Having entered the Christmas season, we ask those who find the work of the Mystagogy Resource Center beneficial to them to help us continue our work with a generous financial gift as you are able. As an incentive, we are offering the following booklet.

In 1909 the German philosopher Arthur Drews wrote a book called "The Myth of Christ", which New Testament scholar Bart D. Ehrman has called "arguably the most influential mythicist book ever produced," arguing that Jesus Christ never existed and was simply a myth influenced by more ancient myths. The reason this book was so influential was because Vladimir Lenin read it and was convinced that Jesus never existed, thus justifying his actions in promoting atheism and suppressing the Orthodox Church in the Soviet Union. Moreover, the ideologues of the Third Reich would go on to implement the views of Drews to create a new "Aryan religion," viewing Jesus as an Aryan figure fighting against Jewish materialism. 

Due to the tremendous influence of this book in his time, George Florovsky viewed the arguments presented therein as very weak and easily refutable, which led him to write a refutation of this text which was published in Russian by the YMCA Press in Paris in 1929. This apologetic brochure titled "Did Christ Live? Historical Evidence of Christ" was one of the first texts of his published to promote his Neopatristic Synthesis, bringing the patristic heritage to modern historical and cultural conditions. With the revival of these views among some in our time, this text is as relevant today as it was when it was written. 

Never before published in English, it is now available for anyone who donates at least $20 to the Mystagogy Resource Center upon request (please specify in your donation that you want the book). Thank you.



June 19, 2013

A Statement on a Buddhist Workshop in Greece


A statement issued in March 2013 by the Holy Metropolis of Glyfada on a Buddhist workshop that took place later that month.

On Saturday 23 March 2013 there will take place in the area around Parliament a "workshop on Natural Farming", which is advertised as a "philosophical-practical workshop". Faithful Christians, as well as every citizen, should be aware that this is a Buddhist workshop based on so-called "Natural Farming".

"Natural Farming", a method developed by the Japanese Masanobu Fukuoka[1], is "a Buddhist way of farming which is derived from the philosophy of 'nothing' and the return to a natural state of 'non-action'."[2] The teachings of Buddhist teacher Fukuoka are characterized as "a spiritual guide that uses farming (or gardening or agriculture) as a path that can lead to enlightenment."[3] Agriculture, therefore, in this system becomes a spiritual path and the farmer is taught that we become "one" with nature, identifying himself with the crops and eliminating the "I".[4]

The invitations sent to faithful Christians speak of an "unmethodical method (as Fukuoka himself calls it) which is based on the holistic view of agriculture, nature and man." It should be noted that the holistic view of man and the world is an anti-Christian doctrine that includes belief in the existence of an impersonal God and universal energy. Therefore, Christians should prevent themselves from attending this workshop.

1. See the magazine 'DIALOGUE' issues 23 and 48.

2. http://fukuokafarmingol.info/fover.html

3. op. cit

4. op. cit

Source: Translated by John Sanidopoulos

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