ORTHODOXY AND WORLD RELIGIONS

What Was Paidomazoma (Devshirme) and Who Were the Janissaries?

2023-10-05T12:19:00.012-04:00

By Marios Novakopoulos, Internationalist

Paidomazoma, or the mass kidnapping of children. This word resonates to this day as one of the most painful memories of the Turkish occupation, which both as a human tragedy and as a tool of biological oppression haunts the conscience of the Greeks.

Paidomazoma, Devshirme in Turkish, is the compulsory recruitment of the children of the Christian subjects of the Ottoman Empire, to staff the army and administration of the sultan. The most famous body that absorbed the victims of paidomazoma was the famous Janissary guard.

The system of paidomazoma was introduced around 1430 by Sultan Murat I, but individual conscriptions had started since the time of Sultan Bayezid in 1395. But why did the Ottomans implement such a policy? The answer lies in the deepest needs of Sultanate politics.

Young Muslim Man Baptized Orthodox Christian in Victoria, Australia

2023-02-17T12:49:00.003-05:00

On Monday, 13 February 2023, with the blessing of His Eminence Archbishop Makarios of Australia, His Grace Bishop Evmenios of Kerasounta, Archiepiscopal Vicar of Northcote in Victoria, welcomed into the Orthodox Church, through the Mystery of Holy Baptism, a young man who comes from the Islamic faith.

The 28-year-old Ahmad Khodr, who after his baptism received the name Angelos, was born and raised in Lebanon. From a young age, but also after his migration to Australia, he was constantly searching for the truth about faith and the true God, without resting on what he had been taught in the early years of his life.

Saint Paisios the Athonite and the Japanese Buddhist

2022-07-12T11:02:00.006-04:00

In May 1990, during one of my visits to Elder Paisios, we were about twenty pilgrims in his outdoor guesthouse.

Among us was a Japanese man, a chemical engineer of a large pharmaceutical company, who did not know Greek.

On this occasion, the Elder spoke about the Buddha and, addressing the Japanese man, told him that the Buddha was just a wise and intelligent man of his time. And how the world, admiring his wisdom, made him almost a god.

A Christian Miracle to a Muslim in Mecca (From the Life of St. John the Russian)

2022-05-27T12:22:00.009-04:00

Icon depicting an angel transporting a platter of hot pilaf from St. John to his master in Mecca.

Saint John the Russian (+ May 27, 1730) was a soldier who was taken as a slave and sold to a Turkish master who was a cavalry officer in Prokopion of Asia Minor. The Saint, though treated with contempt and abuse, with his kindness and gentle nature he had an effect on the souls of both the master and the other slaves. Saint John brought a blessing to his master simply by living in his household. The cavalry officer became rich, and was soon one of the most powerful men in Prokopion. He knew very well why his home had been blessed, and he did not hesitate to tell others.

One day the officer, being cheerful at his unanticipated success, left Prokopion and went to Mecca on pilgrimage with a great retinue to fulfill his religious duty as a Muslim. A few weeks later, his wife gave a banquet and invited her husband's friends and relatives, asking them to pray for her husband's safe return. Saint John served at the table, and he put down a dish of pilaf, his master's favorite food. The hostess said, "How much pleasure your master would have if he could be here to eat this pilaf with us." Saint John asked for a dish of pilaf, saying that he would send it to his master in Mecca. The guests laughed when they heard his words. The mistress, however, ordered the cook to give him a dish of pilaf, thinking he would eat it himself, or give it to some poor family as he was accustomed to do.

How Saint Raphael Brought a Muslim Man Back to Life

2022-04-09T12:45:00.005-04:00

In late August (around 2014), Mrs. Alkestis called the Monastery of Saint Raphael at Ano Souli, Marathon from Mykonos Island, asking for information regarding access and accommodation nearby, in order to be present at Saint Raphael’s, during the celebrations of the Monastery’s feast day on the 2nd of September.

