The spiritual symbolism of the numbers (2)
May 30 2021
The spiritual symbolism of the numbers (2)

From Orpheus and Pythagoras during the medieval Proto-Renaissance and Dante Allegieri to the heterodox Islamic cult

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On the other hand, the year 1300 AD. It marks for Dante the middle of his life (then he turns 35), and for him it is a watershed of time – 65 centuries of the movement of the heavens have passed to him, and after him will continue for another 65 centuries. Or twice in the 65th century they make a total of 130 centuries or 13,000 years, and the 13 centuries since the beginning of the Christian calendar are one tenth of all. The number 65 is remarkable in its own way: adding its numbers we get again 11, which in turn decomposes the numbers 6 and 5, respectively the numerical symbolism for the macrocosm and the microcosm. Translating 65 to the numerical value of the letters from the Latin we get LXV, which shifted give us LVX (luxury = light), reminding us of the Masonic era of True Light; on the other hand, 65 in Hebrew is the divine name Adonai, which is alluded to in Purgatory, XX, 94-96 with the literal quotation of the Templars’ exclamation “Somewhere Adonai” (in Hebrew “Revenge, my Lord”).

Space Cycle Theory: The period of 13,000 years is half the time for the transfer of equinoxes with a difference of 40 years or less than half a century. The total period is, in fact, 25,920 years, half of which is 12,960 years; and this half-period is the “great year” of the ancient Persians and Greeks. This special year was considered by the ancients to be a time between two renewals of the world, which in the earthly history of mankind can be defined as the interval between two cataclysms in which entire continents disappear (it was in the last one that Atlantis perished).

Cyclical laws find their application in different degrees: historical cycles, geological cycles, purely cosmic cycles, with the corresponding divisions and subdivisions, which further multiply the possibilities for their application (cyclic numbers are 72, 108 and 432, which are directly related to the number 25920, to which they are connected by the geometric division of the circle). In Dante we find a perfect overlap with the symbolic chronology among the traditional Eastern doctrines, in which there is only a difference in form in the understanding of the “great year” and the theory of the four ages of mankind, which we find in Greco-Roman antiquity, Hinduism and the peoples of Central America.

We could make an allusion between the four ages (gold, silver, bronze and iron) in the figure of the “Cretan old man” (Hell, XIV, 94-120), who is identical with the dream statue of Nebuchadnezzar (Book of St. Daniel). , Chapter II) – such a unique image from the beginning of the 17th century we have on the east wall of the old dining room of the Bachkovo Holy Monastery; and the four rivers in Hell, which for Dante are in some respect compared to those in Paradise on earth; all this would be difficult to interpret without reference to cyclical laws.

In the Middle Ages, Pythagoras’ teaching (576-496 BC) about numbers as an ontological principle was generally highly valued – Pythagoras was depicted on the west façade of Chartres Cathedral as the personification of arithmetic. (A similar image of Pythagoras is found in the refectory of the Bachkovo Monastery in the iconographic composition “Jesse’s Tree” among the 12 representatives of ancient wisdom, science, art: Plato, Aristotle, Plutarch, Socrates, Diogenes, Aristophanes, Cleomenes, the prophetess Sybil).

The Pythagoreans considered silence to be one of the greatest human virtues, which is why they subjected those who wished to enter the school to a five-year silence in order to test their self-control. An “Introduction to Arithmetic” by the neo-Pythagorean Nicomachus of Gerasa (2nd century) was widely used, and the work of the Neoplatonic philosopher Ambrose Theodosius Macrobius (c. 4 – early 5th century), Scipio’s Dream, was used. in the Middle Ages as one of the important sources for ancient Platonism.

In grammar, economy meant “the right choice of language.” “Teacher and interpreter of numbers” – the Greeks, the creators of all arts, called her arithmetic, expressing in this name the dignity of numbers and believing that the predominant dignity of things is in numbers and that arithmetic in its nobility is a kind of their mistress. Dante had a huge influence on medieval thought, but at the same time he drew on his predecessors, which is why we cite some of the theses of prominent Western European religious thinkers from the so-called “Renaissance of the 12th century”, Proto-Renaissance, Pre-Gothic.

Adelard of Bath (born 1070 in Bath near Bristol, England), states (see On the Identical and the Different, – In: “Five Medieval Philosophical Treatises”, Sofia, 1989): “The first of them, which surpasses in its majesty all the other three and subordinates them to itself, and in whose garment you see the innumerable imprints of the numerical signs woven, directs and governs all that is subject to numerical difference. That is why all visible things are subordinated to the number, and they are subordinated to it by necessity.

Indeed, everything that exists is either one or many. The number determines through itself – surely and naturally – even the limit of the immeasurable universe. Without this companion of mine, the multiplicity of individual things becomes indefinite and disorderly. This can be well understood if one completely forgets the number of one’s belongings and begins to collect them randomly and without distinguishing them. That is why I claim that it is necessary not only for those you see standing next to it, but that it is undoubtedly useful for all beings, because it removes the disorder in them and distinguishes them.

Master Thierry of Chartres wrote in his work, On the Acts of the Six Days. On the Divine Nature 30-47 ”(cf. In: Five Medieval Philosophical Treatises, Sofia, 1989): “30. So let us be helped by the four kinds of reasonable evidence that lead man to knowledge of the Creator, namely, the arithmetic, the musical, the geometric, and the astronomical. These tools must be used briefly in theology to discover the Creator in created things, and to reasonably prove what we have assumed. Unity precedes all otherness, because unity precedes duality, which is fundamentally all otherness. Because the other always speaks for two things. Therefore, unity precedes every variability, since every variability arises substantially from duality.

31. …. unity is the very divine nature. And the divine nature is a form of the existence of individual things. Because just as one thing is bright thanks to nan light and warm thanks to heat, so individual things receive their being from God. That is why it is rightly said that God is everywhere with His whole being. Therefore, unity is a form of existence of individual things. Whence it is rightly said: “Everything that exists exists insofar as it is one.”

Every multiplicity is created by true unity, that is, by God. Therefore, in the divine nature there is no multiplicity, and therefore no number.

36. … unity creates every number, and the number is infinite, then unity by necessity cannot have a limit of its power. Therefore, unity is omnipotent in the creation of numbers. But the creation of numbers is the creation of things. Therefore, unity is omnipotent in the creation of things. ….

Clarenbald of Arras (One of Thierry’s famous disciples at Chartres. He has been an archdeacon in Ara since 1152 and died after 1170. His work essentially touches on important theoretical issues discussed in the 12th century: faith and reason, unity and multiplicity, for matter and form, for eternity and time, etc.) in Boethius’s Commentary on the Trinity (In: Five Medieval Philosophical Treatises, Sofia, 1989) reflects on the numerical dimensions of the Divine: “Unity avoids division, it loves what is equal to it, that is, unity, and equality of being and unity are connected by mutual love. Here love and attachment are not born and are not born, but arise from unity and equality with unity, and not from one, but from both. Because love and affection do not come from just one.

Thus, the love and connection, resulting from the unity and from the equality with the unity, are the Holy Spirit, because the Father is the unity, and the Son – the equality in being. This love, which is the Holy Spirit, is undoubtedly in both. Because they are both the same God. Therefore, the Holy Spirit is God, no different from the Father and the Son. Because God has nothing but God. Boethius rightly adds another reason: “And the fact that, when called the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, the word” God “is repeated three times, does not mean that the three units do much in number in what they themselves are, if we mean the things being calculated, not the number itself. Because there the repetition of unity makes many. And in the number that is contained in the calculated things, the repetition of the singularities and the plurality are not the reason for the numerical difference of the calculated things. “

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The spiritual symbolism of the numbers (1)
May 30 2021
The spiritual symbolism of the numbers (1)

From Orpheus and Pythagoras during the medieval Proto-Renaissance and Dante Allegieri to the heterodox Islamic cult

For Dante there are three pairs of numbers having a symbolic value par excellence: 3 and 9, 7 and 22, 515 and 666. For the first two we have no problems in deciphering – it is clear that the general scheme of the poem is tertiary, but there are other more deep considerations. Let us remember that in Vita Nuova Beatrice’s number is 9. This number 9 immediately reminds us of the triple trinity – the nine ranks in the hierarchy of angels, indicating the number of heavens and circles of hell, creating opposite symmetry between heaven and hell.

For the number 7, which we find predominantly in the division of purgatory, all traditions define it as a sacred number; by listing some of its most characteristic manifestations – the seven planets and the whole set of similar corresponding concepts [e.g. the seven liberal arts – the seven virgins accompanying philosophy are the embodiment of the seven liberal arts studied in higher schools as propaedeutic disciplines; they in turn were divided into two groups: three of them, the sciences of words (grammar, rhetoric and dialectics), formed the so-called “trivium”, and the other four, the sciences of things (arithmetic, music, geometry and astronomy) , formed the so-called “quadrivium”]; the creation of the world lasted 7 days; the week has 7 days; human life is divided into 7 periods; there are 7 notes in the music; the wonders of the world are 7; the spectrum consists of 7 colors; “Our Father” is divided into 7 parts; the apostles ordained 7 deacons; mortal sins are 7; Enoch, who ascended alive to heaven, was the 7th forefather after Adam: The Savior Jesus Christ spoke 7 times on the cross, where he spent 7 hours, appearing 7 times after His death, and after 7 times for 7 days He came. St. Spirit (at Pentecost). Prof. Rodolfo Benini gives us very interesting elements about the role of numerical symbolism in Dante’s work (cf. Rodolfo Benini, “Per la restituzione della Cantica dell’Inferno alla sua forma primitive,- Nuovo Patto, septembre-novembre 1921, pp. 506-532).

