Saint Dionysios of Zakynthos (2)

Church of St. Dionysios on Zakynthos

Part One - The Life of Saint Dionysios of Zakynthos

The Miracles of Saint Dionysios of Zakynthos (1)

by Theoharis Provatakis

The Excommunicated Woman

Once, when St. Dionysios was serving in the Cathedral of St. Nicholas in Zakynthos, they were about to bury a corpse. The woman had died excommunicated and her body, in spite of the fact she had been dead a considerable number of years, had not decomposed. The relatives of the dead woman, with tears in their eyes, begged the Saint to say the prayer of forgiveness over her, so that the body could decompose. St. Dionysios took pity on them and determined to help them. He donned his stole and pallium and asked them to place the incorrupt body on a seat in the church. He then prayed fervently to God for the dead woman, beseeching God that she be released from the excommunication which held her in this state.

Before long the miracle took place. At the moment when he was reading the prayer of forgiveness the body fell into a heap onto the floor of the church and dissolved into what it had been composed of - into dust and bones. The parish priest and the deacon swore to the Saint not to talk about this happening.

A similar miracle was performed by the Saint at the village of Katastario. A few days later the Saint returned to the Monastery of the Aanaphonitria, where, apart from his other duties, he was occupied in providing for the poor children of the area, so that they could acquire an education and have a Christian upbringing.

St. Dionysios' relics transferring to Zakynthos

The Saint Becomes Patron of Zakynthos

In the war of 1716 between the Turks and the Venetians, the Turkish admiral Hotza Pasha threatened to destroy Zakynthos if it did not submit to the Sultan. The Turks, however, suffered a defeat and began to withdraw. In the course of their retreat, a squadron of a hundred ships came to the Strofades Monastery [where the relics of St. Dionysios were kept prior to their transfer to Zakynthos] to rob it of the treasures which the monks, meanwhile, had hidden in a cave, together with the body of the Saint. The treasures were stolen, but the body of the Saint was left alone - with the exception of his hands, which were divided up into four parts by four Christian members of the crew. Their leader, who had witnessed the scene, took the pieces of the hands from the Christians, since he thought that they might have some value. In fact, he sold them to the Bishop of Chios, Agathangelos, and the monk Akakios. The left his is preserved today in the Panachrantos Monastery of Andros. The monks who tried to resist the pillaging of the treasures were put to death by the Turks and their bodies burned.

After the looting, five monks took the body of the Saint and brought it to Zakynthos on 22 August 1717. Subsequently, the Community of Zakynthos proclaimed St. Dionysios patron of the island, in the place of St. John the Baptist. It also designated August 22 as the anniversary of the translation of the relics of the Saint. The procession which takes place today was established as a custom later, in 1901, when Dionysios Plessas was Archbishop of Zakynthos.

The larnax of St. Dionysios

The Possessed

Once a person possessed by a devil, who was greatly tormented by it, was brought to the Monastery of St. Dionysios. The fathers, seeing the pitiful condition he was in, took him to the tomb of the Saint. The read over him the exorcism prayers of St. Basil the Great and anointed him with oil from the sanctuary lamp. The possessed person was restored to health and gave glory to God and thanks to the Saint.

Monastery of Panagia Anaphonitria

The Saint Appears to the Abbot

At one period the monk Daniel was Abbot of the Monastery of St. Dionysios. He was a good and devout man, conscientious in the execution of his duties. He was, however, troubled by doubts about the sanctity of St. Dionysios.

"Is Dionysios, to whom so much honor is paid," he asked himself, "really in the company of the saints in heaven or not?"

One night he had a dream in which he saw the sacristan seeking his blessing to ring the bell for Matins. In a little while he awoke and believed that he really had given his permission for the monks to be summoned to Matins. He got up quickly, dressed, and went down to the church. Entering, he saw the Saint standing between two white-clad priests and two deacons. The Saint was resting his hands on their shoulders while they were robing him in his episcopal vestments. Then one of the priests addressed the Abbot, saying:

"Are you convinced now, or do you still doubt?"

The Abbot was deeply troubled by the vision and left the church in fear. Immediately afterwards, however, he repented of his hasty action and wished to look again to see if what he had seen was real. This time, going in through the door, he saw the Saint moving unaided and climbing back into his coffin.

Filled with awe, the Abbot returned to his cell, summoned the fathers of the Monastery and narrated these events to them. They all with one accord glorified God. From that day on the Abbot became a fervent preacher of the sanctity and miracles of St. Dionysios.

Procession on December 17, 2009 with the relics of the Saint

The Resurrection of the Child

For ten whole years a family in the Peloponnese were unable to have children. They begged the Saint, with tears, to grant them the blessing of a child, promising him that the child would be baptized in his church on Zakynthos. Thus it came about that the wife, after the Saint had appeared to her in a dream, gave birth to a delightful baby boy. Five months later, the happy relatives and their relatives took the child to Zakynthos, to be baptized in fulfillment of their promise. Alas, on the way the child fell sick and, three miles from Zakynthos, died. The parents, inconsolable, after the ship had ancored, took the child, weeping, to the church, to offer him to the Saint, even though dead. When they arrived at the church, they put the body down near the shrine and prayed to the Saint, dedicating the child to him, even though dead. Then it was that the miracle occurred. The child started to cry. In their delight, the parents and relatives took their child, glorifying God and giving thanks to the Saint. A little later, in an atmosphere of intense devotion, the baptism took place. The child was baptized Dionysios and throughout his life he would annually attend the festival of the Saint, in thanksgiving for the great benefit accorded to him.



Part Three - The Miracles of Saint Dionysios of Zakynthos (3)

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Its Official! Autonomy and Autocephaly Through Constantinople and Pan-Orthodox Consensus

Inter-Orthodox Preparatory Commission Completes Its Work

December 17, 2009

The Inter-Orthodox Preparatory Commission, meeting in Chambesy, Switzerland, closed its work on December 16 with a thanksgiving.

The Commission, whose task is to elaborate the agenda of a Holy and Great Council of the Orthodox Church, continued to consider the problem of autocephaly and ways of declaring it – the discussion which began in 1993, and prepared proposals on autonomy and ways of declaring it.

The documents prepared by the Commission will be submitted to a Pan-Orthodox Pre-Council Conference. They stipulate in particular that the ecclesiological, canonical and pastoral prerequisites for granting autocephaly to a particular church region, if requested, are to be assessed by the Mother Church at her Local Council. If the Council’s decision is favourable, the Mother Church is to notify it to the Ecumenical Patriarchate which is in its turn to inform other Local Autocephalous Churches in order to find out whether there is a pan-Orthodox consensus expressed in the unanimity of Councils or Synods of the autocephalous Churches. Expressing the consent of the Mother Church and the pan-Orthodox consensus, the Ecumenical Patriarch is to declare the autocephaly of a petitioning Church by issuing a Tomos of Autocephaly to be signed by the Ecumenical Patriarch and verified by the signatures of the Primates of Orthodox Churches invited for it by the Ecumenical Patriarch.

The question of the contents of the Tomos and the signing procedure will be considered additionally by the next meeting of the Inter-Orthodox Preparatory Commission.

The Commission has also prepared a document expressing a common position of Orthodox Churches on autonomy and the ways of declaring it, describing the notion of autonomy, the procedure to be observed in declaring autonomy and its consequences.

It was agreed that the initiation and completion of the procedure for granting autonomy to a certain part of its canonical jurisdiction is exclusively under the competence of the respective autocephalous Church. It is noted that in church practice there are different degrees in which an autonomous Church depends on the autocephalous Church that has granted autonomy to it. A petition for autonomy is considered by the autocephalous Church which, having assessed the prerequisites and reasons for this petition and taken a favourable decision, issues an appropriate Tomos defining the territorial boundaries of the autonomous Church and its relationships with the autocephalous Church to which it belongs in accordance with the established criteria of church Tradition. Then the primate of the autocephalous Church notifies the Ecumenical Patriarchate and other autocephalous Orthodox Churches on the declaration of an autonomous Church.

The draft document also provides for measures to find a canonical settlement of an issue in case of differences arising from two autocephalous Churches’ granting the autonomous status to church communities in the same geographical church region.

The question of Diptychs of the Primates of the Local Churches will be considered by the Inter-Orthodox Preparatory Commission at its next meeting.

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Different Perspectives on Communion

The Role of Communion: Denominations Wrestle With Who Should Receive Bread and Wine

Dec 17, 2009
NewsObserver

KANSAS CITY, Mo. Marialice Searcy, 83, of Kansas City, Mo., has attended Mass all her life and couldn't imagine not receiving Holy Communion.

"I can go to Mass and pray, but the Eucharist (Communion) is the focal point of my spiritual life," she said. "Without the Eucharist, I feel I would be missing an important nourishment for my soul."

