The Goat Pen

More from Prof's excellent article: "But even if the world’s troubles were miraculously solved and we all led peaceful lives in equity, religion would probably still be around. This is because a god-shaped hole seems to exist in our species’ neuropsychology, thanks to a quirk of our evolution."

In case anybody is interested, here is an article about Orthodox Christian social beliefs.

https://publicorthodoxy.org/2017/03/14/ ... ht-primer/

“The ecological crisis, which is connected to climate change and global warming, makes it incumbent upon the Church to do everything within her spiritual power to protect God’s creation from the consequences of human greed.”

Looks like you better get right with the church, Prof...

Yeah.... I know....

That's probably where I am most heretical according to my hierarchs. I think I would pass muster on the other points.

Until I read that article, I had no idea Reince Priebus was Greek Orthodox.

So Prof how do you grade yourself on being aligned with such liberal stances? And how do congregations you've been associated with measure up?

Good question.

Torture and Capital Punishment - Completely agree.
Abortion and the Family - Completely agree.
Environment - Here I am a bit of a heretic. I think AGW is largely fraudulent and the product of corrupted pseudoscience. But I agree with the part where it says, "it incumbent upon the Church to do everything within her spiritual power to protect God’s creation from the consequences of human greed." I am an avid outdoorsman, and therefore I care a lot about clean air, clean water, and the protection of wildlife. I just think there is a lot of looniness in modern environmentalism, such as the idea that carbon dioxide is a pollutant (since we all exhale it and plants depend on it), or that little rural creeks are "waterways" subject to federal regulation, or that millions of people should be denied access to water because of a 2 inch fish. Stuff like that.
Health and Welfare - I am pretty Orthodox here. We have had a "robust public welfare system for the poor" for decades. It's called medicare and medicaid, both of which I totally support. I am in favor of any plan, even one which includes government, that makes healthcare more affordable and available for more people. I just ask that it actually makes healthcare more affordable and available for more people, and that there be some rational way to pay for it. Neither the Dem's for the R's have figured out a way to do that yet.
Race and Immigration - I agree with the race part, and am proud that the top bishop in the Greek Orthodox Church marched with MLK:



The immigration part is intriguing. The Greeks lived under occupation of the Turkish practitioners of the Religion of Peace from 1453 to 1821. They are still VERY aware of that. Yet Greece is the first place in Europe where the hundreds of thousands of Syrian refugees arrive in Europe. I would have thought that the Greeks would be upset by the arrival of so many descendants of the people who bedeviled them for 350 years. But just the reverse is true. The Greeks are extremely welcoming of the Muslim refugees. Just last week, I attended a meeting at a Greek Orthodox Church where they were raising money to send back home to help them deal with the flood of refugees. The priest railed against Trump's immigration policies. I was astonished. I asked the priest how the Greeks could be so welcoming of so many Muslims. He said that the Gospel requires it. He also added that most Greeks hope the Arabs don't stay forever, and that they go back home someday. But for the time being, he quoted the Bible where it says, "I was a stranger and you took me in." I am still processing that. Maybe they are right. No Christian can argue with their logic.

Economics and Labor - I'm pretty Orthodox here too. I am a populist, which means I care a lot about poor and working class people. I wholeheartedly agree that income inequality is a huge problem. That's why I have always been a big critic of the GOP establishment because they LOVE income inequality. I am also a big union supporter, having been a card carrying union member for 20 years, and am still a union member in retirement. I think workers need a little protection against being screwed by the bosses.

War and Peace - This article is a little misleading. It is true that pacifism is a genuine Orthodox ideal. Many of our saints are saints precisely because they turned the other cheek. And it is also true that, historically, the Orthodox Church does not "bless" wars. Soldiers who have ever killed someone in battle cannot be priests. Crusaders who came home to Orthodox countries were automatically excommunicated for awhile, but were restored if they were in danger of dying. But all the Orthodox countries have militaries, and have fought in countless wars. The Church considers wars to be tragedies, but sometimes necessary ones.

I have always said, I could easily be a Democrat if they acted like they did between the '30's and the '70', when they were the champion of poor and working class people, and defended their interests against the plutocratic GOP. But today's Democrat Party is a parody of its former self. They now despise their former blue collar base. All they care about today is fund raising from Hollywood and Silicon Valley, identity/grievance/victimization/reparations politics, sacrificing jobs on the holy altar of AGW, forcing men who think they are women into every bathroom in America, forcing Catholic nuns to pay for abortifacients and Christians to participate in gay weddings, disarming the populace, open borders that clearly harm American workers, and other polices that make hearts on the chardonnay-sipping coasts go pitter patter, but strike people in flyover country as sheer madness.

Sometimes you almost sound Episcopalian, (I know but you can't trade the black cassock for seersucker). Now to the 2nd half of the question. What's your guesstimate of garden variety Orthodox congregations (in the US) attitudes toward those precepts that don't fit nicely in the Trumpian world?

"or that little rural creeks are "waterways" subject to federal regulation, or that millions of people should be denied access to water because of a 2 inch fish."

So it's the human greed part you're having trouble with...

Ghost, my guesstimate is that there are significantly more Orthodox that vote Democrat than Republican. Those that do vote Republican tend to be older businessmen who don't like being regulated and taxed any more than non-Orthodox older businessmen. Even those Orthodox who usually vote Democrat tend to be solely pro-life and are conservative on most social issues.

Hedge, my biggest problem with environmental regulations is they are often draconian, ignore human needs in their calculations, and purport to solve problems that don't exist.

" ignore human needs"

You misspelled "greed". At least your church recognizes the difference, even if you don't...

When the Obama administration intentionally devastated the coal industry, and put a lot of coal miners out of work, what "human need" was advanced? The coal miners sure didn't feel the love.

When the EPA declared carbon dioxide a "pollutant" and subject to federal regulation, even though that gas is crucial to human and plant life, what human need was advanced? And what human greed was restrained? "Big Air"?

When the EPA put off-limits much of the California water supply, in the middle of a severe drought, and damaged its own agricultural industry, all to save a three inch fish, what human need was advanced? And what human greed was restrained? "Big Water?"

In a lot of these environmental regulations, the greedy party is an unaccountable governmental bureaucracy that is trying to advance its own size, budget and power, not the people they are supposed to serve.

Early "Happy Easter" to all, especially our Protestant and Catholic brethren, who got the date of Easter right this year, for a change.

Christos Aneste.

The Holy Fire descended in the Tomb of Christ in Jerusalem, right on time:

[youtube]2ozZiUw3JjU[/youtube]

Tiger this is a great link

http://christianityinview.com/comparison.html

Its summary of Orthodox beliefs is very accurate.

And a Happy Pascha to our resident apostate preacher standing guard on the Eastern front.

Happy Easter, Ghost.

I think you meant the Western front

Yes, your resident apostate "preacher" still misses seersucker, white suede shoes, and a boater hat on Easter.

I probably post this every year, but I love this Greek Pascha tradition:

[youtube]nkI4Iqm-1Wg[/youtube]

Professor Tiger wrote: Yes, your resident apostate "preacher" still misses seersucker, white suede shoes, and a boater hat on Easter.

Enjoyed wearing the first two yesterday - I'll wait until I'm in my 60s to add the hat.

Better start shopping...

Better start dying