'This is our festival: the arrival of God among us...'

"He that is full empties himself, for he empties himself of his glory for a short while, that I may have a share in his fullness..."

As we continue to celebrate the Birth of the Son of God in the Flesh, here is a soaring homily by St Gregory the Theologian, which should encourage all Christians to cling to Christ, to stand firm in the True Faith, and not to assent to the voices of antichrist who preach the "Same God" heresy.

May we be found steadfast when He, Jesus Christ the Lord, returns in glory! Maranatha! Come Lord Jesus!

On the Nativity of Christ

By St Gregory of Nazianzus, Another City, December 25, 2017:

Christ is born: glorify him. Christ comes down from heaven: go out to meet him. Christ descends to earth: let us be raised on high. Let all the world sing to the Lord: let the heavens rejoice and let the earth be glad, for his sake who was first in heaven and then on earth. Christ is here in the flesh: let us exult with fear and joy—with fear, because of our sins; with joy, because of the hope that he brings us.

Once more the darkness is dispersed; once more the light is created. Let the people that sat in the darkness of ignorance now look upon the light of knowledge. The things of old have passed away; behold, all things are made new. He who has no mother in heaven is now born without a father on earth.

The laws of nature are overthrown, for the upper world must be filled with citizens.

He who is without flesh becomes incarnate; the Word puts on a body; the invisible one is seen; the intangible one is touched; the timeless one makes a beginning; the Son of God becomes the Son of Man, Jesus Christ, the same yesterday, today and for ever.

Christ is Born! Glorify Him!

Wishing all our readers a blessed and joyous celebration of the Nativity in the Flesh of our Lord, God and Savior Jesus Christ!

Apostasy in the UK: 'Church' holds joint birthday celebration for 'Prophet Muhammad' and Jesus

The apostasy of "Christian" churches in the West continues to accelerate, as these flaming heretics seek to outdo one another in affirming Muhammad and Islam, while at the same time showing they are ashamed of the Lord Jesus Christ by openly denying Him. With each such blasphemous interfaith escapade, they further cut themselves off from the True Vine, and are in danger of being burned.

So many such reports come out of the United Kingdom these days (some noted below), that it is clear that Britain has rejected Christ and is in a terminal phase of post-Christian collapse, with the shadow of the black flag of Islam looming over the once sanctified Isles. Small pockets of Orthodox Christianity are persevering, but apart from a miracle, the country itself seems doomed.

I have inverted the original order of Robert Spencer's post on Jihad Watch, by placing his introduction, comprised of Qur'anic texts denying the foundations of the Christian Faith, below the incisive report on this pathetic sign of the times:

Advent-cum-Mawlid: church holds joint birthday celebration for Mohammed and Jesus

Archbishop Cranmer, December 4, 2017 (thanks to David):

Mawlid (or Milad) is the Islamic festival commemorating the birthday of Mohammed. The only thing it has in common with Christmas is that it isn’t actually the day the celebrated baby was born. Yet All Saints Church in Kingtson upon Thames thinks there’s an interfaith syncretised opportunity to be found in holding a joint birthday celebration for both Mohammed and Jesus – so they put the flags out for both, rejoicing in both, eulogising both, solemnising both, glorifying both, honouring both…

But note how this event is “Marking the birthday of Prophet Mohammed”, but not looking forward to the birthday of the Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God.

Mohammed gets his prophethood, while Jesus gets neither his prophethood nor his priesthood; neither his kingship nor his messiahship. It’s the exalted Prophet Mohammed along with plain old Jesus, because to have added any of his claims to divinity would, of course, have alienated many Muslims (if they hadn’t already been alienated by the haram celebration), which wouldn’t have been very interfaith or sensitively missional, would it?

