In Defense of Organized Religion (2 of 2)

Part I of this article is here.

The Appeal and Pitfalls of "Private Spirituality"

An individualistic approach to spirituality undoubtably has a certain appeal, especially to Americans. The United States was built on the principles of independence, personal rights and on the "rugged individualism" of the pioneers and gold prospectors, so Americans tend to have a very independent streak.

As a consequence, many modern forms of religion in America, from Evangelical Protestantism to the "New Age movement", have strong individualist tendancies. Evangelicalism is based on the belief in Jesus as ones personal Savior, and in ones personal interpretation of Scripture. Unfortunately, this overemphasis on the "personal" aspect of faith leads some adherents to a "Just Jesus and me" spirituality out of touch with the teachings of Scripture and the spirit of Christianity. The New Age movement is even more radically individualistic. Apart from a few New Age churches and cults (ie. the so-called "Liberal Catholic Church", Silent Unity, Church of Religious Science, Freemasons and the cultic "Church Universal and Triumphant"), most New Ageism is decidedly individualistic and anti-institutional.

But a private, "do-it-yourself" spirituality without organized religion has many drawbacks. As noted at the end of Part I, it tends toward self-centeredness. Also, like many other individualistic elements of modern Western society, it ultimately leads to a sense of loneliness and isolation. People who shun "organized religion" may seem "free" but in truth they are like "spiritual orphans", with no mother or father, no family in which they belong. An appreciation of the family of God would work as an antidote to the radical isolation of modern Western society.

Organized Religion's Contribution to the World

The curmudgeonly comedian George Carlin once wrote something to the effect that "the only good thing that ever came out of religion was the music". I suppose if I answer that statement I might sound like a person who "can't take a joke". Well, I understand full well that he was telling a joke (he's a comedian, after all), but since Carlin distains religion in general, I tend to think the quip was half-serious! It is that serious half of the joke which I will now address.

So music was the only good thing came out of religion? What about the other arts? What about Byzantine icons and Renaissance masterpieces? Michelangelo would have never painted the Sistine Chapel ceiling were it not for organized religion.

What about philosophy? The Church is often unfairly lambasted for the so-called "Dark Ages" (a misnomer), but the medieval Church established universities which preserved higher learning, and theologians such as Thomas Aquinas even used Aristotle's philosophy in his own works. Moreover, the Renaissance could not have occured were it not for Christian monks who preserved ancient manuscripts containing knowledge of classical philosophy. It's time we recognize that the Renaissance was not a rejection of the "Middle Ages", but their full flowering.

What about science and medicine? It seems that science does not wish to acknowledge its origins in religion; yes, even in primitive religion and superstition. Alchemy preceeded chemistry, astrology was the original astronomy, primitive herbalism preceeded (and contributed to the development of) modern medicines. Medieval monastics kept herb gardens and used them in medicinal preparations. Science and religion have not always been in conflict either. During the Renaissance, many Catholic priests were scientists and mathematicians! What about the great contribution to science made by Johann Gregor Mendel (1822-1884), a Catholic monk? His experimental work in the field of heredity was the basis for modern genetics. Organized religion made great contributions to science before and even after the tragic [so-called] rift between faith and reason, religion and science.

So music was the only good thing that came out of religion? What about hospitals? Why are so many hospitals called "Mary Immaculate" or "Columbia Presbyterian" or "Maimonedes" - religious names? Because they were founded by religions - and organized ones at that! In fact, it is precisely the organized nature of a religion which enables it to offer an organized system of health care. An organized religion has a philanthropic ethic which encourages care for the sick, the finances to build the hospital, and adherents to run it. A self-centered, personal, feel-good "spirituality" does not have all those things, so it does not tend toward the establishment of hospitals.

What about charities and disaster relief agencies? Catholic Relief Services, Save the Children, Christian Children's Fund, Salvation Army...all religiously oriented! In fact, the majority of all relief work around the globe is performed by organized religion! Where would mankind be without their help in time of need? Would everyone be better off if organized religion were abolished and all the world's unfortunates just left to die?

What about all the counseling centers, orphanages, ministries to youth, universities, scholarships, homeless shelters, soup kitchens and nursing homes run by organized religions? Should we abolish them too? Would humanity be better off without them? Or do you honestly expect government to do the whole job in these areas? The government is overburdened as it is, and the services of organized religion in these areas have been invaluable.

Sure, some forms of "organized religion" can be oppressive, but organized religion can also correct its own oppressivenes, or even challenge the prejudices of the larger society. Think of the role which religion played in American abolitionism, women's suffrage, and, more recently, the civil rights movement. How many members of organized religions have spoken up for the poor, the homeless, the disenfranchized, and members of oppressed ethnic groups? Would we be better off without religion's leadership in the area of civil rights?

Though organized religion may not be perfect, it has made a tremendous contribution to the world. How much poorer would we all be without it!

Secular Humanism and Non-Theistic Religions

Some may object that secular humanists are dedicated to humanitarian causes apart from organized religion. But from where did they get this humanitarian ethic if not from organized religion, particularly Western ones like Christianity and Judaism? As much as humanists may trash theism, they are indebted to its example of ethics and love for ones neighbor. As someone once said, secular humanists read the play but refuse to acknowledge the author.

This is a good place to mention the phenomenon of "non-theistic religions". Some atheists and agnostics have actually formed their own fellowships which exclude God (or at least the traditional concept of Him) while maintaining many aspects of "organized religion". [One example is the Unitarian Church, or the more recent atheist organizations].

Reconstructionist Judaism stresses the importance of Jewish community and civilization over the traditional belief in a personal God. Their concept of "God" is non-supernatural: instead of a transcendent Supreme Being, Reconstructionists say that "God" is a power or force in the universe which can be experienced within oneself as one's conscience. They have synagogues, rabbis and celebrate many Jewish rituals, with an emphasis on community rather than worship.

Ethical Humanism (aka Ethical Culture) is a 125 year-old non-theistic "religious" movement which holds that human betterment is more important than belief in a deity (it "neither affirms nor denies" the existence of God). Ethical Humanist Societies hold meetings on Sundays; run "Ethics Schools" for children (a non-theistic Sunday School!), perform weddings and funerals, and in many ways mimic theistic religions without requiring any belief in God or adherence to a creed.

Perhaps the most curious of the non-theistic religions is the Religion of Humanity, founded by the French philosopher Auguste Compte (1798-1857). Based on his philosophy of "Positivism", this religious system worships "Humanity" as a substitute for God, and is actually patterned after Catholicism - complete with its own dogmas, a "Positivist Catechism" and a heirarchical priesthood. Scientists, poets, philosphers and artists are its "saints"; each one is even assigned a "feast day"! A painting of a woman (symbolizing Order) holding a child (symbolizing Progress) substitutes for the Virgin Mary; it is displayed prominently in the "Temples of Humanity", Positivist houses of worship in which Sunday services are conducted!

These movements are nowhere near as large as the traditional theistic religions. Yet their existence is telling, since they show that even atheists can feel a need for "organized religion"!

Conclusion

As I stated at the beginning, I do not intend to downplay the importance of spirituality. Ideally, religion and spirituality should complement one another; they can and often do work in harmony. Whether we realize it or not, they actually need each other! Spirituality is to organized religion what the soul is to the body. Without spirituality, religion is a corpse, but without a structured religion to embody it, spirituality is a wispy, insubstantial ghost. Only together can they be whole; only together can the have an impact on the world!

If "organization" is so necessary in civilization, in the natural world and in our own bodies, why not in religion? No system composed of flawed humans will ever be perfect, but that doesn't mean it should be rejected or disbanded. Organized religion exists because human beings have an innate need for a ritual and social expression of their deeply-held beliefs. Even some people who don't believe in God recognize that need within themselves and seek to satisfy it. Do you?

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A Trek to Saint Anthony's Monastery in Egypt

An incredible BBC production (1 hr) that will give you an idea of the kind of asceticism that the Desert Fathers undertook and are still undertaking to come closer to God. Here is link to web site.

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Should Inherent Human Dignity Be Rejected?