“For Orpheus, the number 4 (tetrachord) is the emblem of the sanctuary in Delphi and Egypt and means the voice of the sirens (death). The number 5 is the Orpheus pentagram – a sign of Christmas and with his pentatonic Orpheus overcame the sirens to save the agronauts from drowning. The number 6 is the hexameter – discovered by Orpheus – and used in clairvoyance. (All Pythias prophesy in verse by hexameter – this is the poetry of the clairvoyants).

“In the sixth degree, stop!” Means that this is the human capacity. The number 7 is God. “Everything is the number seven!” Orpheus wrote, and Pythagoras repeated it. Seven notes sung from one throat at the same moment – this is God. This is the cosmic silence – harmony of the divine worlds. ”- Nikola Gigov, Orpheus and the Alphabet, HELIOPOL, 2006, p. 27.

The number 22 is related to 7 by 22/7 or between the circumference and the diameter in a way that the two numbers together give us the circle, and the latter is the most perfect figure according to Dante, as in the time of the Pythagoreans (all divisions of each of the three worlds have a round shape); moreover, 22 combines the symbols of two of the “elementary motions” of Aristotle’s physics: the local motion represented by 2 and that of the alteration represented by 20, as Dante himself explains in Convito (the third “elementary motion” of the intersection is represented by the number 1000, and the sum of the three symbolic numbers is 1022, which is the number of “Egyptian sages”, according to Dante’s testimony, who took the number of permanent stars).

On the other hand, the number 22 is a doubling of the number 11, which is extremely important. In Dante’s Hell, most of the full scenes or episodes into which the various songs are subdivided contain exactly eleven or twenty-two stanzas (only a few contain ten); there are several preludes and endings of seven stanzas each. But there is also the number 33 in the poem, which coincides with the number of songs into which each of the three parts of the work is divided.

Hell alone is of 34 songs, but the first is rather a general introduction to the whole work, which fills the number 100 for the whole work. The various multiplications and increments of the number 11 have a specific symbolic value. In fact, eleven plays a significant role in the symbolism of diverse and societies of initiates; his products also: 22 are the letters in the Hebrew alphabet and hence in Kabbalah; 33 are the years of Christ’s earthly life, which later represent the symbolic age of Rosicrucian Freemasonry, and also 33 are the degrees of Scottish Freemasonry. The number 515 (5 + 1 + 5) itself is again 11. For 666 its main meaning is the number of the beast from the New Testament Apocalypse; hence it denotes the Antichrist.

The number 66 is in Arabic the numerical value of the name of Allah, and 99 is the number of the main divine attributes according to Islamic tradition.

In the collections of National Museum of History – Sofia there is a curious object related to the Islamic cult in Bulgaria professed by the heterodox population (Bektashi and Alevi, ie Kazalbashi), interesting as a material expression of beliefs with a very ancient, though already forgotten, root – ” The Bektash Stone ”, which served as an amulet.

It is a 12-pointed star made of black stone with engraved symbols and inscriptions on both sides – on the obverse almost in the center of a field bordered by a double circle, a dervish hat (tac) is depicted, above which is written the name محمد (Mohammed). both sides – strongly stylized and divided into two syllables the name of his cousin and son-in-law على (Ali). The rest of the space is completely occupied by a circular inscription engraved on the periphery الا على لا سيف الاذوالفقار (There is no other [hero] except Ali, no other sword except Zulfikar). On the back, two double circles form central and peripheral circular fields. In the center is engraved a hexagram symbol, a 6-pointed star composed of two intertwined triangles and a dot in the middle, a trace of the compass used to delineate the circles. In the peripheral field above the hexagram – an inscription, which can be conditionally read as the usual magic formula for amulets ماشالله (Mashallah).

This pendant was worn only by members of the Bektashiya Muslim Order and is its symbol. We see him attached to a belt or hung around the neck of Bektashi as an emblematic element of his clothing (see Fig. 2; cf. Tsveta Raichevska, Amulet associated with the Bektashi Order in Bulgaria, Bulletin of the National History Museum – Sofia, Volume XVII, 2006, pp. 41-44).

Of particular interest to us is the sacred number-symbol – 12. The names Mohammed – Ali are written as equivalent on the medallion, which defines it primarily as Shiite, as adherents of Shiism, one of the two fundamental currents in Islam, worship Ali, a cousin. and son-in-law of Muhammad, husband of his daughter Fatima, even more than the Prophet himself.

This inadmissible deification of Ali for orthodox Sunni Muslims is rooted in the aforementioned fundamental division in Sunni and Shiite Islam. The periphery of the medallion is cut out like a 12-pointed star, which again refers us to Shiism. The number 12 is sacred to Shiite Muslims as it symbolizes their Twelve Imams. After 874-878, when the 12th imam, the child Mohammed al-Qa’im, disappeared without a trace, the Shiites began to expect the appearance of the so-called Mahdi, i.e. “The hidden imam”. The long waiting period is filled with bloody wars between Shiites and orthodox Sunni Muslims.

Ali himself, a victim of his wounds in 661 when he was slaughtered outside the mosque in Kufa, Iraq, fell victim to this fundamental enmity. His sons had a similar fate. It is obvious that the twelve peaks of the pendant symbolize the 12 Shiite imams.

From a chronological point of view, Dante’s poem is set in the days of the great (holy) week before Easter, ie at this time of the liturgical year, which coincides with the vernal equinox; at this time the Cathars also dedicated their innovations, a time for initiations.

At the Rosicrucians, the celebration of the Last Supper took place on Holy Thursday, and the work was resumed only at about 3 o’clock in the afternoon on Good Friday – the day and hour of Christ’s death. In 1300, this week coincided with the full moon. The period between 1300 and 1314 was full of events for the destruction of the Order of the Knights Templar. Dante speaks of these “new events” by modifying the chronological and architectural plan of his Hell after its first edition.

In 1307, Philip the Good, in agreement with Pope Clement V, arrested the Grand Master and the chief dignitaries of the Knights Templar (72 in number, also a symbolic number); in 1308 Henry of Luxembourg was elected emperor; in 1312 the Knights Templar were officially dissolved; in 1313 imp. Henry VII died mysteriously, no doubt poisoned; in 1314 was the public execution of the Templars, and the case against them lasted 7 years; that same year, King Philip the Good of France and Pope Clement V died in turn.

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Balkan Summer School on Religion and Public Life
May 30 2021
Balkan Summer School on Religion and Public Life

Shared Past/Contested Heritage

Bulgaria | June 28-July 11, 2021

For much of their histories, the countries that today make up the Balkan Peninsula have shared a past; certainly of religion (or rather religions), usually of empire, often of conflict, always of migration, and just as constantly of trade, tastes in food (and drink), as well as of folk practices. Different ancestors—Thracians, Scythians, Romans, Greeks, Illyrians, proto-Bulgars, Vlacs, Slavs, and so on—all contributed to a mix of peoples and practices that, for all their differences, nevertheless present a recognizable cultural form; at least to outsiders. Not only a cultural form, but a grammatical substantive: “balkanization”.

Different empires—from the Macedonian, Byzantine, and Ottoman, through the Austro-Hungarian, and Soviet of the 20th century—sought to impose political unity on a geographic area of religious, cultural, linguistic, and ethno-national heterogeneity.  The shattering of the Austro-Hungarian and Ottoman Empires at the end of WWI and consequent rise of nation-states; the fall of the Soviet Union in 1989; the breakup of Yugoslavia and consequent wars of 1992-1995; the wars in Kosovo and the recent ascent of North Macedonia to the status of a recognized national entity have all however exacerbated the contested rather than shared aspects of the region’s past. So, for example, Northern Macedonian ascension to the European Union is currently dependent on the construction of a consensual historical narrative agreed upon by both Northern Macedonia and Bulgaria, with Greece remains a skeptical negotiating partner.

The BSSRPL will explore the continuing contestations of Balkan politics and social life within the broader context of shared religious, cultural, and ethnic histories. It is our hope that the insights generated by this inquiry will prove relevant for a much broader set of cases such as; Israel and Palestine, Armenia and Azerbaijan, Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan, the border areas of DRC/Rwanda/Uganda, and elsewhere.

The 2021 BSSRPL will thus convene an engaging two-week experiential school aimed at understanding the dynamics of contested pasts in the making of our shared future. Over the course of the program, we will focus our attention on how ethnic, religious, and national differences have led to different and contrasting historical narratives. Listening to the voice of our “others” will allow participants to appreciate the challenge of a newly confrontational politics of citizenship and the necessity of difference in living together.