Pakistani Historian: 'Muslims Of The World... Have No Religious Basis To Rule Jerusalem'

"After the 'Conquest of Mecca,' Muslims were told to turn their faces toward Kaaba and away from Jerusalem. They have never faced their loyalty toward Jerusalem after that, for the last 1,400 years...  Muslims of the world, therefore, have no religious basis to rule Jerusalem. "

After Trump's Recognition Of Jerusalem As Israel's Capital, Pakistani Historian Mobarak Haidar Writes: 'Muslims Of The World... Have No Religious Basis To Rule Jerusalem'

MEMRI, Special Dispatch No. 7214, December 7, 2017:

After U.S. President Donald Trump recognized Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, on December 6, 2017, Mobarak Haidar (above), renowned Pakistani historian and author of multiple books, wrote the following on his Facebook page: [1]

"Jerusalem And Muslim Claims

"The Holy Koran spoke of Al-Aqsa Mosque when it was not a 'mosque' in the Islamic sense. It was a holy place because of the prophets of Israel, from Moses to Jesus. It was the holy spot of worship for Jews and Christians. Obviously, there were no Muslims in the city of Jerusalem till the era of Emir-ul-Momineen Umar ibn Khattab... The Prophet [Muhammad] and his followers prayed with their faces toward this Jewish-Christian holy temple because Kaaba (the present center of Islamic Hajj) was full of idols.

"After the 'Conquest of Mecca,' Muslims were told to turn their faces toward Kaaba and away from Jerusalem. They have never faced their loyalty toward Jerusalem after that, for the last 1,400 years. No Muslim ever went to pray in Jerusalem till it was conquered by the second caliph [Umar ibn Khattab], although there was no restriction on Muslims. They do not go there today because it was no longer their center.

Europe’s Descent into an Islamic Hell

I have been periodically posting large groups of links to news stories as a resource, as I believe the impact of these batches of headlines are more effective than individual stories at showing the effect of mass immigration of Muslims into formerly Christian Europe.

What we see in this latest group of links is not merely the ongoing increase of Muslims committing stabbing attacks and vehicular jihad, but also some deeply disturbing perversions of European culture and society through attempts to force British and European natives to adapt themselves to Muslims who refusal to integrate. This is a phenomenon which can be described as “reverse assimilation”, as all levels of society are warped and distorted in vain efforts to create the multicultural paradise the ruling elite insist can be achieved.

There is also the deployment of counter-terror military units across Europe, and the installation of bollards (barricades) around major landmarks to minimize the risk of vehicular jihad attacks. Now the European countries, under perpetual siege from the Islamic terrorist threat, is wrapping the bollards in Christmas decorations to conceal the state of crisis across the continent. (Australia is installing permanent bollards disguised as planters, to study "Islamophobia.")

Europe is becoming a war zone, even while it refuses to halt the mass immigration of its 1400-year-old enemy.

New Martyr Fr. Daniil Sysoev remembered with Paschal hymns in church where he was killed (with Videos)

"According to the now-annual tradition, Fr. Daniel’s memory was celebrated with a series of Divine services in the Church of St. Thomas and later at his grave... Notably, the panikhida was followed by the singing of the Paschal Stichera and the Paschal Troparion 'Christ is Risen!' which matched the feeling of triumph in Christ that pervaded the tiny church."

Fr. Daniil Sysoev remembered with Paschal hymns in church where he was killed

OrthoChristian.com, November 20, 2017:

The funeral of New Marty Fr Daniil Sysoev, November 2009.

The memory of Fr. Daniel Sysoev was celebrated and prayers were offered for the repose of his soul yesterday and today in the Church of the Apostle Thomas in south Moscow, which Fr. Daniel founded himself. The ever-memorable Priest Daniel was shot in his church late in the evening of November 19, 2009, and died in the hospital early the next morning.

Fr. Daniel is remembered for his fervent missionary work through which he brought many former Muslims, pagans, atheists, Protestants, and others to the faith. He received many death threats for his work but he fearlessly continued in his service to the Lord until a Muslim from a radical Caucasus-based group shot him in his church.

According to the now-annual tradition, Fr. Daniel’s memory was celebrated with a series of Divine services in the Church of St. Thomas and later at his grave. Vespers and Matins were celebrated yesterday evening at 5:00 followed by an abbreviated panikhida.