Calling Dr. Mengele, Calling Dr. Mengele

5 January 2010
Barry Arrington
Uncommon Descent

Alasdair Cochrane works at an organization called the Centre for the Study of Human Rights in the UK. The journal Bioethics has just published Cochrane’s article “Undignified Bioethics” (subscription required), in which he argues that the concept of inherent human dignity should be rejected. Cochrane correctly notes that treating all humans as though they possess inherent dignity merely by virtue of the fact that they are human gets in the way of the really nifty medical experiments we could perform on the defenseless among us if we were to jettison that notion:

"This conception of dignity as inherent moral worth certainly seems coherent enough as an idea. Indeed, we can also see why this conception of dignity is employed in certain debates around bioethics. For if all individual human beings possess dignity, then they should not be viewed simply as resources that we can treat however we please. To take an example then, it may be that we could achieve rapid and significant progress in medical science if we were to conduct wide-ranging medical experiments on groups of human beings. However, because human beings have dignity, so it is argued, this means that they possess a particular quality that grounds certain moral obligations and rights. These obligations and rights restrict what we may permissibly do to them. As such, inflicting great harms on individual humans, as would be inflicted in medical experiments, is impermissible on the grounds that human individuals possess dignity. The dignity of individual human beings prevents us from doing certain acts to them, even if those acts would lead to great social benefits."

Therefore, we need to “argue” over which of us humans are exempt from medical experimentation and which of us are fair game for the Mengele wannabes:

"Obviously, given controversies over abortion, stem cell research, genetic interventions, animal experimentation, euthanasia and so on, bioethics does need to engage in debates over which entities possess moral worth and why. But these are best conducted by using the notion of ‘moral status’ and arguing over the characteristics that warrant possession of it. Simply stipulating that all and only human beings possess this inherent moral worth because they have dignity is arbitrary and unhelpful.... I urge for an undignified bioethics."

This is where materialism inevitably leads. Cochrane believes that human beings are purely material – nothing but matter in motion. Given that premise, how can one argue with his logic? Why should we not treat objects like, well, objects. In a materialist world “justice” is a meaningless word, and the strong exploit the weak for their own ends.

I wonder if Cochrane would stick to his position if we conducted the “argument” he urges upon us and decide that foppish Brit materialists fall in the “exploit at will” category?


WWND? (What Would Nietzsche Do?)

6 January 2010
Barry Arrington
Uncommon Descent

In an earlier post I commented on Alasdair Cochrane’s efforts to jettison “inherent dignity” as a criterion for determining whether it is moral to treat certain classes of humans as objects. Cochrane is impatient with the “dignity criterion,” because it prevents actions that he deems beneficial, for example medical experiments on human guinea pigs that might lead to advances in medicine.

As I thought more about Cochrane’s thesis, it became clear to me that our old friend Nietzsche was lurking just beneath the surface of his arguments. Nietzsche had no use for what he called “slave morality.” For Nietzsche, “good” does not mean adherence to a moral standard. Instead, it is more or less a synonym for “strong.” Thus, the “master’s morality” (characterized by words such as “healthy,” “powerful,” “vigorous,” “vital,” and “wealthy”) is good, and the “slave’s morality” (characterized by words like “weak,” “poor” “decrepit,” “sick,” and “infirm”) is “bad.”

Nietzsche posited that the slaves (the vast majority of people) had conspired to impose their slave morality on the masters as an act of self-protection against the “natural” dominance of the masters, and that the slaves had especially used Christianity (which he called a “slave religion”) for this purpose. The remedy for this unnatural state of affairs was for the master (the “ubermensch,” i.e., “superman”) to throw off the constraints of traditional slave morality and follow his own “inner law.” And of course a subjective inner law is no law at all. Nietzsche was inviting the ubermensch to do whatever he desired, and if he were able to do it – i.e., if he were able to impose his will on others – then by definition it was good.

In Cochrane’s conception of morality, the strong dominate the weak and defenseless to the point of killing them on a whim (abortion) or using them as objects (medical research subjects). And don’t bother him with your slave morality and its concepts of inherent human dignity. For Cochrane, imposing one’s will on another is, by definition, “good.” God help us if his view prevails.

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The Apostle Peter's Miraculous Chains

The Veneration of the Chains of Saint Peter the Apostle (Feast Day - January 16)

Herod Agrippa, the grandson of Herod the Great and king of the Jews, grew wroth against the Church of Christ, and slew James, the brother of John the Evangelist. Seeing that this pleased the Jews, he took Peter also into custody and locked him up in prison, intending to keep him there until after the feast of the Passover, so that he could win the favour of the people by presenting him to them as a victim. But the Apostle was saved when he was miraculously set free by an Angel (Acts 12:1-19). The Chains wherewith the Apostle was bound received from his most sacred body the grace of sanctification and healing, which is bestowed upon the faithful who draw nigh with faith.

That such sacred treasures work wonders and many healings is witnessed by the divine Scripture, where it speaks concerning Paul, saying that the Christians in Ephesus had such reverence for him, that his handkerchiefs and aprons, taken up with much reverence, healed the sick of their maladies: "So that from his body were brought unto the sick handkerchiefs or aprons, and the diseases departed from them, and the evil spirits went out of them" (Acts 19:12). But not only the Apostles' clothing (which certainly touched the bodies of the sick), but even their shadow alone performed healings. On beholding this, people put their sick on stretchers and beds and brought them out into the streets that, when Peter passed by, his shadow "might overshadow some of them"(Acts 5:15). From this the Orthodox Catholic Church has learned to show reverence and piety not only to the relics of their bodies, but also in the clothing of God's Saints.

- From the Great Synaxarion by Holy Transfiguration Monastery.

For three centuries the Chains were kept in Jerusalem, and those afflicted with illness and approached them with faith received healing. Patriarch Juvenal (July 2) presented the Chains to Eudokia, wife of the emperor Theodosius the Younger, and she in turn transferred them from Jerusalem to Constantinople in either the year 437 or 439.

Eudokia sent one Chain to Rome to her daughter Eudokia (the wife of Valentinian), who built a church on the Esquiline Hill dedicated to the Apostle Peter and placed the Chains in it. There were other Chains in Rome, such as that which had bound the saint during his nine month imprisonment in the Mamertine Prison near the Forum, with which the Apostle Peter was shackled before his martyrdom under the Emperor Nero. These were also placed in the church. It is said that when the pope compared the two Chains, they miraculously fused together into one unbreakable series of links. Because of this miracle, Empress Eudokia built the Basilica of Saint Peter in Chains (San Pietro in Vincoli), and dedicated it to the apostle in the year 442. The relic is now kept in a golden urn beneath the high altar, close to the famous statue of Michelangelo's Moses.

The basilica has undergone several restorations and rebuildings, including a restoration by Pope Adrian I, a rebuilding by Pope Sixtus IV and another by Pope Julius II. There was also a renovation in 1875. Some modernizations were made at that time.

Michelangelo's Moses, which dates from 1515, is the most notable piece of artwork in the basilica. Originally intended as part of a 40-statue funeral monument for Pope Julius II, Moses became the Pope's funeral monument and tomb in his family's church.

Further, Arator, Subdeacon of the Roman Church in the sixth century, wrote that the Chains wherewith Peter was bound at Jerusalem, or certainly some of them, were preserved at Rome in his own time, and consequently the veneration of Peter's Chains greatly increased; especially when, as we learn from other records of the Church of Rome, a basilica was built by the younger Eudokia, wife of Valentinian III, on the Esquiline Hill, under the name of Saint Peter in Chains. This temple, or a re-building of it, was dedicated on August 1st, whence the day was placed in the Roman Calendar as the Feast of Saint Peter's Chains, afterwards called in England Lammas Day, from the custom of offering loaves of bread made from the first-gathered grain of the year, in thanksgiving from the beginning of the harvest. And, because of his Chains, this holy Apostle is often invoked for those in bondage.

Two Miracles of the Chains of the Apostle Peter

When Constantine the Great became emperor of Rome and ended the persecutions against the Church, the Christians of Rome gathered the relics of the Apostle Peter together with the Chains that held him in prison in Rome, and a temple was dedicated to them by the emperor. The Chains were greatly venerated by the faithful, for just as the shadow of the apostle worked miracles so also did the Chains that held him. The relics of the Apostle Peter were placed on a throne in a hidden area of the temple to prevent its theft, and this area was only opened three times a year for Christians to go and venerate the apostle seated on his throne.

