Πέμπτη 31 Αυγούστου 2017

Why Greeks are Leaving Christianity

In Greece, a country of almost eleven million people, 98% (Aristokles' Remark: 95% define themselves this way, but do not accept obligatory dogmas) of which are Orthodox Christians, there is a re-Hellenization movement with growing momentum. Within Greece, and outside her boarders across the diaspora Greeks are returning to their ethnic ancestral traditions. Why are Greeks doing this? The modern Greek identity is tied tightly with Orthodoxy, the dominate faith of Greeks. For those with the curiosity and mind to question the status quo, have come to a striking truth. Orthodoxy is an inauthentic Greek identity. Orthodoxy is incompatible with Hellenism.

One cannot be a Greek (Hellene) and be a Christian, the two are opposites and have been historically at odds with one another. Going back to late antiquity, with the rise of Christianity, the clash between the new religion and the establish cultural force of the time, Hellenism, was clear. The “church fathers” wrote that the Greek religion was a deplorable religion, were the Gods of the Greeks are actually evil demons. The church fathers despised Hellenism as is evident in Eusebius’ Preparation for the Gospel (313 CE), which attempts to show the superiority of Christianity over Hellenism. With regards to identity, in the Preparation for the Gospel, Eusebius reveals a new identity for Christians by asking “Are we [Christians] Greeks or Barbarians?” He also defends Christians from pagan attacks of apostatizing from their ancestral gods. (1) We see that by becoming Christian, you no longer can be a Hellene (Greek).

Why does becoming a Christian kill a Hellene’s identity? By rejecting the ancestral Gods and accepting the Christian religion, there is a cultural exchange that takes place, which changes an individual’s identity. One function of religion is to transmit a groups history, ethics, beliefs and whole worldview. By becoming Christian, the worldview of a person who was Hellene fundamentally changes. They reject their ethnic history, myths, practices in exchange for a foreign one. Christianity grew out of Judaism.

The Torah of the Jews is preserved as the Old Testament in Christianity. The history of the Jews within the Old Testament then becomes an adopted history for Christian converts. Their native ethnic history and identity is erased and replaced with a Jewish narrative. The Bible replaces Homer, Jesus overthrows Olympus. Being Greek or Hellene no longer is an option in the Roman and later Byzantine Empire, the Greek identity is then effectively dies out in public view, going underground with occasional resurgences throughout history.

What Christianity did to Greek identity on the spiritual level, Rome did on the political level. When Rome eventually conquered Greece and the Hellenistic kingdoms, the Greeks would slowly see their identity change dramatically. No longer did they have their kingdoms, and political independence. With becoming part of the Roman structure, the Greek, their identity as a people eventually became Roman.

A similar way of explaining this is with the United States of America. A Greek born in the United States has citizenship to the country and grows up with an American identity. This individual might be raised with a Greek cultural upbringing, learning the language and so on. He or she does not live in Greece, has no understanding of a fully Greek identity based on a national level. This same thing can be said of the Greeks whom the Romans conquered. They spoke Greek, worshiped their gods and retained their culture (Greek culture dominated the Roman Empire), but they lost their sovereignty, they were absorbed into a larger political body of the Roman Empire, they became Romans.

Moving along in history, when the Empire splits between the Latin west and Greek east. The western half declines, but the eastern portion of the Empire flourished. The capital of the Empire was moved from Rome to Constantinople in 330 CE by Emperor Constantine. Later scholars would rename the eastern Roman Empire the Byzantine Empire, due to its Greek character. However, the people themselves who lived in the Empire identified themselves as “Romaioi”, Roman. (2) Greek or Hellene identity no longer existed. To be a Hellene was by this point synonymous with paganism.

The Roman identity persisted for centuries. Constantinople would fall to the Ottomans in 1453 CE, ending the Byzantium Empire. The Ottomans recognized and grouped their subjects into millets. The Rum millet or “Roman nation” was the designated name for the Orthodox Christian community in the Ottoman Empire. There was no Greek millet. Greek identity would not return until the rise of an intendent Greek state. However Roman identity persisted as late as the early twentieth century. Peter Charanis (1908 -1985) professor of Byzantine History at Rutgers University tells us that in 1912, as a child on the island of Lemnos, the island became occupied by the Greek navy. Peter, along with other children went to see the Greek soldiers, these “Hellenes”. One soldier asks the children ‘‘What are you looking at?’’ ‘‘At Hellenes,’’ they replied. ‘‘Are you not Hellenes yourselves?’’ the solider responded. The children answered, ‘‘No, we are Romans.” (3)

Greeks today are heirs of the Roman/Byzantine world and Orthodox Christianity, rather than anything resembling classical Greece. This creates a false sense of ethnic identity and for those aware of history, an existential crisis. What does it mean to be Greek? How is Orthodox Christianity reconciled with Hellenism? How do you unite these two to
create a Greek identity?