But some Catholics are sometimes asked to forgo this expression of faith.

Most recently, U.S. Rep. Patrick Kennedy said his Rhode Island bishop asked him to abstain from receiving Holy Communion.

Other bishops have made similar requests to other Catholic politicians such as Vice President Joseph Biden and then-Kansas Gov. Kathleen Sebelius, and a few have said they would deny Communion to Catholic politicians whose positions, especially on abortion, go against church teachings.

How serious is such a stance for Catholics? And how do other churches view Communion?

"Of all the symbols of our faith, none invites more intimacy with God and identification with other baptized Catholics than the act of receiving consecrated bread and wine," said Edward Foley, professor of liturgy and music at Catholic Theological Union in Chicago.

"Conversely, preventing someone from receiving Communion is a very serious act, for it announces a rupture in their communion with the church, which is also thought of as Christ's body," he said. "Furthermore, it withholds what the church believes to be a most intimate and gracious encounter with the God of Jesus Christ."

In the final meal with his disciples, Jesus invited them to eat of his body and drink of his blood. Therefore, Roman Catholics believe that Jesus Christ is actually present in the bread and wine, and the practice is to receive Communion at each Mass.

"The Orthodox and Catholic churches understand Communion as a means of grace, a way by which God's grace comes to us," said James Brandt, associate professor of historical theology at St. Paul School of Theology in Kansas City.

"That is also the view of the Anglican tradition and the Lutheran tradition. The Baptist and Disciples traditions would tend to see Holy Communion more as the expression of the faith of the people than as a means of grace. Typically for them, they do Communion because Jesus said to, and it is more of a memorial."

The Methodists, Presbyterians and United Church of Christ are more in the middle, he said.

"They tend to be sacramental but not as much as the Lutherans, Catholics and Orthodox. For example, John Calvin, founder of the Presbyterian tradition, said Communion is a means of grace and a testimony of our faith, so he combined the two."

Brandt said that from the Middle Ages to the 1960s, Communion was seen as a somber penitential rite because it was a way of asking forgiveness for sins.

"With the liturgical renewal movement from the 1970s, Communion for a lot of people came to be seen as a celebration of Christ's resurrection and took on a tone of celebration and joy," he said. "A lot of time, the language is that it is a foretaste of the feast to come in heaven."

The Rev. Nicholas Papedo of St. Dionysios Greek Orthodox Church in Overland Park said he applauds the Catholic bishops who are saying, "If you are not going to support the teachings of the church, you should not take Communion."

The Eastern Orthodox tradition views the wine and bread as mystically changed into the body and blood of Christ, he said.

"Orthodox Christians are coming forward asking for the forgiveness of God and the mercy of God," he said. "They are standing before the altar of God asking for their sins to be cleansed.

"If they separate themselves, there is not mercy at this time, so there needs to be repentance so they can be in communion with God. If they are not repentant, instead of receiving the mercy of God, they are receiving God's judgment. Therefore, asking them not to receive Communion is for their own protection."

As with Roman Catholics, Holy Communion is closed, only for members of that denomination. And it is received at every divine liturgy and the major observances of saints.

Anglicans observe Communion as the "real presence of the Lord, but this can look a little different from parish to parish," said the Rev. Andrew Grosso, canon theologian for the Episcopal Diocese of Kansas. "They would say this is the real body and real blood of Christ.

"But it is not the same as Roman Catholics. We say the Lord is present in the Eucharist. When we participate in Communion we are joined to God through Christ and through the Holy Spirit."

Another difference from the Roman Catholics is that Anglicans celebrate an open communion, said Grosso, rector of Trinity Episcopal Church in Atchison, Kan.

"Anyone who is baptized is welcome to participate with us in the celebration of the Eucharist," he said. "But we do recommend, practiced to varying degrees, that persons be living an active life of faith before participating."

The African Methodist Episcopal Church observes two sacraments, baptism and Communion, said the Rev. Stacy Evans, pastor of Allen Chapel A.M.E. Church in Kansas City, Kan. If a person is holding a grievance against anyone or doing unholy things without repenting, that person should not take Communion, she said.

"But if you have truly repented of your sins and intend to go forward with that, you could come for Communion," she said. "Most of us do it every first Sunday. The meaning to eating the bread and drinking the juice is symbolic. Christ said to, 'Do this in remembrance of me.'"

Baptist practice can vary, but the emphasis for all is the biblical command to examine oneself before taking Communion, said Jerry A. Johnson, professor of ethics and theology at Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Kansas City. Some individual Baptist churches historically have practiced "church discipline" toward church members who sin in a public way, he said.

"One mode of church discipline has been to bar the erring member from the Lord's Table until there is repentance and restoration," he said. "For Baptists, this would be a matter for the entire congregation to decide, but the recommendation of the leadership would be important."

Baptist churches practice both open and closed Communion, depending on the heritage and conviction of each local congregation, Johnson said.

The significance of Communion for Baptists is to remember "that Jesus offered his blood and body as a sacrificial substitute to atone for our sins," he said. "By taking the elements we also show that we have received Jesus as Savior and Lord by believing personally in this atoning sacrifice."

For Pentecostals, Communion is a memorial service, said Elder Judson Davis, assistant pastor at Greater Pentecostal Temple in Kansas City, Kan.

"Only members of the individual church who are saved according to the Word of God can take Communion," he said.

It is up to each person to examine himself or herself before taking Communion, or as the Bible says, that person would be eating and drinking unworthily, Davis said.

The church leadership would not tell a politician or any other member not to take Communion, Davis said. "That is up to the individual."

ALL FAITHS SHARE A SENSE OF COMMUNION

Every religion includes sacramental acts like Communion that convey transcendent meaning through tangible forms. Here are three examples.

American Indians practice a kind of communion by sharing a calumet, a smoking pipe. The intentions of the community are carried by the smoke to the sacred powers. The sanctified unity of the Indian participants is solemnized through the shared pipe, just as for some Christians the church is the body of Christ realized through the Eucharist. The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art has several examples of the pipe.

Hindu worship includes prasad, food offered to a deity, then returned, blessed and empowered, and then consumed by the worshipper. Eating someone's leftovers is ordinarily offensive, but accepting the leftovers from a god expresses the worshipper's veneration. Commonly the food is a fruit, a sweet or a dollop of milk, sugar, flour and butter mixed together. Anyone may partake.

A Sikh building for worship includes a langar, a kitchen-dining hall where a communal meal is offered without charge by volunteers, not clergy. Often, those who are able sit on the floor to emphasize the equality of all people under God, regardless of earthly status or faith, important in the historical context of the caste system and the different religions of India. The langar thus expresses sharing with a sense of the unity of all humanity in contrast to other faiths whose sacramental practices are restricted to their members.

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The Magi and the Star: An Orthodox Understanding

Who are the Magi? A Christian Orthodox Concept
A response to the comments made by the Archbishop of Canterbury

Father Matthew Attia

“Those who worshipped the stars were taught by a star to adore thee.”

The comments made by the Archbishop of Canterbury, Rowan Williams, on the Magi and Star of Bethlehem warrant a careful response as they challenge the authenticity of the Christian Scriptures.

In the nativity account according to the Gospel of Matthew we read that when Christ was born there appeared an overwhelmingly bright star in the east. While off in the distance, wise men from the East, of Magi, notice the star and begin to follow it towards Jerusalem.

The visit of the Magi is the subject of many legends, many emanating from the Western world. What then is the true account of this visitation?

The Biblical account of the Magi appears only in the Gospel of Matthew: “Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, wise men from the East came to Jerusalem saying, ‘Where is He who was born King of the Jews? For we have seen His star in the East, and have come to worship him.’” (Matthew 2:1-2).

The word Magi comes from the Greek word magoi, meaning ‘astrologer’ or ‘magician’. By the time of the birth of Christ, the Magi were an already well-established and ancient upper class of people from the Persian Empire in today’s northern Iran. The Magi were pagan priests, specializing in astrology and the interpretation of dreams. Skilled philosophy, medicine and natural science, they became the scholars of Persian society. The Holy Fathers held the tradition that the Magi, although pagans, were deeply religious priest-philosophers who collected wisdom from wherever they could get it.

Because the Magi had direct contact with those Hebrews who remained in the East following the Babylonian captivity, they would have surely been familiar with their prophecies of a Saviour King, and especially the words of the Mesopotamian prophet Balaam which we read in Numbers 24:17: “You have filled the stargazers with joy, O Lord. They knew the hidden meaning of the Prophet Balaam’s words: “You have made the star of Jacob to rise.”

