Christianity and Socialism (Hieromartyr Hilarion Troitsky)

 

 Christianity and Socialism

 

By the New Hieromartyr Hilarion (Troitsky) [+1928]

[Note: This was a pamphlet St. Hilarion published in the intervening years between the failed 1905 Revolution and the unhappy 1917 Revolution.]

People swear by someone greater than themselves (Heb. 6:16).

This truth remains ever and everywhere immutable. Any single truth or any series of truths always comprise what is “greater” for man, and this “greater” is man’s authority; he refers to it, he “swears” by it. Yet the same truths are not what is “greater” for all men. Sometimes what is “greater” is entirely false; yet man nevertheless swears by this illusory “truth” as though it were authoritative. The measures by which men approach the phenomena of the life which surrounds us are quite varied. Each chooses that authority which seems best to him, and therefore one may accept the position: Tell me what your authorities are, and I will say what sort of man you are. In the past, men were different, and their authorities were also different. The word of God, the laws of the Church - in the past these were the eternally immutable and perfect authorities understood and held dear equally by all. If something were in accordance with the word of God, with the laws of the Church, it was good; if something were not in accordance with them, or contradicted them, it could not be good. I. T. Pososhkov wrote his “A Father’s Testament” precisely “to corroborate the divine Scriptures”; there he states with certainty: “All of us who live in the Orthodox Faith know this well: that all truth is contained in the words of the Lord”; and to his son he says: “My son, I firmly exhort and adjure thee, that with all thy strength thou hold fast to the Holy Eastern Church as the Mother who gave thee birth... and that thou cut off from thyself all who oppose the Holy Church, and have no amicable relations with them of any sort, for they are the enemies of God.”

The Use and Overuse of the Word "Narrative" (Metr. Hierotheos of Nafpaktos)

By Metropolitan Hierotheos of Nafpaktos and Agiou Vlasiou

I often hear journalists and politicians use the word "his narrative" or "her narrative" in oral and written speech. At first I felt dissatisfied with the misuse of the word. It's certainly a good word, but its abuse in combination with the substitution of other words made me uncomfortable.

Let me quote some phrases that I highlighted which I came across that were either spoken orally or presented in writing: "The government narrative", "the dominant narrative", "his wife ... is the voice of the narrative", "the narrative with which he politicized", "the historical narrative of our neighboring country", "our national narrative", "killing his narrative", "a new narrative about the relations between Greece and Northern Macedonia is inaugurated", etc. I also found the expression "the narrative of the narrative"!

The Law of True Leadership (Metr. Hierotheos of Nafpaktos)

 

By Metropolitan Hierotheos of Nafpaktos and Agiou Vlasiou

Leaders - ecclesiastical, social and political - lead the people to whom they have been appointed and are not led by them. They are in charge of formulating the truth in pure language and of shaping people appropriately to follow it.

This must be done with knowledge of things, with calmness and composure, with sobriety and freedom, but also with many sacrifices. A real leader does their work sacrifically and martyrically. They do not reconcile themselves with the passions of the people, nor are pressured by the people they are supposed to guide.

Prince Philip, Orthodoxy and His Unknown Visit to Mount Athos in 1992

Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, was born on the Greek island of Kerkyra on the dining room table of the villa of Mon Repos on 10 June 1921.

He was baptized by the Greek Orthodox priest Fr. George Sardanis, at the Church of Saint George in the Old Fortress.

When he was eighteen months old he was exiled from Greece with his family. His father, Prince Andrew of Greece and Denmark, had been sentenced to death for high treason after the Asia Minor catastrophe, and was saved at the last minute, with British intervention. He was blamed in part for the country's defeat in the Greco-Turkish War (1919–1922) and for the loss of Greek territory, and the family was forced into exile until the restoration of the Greek monarchy in 1935.

The British naval vessel HMS Calypso evacuated Prince Andrew's family, with Philip carried to safety in a cot made from a fruit box. Philip's family went to France, where they settled in the Paris suburb of Saint-Cloud in a house lent to them by his wealthy aunt, Princess George of Greece and Denmark. Prince Andrew and his family were stripped of their Greek nationality, and traveled under Danish passports.

Yes, Whataboutism Can Be a Fallacy, But Not Always, and Even Then It Is Usually Quite Rare

"Physician, heal thyself." 

(Luke 4:23)

"Why do you look at the speck of dust in your brother’s eye, 

and not notice the log in your own eye?" 

(Matt. 7:3)

Yesterday the term "whataboutism" was trending on social media, because during the impeachment trial of Former President Donald Trump, Democrats were anticipating for Trump's lawyers to issue forth a series of whataboutisms in their response to the accusation that he incited an insurrection on the Capital Building. At the end of the day, Democrats felt vindicated, because while Trump's lawyers presented their evidence and pointed out the hypocrisy of his accusers, they in turn were believed  to have also committed the fallacy of whataboutism, which they thought invalidates all their arguments. But should they feel vindicated? I would say no, because whataboutisms when you think about it are very rare, and not as common as accusers would like to think.