While on the phone with one of the fathers, she asked him to light a candle to Saint Raphael for the brother of the cleaning lady that she had at her place to help with the housework, as he had suffered a stroke and eventually fallen into a coma. She had learnt that the doctors had said that it was almost impossible for the patient to recover and had recommended that the relatives be prepared for the inevitable. They all feared that even if he did survive –which was highly unlikely- he would not be able to move his hands and legs, nor would he be able to speak properly and coordinate his thoughts, due to extensive brain damage. As a result, all of the patient's relatives (of the Muslim faith, as was the patient) were extremely upset, as was Mrs. Alkestis, as she shared their pain.

Indian Muslims React to the Chanting of a Popular Greek Orthodox Hymn (video)

2022-02-17T11:25:00.008-05:00

In the video below, Indian Muslims react to the chanting of a popular Greek Orthodox prayer known as Agni Parthene (Αγνή Παρθένε).

The popular Common Man Show YouTube channel, with over 20 million views, records the reactions of Indian Villagers and Tribal People trying new food, new songs and other interesting tasks.

In this particular episode, four Indian Muslims are emotionally moved and spiritually uplifted by listening to Agni Parthene. Currently there are nearly 170,000 views.

A Muslim Testimonial Describing How Elder Jonah of Kiev Saved a Muslim Village from Cholera

2022-01-11T11:59:00.006-05:00

Elder Jonah (ca. 1794-1902) was a disciple of Saint Seraphim of Sarov who experienced many remarkable visions of the heavenly realm, was visited by Christ Himself, and quite frequently by other Saints, including the Theotokos, who instructed him to found the Holy Trinity Monastery in Kiev.

A Muslim named Medzid Hanzibiev wrote the following for The Russian Pilgrim in 1892:

Near the city of Ekaterinodar in Kuban (a region in southern Russia) is the village of Tokhtomukai, home to more than two thousand Muslims of the Caucasus.

A terrible cholera epidemic broke out in this village.

Every day 20-25 people died. The panic was indescribable. All hopes were lost because there was no medical help.

I am a resident of this village and a Muslim. I had heard from some of my acquaintances who are Russians about the holiness and power of the prayers of the abbot of the Monastery of the Holy Trinity in Kiev, Elder Jonah, and I had seen with my own eyes several cases of healing in Ekaterinodar done with his prayers.

That is why on July 29, I sent a telegram to Kiev describing our drama, and asked Father Jonah for his prayers for our salvation from cholera.

I received very quickly a warm and consoling answer, that he accepted my request and prayed before the throne of God for the salvation of the village.

The telegram was followed by a blessing.

I was closely following the events in the village and every day I learned all the relevant developments regarding the cholera epidemic.

That is why I am able to assure you that from the day I sent the telegram, the death toll has dropped significantly and the disease has subsided.

In fact, no new cases of the disease have appeared since August, and not a single case of death.

Source: This letter originally appeared in The Russian Pilgrim, issue 35, in 1892. Translated by John Sanidopoulos.

Proof That God Is One and Not Many (St. John of Damascus)

2021-12-13T10:59:00.001-05:00

By St. John of Damascus

We have, then, adequately demonstrated that there is a God, and that His essence is incomprehensible. But that God is one and not many is no matter of doubt to those who believe in the Holy Scriptures.

For the Lord says in the beginning of the Law: "I am the Lord your God, which have brought you out of the land of Egypt. You shall have no other gods before Me" (Exodus 20:2-3).

And again He says, "Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God is one Lord" (Deuteronomy 6:4).

And in Isaiah the prophet we read, "For I am the first God and I am the last, and beside Me there is no God. Before Me there was not any God, nor after Me will there be any God, and beside Me there is no God" (Isaiah 43:10).

And the Lord, too, in the holy Gospels speaks these words to His Father, "And this is life eternal, that they may know You the only true God" (John 17:3).