Around this time a man went to the then Orthodox Pope of Rome to confess a sin which heavily burdened his soul. The Pope heard his confession and gave him a penance that in order to be released from the burden of his sin he would have to be chained with the heavy Chains of Peter all around his body and walk around the entire church seven times. After he completed his seventh walk around he was to go to the hidden chamber which contained the holy relics of St. Peter and knock with his head on the locked door. If the door opened on its own, then this would be a sign that the man's sin had been forgiven him. The man did as he was told in humble obedience and knocked on the chamber door with his head, and to his great amazement and gratitude the locked door unchained itself and opened. This miracle became famous far and wide and from then on all those who came to the Pope for confession were prescribed the same manner of penance for the healing of their soul.

One day a man who worked on ships as a tradesman fell into a great tragedy that left him poor and caused him to lose all of his possessions. Coming to the point where he had not the means to live he prayed to St. Peter to loan him the golden shoe that was placed on the relic of his foot in his church. He promised the apostle that if he granted him this loan that once he was financially settled he would return from his trip with a golden shoe more honorable than the first. He then asked the permission of St. Peter for him to make up a lie so as to go to confession to the Pope and hence be tied in the Chains to walk around the church seven times, and from there to proceed to the locked chamber which contained his relics and for the door to open for him so that he may receive the golden shoe.

The man then proceeded to the Church of the Apostle Peter in Rome and confessed a sin which he in fact did not commit. As was his custom, the Pope placed the man in the Chains of the Apostle Peter and he walked around the entire perimeter of the church seven times. From there he proceeded to the chamber and with his head he knocked on the locked door. The chains in a miraculous manner fell off the door and he proceeded to the throne of the Apostle Peter on which sat his holy relics. Then, in a wondrous manner, the apostle leaned out one of his legs to the man so as to give him his golden shoe. The man, full of gratitude, took the shoe and left the church.

The doors to the chamber were again locked and no one knew of what happened until the time came for the chamber door to be unlocked for one of the three feasts in which all were permitted to go in an venerate the apostle. When the Pope saw the golden shoe missing off of St. Peter's foot he was deeply grieved on being deceived, but he also knew that this could not have happened unless the Lord and St. Peter allowed it to be so, therefore he considered the circumstance as something done by the will of God. In return he had another golden shoe made like the first and placed on the foot of St. Peter.

Meanwhile the man who had fallen into tragedy and was given by St. Peter the loan of his golden shoe was greatly blessed financially. He became very wealthy, but also very greedy. Upon hearing that the Pope replaced the loaned out golden shoe for another, the man theorized that he no longer needed to fulfill his vow. That night however St. Peter appeared to the man and reminded him of his debt. The man therefore hurriedly set out to have a golden shoe made to fulfill his vow. With his golden shoe in hand the man went to the Pope and confessed his sin. He was placed in the Chains and made to walk the entire perimeter of the church seven times, after which he proceeded to the locked chamber to knock on the door with his head. The door of the chamber miraculously opened and the forgiven man was allowed to go into the private chamber and venerate the relics. He took the shoe the Pope had recently made off the foot of the saint and replaced it with the golden shoe he had made. When this was done another wonder took place - the two feet of the apostle opened a slight bit as if bidding him to place the third golden shoe in between his other two feet. When this was done the man left, having paid his debt and with his sin forgiven.

[One wonders if this story influenced Charles Dickens, who in his immortal classic A Christmas Carol has the soul of Jacob Marley in heavy chains for the sins he committed in life and with which he threatens the miser Ebenezer Scrooge, who is said to have had a more "ponderous chain" awaiting him unless he repented and became more charitable. - J.S.]

Apolytikion in the Fourth Tone
Without leaving Rome, thou didst come to us by the precious chains which thou didst wear, O foremost of the Apostles. And venerating them with faith, we pray: By thine intercessions with God, grant us great mercy.

Kontakion in the Second Tone
Now Christ God, the Rock, doth glorify the rock of faith, illustriously, in calling all to celebrate the dread wonders of the most precious Chains of Peter, the first and chief of the disciples of Christ our God, Who granteth forgiveness of sins unto all.

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In Defense of Organized Religion (1 of 2)

"If two of you agree on earth about anything they ask, it will be done for them by my Father in heaven. For where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I in the midst of them" (Mt 18:19-20).

"Let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near" (Hebrews 10:24-25).

I've recently heard some TV commentators say: "Americans tend to be very spiritual people, but they are much less religious than they were in the past". The commentators then proceed to explain the difference between spirituality and being "religious". Spirituality, they say, involves a personal quest for the Divine along with deeply held beliefs, while religion involves mere church-going, reciting wrote prayers . . . etc. They clearly intend to impress on the viewers the (alleged) superiority of individualistic "spirituality" over involvement in an "organized religion".

Organized Religion - the phrase is almost used as a slur by some today! Many seem to perceive organized religion as a source of all evil; the catalyst of wars, bigotry and genocide. This article will present a defense of this much-maligned aspect of human religious experience.

Now, this article is by no means a refutation of the importance of spirituality! I am all for spirituality, which I would define as having a personal relationship with God. Of course, my definition may not be everyone else's; it seems that nowadays "spirituality" can refer to anything from a vegetarian diet to calling up a psychic hotline. But since I come from a Christian rather than a "new age" perspective, I consider genuine spirituality to be a communion with the Supreme, Uncreated Spirit, our Triune Creator and Lord (John 4:24).

My belief, simply stated, is this: our spiritual life must be anchored in an organized, social expression of religious belief, so that it can undergo healthy growth and have a significant impact on the world at large. I would never trash genuine spirituality while defending religion, since I don't see the two as being in conflict! Please bear this in mind while reading the rest of the article.

Is Religion the Cause of All Wars?

Since this is a common objection to organized religion, let's get it out of the way first. There is no denying that organized religion has played, and still plays, a part in some wars and persecutions. So did atheism, particularly in its Communist form. In fact, athestic Communism was responsible for more wars and more human deaths during the twentieth century than was religion!

This charge may surprise some readers, but think about it for a moment. Consider all the bloody "communist revolutions" throughout the past hundred years: Russia, China, North Korea, Cuba, Vietnam, Cambodia, Ethiopia and Nicaragua. How many millions of people lost their lives in those wars? Recall the brutal crackdowns by Communist governments on uprisings in Hungary, Czechoslovakia, Poland and Tienamen Square; how much more blood was shed in those? Look at the massive genocide of Ukranians under Stalin, or of Tibetans under Mao, where tens of millions more people were slaughtered. These were not the fault of "organized religion"; rather, an atheistic political philosophy was the driving force behind all these atrocities - and many more!

We should also note that many "religious" wars are actually more deeply rooted in politics. For instance, the roots of the perennial unrest in Northern Ireland - always presented by the press as "Catholic vs Protestant" - actually go back 800 years, long before the Reformation. Political strife between Britain and Ireland existed when both were Catholic; only after Britain became Protestant did the dispute take on a religious aspect.

Even the ongoing conflict in the Middle East has a strong political element, since it originated with the displacement of Palestinians when Israel was founded. It has a religious tone because of the religious differences of all involved (Jews, Muslims and Christians) and the Israeli belief that the land is theirs by divine right. But we cannot ignore the strong role of politics in this dispute either. Reducing the whole conflict to "Jew vs Muslim" misses the true complexity of the situation. Besides, Jews and Muslims have not always been in conflict; in fact they have gotten along well at various times in history!

Before the Fall of Communism in Russia, both the People's Republic of China and the Soviet Union had warheads pointed at each other. Theirs was certainly not a dispute based on religion, since both nations were officially atheist. The simple fact is that some people will find any excuse to hate others. Religion per se does not cause intolerance; intolerance is caused by two words: us and them! And those two words can divide people based on anything: politics, race, gender, religion, ethnicity, etc, etc....

So it is foolish to condemn organized religion as if it were the only source of strife and killing in the world!

Why Such Hatred of Organized Religion?

I recently initiated a discussion on a mailing list by asking "Why do you think people feel such intense animosity towards 'organized religion'?". The consensus was as follows (my thanks to everyone who contributed!):

Many people reject organized religion over the issue of authority. If something is 'organized', it means that someone is organizing it, and that everyone within the religion must "submit" to that organized structure: its teachings, morals, rituals and various requirements. This may also boil down to an issue of control. To submit to the authority of any church or religion involves giving up a certain amount of control, and some people just don't want to give any control over their lives to anyone or anything else. It is quite possible that some people who hate "organized religion" may have a problem with authority in general.

