient ideas.

"People have always mixed religions, either in ignorance or willfully," says Stephen Prothero, director of the Graduate Division of Religious and Theological Studies at Boston University.

Despite the late Pope John Paul II's warnings to explicitly avoid Buddhist and Hindu practices, Prothero says, "American Catholics are so used to not caring what the official church tells them on birth control, divorce, premarital sex and other points that they don't think they are un-Catholic when they believe and do what they please."

Combating syncretism has troubled popes for centuries, says the Rev. Dan Pattee, chairman of the theology department at Franciscan University in Steubenville, Ohio.

The problem with borrowing spiritual ideas is that "the life-giving truth becomes compromised as we understand it as Catholics," Pattee says.

The growth of mixing

Prothero sees a similar trend among Protestants, a "resistance to being told what to think."

"Even people who call themselves by denominational tags don't really feel the identity attachment to them as they once did," he says. "And without that identity marker, what's to prevent you from checking out some other church? Nothing much."

Cooperman notes that the new survey is measuring a phenomenon that may have been going on for decades. Also, it does not clearly establish how much is due to interfaith relationships.

A new study from InterfaithFamily.com, which encourages Jewish-Christian couples to raise their children as Jews, looks specifically at the Christmas/Hanukkah season. The findings are not scientific but give an indication that in intermarried couples rearing their children as Jews, most will celebrate Hanukkah — which begins on Friday night this year — at home. Less than 48% will celebrate Christmas, and largely in a secular fashion.

Pew specifically excludes the major holidays and life-cycle events to focus on ordinary worship practices. Its report says the findings on interfaith couples are "complex," in part because people in mixed marriages attend worship less frequently than those with a same-faith spouse.

The faith-mixing trend has been building; other surveys in the past two years have touched on the swirling, unbounded paths of believers:

•Forty-seven percent to 59% of Americans have changed religions at least once, a Pew survey in April found. The top reasons for most: Their spiritual needs weren't being met, or they liked another faith more or changed religious or moral beliefs.

•The percentage of people who call themselves Christian has dropped more than 11% in a generation, and so many people declined any religious label that the "Nones," now 15% of the USA, are the third-largest "religious" group after Catholics and Baptists, according to the American Religious Identification Survey last March.

•Despite Americans' overwhelming allegiance to someone they call God (92%), in Pew's 2008 U.S. Religious Landscape Survey, 70% said "many religions can lead to eternal life," and 68% said "there's more than one true way to interpret the teachings of my religion."

•Most (55%) say a guardian angel has protected them from harm, and 52% believe in prophetic dreams, according to surveys by Baylor University released in 2006 and 2008.

In short, we believe our own experiences are authentic, and no "authority" can say otherwise.

That's a very "Eastern" notion, says Jim Todhunter of Bethesda, Md. Retired after three decades leading United Church of Christ congregations, he has studied in a Hindu ashram in India and practices Zen meditation and Christian contemplative prayer.

"In the Western religions — Judaism, Christianity and Islam — the focus is: 'What do you believe?' There is always a tremendous focus on doctrine and teachings," he says. "In the East, Buddhism and Hinduism in particular, the leading question is, 'Do you know God?' It's much more experience-based."

Either way, he adds, "however you meet God is wonderful."

RELIGION SURVEY RESULTS

Mixing religions: Many Americans have beliefs or experiences that conflict with basic Christian doctrines. People who say they believe:

Total / Christians

People will be reborn in this world again and again 24% / 22%

Yoga is a spiritual practice 23% / 21%

People with the "evil eye" can cast curses or harmful spells 16% / 17%

The position of stars/planets can affect people's lives 25% / 23%


Interfaith worship: A third of Americans say they attend multiple places of worship, including outside their own faith (excluding holidays or family events). People who say they attend:

Total / All Protestants / Catholics

Multiple places within own faith 11% / 9% / 21%

Services of one other faith 12% / 15% / 13%

Services of two other faiths 8% / 10% / 5%

Services of three or more faiths 4% / 4% / 1%


Attending other services: Attending worship services beyond their own faith is more common among Protestants (30%) than Catholics (19%):

