aritoella

The answer is, accoding to St. Theophan the Recluse, no. They should just view it as a fashion that will pass by. On my part, I think that intuition and the heart's judgment could help to decide what to believe and what not to believe. It does not mean that the world turned up, literally, in six days. Some theories about the evolution and the origins of the universe come to no contradiction with the Bible, especially if one reads the spirit rather than the letter of the Bible. After all, the greatest scientists, like Einstein, always ackinowledged the existence of the incomprehensible, of the power that is beyond the grasp of mankind. No amount of scientific advancement can truly explain out all mysteries of life and spirit.

Thoughts for Each Day of the Year
According to the Daily Church Readings from the Word of God
By St. Theophan the Recluse

[Heb. 3:5-11, 17-19; Luke 20:27–44]

The Sadducees had an objection to the resurrection, which seemed to them irresolvable; but the Lord resolved it so clearly in several words that everyone understood and acknowledged the Sadducees as conquered by the truth of His word (Luke 20:27–40). What then were [called] Sadducees are now unbelievers of all sorts. They have heaped up for themselves a multitude of fantasised suppositions, set them forth as irrefutable truths, and magnify themselves with them, supposing that there is nothing to say against them. In reality they are so empty, that there is no point in speaking against them. All of their philosophizing is a house of cards: blow on it and it will scatter. There is no need to refute them in each part; it is enough to relate to them as to dreams. When speaking against dreams, people do set not about proving any incongruity in composition or in the parts of a dream; they simply say, “It is a dream”—and that says it all. Such precisely is the theory of the formation of the world from cloudy spots, with its props—the theory of spontaneous origination, of the Darwinian origin of genus and species, with his latest fantasy about the origin of man. It is all like the delirium of a sleeping man. Reading them, you walk in the midst of shadows. And scientists? What can you do with them? Their motto is: do not listen if you do not want to, but do not hinder us from telling lies.

Thoughts for Each Day of the Year
According to the Daily Church Readings from the Word of God
By St. Theophan the Recluse
Thursday. [Tit. 1:5-2:1; Luke 20:9-18]

The parable about the vineyard portrays the Old Testament Church; the husbandmen are the hierarchy of those times. Because it was not fulfilling its purpose, a sentence was pronounced over it: to take its vineyard and give it to others. These others were first the holy Apostles, then their successors—the bishops with all the priesthood. God’s vineyard has been the same from the beginning of the world, and the purpose of its husbandmen was, is, and will be the same until the end of the world—to bring to the Lord fruit of the vine—saved souls. This is the task of the Christian hierarchy, and thus, our task. The extent of its fulfilment we can all see. What can one say to this? About many things—glory be to God! But about many, many things one cannot help but to desire better. This particularly concerns the preaching of the word of God. Somewhere preaching is heard; and yet this is only one garden knife in the hands of the husbandmen of God’s vine. Let this not be fulfilled over us: The lord of the vineyard shall come and destroy these husbandmen, and shall give the vineyard to others. But what if these others should break in on their own, and destroy not only the husbandmen, but the vine itself…


Now, we can compare what St. Theophan wrote at the end of the XIX century to the observations of contemporary British playwright David Hare:

"Having been brought up in an Anglo-Catholic school which laid great emphasis on daily, somewhat futile reminders to the boys of their own innate sinfulness, I was astonished when researching my play about inner London priesthood thirty years later to meet a supremely dedicated group of men who barely mentioned, let alone spread the Gospel in the regular pursuit of their mission. To point out the most obvious development, they no longer saw conversion as part of their job. Hour after hour, day after day, there they were, out on the street, doing the most menial and demanding kind of work. As they helped young couples to fill in DSS forms, or advised young blacks in trouble with the police, as they visited old people's homes or went to arbitrate in disputes on council estates, they served honourably as society's troubleshooters, doing what was to all intents and purposes social work, and all on half of even a social worker's pay. But at no time did it seem part of their agenda to mention to the people they were helping that every Sunday, in another costume perhaps, they conducted services, which related, however loosely, to a much-discussed incident in the Middle East two thousand years ago.
Their principal fear, they said, was of what they, in an alarming phrase, called 'stuffing Christ down people's throats.' <...> The essential message of Christianity was love. If the priests themselves could express God's love for the world through the work they undertook, it would be sheer arrogance meanwhile to date to insist to what was now a multi-ethnic community that each member adhere to the priest's own private, culturally determined system of belief.
<...>
Of course this low self-esteem in the modern Church militant made, from my point of view, for wonderful drama. <...> At that moment the well of public values in Britain was being poisoned by an influential government, itself stacked with millionaires, and therefore self-righteously intent on preaching the virtues of acquisition to others. So it was touching to meet a distinctive body of clerics who were so plainly motivated by concerns other than career or money. But I must admit it was also delightful comedy to come upon a Christian institution which seemed terrified of mentioning its own founder's name. A Labour party which does not dare use the word 'socialism' is one thing. But a Church which does not dare say 'Christ' is quite another."
(David Hare. Vita Dolorosa & When Shall We Live. London: Faber & Faber, 1998. pp.54-57)

A nineteenth-century Russian bishop and twentieth-century British playwright... Although David Hare explains that he had been "brought up in an Anglo-Catholic school" (55) he calls himself at the beginning of the lecture "an obvious heathen" (47). Yet David Hare is more sincere and outspoken in the questions of religion and spirituality than many of contemporary "Christians".

Now, everybody who think are "believers" can ask themselves, in whichever place on earth they are and to whatever religious denomination they belong, if their faith is Christian, do they show it in any way? Every Christian is sent, like the first Apostles, on a mission, to teach the Gospel by what we do and by what we say... But what I feel is that people are shy of revealing their mind, professing what they believe (?) to be true, as if it had been something shameful, like a private illness or a "peculiar condition". We need not try to stick God's name into every argument, but neither we should conceal what we believe. Manifesting our faith, our hope in Christ, we may find it easier to cope with challenges of modern world - and make the lives of those who, at present, have little hope, easier as well.

The problem of religion today is the problem of communication. How will people know we are Christians if we keep silent about it or muffle something indistinct about spirituality and adhering to old family traditions and all that non-committal stuff? The aim of being Christian is implementing the word of the Gospel, living it out, making our lives and our words agree - it is difficult, it is nearly impossible, yet it is something we need to do to avoid the emptiness of consumer culture. Being Christian is a process, a progress, a way, not a destination - an endless struggle, but well-worth fighting. At the end of the day, I think a Christian is better-off than a businessman, a politician, a scientist, or even a social worker - anyone whose work is not based on the foundation of spiritual conviction. In fact, any religion which preaches these values and not just Christianity is important, but, as a Christian (by conviction, but also by heritage), I feel more competent speaking from this perspective.

if i had a thousand flowers,
i would strew them on your path,
and if a thousand songs were mine,
i would sing them day and night.
if i had the sun and stars in my hand
all for you would i make them shine
to the world’s end
but alas, no flowers, songs or stars,
grow
in my garden,
once, it was full of apple-blossom,
but it was before i met you.
Long my garden has been empty,
dry and barren like a field
in the throes of frost.
there is only a small thing,
red and velvety,
warm and struggling,
like a cub,
neither beauty nor kindness
neither wisdom nor virtue
have i.
but in the name of what is to come
i give you my heart

Dear all,

I am involved in organising a Postgraduate Conference at Bangor, Medievalism Transformed 2010. We have not decided on the theme yet, but I decided to formulate some ideas on the things we have discussed:

First possibiity,

Mediaeval Audience
1) Different modes in which audiences accessed the text – listening to a book being read, reading it aloud, or looking at illustrations.
2) Audience:
2.1. Target audience and ways in which the books reveal it, e.g., dedication of the work to a patron by the author or scribe, address to the readers or listeners, or statement in the introduction, indicating, for whom the book is meant.
2.2. The content of a book as another indicator which can provide clues to the identity of the book audience or owners.
2.3. Other possible audiences (others, than those specifically indicated in the text).
3) Feedback – response of the audience to the text as glimpsed from marginalia, intertextual references in other contemporary texts, and from the changes that were introduced into copies of the original.

