Saint Anthony the New, Wonderworker of Beroia

Saint Anthony the New, Wonderworker of Beroia (Feast Day - August 1 and January 17)

Saint Anthony came of a devout and prosperous family from Beroia in Macedonia and lived some time between the 10th and 16th century. He was still quite young when, having an ardent desire for the ascetic life, he turned his back on the empty pleasures and comforts of the world to become a monk at the Monastery of Peraia (also known as the Monastery of St. John the Baptist and Skete of Beroia), then in full flower. In every monastic virtue he soon became an example to his brethren but, wishing as he did to lead an eremitic life, he was allowed to withdraw to an almost inaccessible cave near the River Aliakmon after twenty years in the Monastery. There he dwelt for fifty years, surviving on the plants that grew in the vicinity, unknown to all but the priest who came from time to time to bring him Holy Communion. Like his illustrious namesake, Saint Anthony the New valiantly withstood incessant attacks of demons, who for years scratched him, appeared to him in the most dreadful shapes, and, by creating the illusion that the river was rising and its waters were about to flood the cave, tried to make him abandon his station and break off his continuous prayer. Such were the circumstances in which the Saint persevered until, at the age of ninety-four, he gave his soul in peace to God.

A good while afterwards, some huntsmen passing that way were alerted by the baying of their hounds: they looked up and beheld a hand waving to them from amid the foliage which completely concealed the cave. Scrambling to the spot, they pushed aside the branches and discovered within the cavern the incorrupt body of the holy ascetic. The Bishop of Beroia was informed and hastened to the cave with a large crowd, eager to venerate the Saint. The question of guardianship of the precious relics having risen between the people from Peraia and those from Beroia, the bishop decided to settle the matter by placing the Saint's body on a cart drawn by two oxen which should be allowed to go wherever divine providence led, as had once been done for the Ark of the Covenant (1 Sam. 6). With steady determination, the oxen pulled the cart all the way to Beroia and stopped outside the Saint's family house. His relics were placed in a church dedicated to the Theotokos, but soon thereafter they demolished this church and built another in honor of Saint Anthony the New. However this church burned down on 4 February 1898 inadvertantly by a lit candle. A magnificent new church replaced it and this stands till this day. On 12 September 1904 the new church was dedicated by Metropolitan Constantine Isaakidis of Beroia. Every year his feast is celebrated by thousands on August 1 and January 17. Those of various sickness and diseases attend and many miracles take place.

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Saint George the New Martyr of Ioannina

The memory of the New Martyr George, who was martyred in Ioannina, is honored every year with the appropriate dignity in his birthplace Aghios Georgios, Grevena (previously Tsourchli or Torfli). The village had changed its name in honor of the saint in 1927.

On the 17th of January, a day our Church honors the feast of St. Anthony the Great, it was also the day that the New Martyr George, at the age of 30 in 1838 came to a martyr’s death by hanging in the city of Ioannina. The gallows were set up in the busy Ioannina square of “Kormanio”, which is opposite the great Castle entrance (pictured below). The square now bears the New Martyr’s name.


The New Martyr George was one of the last victims of the forced recruitment of Christian boys by the Ottomans (they were known as Janissaries). This happened when he was 12 years old. Nevertheless, he was able to preserve his Christian faith untainted; a faith for which he was martyred despite the Turkish environs of Ioannina considering him to be a Turk and employing him in the Turkish army as a horse groom, with the name “Infidel (Giaour) Hasan”.

The New Martyr George, who was modest in his ways, always wore the traditional long foustanela of his village and an embroidered waistcoat, with which he is depicted in icons.

A new phase in his life started in October 1836, when he decided to get engaged and then marry on the feast of St. Demetrios a Christian girl from Ioannina, Eleni. They had a son together, born in December 1837, who was baptized in keeping with Christian tradition on the 7th January 1838, giving him the name John in honor of St. John the Baptist whose feast day it was.

All this, of course, provoked his persecution and eventually his death by martyrdom. Despite being tortured by the Turks to make him deny his Christian faith, the saint confessed with courage: “I was never a Turk, I was always a Christian." He even said this at the gallows, which he faced with composure and bravery.