One other faith / Two others / Three others

White evangelicals 15% / 9% / 3%

White mainline 11% / 8% / 5%

Black Protestants 18% / 14% / 9%


Mystical experiences: Half of all Americans say they have had a "religious or mystical experience or spiritual awakening":

Total

Black Protestants 71%

White evangelical Protestants 70%

Catholics 60%

White mainline Protestants 40%

Unaffiliated 30%


Spirit and nature: Many Christians have adopted beliefs or experiences that conflict with basic Christian doctrines. People who say they:

Total / Christians

Have been in touch with the dead 29% / 29%

Found "spiritual energy" in trees, etc. 26% / 23%

Had ghostly experience 18% / 17%

Consulted a psychic 15% / 14%


Source: 2009 Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life Survey of 2,003 U.S. adults. Margin of error +/- 2.5 percentage points

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Ancient Church Discovered In Israeli Prison May Become Pilgrimage Site

Discovery of World's Oldest Church May Turn Prison Into Tourist Site

By Eli Ashkenazi
12/07/2009
Haaretz

Megiddo prison, surrounded by prison guards on horseback supplemented by guard dogs, is not a place that many people would care to approach. But if a plan now in the final stages comes to fruition, it could become a tourist attraction drawing Israelis and tourists from around the world.

Behind the prison walls, the remains of the oldest Christian house of worship ever discovered were unearthed four years ago in the course of prison renovations. The plans that are coming together call for the relocation of the prison to a site a short distance away so that the archaeological site can be opened to the public.

Some prisoners, including both common criminals and security prisoners, were allowed to dig below the prison - jailbreak style - as part of the archaeological research. The ancient finds on the site have led to an agreement in principle involving the prison service, the Megiddo Regional Council and the Antiquities Authority for the relocation of the detention facility.

In 2005, work was undertaken to replace a tent encampment for prisoners with detention cells, and because the Megiddo area is known for its rich archaeological finds, the Antiquities Authority required a salvage dig be carried out.

At the edge of the site, a magnificent mosaic floor featuring important inscriptions, including a reference to Jesus, was found, along with the foundation of a building from the 3rd or 4th century C.E.

The finds were evidence that the site was used for Christian religious worship before Christianity became the official religion of the Roman empire, and it is thought to contain the remains of the oldest church in the world.

Officials involved in the dig explained that the finds show a link between the Roman army that encamped there then and communal Christian activity. At the center of the site remains of an altar or prayer table were found.

The site is also identified with the Talmudic-era Jewish village of Kfar Otnai, mentioned in Hebrew sources. The headquarters of the sixth Roman legion was established there along with the town of Maximilianopolis, which is mentioned in historical sources.

According to Hanan Erez, head of the regional council, "the discovery of the finds created great excitement in the Christian world and among researchers of early Christianity. The discovery was even a main topic of a conference of researchers in Washington three years ago."

Shortly after the discovery at the site, the Antiquities Authority quickly recommended the relocation of the prison so the site could be opened to the public. An agreement to that effect is now being worked out.

Megiddo council head Erez said: "On the site, a tourism complex is to be built, the central focus of which will be the ancient house of worship, alongside, of course, the Tel Megiddo archaeological site, which is also a significant site for the Christian world."

He noted that the plans for the funding of the project have been presented to the Finance Ministry. The plan calls for the state to guarantee the financing package.

The construction of the new nearby prison is part of a larger plan to build new prison facilities around the country.

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Christmas Date Does NOT Have Pagan Origins

Did Christians "christianize" the pagan feast of Sol Invictus (Birth of the Unconquered Sun) and make it Christmas on December 25th?

The short answer is ABSOLUTELY NOT, and it is refreshing to see at least a few articles on the internet disproving this long held myth perpetuated by Atheists and Protestants.

Below are two of my favorite articles which undoubtedly demonstrate that the Christian celebration of Christmas on December 25 came before the pagan festival of Sol Invictus rather than the other way around:

Calculating Christmas

How December 25 Became Christmas

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Bulgarian Church May Not Switch to Old Calendar

December 8, 2009
Dveri

The changing of the calendar had been neither discussed, nor will be discussed at the Holy Synod meetings, said the spokesman of the Holy Synod Metropolitan Neophyte of Rousse.