Although they were not ‘kings’ as perceived by western legends, the Magi were regarded as men of aristocratic rank even in Jerusalem, which is made apparent by their easy access to King Herod’s court. As we read in the Gospel of Matthew, Herod the Great, known for his cruelty, summoned the Magi because their inquiries into the birth aroused his jealousy, and Herod wanted to use them to locate Christ in order that he may have Him killed. After leaving Herod, the star once again appears to the Magi, as we read: “…the star, which they had seen in the East, went before them, until it came to rest over the place where the child was.” (Matthew 2:9).

Following the star again, the Magi arrive in Bethlehem bearing gifts for the newborn King. Matthew writes in his gospel: “…and going into the house they saw the child with Mary His mother and they fell down and worshiped Him. Then, opening their treasures, they offered Him gifts, gold and frankincense and myrrh.” (Matthew 2:11). St. Matthew does not mention the names of the Magi, but through the Holy Tradition of the Church we know them as Saints Gaspar, Melchior and Balthasar. They were baptized into the Christian faith many years later by the Apostle Thomas, who was on his way to preach the Gospel in India. Their relics were brought from Persia to Constantinople in the fourth century by St. Helen (the mother of Emperor Constantine), then were transferred in the fifth century to Milan and then, finally in 1146 to Cologne Cathedral in Germany where they remain today.

The number and types of gifts bought to Christ by the Magi are not coincidental. Perhaps the three were a type of the Holy Trinity; or symbolize the triune nature of Christ’s ministry; prophetic, royal and priestly; or perhaps it is an expression of the three parts of the nature of man; spirit, soul and body. The significance of the gifts themselves bears mentioning, as gold is fit to offer a king, and Christ’s natures are revealed in the offering of frankincense fit to offer God, and myrrh, for God who is to suffer and die.

The Star of Bethlehem

What of the star itself? Many attempts have been made by scholars to give some sort of scientific explanation for the Star of Bethlehem. Indeed, there is substantial historic and scientific evidence of an unusual celestial event at the approximate time of the birth of Christ, yet even this would not explain the behaviour of the star as described by the Holy Scriptures. Of course, to the Church there is a more mystical approach.

The Holy Fathers tell us that this star can be compared to the miraculous pillar of fire, which stood in the camp by night during Israel’s Exodus, or the light from heaven, which overwhelmed Saul on his way to Damascus. St. John Chrysostom, in his homily on the second chapter of Matthew, says God called the wise men by the things that are familiar to them, for being astrologers they were naturally astonished at such a large star. He says that God, for the salvation of those in error, allowed Himself to be served by astrologers, normally used to serve the devil, so that He might gently draw the Magi away from their customs and lead them toward a higher wisdom.

St. Maximos the Confessor says that when the intellect is illumined by the infinite Light of God it becomes insensible to everything made by Him, just as the eye becomes insensitive to the stars when the sun rises. The Magi did not just drop off their gifts and leave, for they left from the presence of Christ as men forever changed by their experience. Their superior intellect and knowledge was confounded by the presence of a little child born under the humblest circumstances.

In keeping this great Feast of the Nativity of our Lord, we must receive this Light with joy, not putting it away at the end of the season, but rather let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father which is in heaven. (Matthew 5:16).

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Moldovan Christians Tear Down Public Menorah

December 14, 2009
JTA

See video footage here

BUDAPEST -- Some 200 fundamentalist Orthodox Christians in Moldova took down a public Chanukah menorah and planted a wooden cross in its place.

News footage showed a bearded priest leading the group in chanting anti-Semitic slogans during Sunday's incident. The menorah had been installed by the Jewish community in the Moldovan capital, Chisinau.

The group removed the large, metal menorah, which had been set up on downtown Europe Square, and placed it upside down on Stefan cel Mare Square, at the base of a statue of King Stephen the Great. Neither police nor onlookers intervened.

"The Jews can try to kill us, to traumatize our children, but Moldovan Orthodox believers will resist," the priest said, speaking into a sound system. Moldova, he said, was an Orthodox country, and the Jewish people are trying to "dominate people." Allowing the menorah to be set up had been "a sacrilege, an indulgence of state power today," he said.

Justice Minister Alexandru Tanese condemned the incident. The Orthodox Metropolitan promised to investigate and take action, according to reports.

Incitement to racial and religious hatred in Moldova is subject to a fine or imprisonment of up to three years.

"It's a despicable act. We hope the government will take appropriate action against the perpetrators," said Mark Levin, executive director of NCSJ, an advocacy group for Jews in the former Soviet Union. "This is obviously something that should never have been allowed to happen."

In neighboring Romania, the Center for Monitoring and Combating Anti-Semitism issued a statement urging authorities to take "immediate measures" against the perpetrators.

"Such an act committed by a priest with the Orthodox Church is totally inconceivable, and it takes us back to the days when the local population, if it did not participate, witnessed with indifference the crimes committed against the Jews," the center's statement said.

“The Moldovan government and the Orthodox Church must punish the perpetrators of this despicable anti-Semitic crime and send a clear signal to Moldovan society and to the Jewish community that the government and the church will not tolerate anti-Semitism,” said Abraham H. Foxman, National Director of the Anti-Defamation League.

In a letter to Nicolae Chirtoaca, Moldova’s Ambassador to the United States, ADL called on his government “to apprehend and punish the perpetrators of this anti-Semitic crime.” The ADL letter said it was particularly shocked at reports that 15 to 20 police officers were at the site during the protest, but did little to intervene.

See also: Moldovan Orthodox Church: Jews to Blame for Menorah Incident

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Mary and Joseph Billboard Finally Defaced

Unholy Row Over Virgin Mary Image

December 17, 2009
BBC News

An unholy row has broken out in New Zealand over a church billboard aimed at "challenging stereotypes" about the birth of Jesus Christ.

A dejected-looking Joseph lies in bed next to Mary under the caption, "Poor Joseph. God was a hard act to follow".

St Matthew-in-the-City Church in Auckland, which erected the billboard, said it had intended to provoke debate.

But the Catholic Church, among others, has condemned it as "inappropriate" and "disrespectful".


Within hours of its unveiling, the billboard had been defaced with brown paint.

The church's vicar, Archdeacon Glynn Cardy, said the aim of the billboard had been to lampoon the literal interpretation of the Christmas conception story.

"What we're trying to do is to get people to think more about what Christmas is all about," he told the New Zealand Press Association (NZPA).

"Is it about a spiritual male God sending down sperm so a child would be born, or is it about the power of love in our midst as seen in Jesus?"


He told NZPA that the church had received e-mails and phone calls about the controversial image.

"About 50% said they loved it, and about 50% said it was terribly offensive," he said. "But that's out of about 20 responses - this is New Zealand."

But Lyndsay Freer, spokeswoman for the Catholic Diocese of Auckland, said the poster was offensive to Christians.

"Our Christian tradition of 2,000 years is that Mary remains a virgin and that Jesus is the son of God, not Joseph," she told the New Zealand Herald. "Such a poster is inappropriate and disrespectful."

The family values group Family First said any debate about the Virgin birth should be held inside the church.

"To confront children and families with the concept as a street billboard is completely irresponsible and unnecessary," Family First director Bob McCroskrie told the news website stuff.co.nz.


Mary and Joseph Billboard Attacked by Knife Wielding Christian

18 Dec 2009
Ekklesia

A Christmas billboard in New Zealand which has stirred controversy around the world and was defaced with brown paint, has been attacked a second time, this time by a Christian wielding a knife.

The billboard was then torn down. The church says it will not be replacing it.

As reported in an exclusive by Ekklesia on Tuesday, the Auckland billboard showed a deflated looking Joseph and a disappointed Mary lying in bed together, with the caption "Poor Joseph, God is a hard act to follow."

St Matthew’s in the City, an Anglican church, commissioned M & C Saatchi to come up with the concept with the brief that it had to be sufficiently provocative to keep most other churches from allowing it.

It was designed to challenge stereotypes about the way that Jesus was conceived, and get people talking about the Christmas story.

But a few hours after the billboard went up, an angry man with a pot of brown paint, covered over Mary and Joseph's faces.

The church paid $200 for a new billboard but this was also attacked. Police were called while the person with the knife, reportedly a Christian, was held back by homeless bystanders.

A spokesman for the church had said it would be naive to think it would not be defaced again but they would not be employing security.

The Bishop of Auckland, the Right Reverend John Paterson, says he was "disappointed" that St Matthew's chose to go ahead with displaying the billboard.

He says there are a multitude of other issues for a city and the wider church to focus on than a billboard.

"Discussion of theological perspectives and diversity is encouraged in a respectful way, but this approach is insensitive to communities across the Anglican Church as well as other denominations," he told TVNZ.

The billboard has gone viral with thousands seeing it via the internet and news broadcasts.