His last words are typical. When his Turkish tormentors asked him “What are you?” before pulling up the gallows, George asked that his hands be untied. He made the sign of the cross and said, “I am a Christian and I shall die a Christian, I bow before my Christ and my Lady Theotokos.” Then, turning to the Christians who stood there he said, “Forgive me brethren, and God will forgive you.”


The body of the Saint hung on the gallows for three days, without, however, decaying; an incident that made even the Turks believe in his holiness and allowed him to be buried with the greatest honor. One Turkish woman, while his body was hanging, had even taken one of his socks and ran to place it on another sick Turkish woman, and she was immediately healed.

George, the New Martyr, was officially recognized as a saint on the 19th of September 1839 by the Holy Synod of the Patriarchate of Constantinople under Patriarch Gregorios and eleven synodical bishops. In the end the Patriarchate asked that secretly the celebration of the Saint be on the 17th of January which also honors Saint Anthony so that it didn’t look to the Turks that a new day of celebration had been set for the Martyr. However, he had already been accepted as a saint by the Christians of the area from the time of his death. Not only that, but according to some witnesses many Muslims who lived in the area of Ioannina also recognized his holiness.


Many biographies and services were written for the New Martyr George, amongst them the one by the monk Gerasimos Mikragiannanitis, which mentions amongst other things:

“This distinguished New Martyr of Christ, George, was the son of devout and virtuous parents, Constantine and Vasiliki, from a certain village of the province of Grevena, commonly called “Tsourchli” now called “St. George”. His father, a poor man, obtaining life’s necessities by farming, who had George and brought him up in piety, could not educate him because of poverty. With no experience of formal learning, nevertheless, he was orphaned of his parents at a young age and he lived with his brothers for a time. In these circumstances, he moved to Ioannina, where he earned his living as a waged worker, with simple manners, modest decency, gentle and kind, and not absent from marveling at the house of the Lord in his season.”


The first icon of the Saint was made on 30 January 1838, only a few days after his Martyrdom, commissioned by the Hieromonk Chrysanthos Lainos, who is mentioned as his spiritual father and guide. In this icon the saint is depicted in his traditional clothes, holding a Cross in his right hand and in his left a palm branch and a scroll with the petition: “Do not separate me from the glory of Your martyrs, my sweetest Jesus, because I am consumed by Your love, but also strengthened by Your great mercy, O Christ.”

On October 26, 1971 his relics were exhumed and placed in the newly built Church of St. George the New Martyr. Fr. Mitrophanes, a monk from the Holy Mountain and native of Epirus who composed a service to the saint, was at the translation of the relics and was given a small portion by the bishop. A year later, Fr. Mitrophanes told the bishop that he had seen New Martyr George appear during the vigil on Mount Athos for the saint's feast day and the relic began to give off a wonderful fragrance.

New Martyr George's widow, Elena, married again and had other children. Their son John fathered a son whom he named George and who later became a monk. John also had a second child, who settled in Mytilini, returning in 1934 to sell the family home to the local diocese. The house was made into a chapel-museum, and is open daily. It is held in such reverence that during World War 2 local Orthodox Christians kept all-night vigils there, praying for the protection of the city. The museum contains a display of the saint's belongings, which include a watch, a red feast-day vest, leggings, and a small decorated box.

For a compilation of miracles performed by St. George, see here.


Apolytikion in Plagal of the First Tone
Let us praise George, Christ's Martyr, Ioannina's boast and protector. For he contested steadfastly and conquered the enemy in power of the spirit. He now intercedes unceasingly that our souls may find mercy.

Kontakion in the Fourth Tone
O George, the city of Ioannina rejoices that through thy contest it possesses the treasure of thy relics.

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Two Robbers Dress As Orthodox Priests in Greece

On Januray 15th, two robbers dressed as Orthodox priests robbed the tax office of Zakynthos. Bearing pistols they stole 30,000 euros. A few hours after the robbery they were apprehended. According to sources, after the robbery they made two gun shots in the air and they drove off to Bochali where they hid their rasa (cassock), money and guns. They were both Albanians. They were caught in the same area.

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Mormons Most Conservative in the USA

Mormon Faithful Most Conservative Religious Group in U.S., poll finds

Scott Taylor
Deseret News
January 11, 2010

Salt Lake City, USA - Using data compiled from its 2009 surveys, the Gallup Poll has confirmed what some have long seen as an honor and others as a criticism — members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints comprise the most conservative of the major religious groups in the United States.