But that's not necessarily the only issue. Some people like to "pick and choose" elements from different religions which appeal to them, thinking that their beliefs can thereby include all religions, rather than just one. (Though they are really just creating a mixture of beliefs which reflect their own personal tastes, rather than fairly representing the beliefs of all religions.) Such people may resent being told "this religion is right; believe this religion not that one".

Others may dislike organized religion because of the moral discipline involved. They don't want restrictions imposed on their behavior and lifestyle in the name of "morality". Organized religion may tell them what they don't want to hear, like "contraception is wrong," or "homosexuality is immoral". They much prefer to invent for themselves a personal "spirituality" which will make no such demands on them.

Some people reject organized religion because of negative past experiences with a particular clergy or religious person. They blame an entire faith, or "religion" in general, for the actions of a single person, failing to recognize that there is more to any given religion than just one person. Yes, some religious people have done terrible things, but just because one individual does something wrong does not mean his entire faith system is bad. Even a group of wrongdoers within a religion would not necessarily disprove it; in fact, more often than not they are breaking the very tenets of their faith! Is it fair to dismiss an entire religion because a few of its adherents fail or refuse to live by its requirements? Do we not all sometimes fail to live up to even our own personal ideals? No one on earth today is perfect, after all.

There may be many more reasons for hating organized religion, such as the "religion starts wars" theory addressed above. And some people may certainly have more than one reason for rejecting it. If we can understand these objections, perhaps we can better show their flaws as well.

Why Organization?

Many human institutions are organized, or structured, but that does not make them bad. The most basic unit of human society - the family - has a structure to it. Families may not be perfect, but that's because they are made up of imperfect human beings. It is not per se the fact that they are "organized" which makes them bad; in fact, the family structure is necessary for the secure upbringing of children. So despite any flaws, the family is overall a good and necessary part of organized society.

Government is also organized. Like the family, government is not perfect because people are not perfect, but it is still necessary since the alternative - anarchy - is far less desirable! In case an "anarchist" is reading this, please consider that our ancestors developed varous forms of government over the millenia in order to keep the peace and preserve order in society. If we reject government because it is imperfect - or because it is "organized" - we would be discarding millenia of human wisdom. And past attempts to do that have caused tremendous problems!

Similarly, our ancestors also developed structured religions over the millenia. Even primitive tribes have some form of "organized religion", with holy men, rites, festivals and other social religious observances. As religion developed to satisfy the human need for worship, so organized religion developed from the basic human need for socialization. Humans are not solitary creatures, we are by nature gregarious. We need to be around other people. The human race developed [and preserves] both societies and organized religions out of that basic need for human contact and support.

Christians believe that the Church was founded by God Himself. God made us social creatures and gave us a need for one another which is so strong that it even manifests itself in natural human religious observance. Surely any religion founded by our Maker would fulfill our innate, God-given human need for a social, organized expression of faith. Thus the True Religion would naturally be an organized religion! Organized religion may not be perfect, but like family and goverment, it is necessary.

Some might argue as the philosopher Rousseau did, that civilization is bad and that people should return to "nature". Yet even in the untamed wilderness one could still not escape order, for nature herself has incredible order and structure! The seasons process in an orderly fashion, the various natural and reproductive cycles follow a set pattern. Even the smallest leaf has a complex structure which enables it to photosynthesize and so contribute to the life and growth of the plant. For that matter, even molecules and atoms have "structure"! The natural world could not exist without these structures, this "organization". So nature herself displays the usefulness of organization. If the Creator so organized nature, why would He not organize the true Faith as well?

Our own bodies are also marvels of order and organization. If our internal organs were not organized (no pun intended) into systems, and if all our systems did not work in tandem, we could not live! It's interesting that the Bible compares the Church to a "body"! Bodies have structure and organization, as should the Church! This is the will of the Creator, who "is not a God of confusion, but of peace" (I Cor 14:33)

Why Have Rules?

Some object to organized religion because it has so many rules. But families and societies also have rules, which are necessary to maintain domestic tranquility and help them to function. Nature, too, has her "rules" (we call them "laws of nature"), and scientists keep discovering new "laws of science". Why then shouldn't religion have laws and rules? If the Creator put order, structure, organization and even "laws" into nature, why wouldn't He do the same with religion?

Again, I'm not saying that organized religion is perfect; nothing in this world is perfect! All religions are made up of imperfect human beings, who will sometimes do wrong things. The same actually holds true for the personal "spirituality" often touted as superior to religion. Those involved in individualistic spiritual pursuits aren't perfect, so their "spirituality" is no more perfect than organized religion! (Indeed, it could too easily sink into narcissism and self-indulgence).

Article continued in Part II

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St. Peter the Athonite and the Demons

The icon above depicts an episode from the life of St. Peter the Athonite (June 12), the first ascetic of Mount Athos. It shows the devil as an angel of light appearing to St. Peter in order to pursuade him away from the monastic path he endured bravely. The first biography of St. Peter was written by St. Gregory Palamas, who relates the story behind this icon. This is a lesson which teaches us the great virtue of humility and obedience in withstanding demonic attacks and deception.

The Most Holy Mother of God appeared in a dream to Saint Peter and indicated the place where he should live till the very end of his days – Holy Mount Athos. When the ship sailed alongside Athos, it then halted of its own accord. Saint Peter realized that this was the place he had to go, and so he went ashore. This was in the year 681. The Monk Peter then dwelt in the desolate places of the Holy Mountain, not seeing another person for 53 years. His clothing had tattered, but his hair and beard had grown out and covered his body in place of clothes.

At first the Monk Peter was repeatedly subjected to demonic assaults. Trying to force the saint to abandon his cave, the devils took on the form at times of armed soldiers, and at other times of fierce beasts and vipers that seemed ready to tear apart the hermit. But through fervent prayer to God and the Mother of God, the Monk Peter conquered the demonic assaults. Then the enemy began to resort to trickery. Appearing under the guise of a lad, sent to him from his native home, he with tears besought the monk to leave the wilderness and return to his own home. The monk was in tears, but without hesitation answered: "Here has the Lord and the Most Holy Mother of God led me, and without Her leave I will not leave from here". Hearing the Name of the Mother of God, the demon vanished.

After seven years the devil came before the monk in the guise of a luminous angel and said that God was commanding him to go into the world for the enlightening and salvation of people needful of his guidance. The experienced ascetic again replied, that without the permission of the Mother of God he would not forsake the wilderness. The devil disappeared and did not bother more to approach the saint. The Mother of God appeared to the Monk Peter in a dream together with Saint Nicholas and said to the brave hermit, that each 40 days an Angel would bring him Heavenly manna. From that time the Monk Peter fasted for 40 days, and on the fortieth day he fortified himself with the Heavenly manna, receiving the strength for a further forty-day abstinence.

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Nea Moni in Chios and Panagia Neomonitissa

The Monastery of Nea Moni was built in the mid-eleventh century by the Roman Emperor Constantine IX Monomachos (1042-1055). According to tradition, three monks, Nikitas, Joseph and John, who lived as hermits in a cave on Mount Provateon, kept seeing a light every night in a forest nearby. Since they could not find its source during the daylight, they decided to set fire to the forest; the fire miraculously stopped in front of a myrtle, which was not inflamed. The icon of Virgin Mary without the Christ Child was lying on its branches. Today this icon is treasured in the monastery and known as Panagia Neamonitissa.


In the meantime, Constantine Monomachos was exiled on the island of Lesvos. The monks, after a divine revelation, visited him and announced to him that he would become an emperor. Constantine, though doubting the news, promised that, in such a case, he would build a monastery dedicated to Virgin Mary's icon. A few years later he became emperor of the Roman Empire, and kept his promise. He built a splendid church at the place where the icon was found, bringing a skilled architect and the best artisans and fine materials from Constantinople.


Nea Moni of Chios is decorated with exceptional mosaics of byzantine art, true masterpieces of the era of the Macedonian dynasty. During the following years Nea Moni became a famous monastery and a refuge for people looking for consolation, sympathy, or guidance by the monks and by the Virgin Mary (who responds to all deep and faithful prayers). It is a miracle that both the icon of Virgin Mary and the church with its magnificent mosaics stayed intact from all the tragedies that suffered the island of Chios, like the tragic massacre of the Greek residents by the Turks in 1822 and the violent earthquake of 1881.