Trying to reconciling Orthodoxy (religious education) with Hellenism (Greek education/paideia), Rev. Dr. Demetrios J. Constantelos says that, “Tradition is what preserves the unity of a people and secures their identity. When a people forget their heritage, they lose their memory and disappear from history.” (4) Disagreeing with Rev. Constantelos, many Greeks in Greece and within the diaspora, have come to the conclusion that Orthodoxy is hostile and incompatible with Hellenism. If tradition preserves the unity of a people and secure their identity, we can safely argue thus far that the Greeks lost their identity centuries ago to Rome and later more so to Christianity. Greeks today carry little with them that is Hellenic.
To truly be Greek, a Hellene, there must be a rejection of the foreign Orthodox tradition to embrace Hellenism, the ethnic and native religious tradition fully. It is impossible to fully embrace Hellenism as a worldview (encompassing religion, education, and philosophy) while remaining an Orthodox Christian because the worldviews are opposed to each other.

In Greece, there are efforts being made by some people to re-Hellenize themselves and have organized officially. One organization, The Supreme Council of Ethnikoi Hellenes (Ypato Symboulio Ellinon Ethnikon – YSEE) was founded in 1997. Their goal is to protect and restore the polytheistic, ethnic Hellenic religion, tradition and way of life.(5) I interviewed several members of the community based in New York on what motivated them to be a part of this movement, re-Hellenizing themselves. Through compiling the stories of these members, who are active in either leadership or consistent attendance, a pattern or process was identified.

Curiosity: Between childhood and early adulthood, many of the people I spoke with shared that they had a curiosity about religion and or history in general. This curiosity grows and develops into questions about Christianity, their birth religion.

Investigation/research: The questions they have lead them to research and investigate matters of history and religion. They might have read the bible themselves, and then compare it with Greek history. They uncover history which was never taught to them, which is contradictory to established knowledge that was taught to them from their parents, school, and or Church. From their research, they conclude that Christianity and Hellenism are juxtaposed.

Identity Crisis: What comes about from the revelation that Christianity and Hellenism are incompatible is an identity crisis. What is an authentic Greek identity? Is it Christian as they were raised to believe, or is it Hellenism?

Identity Change: The conclusion these individuals come to is that Christianity is not a valid option as a Greek, the individual returns to Hellenism to resolve the identity crisis.

What are these people uncovering through their research that causes the crisis of identity?

I can provide one example for the purposes of this post, I may do subsequent posts on this. We learn of the hostility between Christianity and Hellenism through an attempt to bring Plato back to public consciousness. Demetrios Kydones (1323-1397) the mentor of the future Byzantine Emperor Manuel Palaiologos (1350-1425), wrote to Manuel telling him that Plato must be brought back to life, and that there is a desire for Plato’s voice once more. Kydones requested from Manuel that a manuscript of Plato which was held by the monks of Athos be given to him.

To the monks, Plato was considered a corpse, there was nothing living about the philosopher or his teachings. When Kydones received the manuscript, it was in horrible condition, it was soaked, torn, and stained. (6) The monks did not put much effort in preserving the manuscript. The monks had little love for Plato. He was seen occasionally by the monks as the ‘Greek Satan’, whose name was enough to make them spit on the ground and recite prayers. (7)

As a Greek of today, when reading this small piece of history is enough to start more research. It also is a sampling of cultural identity, where the monks, who would be seen as Greeks today, view Plato as a Satanic figure. In the modern Greek ethos, there is a level of reverence of ancient culture, but a superseding placement for Christianity that overrides the ancient but is taught as still retaining continuity. Upon learning that there is no continuity in a natural progression from one form to another, that instead there is hostility, the individual faces a crisis.

It is clear that for many Greeks, when they investigate their religion and history, what they have been taught by their community does not stand up to facts. By uncovering the hostile history between Christianity and Hellenism along with the foreignness of the Christian religion, they are bond to eventually opt for an ethnic tradition, native to their land and people.

Citations

1. The Tertullian Project. “Eusebius of Caesarea: Praeparatio Evangelica (Preparation for TheGospel). Tr. E.H. Gifford (1903) — Book 1.” The Tertullian Project, www.tertullian.org/fathers/eusebius_pe_01_book1.htm.

2. Kaldellis, Anthony. Hellenism in Byzantium: The Transformations of Greek Identity and the Reception of the Classical Tradition. Cambridge UP, 2011, page 42.