Of the Mormon adults surveyed last year, 59 percent identified themselves as conservative, 31 percent as moderate and only 8 percent as liberal. That's nearly a third more conservatives than the second-highest percentage —?the 46 percent of self-identified Protestants and non-Catholic Christians who see themselves as conservatives.

Conservatives made up 39 percent of Catholics, 23 percent of Muslims, 20 percent Jews, 20 percent other non-Christian religions and 19 percent of those who identified themselves as atheist/agnostic/nonreligious.

With LDS Church members comprising just under 2 percent of the U.S. adult population, small survey samples often make it difficult to provide precise national analysis regarding LDS Church members.

But Gallup's findings and data — released Monday — are based on the more than 350,000 Gallup Daily phone interviews conducted last year nationally with adults over the age of 18, including 5,819 respondents of the Mormon faith.

Gallup said of the LDS members surveyed, 16 percent considered themselves very conservative, 43 percent conservative, 7 percent liberal and 1 percent very liberal.

The "most-conservative ranking" coincides with a similar Gallup Poll released last year that showed more members of the LDS Church members identify themselves with the Republican Party than any other major U.S. religious group.

Coupling the two designations together, 49 percent of the Mormons surveyed labeled themselves both conservative and Republican; the next highest conservative/Republican percentage being the Protestant/non-Catholic Christians at 31 percent.

Besides the highest percentage of conservative Republicans, Gallup's LDS respondents had the survey's lowest percentages of liberal and moderate Democrats — 5 and 12 percent, respectively. Another 5 percent identified themselves as conservative Democrats, 11 percent as purely independent and 16 percent either moderate or liberal Republicans.

Gallup also provided political ideology comparisons for LDS respondents based on church activity as well as residence inside or outside the state of Utah.

Those who Gallup labeled "active Mormons" were much more likely to also identify themselves as conservative. The active Mormon respondents included 65 percent conservative, 29 percent moderate and 5 percent liberal, while the "lapsed Mormons" included 36 percent who identified themselves as conservative, 41 percent moderate and 20 percent liberal.

The latter group is close to that of all other Americans — 38 percent conservative, 37 percent moderate and 21 percent liberal.

Gallup reported that 34 percent of the adult LDS Church population resides in Utah, but place of residence resulted in little difference in political ideology.

Also, while regular church attendance for Mormons in states outside of Utah was slightly lower than that in Utah, those numbers were still significantly higher than the national averages.

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Some Characteristic Features of Orthodoxy

by Fr. Dumitru Staniloae

It is a fact that Orthodoxy is identical in its faith-content and worship with the faith-content and worship of primitive Christianity.

Yet the extraordinary and absolutely genuine fact about it is that, while being essentially the continuation of the faith, worship, and spirituality of the undivided Church of the first centuries, Orthodoxy meets in a perfect manner, the spiritual need of the people who have remained loyal to it down to this day.

Orthodoxy did not change essentially during the historical periods experienced by humanity over two thousand years. But it is due to this fact that Orthodoxy did not become impregnated during these centuries with anything which would require elimination of in our times. Nor did Orthodoxy make an essential feature of its existence out of the temporary element of one historical period or another and hence the need to get rid of it nowadays.

Orthodoxy did not turn ‘middle-aged,’ as happened with Roman Catholicism; nor is it the by-product of the protest movement of the Renaissance as is the case with Protestantism; it does not seek, even today, to reform itself essentially in order to accommodate itself to our times by way of secularization.

Orthodoxy has not introduced into the mysterious sanctuary, long-proven by a simple expression of faith, subtle and complicated innovations of certain maîtres, dominated by the desire for a certain sweetness offered by an intellectual exercise rather than by the abysmal and overwhelming awe of the mystery of the relationship between man and God.

Orthodoxy has never mixed together superfluous patterns of human thought with the simple, mysterious, majestic, permanently and inevitably lived essence of the fundamental data of the mystery of salvation.

One could say Orthodoxy has preserved a mass character, for the people in their simplicity remain very little sensitive to the successive ideologies of the historical periods, but stay open to the real and essential problems of all times.