The Strengths and Weaknesses of Voting

 

 

By Metropolitan Hierotheos of Nafpaktos and Agiou Vlasiou

 

The power of the vote for human societies is great and expresses the state of the democracy of each nation, by which leaders emerge. 

 

Certainly the vote is an expression of the ideologies, expectations and visions of each person, but at the same time it is also an expression of resistance and dissatisfaction. Thus, the vote within it has both positive and negative elements and always depends on the mentality of the voter. While it is a vote expressed by crossing out or on a white ballot, it hides the personal story of each voter. What would we hear if it was possible to make a "psychobiography of the voter"! Of course, some modern scholarly analysts have the conditions and ways to detect these ins and outs of voters, but this cannot be done with precision.

 

The Good Guy/Bad Guy Myth

The Good Guy/Bad Guy Myth

Pop culture today is obsessed with the battle between good and evil. Traditional folktales never were. What changed?

Catherine Nichols

January 25, 2018

Aeon

The first time we see Darth Vader doing more than heavy breathing in Star Wars (1977), he’s strangling a man to death. A few scenes later, he’s blowing up a planet. He kills his subordinates, chokes people with his mind, does all kinds of things a good guy would never do. But then the nature of a bad guy is that he does things a good guy would never do. Good guys don’t just fight for personal gain: they fight for what’s right – their values.

How Should Christians Vote and to Which Political Party Should They Belong?

By Elder Epiphanios Theodoropoulos

"For here we do not have an enduring city, but we are looking for the city that is to come" (Heb. 13:14).

"Our citizenship is in the heavens" (Philip. 3:20).

Because, however, we are also citizens of the earth, and of this country, when the time comes for us to go to the polls, we should not be attached to situations or parties or people. No party expresses us. Every time, then, we should think what is the least evil for our country. We are to do this according to circumstances. Sometimes it could be one thing, another time it could be something else. We should vote with the principle: "Choose the lesser of two evils."

The Difference Between Christianity and Communism

A communist once told Fr. Joel [Yiannakopoulos], “Father, communism is the same as Christianity! In terms of society, there’s no difference between them. Both communism and Christianity want equality, brotherhood, and social justice.”

“However, there is one small difference,” said Fr. Joel.

“What?”

“Christianity tells its followers: ‘Why do you have, and another does not? Go and give to him!’ But communism tells its followers: ‘Why does another have, and you do not? Go and take from him!’ Do you see the difference?”

Source

A Christian Response to Being Unjustly Accused of Sexual Assault

By John Sanidopoulos

I was asked today by email the following question (which I condensed so as not to reveal any personal information of the inquirer):

"As you are aware, these days much is being is said in the media about sexual assault, and for the most part I think this is a good thing, as it needs to be exposed and women should feel comfortable to expose it if in fact they are the victims of such abuse. What troubles me is that many people are also saying that we should believe every accusation a woman makes regarding sexual assault, I guess because women feel they have been forced to keep silent for too long, or for whatever other reason. This troubles me because I personally have been accused of a sexual assault in the past, and it devastated my life because I knew none of it was true. My comfort at the time was reading scripture and the lives of the saints, and thankfully my wife believed me. Now this took place for me about twenty years ago, and the woman personally apologized to me about the false accusation not long after, and it was all swept under the rug as I moved on to another job, but because I know firsthand of myself and others I know that these accusations can be false unless proven not to be or at least examined, I was wondering, with your vast knowledge of Church history and the lives of the saints, if there are any specific examples of honorable people who were unjustly accused of sexual assault. Thank you."

Franksgiving: When Thanksgiving Politically Divided the United States

I hear many people these days talking about how divided the United States is politically, and how they dread political conversations during Thanksgiving dinner. Since it can hardly be avoided to talk politics in certain situations during Thanksgiving, my solution is to remind people that this country has always been politically divided in one way or another, and that Thanksgiving itself at one time was politically divisive as well. And what made Thanksgiving politically divisive at one time, is now no longer an issue at all, but an accepted tradition that unites all Americans. What was it that made Thanksgiving politically divisive? It was something labelled "Franksgiving" at the time. Read about it below, via the Wikipedia article on the subject, compare it to the political divide we have today, see how such a major issue of the time for which the then President of the United States, who was criticized for being like Hitler because of this issue, was heavily criticized, and has today become an accepted tradition that unites all Americans, because time eventually gives us a short memory. It should remind us that history should be remembered in times when we feel something unique is going on, for nothing is new under the sun.

Consequentialism, the Moral Philosophy of the West

Jeremy Bentham, a founder of Consequential thought

Since the 1960's Western society, hitherto Christian in foundation, has come under the influence of a school of moral theology known as Consequentialism. Consequentialism, essentially denies objective truth and leads to moral relativism. Ultimately it leads to a culture of death that today sanctions everything from contraception to abortion, homosexual activity, sex outside of marriage, divorce, sterilization, in-vitro fertilization, pornography, embryonic stem cell research, euthanasia and even false notions of a just war.

