Post by elionberger on Aug 23, 2012 6:02:57 GMT 2
OK - This week is almost over and I just got through The Conversion of the Slavs section.
Needless to say, there is a ton of history here, and centuries are covered in a manner of pages. So, now I want to find some books that go into greater detail of a particular history. For example, The Russian Religious Mind by G.P. Fedotov, sounds very interesting. Anybody read this?
One thing that I pulled from this section is the absolute symbiosis between the church and government. St. Sergius was pivotal in not only setting up monasteries and galvanizing generations of disciples who went on to create some of the most important Christian art and icons, but he also was pivotal in the politics of the land.
I can't help but make the connection to the current controversy involving the Punk Group, "Pussy Riot". The intermingling of politics and religion has always turned me off . . . I don't like it, because of the inerrant scandal that ensues. Also, when politics and religion are so closely entwined, it seems that revolts like "Pussy Riot" are bound to pop up.
I do not condone Pussy Riot but I have read that the Russian clergy have forgiven them. Of course, consequences are appropriate here . . . anybody running into a church and screaming, "Holy Shit, Shit, Lord's Shit" . . . is cowardly. I've never liked punk rock . . . to me, they are idiots with guitars. Give me a real rebel, give me a real revolution.
For example, Martin Luther King, Jr. Talk about fighting for freedom of speech!! He didn't run into a church with a mask on and scream obscenities. There are so many others out there . . . when they were confronted with persecution, their freedom of speech threatened, etc. they stood up, they revolted in a way that brought people together in an atomoshpere of love and forgiveness.
Pussy Riot?
Give me a break . . I read in a recent blog (Mystagogy by J. Sanidopoulos) that it is much like the Sex Pistol's "God Save the Queen". I have to agree. Nothing but a publicity stunt . . . Abbot Tryphon has a great commentary on his blog "The Morning Offering" concerning this.
Going back to the mixing of politics and religion, I do believe that it is this that causes the upheaval, i.e. Pussy Riot. I don't know much about Russian Politics . . I do know that if the church were shaking hands and rubbing elbows with Barak Obama, helping him to further agendas and gain votes, I wouldn't like it.
St. Sergius is a prolifically great person who helped Russia to become a sovereign nation. I have no doubt about this . . . religion and government do, at times, need to go hand in hand . . . But, as Fr. Kallistos points out at the end of this section:
I'm excited to see what he means by, "worthy and unworthy of this vocation".
Needless to say, there is a ton of history here, and centuries are covered in a manner of pages. So, now I want to find some books that go into greater detail of a particular history. For example, The Russian Religious Mind by G.P. Fedotov, sounds very interesting. Anybody read this?
One thing that I pulled from this section is the absolute symbiosis between the church and government. St. Sergius was pivotal in not only setting up monasteries and galvanizing generations of disciples who went on to create some of the most important Christian art and icons, but he also was pivotal in the politics of the land.
I can't help but make the connection to the current controversy involving the Punk Group, "Pussy Riot". The intermingling of politics and religion has always turned me off . . . I don't like it, because of the inerrant scandal that ensues. Also, when politics and religion are so closely entwined, it seems that revolts like "Pussy Riot" are bound to pop up.
I do not condone Pussy Riot but I have read that the Russian clergy have forgiven them. Of course, consequences are appropriate here . . . anybody running into a church and screaming, "Holy Shit, Shit, Lord's Shit" . . . is cowardly. I've never liked punk rock . . . to me, they are idiots with guitars. Give me a real rebel, give me a real revolution.
For example, Martin Luther King, Jr. Talk about fighting for freedom of speech!! He didn't run into a church with a mask on and scream obscenities. There are so many others out there . . . when they were confronted with persecution, their freedom of speech threatened, etc. they stood up, they revolted in a way that brought people together in an atomoshpere of love and forgiveness.
Pussy Riot?
Give me a break . . I read in a recent blog (Mystagogy by J. Sanidopoulos) that it is much like the Sex Pistol's "God Save the Queen". I have to agree. Nothing but a publicity stunt . . . Abbot Tryphon has a great commentary on his blog "The Morning Offering" concerning this.Going back to the mixing of politics and religion, I do believe that it is this that causes the upheaval, i.e. Pussy Riot. I don't know much about Russian Politics . . I do know that if the church were shaking hands and rubbing elbows with Barak Obama, helping him to further agendas and gain votes, I wouldn't like it.
St. Sergius is a prolifically great person who helped Russia to become a sovereign nation. I have no doubt about this . . . religion and government do, at times, need to go hand in hand . . . But, as Fr. Kallistos points out at the end of this section:
Sixty one years after the death of Sergius, the Byzantine Empire fell to the Turks. The new Russia which took shape after Kulikovo, and which the Saint himself had done so much to build, was now called to take Byzantium's place as protector of the Orthodox world. It proved both worthy and unworthy of this vocation.
I'm excited to see what he means by, "worthy and unworthy of this vocation".