The parish already runs a busy virtual church online with 2,000 regular visitors connecting from 170 countries to hear a progressive Christian message.

Glynn Cardy, vicar at the church, told Ekklesia: "I regret to say that tonight our billboard was attacked by a knife wielding Christian fanatic who was then apprehended by a group of homeless people who care about our church. Later in the evening another group of fanatics ripped it down.

"When knives are wielded in the name of God I have two responses. One is to act to ensure the safety of the public and parishioners. We will therefore not be replacing the vandalised billboard with an identical one.

"My second response is one of deep sadness at those in the Christian Church who don’t want to offend any faith position, even the most literalistic view of a male god. By having unity as their priority they inadvertently feed fanaticism.

"We have no regrets about bringing this discussion about Jesus’ origins and the nature of the Christian God into the public sphere – into homes, workplaces, universities and the internet. We are glad that discussion about Santa, food, and present buying was momentary usurped by a discussion about Jesus.

"Thank you to the hundreds of people who sent us messages of support, encouragement, and respectful engagement from all around the world."

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St. Isaac the Syrian on the Birth of Christ

This Christmas night bestowed peace on the whole world;
So let no one threaten;

This is the night of the Most Gentle One -
Let no one be cruel;

This is the night of the Humble One -
Let no one be proud.

Now is the day of joy -
Let us not revenge;

Now is the day of Good Will -
Let us not be mean.

In this Day of Peace -
Let us not be conquered by anger.

Today the Bountiful impoverished Himself for our sake;
So, rich one, invite the poor to your table.

Today we receive a Gift for which we did not ask;
So let us give alms to those who implore and beg us.

This present Day cast open the heavenly doors to our prayers;
Let us open our door to those who ask our forgiveness.

Today the DIVINE BEING took upon Himself the seal of our humanity,
In order for humanity to be decorated by the Seal of DIVINITY.

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Saint Dionysios of Zakynthos (1)

St. Dionysios of Zakynthos (Feast Day - December 17)

by Theoharis Provatakis

St. Dionysios was born in 1547 at the village of Aigialos on the island of Zakynthos. He was descended from the famous Sigouros family and his secular name was Gradenigos or Draganigos Sigouros.

When his ancestors arrived on the island, its ruler awarded them lands in the southwest of the island, which they cultivated and where they lived contentedly. A little later the family took part in the Venetian wars against the Turks, with the result that the Venetian Senate not only recognized the award of the lands which they held, but also inscribed their name in the register of the aristocracy. The majority of the members of the family became Orthodox and were notable for their profound faith and the integrity of their convictions. Among these noble fighters were the ancestors of the Saint. His parents were called Mokios Sigouros and Pavlina Valvi. There were three children of their marriage: Draganigos (the future saint), Constantine and Sigoura. All three were brought up in the atmosphere of an Orthodox family and the principles and teaching of the Orthodox Church were instilled into them. All three of them were ever ready to do good and their lives were exemplary, as was their constant championing of the Christian cause.

The Childhood and Education of the Saint

According to a tradition, passed down from generation to generation among the people of Zakynthos, the Saint had St. Gerasimos as his godfather. His parents began his education and cultivated in him a sense of the works of God.

In a contract of 27 October 1557, which used to be kept in the Historical Archives of Zakynthos, but which was unfrotunately destroyed by a fire in 1953, the Saint's father engaged the learned teacher Kairophylas, who undertook to teach the ten-year old "the letters of the Church, that is, hymns, the prayer services, the Psalter, the Epistles and Scripture".

This elementary education was later followed by more extensive studies under pious and learned tutors. It does not, however, appear that the Saint went very far from his native Zakynthos. Perhaps he sat at the feet of the distinguished theologians who travelled about Europe and stopped off at Zakynthos. Be that as it may, he learned Ancient Greek, Latin and even Italian very well, though his principle studies were in Holy Scripture, the Fathers of the Church and "classical" Theology. It may be concluded from one of his letters that he wrote commentaries on the works of Gregory the Theologian.

Withdrawal From the World

As the Saint grew up he became increasingly spiritually attached to the immortal truths of the Christian religion. The affairs of this world meant nothing to him and nothing was capable of deflecting him from the way of God. Neither the nobility of his birth nor great riches nor the glory and honor of office could distract him. He was very strict with himself and very indulgent towards the shortcomings of others. His great zeal for the Kingdom of God lead him quickly and steadily to eternal truths.

At the age of 21 he severed all connections with the world and retired to the monastery on the Strofades islands, which lie south of Zakynthos. It appears he already lost his parents and for that reason he bestowed all his property to his brother Constantine, laying on him the responsibility of providing their sister Sigoura with a dowry in accordance with the customs of the island.

On his arrival at the monastery, he gave himself to fasting and vigils and devoted many hours to prayer. He studied the Scriptures and the lives of the saints and martyrs of the Faith day and night. Very soon, with his study and prayer, he emerged as a spiritual advisor of great stature, with the result that many of the fathers of the monastery, older than himself, sought him and endeavored to imitate him. He became a monk a little later, taking the name Daniel. His fame as a good spiritual father spread rapidly throughout the island, with the result that the community of Zakynthos, out of regard for his personality, offered him the Monastery of Panagia Anaphonitria. As soon as he arrived there, the Saint reorganized the monastery, making out of it an important training ground for the monastic life.

Strofades Monastery

Priest and Bishop

Now that he was a monk, Daniel continued to work night and day, in strict conformity with the precepts of Holy Scripture. One year later, the Bishop of Kefallonia and Zakynthos, Philotheos, in appreciation of his work, ordained him a priest, in spite of Daniel's objections that he considered the office of a priest to be a great one and beyond his capabilities. Some time later, in 1557, he set off to Piraeus, intending to go to the Holy Land, to pray at the scenes of our Lord's life and to seek His assistance in his difficult task. On his way through Athens he visited the Archbishop of Athens Nicanor to seek his blessing. As a result of their conversations, the Archbishop formed such a high opinion of the Saint that he offered him, and finally persuaded him to accept, the vacant bishopric of Aegina, which was then within the jurisdiction of the See of Athens. When the Patriarch of Constantinople, Jeremiah, heard of this decision of the Archbishop of Athens, he readily assented and gave permission for him to be consecrated. Thus the monk Daniel was consecrated Bishop of Aegina and took the name of Dionysios in honor of St. Dionysios the Areopagite. His consecration took place in the Church of St. Eleutherios, which is near the present Cathedral of Athens. Following his consecration, the Saint left for Aegina, to take up his new duties.

The Orthodox of Aegina and the Saint

Upon his arrival to Aegina the new Bishop was received with joy by the inhabitants, headed by the clergy. He began immediately his work of renewal. Tireless in carrying out his duties, he worked with exactness and conscientiousness. His way of life was ascetic and he labored day and night. Wherever there was a problem, a difficulty, poverty or rejoicing, the Saint was present. He was the protector of the faithful on Aegina and the champion of Orthodoxy. The poor and destitute turned to him, orphans and widows looked to him, and even the rich and the shipowners sought his company daily in order to listen to his wise advice. He, in his turn, rejoiced with those who rejoiced and wept with those who wept. Even today there is a stone seat preserved in the old Cathedral a few kilometers outside Perachora on the island which is called by the inhabitants "the throne of the Saint". It was from this that he preached and instructed his flock with apostolic simplicity. Gradually the fame of this holy man spread not only to the neighboring islands, but further afield. There was a constant stream of admirers from Athens, Megara, Salamis, Poros and other places arriving to hear him and to have the opportunity of seeing and marvelling at this exemplary prelate.

The Saint's Second Sight

Among other gifts of the Saint was that of second sight. Once, when he was hearing the Confession of the hieromonk Pankratios, the latter concealed a sin from him and the Saint reminded him of it with the words: "Do you not remember when you were celebrating the Eucharist, that you let fall some fragment of the Host, because you were not showing sufficient care?" The hieromonk Pankratios was astonished at this revelation on the part of the Saint and with tears of repentance confessed that he was guilty of this serious lapse in his priestly duties and sought forgiveness. The Saint counseled him to approach the Heavenly King with reverence, fear and trembling, since the angels themselves cannot look upon him.

The Resignation of the Saint

In 1579 St. Dionysios resigned from his office as Bishop of Aegina and returned to Zakynthos. The reason for this was that he was afraid lest the praises of men, which had raised him to such heights, should plunge him down to the abyss of vanity. This fear lead him to resign from his episcopal throne, much to the distress of the people of Aegina, who thus lost their spiritual father. The Saint, however, reassured them and took care to provide them a successor.

