Newest Members
RichE, Gene, erniedee1, Kklcz, DMB, Cyrillic, AzzurriFan, cousin janie, lovesupreme, Dill-Bro Baggins, SERA, Raul Urbina Moreno, JXD, Pat Chabra Trueman, liquid_onyx
4743 Registered Users
Who's Online
4 registered (Peter J, Polish American, Sbdn. John, 1 invisible), 150 Guests and 2 Spiders online.
Key: Admin, Global Mod, Mod
Latest Photos
Great and Holy Week Our Lady of Fatima SF
Blessing of Fr. Serge Keleher's tombstone. April 7, 2013
Sts. Cyril and Methodius Byzantine Catholic Church
Holy Ghost Orthodox Church Phoenixville, PA
Theophany 2013
Forum Stats
4743 Members
26 Forums
31688 Topics
387720 Posts

Max Online: 2716 @ 06/07/12 04:10 PM
Topic Options
#378375 - 04/05/12 11:46 AM Old Believer groups on Facebook
Polish American Online   content
Member

Registered: 06/24/05
Posts: 338
Loc: Cleveland, Ohio
Facebook has a number of interesting Old Believer groups that you can join (become Friends with) and learn about the Old Faith. I especially enjoy "Crv Rusi-Starooveri", a Lipovan or Romanian Old Believer group. Although it is in Romanian (which you can read using Google Translate), it posts numerous photos and occasional videos of Old Believer liturgies. Their community seems particularly active.

Top
#378797 - 04/16/12 01:23 AM Re: Old Believer groups on Facebook [Re: Polish American]
Irish Melkite Offline
Global Moderator
Member

Registered: 10/27/03
Posts: 9548
Loc: Massachusetts
Tom,

I have to admit a certain intrigue and puzzlement by the extent to which Old Believers and Old Ritualists are comfortable using the internet as a medium of communication. (I realize that there is the risk of thinking of them as one does the Plain Peoples - and that isn't at all an accurate comparison in many/most respects.) Still, it strikes me as a bit incongruous given some of what they've rejected over time.

Many years,

Neil
_________________________
"One day all our ethnic traits ... will have disappeared. Time itself is seeing to this. And so we can not think of our communities as ethnic parishes, ... unless we wish to assure the death of our community."

Top
#378803 - 04/16/12 12:28 PM Re: Old Believer groups on Facebook [Re: Irish Melkite]
Polish American Online   content
Member

Registered: 06/24/05
Posts: 338
Loc: Cleveland, Ohio
I see it differently, Neil, and please correct me if I am wrong.

I thought Old Believers/Ritualists wanted to preserve their old religious rituals and traditions. Nevertheless, they used modern tools of communication and education such as books and pamphlets to explain and defend their beliefs. Today, the internet can do that.

Personally, I find it very helpful to see Russian Old Believer websites from Eastern Europe and Russia even if I make clumsy translations with Google and Bing. Without these pages, I would have a more limited awareness and understanding of the Old Faith, and I would never have met the Old Believers in Poland.

Top
#378808 - 04/16/12 04:27 PM Re: Old Believer groups on Facebook [Re: Polish American]
Irish Melkite Offline
Global Moderator
Member

Registered: 10/27/03
Posts: 9548
Loc: Massachusetts
Tom,

Don't misunderstand - I don't think it wrong for them to do so, not at all; I'm just always a bit surprised (obviously, I'm easily surprised since one might have expected me to get over it by the second time out biggrin ). Like you, my own understanding and knowledge of Old Believers would be much diminished were it not for their web presence.

Many years,

Neil
_________________________
"One day all our ethnic traits ... will have disappeared. Time itself is seeing to this. And so we can not think of our communities as ethnic parishes, ... unless we wish to assure the death of our community."

Top



Moderator:  Father Anthony 

The Byzantine Forum provides message boards for discussions focusing on Eastern Christianity (though discussions of other topics are welcome). The views expressed herein are those of the participants and may or may not reflect the teachings of the Byzantine Catholic or any other Church. The Byzantine Forum and the www.byzcath.org site exist to help build up the Church but are unofficial, have no connection with any Church entity, and should not be looked to as a source for official information for any Church. Contents copyright - 1996-2013. All rights reserved.