The BSSRPL is an affiliate of CEDAR, whose programs combine pluralistic perspectives on religious thought with social scientific research on tolerance and civil society, and an open, dialogic, approach to pedagogic practice. Its goal is to transform both the theoretical models and concrete practices through which religious orientations and secular models of politics and society engage one another. As with other CEDAR affiliates, the BSSRPL program combines academic courses with intensive group-building processes and the construction of working relationships across religious and ethnic identities. Its didactic goals are both social and cognitive.

Questions should be sent to BSSRPL@cedarnetwork.org.

The BSSRPL is a CEDAR affiliate program working in collaboration with Plovdiv University.

All fellows in the BSSRPL will need to cover their travel expenses to and from Bulgaria.

PLEASE NOTE: The BSSRPL will proceed with all possible COVID-19 health precautions in place. If in June the situation worsens and demands a reassessment of our plans, you will be informed. In any case, please consult the Bulgarian Ministry of Foreign Affairs website or that of your local embassy in Bulgaria to keep abreast of what may be a fluid situation.

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Thomas: Through God, hope is not just wishful thinking, but a full assurance of the future | RELIGION COMMENTARY
May 29 2021
Thomas: Through God, hope is not just wishful thinking, but a full assurance of the future | RELIGION COMMENTARY

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15 YEARS INTERNATIONAL CHURCH ACTIVITIES ON TERRORISM, ANTI-TERRORISM AND HUMAN RIGHTS
May 29 2021
15 YEARS INTERNATIONAL CHURCH ACTIVITIES ON TERRORISM, ANTI-TERRORISM AND HUMAN RIGHTS

On May 21, Anti Terrorism Day is observed all over India to spread the message of peace and humanity… The day is aimed towards standing against the cruel act of terrorism of any kind and the devastating circumstances that it brings about. Many around the country get influenced by people whose sole aim in life is to spread violence in the name of their cause. This day falls on May 21. This date is quite significant in Indian history but for quite a tragic reason. In 1991, former prime minister Rajiv Gandhi was assassinated at Sriperumbudur while he was on an election campaign trip in order to return back to power. This year, it marks the 30th death anniversary.

Thanks to the activism of the Christian churches on the issues of terrorism, anti-terrorism and human rights during the last 15 years, the UN General Assembly, 73rd plenary meeting on 19 December 2017, in its resolution 72/165 (2017), established 21 August as the International Day of Remembrance of and Tribute to the Victims of Terrorism in order to honor and support the victims and survivors of terrorism and to promote and protect the full enjoyment of their human rights and fundamental freedoms.

Violence against unarmed and innocent civilians for political or religious purposes by state or non-state perpetrators cannot in any way be justified in legal, theological or ethical terms. The will of the UN member states to agree in the most expeditious way on a clear definition of the term terrorism was expressed. The unanimous opinion of the churches of the WCC members was expressed that terrorist acts and threats, as well as the organizational support for terror, should be subject to criminal law. Anti-terrorism measures must be demilitarized and the concept of a “war on terror” must be firmly opposed to the Christian churches globally.

The World Council of Churches (WCC) unequivocally proclaims the role of churches in seeking and realizing world peace. The highest inter-Christian forum to raise the voice of Christians from the 347 member churches of the ecumenical movement in condemning terrorism and emphasizing the rights and freedoms of everyone was the Ninth Assembly of the World Council of Churches (WCC), held in Porto Alegre – Brazil between 14-23 February 2006. The 9th Assembly of the WCC supports the stated task of the Decade for the Elimination of Violence, namely, “to stop any theological justification of violence and to proclaim a new spirituality of reconciliation and active non-violence.

The Assembly, in its entirety, voiced the need to support the churches in their response by fulfilling a spiritual and pastoral duty to assist those who are trapped in fear.

Interfaith initiatives as a means of mobilizing non-violent alternative responses to terrorism have been strongly encouraged. Rejection of any attempt to justify an act of terror as a possible response to political or social problems. The role of churches in conflict prevention is responsible, serving as an early warning system and, on the other hand, building a culture of peace around life.

But let us return for a moment to the original idea of ​​ecumenism. And let us remember that it aims to establish a dialogue between all Christians in the wide and diverse world. In addition, to spread the gospel word successfully, to eliminate enmity between Christians of different denominations, to strengthen peace and understanding, to overcome disagreements, to prevail in mutual trust. In this form, ecumenism (from the Greek “ecumenical” – universe, ie universal Christianity) and its beginning can be considered the year 1948, when the WCC was founded in Amsterdam.

When the ecumenical movement began its initial period after 1948, it was something new. The world is also different – restructured, with new orders, facing a new era. In terms of religion, changes are also forthcoming, mostly related to the development of communications, the technological boom, urbanization, the emergence of the subculture. And also with the post-war polarization of the world – the rise of the Iron Curtain, the Cold War, the creation of new states. During this period, almost all Orthodox countries were under religious and political pressure from various regimes. In the West, on the contrary, the notion of freedom – including religious ¬ reaches extremes.

Here is the road paragraph from the 9th WCC Assembly document “Opinion on Terrorism, Anti-Terrorism and Human Rights”, adopted under No. PIC 02-4:

1.” The violence of terrorism in all its forms is abnormal for anyone who believes that human life is a gift of God and therefore priceless. Any attempt to impose indiscriminate death and pain on other people should be absolutely condemned. The answer we owe to terrorism should not be with its characteristics, because such an answer would lead to more violence and more terror. Instead, a concerted effort by all peoples is needed to prevent any attempt to justify such acts. “

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Is Europe a Christian continent?
May 29 2021
Is Europe a Christian continent?

Undoubtedly, the region has been dedicated to Christianity since the earliest days of this faith. The Apostle Paul brought the religion to the Europeans around 50 AD. That was the case then, but is that the case today? Today’s Europe is a multiethnic crossroads of Christianity, Judaism, Islam, Buddhism, Hinduism and other denominations – which makes the issue sensitive, especially around the persistent lobbying of churches to mention the continent’s Christian heritage in a key document of the future European Union.

The Convention on the Future of the European Union could become the basis for a Constitution that would replace the Treaty establishing the European Union, and some Christians see this as a rare opportunity to profess the continent’s religious heritage in the preamble to this document. “This is not an attack on the separation of church and state,” said Kate Jenkins, former associate secretary general of the Brussels-based Conference of European Churches (CEC), which spearheaded this initiative (the Conference of European Churches has a wide membership, including the major Protestant denominations and an impressive number of national evangelical associations). – “This is a recognition of history.”

Pope John Paul II also took part in this endeavor. He called the Christian message “also applicable to those who work in politics to achieve European unification.” The pope also said that “in search of its own identity, the continent can only succeed by returning to its Christian roots.” John Paul II emphasized and further developed this case as follows: “The Christian heritage of civilization, which has contributed greatly to the protection of the values ​​of democracy, freedom and solidarity among the people of Europe, must neither be destroyed nor belittled.”

In the decades-long Orthodox participation in the ecumenical movement, Orthodoxy has never been betrayed by the representatives of the Orthodox Churches. On the contrary, they have always been completely faithful to the provisions of their ecclesiastical authorities, acting in full accordance with the canonical order, the teachings of the Ecumenical Councils, the Holy Fathers and the Sacred Tradition of the Orthodox Church.

One of the great hierarchs and head of the Bulgarian Orthodox Church (the BOC as independent national church has always been a pioneer in theoretical and practical development), Exarch Stefan I, wrote in his personal diary (on September 7, 1942): “International church activity has taken root in our reality for God’s glory and national virtue.” As St. Basil the Great stated in the 4th century, we know what the Church of Christ is, but we do not know how far its borders extend.

Another inter-Christian body is the World Council of Churches – a platform from which the faith of the Orthodox Church, its mission and its views on issues concerning peace, justice, development and environmental protection have become more widely known in the non-Orthodox world. From the European continent only the autocephalous Bulgarian church and two churches with controversial status – the Macedonian and the Ukrainian are not member-churches. A fruitful cooperation was established with the other members of the WCC in order to provide answers to the challenges of modern culture. Proselytism was condemned, and many oppressed churches found support to continue their mission in the world; The WCC underwent a radical transformation to allow for fuller Orthodox participation. Orthodox interests were protected, mainly in places where Orthodox minorities were discriminated against. Orthodox views on political, economic and cultural issues were raised, as was the question of Orthodox relations with various religions.

The history of the ecumenical movement is complex and controversial. Following the assemblies can give an insight into the main moments in the development of ecumenism. Assemblies are held every 7 years. All the member churches of the movement gather there. The Assembly is the governing body of the WCC. Assembly delegates set the strategy of the WCC for the next seven years.

At the turn of the century, the Christian ecumenical movement was a purely Protestant activity and since the 1920’s the Orthodox family of sister-churches largely joined lead by the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople. Then two directions developed – “Life and work” and “Faith and order”, which later grew into the World Council of Churches.

The next phase was the formal establishment of the World Council of Churches in Amsterdam in 1948 of the First Assembly of the Ecumenical Movement. The theme is “The Fall of Man and God’s Providence.”

The second assembly was held in 1954 in Evanston. The theme is “Christ ¬ the Hope of the World”.

The third assembly is entitled “Jesus Christ ¬ The Light of the World”, held in 1961 in New Delhi.

The fourth is in Uppsala in 1968, and the theme is “Here, I’m creating everything new.”