A full panikhida for the repose of Fr. Daniel’s soul was celebrated later at 11:00 with a packed church joining in the prayers. Among the celebrants were Fr. Daniel’s own father, Fr. Alexei Sysoev, Apostle Thomas rector Fr. Ioann Popadinets, and Hieromonk Athanasy (Deryugin) of Sretensky Monastery.

Notably, the panikhida was followed by the singing of the Paschal Stichera and the Paschal Troparion “Christ is Risen!” which matched the feeling of triumph in Christ that pervaded the tiny church.  View video here...

'When they kill me, don't cry for me, but pray for me.' - Remembrances of Fr. Daniel Sysoev

Here is a deeply inspiring reflection on the Holy and Righteous Confessor and New Martyr under the sword of Islam, Fr. Daniil Sysoev, who was hated by the Islamic community in Russia for debating them openly and converting scores of them to the Holy Orthodox Christian Faith.

Fr Daniil was shot and killed by a Muslim in his church in Moscow on November 19, 2009. In the years since, his legacy and witness only continues to grow, with his writings being translated into English and other languages, and his relics (portions of his priestly robe which he was wearing at the time of his martyrdom) spreading through the Orthodox world.

On the American secular feast of Thanksgiving, let us give thanks for the powerful witness of this dynamic and fearless friend of Christ, who proved his love for the Lord with his very blood. May we be strengthened by his martyrdom and his intercessions, that we too may make the good confession, and not love our earthly lives more than Christ.

'When they kill me, don't cry for me, but pray for me.' - Remembrances of Fr. Daniel Sysoev

by Archimandrite Melchisedek (Artiukhin)

translated by Jesse Dominick, OrthoChristian.com, November 19, 2017:

Today is already eight years from the beginning of the eternal life of our dear brother and sincere pastor Fr. Daniel Sysoev!

A priest once wrote these words in his last book: “The best end, which only a Christian can imagine, is a martyric death.” These words were written by the murdered priest Daniel Sysoev. His Holiness the patriarch wrote in his message: “The Lord honored his faithful servant with a confessor’s and martyr’s death, and he now abides in the Synaxis of the saints among the righteous, in the Synaxis of spirits made perfect.” St. John Chrysostom once said, “It is not only death that makes martyrs, but the whole dispensation of life.”

But the whole dispensation of life.

New Infographic: Muhammad's Life a 'Blueprint for Terrorism'

The ten key points featured in this single-page infographic show how the example and teachings of Muhammad, considered in Islam to be the "perfect pattern of conduct," continue to inspire and justify the broad range of Muslim atrocities against humanity (for 14 centuries and counting), including jihad warfare and terrorism, honor killings and abuse of women and children, slavery, and more.

Feel free to share widely...

New Infographic on the life of Muhammad

By Bill D., Science Et Cetera, November 17, 2017:

A supplement to the recent documentary, "Through the Lens of Muhammad's Life: How the Example and Teachings of Muhammad Shape Islam Today”

More original material on Islam by Bill D...

Click image to enlarge | Download the PDF version.

Do all Religions have the same Heavenly Father?

Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew asserts so, and quite a bit more along with it, as in these pronouncements:

“We are all created by God and as such we are all brothers and sisters. We have the same heavenly Father, whatever we call him.” 

“God is but one, independently of the name we give him, Allah or Yahweh, and so on. God is one and we are his children.”

In addition to these recent deceptive remarks, Patriarch Bartholomew of Constantinople has absurdly written (without any trace of irony) of a “dialogue of loving truth” with Islam, of Orthodoxy having for centuries “coexisted peacefully” with Islam. He also projects the chimera of an “interfaith commitment... still felt and lived by Greeks [and] Turks” (Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew, Encountering the Mystery, Doubleday, 2008, pp xxxvii, 196, 174).