Elder Sophrony: "The World Does Not Need a Political Church"

By Elder Sophrony Sakharov

Every international or class war is associated with violence: "Strike the enemies." But Christ commands: "Love your enemies" (Matt. 5:44). The latter does not deteriorate at all the gospel at the level of the fratricidal division of material goods. When bishops, theologians and faithful Christians in general enter the ranks of militants, they consider those who avoid participation in these kinds of activities as petty and cowardly. The more dangerous the clash with the oppressors, the more this humanitarian mission is considered as "martyrdom" for Christ.

Characteristics of the Extremist Personality

By Profesor Tariq ibn 'Ali Al-Habeeb

First: Is there an extremist personality?

Second: Are there specific characteristics for the extremist personality?

Third: Can extremism in individuals be the result of genetic aptitude or of social and political circumstances?

This paper is not a comprehensive research but rather a journey to the different types of personalities to verify the researcher's proposition:

"Immoderation and extremism are not the inherent in certain personalities, for mere personalities cannot be extreme. Extremism is an intellectual ideology more than a psychological need. It is a separate idea which people choose and are attracted to mostly for social reasons."

Conspiracy Theories and the Derangement of Political Discourse

Does this prove Trump is a member of the Illuminati?

There's much that can be posted on this subject, but I will just minimize it to the three articles below for reflection on this issue, introducing people to the ridiculousness of anti-Trump conspiracy theories, similar to anti-Obama conspiracy theories of the past. However, it seems like a new conspiracy theory surfaces every day (at least) these days, that it is difficult to keep up with them. These are nothing but the result of the deep hatred people have in their hearts for anyone opposing their ideologies, to the point where they would demonize their opposition.

1. Trump's Critics Falling for Conspiracy Theories

By Tom Bailey

Bannon is no more a fascist than Obama was a Marxist.

When Obama was first elected in 2008, sections of the US right went into overdrive to prove that behind the smooth talking and smile there was something more sinister. Some conservative media outlets believed Obama was secretly a radical socialist – a Marxist, even. Tied to him were said to be various radical left-wing people, groups and ideologies....

Mixing Religion and Politics Is Bad for Both

Napp Nazworth
March 19, 2012
The Christian Post

Young people are turning away from churches because they associate Christianity with Republican politics, a study reveals.

Political science Professors David Campbell (University of Notre Dame) and Robert Putnam (Harvard University) published their findings, "God and Caesar in America: Why Mixing Religion and Politics Is Bad for Both," in the March/April edition of Foreign Affairs. Campbell and Putnam also wrote American Grace: How Religion Divides and Unites Us (2010), which was recently released in paperback. For that book, they have been surveying the same group of people from 2006 to 2011. The same data was used for the Foreign Affairs article.

The Habit of Demonization in American Public Life

Religious Right Should End 'Demonization' Of Political Opponents, Seek 'Common Ground,' Opinion Piece Says

September 30, 2009

Medical News Today

Since the early 1970s, there has been a "disappearance of an approach to public life in which stark differences could be debated without adversaries slipping into the demonization of one another," David Gushee -- distinguished professor of Christian ethics at Mercer University and president of Evangelicals for Human Rights -- writes in a USA Today opinion piece. According to Gushee, a "number of factors have contributed to a national slide from civility to demonization in the past 40 years," but the "1973 Roe v. Wade abortion decision and the ensuing religious mobilization into political combat ... have made the greatest difference." He writes that demonization is "viewing those we disagree with as if they are the embodiment of evil" and "involves a profound loss of perspective on the humanity of our opponents."

Capitalism's Ideology (Metr. Hierotheos of Nafpaktos)

By His Eminence Metropolitan Hierotheos

of Nafpaktos and St. Vlassios

Nowadays, two prominent ways of life prevail in mankind, which have been transformed into two ideologies respectively; that is, Western individualism and Eastern collectivism. In Western individualism, characterized by liberalism, an unbridled freedom of the individual prevails, along with competition which is a detrimental factor to society overall. In Eastern collectivism state dominance prevails, which undermines people’s freedom. In both instances, man is overlooked as a person, just as human society is not regarded as a society of human persons.

The Story Behind a Fascinating Photo of Archbishop Michael of North and South America

The photograph shows U.S. Army General James A. Van Fleet kissing the hand of Archbishop Michael, head of the Greek Orthodox Church of North and South America following the Greek Independence Day Parade in New York City in 1953. On the left, holding his hat, is Spyros P. Skouras, motion picture producer and president of 20th Century Fox, who also was a major contributor to the establishment of Hellenic College/Holy Cross School of Theology in Brookline, Massachusetts.

The Religious-Economic War in Europe

From left, Sigmar Gabriel and Wolfgang Schäuble of Germany and Michel Sapin and Emmanuel Macron of France. 

By Metropolitan Hierotheos of Nafpaktos

Europe has known many religious wars, especially with the advent of the Reformers, who cut themselves off from the Papists ("Catholics"). Luther dominated Germany, Calvin dominated Geneva and Zwingli dominated Zurich. Normally political leaders chose the religious faith they wanted, which resulted in civil strife, wars, persecutions, etc. The tendency of Europeans to unfetter themselves from religious faith is not independent of these conflicts, the so-called religious wars.