“Jesus Christ liberates and unites” was the theme of the Fifth Assembly in Nairobi in 1975.

The sixth assembly is on “Jesus Christ: The Life of the World.” Held in 1983 in Vancouver.

The seventh was in Canberra in 1991 on “Come, Holy Spirit, Renew All Creation.”

The Eighth Assembly was held in 1998 in Harare. The theme was “Turn to God – rejoice in Hope.”]

The 9th Assembly of the WCC,  February 2006 in Porto Alegre, Brazil – with the theme: “God in your grace, transform the world.

The 10th Assembly of the World Council of Churches took place in Busan, Republic of Korea, from 30 October to 8 November 2013, under the theme “Gpd of life, lead us to justice and peace”.

The 11th Assembly of the WCC will take place in Karlsruhe, Germany,  from 31 August to 8 September 2022 at the joint invitation of the Evangelical Church in Germany (EKD), the Protestant Church in Baden, the Council of Churches in Germany, the Union of Protestant Churches in Alsace and Lorraine (UEPAL) and the Protestant Church in Switzerland. The assemblyis “Chirst’s love moves the world to reconciliation and unity”.

Religious communities and leaders must become at the forefront of the struggle for a society governed by law and respect for human dignity. Churches have a pioneering role in outlining issues within a culture of dialogue. Churches and all other denominations and religious and spiritual traditions are called to respond to today’s reality of living in a world terrorized by fears. In such times, the rich resources in religion must be properly pointed out and emphasized to lead us to peace and reconciliation.

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The pope asks the Vatican media who reads their news
May 29 2021
The pope asks the Vatican media who reads their news

Pope Francis called on Vatican media officials to justify their work by asking how many people read their news at all. Francis asked this during a visit to the Media and Public Relations Office, which costs the Holy See more than all its embassies around the world. The pope visited the Dicastero per la Comunicazione on the occasion of the 90th anniversary of Vatican Radio and the 160th anniversary of the Vatican newspaper L’Oservatore Romano. Faced with a major pension shortfall and a projected Vatican deficit of 50m euros this year, Pope Francis has ordered a three to 10 percent pay cut for senior Vatican officials and suspended two-year seniority bonuses.

The Holy Father has vowed not to fire anyone to make up for the loss of the financial crisis as a result of the pandemic, which affected one of the Vatican’s main sources of income – ticket sales for Vatican museums. But in a sort of warning to Vatican communications staff, he began his unannounced remarks with the question: “There are many reasons for concern about radio, the newspaper, but one thing touches my heart: How many people listen to radio?” How many people read L’Osservatore Romano? ”The pope asks. He said that they work well, their offices are nice and organized, but there is a “danger” that the result of their work will not go where it should. He warned them not to fall victim to “deadly” functionality – when they do everything they need to do, but they really don’t achieve anything.

The question of the relationship between the costs and benefits of the Vatican’s media operations has been raised many times, as the communications service spends more on the Holy See’s annual budget than any other department. According to the latest figures, the Dicastero per la Comunicazione has a budget of € 43 million for 2021, which is about 20 percent of the Vatican’s total budget. The cost of the service is higher than the total cost of ten other Vatican departments. The Vatican has long justified these costs because communication operations are paramount to the Holy See’s core mission: to spread the Catholic faith throughout the world.

The head of this service, Paolo Rufini, said he understood the pope’s words as an invitation to a creative vision for the future, although he acknowledged the harsh media reality today. He recalled that Francis had told officials to “let reality slap them” and that the comment was a kind of call to wake up. Vatican Radio broadcasts 1,000 radio networks around the world in various languages. L’Oservatore Romano says 21,500 readers read it every day through the print and online versions, although that number rises to 40,000 when the different languages ​​distributed by the dioceses are taken into account.

Vatican News, the Holy See’s main Internet portal, has an average of 21 million page views per month, but it’s not clear how many readers it is.

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10 curious facts about the life of the Holy Brothers Cyril and Methodius
May 29 2021
10 curious facts about the life of the Holy Brothers Cyril and Methodius

The Thessalonian brothers are diplomats, missionaries, creators of the Glagolitic and Cyrillic alphabets

On May 24 every year almost the whole Slavic world celebrates the patrons of Europe, the creators of the Glagolitic and Cyrillic alphabets. Their lives passed in the development and spread of Christianity through sermons in Great Moravia and Pannonia.

1. They grew up in the family of the Byzantine military leader Leon and his wife Maria

Methodius was born in 815 and was their eldest son, and Constantine was the youngest of seven brothers and was born in 827. They are part of the Byzantine aristocracy, but both speak Slavic.

2. Methodius became archon – governor of an area inhabited by Slavs

The younger brother looked at the scriptures and at the age of 15 went to study at the Magnaur School of the Imperial Palace, where he later became a teacher and earned the nickname “Philosopher”.

3. The warrior Methodius was the first to retire to a monastery

According to some sources, this is because his wife and children die too early. Cyril entered medieval diplomacy when he was only 24 years old, when he went on his first mission to an Arab caliph, but then joined his brother in the monastery.

4. Creating the Glagolitic alphabet

Around 855, the two brothers began their work on the preparation of the Slavic script and created the first translations from Greek into Slavic. The Cyrillic alphabet was created on the basis of the Glagolitic alphabet and is still used today in many Slavic languages.

5. The discovery of the relics of St. Clement

In 860, Cyril and Methodius were sent by Emperor Michael III to the Khazar Hagan to prevent the spread of Judaism. This mission is associated with an extraordinary event, the unveiling of the relics of St. Clement.

6. The Moravian mission to Prince Rostislav

Prince Rostislav wants the church to become Slavic by creating a worship service based on the Slavic script. He suggests that Cyril and Methodius take on this task. The two brothers accepted the mission and enthusiastically began to build the Slavic church and school.

7. St. Cyril against the trilingual dogma

Brothers Cyril and Methodius received accusations from the German clergy that they did not obey church laws. The two missionary brothers make a brilliant defense. It takes place in Venice, where Cyril speaks against the trilingual dogma. “Doesn’t God rain equally for everyone? Doesn’t the sun shine on everyone too? Don’t we all breathe the same air? How are you not ashamed to define only three languages, but want all other tribes and peoples to be blind and deaf? ”(From“ Life and deeds of our blessed teacher Constantine the Philosopher)

8. Pope Adrian invites Cyril and Methodius to Rome

The Pope insists on talking to Cyril and Methodius about their work. The relics of St. Clement discovered by Cyril in the city of Kherson became a strong asset of the two brothers. They took the relics to Rome in the hope of receiving blessings and recognition for their alphabet and new books. The reception of the two brothers in Rome was solemn and full of honors.

9. The Thessalonian brethren were canonized as saints

Due to the translation of the Bible into Old Bulgarian and the spread of the Christian religion among the Slavic-speaking peoples, the two brothers were canonized as saints.

10. In 1980, Pope John Paul II declared the brothers co-patrons of Europe

Cyril and Methodius are revered by the Orthodox Church as one of the Holy Septuagint, along with their disciples – Nahum, Clement, Angelarius, Sava and Gorazd.

The revival of the homage in Rome to St. Cyril and Methodius in the new history of Bulgaria began in the first half of the 19th century and was associated with initiatives by both Orthodox and Roman Catholics.

In the 19th century, the work of the Holy Brothers in Rome was rediscovered in connection with the organization of celebrations on the occasion of the millennium of their mission among the Slavs. Pope Pius IX received a request from the Croatian Bishop Josip Strossmayer, a great friend of the Bulgarian people, to begin a study to discover the relics of St. Cyril. The pope welcomed the proposal and authorized archeological excavations at the Basilica of San Clemente by the famous archaeologist De Rossi.

Its work was continued by the archaeologist Maruli, who in 1862 found the supposed site of the tomb of St. Constantine-Cyril and discovered the unique early Christian frescoes depicting the transfer of the relics of St. Clement by Slavic educators in the presence of Pope Andrian and the entire clergy. and the people of Rome, as evidenced by medieval written sources. At that stage the relics of St. Cyril have not been discovered yet.

On September 30, 1880, Pope Leo XIII published the encyclical “Grande munus”, which commemorates the merits of the Holy Brethren for the evangelization of Europe and determines the liturgical celebration of their memory in the Roman Catholic Church on July 7. In 1881, on the initiative of Ep. Strossmayer in Rome is the first celebration of St. Cyril and Methodius. More than 1,400 pilgrims visit the Basilica of San Clemente to worship St. Cyril. Among them is a small delegation of Bulgarian Uniates, led by an archbishop. Neil Izvorov.

In 1885, a new chapel was opened in the Basilica of San Clemente, dedicated to the Holy Brothers, painted by the artist Nobili. The first documented official celebration by the Bulgarians on May 24 in Rome was in 1924. The idea came from Prof. Lubomir Miletic, President of the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences and lecturer at Sofia University, who also established the Committee for Settling the Celebration of the Bulgarian National Holiday of St. Cyril. and Methodius in Rome. ” Then a liturgy was celebrated by Archim. Simeon, representative of the Moscow Patriarchate in Rome. The holiday was celebrated very solemnly with a state reception at the Majestic Hotel.