A Linguistic Distinction Between Orthodoxy and Religions

2021-10-05T10:27:00.003-04:00

In Greek grammar, we use the word γένος (gender), therefore there are three genders, which are: αρσενικό (arsenikó) meaning “masculine,” θηλυκό (thilikó) meaning “feminine,” and ουδέτερο (udétero) meaning “neuter.” These genders characterize nouns, adjectives, articles, and some pronouns and participles.

All the religions in the Greek language belong to the masculine gender (or neuter according to some variants of these):

The Muslim Village in Crete Every Christian Feared and Avoided

2021-06-25T17:39:00.003-04:00

Grantos was a small settlement south of Megali Vrysi in the prefecture of Heraklion on the island of Crete.

Its existence is associated with a lot of stories about its inhabitants who not only changed their faith during the Turkish occupation from Orthodox Christian to Muslim, but also became the most bloodthirsty and dangerous in the region.

The presence of the village is recorded during the Venetian occupation when in 1583 it had 34 inhabitants. During the Turkish occupation it was a purely Turkish village with 35 Muslim inhabitants.

This village had gained a bad reputation because of its inhabitants who are said to have been so cruel that any Christian who happened to pass by there was terrified, hence why the place was called Grantos, which indicates it was a place where bad things happened to you. The Muslims of the village put the Christians to the test and made them regret the time and the moment they found themselves in their way. Therefore, it is speculated that the village was named Grantos.

Erdogan Inaugurates New Mosque Next To Greek Orthodox Church in Taksim Square

2021-05-28T14:18:00.012-04:00

The newly-built Taksim Mosque, located in the center of Istanbul, at Taksim Square, was built right next to the Holy Trinity Orthodox Church, and was inaugurated today, 28 May 2021, by Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan, after Friday morning prayers. The inauguration also took place on the eve of the anniversary of the Fall of Constantinople by the Ottomans in 1453, which is consciously commemorated every year by the Turkish President.

Since becoming Mayor of Istanbul, Erdogan has repeatedly insisted that a mosque is absent from Taksim Square, where the only visible religious building there is an Orthodox Christian church (the Holy Trinity Church). Holy Trinity Church was erected in 1880 and is considered the largest Greek Orthodox shrine in Istanbul today. It was the first domed Christian church that was allowed to be built in Istanbul after the Fall of Constantinople in 1453.

A Tomb Venerated by Muslims for Generations in Turkey Is Actually the Tomb of the Ancient Greek Boxer Diagoras

2021-05-24T15:47:00.002-04:00

It has long been known that Muslims in Turkey were taught to not acknowledge the Greek and Roman history of Turkey, claiming that their ancestors have lived there for thousands of years, of which they are direct descendants. Archaeology however easily disproves this theory, and below we have one example how mistakes like this when uncovered become a source of shock to locals.

In 2018 an Islamic holy site once believed to be the tomb of a Muslim holy figure was actually built for a famous Ancient Greek boxer.

Local worshippers had "sacrificed goats and chickens" at the Turkish tomb for decades – but now fear that their prayers were in vain.

The 2,400-year-old tomb was revered by local people in the Marmaris district of Turgut, but archaeologists recently confirmed that the tomb actually belonged to a boxer called Diagoras of Rhodes.

Did Patriarch Athenagoras Serve as a Rabbi for Jews?

2021-04-01T15:19:00.009-04:00

Many things have been written about the former Ecumenical Patriarch Athenagoras and his ecumenist activities, some of which can be viewed as positive steps, but there are also things so cringeworthy awful that one can hardly believe they are true without seeing the evidence first. One of these things is the claim that he had once served as a Rabbi to Jews at the same time he was a Metropolitan for Orthodox Christians.

As evidence for this claim, we are told to look into the archives of the New York Times, specifically for the issue dated November 25, 1940. The title of the article is "GREEK JEWS HERE PRAY FOR VICTORY". I decided to look it up to see what I would find. After paying a subscription fee, here is the article:

The Hindu and the Holy Trinity

2021-03-27T15:29:00.002-04:00

St. Gabriel the Fool for Christ and Confessor of Georgia

A Hinduist doubted the Orthodox doctrine of the Holy Trinity by contrasting it with the Hindu representation of the three persons of the divinity which are in harmony but are not of the same essence.

