Author: Theophan
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20. The Russian-Orthodox crisis in Copenhagen.
(a). Background. Contemporary society in Denmark presents a kind of “middle-ground” between the predominantly Christian-Satanist USA and the predominantly Orthodox-Christian Russia. Denmark presents itself as a Christian country, where 72% of its citizens are members of the nominally Christian “state church.” In reality, though, the ovewhelming majority of Danes are self-described atheists who participate…
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19. Vanguard of the “Economy of Life” – The Union of Orthodox Workers.
(a). Introduction. A central theme of what “Atlas Stumbled” attempts to convey is that, although by common consent the spiritual phenomenon of “sobornost” in the Russian “social fabric” has significantly diminished compared to past times, it still exists at a level orders of magnitude higher than what can be observed in the West. What exactly…
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18. Taking the hyphen out of “Christian-Satanist.”
Precisely as the devout Protestant then-President Jimmy Carter warned in 1980, contemporary American society has by now become deeply spiritually ill as a consequence of the “Reagan Economic Miracle.” Here I present the thesis that those primarily responsible for the spiritual catastrophy that this once-noble nation has inflicted upon itself (and is attempting to inflict…
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17. The “measure of yeast” effect.
Here I offer my opinions about the practice of Orthodox Christianity in three different societies in which I have lived, the USA, Denmark and Russia, with focus on the parable of the leaven from Matthew 13:33. “The kingdom of heaven is like leaven which a woman mingled with three measures of flour, until the whole…
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16. “Oh say, does that banner that Jesus is holding yet wave?”
The window in the center of the main altar of the spectacular St. Isaac’s cathedral in St. Petersburg is a stained-glass icon that depicts Jesus holding a flag with a white cross in a red background. This is the ancient flag of the Resurrection of Christ, which is very similar to the flag of Denmark. …
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15. A “True Blue” fantasy – kill the beast!
President Trump is preparing American consumers for a coming “war” against what he calls “the enemy within.” And I think this is very healthy because it will force consumers to truly confront the question WHO exactly IS “the enemy within?” My answer to that question is “those persons who refuse to repent for the decision…
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14. Letters to my godson on the “work of the people” and the future of Russia – (f). Searching for the “middle way.”
The Russians’ disastrous “experiment” with communism certainly “delayed” their “evolution.” However, it is actually working to their advantage now, as it has left them (you) somewhere “in the middle” between the Soviet way of life and what is currently manifesting in Western societies. As a consequence of this, you now have the opportunity to learn…
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13. Letters to my godson on the “work of the people” and the future of Russia – (e). Taking it to the streets.
The spiritual work (the “work of the people”) that we do during the liturgy can of course also be “taken out into the streets” in everyday life. This is very difficult to do in Western “every person for themself” societies because it generally requires that one “swim upstream” in the society. But because of “sobornost,”…
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12. Letters to my godson on the “work of the people” and the future of Russia – (d). The struggle of the spirit with the flesh.
Although mankind speaks of different kinds of “spiritual” energies, here I will speak only of one – which I call “spiritual love” (leaving aside the question of whether there is any other kind of love), including both our own and the “love of the Creator” transmitted to us and through us “from above” by means…
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11. Letters to my godson on the “work of the people” and the future of Russia – (c). WHO am I?
If you are still reading, it means that you have realized that you do indeed have a “spirit.” And so it is appropriate for me to take this a step further and suggest that you can never truly answer the question “WHO AM I?” without taking this part of your trinity into account. In knowing…