In July and October 1925, the Roman Catholic Church in Bulgaria organized a pilgrimage to the Italian capital and the Basilica of San Clemente, related to the jubilee year. The leader of the trip is the newly appointed apostolic visitor in Bulgaria, Archbishop. Angelo Roncali, the future Pope John XIII. On October 12, Archbishop. Roncali performed a liturgy at the tomb of St. Cyril and delivered a speech on the merits of the Holy Brothers for Bulgaria and the Slavic world. Then Ferdinand Tomic described in the Roman Catholic newspaper Istina (issue 27, November 4, 1925) the miserable condition of the tomb of St. Cyril the Philosopher and called on the Bulgarian public to take care of the development of this “sacred place for Bulgarians in Rome.”

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QAnon seen having same popularity as some major religions in US, poll suggests
May 28 2021
QAnon seen having same popularity as some major religions in US, poll suggests
(Photo by Wesley Tingey on Unsplash)

A significant 15 percent of Americans agree with the QAnon allegation that “the government, media, and financial worlds in the United States are controlled by a group of Satan-worshipping pedophiles who run a global child sex trafficking operation.”

These are the results of a PRRI-IFYC study conducted online March 8-30.

It was released May 28 on the conspiracy that is known to divide religions, nations, families and to destroy friendships.

The poll examines ties between religious beliefs and belief in false conspiracy theories.

White evangelicals and Hispanic Protestants were the most susceptible to the QAnon theory.

QAnon, or simply Q, is a discredited American far-right conspiracy theory alleging that a cabal of Satanic, cannibalistic pedophiles run a global child sex trafficking ring.

That ring conspired against former President Donald Trump during his term in office it claims.

QAnon is commonly described as a cult, according to Wikipedia.

It is not a religion but has many relgious adherents backing the conspiracy particularly from the white evangelical communtiy.

Despite the findings, the vast majority of Americans (82 percent) disagree with such statements.

Republicans (23 percent) are significantly more likely than independents (14 percent) and Democrats (8 percent) to agree that the government, media, and financial worlds in the U.S. are controlled by a group of Satan-worshipping pedophiles who run a global child sex trafficking operation.

‘STORM COMING’

Similarly, one in five Americans (20 percent) agree with the statement “There is a storm coming soon that will sweep away the elites in power and restore the rightful leaders,” while a majority (77 percent) disagree.

Generally speaking, for all three questions, white evangelical Protestants, Hispanic Protestants, and Mormons are more likely than other groups to agree with each of these tenets of the QAnon conspiracy movement.

Nearly three in 10 Republicans (28 percent), compared to 18 percet of independents and 14 percent of Democrats, agree with this secondary QAnon conspiracy theory.

Trends among demographic groups are similar to those of the core QAnon conspiracy theory.

Generally speaking, across all three questions, white evangelical Protestants, Hispanic Protestants, and Mormons are more likely than other groups to agree with each of these tenets of the QAnon conspiracy movement.

And the study finds that Republicans, those who trust far-right news outlets like OANN and Newsmax, and white evangelicals and Hispanic Protestants are all more likely to believe these statements than other Americans.

Robby Jones, the founder of PRRI, said in an interview carried in The New York Times that he was struck by the prevalence of QAnon’s adherents.

Overlaying the share of poll respondents who expressed belief in its core principles over the country’s total population, “that’s more than 30 million people,” he said.

“Thinking about QAnon, if it were a religion, it would be as big as all white evangelical Protestants, or all white mainline Protestants,” he added. “So it lines up there with a major religious group.”

It is not only in the United States the QAnon draws interest, European groups affiliated to QAnon or related to the movement are growing on social media, AFP reported on May 17 in a report carried by France 24.

QANON IN EUROPE

European groups affiliated to QAnon or related to the movement are growing on social media.

Some 30,000 subscribers of messaging app Telegram follow the so-called DeQodeurs in France, more than 100,000 follow German conspiracy theory figures Attila Hildmann and Xavier Naidoo, while almost 150,000 follow Briton Charlie Ward, who offers subscribers a near incessant flow of pro-Donald Trump montages.

“There is a cocktail in place,” a source in the intelligence community in France told AFP, noting there were grounds for concern over the issue.

“Conspiracy theories have taken off significantly with social networks.

“We see now that people are organizing themselves in clandestine cells. Obviously it is a threat,” said France’s national intelligence coordinator Laurent Nunez, acknowledging that QAnon theories have arrived in the country.

In Denmark, Men in Black group members insist that the novel coronavirus is just a “scam”, while in Berlin, demonstrations against restrictions can rally up to 10,000 people, many brandishing QAnon flags.

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Laudato Si’ drives radical change and the path to a just future
May 28 2021
Laudato Si’ drives radical change and the path to a just future

Laudato Si’ drives radical change and the path to a just future

On 27 May, more than 100 people from all corners of the world attended the fourth Laudato Si’ Reflection Day, this year held online. Speakers offered inspiring reflections followed by exchanges with the audience on long-term thinking, the role of the Church and local communities, building on the long-lasting impacts of the encyclical Laudato Si’.

Participants were welcomed by H.E. Cardinal Jean-Claude Hollerich S.J., the archbishop of Luxemburg, President of COMECE and Honorary President of the European Laudato Si’ Alliance (ELSi’A). In his opening remarks, he referred to the multifaceted crisis we are going through and how we can be the change and the dream we want to live. He reminded the audience that we can co-create a new path for humanity and be a “planetary community” that lives in harmony.

Philosopher Roman Krznaric focused on the concept of “good ancestorship”, criticising the era of chronic short-termism, dominated by the tyranny of the NOW. According to this vision, to deal with the global ecological crisis we need long-term thinking. As pointed out in Laudato Si’, we need to think in terms of inter-generational solidarity.  We need to focus on transcendent goals, the ones that go beyond the “self”. We need to develop a “legacy mindset” and should adopt new economic  models such as doughnut economics that allow us to thrive in equilibrium by creating a circular, no waste economy instead of one in perpetual expansion.

Member of the European Parliament Tomas Zdechovsky reflected on the importance of people’s engagement and the need to call upon our politicians. “We shouldn’t fall asleep in our democracy” but keep engaging with our politicians and keep mobilising for change to happen.

During the event, participants also had the chance to learn about some concrete ways to give life to Laudato Si’ principles at the local level. First, Dominika Chylewska from Caritas Poland (Caritas Laudato Si’ initiative) reflected on the different reactions, also of resistance, that people had when first engaging with the ideas in  the encyclical Laudato Si’. In response, they started a project to encourage Catholics in Poland to get closer to ecological practices showing the already existing connection between ecology and Catholic social teaching. They began with grassroots projects, involving youth groups and engaging experts to provide professional guidance to the formulation of their awareness campaigns. One take-away from this project is that change need be ignited at the community level.   

Br. Dr. Bernd Beermann OFMCap also presented a local initiative in Münster: an inclusive garden open to visitors that offers a space to learn about biodiversity and to be fully immersed in nature, encountering God in the beauty of His Creation.

In the second part of the Reflection Day, presentations from the Church and the EU perspective helped  to identify transcendent  goals and areas of cooperation for the planet. Fr. Augusto Zampini, adjunct secretary of the Vatican Dicastery for the Promotion of Integral Human Development, flagged the dangers of the “globalisation of indifference”. He reminded us that while policies must radically change, the just transition should not be at the expense of the poor. We cannot put the burden on those who are already overburdened.

Angelo Salsi, Head of Unit at CINEA and responsible for the LIFE Program Nature and Circular economy of the European Commission, stressed the importance of going beyond the logic of the most imminent political strategies and broadening the vision even beyond the time span of one human existence. In this long-term vision, the contribution and approach of the churches and the teachings contained in Pope Francis’ Laudato Si’ could be a catalyst to reach people worldwide to tackle climate change.

Representing one of the main partners in ELSi’A as a moderator, Secretary General of Caritas Europa, Maria Nyman, in her concluding remarks stressed the importance of not being afraid of the changes that are needed, albeit radical. We know we are not alone on this path, and we need to formulate a long-term plan so that our Dream does not remain just a utopia.

Notes to the editors:

The Laudato Si’ Reflection Day was organized by the European Laudato Si’ Alliance (ELSi’A), which is composed by Caritas Europa, COMECE – Commission of the Bishops’ Conferences of the EU; JESC – Jesuit European Social Centre; CIDSE – International family of Catholic social justice organisations; GCCM – Global Catholic Climate Movement; Justice and Peace Europe. It is a network of Catholic organisations with the aim to adapt the comprehensive approach of the encyclical letter Laudato Si’ and related Church teachings to a European context with a special focus on the institutions of the European Union. The alliance seeks to pool and coordinate existing capacities of member organisations with regard to «integral ecology» and an «ecological conversion» proposed by Pope Francis. To connect with the alliance, you may contact Cinzia Verzeletti, ELSi’A coordinator.