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For more information, see here.

For a photogallery, see here and here.

For a brief video in English and Greek, see here.

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The Tragedy in Haiti

[Today in History: Haiti is the 1st country to recognze the newly founded Greek Democratic Republic -- January 15th, 1822. See second piece below. Yet the first piece is written by an Evangelical expert on the so-called "Prosperity Gospel" and how misconstrued they view the tragedy in Haiti which I found worth a read by all. - J.S.]

Tragedy in Haiti

By Hank Hanegraaff

The tragedy in Haiti is all over the news, and it is a stark reminder that life is paper-tissue thin. Last week I participated in the funeral of a friend, and each day the obituary column is replete with new fresh faces—some very young—and a reminder that the tragedy of life is not to die young, but to live a long robust life, and never use it in the service of the Master....

I’m also reminded of the fact that whenever these kinds of strategies strike, it seems that the Christian world once again receives a black eye - and often times this is a self-inflicted wound. I was absolutely chagrined when I walked into the studio just a few moments ago and saw the words of Pat Robertson. He is talking on his Christian Broadcasting Network 700 Club about something that happened a long time ago in Haiti, and he says: “People might not want to talk about it. They were under the heel of the French…you know Napoleon the 3rd…and they got together and swore a pact to the Devil. They said, ‘We will serve you if you'll get us free from the French.’” And then says Pat Robertson, “True story. And so the Devil said, 'Okay, it's a deal’…But ever since they have been cursed by…one thing after another, desperately poor.”

Of course, that’s the Word of Faith mantra that if you suffer poverty, you’re under a curse. And Pat Robertson then goes on to talk about the Dominican Republic, which is prosperous. He contrasts between the part of the island of Hispaniola that is the Dominican Republic, which is the prosperous side, and Haiti, which is in desperate poverty, and reiterates it is the “same island.” The conclusion being that because the Dominican Republic didn’t make this pact with the Devil and Haiti did—allegedly at least according to legend—you have Haiti today suffering for the sins of their forefathers, who made a pact with the devil. Again this is a self-inflicted black eye on Christianity, because here is a prominent Christian leader communicating legendary information, and I might add, this is the same guy who said Ariel Sharon’s stroke was divine retribution for dividing God’s land, and Yitzhak Rabin’s murder was God’s retribution for signing the Oslo Peace Accords.

I can’t help it when I hear these Christian leaders pontificate in startling fashion of the words of Jesus Christ, who had a completely different take on things. For example, when speaking about those who perished when the tower of Siloam crashed down on them, Jesus said, “Do you think that they were more guilty than all the others living in Jerusalem? I tell you no.” I would much rather heed the words of Jesus Christ than the words of Pat Robertson. And this is a warning to all Christians. Don’t simply believe what the leaders are telling you. Test what they say in light of Scripture, and hold fast to that which is good.

We have no warrant whatsoever to suggest that the Haitians today dying in an earthquake are dying because of a pact that their forefathers made with the devil. This is not only absurd, it is deflective to the Gospel! It is much better that we get on our knees and pray for the Haitians and recognize that our lives are temporary. We live in a cursed creation, a fallen world, that one day will give way to the best of all worlds, a new Heaven and a new Earth, wherein dwells righteousness.

So those listening to the sound of my voice, should be into the word and the word into them, equipped to always be ready to give an answer, a reason for the hope that lies in you with gentleness and respect. Not like those who puff up their chest and say, “The reason I’m prosperous and the reason I’m not suffering is I didn’t make a pact with the devil.” The gospel is each one of us giving a cup of cold water in the name of Jesus Christ.


Greeks in Haiti Safe and Well

January 15, 2010
Kathimerini

Eleven Greeks and the Belgian husband of a Greek woman who were in the Caribbean country of Haiti when a deadly earthquake struck earlier this week are safe and well, Greece’s Foreign Ministry said yesterday.

Officials said that the Spanish presidency of the European Union was arranging for the 12 to be flown out of Port-au-Prince, where it is estimated that there could be more than 100,000 dead, by tomorrow morning. More details about the 12 were not made available and it was not clear if there are anymore Greeks on the island.

Greece said yesterday that it would donate 200,000 euros of emergency aid to Haiti. The Church of Greece’s Holy Synod expressed it support and said that collection trays would be passed around at all churches during Sunday services in order to raise money for the earthquake victims.

The Church also noted that Haiti was the first country to recognize Greece as an independent state in 1822.

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The Life of Saint Paul of Thebes

St. Paul of Thebes (Feast Day - January 15)

The Life of Saint Paul of Thebes, the first hermit, was written in the year 374 or 375 during St. Jerome's stay in the desert of Syria, as is seen from Ch. 6, and was dedicated to Paul of Concordia as stated in Jerome's Ep. X. Ch. 3.

1. It has been a subject of wide-spread and frequent discussion what monk was the first to give a signal example of the hermit life. For some going back too far have found a beginning in those holy men Elias and John, of whom the former seems to have been more than a monk and the latter to have begun to prophesy before his birth. Others, and their opinion is that commonly received, maintain that Anthony was the originator of this mode of life, which view is partly true. Partly I say, for the fact is not so much that he preceded the rest as that they all derived from him the necessary stimulus. But it is asserted even at the present day by Amathas and Macarius, two of Anthony's disciples, the former of whom laid his master in the grave, that a certain Paul of Thebes was the leader in the movement, though not the first to bear the name, and this opinion has my approval also. Some as they think fit circulate stories such as this--that he was a man living in an underground cave with flowing hair down to his feet, and invent many incredible tales which it would be useless to detail. Nor does the opinion of men who lie without any sense of shame seem worthy of refutation. So then inasmuch as both Greek and Roman writers have handed down careful accounts of Anthony, I have determined to write a short history of Paul's early and latter days, more because the thing has been passed over than from confidence in my own ability. What his middle life was like, and what snares of Satan he experienced, no man, it is thought, has yet discovered.

2. During the persecutions of Decius and Valerian, when Cornelius at Rome and Cyprian at Carthage shed their blood in blessed martyrdom, many churches in Egypt and the Thebaid were laid waste by the fury of the storm. At that time the Christians would often pray that they might be smitten with the sword for the name of Christ. But the desire of the crafty foe was to slay the soul, not the body; and this he did by searching diligently for slow but deadly tortures. In the words of Cyprian himself who suffered at his hands: they who wished to die were not suffered to be slain. We give two illustrations, both as specially noteworthy and to make the cruelty of the enemy better known.

3. A martyr, steadfast in faith, who stood fast as a conqueror amidst the racks and burning plates, was ordered by him to be smeared with honey and to be made to lie under a blazing sun with his hands tied behind his back, so that he who had already surmounted the heat of the frying-pan might be vanquished by the stings of flies. Another who was in the bloom of youth was taken by his command to some delightful pleasure gardens, and there amid white lilies and blushing roses, close by a gently murmuring stream, while overhead the soft whisper of the wind played among the leaves of the trees, was laid upon a deep luxurious feather-bed, bound with fetters of sweet garlands to prevent his escape. When all bad withdrawn from him a harlot of great beauty drew near and began with voluptuous embrace to throw her arms around his neck, and, wicked even to relate! to handle his person, so that when once the lusts of the flesh were roused, she might accomplish her licentious purpose. What to do, and whither to turn, the soldier of Christ knew not. Unconquered by tortures he was being overcome by pleasure. At last with an inspiration from heaven he bit off the end of his tongue and spat it in her face as she kissed him. Thus the sensations of lust were subdued by the intense pain which followed.

4. While such enormities were being perpetrated in the lower part of the Thebaid, Paul and his newly married sister were bereaved of both their parents, he being about sixteen years of age. He was heir to a rich inheritance, highly skilled in both Greek and Egyptian learning, gifted with a gentle disposition and a deep love for God. Amid the thunders of persecution he retired to a house at a considerable distance and in a more secluded spot. But to what crimes does not the "accursed thirst for gold" impel the human heart? His brother-in-law conceived the thought of betraying the youth whom he was bound to conceal. Neither a wife's tears which so often prevail, nor the ties of blood, nor the all-seeing eye of God above him could turn the traitor from his wickedness. "He came, he was urgent, he acted with cruelty while seeming only to press the claims of affection."