Orthodoxy needs no secularization today in order to encounter contemporary man. On the contrary, it knows well that, by becoming secularized it would lose sight of man and would no longer respond to the fundamental problems of salvation that keep burning under the ashes in the very depths of man’s being.

Certainly, Orthodoxy has always accommodated itself to the times. It has always helped the loyal faithful in all the circumstances and in their endeavors and struggles to preserve their existence, to free themselves from alien domination. The Romanian Orthodox Church, having introduced the national (vernacular) language in church services over three centuries ago, has helped create a Romanian literary language.

But the accommodation of Orthodoxy to the times did not mean an alteration of its being a mystery, nor did it mean a replacement of the mystery by an ideology determined by one epoch or another. Orthodoxy has done all this by fully understanding the value of creation. It has always remained the mystery of simple data, but fundamental and necessary for the religious life.

Orthodoxy has always done and still does things that way. In this respect it mediates Christ to the faithful, Christ who is "the same yesterday and today and for ever" (Heb. 13:8).

It is Jesus Christ who, being the same forever answers in a perfect manner today as He did yesterday.

The Ancient Law was subject to alteration since its revelation was ever growing and, by that, it kept on widening its meaning before being, eventually, replaced by Christ. The setting aside of the Law was caused by the latter’s imperfection as a mystery of salvation:

A former command is set aside because of its weakness and uselessness (for the Law made nothing perfect - Heb. 7:18-19).

All human ideologies undergo the same process. Each dies and another one takes its place like "the priests who were many in number" (Heb. 7:23).

But He holds His priesthood permanently, because He continues for ever. Consequently He is able for all time to save those who draw near to God…, since He always lives to make intercession for them (Heb. 7:24-25).

Orthodoxy has understood that it needs no changing for the perfect dignity of the High Priesthood of Christ, nor to add or suppress anything, but rather that its only task is to emphasize time and again this dignity in its fullness. The saying “Ecclesia semper reformanda” (The Church is always reforming) does not apply in Orthodoxy since Orthodoxy communicates Christ integrally, Him who is “semper conformis cum omni tempore.”

The mystery of salvation has always been lived to the full within Orthodoxy. Those few recent terms adopted by the Ecumenical Councils did not mean to bring down the mystery to a rationalistic definition but precisely to guarantee its being a mystery as against those temptations to rationalize and limit it, or to make it disappear altogether.

Those terms were meant to protect permanently the mysterious and salutary fact announced in the New Testament, namely that we are saved by the Son of God, who, to that end, became man and remains eternally the same God and man; also that we are saved by God who at the same time is perfect man and, as such, entirely accessible to us, for that we are saved by a man who, being fully accessible to us as man He is also fully accessible to us as God, or even better to say, as the infinite source of life.

The Ecumenical Councils protected the mystery of our salvation, according to which the infinite source of life was made accessible to us, to the extent that the human person became accessible to us as our neighbor. The Councils drew a line between the pantheistic hellenism under the guise of gnosis, and God as Person in communion, and thereby have confirmed the eternal value of man as Person.

The Councils withstood the rationalist temptation to void the meaning of the mystery of salvation and thereby to make illusory salvation itself by turning God into an essence (ousia) submitted to rational laws, and by foreseeing the disappearance of man in that essence. It is only the person that can escape rationalism and remain an inexhaustible mystery, and at the same time to be nearest to any person in the way God is nearest to us and at the same time an inexhaustible mystery.

A current objection to Orthodoxy is that, like Western Christianity, it accommodated itself to medieval Renaissance and also Byzantine mentality and buried the living kernel of the Christian mystery under a heap of formalist and aristocratic splendor which no longer corresponds to our time.

We do not deny that Orthodoxy experienced a Byzantine influence. But this influence did not touch upon the essence of Christian mystery.

What has been considered to be a Byzantine heritage in the life of the Eastern Orthodox Church is, particularly, the multitude of symbols expressing both the Christian faith and its being as lived in worship, in art, and in life. But the Byzantine impact and influence could only foster the development of a symbolism inherent in the expression of Christian mystery.

