Renowned political scientist believes Russian Church is savior of Russia and in future even Europe

... and maybe even the United States?  We need help over here!

Moscow, February 3, Interfax (via Pravmir) – Renowned Russian political scientist Vitaly Tretyakov believes Russia is not able to survive without the Church.

“The Russian Orthodox Church is one of the main state-forming institutes of Russia as a country, Russians as a nation and Russia as a state. Besides, the Russian Orthodox Church is wider (and sometimes, for instance, today) is much wider than state,” Tretyakov writes in his article published by the Kultura paper.

The political scientist confesses that he is not a believer, but at the same time he considers himself “a conscious citizen not only of Russia, but of the Russian Orthodox civilization, which certainly exists and certainly is a foundation of the Russian statehood.”

Obama: Islamic Terrorists Driven by Western 'Injustice'

Until the threat of Islamist ideology is accurately pinpointed as the problem, American foreign policy will be flawed.

News Analysis by Ryan Mauro, The Clarion Project — February 4, 2014

President Obama’s State of the Union gave us a look at the premises driving his foreign policy. It showed that he believes Islamic terrorists to be driven by frustration over perceived injustices at the hands of the West, rather than an ideology. It is because of this belief that he can promote the nuclear deal with Iran and depict the regime as a less threatening version of the Soviet Union.

Three key lines in the speech illustrated the fundamentals underlying the Obama Administration’s foreign policy.

First, Obama indicated that he sees terrorism-sponsoring Islamist regimes as comparable to the communists of the Cold War. Both are primarily motivated by power and wealth and are open to mutually-beneficial deals. He said:

“If John F. Kennedy and Ronald Reagan could negotiate with the Soviet Union, then surely a strong and confident America can negotiate with less powerful adversaries today.”

This comparison overlooks the ideological differences between the two. If the Iranian regime had purely selfish interests, it would not engage in its self-injuring, radical behavior. The preamble to its constitution would not state that its founding objective is “the establishment of a universal holy government and the downfall of all others.”

Muslim Brotherhood Leader Meets Obama in White House

One would think that the United States and the UK might keep the Muslim Brotherhood at a safe distance if not prosecute and outlaw it completely, especially after it was re-criminalized by the Egyptian government following its repressive sharia experiment and its murderous persecution of Coptic Christians. But no, Obama, Cameron and the West's Islamophilic governments continue their support for Muslim terrorist organizations at the expense of Christians in the Islamic world, even when they have proven links to Al Qaeda.

Related:

• UK government: Muslim Brotherhood membership not proof of “extremism,” Brotherhood activists free to operate in UK.
• Exposed: The Muslim Brotherhood/Al-Qaeda Connection.

“Muslim Brotherhood Leader Meets Obama in White House” 

by Adam Kredo, Washington Free Beacon — February 5, 2014

A senior member of the Muslim Brotherhood was recently hosted at the White House for a meeting with President Barack Obama, prompting an outcry from critics of the global Islamist organization.

Anas Altikriti, a top British lobbyist for the Muslim Brotherhood whose father heads Iraq’s Muslim Brotherhood party, recently met with the president and Vice President Joe Biden as part of a delegation discussing problems in Iraq.

Altikriti, whose work has also been tied to Hamas, can be seen smiling in photos published by the White House as he stands next to Iraqi Parliament Speaker Usama al-Nujaifi, who is pictured shaking hands with President Obama in the White House’s Roosevelt Room. The meeting was first highlighted by the blog Harry’s Place.

The Obama administration has been criticized its outreach to the Muslim Brotherhood, the international Islamist organization whose members’ brief reign in Egypt was supported by the White House.

German professor: The idea that the Copts welcomed the Muslims as liberators is no longer tenable

Orthodox Christians with a long view of history are familiar with the meme of Muslims being viewed as liberators by the Egyptian Copts and Christians throughout the Levant, due to Byzantine heavy-handed rule. However, chronicles record such revered figures as St Sophronius, Patriarch of Jerusalem, as being deeply grieved by the invasions of the "godless Saracens," and preaching on the sufferings they caused the Christians as "because of our innumerable sins and serious misdemeanors." In a text dated December 6, either 636 or 637, Sophronius writes:

But the present circumstances are forcing me to think differently about our way of life, for why are [so many] wars being fought among us? Why do barbarian raids abound? Why are the troops of the Saracens attacking us? Why has there been so much destruction and plunder? Why are there incessant outpourings of human blood? Why are the birds of the sky devouring human bodies? Why have churches been pulled down? Why is the cross mocked? Why is Christ, who is the dispenser of all good things and the provider of this joyousness of ours, blasphemed by pagan mouths so that he justly cries out to us: "Because of you my name is blasphemed among the pagans," and this is the worst of all the terrible things that are happening to us. That is why the vengeful and God-hating Saracens, the abomination of desolation clearly foretold to us by the prophets, overrun the places which are not allowed to them, plunder cities, devastate fields, burn down villages, set on fire the holy churches, overturn the sacred monasteries...

