The Eastern Orthodox Church - Articles - Zimbio

Carter's Definition of Christianity is Defensible

Sun, 17 Nov 2008 21:58:00 GMT

posted by lindseyshuman
Joe Carter is taking heat for a post [with a follow up here] that examines Barack Obama's theological views and determines they are not "Christian" (even though Obama calls them "Christian").

If you tell me that you’re a "Christian" I take that to mean that you subscribe to a common set of doctrines outlined in either the Apostle’s Creed or the Nicene Creed. Both of these creeds are ecumenical Christian statements of faith accepted by the Eastern Orthodox Church, the Roman Catholic Church, and almost all branches of Protestantism. They outline what it means to be a "mere" Christian.

Carter then examines why Obama's views flunk the test (see the rest of his original post).

Carter's definition of Christianity is rightly disputed but entirely defensible on historical grounds. It's the very same definition I use when I conclude the key Founding Fathers were not "Christian." And indeed Carter notes John Adams flunked the same standard that Obama flunked. He also notes that Obama's status as a true believer is ultimately irrelevant in terms of ability to be a good President:

But all of this misses the true underlying question: Does it really matter if Obama is an orthodox Christian? If we are talking about the state of his eternal soul, I would answer "yes." If we are talking about his effectiveness as a President, the answer is obviously "no." After all, John Adams was theologically unorthodox and yet a great President while Jimmy Carter was a horrible President while being a completely orthodox believer.

Lest we should be seen as giving Obama a special "in" with the theology of the Founding Fathers, I would note from what I observed, McCain to me didn't appear to be any more orthodox than Obama. Indeed, this nominal Christianity that believes in a Providential God but either rejects or downplays orthodox Trinitarian doctrine arguably fits better with the American Presidency than orthodox Trinitarian Christianity which is too exclusive for not just today's pluralistic society but the one America's Founders established. Indeed it's doubtful that we had an orthodox Trinitarian Christian President until Andrew Jackson.

Finally in this comment, Carter gives a list of historic Churches that define Christianity accordingly:

–The Roman Catholic Church
–The Eastern Orthodox Church
–The Assyrian Church of the East
–The Oriental Orthodox churches
–The Lutheran Church
–The Anglican Communion
–All Presbyterian Churches
–The Methodist Church
–Almost all Reformed churches

This is very similar to a chart that Dr. Gregg Frazer constructs on page 10 of his PhD thesis where he shows ALL of the established Founding Era churches defined Christianity the same way, except one...the Quakers. More on that later, but I would contend that the Founding Fathers' "theistic rationalism" was in a sense like Quakerism without the anti-war teachings.

Thieves steal entire Russian church

Thu, 14 Nov 2008 13:19:58 GMT

posted by newslite
A gang of thieves have stolen an entire 200-year-old church brick-by-brick.
Before its odd disappearance the church had stood in the Russian countryside near the village of Komarovo since 1809.
Church officials say the building was intact when they last visited it in July and though it was not in use, they were considering resuming services there.
But the Church of the Resurrection, which was 186 miles north-east of Moscow - 'was' being the operative word - is now nowhere to be found,
Local villagers, who Orthodox officials believe are behind the theft, suggest the disappearance could be an act of God ... I wonder why they are under suspicion. A spokesman for the Russian Orthodox Church said the thieves had committed a "grave sin" and that police were investigating the crime.
In recent years the Orthodox church in Russia has experienced a major resurgence, if only they could stop losing churches.
LINKSRussian Orthodox Church

Russia: Easter - April 27, 2008

Tue, 23 Apr 2008 12:02:00 GMT

posted by kylekeeton
Hello,

My wife and I had an article before Easter in the West on March 23rd, 2008. I had an article then about the Russian Easter. I am now bringing it back up because guess what?

It is Easter in Russia this weekend!

The Article Here (LINK).
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Russian Easter!

Easter in Russia is celebrated according to the rituals laid down by the Eastern Orthodox Church. Apart from differences in rites and rituals, the bone of contention between Western Christians (Protestants and Roman Catholics) and the Eastern Orthodox Christians is the date of Easter celebration. In determining the vernal equinox, the Eastern Church uses the Julian calendar while the Western Church employs the Gregorian calendar.

2008 date:
March 23 (Western)
April 27 (Eastern)

Moreover, whereas Western Churches hold Easter sunrise services, in Russian Orthodox Church Easter services last all through Saturday night. The congregation gathers in the church or cathedral on Saturday evening and takes part in an Easter vigil commemorating the buried Christ.

Easter service is also held in a different way. Already on a Saturday night people put on their best clothes and come together in dark churches that symbolize a gloomy world without the light of faith.

The holy week is pretty much busy in most Russian homes. Once a spring cleaning is done, it’s time for baking Easter bread. The eggs are painted on Holy ("Clean") Thursday and fresh Easter cakes (Paskha) are prepared on Saturday. It’s a tough time as Saturday is the strictest fasting day when orthodox Christians are almost not allowed to eat. Tasting food while cooking is also forbidden. But everyone is looking forward to the feast, and the cooks do their best. It is a tradition to bless Easter eggs and bread in the church. Fasting ends after the Easter Mass and feasting begins.