"You are wrong, my brother," replied Elder Gabriel, "our teaching has nothing to do with that which is human. It is all revealed by God. How can it therefore be wrong? However, because you are unable to understand it, I will give you a tangible example."

Was Saint John of Kronstadt an Anti-Semite and Pogromist?

2021-02-18T12:37:00.010-05:00

There is no evidence - neither in the texts of Father John of Kronstadt, nor the memoirs of his contemporaries - where he would have expressed something anti-Semitic. As for being called a "pogromist" - it is exactly the opposite. When in 1903 there was a terrible pogrom in Chisinau, Father John, together with Bishop Anthony Khrapovitsky, signed a sharp statement - "Word on the Chisinau Events", where he very harshly condemned the pogroms from a Christian standpoint. Furthermore, this text was later disseminated by Jewish societies, which attracted the attacks of extreme reactionaries on Father John.

Study Finds Many Spiritual Practices Boost Narcissism and Feelings of Superiority

2021-01-26T13:52:00.000-05:00

Study: “An Exploration of Spiritual Superiority: The Paradox of Self‐Enhancement“
Authors: Roos Vonk and Anouk Visser
Published in: European Journal of Social Psychology
Publication date: October 1, 2020

A new study has found that some popular forms of spiritual training — such as energy healing, aura reading, and, to a lesser degree, mindfulness and meditation — correlate with both narcissism and “spiritual superiority.”

An implicit feature of spiritual training is that it allows its adherents to distance themselves from their egos, and thereby from things such as the need for social approval or success. By encouraging self-compassion and non-judgmental self-acceptance, spiritual training should presumably make people less concerned with such things.

Saint Paul, Having Converted to Islam, Repented and Became a Monk on Mount Athos, and Returning to Tripoli to Confess His Christian Faith, Was Beheaded at the Age of 28 in 1818

2021-01-14T13:07:00.002-05:00

Holy New Martyr Paul of Peloponnesos (+ 1818)

Saint Paul, Martyred by the Turks in Tripoli in 1818, Being Rebuked By His Dead Mother When He Converted to Islam

2021-01-11T04:06:00.001-05:00

Holy New Martyr Paul of Peloponnesos (+ 1818)

Five Common Objections Against the Christian Religion

2020-12-08T15:55:00.004-05:00

By Fr. Demetrios Bathrellos

In the following text we will briefly comment on five common objections against the Christian religion. According to the first, no religion is credible because there is no scientific evidence for the existence of God. The objection has two main weaknesses. First, we believe in many things without having or seeking scientific evidence for them. Knowing that our parents love us, or that we have had a particular experience in the past, or that a sum of words is a poetic masterpiece is not scientifically provable - but that does not mean they are not true. Second, God is not an object of the world that we can study through science, but He is its Creator. Christianity does not worship "gods" like those of ancient Greek paganism, the non-existence of which could be ascertained by a visit to Olympus. Science can prove neither the existence nor the non-existence of God.

Chora Monastery: So Is It a Mosque or a Museum?

2020-11-20T13:05:00.008-05:00

The decision of the Directorate of Religious Affairs of Turkey, DIYANET, to postpone the official first prayer for the conversion of the Monastery of Chora into a mosque, which was scheduled for Friday, October 30th, has caused concern and conflicting information. As an official reason, it was announced "that the opening of the Kariye Mosque in the Fatih district of Istanbul to worship has been postponed to a later date due to the continuity of the preparations."

However, the Turkish travel news agency "turizmajansi.com" in a post claims that the work has stopped. In fact, the relevant article, citing a tour guide in Istanbul, states that the curtains that covered the beautiful mosaics have been removed, as well as the pulpit dismantled, and the carpet that was laid out for prayer no longer exists.