Second possibility,

Book Migration in the Middle Ages
How and for what purposes books were transported from place to place, especially across country boundaries:
1) when the book is ordered at a particular scriptorium and taken away by the customer.
2) books presented, brought as part of the dowry, taken as trophies in war, or sold.
3) when book travelled together with their owner.
3.1 What would determine the choice of books taken by their owner to war, on a diplomatic mission, on pilgrimage, etc.?

Please share you feedback on what you think about them

heaven is not what we have believed it to be. It is not quiet; it is not singing and making music and all strife at an end. I have seen it, I have been there. The lover still loves, but with a greater passion; and the rider still rides, but the horse goes like the wind and leaps the ridges; and the battle goes on always, always. That is the joy of heaven, continual battle. I thought the battle was here, and that the joy was to be found here on earth, that all one had to do was to bring again the old, wild earth of the stories, but no, it is not here; we shall not come to that joy, that battle, till we have put out the senses, everything that can be seen and handled, as I put out this candle. [He puts out candle.] We must put out the whole world as I put out this candle [he puts out candle]; we must put out the light of the stars and the light of the sun and the light of the moon [he puts out the remaining candles and comes down to where the others are], till we have brought everything to nothing once again. I saw in a broken vision, but now all is clear to me. Where there is nothing, where there is nothing ... there is God! (Lady Gregory and W>B. Yeats, "THE UNICORN FROM THE STARS")

"Нет ничего тайного, что не сделалось бы явным, ни сокровенного, что не сделалось бы известным и не обнаружилось бы". Стало быть, как бы мы ни прятались с своими худыми делами, им независимо от нас ведется запись, которая в свое время и предъявлена будет. Что же это за хартия, на которой пишется эта запись? Совесть наша. Заставляем мы ее иногда молчать - она и молчит. Но хоть и молчит, а свое дело делает, ведет самую точную летопись делам нашим. Как же быть, если там записано много худого? Надо изгладить написанное. Чем? Слезами покаяния. Эти слезы все смоют и следа никакого не останется от того худого, что было записано. Если же не смоем, то на суде придется самим перечитать все написанное. А так как тогда правда будет властною в сознании, то сами же и суд себе произнесем, а Господь утвердит его. Тогда будет решение безапелляционное, потому что всякий сам себя осудит, до других же и дела никому не будет. И все это совершится во мгновение ока: взглянешь и увидишь, что ты такое; и от Господа вездесущего тотчас же услышишь подтверждение суда; а затем всему конец. . .
(c) http://days.pravoslavie.ru//Days/20091101.htm

Святитель Феофан Затворник. Мысли на каждый день года
(Еф. 1, 1-9; Мк. 7, 24-30). Что подвигло сирофиникиянку придти к Господу и быть столь неотступною в прошении? Сложившийся образ убеждений; убеждена была, что Спаситель силен исцелить дочь ее и пришла к Нему; убеждена была, что Он не оставит без удовлетворения прошения ее, и не переставала просить. Убеждения - итог всей жизни, воспитания, ходячих мыслей, впечатлений от окружающего, от встречаемых учений и разнообразных случаев и занятий в жизни. Под действием всего этого работает мысль и доходит до известных убеждений. При этом надо иметь во внимании, что всюду есть и отовсюду теснится в душу человека истина Божия. Истина лежит в сердце человека; истина Божия отпечатлена на всех тварях; есть истина Божия в обычаях и нравах человека; есть она и в учениях больше или меньше. Но всюду же есть и ложь. Кто от истины, тот собирает истину и полон убеждений истинных, спасительных. А кто не от истины, тот собирает ложь и полон убеждений ложных, заблуждений пагубных. От человека ли быть от истины и не от истины - всякий разбери сам, а между тем суд Божий всех ожидает. . .