5. The young man had the tact to understand this, and, conforming his will to the necessity, fled to the mountain wilds to wait for the end of the persecution. He began with easy stages, and repeated halts, to advance into the desert. At length he found a rocky mountain, at the foot of which, closed by a stone, was a cave of no great size. He removed the stone (so eager are men to learn what is hidden), made eager search, and saw within a large hall, open to the sky, but shaded by the wide-spread branches of an ancient palm. The tree, however, did not conceal a fountain of transparent clearness, the waters whereof no sooner gushed forth than the stream was swallowed up in a small opening of the same ground which gave it birth. There were besides in the mountain, which was full of cavities, many habitable places, in which were seen, now rough with rust, anvils and hammers for stamping money. The place, Egyptian writers relate, was a secret mint at the time of Antony's union with Cleopatra.

6. Accordingly, regarding his abode as a gift from God, he fell in love with it, and there in prayer and solitude spent all the rest of his life. The palm afforded him food and clothing. And, that no one may deem this impossible, I call to witness Jesus and His holy angels that I have seen and still see in that part of the desert which lies between Syria and the Saracens' country, monks of whom one was shut up for thirty years and lived on barley bread and muddy water, while another in an old cistern (called in the country dialect of Syria Gubba) kept himself alive on five dried figs a day. What I relate then is so strange that it will appear incredible to those who do not believe the words that "all things are possible to him that believes."

7. But to return to the point at which I digressed. The blessed Paul had already lived on earth the life of heaven for a hundred and thirteen years, and Anthony at the age of ninety was dwelling in another place of solitude (as he himself was wont to declare), when the thought occurred to the latter, that no monk more perfect than himself had settled in the desert. However, in the stillness of the night it was revealed to him that there was farther in the desert a much better man than he, and that he ought to go and visit him. So then at break of day the venerable old man, supporting and guiding his weak limbs with a staff, started to go: but what direction to choose he knew not. Scorching noontide came, with a broiling sun overhead, but still he did not suffer himself to be turned from the journey he had begun. Said he, "I believe in my God: some time or other He will shew me the fellow-servant whom He promised me." He said no more. All at once he beholds a creature of mingled shape, half horse half man, called by the poets Hippocentaur. At the sight of this he arms himself by making on his forehead the sign of salvation, and then exclaims, "Holloa! Where in these parts is a servant of God living?" The monster after gnashing out some kind of outlandish utterance, in words broken rather than spoken through his bristling lips, at length finds a friendly mode of communication, and extending his right hand points out the way desired. Then with swift flight he crosses the spreading plain and vanishes from the sight of his wondering companion. But whether the devil took this shape to terrify him, or whether it be that the desert which is known to abound in monstrous animals engenders that kind of creature also, we cannot decide.

8. Antony was amazed. and thinking over what he had seen went on his way. Before long in a small rocky valley shut in on all sides he sees a manikin with hooked snout, horned forehead, and extremities like goats' feet. When he saw this, Anthony like a good soldier seized the shield of faith and the helmet of hope: the creature none the less began to offer to him the fruit of the palm-trees to support him on his journey and as it were pledges of peace. Anthony perceiving this stopped and asked who he was. The answer he received from him was this: "I am a mortal being and one of those inhabitants of the desert whom the Gentiles deluded by various forms of error worship under the names of Fauns, Satyrs, and Incubi. I am sent to represent my tribe. We pray you in our behalf to entreat the favour of your Lord and ours. who, we have learnt, came once to save the world, and 'whose sound has gone forth into all the earth.' " As he uttered such words as these, the aged traveller's cheeks streamed with tears, the marks of his deep feeling, which he shed in the fullness of his joy. He rejoiced over the Glory of Christ and the destruction of Satan, and marvelling all the while that he could understand the Satyr's language, and striking the ground with his staff, he said, "Woe to thee, Alexandria, who instead of God worshippest monsters! Woe to thee, harlot city, into which have flowed together the demons of the whole world! What will you say now? Beasts speak of Christ, and you instead of God worship monsters." He had not finished speaking when, as if on wings, the wild creature fled away. Let no one scruple to believe this incident; its truth is supported by what took place when Constantine was on the throne, a matter of which the whole world was witness. For a man of that kind was brought alive to Alexandria and shewn as a wonderful sight to the people. Afterwards his lifeless body, to prevent its decay through the summer heat, was preserved in salt and brought to Antioch that the Emperor might see it.

9. To pursue my proposed story. Anthony traversed the region on which he had entered, seeing only the traces of wild beasts, and the wide waste of the desert. What to do, whither to wend his way, he knew not. Another day had now passed. One thing alone was left him, his confident belief that he could not be forsaken by Christ. The darkness of the second night he wore away in prayer. While it was still twilight, he saw not far away a she-wolf gasping with parching thirst and creeping to the foot of the mountain. He followed it with his eyes; and after the beast had disappeared in a cave he drew near and began to look within. His curiosity profiled nothing: the darkness hindered vision. But, as the Scripture saith, "perfect love casts out fear". With halting step and bated breath he entered, carefully feeling his way; he advanced little by little and repeatedly listened for the sound. At length through the fearful midnight darkness a light appeared in the distance. In his eager haste he struck his foot against a stone and roused the echoes; whereupon the blessed Paul closed the open door and made it fast with a bar. Then Anthony sank to the ground at the entrance and until the sixth hour or later craved admission, saying, "Who I am, whence, and why I have come, you know. I know I am not worthy to look upon you: yet unless I see you I will not go away. You welcome beasts: why not a man? I asked and I have found: I knock that it may be opened to me. But if I do not succeed, I will die here on your threshold. You will surely bury me when I am dead." Such was his constant cry: unmoved he stood. To whom the hero thus brief answer made "Prayers like these do not mean threats; there is no trickery in tears. Are you surprised at my not welcoming you when you have come here to die?" Thus with smiles Paul gave him access, and, the door being opened, they threw themselves into each other's arms, greeted. one another by name, and joined in thanksgiving to God.

10. After the sacred kiss Paul sat down and thus began to address Anthony. "Behold the man whom yon have sought with so much toil, his limbs decayed with age, his grey hairs unkempt. You see before you a man who were long will be dust. But love endures all things. Tell me therefore, I pray you, how fares the human race? Are new homes springing up in the ancient cities? What government directs the world? Are there still some remaining for the demons to carry away by their delusions?" Thus conversing they noticed with wonder a raven which had settled on the bough of a tree, and was then flying gently down till it came and laid a whole loaf of bread before them. They were astonished, and when it had gone, "See," said Paul, "the Lord truly loving, truly merciful, has sent us a meal. For the last sixty years I have always received half a loaf: but at your coming Christ has doubled his soldier's rations."

11. Accordingly, having returned thanks to the Lord, they sat down together on the brink of the glassy spring. At this point a dispute arose as to who should break the bread, and nearly the whole day until eventide was spent in the discussion. Paul urged in support of his view the rites of hospitality, Anthony pleaded age. At length it was arranged that each should seize the loaf on the side nearest to himself, pull towards him, and keep for his own the part left in his hands. Then on hands and knees they drank a little water from the spring, and offering to God the sacrifice of praise passed the night in vigil. At the return of day the blessed Paul thus spoke to Anthony: "I knew long since, brother, that you were dwelling in those parts: long ago God promised you to me for a fellow-servant; but the time of my falling asleep now draws nigh; I have always longed to be dissolved and to be with Christ; my course is finished, and there remains for me a crown of righteousness. Therefore you have been sent by the Lord to lay my poor body in the ground, yea to return earth to earth."

12. On hearing this Anthony with tears and groans began to pray that he would not desert him, but would take him for a companion on that journey. His friend replied: "You ought not to seek your own, but another man's good. It is expedient for you to lay aside the burden of the flesh and to follow the Lamb; but it is expedient for the rest of the brethren to be trained by your example. Wherefore be so good as to go and fetch the cloak Bishop Athanasius gave you, to wrap my poor body in." The blessed Paul asked this favour not because he cared much whether his corpse when it decayed were clothed or naked (why should he indeed, when he had so long worn a garment of palm-leaves stitched together?) ; but that he might soften his friend's regrets at his decease. Anthony was astonished to find Paul had heard of Athanasius and his cloak; and, seeing as it were Christ Himself in him, he mentally worshipped God without venturing to add a single word; then silently weeping he once more kissed his eyes and hands, and set out on his return to the monastery which was afterwards seized by the Saracens. His steps lagged behind his will. Yet, exhausted as he was with fasting and broken by age, his courage proved victorious over his years.