The Easter Day starts with a long family breakfast. The table is decorated with fresh flowers, pussy-willow branches and, of course, painted eggs. Besides Easter bread and Paskha that are only eaten on Easter, there is lots of other food on the table like sausages, bacon, cheese, milk, etc. – so basically everything that was prohibited during the Forty Day Fast. However, the feast starts with a piece of aromatic Easter bread.

Sharing food on Easter has been a long tradition in Russia. That is why after breakfast people visit their friends and neighbors exchanging eggs and small Easter breads. If the first egg you get on Easter is a truly gift given from the heart, it will never go bad, says an old Russian wisdom.

It is also common practice to visit cemeteries and bring eggs, some bread and beer to the graves. In doing so, people let deceased loved ones enjoy the feast.

Strangely enough the weather on the Easter Day is usually very nice and sunny. "The sun plays", say the Russians. It is an old custom to open the cages and let birds go free on Easter.

In the past, only men were allowed to ring church bells. Bell-ringing could be heard everywhere creating a joyful atmosphere. There was no Easter without swinging on a swing. It was great fun, especially for kids and girls.
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It is still very popular to roll Easter eggs on the ground or down a hill. The aim of the game is to break the eggs of other players without damaging your own ones. Experienced players pay special attention to the form of the eggs and even make special gutters for the eggs to have a better roll. Farmers believe that rolling eggs keep the soil fertile.

Painted eggs are an international Easter symbol. In Russia Easter eggs are believed to possess magic powers. They are supposed to protect crops against hail damage, keep cattle healthy and ward off evil spirits. An Easter egg hidden in the foundation of a house would bring the owners happiness and prosperity. It should even be possible to make yourself look younger by rolling an Easter egg over the face. So it’s no wonder that painted and blessed Easter eggs used to be kept as lucky charms for a long time. One day someone started making and painting wooden eggs. Porcelain, golden, silver and gemstone eggs are very precious. The most exquisite ones are probably the Imperial Easter Eggs designed by the world-famous jeweler Peter Carl Fabergé's for the Russian Royal Family.

Traditional Easter eggs are red. Of course, it is also possible to use other colors. In Russia eggs are often cooked together with onion skins or wrapped in colorful fabric remnants. Spinach dyes eggs green and beet root gives them a red tint. Easter eggs get a nice shine if rubbed with vegetable oil.
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At midnight ringing church bells announce the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Priests come to the altar holding a crucifix and candles. Solemnly singing, they walk through the church and then around it. Everyone lights the candles and follow the procession. Churches and cathedrals are now full of singing voices and candle lights.

The Orthodox liturgical chant substitutes a Catholic organ and creates a very special atmosphere. The Mass goes on till dawn. Today, the president and other politicians also attend the Easter Mass.

As there are no bench rows in orthodox churches, some people find it difficult to stand the whole mass that goes on for hours. But the impressive ceremony is worth every effort. The Easter service ends early in the morning when the priests go around the crucifix. Numerous church bells start ringing, the singing gets louder, and finally the priests tell everybody to forgive each other and seal it with a hug and a kiss. Everyone happily follows this appeal. The traditional Easter greeting can be heard everywhere: "Christ is risen!" and the answer: "He is truly risen!"
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So everyone have a happy Easter and enjoy the Easter Eggs.

Kyle & Svet

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An atheist reborn in the Orthodox Church (6) [Un ateu renăscut în Biserica Ortodoxă]

Sun, 21 Jul 2008 09:31:00 GMT

posted by MunteanUK
Something many unbelievers will hardly ever understand from outside the only One Church of our Lord Jesus Christ is how matter is sanctified by His Resurrection… how any little particular grain of dirt can have a a spiritual meaning, as it can remind us of the Lord Himself, the Theotokos or His Saints. Because “being created by God, the Logos, matter is, in its innermost core, God-longing and Christ-longing” (more about the Orthodox view upon matter: here and here).

There’s a great mystery in this, unapproachable by our contemporaries enslaved by consumerism, where everything can be bought for ‘the right price,’ then ‘consumed,’ and, ultimately, thrown away. Those poor people who are senselessly fighting their own nature, replacing ‘being themselves’ with ‘having for themselves’ (as many vain things as possible that we will all lose the day we die!) cannot understand the pricelessness of sanctified matter in Orthodoxy. They, who buy and sell all the possible crap, would deem as fetishism, foolishness, and definitely as something irrational my friend Dionysios’ love for bits of nothing. But these nothings (in the eyes of these seculars that have blinded themselves with their pride!) are bits of matter that has been sanctified by a touch of grace, by the Holy Ghost Himself, and the Saints that the Lord keeps chosing to work miracles through.

In his ordinary house in Peacehaven (East Sussex), Dionysios gathered little drops of this great mystery of Orthodoxy, of how sanctified matter can work upon one’s soul. And I might have not witnessed visible ‘miracles’ (why should we believe that all miracles should be visible, whilst our soul is invisible?!) after sharing to people little Filaktas of St. Dionysios of Zakynthos that my friend gave me, but I saw what he told me I would see. I saw people joyfully receiving these tokens of St. Dionysios. Some knew of this saint, some didn’t, but no one told me I was crazy – exactly as my friend had said to me that no one would do so.

