Month: March 2016
Is GOARCH’s “PRAXIS” Magazine GOing New Age?
One would expect solid Orthodox material from an Orthodox Christian Department of Religious Education. Does the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese’s educational periodical dedicated to “Spiritual Disciplines” promote the New Age spirit expressed by Kyriakos Markides?
October 26, 2015 by Fr. Emmanuel Hatzidakis
Other faiths, What we believe
The Orthodox Church’s Reaction to Homosexual Marriage
Shortly after the June 26 Supreme Court ruling on gay marriage, a friend emailed me an article with her own comment in two short monosyllabic words: “So sad.” My reply was a bit longer: “The world continues its course, and Orthodox Christianity its own. The two are diametrically opposed. There should be no surprise there.” I think we should add a few more thoughts on this important subject.
July 13, 2015 by Fr. Emmanuel Hatzidakis
Sacraments
What Should we do when our Bishop is an Ecumenist?
What should we do when we witness the acknowledged first-in-honor bishop of the Orthodox Church flagrantly violating the canons of the Church with common prayers and with statements that compromise the uniqueness of the Church?
March 4, 2015 by Fr. Emmanuel Hatzidakis
Ecumenism
Is Reunification of Roman Catholic and Orthodox Churches Imminent?
With the ecumenical patriarch sacrificing almost everything for the sake of unity, the reunification of Roman Catholic and Orthodox Churches is Imminent, now more than ever.
November 24, 2014 by Fr. Emmanuel Hatzidakis
Ecumenism, Other faiths
Is Israel the Promised Land?
Zionist Jews, and with them many fundamentalist Bible thumpers, literally believe in the eternal covenant Yahweh made with them, 4,000 years ago. Today, the behavior of Israel towards the Palestinians over earthly lands resembles the Nazis. The persecuted have become the persecutors. How can it be? And how can it change?
August 10, 2014 by Fr. Emmanuel Hatzidakis
What we believe
Do all Religions Have the Same Heavenly Father?
“WE ARE ALL BROTHERS AND SISTERS” Are we? First in Jerusalem (May 27, 2014), and more recently in Rome (June 8, 2014), Patriarch Bartholomew hammers the message of universal brotherhood with intra-Christian and interfaith prayer services (which according to the canons of the Orthodox Church are prohibited) and with statements and declarations to that effect.
June 15, 2014 by Fr. Emmanuel Hatzidakis
Ecumenism, What we believe
The Story of the Mother of God in Iconography
On Mother’s Day, together with our earthly mothers, we honor the mother of the Lord. She who is the mother of the head of the body is also mother of all the members of the body. In this post, we’ll take a look at the life of the Lord’s Mother depicted in holy icons.
May 9, 2014 by Orthodox Witness
What we believe
Revising the Orthodox Christian Churching Ritual
Presenting our children to the Lord, whether they are male or female, first born or otherwise, is proper and commendable, but certain prayers in the Orthodox Churching service, taken from the Mosaic Law, should be eliminated from our prayer books!
February 1, 2014 by Fr. Emmanuel Hatzidakis
Sacraments