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Why Richard Dawkins Won’t Debate William Lane Craig

by Dr. William Dembski

William Lane Craig is not only one of the world’s leading Christian apologists but he has actually made outstanding original contributions to philosophy. Yes, Craig publishes popular-level books. Unlike Dawkins, however, who in 20-years plus has been purely a popularizer (of Darwinian evolution, materialist science, and atheism), Craig continues to publish at the highest levels of the academy addressing scholars of the highest caliber (and gaining their respect). Dawkins, by contrast, increasingly appeals to the lowest common denominator. It’s in this light that Dawkins glib dismissal of Craig should be viewed.

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Second Pan-Orthodox Meeting Opens in Chambésy

Asia News
12/09/2009
by NAT da Polis

On the agenda the autonomy of the Churches born after the collapse of the USSR and the new churches of the Diaspora. Many of them want independence from Moscow. Bartholomew defends dialogue with Rome responding to entrenchment of dialogue, which leads only to "a dead end." Erdogan may give citizenship to the metropolitans of the Turkish Diaspora.

Istanbul (AsiaNews) - The 2nd round pan-Orthodox meeting opens today in Chemin de Chambésy in Switzerland, in preparation for the first pan-Orthodox Synod of the modern era. The first round last June, dealt with the issue of the Orthodox Diaspora, namely the management and jurisdiction of the Orthodox Churches founded by the Diaspora. This question has caused friction between Constantinople and Moscow, especially after the collapse of communist regimes and the subsequent massive migration of Eastern peoples outside their national borders. Until then, the Orthodox flock was under the jurisdiction of their national church, and the Diaspora under that of the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople, according to the current canons of the Eastern Church.

The first meeting in June decided on the creation of Episcopal conferences in the countries of the Diaspora, who will refer to Constantinople; in today's meeting - which will last one week - the issue of autonomy and the autocephalous nature of the Orthodox Churches will be discussed . In short the debate will centre of the cannons to define and accept the autonomy and autocephalous status of the new Churches within the spectrum of the Orthodox world. The meeting aims to resolve issues that have emerged in the aftermath of the collapse of the Soviet Union and the consequent emergence of new nation states, whose churches have sought independence from the Patriarchate of Moscow, demanding so a return to the status they had before the birth of' USSR.

In a statement released yesterday the desire to end anomalies that have arisen over the course of time, largely due to historical junctures and the consequent pastoral needs of Orthodox flock, was expressed. The deep desire of Bartholomew I to proceed quickly in order to convene the first major pan-Orthodox Synod of the modern era was also noted.

In a homily he delivered on the feast of St. Andrew, November 30th in Istanbul, Bartholomew I focused on relations between the Orthodox churches and the Church of Rome. According to experts, the Patriarch has sent significant and important signals to the interested parties.

Regarding relations between the Orthodox Churches, Bartholomew said that "the role of Constantinople is one established by the canons of the Ecumenical Synods. It lies in the diaconate, having the responsibility for the coordination and expression of unanimity of the Orthodox Churches”. "Our primary goal - he continued - is the unity of Orthodoxy, because only then can there be witnesses to the truth of the Gospel in a modern world beset by many problems of many kinds. In this work of diaconate, the Church of Constantinople is forced to operate with great difficulty, because of the current context well known to all, but [it] finds solidarity in the Church of Old Rome, first of all, to whom we turn with loving thoughts at this time. "

The patriarch did not spare criticism of those in the Orthodox world who are against dialogue with the Church of Rome, saying that dialogue alone is the only way to peace and unity. "The peaceful adjustment of differences in relations between Christians - continued Bartholomew - does not mean detachment from the truth. Truth is not afraid of dialogue, but instead uses dialogue as a means to gain acceptance from those who have reservations. Arrogance and fanaticism causes the hardening of positions taken and entrenchment can only lead to a dead end. "

"Besides - concluded the Ecumenical Patriarch - dispassionate study without preconditions, will help us to understand the structure of the universal Church that was united the 1st millennium, and will also help us to understand our mistakes in the 2nd millennium."