So here we see a modern scholar likewise presenting sources contemporary to the seventh century Islamic jihad debunking the "Muslims as liberators" myth. 

German professor: The idea that the Copts welcomed the Muslims as liberators is no longer tenable

Jihad Watch — February 2, 2014

[From Robert Spencer:] The idea that the Coptic Christians in Egypt welcomed the Arab troops as liberators in the mid-seventh century is a staple of Islamic apologetics today, and (not surprisingly, given the abysmal state of academia today) is generally accepted among historians. However, it has always had weak foundations, and is actually yet another example of a phenomenon we see increasingly often: the revisionist whitewashing of history to remove any hint of wrongdoing on the part of Muslims. In my 2005 book The Politically Incorrect Guide to Islam (and the Crusades), I noted that Islamic tradition has the Caliph Umar making a “telling admission in a message to an underling: ‘Do you think,’ he asked, ‘that these vast countries, Syria, Mesopotamia, Kufa, Basra, Misr [Egypt] do not have to be covered with troops who must be well paid?’ Why did these areas have to be ‘covered with’ troops, if the inhabitants welcomed the invaders and lived with them in friendship?”

Sen. John McCain treats Syrian Christian Delegation shamefully, holds to pro-Muslim jihadist position

I have been convinced for some time that the anti-Christian, pro-Islam policies of the United States is a spiritual sign. It derives in part from American Protestantism, which has a very difficult time accepting Eastern Christians (Orthodox, Coptic, Chaldean, Assyrian, etc.) as being authentic Christians, and it derives in part from the anti-Christian academic worldview which has been in vogue since the mid 20th century.

Sen. John McCain with Syrian Al Qaeda-linked jihadists

President Obama, former Presidents Clinton and Carter, Senators McCain and Graham, and most U.S. leaders (with the rare exception of Senator Rand Paul of Kentucky) are consistently on the side of Muslim jihadists (see here and here for samples of McCain's support), aiding and advancing persecution of Christian populations in Syria, Egypt, and throughout the Islamic world. 

Senator Graham may apologize for McCain's behavior, but it is unlikely that he will cut off aid to Muslim jihadists and instead urge support for persecuted Christians.

The mask is slipping. The United States government is fully on the side of satan and his ages old persecution of Christ and His Church. Islam is satan's greatest tool by which to persecute the Church, therefore the United States supports Islam, and mandates taxpayer-funded abortion as a guaranteed right, same-sex marriage, euthanasia, name your evil.

Watch for open tantrums against American Christians by U.S. politicians. It is coming already here.



GOP Senator Apologizes for McCain Tantrum at Syrian Christian Leader Meeting
Judicial Watch — February 5, 2014

Hell-bent on arming opposition forces in Syria—despite strong evidence that they’re run by Islamic terrorists—John McCain displayed behavior unbecoming of a United States Senator during a recent meeting with Syrian Christian leaders touring Capitol Hill.

The delegation of Syrian clergy came to Washington to raise awareness among lawmakers of the growing crisis among the region’s minority Christian community. Christians make up about 10% of the Syrian population and they are being targeted and ruthlessly murdered by radical elements of the rebel forces, according to the visiting church officials. They say the media and human rights groups in the west have been largely silent on the ordeal of the Christians in Syria.

A number of churches have been destroyed or burned, children were killed when rebels fired mortar rockets at an Armenian Christian school in Damascus and countless others have been abducted by Islamic fighters, the Syrian delegation reveals in a statement published by the research group, Westminster Institute, that brought them to Washington. Eleven nuns have also been abducted and are still in captivity and two bishops are still missing after getting kidnapped during a humanitarian mission.

But Senator McCain, an Arizona Republican, evidently doesn’t want to hear negative stories about the rebels he’s working to arm. So he stormed out of a closed-door meeting with the Syrian clergy officials last week. Held in the Senate Arms Services Committee meeting room, the reunion also included senators Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, Sheldon Whitehouse of Rhode Island, Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut and Joe Manchin of West Virginia. Graham is a Republican and the rest are Democrats.