A Miracle of Saint John Chrysostom in Sri Lanka for a Buddhist Child

2020-11-13T15:58:00.000-05:00

In November of 2007 the sacred skull of Saint John Chrysostom was brought from Vatopaidi Monastery on Mount Athos to Cyprus on the occasion 1600 years since his repose, and during this time many miracles of the Saint were reported, among which is the following.

A former Buddhist from Sri Lanka who had converted to Orthodox Christianity in Cyprus and was recently baptized, prayed fervently before the sacred skull of Saint John Chrysostom as she venerated him, begging his aid on behalf of her dying nephew in Sri Lanka.

When Two Turkish Muslims, a Journalist and an Architect, Visited Mount Athos

2020-10-23T16:15:00.016-04:00

Two Turkish Muslim professionals visited the Greek monastic peninsula of Mount Athos a few years back and related their experiences to the Turkish press.

According to the Turkish newspaper Hürriyet (published on June 8th, 2014), journalist Ertugrul Ozkok along with architect Ali Esad Göksel, who both visited Mount Athos for a period of three days after receiving authorization from Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew himself, said the following:

"Like most Turks, I first heard about Mount Athos in the work Aynaroz Kadısı by Musahipzade Celal. After I discovered it, I read enough and wanted to go. Eventually I went with the help and the permission of the Patriarch.

Hagia Sophia to be Turned into a Center of Knowledge About Islam

2020-10-07T13:31:00.004-04:00

The President of Religious Affairs in Turkey, Imam Ali Erbas, presented his plans last weekend and those of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan regarding Hagia Sophia, which he promotes as a Symbol of Conquest and the Sovereignty of Islam. At the same time, the Turkish President describes the decision on Hagia Sophia as "a harbinger of a new era in world politics."

"After 86 years of longing, we have experienced the happiness of returning Hagia Sophia to its original identity," Erdogan told the Clerics, adding: "We have lived from the early years of our youth hoping to hear the call for prayer from the minarets of Hagia Sophia. The opening of Hagia Sophia as a mosque was the sweetest fruit we tasted after 86 years of a fair, democratic and patient struggle."

He even referred to the opening of the Soumela Monastery, which, according to Erdogan, showed that Turkey has no complex in terms of religious freedom.

After Refusing to Preserve It, Turkish Islamic Foundation Demolishes a Historic Greek Orthodox Church in Bursa

2020-09-07T13:13:00.005-04:00

The Church of Saint George, which was restored and transformed into a cultural center by the Nilüfer Municipality in Bursa, was taken from the municipality and transferred to an Islamic Foundation. The historical building, which was neglected for seven years, was destroyed on September 1st, Gazete Duvar reported.

The Greek Orthodox Church, which was estimated to have been built in 1896, was converted into a mosque after the exchange in 1923, but became abandoned because it was not used after the Yeni Özlüce Mosque was built. The Nilüfer Municipality, which took on the historical building in 2006, restored the building within the scope of the project approved by the Cultural and Natural Heritage Conservation Board and opened it into service as the Özlüce Culture House in 2009. When the building was abandoned, it was restored by the Nilüfer Municipality and transformed into Özlüce Kultürevi.

Historic and Revered Chora Church in Istanbul Officially Violated By Being Converted to a Mosque

2020-08-21T12:09:00.000-04:00

Turkey has ordered the re-conversion of Istanbul’s Chora church, also known as the Kariye Museum, which has served as a museum since 1945, into a mosque and opened it to Islamic worship, according to a presidential decree published in the Official Gazette on Friday 21 August 2020.

The decree stated that the site has been transferred to the administration of the Directorate of Religious Affairs (Diyanet) and will be opened for Muslim worship in accordance with Article 35 of the Law on the Establishment and Duties of the Presidency of Religious Affairs.

The move comes shortly after a similar decision to re-convert Istanbul’s Hagia Sophia into a mosque from a museum.