Meanwhile in recent days very important news has emerged. At the suggestion of Turkish Prime Minister Erdogan, there is the possibility of granting citizenship to the metropolitans of the Turkish Diaspora. This fact satisfies the ecumenical will of Bartholomew and unlocks the door to the possibility that in future a bishop who now resides outside of Turkey may be elected Ecumenical Patriarch. According to current rules, only those who have Turkish citizenship have the right to be elected to the patriarchal throne. Until now 20 metropolitans of the Diaspora have already applied for Turkish citizenship. In the eventual granting of Turkish citizenship to metropolitans of the Diaspora diplomatic circles see the first proof of the sincere will of the Erdogan government to be open to minorities. In fact, it must also be remembered that in mid-December the European Union will examine progress made by Ankara in its march towards Europe.

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Copenhagen Climate Summit in Disarray

Copenhagen Climate Summit in Disarray After 'Danish text' Leak

Developing countries react furiously to leaked draft agreement that would hand more power to rich nations, sideline the UN's negotiating role and abandon the Kyoto protocol.

The Danish Text
Video of the Conference

John Vidal in Copenhagen
guardian.co.uk
Tuesday 8 December 2009

The UN Copenhagen climate talks are in disarray today after developing countries reacted furiously to leaked documents that show world leaders will next week be asked to sign an agreement that hands more power to rich countries and sidelines the UN's role in all future climate change negotiations.

The document is also being interpreted by developing countries as setting unequal limits on per capita carbon emissions for developed and developing countries in 2050; meaning that people in rich countries would be permitted to emit nearly twice as much under the proposals.

The so-called Danish text, a secret draft agreement worked on by a group of individuals known as "the circle of commitment" – but understood to include the UK, US and Denmark – has only been shown to a handful of countries since it was finalised this week.

The agreement, leaked to the Guardian, is a departure from the Kyoto protocol's principle that rich nations, which have emitted the bulk of the CO2, should take on firm and binding commitments to reduce greenhouse gases, while poorer nations were not compelled to act. The draft hands effective control of climate change finance to the World Bank; would abandon the Kyoto protocol – the only legally binding treaty that the world has on emissions reductions; and would make any money to help poor countries adapt to climate change dependent on them taking a range of actions.

The document was described last night by one senior diplomat as "a very dangerous document for developing countries. It is a fundamental reworking of the UN balance of obligations. It is to be superimposed without discussion on the talks".

A confidential analysis of the text by developing countries also seen by the Guardian shows deep unease over details of the text. In particular, it is understood to:

• Force developing countries to agree to specific emission cuts and measures that were not part of the original UN agreement;

• Divide poor countries further by creating a new category of developing countries called "the most vulnerable";

• Weaken the UN's role in handling climate finance;

• Not allow poor countries to emit more than 1.44 tonnes of carbon per person by 2050, while allowing rich countries to emit 2.67 tonnes.

Developing countries that have seen the text are understood to be furious that it is being promoted by rich countries without their knowledge and without discussion in the negotiations.

"It is being done in secret. Clearly the intention is to get [Barack] Obama and the leaders of other rich countries to muscle it through when they arrive next week. It effectively is the end of the UN process," said one diplomat, who asked to remain nameless.

Antonio Hill, climate policy adviser for Oxfam International, said: "This is only a draft but it highlights the risk that when the big countries come together, the small ones get hurting. On every count the emission cuts need to be scaled up. It allows too many loopholes and does not suggest anything like the 40% cuts that science is saying is needed."

Hill continued: "It proposes a green fund to be run by a board but the big risk is that it will run by the World Bank and the Global Environment Facility [a partnership of 10 agencies including the World Bank and the UN Environment Programme] and not the UN. That would be a step backwards, and it tries to put constraints on developing countries when none were negotiated in earlier UN climate talks."

The text was intended by Denmark and rich countries to be a working framework, which would be adapted by countries over the next week. It is particularly inflammatory because it sidelines the UN negotiating process and suggests that rich countries are desperate for world leaders to have a text to work from when they arrive next week.

