www.byzcath.org Forums General Discussions Town Hall Political Correctness

Give a man a fish, you feed him for a day...
Teach him to fish, you feed him for life...


Or something like that.

In Christ,
mikey.

Dear Fr. Serafim,

Forgive me, but Abdur is currently on a new spiritual journey and search.

I think we should all give him a break and be a little encouraging to him.

People searching for light in the darkness often stumble. I know I do.

He is looking not just for "establishment religion" but for mystical insight and spiritual vitality.

Let's give him the benefit of the doubt and offer a helping hand to him rather than a stick.

Alex

So Alex,
Let me see if I understand what you are saying here.....

Because Abdur is on a "new spiritual journey and search" Father should not inform him when he is getting information from a questionable source?

Isn't this the height of political correctness?\

Or are you saying that Father could have been a bit nicer in his replies?


David

Dear David,

I'm saying he could have been a bit nicer!

I have a friend who is a convert to Orthodoxy who was excommunicated within his first year as an Orthodox Christian.

He was given some rough treatment, in response, I believe, to some of his overarching zeal.

But he eventually left for another jurisdiction, and I hope he'll be treated better there.

So I'm a bit sensitive about being nice to those seeking the Truth.

Let's at least wait until they're finally baptised before we start yelling at them, eh?

Alex

Dear Abdur,

In all of your travels, may you find God guiding you. May your brothers and sisters wash the dust from your feet and see Jesus there.

May you come home here often and find solace.

I wonder if there aren't many versions of political correctness. It seems to grow out of a doctrinaire (not doctrinal) approach to the world and life.

The shades of gray are hard to find in that approach whether one starts from a "liberal" or "conservative" point of origin for judging what is acceptable or not.

One counterweight to pc, it seems to me, is the old aphorism: in essentials, unity; in non essentials, diversity; in all things, charity.

Of course, what is essential is oft times determined by our peculiar version of what is politically correct!

Steve

If one has truly been able to correct someone in error, (which means by the end of the day, they have successfully been convinced of the truth) then good.

If one is just shouting the "truth" at another and then just walks away self-satisfied that "well, I told them, it's their problem now"

Dear Friends in Christ,
Christ is Risen!

Surely this is a forum for public debate,not a place for confession? If you post statements that are challenging, you must expect a response.

I find the debate in general excellent and I enjoy following, if not always agreeing with, the discussions. There is a good degree of intelligent tolerance. Occasionally I reply privately, since some subjects are personal and should not, in my opinion be aired in public.

I hope the level of debate will not be degraded to that of the marriage columns. I don't think it will - you are intelligent, thoughtful people.

Yours in Christ,
Fr Serafim

Speaking as a linguist and as a theologian (OK, OK, I just love going to school), I noticed that some of the posters were talking a lot about "truth". What is scary about this is that, like beauty, truth oftentimes resides in the eye of the beholder.

For me, the reality is the "love" that Christ commands of us. While we can debate about what is truth or not (apologies to Pontius Pilate), I think that the best criterion is how well one demonstrates love of God and love of neighbor. While I am sure that there is inded "truth", I'm not sure that it is the touchstone for salvation. It's the love. Though not a Bible-Nazi with a "quote for all seasons", I am very comforted by the statement: "God is Love. Whoever abides in love, abides in God. And God in him."

It is surely difficult to love some (many?) people because of our uniquenesses and discomfort with those who are alien. But it is precisely in trying to do this that we bring ourselves closer to God. While there are gazillions of people around us who do this every day -- they just don't make the papers -- there are others like Mother Teresa and Fr. Damien of Molokai who make heroic consecrations of their lives to serve God's most denigrated people. I pray God that I can can accomplish a faint glimmer of what they (and Christ) have modeled to me.

I don't ask for Church ID Cards; I just look at what people do, love them for their loving generosity, and try to work with them for the sake of the Kingdom. Uniformity on the understanding of the hypostatic union of the Trinity? It may be an affirmation of the truth, or it may be theological obfuscation. Better to look to the love; Christ said it was OK to do so and to avoid the other kinds of judgement.

Much love and blessings to all of God's people.

Blessings!!

Dear Dr. John,

Why is it that when I begin reading some of your posts the feeling sometimes swells up in me that you are walking proof of the disadvantages of too much education?

But then you go on about evangelical values and that love stuff, and I guess I can forgive you for your liberalism.

Just not too much of that, O.K.? You can irk our conservative flesh . . .

God bless,

Alex

The politically incorrect at work: The New Samaritans of Bulgaria.

"There are faith, hope, and love. Love shall endure forever."

ETHNIC AND RELIGIOUS MINORITIES IN THE BULGARIAN
MAINSTREAM PRESS
(October 1996 - March 1997)

Kamelia Anguelova

Bulgarian Muslims save the lives of Christian children.


"Beyond Tears of Grief" (Sega, Mar. 13-19), another positive article, is devoted to an institution for mentally handicapped children in the village of Dobromirtsi.


The writers quote the nurse who looks after the children:


"They are not abnormal, because the Almighty has created them as they are.

We [Bulgarian]Christians think the God-branded are evil, and we have a loathing for them.

The Muslims, on the contrary, believe that caring for the handicapped is a way to higher spirituality".

The writers emphasize the humaneness and loving care of the Bulgarian Mohammedans for the children. "...Almost all [employees at the institution] are Muslim. The children are mainly from Christian families..."

The article also points out that the local residents (most of them Bulgarian Mohammedans) sell staple foods to the institution at a discount in order to make sure that the children are properly fed, since state subsidies for such
institutions are token:

"The Director says that were it not for the local people, the children could not have survived..." (Sega, Mar. 13-19).

Abdur

Dear Abdur,

God love those Muslims!

Alex

Bless me a sinner, Father Serafim!

I defer to your wisdom!

Kissing your right hand, I again implore your blessing,

Alex