The people of Zakynthos were glad to welcome him back. The Patriarch of Constantinople, Jeremiah, now appointed him suffragan Bishop of Zakynthos and President of the Community. Here also the Saint went to work immediately. He ordained clergy, presided at feasts, services, funerals, memorial services, etc. He accepted money from no one, with the result that the interests of the Bishop of Kefallonia were adversely affected. Some of the latter's fellow-islanders went to Venice and complained about Dionysios to the Doge, alleging that he was interfering in another's jurisdiction. As a result of these complaints, the Doge of Venice, Nicholas Daponte, sent orders in 1581 to the Provisore of Zakynthos, Contarino, that "the Very Reverend Dionysios Sigouros shall abstain from any ecclesiastical function falling within the jurisdiction of Kefallonia and Zakynthos, rendering up to the Bishop...whatever of his jurisdiction he has usurped."

Dionysios, in spite of the fact he had been appointed by the Patriarch, announced his resignation and thus scandal and quareling were avoided. However, the love and respect of the people of Zakynthos for him was such that the next year he was elected parish priest of the Church of St. Nicholas.


The Saint Shelter's His Brother's Murderer

There was at this period, as confirmed by the records of the Republic of Venice, a deadly enmity between the Mondinos and the Sigouros families. The efforts of the Saint to effect a reconciliation had been in vain. Things had reached a point where murders had been committed and the population was divided into two factions.

The incidents between the two families continued to the point where in one of them the Saint's brother, Constantine, was killed. The murderer, in despair, sought refuge in the Anaphonitria Monastery, without knowing that the Abbot was the brother of his victim. In reply to the Abbot's questioning, he admitted the murder and told him that Sigouros' relatives were pursuing him. Dionysios was plunged into the most profound sorrow, both as a man and as the brother of the murderer's victim. His grief was all the greater because Constantine had been his only brother. However, he said nothing of all this to the murderer, asking him only, in a fatherly way: "Tell me, what wrong had that noble man done to you that you should unjustly slay him?"

The Saint, when he had shed tears for the cruel loss of his brother, gave the murderer food and water and spoke to him in an effort to induce him to repent of this grave crime and so escape eternal punishment. Then the Saint lead him out of the Monastery and down to the seashore. There he provided him with the necessary supplies, giving him money and food, and put him on a boat for the Peloponnese. Thus the Saint rescued the murderer of his own brother, demonstrating at the same time his own great forbearance.

The Death of the Saint

The days passed, the years rolled by and the Saint tirelessly continued his work for the good of souls. He was the protector of the Orthodox and the champion of Orthodoxy. At a great age - for those days - he perceived that the time of his departure was at hand. He summoned his followers and revealed to them that he was soon to leave them for the next world. Thus, calm and serene, he rendered up his soul on 17 December 1622, at the age of 75. He left all that he had to the Monastery. His last wish was that he should be buried in the Church of St. George on the Strofades islands, where he had been a monk. His wish was carried out.


Three years later, when the remains were to be disinterred, they found the whole of his body incorrupt, exhuding the odor of sanctity. For this reason they placed the body in a coffin and afterwards upright on the bishop's throne. The historian of the period, Ferrari, notes that, "I saw the sacred relics on the episcopal throne, intact, apart from the teeth and the tip of the nose".

Although he had not yet been officially proclaimed a saint by the Church, the faithful honored him as such, as a result of the miracles performed daily at the behest of those who had recourse to him with faith. His many miracles established his position in the hearts of the Orthodox, with the result that he was later officially canonized by the Orthodox Church by a decree by the Ecumenical Patriarchate in 1703, signed by ten synodical bishops.

Procession in Zakyntho
Procession in Aegina


Apolytikion in the First Tone
The offspring of Zakynthos and bishop of Aegina, protector of Strophades Monastery, Saint Dionysios, O faithful, let us all with one accord now honor and sincerely cry to him: "By your fervant prayers save us who are observing your mem'ry and who cry to you: Glory to Christ who glorified you; glory to Him who made you marvelous; glory to Him who gave you to us as a sleepless advocate."

Kontakion in the Third Tone
On this day doth Zakynthos call all the faithful together, rousing them to offer praise in songs and hymns of thanksgiving to our great and fervent helper in needs and sorrows, who doth swiftly rescue them that are caught in perils. And she honoureth him, crying: O Dionysius, boast of the faithful, rejoice!


Part Two - The Miracles of Saint Dionysios of Zakynthos

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Europe's Religion Delusion

According to the European Court of Human Rights, it is fine for government schools to expel students for wearing religiously mandated clothing.

DECEMBER 11, 2009
By LUKE GOODRICH
WALL STREET JOURNAL

Three children walk into a European state school—a Muslim, a Sikh, and an atheist. The Muslim and the Sikh are expelled because they wear religious clothing: a headscarf for the Muslim girl, and a turban for the Sikh boy. The atheist is welcomed into the school, but feels uncomfortable because her classroom has a crucifix on the wall. Whose religious freedom has been violated?

If you said the Muslim and the Sikh, you are wrong—at least according to the European Court of Human Rights. The Court recently shocked Europe by striking down an Italian law that put a crucifix on the wall of every state classroom. (Lautsi v. Italy) According to the Court, the presence of a crucifix interfered with students' right to choose their own religion (or nonreligion).

Just four months ago, however, the same Court upheld a French law that forbids children from wearing any religious symbols in French government schools. (J. Singh v. France) Under that law, 14-year-old Jasvir Singh, a devout Sikh, was expelled from school for wearing a keski—a small, cloth under-turban similar to the Jewish yarmulke. He was forced to complete his schooling at a more tolerant Catholic school.

Similarly, just a few years ago, the Court upheld a Turkish university's ban on wearing the Islamic headscarf. (Şahin v. Turkey) Under the ban, Leyla Şahin, a devout Turkish Muslim, was prohibited from taking her exams or enrolling in additional classes; she was forced to move to Austria to finish her medical studies.

In short, according to the European Court of Human Rights—which, by international treaty, has binding authority on human rights issues over all 47 countries in the Council of Europe—it is fine for government schools to expel students for wearing religiously mandated clothing; but if the school instead welcomes all children while displaying a crucifix on the wall, it violates the freedom of religion and belief.

The inconsistency of these decisions is fairly obvious. The more interesting question is, What drives the Court's inconsistency?

The common theme in these cases is that the Court views religious expression as a threat to a free, democratic society. In the Turkish Muslim case, the Court justified the headscarf ban on the ground that it was necessary to protect the public order and the freedom of others. Specifically, allowing a student to wear a headscarf would threaten Turkey's commitment to secularism, make other students uncomfortable, and undermine the principle of gender equality. The same arguments (minus gender equality) justified the French ban on the Sikh keski.

Similarly, in the Italian crucifix case, the Court rejected the notion, advanced by Italy, that the crucifix was a symbol of Italian history, identity, and culture and thus furthered the principles of equality, liberty, and tolerance. Rather, in the Court's view, the presence of a crucifix in a state classroom would be "disturbing" to atheists and religious minorities.

In short, the Court views religious expression not primarily as a social good, but as a threat to democratic society—a source of division, oppression, and conflict. States are fully justified in pursuing an aggressive program of secularism because secularism is, in the Court's words, "the guarantor of democratic values," "the meeting point of liberty and equality," and a bulwark against "external pressure from extremist movements." Similarly, any attempts by the government (such as Italy) to acknowledge the value of religion—as a fundamental aspect of human history, identity, and culture, and a force for equality, liberty, and tolerance—are inherently suspect.

The view of religion as a threat is, of course, common. "New atheists," such as Richard Dawkins, are one manifestation of that view; he dubs the Catholic Church a "disgusting institution," one of the "greatest force[s] for evil in the world." But new atheists are not the only ones. Others cite a history of religious wars, Muslim oppression of women, or Christian skepticism of science as proving the dangers of religion. Backwards, superstitious, and bigoted, a threat to science and progress: religion is a divisive, intolerant force that governments should tame.

There are two possible responses to this view. One is to attack the premise, arguing that, no, religion really is a force for social good. Religion motivated 19th century abolitionists; religion gave us Mother Teresa; religion permeates the Louvre.

But might there be reasons to protect religious freedom even assuming religion is harmful? I offer three. First, a practical one: suppressing religion may exacerbate the very problems it is designed to solve. History shows that religion does not disappear when governments try to suppress it. It goes underground, sometimes erupting more violently than if it were not suppressed.

Second, empowering governments to deem religion harmful, and therefore suppress it, opens the door to tyranny. Freedom of religion and freedom of expression are inextricably linked. If the government can deem religion harmful and suppress it in the name of public order, it can do the same to other ideas. It is no coincidence that many of the 20th century's most tyrannical governments—Stalin's Russia, Mao's China, Pol Pot's Cambodia—made suppression of religion a centerpiece of their administration.