Few numbers or figures are included in the text because these would be filled in later by world leaders. However, it seeks to hold temperature rises to 2C and mentions the sum of $10bn a year to help poor countries adapt to climate change from 2012-15.

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Global Cooling Documented in Last Decade

Contradicts data released at Copenhagen climate summit

December 08, 2009
Jerome R. Corsi
WorldNetDaily

The mainstream media is reporting the World Meteorological Organization's assessment of global average temperatures asserting this decade is "the warmest on record," without mentioning the WMO data actually documents the United States and Canada experienced cooler-than-average conditions since 2000.

The reports circulating from the U.N.'s climate summit in Copenhagen also don't mention scientific climate data that suggest the globe has cooled in the last 10 years.

Data from the U.S. National Climate Data Center indicate temperatures in the U.S. have cooled over the last decade at a rate that projects to a decline of 7.3 degrees Fahrenheit over the next century.

Read the rest of the story here...

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Famous Weather Scientist: Climategate 'tip of iceberg'

'Conspiracy would become manifest' if all climate research e-mails unveiled

December 08, 2009
By Bob Unruh
WorldNetDaily

The Colorado scientist described by the Washington Post as "the World's Most Famous Hurricane

Expert" says the "Climategate" e-mails from the United Kingdom that revealed possible data manipulation are evidence of a conspiracy among "warmists," those who believe man's actions are triggering possibly catastrophic climate change.


"The recent 'ClimateGate' revelations coming out of the UK University of East Anglia are but the tip of a giant iceberg of a well organized international climate warming conspiracy that has been gathering momentum for the last 25 years," said Colorado State University's William Gray.

His annual hurricane forecasts are the standard for weather prognostications. His work pioneered the science of forecasting hurricanes, and he has served as weather forecaster for the U.S. Air Force. He is emeritus professor of atmospheric science at CSU and heads the school's Department of Atmospheric Sciences Tropical Meteorology Project.

Gray was referring to e-mails and other information obtained by a hacker and posted on a Russian web server that included interactions among the world's most influential climate-change scientists.

One e-mail said: "I've just completed Mike's Nature trick of adding in the real temps to each series for the last 20 years (ie from 1981 onwards) amd (sic) from 1961 for Keith's to hide the decline."

Another expressed internal doubts: "The fact is that we can't account for the lack of warming at the moment and it is a travesty that we can't. The CERES data published in the August (Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society) 09 supplement on 2008 shows there should be even more warming: but the data are surely wrong. Our observing system is inadequate."

Further, an e-mail exchange suggested the suppression of information: "Can you delete any e-mails you may have had with Keith re (Assessment Report 4)? Keith will do likewise. He's not in at the moment – minor family crisis."

Gray said, "This conspiracy would become much more manifest if all the e-mails of the publically funded climate research groups of the U.S. and of foreign governments were ever made public."

His comments are posted at Climate Depot.com as world leaders are conferencing in Copenhagen to discuss taking drastic economic measures to curb "global warming."

Gray warns that the likely agreements coming out of Copenhagen, the cap-and-trade bill before Congress and the Environmental Protection Agency's decision announced this week to treat carbon dioxide as a pollutant "represents a grave threat to the industrial world's continued economic development."

"We should not allow these proposals to restrict our economic growth," Gray said. "Any United Nations climate bill our country might sign would act as an infringement on our country's sovereignty."

He said he probably would have been concerned about the possibility people are causing serious global climate degradation "had I not devoted my entire career of over half-a-century to the study and forecasting of meteorological and climate events."

"There has been an unrelenting quarter century of one-sided indoctrination of the Western world by the media and by various scientists and governments concerning a coming carbon dioxide … induced global warming disaster," he said. "These warming scenarios have been orchestrated by a combination of environmentalists, vested interest scientists wanting larger federal grants and publicity, the media which profits from doomsday scenario reporting, governmental bureaucrats who want more power over our lives, and socialists who want to level-out global living standards.