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Video message by Card. Hollerich

PPT by Dominika  

PPT by Bernd 

PPT by Augusto Zampini 

Drawing by Zsophie: 1 – 2 

Personal  Reflection by Stefan Lunte

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Penpa Tsering sworn in as the Sikyong of 16th Kashag
May 28 2021
Penpa Tsering sworn in as the Sikyong of 16th Kashag

Fifth directly elected Sikyong Penpa Tsering (R), takes the oath of office and secrecy before the Chief Justice Commissioner of the Central Tibetan Administration, Mr Sonam Norbu Dagpo, (L) at the swearing-in ceremony at the Tibetan Supreme Justice Commission, Dharamsala, on 27 May 2021. Photo/Tenzin Phende/CTA

Dharamshala: In what His Holiness the Dalai Lama viewed as yet another “proud day” for Tibetan democracy, Mr Penpa Tsering was sworn in as the Sikyong of the 16th Kashag here this morning at the Tibetan Supreme Justice Commission, Gangchen Kyishong.

Mr Tsering is the 5th directly elected Sikyong (earlier known as Kalon Tripa). He succeeds Dr Lobsang Sangay as the 3rd Sikyong to be elected since the complete devolution of political authority by His Holiness the Dalai Lama in 2011.

His Holiness the Dalai Lama addressed the event virtually and congratulated the new Sikyong Penpa Tsering, while commending the outgoing Sikyong Dr Lobsang Sangay for his outstanding service during his two tenure over the last 10 years.

Dwelling on his efforts to democratise the Tibetan polity in Tibet and later in exile, His Holiness said that the Tibetan democracy in exile is not a sham, but a genuine democracy comparable to all other world democracies.

As Tibetan Chief Justice Commissioner Sonam Norbu Dagpo administered the oath of office and secrecy to Sikyong Penpa Tsering, more than 20 thousand people from across the world watched the event live online with great gusto.

In light of prevailing restrictions to curb the spread of Covid, the swearing-in ceremony was attended by only a select group of dignitaries: Sikyong Dr Lobsang Sangay, new Sikyong Penpa Tsering, Chief Justice Commissioner Sonam Norbu Dagpo, Kashag Secretary Tsegyal Chukya Dranyi and Secretary Tashi Gyatso Shadrong of the Supreme Justice Commission.

The ceremony completes a smooth transfer of power from the outgoing Sikyong to the new Sikyong Penpa Tsering and his administration.

His Holiness the Dalai Lama virtually addresses the newly sworn-in and former Sikyong at the ceremony. Photo/Tenzin Phende/CTA

Outgoing Sikyong Dr Lobsang Sangay handing over the Official Seal of the Kashag to new Sikyong Penpa Tsering, at the swearing-in ceremony, 27 May 2021. Photo/Tenzin Phende/CTA

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India is proud of our scientists who have worked on Covid-19 vaccines: PM Modi
May 27 2021
India is proud of our scientists who have worked on Covid-19 vaccines: PM Modi

Delivering the keynote address on the occasion of “Virtual Vesak Global Celebrations” on Buddha Purnima, he said the world has not seen a pandemic like this in a century.

However, he added, there is now a better understanding of the pandemic and described vaccine as absolutely important to save lives and defeat the virus.

“We now have a better understanding of pandemic which strengthens our strategy to fight. We have the vaccine which is important to save lives and defeat the pandemic. India is proud of our scientists who have worked on the Covid-19 vaccines,” said PM Modi.

He also extended condolences to those who have suffered and lost near and dear ones in the pandemic.

“I once again salute our frontline healthcare workers, doctors, nurses who selflessly risk their lives every day to serve others in need, to those who have suffered & lost their dear ones. I extend condolences,” said PM Modi.

Virtual Vesak Global Celebration on Buddha Purnima event was organised by Culture Ministry in collaboration with the International Buddhist Confederation (IBC).

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US millennials seem likely to seek non-Bible world; believe in horoscopes rather than God: Survey
May 26 2021
US millennials seem likely to seek non-Bible world; believe in horoscopes rather than God: Survey
(Source: BBC)A student at one of the biggest gatherings of atheist students in the U.S.

The United States is feeling a seismic worldview shift driven by younger Americans, especially Millennials, far more likely to be among the “don’t knows” if they believe or care whether God exists and prefer horoscopes to the Bible.

The findings are in a new study by Arizona Christian University’s Cultural Research Center.

The discovery reflects a fundamental break with older Americans, most of whom view God as all-knowing, all-powerful, and just, and as the designer, creator, and sustainer of the Universe, a new report from the American Worldview Inventory 2021 has found.

George Barna, director of Research for the Cultural Research Center, says this radical spiritual revolution has created a generation seeking a reimagined world without God, the Bible, or churches.

“Gen X and the Millennials have solidified dramatic changes in the nation’s central beliefs and lifestyles,” explained Barna. “The result is a culture in which core institutions, including churches, are continually being radically redefined.”

The 2021 report revealed more than two dozen examples of Millennials (ages 18 to 36) being substantially more likely than any other generation to reject biblical principles in favor of more worldly spiritual perspectives and practices.

“They are significantly more likely than older Americans to define success in terms of personal happiness, condone abortion if pregnancy inhibits personal happiness,” it says.

They see premarital sex as morally acceptable, view reincarnation as possible, and embrace liberal positions on social and fiscal issues, as well as liberal theology.

“They are significantly less likely to embrace key traditional biblical teachings, including the nature of God, ‘original sin,’ salvation, creation, life after death, human purpose, and biblical morality.”

The research shows that while four out of 10 people 55 or older (40 percent) in the U.S. can be classified as born-again Christians based on their beliefs about personal salvation, just one out of every six Millennials (16%) meets the criterion.

Instead, the research shows younger Americans are far more likely to embrace a counterfeit version of Christianity known as Moralistic Therapeutic Deism for worldview guidance.

Together, Gen Xers and Millennials (i.e., two generations currently in their late teens through mid-50s) emerged with many beliefs that stand in sharp contrast to those held by Boomers and Builders (the two generations in their mid-50s and older).

The younger pair of generations is substantially more likely than their elders to believe, for example, that horoscopes provide helpful guidance for their life and that getting even with those who offend or harm them is defensible.

They are likely to believe God is not involved in people’s lives, allowing people to own property facilitates economic injustice, and that karma is a viable life principle.

Further, they are inclined to believe the Bible is ambiguous in what it teaches about abortion and that it is not the accurate and reliable (i.e., inerrant) word of God.

Their belief is also likely to be that human beings have developed over a long period from less advanced life forms to their current condition.

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President, Top  Leaders Extend Greetings on Buddha Purnima
May 26 2021
President, Top  Leaders Extend Greetings on Buddha Purnima

By  —   Shyamal Sinha

President Ram Nath Kovind, Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu and other leaders  greeted people on the occasion of Buddha Purnima, the birth anniversary of Gautam Buddha. In a tweet President Kovind said that “the teachings of Lord Buddha show us the path of liberation from suffering. Let us follow the path of wisdom, compassion & service shown by the Buddha and get rid of COVID-19 through our collective resolve & concerted efforts.”

Greeting people on the occasion, Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu said that “Lord Buddha’s eternal message of peace, brotherhood & compassion continues to inspire humanity across the globe. On this occasion, let us commit ourselves to the path of compassion & tolerance shown by Lord Buddha.”

Earlier on Tuesday Naidu extended greetings saying that people should commit themselves to the path of compassion and tolerance shown by Lord Buddha. Buddha Purnima is observed to mark the birth anniversary of Lord Buddha. “Lord Buddha was one of the most illustrious spiritual leaders to have walked this earth. The eternal message of peace, brotherhood and compassion bestowed by Lord Buddha continues to inspire humanity across the globe to strive towards leading a life based on moral values and contentment,” the Vice President said in his message. In our country, festivals are a great occasion for family and friends to come together and celebrate, Naidu noted.

“But given the situation of the COVID-19 pandemic, I urge my fellow citizens to celebrate this festival at home and by adhering to Covid health and hygiene protocols,” he said. On this happy occasion, the Vice President said, “let us commit ourselves to the path of compassion and tolerance shown by Lord Buddha”.

External Affairs Minister Dr. S. Jaishankar also extended his greeting. He tweeted: Greetings on the auspicious occasion of #BuddhaPurnima. Gautam Buddha’s teachings of compassion, tolerance and social justice continue to guide us.”

Law & Justice, Communications, Electronics & Information Technology Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad wished people “with peace, prosperity and happiness on the auspicious occasion of #BuddhaPurnima”.

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The Church calls on the EU to support Lebanese people amid crisis
May 26 2021
The Church calls on the EU to support Lebanese people amid crisis

The Church calls on the EU to support Lebanese people amid crisis 

The Commission of the Bishops’ Conferences of the EU (COMECE) calls on the European Union to support the Lebanese population in their struggle for the preservation of Lebanon’s identity and social fabric in the face of the ongoing multi-faced crisis. The COMECE appeal builds upon the concerns recently expressed by the Lebanese Church in a letter sent to the Bishops of the EU.

The Assembly of Catholic Patriarchs and Bishops in Lebanon (APECL) addressed a letter to H. Em. Cardinal Jean-Claude Hollerich SJ, President of COMECE, expressing concerns about dangers posed by the current political, social, sanitary and economic crisis confronting the Lebanese population. According to the local Church, the severity of the situation endangers the country’s very own identity forged by “encounter, plurality and fraternity, making it the natural place for dialogue between the diversity of religious and cultural communities.”