13. At last wearied and panting for breath he completed his journey and reached his little dwelling. Here he was met by two disciples who had begun to wait upon him in his advanced age. Said they, "Where have you stayed so long, father?" He replied, "Woe to me a sinner! I do not deserve the name of monk. I have seen Elias, I have seen John in the desert, and I have really seen Paul in Paradise." He then closed his lips, beat upon his breast, and brought out the cloak from his cell. When his disciples asked him to explain the matter somewhat more fully he said," There is a time to keep silence, and a time to speak."

14. He then went out, and without taking so much as a morsel of food returned the same way he came, longing for him alone, thirsting to see him, having eyes and thought for none but him. For he was afraid, and the event proved his anticipations correct, that in his absence his friend might yield up his spirit to Christ. And now another day had dawned and a three hours' journey still remained, when he saw Paul in robes of snowy white ascending on high among the bands of angels, and the choirs of prophets and apostles. Immediately he fell on his face, and threw the coarse sand upon his head, weeping and wailing as he cried, "Why do you cast me from you, Paul? Why go without one farewell? Have you made yourself known so late only to depart so soon?"

15. The blessed Anthony used afterwards to relate that he traversed the rest of the distance at such speed that he flew along like a bird; and not without reason: for on entering the cave he saw the lifeless body in a kneeling attitude, with head erect and hands uplifted. The first thing he did, supposing him to be alive, was to pray by his side. But when he did not hear the sighs which usually come from one in prayer, he fell to kisses and tears, and he then understood that even the dead body of the saint with duteous gestures was praying to God unto whom all things live.

16. Then having wrapped up the body and carried it forth, all the while chanting hymns and psalms according to the Christian tradition, Anthony began to lament that he had no implement for digging the ground. So in a surging sea of thought and pondering many plans he said: "If i return to the monastery, there is a four days' journey: if I stay here I shall do no good. I will die then, as is fitting, beside Thy warrior, O Christ, and will quickly breathe my last breath." While he turned these things over in his mind, behold, two lions from the recesses of the desert with manes flying on their necks came rushing along. At first he was horrified at the sight, but again turning his thoughts to God, he waited without alarm, as though they were doves that he saw. They came straight to the corpse of the blessed old man and there stopped, fawned upon it and lay down at its feet, roaring aloud as if to make it known that they were mourning in the only way possible to them. Then they began to paw the ground close by, and vie with one another in excavating the sand, until they dug out a place just large enough to hold a man. And immediately, as if demanding a reward for their work, pricking up their ears while they lowered their heads. they came to Antony and began to lick his hands and feet. He perceived that they were begging a blessing from him, and at once with an outburst of praise to Christ that even dumb animals felt His divinity, he said, "Lord, without whose command not a leaf drops from the tree, not a sparrow falls to the ground, grant them what thou knowest to be best." Then he waved his hand and bade them depart. When they were gone he bent his aged shoulders beneath the burden of the saint's body, laid it in the grave, covered it with the excavated soil, and raised over it the customary mound. Another day dawned, and then, that the affectionate heir might not be without something belonging to the intestate dead, he took for himself the tunic which after the manner of wicker-work the saint had woven out of palm-leaves. And so returning to the monastery he unfolded everything in order to his disciples, and on the feast-days of Easter and Pentecost he always wore Paul's tunic.

17. I may be permitted at the end of this little treatise to ask those who do not know the extent of their possessions, who adorn their homes with marble, who string house to house and field to field, what did this old man in his nakedness ever lack? Your drinking vessels are of precious stones; he satisfied his thirst with the hollow of his hand. Your tunics are of wrought gold; he had not the raiment of the meanest of your slaves. But on the other hand, poor though he was, Paradise is open to him; you with all your gold will be received into Gehenna. He though naked yet kept the robe of Christ; you, clad in your silks, have lost the vesture of Christ. Paul lies covered with worthless dust, but will rise again to glory; over you are raised costly tombs, but both you and your wealth are doomed to the burning. Have a care, I pray you, at least have a care for the riches you love. Why are even the grave-clothes of your dead made of gold? Why does not your vaunting cease even amid mourning and tears? Cannot the carcases of rich men decay except in silk?

18. I beseech you, reader, whoever you may be, to remember Jerome the sinner. He, if God would give him his choice, would much sooner take Paul's tunic with his merits, than the purple of kings with their punishment.

Apolytikion in the Fourth Tone
With the rivers of your tears, you have made the barren desert fertile. Through sighs of sorrow from deep within you, your labors have borne fruit a hundred-fold. By your miracles you have become a light, shining upon the world. O Paul, our Holy Father, pray to Christ our God, to save our souls.

Kontakion in the Fourth Tone
O ye faithful, let us all laud the divine Paul, the bright luminary that shone at the virtues' lofty height; and let us joyously cry aloud: O Christ, Thou art the rejoicing of all the Saints.

Concerning the Monastery of St. Paul of Thebes in Egypt, see here and here.

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Father Lazarus Moore on Hinduism

This is a section from a lecture by the British Russian Orthodox Hieromonk Archimandrite Lazarus Moore. It was recorded in 1983. Father Lazarus died in 1992.

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Our Victorious Faith

by St. Nikolai Velimirovich

"And the victory that conquers the world in our faith" (I John 5:4).

Christ the Lord conquered the world. That, brethren, is also our victory. The apostles conquered the world and that is our victory. The saints, virgins and martyrs conquered the world and that is our victory. Brethren, there is nothing more powerful in the world than the Christian Faith. The swords that struck this Faith became blunt and broken but the Faith remained. The kings who fought against this Faith were smothered under the anathema of crimes. The kingdoms that waged war against this Faith are destroyed. The towns that rejected this Faith lay demolished in their ruins. The heretics who corrupted this Faith perished in soul and body and under anathema departed from this world, and this Faith remained.

Brethren, when the world pursues us with its temptations: the temptation of external beauty, the temptation of riches, the temptation of pleasure, the temptation of transient glory; with what shall we resist and by what shall we be victorious if not by this Faith? In truth, by nothing except by this invincible Faith which knows about something better than all the wealth of this world.

When all the temptations of this world reveal the opposite side of their faces, when beauty turns into ugliness, health into sickness, riches into poverty, glory into dishonor, authority into humiliation and all blossoming physical life into filth and stench--by what shall we overcome this grief, this decay, this fifth and stench, and to preserve oneself from despair, if not by this Faith? In truth, by nothing except this invincible Faith which teaches us eternal and unchangeable values in the Kingdom of Christ.

When death shows its destructive power over our neighbors, over our relatives and our families, over our flowers, over our crops, over the works of our hands and, when it turns its irresistible teeth even on us, by what shall we conquer the fear of death and by what shall we unlock the doors of life, stronger than death, if not by this Faith? In truth, by nothing except this invincible Faith, which knows about the resurrection and life without death.

O Lord Jesus, the Conqueror of the world, help us also to conquer the world with faith in You.

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Cartoon of St. Seraphim of Sarov

In Russian

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Saint Nina the Equal to the Apostles and Enlightener of Georgia

St. Nina (Nino, Christiana) the Equal of the Apostles and Enlightener of Georgia (Feast Day - January 14)

By St. Nikolai Velimirovich

Nina was a relative of St. George the Great Martyr and Juvenal, the Patriarch of Jerusalem. Her parents belonged to the nobility in Cappadocia and since they both were tonsured in the monastic state, Nina was educated under the tutelage of Patriarch Juvenal. Hearing about the people of Georgia, the virgin Nina, from an early age, desired to go to Georgia and to baptize the Georgians. The All-Holy Mother of God appeared to Nina and promised to take her to this land. When our Lord opened the way, the young Nina, indeed, traveled to Georgia where, in a short period of time, she gained the love of the Georgian people. Nina succeeded in baptizing the Georgian Emperor Mirian, his wife Nana and their son Bakar, who, later on, zealously assisted in Nina's missionary work. During her lifetime, Nina traveled throughout Georgia, mainly to convert the entire nation to the Faith of Christ, exactly at the time of the terrible persecution of the Christians at the hands of Emperor Diocletian. Having rested from her many labors, Nina died in the Lord in the year 335 A.D. Her body is entombed in the Cathedral Church in Mtzkheta. She worked many miracles during her life and after her death.