Finally, suppressing religion—even when done in the name of freedom and equality—strikes at the heart of human dignity, which is the foundation of all human rights. Every human being is born with a "religious" impulse—the urge to seek truth, to embrace the truth as one finds it, and to order one's life accordingly. As the Universal Declaration of Human Rights says, "All human beings are born free" and are "endowed with reason and conscience." Absent a serious threat of violence or imminent harm, suppressing religion interferes with people's ability to be fully human, to seek and embrace the truth as they understand it.

A serious commitment to human rights requires governments to respect the religious impulse—even if much of society thinks religious beliefs are wrong, silly, or even harmful. If the European Court of Human Rights cannot get past its fear of religion, its jurisprudence will only become more incoherent, and all human rights more fragile.

Mr. Goodrich is the Deputy National Litigation Director for The Becket Fund for Religious Liberty. The Becket Fund has represented Anglicans, Agnostics, Buddhists, Christians, Hindus, Jews, Muslims, Sikhs, and Zoroastrians, among others, in lawsuits in the United States and around the world.

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Why We're Fascinated by the Paranormal, Masonic Myths and Secret Societies

December 15, 2009
Anneli Rufus
AlterNet

This is hardly the first time in history that people have suddenly started spouting prophecies and speaking with the dead. These fads come in waves, usually fostered in the wake of unbearable tragedy. What else to do about earthquakes, floods, epidemics, dictators and wars than wonder which demon or deity devised this living hell and why, and what sacrifice or sorcery might make it stop? It is always fear and despair that sets us on this train of thought. During a gold rush or when we've just been given a clean bill of health, we need not believe in magic.

In the Black Death-ridden Middle Ages, chilled and starved by a climate shift now known as the Little Ice Age, Europe became obsessed with the body parts of saints. Crystal-encased, gem-bedecked bones and hanks of hair and half-mummified fingers, heads and hearts were credited with curative powers. Pilgrims packed cathedrals housing so-called holy relics, sometimes trampling the sick and weak during stampedes. Centuries later, the occult became the next big thing again as World War I and the 1918 flu epidemic found seances filling entire auditoriums around the world. Yet another paranormal paroxysm crested in the early 1970s: Think Watergate, Vietnam and the post-'60s awareness—a tragedy for some—that nothing would ever be the same again.

And now: Twin Towers. Financial collapse. War. Flood. The H1N1 virus is our plague.

Or is it? "In recognition of the continuing progression of the pandemic, and in further preparation as a nation," as he put it, Barack Obama declared a national state of emergency on October 23. This declaration allows the federal government to waive certain requirements regarding prevention and treatment procedures because "the potential exists for the pandemic to overburden health care resources in some localities," Obama said.

But the folks at AntichristIdentity.com would probably say this is just his latest step in "progressing the Antichrist system that is gathering pace after the recent world economic upheaval"—a system that "implicates not only Barack Obama but also Javier Solana of the European Union, Prince Charles of Wales, Queen Beatrix of Netherlands and Prince Hassan of Jordan," a "power bloc" that "will drive the Antichrist world government." The folks at BeastObama.com call it "amazing stuff going on here, right before our eyes ... and it fits the pattern set out in Revelation 13."

Every paranormal paroxysm involves politics. That's only natural. We cannot help but brood about whomever rules the world. Is their might the result of keen diplomacy—or sigils chiseled into halls-of-power floors? Who's really in that entourage? We cannot help but wonder as, joking-but-not-quite-joking, we doodle cartoons of George W. Bush with devil horns.

It's all about control, as that's what wizards, angels, demons, gods and elected officials wield. Is it such a long leap from superpower to supernatural?

Rumors of a secret cabal plotting to create a New World Order have been swirling almost ever since the Old World Order began. The nature of these shady puppeteers depends on who's doing the worrying. Jews have been evergreen suspects, whether it's the Elders of Zion or my penniless ancestors slogging through the Polish mud. Secret societies such as the Knights Templar and Freemasons stoke automatic fear: What are they doing in there?

As initiated members of a nondenominational, multiracial, all-male society whose origins are veiled in mystery but was probably founded in the late 16th century, Freemasons base their symbology on the tools of traditional stonemasons and allude, in their top-secret, tell-no-tales rituals, to the building of the Temple of Solomon. They wear lambskin aprons and do things with compasses, and they've been blamed for darn near everything. The Vatican officially condemned the brotherhood in 1738 for being "as political as they were religious," writes Jay Kinney in The Masonic Myth: Unlocking the Truth About the Symbols, the Secret Rites, and the History of Freemasonry (HarperOne, 2009). And even though George Washington, Paul Revere and Benjamin Franklin were all Masons (lending support to rumors that the Boston Tea Party was a Masonic plot), America's first third party was the Anti-Masonic Party. It was founded in 1826 and four years later, Kinney tells us, 124 different anti-Masonic newspapers were thriving.

Like others before and after him, Adolf Hitler believed that Freemasonry was a Zionist front. Railing against "the international world Jew" in Mein Kampf, he conjectured that "to strengthen his political position ... the governing circles and the higher strata of the political and economic bourgeoisie are brought into his nets by the strings of Freemasonry. ... The prohibition of Masonic secret societies," Hitler predicted, would silence "the hissing of the Jewish world hydra."

Article 22 of the Hamas Covenant repeats the Jewish/Mason claim, and then some: "With their money, they formed secret societies, such as Freemasons, Rotary Clubs, the Lions and others in different parts of the world for the purpose of sabotaging societies." Other conspiracy theorists charge the Masons with faking the moon landing, worshiping Satan and assassinating JFK.

"Within the thriving subculture of present-day born-again Christianity," writes Kinney, a longtime Gnosis magazine editor and 32nd-degree Knight Commander Court of Honor in Freemasonry's Scottish Rite, "anti-Masonic books are a mainstay," thanks to evangelists such as Pat Robertson, who has called the brotherhood "a mystery religion designed to replace the old Christian world order of Europe and America." Kinney mocks those "legions of anti-Masons, most of them superstitious believers in the occult as a demon-infested quagmire," who "shiver dramatically as they hawk their books and videos." He also notes that British conspiracy theorist David Icke, the most famous proponent of the reptilian concept, posts material at his Web site alleging that "there are secret tunnels beneath every Masonic lodge to facilitate reptilian rendezvous." Yet Kinney insists that Freemasonry's origins were neither alien nor occult: "Rather, it seems to have been an attempt to create a nucleus of men of goodwill, over and above fractious religious conflicts, using the motifs and symbols of temple building as working tools both for the deepening of the individual soul and for building an archetypal temple to the Most High in the collective imagination of humanity."

Okay, but what are they doing in there? And are they or are they not intertwined with the Illuminati, a soooopersecret club founded in Germany in 1776 and modeled on the Masons but which Kinney claims disbanded in the 1780s but which conspiracy theorists insist still thrives, boasting such members as Barack Obama and both Bushes. "All this chaos, genocide, ethnic cleansing and the overall disasters have a genuine purpose," we read at Illuminati-News.com:

"It is all very carefully planned by a few people, mostly men, behind the scenes, high up in the society. ... These people on top, who basically are of Royal Bloodlines, is currently working on reducing the world population in order to easier maintain their control. ... So who are those people I am talking about? They are basically 13 super wealthy families and their off-shoots, with the European Nobility on top, and their fellow travelers are the International Bankers. Their bloodlines go back in time—way back to old Babylon and further."

As for UFOs: "The sightings, abductions and encounters are so numerous that we can't ignore them and say that the whole thing is just imagination. That would be stupid. The phenomenon does exist, but the questions are: what is it and what is the agenda?"

Such questions are now bingo-night and soccer-mom staples, thanks mainly to The X-Files and Dan Brown, whose record-breaking thrillers feature history's most prominent Western artists, scientists, religious figures and rulers enacting sinister global plots as ancient brotherhoods guard mysteries that might just end or save the world. Brown's book Angels and Demons dangled the notion that the eye-in-the-pyramid on the U.S. dollar was the work of the Illuminati. The Da Vinci Code featured a royal line sired by Jesus Christ. Subterranean Masonic structures beneath Washington D.C. figure in this fall's The Lost Symbol. By making paranoia part of pop culture, Brown has earned a fortune. Then again, maybe he belongs to a secret cabal.