Echoing Pope Francis’ repeated appeals, the Lebanese Church urges the international community, including the EU, to support the people in Lebanon by “ensuring the maintenance of their individual, collective and national rights, contributing to the fight against the economic crisis, to the protection of the social fabric and to the preservation of Lebanon’s identity and specificity”.

In their letter, the Catholic Patriarchs and Bishops also highlight the need for supporting the Christian presence in the region through the Church’s institutions, “which are and will always remain at the service of all citizens, without distinction or discrimination, and will keep on working tirelessly for the common good”.

The EU Bishops share the concerns of the local Church in Lebanon and express their solidarity with the Lebanese society, which is enriched by a mosaic of communities, including Syrian and Palestinian refugees.

Following up on a recent meeting with EU Commissioner for Neighbourhood and Enlargement, Olivér Várhelyi, COMECE brought the above-mentioned concerns to the attention of the European Union, proposing concrete ways to address the social, housing, healthcare and educational needs of the Lebanese population.

In absence of effective public policies and actions, Church and faith-based actors (such as Caritas Lebanon and L’Œuvre d’Orient) are providing indispensable humanitarian services to all communities. “However, the socio-economic crisis amplified by the COVID-19 pandemic is posing an existential threat to many of their operations. Therefore – states Fr. Manuel Barrios Prieto, General Secretary of COMECE – we encourage the EU to seek creative ways of engagement and partnership with Churches and religious actors on the ground”.

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Republicans and Democrats switch sides on religion vs. science
May 26 2021
Republicans and Democrats switch sides on religion vs. science

(RNS) — As public health officials grapple with the slowing rate of COVID-19 vaccinations in the U.S., two groups of Americans stand out as being particularly resistant to rolling up their sleeves for the shots: Republicans and white evangelicals. 

In mid-April, about 20% of white evangelicals said they would “definitely not” get the shot, compared with 13% of all Americans, according to a Kaiser Family Foundation survey. About 20% of Republican respondents said the same.

Given the increasing overlap between the two groups, it is reasonable to assume that evangelicals’ religious beliefs are driving Republicans’ statistical resistance, as well. Certainly,  religious beliefs — about the end times and God’s power to heal — may be fueling some of this skepticism, but there’s much more to the story.

RELATED: The path to herd immunity runs through America’s faith communities

Sociological research has shown that the way Americans think about the relationship between science and religion has changed drastically over the past few decades. The chasm that appears to exist today between these two sources of cultural authority wasn’t as wide in the past. And a bird’s eye view of history may offer some hope that bridge building is possible.  

In 1972, researchers for the General Social Survey, working with the National Opinion Research Center at the University of Chicago, began measuring how confident Americans felt in the people leading certain key cultural institutions. Since then they’ve occasionally asked Americans to rate how confident they felt in the people leading the scientific community and organized religions. 

Timothy O’Brien, a sociologist at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, and Shiri Noy, an assistant professor at Denison University’s anthropology and sociology department, pored through 30 waves of the GSS to track how these attitudes have changed over time. The researchers found that in the 1970s, Republicans were more likely to place their confidence in science than religion, while the opposite was true of Democrats. 

By 2018, these attitudes had completely reversed. 

White evangelicals played an important role in this switch as they migrated into the Republican party. But even after excluding white conservatives from the dataset and controlling for beliefs about the Bible, O’Brien and Noy found that the same patterns still held. Compared with Democrats, even secular, religiously unaffiliated Republicans have become more closely aligned with religion over time.

As science became more politicized, O’Brien and Noy said, it was no longer seen as neutral, but as progressive. The politicization of religion also changed faith’s cultural association with piety to a link to conservatism. Both science and religions were recast as alternative, even opposing, sources of knowledge, values and authority.

“Religion has taken on a meaning such that even nonreligious people affiliate with it, because that meaning has become politicized,” O’Brien said. 

Noy suggested that the GSS data debunks the popular notion that people who espouse “traditional family” values are also confident in religion, mistrusting of science and identify as Republican. The GOP hasn’t always viewed the scientific community with suspicion, she said, pointing to how Republican presidents formed science advisory committees in the past to help promote national interests. 

“We, of course, live in our moment and think, of course, Republicans are going to be skeptical of the vaccine. But in fact we have no reason to believe that needs to be the case,” Noy said. “If we look at the data over time and in other countries, there’s no natural fit there; it’s just how things have progressed for a variety of reasons — political alliances, cultural context and international context.” 

Business interests had a profound impact on the politicization of religion and science, the researchers said. As social movements highlighting the concerns of workers, consumers and the environment emerged in the 1970s, government regulatory agencies grew increasingly dependent on scientists as advisers. Large corporations reacted by calling for deregulation, often pushing aside the science.

At the same time, conservative ideology was being influenced by a widespread anti-intellectual movement that normalized contempt for scientists and others seen as cultural elites. All of these elements coalesced in the Republican Party, redefining in part what it meant to be conservative. 

Over the same period, scientists themselves became more politically active and organized, often siding with liberal defense, environmental and economic policies. This enhanced the public’s image of science as a liberal institution.

Nevertheless, international surveys of scientists suggest that most scientists, including in the U.S., don’t see science and religion as opposing forces, but as independent spheres of reality that offer different ways of observing the world. In places such as Italy, India, Turkey and Taiwan, over 50% of scientists identify as at least slightly religious. Even in the U.S., about 30% of scientists claim to be at least slightly religious, with about 10% saying they have no doubt that God exists. 

Basic forms of science like refridgeration aren’t the ones in question. It’s larger ideas like, for example, belief in a divine creator that begin conversations about religion vs. science. Image by Tomislav Kaučić courtesy of Pixabay/Creative Commons

Basic forms of science like refrigeration aren’t the ones in question. It is larger ideas like, for example, the existence of a divine creator that spark conversation. Image by Tomislav Kaučić courtesy of Pixabay/Creative Commons

Meanwhile, the loudest voices in the American scientific community are those who present religion and science as being inherently incompatible, according to Elaine Ecklund, a sociologist and director of the Religion and Public Life Program at Rice University. 

But it is only certain branches of science that seem to impinge on core religious beliefs, such as the existence of a divine creator, that rile the American public, Ecklund pointed out: No one is protesting the science that led to, say, refrigeration. It is when scientists disparage beliefs that people’s lived experiences have shown to be true that it breeds suspicion. 

“That’s made the general public think of the scientific community as very inaccessible, very authoritarian, and it’s led to significant mistrust,” Ecklund said.

The science-faith divide between Democrats and Republicans appears to have deepened during the coronavirus pandemic, according to a Pew Research Center survey published last May. About 53% of respondents who were Democrats or leaned Democrat said they had a “great deal” of confidence in medical scientists to act in the public interest, an increase of 16 percentage points compared with the previous year. During that same period, Republicans’ trust in medical scientists remained roughly the same (about 31%).

Republican-leaning respondents’ views overlapped closely with those of white evangelical Protestants. About 31% of white evangelicals said they had a great deal of confidence in medical scientists to act in the best interests of the public — a lower percentage than white nonevangelical Protestants, Catholics, the religiously unaffiliated and even Black Protestants, a group whose relationship with the scientific community has been marred by historic inequities.

White evangelicals’ confidence in scientists as a whole was even lower. Only 25% of this religious group said they had a great deal of trust in scientists in general.

“Science and a mistrust of scientists as people has come to be bundled with a Republicanism and a form of evangelical Christianity, for some,” Ecklund said. “The trick is how do we delink those things. How do we say that you can be a Republican or conservative Christian and it doesn’t mean necessarily that you need to mistrust scientists?”

The answer may be faith itself. 

The Rev. Patricia Hailes Fears, pastor of the Fellowship Baptist Church in Washington, receives the Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine during a gathering of a group of interfaith clergy members, community leaders and officials at the Washington National Cathedral, to encourage faith communities to get the COVID-19 vaccine, Tuesday, March 16, 2021, in Washington. Photo by Danielle E. Thomas/Washington National Cathedral

The Rev. Patricia Hailes Fears, pastor of the Fellowship Baptist Church in Washington, receives the Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine during a gathering of a group of interfaith clergy members, community leaders and officials at the Washington National Cathedral, to encourage faith communities to get the COVID-19 vaccine, March 16, 2021, in Washington. Photo by Danielle E. Thomas/Washington National Cathedral

Many communities have looked to clergy to vouch for the safety of the vaccine, but Ecklund said her own research is starting to show that some clergy are fearful that coming out in favor of science or of vaccine efforts will lead to political divisions in their congregations. Yet, according to an April study from PRRI and Interfaith Youth Core, nearly half (47%) of vaccine-hesitant white evangelicals who regularly attend church say that they’d be more likely to get vaccinated if a religious leader or fellow church member encouraged it, got a vaccine, or if their church was a vaccination site.

RELATED: Franklin Graham urges evangelicals to get vaccinated before it’s ‘too late’

Along with religious leaders, Ecklund said, the “everyday scientists sitting in the pews” will be vital bridge builders, since they speak the languages of science and religion and can serve as trusted interlocutors in white evangelical communities and also in faith communities of color. On a national level, she pointed to National Institutes of Health chief Francis Collins, a rare outspoken Christian in science.