"These many alarmist groups appear to have little concern over whether their global warming prognostications are accurate, however. And they most certainly are not. The alarmists believe they will be able to scare enough of our citizens into believing their propaganda that the public will be willing to follow their advice on future energy usage and agree to a lowering of their standard of living in the name of climate salvation."

Gray said there still hasn't been an "honest and broad" scientific debate on the influence of CO2 on global temperature, contending the present models presented by scientists are flawed.

He cited a global warming of about 1 degree Fahrenheit over the last century, and that's "not a consequence of human activities."

"The disastrous economic consequences of restricting CO2 emissions from the present by as much as 20 percent by 2020 and 80 percent by 2050 (as being proposed in Copenhagen) have yet to be digested by the general public. Such CO2 output decreases would cause very large increases in our energy costs, a lowering of our standard of living, and do nothing of significance to improve our climate," he said.

Gray launched the practice of seasonal hurricane forecasts. After the 2005 Atlantic season, he said he was stepping down from the primary authorship of the CSU report, turning over those duties to Philip J. Klotzbach.

He's long described global warming as a hoax, telling the Post three years ago, "I am of the opinion that this is one of the greatest hoaxes ever perpetrated on the American people."

Myron Ebell of the GlobalWarming.org website, where "cooler heads prevail," said the e-mails obtained from the University of East Anglia were "shocking."

"It's kind of interesting to learn that petty politics seems to be more prevalent in the scientific community than in the political community," he said.

The documents, he said, "raise a huge number of questions about the integrity of a lot of people in the alarmist community."

"What I've seen there is a very strong effort to manage the issue by scientists and not as a scientific issue. It's very improper," he said. "One of the criticisms is that we need scientists to be scientists, and policy can be handled in public debate."

Phil Jones, head of East Anglia's Climate Research Unit, confirmed the documents appeared authentic. He has temporarily stepped down while an investigation is taking place.

Despite the advocacy of a financially vested former vice president, Al Gore, and others, public opinion about whether mankind is causing an ultimately catastrophic rise in global temperatures is shifting.

U.S. Rep. Ron Paul, R-Texas, has urged members of Congress to consider the joint opinion of nearly 32,000 scientists, including more than 9,000 Ph.D.s, who believe humans likely have little or nothing to do with any "global warming."

The Petition Project, launched some 10 years ago when the first few thousand signatures were gathered, has steadily grown without any special effort or campaign.

But in the last few years, and especially because of the release of Gore's movie "An Inconvenient Truth," the campaign has been reinvigorated.

"Mr. Gore's movie, asserting a 'consensus' and 'settled science' in agreement about human-caused global warming, conveyed the claims about human-caused global warming to ordinary moviegoers and to public-school children, to whom the film was widely distributed. Unfortunately, Mr. Gore's movie contains many very serious incorrect claims which no informed, honest scientist could endorse," project spokesman and founder Art Robinson has told WND.

Robinson, a research professor of chemistry, cofounded the Linus Pauling Institute of Science and Medicine with Linus Pauling in 1973, and later cofounded the Oregon Institute of Science and Medicine.

Paul later cited the petition results in statement to Congress.

"Our energy policies must be based upon scientific truth – not fictional movies or self-interested international agendas," Paul said. "They should be based upon the accomplishments of technological free enterprise that have provided our modern civilization, including our energy industries. That free enterprise must not be hindered by bogus claims about imaginary disasters."

The petition states: "There is no convincing scientific evidence that human release of carbon dioxide, methane, or other greenhouse gases is causing or will, in the foreseeable future, cause catastrophic heating of the Earth's atmosphere and disruption of the Earth's climate. Moreover, there is substantial scientific evidence that increases in atmospheric carbon dioxide produce many beneficial effects upon the natural plant and animal environments of the Earth."

Robinson has warned of serious political and economic consequences of assuming "global warming" results from mankind's actions.

"The campaign to severely ration hydrocarbon energy technology has now been markedly expanded," he said. "In the course of this campaign, many scientifically invalid claims about impending climate emergencies are being made. Simultaneously, proposed political actions to severely reduce hydrocarbon use now threaten the prosperity of Americans and the very existence of hundreds of millions of people in poorer countries," he told WND.

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