McCain marched into the committee room yelling, according to a high-level source that attended the meeting, and quickly stormed out. “He was incredibly rude,” the source told Judicial Watch “because he didn’t think the Syrian church leaders should even be allowed in the room.”

Russia to continue providing humanitarian aid, spiritual support to Syria

Voice of Russia via Pravmir — February 2, 2014

Russia has confirmed its intention to continue providing humanitarian assistance to the Syrian people. The firm commitment to support the destitute Syrian people was declared in Moscow to primate of the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of Antioch, Patriarch John X. The head of one of the most ancient Patriarchates of the Orthodox world has spent almost a week in the Russian capital and met not only with spiritual leaders of Russia, but also with representatives of the political and social elite of the country.

For his Beatitude the Patriarch of Antioch and all the East John X it is the first trip to Russia after the accession to the Patriarchal throne, and it is not just a courtesy visit. He arrived in Moscow at a difficult time for his flock. It is for three years now that bloody clashes, which daily claim the lives of hundreds and thousands of civilians, are under way in Syria. The Middle East region is recognized today as one of the most dangerous for Christianity: the genocide of the followers of Jesus Christ’s teachings has become almost the norm. There are hundreds of thousands of dead, starving and refugees. The Patriarchate of Antioch almost does not expect assistance from Western countries. On the contrary, Russia and Russian Orthodoxy remain one of the last hopes for the Church of Antioch in general and for Syria in particular. And first of all this is due to the long warm relations between the two Patriarchates, Patriarch John X stresses.

Patriarchal Moleben in Sochi Will Be Attended by Athletes from Russia, Ukraine, Belarus, and Moldova

Patriarch Kirill — “I believe that engaging in sports brings great benefit to man. The physical activity and, more important, the psychological training that accompanies one engaged in sports has a very positive impact of the formation of character. It produces remarkable qualities: one must be bold, courageous, and be able to take reasonable risks. And if we are to speak about team sports, then mutual support, team spirit, and real solidarity are also important.”

February 4, 2014. PRAVMIR. His Holiness, Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia, who arrived yesterday in Sochi, will celebrate a moleben [supplicatory service] in the Church of the Icon Not-Made-By-Hands of the Savior in Sochi. It is expected that the moleben will be attended by representatives of the Olympic teams from Russia, Ukraine, Belarus, and Moldova. 

[Many more photos of His Holiness visiting the Sochi Olympic complex on the eve of the 2014 games here.]

As the press service of the Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia has stated, the same day His Holiness will inspect the sports facilities in the Olympic Park and meet with volunteers sent to the Olympics by church organizations.

On February 4, accompanied by the honorary vice-president of the Russian Olympic Committee, V. A. Vasin, Patriarch Kirill visited a number of sports facilities in the Olympic mountain cluster. In particular, the Patriarch visited the “Sanki” sledding center, where he inspected the start and finish areas and watched athletes training for their performance at the Olympics. Then the Primate of the Russian Church visited the “Russian Hills” complex and the ski stadium.

St Sophronius, Patriarch of Jerusalem

Confessor and Defender of Orthodoxy during the First Wave of Islamic Jihad

_______

CONTENTS

1. Introduction, by Ralph H. Sidway
2. Sophronius, Patriarch of Jerusalem, References to Islam
3. Life of St Sophronius, Patriarch of Jerusalem
4. The Last Ancient Patriarch of Jerusalem: Saint Sophronius, by Robert Shaffern

_______

1. Introduction - The Continuity of Jihad, from Sophronius' Time to Our Own
by Ralph H. Sidway

Orthodox Christians are likely most familiar with St Sophronius through his Life of St Mary of Egypt, which is prescribed to be read in church in its entirety on Thursday of the Fifth Week of Great Lent, in conjunction with the Great Canon of St Andrew of Crete. But Patriarch Sophronius is no less important for his other spiritual and liturgical works, which are referenced in sections 3 and 4 below.

Sophronius lived during a time of horrific upheaval. His references to the first Islamic invasion of Palestine and Jerusalem of the latter 630s provides us with a trustworthy, eyewitness account of the merciless brutality of the Muslims (referred to in antiquity as "Saracens"), which we see again sweeping the world in our own day in Islam's renewed war against Christians. Note below Sophronius' reference to the establishment of mosques by the Muslims.