3. Ibid.

4. Greek Orthodox Metropolis of New Jersey. “Orthodoxy and Hellenism.” www.nj.goarch.org/resources/orthhellenism.htm.

5. Supreme Council of Ethnikoi Hellenes. “Supreme Council of Ethnikoi Hellenes.” About YSEE, www.ysee.gr/index-eng.php?type=english&f=about.

6. Siniossoglou, Niketas, Radical Platonism in Byzantine, Cambridge Univerisity Press, 2016. page 1-2

7. Siniossoglou, Niketas, Radical Platonism in Byzantine, Cambridge Univerisity Press, 2016. page 1


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Τετάρτη 16 Αυγούστου 2017

Para-religious fetishism: The Holy boiled chestnut


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The rushed canonization of Father Paisios may have helped his fans feel vindicated for idolizing a priest once known for his homely utterances but who in recent years became more famous for outrageous prophecies, including a devastating war between Russia and Turkey that will benefit Greece and allow it to retake Istanbul (Constantinople). But the honors that are being bestowed on him now by the heads of the Church of Greece should be a matter of great concern.

The road of piety is so full of zigs and zags, and some exhibitions of faith are so unbelievable (bordering on self-ridicule) that we can never sure whether we are hearing actual news or whether we are the victims of media and social media trolls.

The most recent development is that after the holy man’s flip-flops, his cap and his glasses, we now have his blessed chestnut, which was recently put on display at the Church of Aghios Dimitrios in Agrinio, central Greece.

Such a move can only be described as para-religious fetishism.

According to the official statement that came with the display, this particular chestnut had been “given by a group of students along with others to Saint Paisios in October 1990 to be blessed.” It is this phrase, “along with others,” that should be read as a prophecy – it won’t be long before other blessed chestnuts pop up in other places too. More holy flip-flops and sacred caps will also inevitably appear.

After all, it was observed a long time ago that in times of deep crisis and when there is a general sense of insecurity, irrationalism in its most extreme form becomes the dominant religion, regardless of what idols people worship.

Saint Paisios is the patron saint of our country’s front pages, our very own Nostradamus. He was also a typically nationalist saint as he said things that so many people want to hear: the government in Skopje will collapse and the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia will fall apart, Turkey will sink and so on.

However, since so many top political and church officials have stated in the past that “God is Greek,” what else could a humble servant of Greek origins be than a foot soldier for Greek Christianity?

There has been no confirmation of rumors, however, that Kokkini Milia (Red Apple Tree), a mythical land where the Turks were to have been banished to from Constantinople by the late Byzantine Emperor Constantine Palaiologos, has been found and now renamed Red Chestnut Tree. We have to keep watching the loud front pages – and the oh-so silent church hierarchy.

The problem is that these very newspapers which complain about this kind of fetishism, stand up for the worship of icons, bones and relics. Kathimerini is a conservative newspaper and conservatives do their best to maintain this way of thinking. Theologically there is no difference if a monk is full of the grace of the Holy Spirit and his bones and clothes are full of it, why not his glasses, or slippers or whatever he touched? All politicians go to such happenings, because this is how they expect to be voted, even those of the radical left.

Κυριακή 13 Αυγούστου 2017

Shameless: Daddy, the best man for the job!


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The new president of Thessaloniki's urban transport company (OASTh), Stelios Pappas, is the necessary experience and knowledge to lead the company, State Minister Alekos Flambouraris said in a statement on Friday.

"The selection of Stelios Pappas for the management of OASTh is a decision purely political. It is a person who has the relevant know-how and experience to be appointed in such a position," he said.
"Having worked as an economist for more than 30 years and served as president of the Economic Chamber of Greece in the past, it is clear it is a choice for battle, for a fighter of the Left who has more than 55 years of continuous presence in movements and is fighting for a better society. That's the kind of man you need to put inside the scoundrels' nest," he added.
His comment came in response to the accusations of nepotism leveled against the government by the opposition over the appointment, as Stelios Pappas is the father of Digital Policy Minister Nikos Pappas.
Nikos Pappas and the prime minister of Greece, Alexis Tsipras, were friends since they were 19 years old and members of the youth of The Coalition of the Left, of Movements and of Ecology. After appointing many of his friends at least as advisors, if they had no qualities, the prime minister is appointing the close relatives of his friends.
So the father of the prime minister's best friend is thought to be the man for the job. Well, every communist seems to think that. They have been trained to be arrogant, wise-guys, rude, paranoic and fanatic and it seems that now they believe their own lies.
55 years of presence in movements means demonstrating, graffities, distribution  of leaflets and propaganda for the Communist party. Communists used to infiltrate all kind of clubs and associations in order to conceal their propaganda.
The question is what is meant he is an economist for 30 years, as he is a marxist and marxism has failed everywhere. Other articles mention something about private sector. Private sector in Greece are shops, kiosks, private schools, gyms, bars and restaurants. Everything else is state, or the owners act as apparatchiks of the State. There are few exceptions and they get fewer and fewer.
The question is who is responsible for the scoundrel's nests. Since 1981 the centre-left party of PASOK encouraged people to think they have a right for everything they want. The people who voted for Pasok were either the left wing of Center Union party or the United Democratic Left, the latter acting as a substitute and political front of the banned Communist Party. For thirty years there were strikes and demonstrations, whenever syndicalists got bored, as they worked only when they were on strike, and people could have longer weekends as the strike were on tuesdays and thursdays, so with an extra one or two days off, one had a week for himself.
This kind of solution is called homeopathy. One inaugurates a marxist to solve the problems caused by the marxistic way of thinking.