It all comes down to: Who knows what, how do they know it and what will they do with what they know? In this information age, it's not such a stretch from Patriot Act surveillance to the possibility of government programs testing and using telepathy, clairvoyance and hypnosis. Now a major motion picture starring George Clooney, The Men Who Stare at Goats is based on British journalist Jon Ronson's allegedly nonfiction 2005 book of the same name, which explores exactly such a program. Instituted in the U.S. military in 1979, the First Earth Battalion comprised psychic soldiers trained to read minds, make themselves invisible, kill living things just by gazing at them, and walk through walls: "General Stubblebine is confounded by his continual failure to walk through his wall," Ronson writes, describing a scene that he claims took place in Fort Bragg, North Carolina during the Cold War summer of 1983. "What's wrong with him that he can't do it? Maybe there is simply too much in his in-tray for him to give it the requisite level of concentration. There is no doubt in his mind that the ability to pass through objects will one day be a common tool in the intelligence-gathering arsenal. And, when that happens ... who would want to screw around with an army that could do that?"

But by 1983, the psychic cold war was already at least two decades old. Created by the CIA and the Defense Department in a desperate struggle to keep pace with mind-control advances in the USSR, the U.S. government's secret psychic-spy program went by many different names throughout the second half of the 20th century, including Scanate, Sun Streak, Grill Flame, Center Lane and Stargate. According to recently declassified documents, it was employed in searches for terrorists, Soviet missile-storage facilities, and moles but was ended by then-CIA director John Deutch in 1995.

Think of all the money and lives governments could save if they just hired psychics to find stuff. That's what happens in C.S. Graham's new psychic-cold-war thriller The Solomon Effect, whose heroine is a hot, honey-haired young Iraq War veteran whose telepathic talents help the CIA hunt for a hidden weapon that unidentified terrorists plan to use in an imminent attack. Although by closing her eyes and entering her "remote-viewing zone" Naval Ensign October Guinness can see where the weapon is but not what it is or who plans to use it, we learn rather quickly that the terrorists are a wildly rich Miami pharmaceutical magnate and a fundamentalist Christian U.S. Army general who share a loathing for Arabs and Jews and have devised a diabolical scheme for eliminating both: "In the end, the world would be a better place. No more endless Middle East crises. No more suicide bombers. No more money-grubbing Jews, siphoning off billions in foreign aid, competing with American arms manufacturers, and wreaking havoc on the world financial scene ... The country was flushing itself down the toilet, wasting billions and billions of dollars every month for -- what? To wipe the noses of a bunch of ungrateful ragheads in Afghanistan and Iraq? To prop up Israel? Why?"

Concentrate, Ensign Guinness. Concentrate.

Deflecting a skeptic, one government official in the novel asserts, "Remote viewing is not woo-woo. It's science."

And science changes everything. A key feature of our current paranormal paroxysm is the fact that science and technology play such a prominent role in it, from YouTube videos allegedly capturing ghosts and guardian angels to music recorded at certain frequencies said to induce instant trance states and miraculously "repair" DNA. Ghosthunters use highly sensitive devices called electronic-voice phenomena—or EVP—machines. Quantum physics is invoked to explain everything from premonitions to astral projection.

In her angry new book Bright-Sided: How the Relentless Promotion of Positive Thinking Has Undermined America (Metropolitan, 2009), Barbara Ehrenreich describes how she encountered this psychic/science convergence while undergoing chemotherapy, when self-help gurus and fellow cancer patients kept exhorting her to smile. Positive thinking boosts the immune system, went the claim for which Ehrenreich, who holds a Ph.D in cell biology, could find no scientific proof. Visualizing microscopic crusades in which squealing cancer cells are slaughtered follows the same procedure as spells I used to find in paperbacks and perform after school in seventh grade: Burn red candles for love and green for cash, picture kisses and coins and wish.

It's the exact same easy-come thesis that made a worldwide movement out of Rhonda Byrne's 2007 megabestselling book The Secret. Courting what Byrne calls the Law of Attraction—and which she claims, surprise surprise, functions via quantum physics—millions now believe that their mere thoughts affect material reality and that if they want something intensely enough, they'll "attract" it. They post thousands of "mind movies" at YouTube featuring footage of mansions and Corvettes with captions reading "This is my house" and "This is my car." These captions aren't true, but ... wish.

The socially accepted version of this process is called prayer. Bemused and horrified, Ehrenreich observed "pastorpreneurs" preaching the "prosperity gospel," in which God "manifests" goodies if you ask. Centimillionaire televangelist Joyce Meyer, whose private jet and $23,000 marble toilet spurred Republican Senator Chuck Grassley to launch an investigation into her wealth in 2007, explains the gospel thusly: "God wants to give us nice things." Bye-bye, Calvinist ethic, in which God rewards hard work.

The number of megachurches in this country doubled to 1,210 betwen 2001 and 2006, boasting a combined congregation of nearly 4.4 million, Ehrenreich reports. Three of the biggest four tout the prosperity gospel. That's a hefty voting bloc. Its members worship a candy-man God who showers them with riches. A large but almost entirely separate faction at the far end of the spectrum swore allegiance last year to a presidential candidate who more or less promised to shower his voters with riches. At least in the early months, photographers loved to snap Obama with what looks like a halo: a trick of the light sometimes, or his head ringed just so by his campaign logo or the presidential seal. Children sang virtual Obama hymns. These are scenes from an adulation not entirely secular and unlike any ever seen in U.S. politics before.

Adversaries they are, but both blocs harbor the same hilariously obvious spirituality: Our dear leader makes us rich just because we want him to. One faction calls it grace. The other calls it human rights. Each faction mocks and fears the other's form of worship and the other's entity. Liberal children wake screaming from nightmares featuring the Christian Right. Megachurch kids dream fitfully of a fallen angel who steals through taxation what God manifests.

"The dicey subprime and Alt-A categories of mortgages had expanded to 40 percent of total mortgages" in 2006, Ehrenreich notes, "many of them requiring little or no income documentation or down payment." To "buy" a home under such conditions is to believe in magic. We display this belief every day, as even credit cards are wands granting us things we want with money we don't have.

But the susceptible among us trusted mortgage brokers just as the susceptible among our ancestors trusted soothsayers and snake-oil salesmen and voices in their heads they thought belonged to spirits of the dead. The rise of truthiness renders it ever harder to draw lines between science, psychology, spirituality, and lies. We find ourselves despairing as Ehrenreich did at a convention watching "life coaches" make outrageous claims about the transformative power of mental "vibrations" and the Law of Attraction and subatomic particles.

"Maybe I should have been impressed," she muses, "that these positive thinkers bothered to appeal to science at all ... in however degraded a form. To base a belief or worldview on science or what passes for science is to reach out to the nonbelievers and the uninitiated. ... The alternative is to base one's worldview on revelation or mystical insight, and these are things that cannot be reliably shared."

And as we panic over healthcare, job loss and war in this funhouse of the proven and unproven, ascribing otherworldly powers to those who control us lets us off the hook. If they became this strong, this devious, this cruel by paranormal means, then heck: The world's in bad shape not because I voted wrong or didn't vote at all or wasn't a good enough activist. The world's in bad shape because our rulers are aliens or possess divine DNA or intone incantations under the full moon. In other words, it's not my fault.


Anneli Rufus is the author of several books, most recently The Scavenger's Manifesto (Tarcher Press, 2009). Read more of Anneli's writings on scavenging at scavenging.wordpress.com.

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ClimateGate Round-Up

Round-up of some recent noteworthy articles on ClimateGate:

Henninger on ClimateGate
Daniel Henninger at the Wall Street Journal has a superb overview of the deeper implications of the global warming fraud. He understands what this catastrophe means for science. As Henninger points out, global warming science has for a couple of decades been the public face of science, hyped and sold as a commodity indispensable to humanity's survival. As it is revealed as a fraud, the public reassessment of science will shake science to its foundations. His thoughts on the encroachment of post-modernism on science are fascinating.

George Will and David Limbaugh on ClimateGate
George Will has an essay on the recently affirmed scientific misconduct and fraud in the climate science industry. Will has run afoul of climate alarmists in the past by questioning their "consensus" science and their utter intolerance for dissent (bonus question: in what other area of science do ideologically motivated scientists behave this way?). The warmists have viciously attacked him. Now that the evidence from the emerging CRU scandal is proving Will right, he pens a fine essay. His insight into the political and economic machinations of corrupt science is particularly acute. David Limbaugh, meanwhile, has an excellent essay on ClimateGate at Human Events.

Christopher Booker: "Climategate reveals the most influential tree in the world"
There is a fascinating essay by journalist Christopher Booker, in which Booker explains the details of the tree-ring data manipulations in the Climategate scandal.

Mark Steyn on ClimateGate: "the First Church of the Settled Scientist"
Mark Steyn--the best essayist on earth--has a characteristically superb take on ClimateGate.

Frank J on Climate Scientists: "Not Another Krypton on Our Watch..."
Frank J, author of the immortal Nuke the Moon post on IMAO, has penned a delightful character study of scientists convinced of their indispensability in defending mankind from scientific untruth.