But fellow Christians who are scientists at a local church may be more powerful influences. “People really need to see people who look like them and hear people who believe like them in the scientific community,” said Ecklund. “People are more likely to trust people they know, especially in a time where we are just being inundated with information all the time. Relationships are extremely important.”

Ahead of the Trend is a collaborative effort between Religion News Service and the Association of Religion Data Archives made possible through the support of the John Templeton Foundation. See other Ahead of the Trend articles here.

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Kashag’s appeal on global observance of Buddha Purnima
May 25 2021
Kashag’s appeal on global observance of Buddha Purnima

The UN General Assembly, by its resolution 54/115 of 1999, recognized internationally the Day of Vesak to acknowledge the contribution that Buddhism, one of the oldest religions in the world, has made for over two and a half millennia and continues to make to the spirituality of humanity based on its values of wisdom, compassion, and tolerance. This day is commemorated annually at the UN Headquarters and other UN offices, in consultation with the relevant UN offices and with permanent missions. The first official celebration was held at the UN headquarters in New York in 2000.

In the light of the ever-growing appreciation for Buddhist teachings and values that have come to serve as a beacon for lasting solutions, the Kashag has appealed Tibetan Buddhist community worldwide to henceforth actively take part in the international observance of Buddha Purnima and engage in a mutually enriching dialogue with other religious traditions, thereby advancing the commitment of His Holiness the Dalai Lama to promote harmony among the world’s religious traditions.

Tomorrow 26 May marks the Saga Dawa Düchen (Tib. ས་ག་ཟླ་བ་དུས་ཆེན་), the ‘Festival of Vaishakha’ — one of the four major Buddhist holidays. It occurs on the full moon (the 15th day) of the fourth Tibetan lunar month called Saga Dawa in Tibetan. It celebrates Buddha Shakyamuni’s enlightenment and parinirvana. 

According to the Mahayana Buddhist tradition, Saga Dawa is considered the most auspicious day for spiritual practice as the karmic accumulations of all positive and negative are believed to be multiplied exponentially.

For Tibetan Buddhists, the month inspires the highest expressions of devotion to one’s spiritual teacher and Buddhist practice. Buddhist adherents engage in rigorous study of Buddhist texts, contemplations and receive many teachings from revered lamas

source – cta

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China began removing Bible apps but that was just the first step in a crackdown on religion
May 25 2021
China began removing Bible apps but that was just the first step in a crackdown on religion

WHILE Catholics celebrated the feast of St Joseph the Worker, the Chinese Communist Party used May Day to launch a set of draconian regulations on religious clergy nationwide. 

China’s religious regulator, the State Administration for Religious Affairs, had been gearing up for May 1 to enact new regulations, the Administrative Measures for Religious Clergy, which were approved by the Central Government in January. 

Christian news services widely reported how the CCP removed Bible apps from the App Store and suspended Christian WeChat accounts across the country but these takedowns were only the first victims of the new laws.

In the same month, a new bishop was named for Hong Kong after a two and a half year appointment process, elevating a man who in many ways has broken the mould set by outspoken critic of China, Cardinal Joseph Zen. 

Hong Kong Bishop-elect Stephen Chow Sau-yan told local media that people must start with a sense of faith and not assume Beijing was the enemy, and he hoped for dialogue to develop a better understanding.

“It is not that I am afraid to talk about controversial or political issues,” he said.

“Rather, we believe prudence is a virtue.”

Hong Kong bishopnews conference at the Catholic Diocese Centre in Hong Kong May 18, 2021.” class=”wp-image-90493″ srcset=”https://catholicleader.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/Hong-Kong-bishop.png 750w, https://catholicleader.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/Hong-Kong-bishop-300×150.png 300w, https://catholicleader.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/Hong-Kong-bishop-600×300.png 600w, https://catholicleader.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/Hong-Kong-bishop-360×180.png 360w” sizes=”(max-width: 750px) 100vw, 750px”/>
New leader: Bishop-elect Stephen Chow Sau-yan of Hong Kong speaks during a news conference at the Catholic Diocese Centre in Hong Kong May 18, 2021.

Fr Chow said religious freedom was a basic right. 

“We want to really talk to the government, not to forget that,” he said.

“It is important to allow religious freedom, matters of faith — not just Catholic, but any religion should be free.”

But the path Fr Chow wants to take – promoting religious freedom while working closer with China – was going to be tough, near impossible. 

Not only was China’s track record on religious freedom among the worst in the world, according to years of Aid to the Church in Need religious persecution reports, but its fresh round of regulations only worsened that fact. 

According to a translation of the new regulations obtained by human rights magazine Bitter Winter, the regulations introduce a national database of “authorised clergy” for the five state-approved religions – the Catholic Church, Protestant Christianity, Buddhism, Islam and Taoism. 

The national database will be a valuable tool for the Chinese Government to maintain control over the state-sanctioned clergy.

Sacraments: A priest hears confession at the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception in Beijing.
Faith life: A priest hears confession at the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception in Beijing.

Fortunately for clergy, what happens on paper and in practice in China can be worlds apart.

Personal relationships with local government officials usually count for more than the written law and historically, missionary clergy found themselves operating in legal grey areas and relied on self-moderating their public witness to avoid government attention.

In this way, the Chinese Government did not need to enforce its laws universally for them to be effective, and if need be, the laws gave more than enough room for authorities to raid free-thinking churches and arrest outspoken clergy.

The surveillance state

According to the regulations, in order to become a state-sanctioned member of clergy, a candidate must not only be in good standing with their church, they must also “love the motherland”, “support the leadership of the Chinese Communist Party” and co-operate in rooting out underground elements.

State-sanctioned members of clergy should adhere to additional “political education” and they must have their credentials approved by the regulator. 

Once a member of clergy is registered, they will be periodically assessed on their patriotism and will be assigned awards and punishments much like the social credit score system in place in the rest of the country.

Clergy who continue to lead religious services and are not registered on the clergy database are in violation of the regulations. 

Party influence: A man and child are seen in Beijing.
Party influence: A man and child are seen in Beijing.

There are even stricter regulations on “high clergy” like Catholic bishops.

To become a bishop under these regulations, the candidate must be democratically elected through the Chinese Patriotic Catholic Association, then appointed by the CCP and consecrated through the Chinese Catholic Bishops Conference.

While little is known about the secretive 2018 Holy See-China deal, one of the few reported details has to do with the authority of appointing bishops.

It has been reported that the deal specifies the pope should be the one to appoint bishops in China. 

These new regulations appear to contradict that report.

But the regulations go even further than that and control the timing of episcopal consecrations.

Article XXVI of the measures says only after a bishop is registered by the State Administration for Religious Affairs can they “have an appointment ceremony and be inaugurated in their duties”.

The measures also set term limits for “high clergy”, three to five years, when a renewal process can be undertaken with the regulator again. 

When a member of “high clergy” leaves a position, statements and written opinions must be submitted to the regulator about the bishop and the diocese must submit a full financial review. 

A new tactic in Sinicisation

All of these new regulations are part of a wider push to bring religion in China under the influence of Chinese culture and politics, a process called Sinicisation.

This is the same concept at work in the Chinese concentration camps, where a million Uyghur Muslims are undergoing genocidal treatment.

The Church supports inculturating the Gospel, which occurred across the missionary era, and while Sinicisation sounds similar, it is fundamentally different.

Inculturation of the Gospel means seeing Christ at the centre of the culture, where Sinicisation in this context means putting Han Chinese culture at the centre of Christ. 

Locals: Villagers are pictured in a 2018 photo walking near a Catholic church in Huangtugang, China.
Locals: Villagers are pictured in a 2018 photo walking near a Catholic church in Huangtugang, China.

But the regulations are only the latest symptoms.  

Much of the party influence is imposed by national interest groups like the Chinese Patriotic Catholic Association, which were established to supersede the authority of the Holy See in China. 

They have exerted control since the communist takeover in 1949 and, on paper, still do not recognise many dogmas that have been proclaimed after that date like the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary. 

The CPCA also prevents Catholic teaching on moral issues like abortion and contraception, which would threaten the CCP’s longstanding reproductive programs like the one-child and two-child policies. 

Ultimately, Chinese Catholics face the same problem that Bishop-elect Chow does – how can religious freedom advance against a regime that endlessly pushes for more control?

“I do believe that there is a God who wants us to be united,” Fr Chow said about his own diocese, which was split over the political divides of the “one-country, two-systems” rule.

“Unity is not the same as uniformity.”

Keeping faith: Catholics are praying for the Church in China as it continues to spread the Gospel despite religious persecution.
Keeping faith: Catholics are praying for the Church in China as it continues to spread the Gospel despite religious persecution.

This pluralism is the agreeable option; it keeps the Holy See-China deal active and delays the inevitable clash of ideas.

But the pluralism that Fr Chow wants stands little chance against aggressive Sinicisation. 

On the feast of Our Lady Help of Christians, Pope Francis renewed his call for Catholics to start praying for the Church in China.

He prayed that the Holy Spirit, “the protagonist of the Church’s mission in the world, guide them and help them to be bearers of the happy message, witnesses of goodness and charity, and builders of justice and peace in their country”.

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