The Life of St Sophronius (section 3, below) relates his hope that surrendering Jerusalem would win clemency from the Muslims, and how that hope was dashed:

Toward the end of his life, St Sophronius and his flock lived through a two year siege of Jerusalem by the Moslems. Worn down by hunger, the Christians finally agreed to open the city gates, on the condition that the enemy spare the holy places. But this condition was not fulfilled, and St Sophronius died in grief over the desecration of the Christian holy places.

California: Snipers open fire on electrical substation, “most significant incident of domestic terrorism involving the grid that has ever occurred”

This definitely sounds like a carefully orchestrated attack, with special emphasis on response times by local police.  Also significant is that although it happened last April, it is only now being publicly reported, which may indicate some DHS, FBI or CIA oversight to leak information (or misinformation), perhaps to try to draw out the perps.

Combined with recent reports of Muslims arrested for a plot to sabotage a train from Canada into New York, and several Muslims arrested last year for trespassing after midnight at a Massachusetts water reservoir (here, here, here & here), and brazen statements recently by Iranian and Hizbollah leaders that they have targets inside the U.S. and agents ready to attack, casts a dark shadow. 

These may all be isolated incidents, but then again, it seems as if they have been testing our infrastructure, civil defense, and response times for years, and especially so in the last two years.

California: Snipers open fire on electrical substation, “most significant incident of domestic terrorism involving the grid that has ever occurred”

JihadWatch — February 5, 2014

It happened last April, but we are only hearing about it now. Why is that? There have been no arrests and there are apparently no suspects, but it does appear to have been a carefully planned and coordinated attack. Said Mark Johnson, a former PG&E executive: “This wasn’t an incident where Billy-Bob and Joe decided, after a few brewskis, to come in and shoot up a substation. This was an event that was well thought out, well planned and they targeted certain components.” Were they jihadis? Possibly. Possibly not. Johnson also said: “My personal view is that this was a dress rehearsal.” If anyone was taking notes on how well the dress rehearsal went, it was Islamic jihadists.

“Sniper Attack On Calif. Power Station Raises Terrorism Fears,” by Mark Memmott for NPR, February 5:

Was an attack last April on an electric power station near San Jose, Calif., the work of vandals or something far more dangerous — domestic terrorism or a trial run by an individual or organization bent on damaging the nation’s electric grid?

The Wall Street Journal, picking up from an earlier report by Foreign Policy magazine, explores that question Wednesday in a long account about what happened at PG&E Corp.’s Metcalf transmission substation — an event that has received relatively little attention until now.

‘Man was in Danger of Disappearing’

Islam as Consequence of the Fall, and Sign of the End

by Ralph H. Sidway

I have a great appreciation for Fr Stephen Freeman’s writing, for he consistently strives to bring fresh perspective and understanding to the American mind on the great mystery of salvation. Or, as he puts it, “Finding a way to understand our reconciliation with God that is not the same set of arguments (wrath, debt, justice, etc.), working from the same set of tired, misused Bible verses.”

To this end, in his recent essay ‘Saving the Atonement’, he relates:

I was struck particularly by something [St Athanasius] said in On the Incarnation of the Word:   

”Man was in danger of disappearing.” 

He was describing the existential position of the human race after the fall. Refusing communion with the only truly existing God, we began to fall back towards the nothing from which we were created. Either we are sustained by grace and flourish, or we increasingly cease to exist. 

I can see that human life is almost always in such a danger… 

And so I’ve been speaking on “saving the atonement,”  What has God done in order for us to not disappear? What does it mean to disappear? What would it mean that we should appear? 

And to all of these things Orthodoxy bears a rich witness. And the richness of that witness is beautiful. For, as Pavel Florensky rightly wrote, “Beauty is the criterion of truth.” For the first tell-tale signs of disappearing come in the forms of ugliness. For our existence, from the beginning, came in the form of the image of God, the truly good and beautiful. 

God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, who took upon Himself our ugliness that we should take upon ourselves His beauty.  

It is a tell-tale sign of my sinfulness that I would be satisfied (I lie) with an existence that is mere appearance – that I should merely not disappear. But God will not be satisfied (and this is the true satisfaction theory) with anything less than my appearance in beauty and truth, for to exist in anything less than beauty is to begin to disappear. 

And knowing this is part of “saving” the atonement. For hearts everywhere cry for beauty even as they pursue something less.