Πέμπτη 3 Αυγούστου 2017

The Greeks really do have near-mythical origins, ancient DNA reveals


Ever since the days of Homer, Greeks have long idealized their Mycenaean “ancestors” in epic poems and classic tragedies that glorify the exploits of Odysseus, King Agamemnon, and other heroes who went in and out of favour with the Greek gods. Although these Mycenaeans were fictitious, scholars have debated whether today’s Greeks descend from the actual Mycenaeans, who created a famous civilization that dominated mainland Greece and the Aegean Sea from about 1600 B.C.E. to 1200 B.C.E., or whether the ancient Mycenaeans simply vanished from the region.

Now, ancient DNA suggests that living Greeks are indeed the descendants of Mycenaeans, with only a small proportion of DNA from later migrations to Greece. And the Mycenaeans themselves were closely related to the earlier Minoans, the study reveals, another great civilization that flourished on the island of Crete from 2600 B.C.E. to 1400 B.C.E. (named for the mythical King Minos).

The ancient DNA comes from the teeth of 19 people, including 10 Minoans from Crete dating to 2900 B.C.E. to 1700 BCE, four Mycenaeans from the archaeological site at Mycenae and other cemeteries on the Greek mainland dating from 1700 B.C.E. to 1200 B.C.E., and five people from other early farming or Bronze Age (5400 B.C.E. to 1340 B.C.E.) cultures in Greece and Turkey. By comparing 1.2 million letters of genetic code across these genomes to those of 334 other ancient people from around the world and 30 modern Greeks, the researchers were able to plot how the individuals were related to each other.

The ancient Mycenaeans and Minoans were most closely related to each other, and they both got three-quarters of their DNA from early farmers who lived in Greece and southwestern Anatolia, which is now part of Turkey, the team reports today in Nature. Both cultures additionally inherited DNA from people from the eastern Caucasus, near modern-day Iran, suggesting an early migration of people from the east after the early farmers settled there but before Mycenaeans split from Minoans.

The Mycenaeans did have an important difference: They had some DNA—4% to 16%—from northern ancestors who came from Eastern Europe or Siberia. This suggests that a second wave of people from the Eurasian steppe came to mainland Greece by way of Eastern Europe or Armenia, but didn’t reach Crete, says Iosif Lazaridis, a population geneticist at Harvard University who co-led the study.

Not surprisingly, the Minoans and Mycenaeans looked alike, both carrying genes for brown hair and brown eyes. Artists in both cultures painted dark-haired, dark-eyed people on frescoes and pottery who resemble each other, although the two cultures spoke and wrote different languages. The Mycenaeans were more militaristic, with art replete with spears and images of war, whereas Minoan art showed few signs of warfare, Lazaridis says. Because the Minoans script used hieroglyphics, some archaeologists thought they were partly Egyptian, which turns out to be false.

The continuity between the Mycenaeans and living people is “particularly striking given that the Aegean has been a crossroads of civilizations for thousands of years,” says co-author George Stamatoyannopoulos of the University of Washington in Seattle. This suggests that the major components of the Greeks’ ancestry were already in place in the Bronze Age, after the migration of the earliest farmers from Anatolia set the template for the genetic makeup of Greeks and, in fact, most Europeans. “The spread of farming populations was the decisive moment when the major elements of the Greek population were already provided,” says archaeologist Colin Renfrew of the University of Cambridge in the United Kingdom, who was not involved in the work.

The results also show it is possible to get ancient DNA from the hot, dry landscape of the eastern Mediterranean, Renfrew says. He and others now have hope for getting DNA from groups such as the mysterious Hittites who came to ancient Anatolia sometime before 2000 B.C.E. and who may have been the source of Caucasian ancestry in Mycenaeans and early Indo-European languages in the region. Archaeologist Kristian Kristiansen of the University of Gothenburg in Sweden, who was not involved in the work, agrees. “The results have now opened up the next chapter in the genetic history of western Eurasia—that of the Bronze Age Mediterranean.”

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