The intellectual definitions and the doctrinal expositions whereby the West has tried (and still tries) to replace the exposition of mystery by way of symbols have their point of origin in the conviction that this mystery can be expressed exactly in human words.

In reality this mystery is narrowed down or even diluted wherever one wishes to encapsulate it in the strict meaning of words and intellectual definitions. The paradoxical and apophatic fullness of the mystery of salvation is more exactly rendered by symbols.

To speak of the Cross and Resurrection in a general way, to contemplate them in icons, to express them in symbolic and liturgical gestures suggests in a more realistic and existential way the mystery of salvation than does the satisfaction theory of Anselm or the penal theory of the Protestants who are able to express but one aspect of the incomprehensible mystery of salvation.

If Orthodoxy needs to accommodate itself to the needs of contemporary man, it cannot consist in a total reduction of the symbolic expression. It can only consist in a simplification of this expression in order to see straight away the great symbols of the Christian mystery which correspond to the great, simple, permanent, evidences and spiritual necessities of man.

Namely: God near to us as human person; resurrection through the Cross; glory through humility; power to restrain oneself, and patience; freedom through grace; the value of this life through faith in the hereafter; individuality through communion; development of one’s own personality through self-denial, and so on.

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Forced "Consensus" is Corrupting Science

Bruce Chapman
January 11, 2010
Discovery News

Now we have scientists predicting a new age of cooling, pointing out that Arctic ice is growing, not shrinking, and it all has to do with ocean currents, not man-made activity. Human caused global warming increasingly is seen as an over-statement, at the least. Without open debate, who knows?

Scientific hype is found in medicine, too, with repeated dire warnings about epidemics that don't quite happen. Swine flu, of course, is the latest in a long train. One could mention the BSE (Mad Cow) hysteria, and, before that Alar, silicone breast implants...on and on. Businesses and whole industries have been destroyed in some cases before reality reasserts itself.

Resorts to claims that "the science is settled" and there is (as The New York Times considers conclusive) a "scientific consensus" are shown repeatedly to fail the tests of time, close scrutiny and experience. They remind one of the old Marxist trope, "As everyone knows...." The one thing these movements lack is a humility and a willingness to test their hypothesis in an atmosphere where other sides are allowed to provide countervailing evidence, interpretations and theories. Real science, I say again, has to provide for debate.

Another case of poor science doing the work of ideology (scientism) is the willingness of the media and cultural organs to defend hard-core Darwinian explanations for everything from bad backs to altruism. The evidence doesn't seem to matter once the "consensus" is adduced. The "consensus" deems that scientific books and reports that challenge Darwin--let alone support intelligent design--may not be read, let alone reviewed.

Behind all the "consensus" controls lie groups of individuals that benefit greatly by hyped priorities--research institutions, especially, including cash-pressed universities in search of federal money. Include trial attorneys who benefit from public fright. Add in, then, the para-political elements in society that want government sanction to run the lives of other people; this includes a large part of the environmental movement, plus the cultural totalitarians who seek government power to implement their social and spending policies. Also include the bureaucracies of government that seek constantly to expand their writ...and staffing levels. Economist Thomas Sowell has termed the alliance "coercive utopians."

To stand up to these trends and strategems is "pro-science", not "anti-science", despite what the consensus mongers contend. If "science" is essentially a propaganda and social scheme looking for complaint, vendable professionals to support it, then over time it will lose its hold on public respect. And that is just what is happening.

Here's the key test (once more): do they allow and even encourage debate and the expression of contrary views? If not, "science" is corrupted.

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Elder Paisios on Orthodox Extremism

An Orthodox cleric from abroad [not in Greece] placed a difficult situation in front of the Elder. His Bishop had constructed underneath the temple, halls for dancing and other non-traditional events. The Orthodox Christians were not happy with the situation and would go to a schismatic Church instead. The Elder's reply was:

"If you want to help the people you must not relax in your Bishop's actions. If you do that, then you succeed in people leaving from the Church. Do not stop being in communion with him and thus form a schism nor speak in public against him; but nor must you praise him."

With his love, prayer and discernment, the Elder knew when to speak, how to act, and how to help Mother Church quietly, avoiding extremisms and healing the wounds that torment the body of the Church and scandalize some faithful. Above all, the Elder avoided any severing from Body of Christ, the Church.

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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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