My friend has got cloth that covered St. Dionysios’ relics or St. Edward’s bones; he cherishes nuts from the very nut tree where his beloved Saint stopped to eat a few; he has wax used to seal the Holy Grave in Jerusalem before the Holy Light (Holy Fire) miraculously appears every year; he grows olive trees from Nazareth and Zakynthos, while a sweet smell of incense can be felt all over his house… At times, and according to no logical rule (but the Lord knows each of our souls, to whom to reveal His greatness through His Saints!), some people can inspire the divine smell of St. Dionysios…

In a room like a little church, the timelessness and sanctity of Orthodoxy is at home in a generally secular East Sussex (a county with an interesting approach to religion, albeit purely secular). Almost every object has a spiritual meaning or it reminds my friend of a beautiful Holy Place where he has once been to. Dionysios surely hasn’t had what today’s world would consider a ‘happy life,’ and all the treasures he gathered in his house are surely nothing that today’s robbers should seek after – however, he has found all the richness of Orthodoxy, that can give meaning to any grain of dirt.

Dionysios from Peacehaven was dead, and he’s now alive, he surely had a pointless existence for many years, but now he’s holding on to the only meaning of our existence – being with Jesus Christ, and hoping to earn a place near Him forevermore. He may not have much to live for now as well (some would judge!), but the way he lives for the little treasures he gathered, and for sharing them with the world gives him a most meaningful life. My friend Dionysios may be a ‘nobody’ to this world’s standards (no wealth, no career, no ambition, no grand goal or achievement – that this shallow world require of a man), yet he is a meaningful man whom I feel blessed to call my friend.

Since I am so unable to keep up the rhythm of my vivid correspondence with my English friend (along with many others), I am thanking him here for having shared with me some of his treasures. Glory to the Lord for the day he approached me (January 20th, 2008) with his amazing story. It’s always refreshing to know that the Lord does change the lives of people, their view of the world and everything within their inner selves exactly like He did almost 2,000 years ago! I myself am an example, Dionysios is another, this blog has kept mentioning at least a few others, and I thank the Lord that, throughout 2008, He has made me live me among this different (but so real!) kind of people who have discovered Him, the Truth.

It’s none of our merit, there’s nothing to boast ourselves with, it’s all God’s work and priceless gift to us, but I am saying it over and over again (to my secular friends, and to anyone who might come across this blog): unless there we weren't giving that 0.00001% of free will from our part, the Lord couldn’t give His 99.99999% share in order to change our lives. There’s no predestination, it’s just a ‘take it or leave it’ kind offer that our Lord makes to us until our very last breath: he who wants to know Him, can surely do so…

[For all the episodes of this series, and all the posts on this blog go to/ Pentru toate episoadele din această serie şi toate postările de pe acest blog mergi la: Contents/Cuprins]

A New Love Story From Russian Orthodox Church!

Tue, 25 Jun 2008 19:10:00 GMT

posted by kylekeeton

Hello,

Really this story is not new - it happened in 13th century... But it's really a story of love! Russian Orthodox Church knows this story since 16th century. And now Russian authorities are to introduce a new date in the country's calendar - the Day of Married Love and Family Happiness!

The event will be first celebrated on July 8 this year, but will not be a public holiday. It is designed to coincide with the day of Saint Peter and Fevronia, the Orthodox patron saints for marriage and family life.

For readers who wants to read the story:

Legend says Prince Peter of Murom had fallen ill with leprosy - a disease nobody could cure. But he had a dream that a bee-keeper’s daughter called Fevronia would help him. She was beautiful, devout and knew herbal remedies. Peter vowed to marry her if she healed him. However, at first he didn’t keep his promise and the disease came back. Fevronia cured him again and they then got married.

The nobles didn’t want a princess of common origin and they told Peter to abandon her or leave Murom. He chose his wife and they settled together in the wilderness.

“Their love endured all things. The Prince chose to sacrifice everything he had for his beloved one - and she made sacrifices for him all her life. They died on the same day, the same hour. This shows where love is, there is also compassion and sacrifice,” says Metropolitan Kirill of Smolensk and Kaliningrad.

Peter and Fevronia prayed that they’d be buried in the same coffin, but the church refused to do this and buried them separately. The next day a miracle was revealed – their bodies had been reunited. So the church had to recognise the power of Peter and Fevronia’s love and granted their last wish.

The holiday will now be celebrated nationally on July 8. Earlier many couples chose to get married on this day as they believed the saints would protect their families. This year at least 90 couples in Moscow have vowed to get married on July 8 in the hope that their love will never die.

Clergymen will hold services across the country and preach for strong family bonds. The estate of Tsaritsino is preparing to host newly-weds and all other lovers and, symbolising the day will be a daisy, simple but bright, the flower that’s believed to heal and comfort.[Russia Today]

comments always welcome.