The Clearest Explanation of the Decline They Hid
Marc Sheppard at American Thinker has a detailed but very clear explanation of what the climate scientists "hid" when they "hid the decline." It wasn't the recent warming trend since 1998; it was something much more important, and it was something that, if not hidden, would unravel the anthropogenic global warming theory in short order. This puts the lie to Nature's editorial claiming that ClimateGate doesn't invalidate "the large body of global warming science." There is nothing left of the anthropogenic global warming hypothesis if this "inconvenient" aspect of the data isn't hidden. And of course, this Scientific Scam of the Century was perpetrated in Nature itself, with the editors' apparent acquiescence.

Who Knew That the University of Minnesota Morris was the Epicenter of Greenhouse Gasses?
Cornelius Hunter has a post in which he has tracked down the primary forcing factor in atmospheric heating. It seems that we Darwin skeptics have really been fighting global warming for the past couple of years. Maybe there's a Nobel Prize in this...

New Ice Age
In the annals of perpetual science fraud, the New Ice Age of the 1970s sometimes gets overlooked (it's dwarfed by so many other frauds perpetrated in the name of "consensus science"). But science ideologues and alarmists have been busy since the mid-19th century trying, with varying degrees of success, to impose their agendas on our society. Gary Sutton of Forbes has a nice review of the science-hoax of the 1970s that promised a climate catastrophe, if we didn't listen to the scientists.

Climate Conference Leaves Big Carbon Footprint
If they fail to reach a climate deal in Copenhagen, world leaders flying in their private jets and huddling in five-star hotels will have little to show for their efforts beyond a big, fat carbon footprint. Read the report from Sphere here.

Climategate goes SERIAL
Climategate just got much, much bigger. And all thanks to the Russians who, with perfect timing, dropped this bombshell just as the world’s leaders are gathering in Copenhagen to discuss ways of carbon-taxing us all back to the dark ages.

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Story About Jesus Drawing Reportedly Exaggerated

December 16 2009
by Tom Henderson
ParentDish

Although reporters regionally and nationally jumped on a story about a 9-year-old boy supposedly suspended for drawing a stick-figure Jesus on the cross, it now appears the tale was overblown.

Contrary to news reports -- including a story on ParentDish -- the boy was never suspended. He and his classmates at Maxham Elementary School in Taunton, Mass. (40 miles south of Boston), were never given an assignment to draw pictures that reminded them of Christmas.

The Boston Globe reports much of that information came from the boy's father, Chester Johnson. The father granted interviews to reporters from Boston to Providence and beyond yesterday and apparently exaggerated the story while demanding money from school district.

"They can't mess with our religion," he told reporters. "They owe us a small lump sum for this."

The story that the boy was suspended appeared originally in the Taunton Daily Gazette. School Superintendent Julie Hackett tells the Globe that it -- and subsequent news reports -- were based on interviews with the father before all the facts were investigated. As a result, she says, the stories were rife with inaccuracies.

"The report is totally inaccurate," Hackett tells the Globe. "The inaccuracies in the original media story have resulted in a great deal of criticism and scrutiny of the system that is unwarranted."

Hackett tells the Globe the boy didn't draw the picture for class. She says it's unclear when and where he drew it. A teacher reportedly discovered it at school Dec. 2. The picture depicts a dead Jesus bleeding on the cross.

The boy identified himself as Jesus in the drawing, the superintendent tells the paper. That's why, she says, the drawing raised concern and the boy was psychologically evaluated.

Based on the story in the Taunton Gazette, Mayor Charles Crowley asked Hackett to apologize to the boy's parents. Now the Globe reports he backs up the superintendent.

"Dr. Hackett has far more of the facts than I do, and now I understand that the report was not accurate," he tells the newspaper. "Based on her account, I stand behind my superintendent. She is in possession of the facts."

Hackett blames the Taunton Gazette, telling the Globe the local paper published the story based on interviews with Johnson before giving district officials time to investigate the allegations.

Reporters across the country quickly jumped on board.

"The approach that is often taken is that an editorial or article in the local newspaper is completely inaccurate, but it gets published before anyone checks the facts," she tells the Globe.

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St. Basil Dispels the Idea of an Environmental Crisis

[We know that today philosophical naturalism interprets the scientific data, and this causes the world to interpret certain scientific data to foretell a present and future environmental crisis. However, St. Basil dispels this pessimistic doomsday attitude by showing that the crisis is not in the environment, but within ourselves. God's providential care for His creation still exists, and whatever befalls us is meant for our repentance and our own transformation. Without such an attitude, we may as well be atheists and alarmists allowing such opportunities of self-refinement to pass us by.

The following is taken from St Basil the Great's sermon "In Time of Famine and Drought," which is included in the recently published St Basil the Great: On Social Justice (SVS 2009). - J.S.]

"And I also withheld the rain from you when there were still three months to the harvest; I would send rain on one city, and send no rain on another city; one field would be rained upon, and the field on which it did not rain withered; so two or three towns wandered to one town to drink water, and were not satisfied, because you did not return to Me, says the Lord." - Amos 4:7-8

We should learn, then, that it is because we have turned away from the Lord and discarded His ways that God has inflicted these wounds upon us. He does not seek to destroy us, but rather endeavors to turn us back to the right way, just as good parents who care for their children are stern and rebuke them when they do wrong, not because they wish them harm, but rather desiring to lead them from childish negligence and the sins of youth to mature attentiveness.

See, now, how the multitude of our sins has altered the course of the year and changed the character of the seasons, producing these unusual temperatures. The winter did not produce alternating wetness and dryness as usual, but rather kept all its moisture frozen into ice, and so passed with no sign of snow or rain. The spring, moreover, showed only one side of its nature, namely warmth, but without any corresponding share of wetness. Scorching heat and biting frost, exceeding their boundaries in an unprecedented way, conspired to wreak damage upon human beings, even depriving them of life itself. What, then, is the cause of this disorder, this confusion? What brought about this change in the nature of the seasons? Let us investigate this question as those who have intelligence; as rational beings let us reason. Has the One who governs all ceased to exist? Or has the Master Artisan forgotten His providential care? Has He been stripped of His power and authority? Or, if He still possesses His might and retains His dominion, has He lapsed into callousness and turned His great goodness and providence into misanthropy?

A wise person would not say this. Rather, the reason why our needs are not provided for as usual is plain and obvious: we do not share what we receive with others. We praise beneficence, while we deprive the needy of it. When we were slaves, we were set free, yet we feel no compassion for our fellow slaves. When we were hungry, we were fed, yet we neglect the needy. Though we have a God who is generous and lacks nothing, we have become grudging and unsociable to the poor. Our sheep give birth to many lambs, yet there are more people who go about naked than there are shorn sheep. Our storehouses groan with plenty, yet we have no mercy on those who groan with want. For this reason we are threatened with righteous judgment. This is why God does not open his hand: because we have closed up our hearts towards our brothers and sisters. This is why the fields are arid: because love has dried up....

When you see that God does not provide as usual, you should think in this way: does not God have the power to grant us food? How could it be otherwise? He is the Lord of heaven and earth, the wise Steward of times and seasons. God set the boundaries of the seasons as they wax and wane, giving way to another like a well-ordered dance, so that the diversity of our needs might be satisfied by their endless variety. Thus, we see the rainfall accrues during its proper season, while afterward the earth receives warmth and coldness in appropriate mixture throughout the course of the year. We even need a certain period of dryness. We know, then, that God is powerful. Since His might is thus evident and undisputed, is He perhaps deficient in goodness? But neither can this notion stand. If God were not good, what necessity could have persuaded Him to create human beings in the first place? Who could have compelled the Creator unwillingly to take dust and fashion such beauty from dirt? Who could have prevailed upon Him to grant reason to human beings, as it were, out of necessity, so that thus impelled they might receive instruction in the arts, and learn to philosophize about the celestial realms, which cannot be apprehended through the senses?

If you think in this way, you will discover that God's goodness is still present and has not abandoned us even now. Otherwise, tell me, what would prevent there befalling us not a mere drought, but utter conflagration? What would prevent the sun from altering its usual course, drawing near to the terrestrial bodies and consuming in a moment all that we see? What would prevent fire from raining down from heaven, like that which punished the sinners of old? (Gen. 19:1-29). Come to your senses, people! Do not behave like foolish children, who smash their teachers writing tablets when they are rebuked, or rip apart their father's garments when he sends them away from the table to teach them a lesson, or scratch their own mother's face with their fingernails. Storms at sea test the mettle of the ship's captain, just as the arena does the athlete, the battle line the soldier, calamity the magnanimous, the times of trial the Christian. Sorrows try the soul as fire does gold.

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