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Day: March 22, 2006

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Our Monthly Ecumenical Gathering

The Churches in our area hold a monthly ecumenical gathering. We rarely if ever foray into theological or polity issues. We come together, pray, eat, and discuss general ministerial issues we commonly face.

We also love to learn from each other. When I was receiving the minor orders everyone was interested in the how and why of the process. When one of our members faces a problem, we support each other with prayer and in other ways. We also hold an annual Ecumenical Thanksgiving Service.

Yesterday’s event was held at St. Peter’s Armenian Apostolic Church. The first gathering I ever went to was held there and Fr. Stepanos as well as all the members there always make us feel so welcome. They put on a tremendous Lenten feast of Armenian food and desserts.

What really resonated with me was the way we began.

We begin each gathering in prayer. We use the format suggested by the host pastor. When my parish hosted the event we did the Liturgy of the Hours.

Well, Fr. Stepanos always pulls out all the stops. We were, as it was my first time there, immersed in Armenian Liturgy. We prayed and chanted in Armenian. At the very beginning Fr. Stepanos said to us, —When we pray we face the Altar and the East.— or words to that affect. We all turned and prayed.

I was bowled over. No, ‘well let’s accommodate everyone’. No theologizing liturgical posture. Rather, he remained faithful to the Liturgy. We faced God and prayed. The words of the Ascription and the following prayers were powerful as well. No gender neutrality or political correctness required.

I especially liked:

Lord God, help the Christian leaders, faithful rulers, their armies and peoples, and keep them in peace. Amen.

…and

By the sign of your holy and precious cross protect us against the visible and invisible enemy, in our places and homes. Amen.

So after prayer, discussion, and a boat load of hummus, the best tabbouleh I ever had, and pita, along with many other wonderful dishes, I just need to say thank you, and God bless your ministry Fr. Stepanos.

Everything Else

The Movie Of My Life – Film Noir

Well this makes sense. You know, Nietzsche styled himself as Polish nobility.

The clan came out of Poland, like so many other families of Eastern Germany, at the time of the sad, vain wars. Legend maintains that it was noble in its day and Nietzsche himself liked to think so. The name, says Elisabeth, was originally Nietzschy. “Germany is a great nation,” Nietzsche would say, “only because its people have so much Polish blood in their veins…. I am proud of my Polish descent. I remember that in former times a Polish noble, by his simple veto, could overturn the resolution of a popular assembly. There were giants in Poland in the time of my forefathers.” He wrote a tract with the French title L’Origine de la famille de Nietzsche and presented the manuscript to his sister, as a document to be treasured and held sacred. She tells us that he was fond of maintaining that the Nietzsches had suffered greatly and fallen from vast grandeur for their opinions, religious and political. He had no proof of this, but it pleased him to think so. — The Philosophy of Friedrich Nietzsche by Henry Louis Mencken

Also, check out his vita from his April 10, 1888 Letter to Georg Brandes

The Movie Of Your Life Is Film Noir

So what if you’re a little nihilistic at times? Life with meaning is highly over-rated.

Your best movie matches: Sin City, L. A. Confidential, Blade Runner
Current Events, Media

Politics and the Making of a Martyr

The AP is reporting that the Afghan man, who is facing a trial and the death sentence, for converting from Islam to Christianity, may be insane.

How convenient. The Afghan government escapes international condemnation, this man will go —free— (you know the Mohammedans will kill him in the street), and an international incident is averted.

I fully agree that to be Christian is to be mad. We are fools for Christ. If people would only label me insane for the love of Jesus Christ!

What should happen here is that the Western armies in Afghanistan should do an Israel and plow into the prison where this man in being held, free him, and bring him to safety in the West.

Here’s a few snippets from the AP story

Afghan convert may be unfit for trial

KABUL, Afghanistan — An Afghan man facing a possible death penalty for converting from Islam to Christianity may be mentally unfit to stand trial, a state prosecutor said Wednesday.

Abdul Rahman, 41, has been charged with rejecting Islam, a crime under this country’s Islamic laws. His trial started last week and he confessed to becoming a Christian 16 years ago. If convicted, he could be executed.

But prosecutor Sarinwal Zamari said questions have been raised about his mental fitness.

“We think he could be mad. He is not a normal person. He doesn’t talk like a normal person,” he told The Associated Press.

Thank the Lord for that. What these Mohammedans see as madness we know to be the truth.

…

The Bush administration Tuesday issued a subdued appeal to Kabul to let Rahman practice his faith in safety. German Roman Catholic Cardinal Karl Lehmann said the trial sent an “alarming signal” about freedom of worship in Afghanistan.

Is the West waking up?

The case is believed to be the first of its kind in Afghanistan and highlights a struggle between religious conservatives and reformists over what shape Islam should take there four years after the ouster of the fundamentalist Taliban regime.

Afghanistan’s constitution is based on Shariah law, which is interpreted by many Muslims to require that any Muslim who rejects Islam be sentenced to death. The state-sponsored Afghanistan Independent Human Rights Commission has called for Rahman to be punished, arguing he clearly violated Islamic law.

The case has received widespread attention in Afghanistan where many people are demanding Rahman be severely punished.

No, not the first of its kind. Remember the roundups during the Taliban times. People were herded into a western built soccer stadium and summarily executed. People sat in the stands cheering on the executions. Executions of men, women, and children. But hey, its Shariah.

“For 30 years, we have fought religious wars in this country and there is no way we are going to allow an Afghan to insult us by becoming Christian,” said Mohammed Jan, 38, who lives opposite Rahman’s father, Abdul Manan, in Kabul. “This has brought so much shame.”

You insult yourselves by clinging to the falsehood of Islam.

Rahman is believed to have converted from Islam to Christianity while working as a medical aid worker for an international Christian group helping Afghan refugees in the Pakistani city of Peshawar.

He then moved to Germany for nine years before returning to Kabul in 2002, after the ouster of the hard-line Taliban regime.

Police arrested him last month after discovering him in possession of a Bible during questioning over a dispute for custody of his two daughters. Prosecutors have offered to drop the charges if Rahman converts back to Islam, but he has refused.

The witness of the martyrs stands strong in the face of the falsehood of Islam.

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