As students of history know, Islam has no history of dialoguing or coexisting peacefully with any non-Muslim peoples, and has waged relentless warfare against the Christian world since the very time of Muhammad, slaughtering, enslaving and subjugating millions over the centuries, right up to our own day. Islam offers peace only at the blade of the scimitar, as Allah commands in the Koran:

Fight against those who believe not in Allah, nor in the Last Day, nor forbid that which has been forbidden by Allah and His Messenger and those who acknowledge not the religion of truth [i.e. Islam] among the people of the Book [Jews and Christians], until they pay the jizya with willing submission, and feel themselves subdued. (Q 9:29)

Kill the unbelievers wherever you find them, and capture them and besiege them, and prepare for them each and every ambush. (Q 9:5) 

I will cast terror into the hearts of those who have disbelieved, so strike them over the necks, and smite over all their fingers and toes. (Q 8:12)

Bartholomew is not the first Ecumenical Patriarch to preach the heresy of ecumenism and openly defend Islam and Muhammad (why would a Christian bishop do such a thing?):

"The Prophet Muhammad is an apostle, He is a man of God, who worked for the Kingdom of God... When I speak against Islam, then I am not found in agreement with God" (Patriarch Parthenius of Alexandria, Orthodoxos Typos 854, May 1982).

I have written about this deplorable trend among recent Ecumenical Patriarchs in my book, Facing Islam, warning about Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew's absolutely bizarre, obsequious, and anti-Christian statements about Islam, in which he blunders into the Same God Heresy:

"As with some recent Ecumenical Patriarchs, Bartholomew eventually ventures too far, as when he calls for the tearing down of 'the wall of separation between East and West, between Muslims and Christians, between all religions of the world,' and when he writes warmly, 'One who achieves the state of inner peace in relation to God is a true Muslim' (Encountering the Mystery, pp 205, 209). 

"This meme concerning Islam (and world religions) is not unique; it springs not from Christian tradition, but directly from the pan-ecumenist movement, and it resonates with the spirit of our times..." (Facing Islam, xxxi)

In the below article, Orthodox priest and author Fr. Emmanuel Hatzidakis shines the bright light of Truth, the Light of Jesus Christ, on EP Bartholomew's false and fuzzy theology.

Do all Religions have the same Heavenly Father?

by Fr. Emmanuel Hatzidakis, Over The Rooftops, June 15, 2014:

"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.

Back on Nov. 2, 2009 in an interview Patriarch Bartholomew had given to Charlie Rose he had stated: “We are all created by God and as such we are all brothers and sisters. We have the same heavenly Father, whatever we call him.” Charlie interrupted the Patriarch: “All religions have the same heavenly Father?” “Of course,” was the Patriarch’s reply, adding: “God is but one, independently of the name we give him, Allah or Yahweh, and so on. God is one and we are his children.”

Although the two statements (everyone believes in the same God; and, we are all his children) appear to be self-proclaimed truths, for us Orthodox Christians (and to me, as I understand my faith), they are erroneous, outrageous and totally unacceptable. If the Patriarch is correct what meaning do the words, “Before me no god was formed, nor shall there be any after me. I, I am the LORD, and besides me there is no Savior” (Is. 43:10b-11)? 

Mall of America Stabbing Suspect is Mahad Abdirahaman

JUST IN: Mahad Abdiaziz Abdirahaman, 20 years old from Minneapolis, is being held on 2 counts of 1st Degree Assault

Press release from Bloomington Police on Mall of America stabbing. pic.twitter.com/CfUDi6lYM4

— Brandi Powell (@bpowellKSTP) November 13, 2017

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Suspect Mahad Abdiaziz Abdirahaman is in custody after two victims stabbed at the Mall of America yesterday. He was allegedly caught redhanded in the middle of a robbery in the dressing room at Macy's.

There are still a lot of questions: Who is Abdirahaman? What motivated the theft? Is he a practicing Muslim? Where is he from? 

It's reported that the suspect and victims didn't know each other -- but were the victims Muslim? After all, if Abdirahaman is a faithful Muslim surely he knows that Islam allows for theft against non-Muslims: Allah promiseth you much booty that ye will capture, and hath given you this in advance, and hath withheld men's hands from you, that it may be a token for the believers, and that He may guide you on a right path (Quran 48:18-20). 

In other words, Quran 48:18-20 allows for a Robbery of Peace.