HYMN OF PRAISE: St. Nina

Virgin most beautiful, Nina of noble birth,
By Divine Providence became the Apostle to the Georgians,
In defiance of the persecution by Diocletian, the Emperor,
With the Cross, she baptized Emperor Mirian
His wife Nana and his son Bakar,
Through them, all the people and the elite of the leaders,
With the Cross of the Son of God, baptized them all,
Saint Nina, Apostle to the Georgians.
From her youth, Nina prayed to God
That Djul (the Rose) - Georgia, she baptized.
For that which she prayed to God, the good God granted:
From Nina's hand, the Cross shown
To docile Georgia where it shines even now,
Where Nina's hand blesses even now.
There is Nina's grave, overwhich a church glistens,
Glorifying Saint Nina and the Lord Christ.

The earliest life of St. Nina by Tyrannius Rufinus, Historia Ecclesiastica (Book I, chapter 10):

At that time also the Iberian nation, who live in the clime of Pontus, accepted the laws of God's word and faith in the kingdom of heaven. This so excellent deed was brought about by a certain captive woman who had fallen among them, and who led a life of faith and complete sobriety and virtue, and day and night unceasingly offered up prayers to God. The very novelty of this thing began to amaze the barbarians, and they diligently inquired what it meant. She told them simply the truth of the matter, namely that she was wont thus to worship Christ her God. The strangeness of this name seemed to the barbarians the most astonishing feature of the whole business. As often happens, however, her very persistence aroused among the womenfolk a certain curiosity to see whether such devotion might not win some reward.

It is said to be a custom among them that if a child falls ill, it is carried round by its mother to each individual household, so that if anyone knows of some trustworthy remedy, he may administer it to the sufferer. Accordingly, when a certain woman had carried her ailing child to everyone, as the custom was, but without finding any cure in all the homes she had visited, she came at last to the captive woman so that she too might declare anything she knew of. The captive woman affirmed that she knew of no human remedy, but assured the mother that her God Christ, whom she worshipped, could grant the child that deliverance of which men had lost hope. Placing the infant on her hair cloak and furthermore offering up a prayer to the Lord, the captive woman then gave back the child cured to its mother.

The report of this spread to many, and the renown of the marvellous deed reached the ears of the queen who, being afflicted by some very grave bodily complaint, was in the greatest desperation. She asked for the captive woman to be brought to her. The latter, however, declined to go, lest she should seem to diverge from the retiring way of life fitting to her sex. Then the queen commanded them to carry her to the captive's cell. After laying her likewise on her hair cloak and calling on Christ's name, the captive woman raised her up immediately after the prayer in good health and spirits. She taught the queen that Christ, Son of God Almighty, was the Deity who had bestowed this cure on her, and that she should invoke Him, whom she ought to acknowledge as the source of her life and health. For it is He who distributes kingdoms to kings, and life to mortal men. And the queen, returning joyfully homewards, in answer to her husband's enquiry revealed the source of her sudden restoration to health. But when in his joy at his wife's recovery, he ordered presents to be sent to the woman, the queen said, "O King, the captive woman prizes none of these things. She rejects gold, despises silver and nourishes herself by fasting as if by food. The only way in which we can reward her is by worshipping that God Christ who cured me according to her prayer."

At that time, the king paid no attention to this and put the matter off, although his wife often recalled it to his mind. At length one day while he was hunting in the forest with his retainers, the light of day was clouded over with dense murk and disappeared in the horror of pitch-black night, making it impossible to proceed. His companions dispersed in various directions and lost their way, and he remained alone enveloped in impenetrable gloom, without knowing what to do or where to turn. Suddenly his spirit, tormented by despair of being rescued, was lit up by a thought: "If indeed that Christ whom the captive had preached to his wife was God, then let Him now deliver him from this darkness, that he too might forsake all other gods to worship Him." And forthwith, as soon as he had made this vow in thought alone, and before he had time to express it in words, the light of day was restored to the world, and led the king unharmed to the city.

Revealing immediately to the queen what had occurred, he summoned the captive woman, bidding her instruct him in the ritual of worship, and affirming that he would from now on venerate no other god but Christ. The captive woman appeared, and preached Christ the Lord, expounding the rites of prayer and the form of worship, in so far as these could properly he known to a woman. In addition, she told them to build a church, and described its shape.

The king accordingly summoned together all the folk of his nation, and related the events which had happened to him and the queen from the very beginning. He instructed them in the faith and, albeit himself not yet initiated into the Mysteries, became the apostle of his own nation. The men believed thanks to the king, the women thanks to the queen, and with a single mind they set to work to build a church. The surrounding walls were quickly erected, and the time came to set up the columns. When the first and second pillars had been raised, and they proceeded to lift the third, they employed all forms of machinery and the strength of oxen and men, but when it had been elevated to a slanting angle, it proved impossible by any manner of effort to raise it the rest of the way. The redoubled and often repeated efforts of all the men failed to move it from its position, and everyone was reduced to exhaustion. The whole people was seized with astonishment, and the king's resolution began to fail him. Nobody knew what was to be done.

But when at nightfall everyone went away, and both the toilers and their toil fell into repose, the captive woman remained alone on the spot and passed the whole night in prayer. And behold, when the king and all his people arrived full of anxiety in the morning, he saw the column, which so many machines and so many men could not shift, standing upright and freely suspended above its pedestal - not set upon a ditch but hanging in the air about a foot above. As soon as the whole people witnessed this, they glorified God and began to declare this to he a proof of the truth of the king's faith and the religion of the captive woman. And behold, while they were all paralyzed with amazement, the pillar slowly descended on to its base before their eyes without anyone touching it, and settled in perfect balance. After this the rest of the columns were erected with such ease that the remainder were all set in place that same day.

After the church had been built with due magnificence, the people were zealously yearning for God's faith. So an embassy was sent on behalf of the entire nation to the Emperor Constantine, in accordance with the captive woman's advice. The foregoing events were related to him, and a petition submitted, requesting that priests be sent to complete the work which God had begun. Sending them on their way amidst rejoicing and ceremony, the Emperor was far more glad at this news than if he had annexed to the Roman Empire peoples and realms unknown.

These happenings were related to us by Bacurius, a most trustworthy man, himself king of that very nation, and commander of the guards in our court (who was most scrupulous about religion and truth), at the time when he resided with us at Jerusalem on cordial terms, being then in command of the frontiers of Palestine.

See also here, here and here.



Apolytikion
O handmaiden of the Word of God, who in preaching equaled the first-called Apostle Andrew, and imitated the other Apostles, enlightener of Iberia and reed pipe of the Holy Spirit, holy Nina, equal of the Apostles, pray to Christ God to save our souls.

Kontakion
Let us sing praises to the chosen of Christ, Equal-to-the-Apostles and preacher of Gods word, the bearer of good tidings who brought the people of Georgia to the path of life and truth, the disciple of the Mother of God, our zealous intercessor and unwearing guardian, the most praised Nina.

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Correctness of Dogmas and Honorable Living

by St. Nikolai Velimirovich

If, at times, the dogmas of the Faith seem to be like solid food, first endeavor to fulfill the moral dogmas of Christianity, then the understanding of the dogmas of the Faith will be revealed to you.

Inquisitive questioning of higher things without effort regarding the improvement of your life does not bring any benefit. At one time, the monks of Egypt reflected about Melchisedek and not being able to come to a clear understanding about the mysterious personality of this ancient king and high priest, invited Abba Copres to their assembly and asked him about Melchisedek. Upon hearing this, Copres struck himself three times on the mouth and said, "Woe to you Copres! You left that which God commanded you to do and you question that which God does not require of you." Hearing him, the monks were ashamed and dispersed.

St. John Chrysostom writes, "And, if we adhere to the true dogmas and are not concerned about our behavior, we will not have any kind of benefit; and in the same way, if we concern ourselves about our behavior and neglect true dogmas, we will receive no benefit for our salvation. If we want to be delivered from Gehenna and to gain the kingdom, we need to be adorned on both sides: correctness of dogmas and honorable living."

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