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THUNDER BAY

BULLETIN

HOLY TRINITY GREEK ORTHODOX CHURCH ΕΛΛΙΝΙΚΗ ΟΡΘΟΔΟΞΗ ΚΟΙΝΟΣΗΣΑ ΑΓΙΑ ΣΡΙΑΔΟ

651 Beverly Street, Thunder Bay, ON, P7B 6N2 Telephone: (807) 344-9522 www.gothunderbay.org holytrinity@tbaytel.net

February 2011 Volume 7 Issue 2

FEBRUARY 10 - HIEROMARTYR ST. HARALAMBOS THE WONDERWORKER. 10 ΥΕΒΡΟΤΑΡΙΟΤ - ΑΓΙΟΤ ΙΕΡΟΜΑΡΣΤΡΟ ΦΑΡΑΛΑΜΠΟΤ ΣΟΤ ΘΑΤΜΑΣΟΤΡΓΟΤ

ORTHROS 9:00am; DIVINE LITURGY 10:15am

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THUNDER BAY BULLETIN – Published monthly.

Editor(s): Rev. Fr. Nikolaos Tambakis PARISH PRIEST: Rev. Fr. Nikolaos Tambakis; 106 Essex Court, Thunder Bay, Ontario, P7A 7N6 # (807) 472-1341 cellular; # (807) 344-9522 office

Church email: holytrinity@tbaytel.net; Fr. Nikolaos’ email: ntambakis@hotmail.com

Website: www.gothunderbay.org Office hours: by appointment

HELLENIC COMMUNITY PRESIDENT: ACHILLES STATHOPOULOS # (807) 344-1596 HOME; (807) 626-2715 MOBILE VICE PRESIDENT: TOM MARINIS # (807) 346-4006 HOME; (807) 624-6720 MOBILE SECRETARY: LISA BOOTE # (807) 473-5281 HOME TREASURER: MARIA MORAKIS # (807) 577-3133 HOME; (807) 627-7063 MOBILE ASST. TREASURER: TAX MILIONIS # (807) 766-9383 HOME; (807) 626-6010 MOBILE BOARD MEMBERS: ANDY KARANASOS, NICK MILIONIS, TIMO KAROUTAS , TED FRISKY, PETER SAITES, IRENE BINIARIS, PETER KOUKOS.

RELIGIOUS AND LEGAL AUTHORITIES HIS EMINENCE METROPOLITAN SOTIRIOS - GREEK ORTHODOX METROPOLIS IF TORONTO (CANADA), 1 PATRIARCH BARTHOLOMEW WAY (86 OVERLEA

BOULEVARD) ,TORONTO, ONTARIO M4H 1C6; TELEPHONE: (416) 429-5757; FAX: (416) 429-4588; EMAIL: METROPOLIS@GOCANADA.ORG; WEBSITE: WWW.GOCANADA.ORG.

EMBASSY OF GREECE - 80 MACLAREN STREET; OTTAWA, ONTARIO K2P 0K6; TELEPHONE: (613) 238-6271;FAX: (613) 238-5676; WEBSITE:

WWW.GREEKEMBASSY.CA.

CONSULATE GENERAL OF GREECE - 365 BLOOR STREET E, SUITE 1800, TORONTO, ONTARIO M4W 3L4 ; TELEPHONE (416) 515-0133 ; FAX: (416)

515-0209; WEBSITE: WWW.GRCONSULATE.COM.

GREEK TOURIST OFFICE (TORONTO) - 1300 BAY STREET, TORONTO, ONTARIO M5R 3K8; TELEPHONE: (416) 968-2220; FAX: (416) 968-6533; EMAIL: GRNTO.TOR@SYMPATICO.CA.

2010 – 2011 BOARD OF DIRECTORS (L TO R): TED FRISKY, PETER KOUKOS, IRENE BINIARIS, NICK MILIONIS, TOM MARINIS, MARIA MORAKIS, ANDY KARANASOS, NIS, TIMO KAROUTAS, ACHILLES STATHOPOULOS, PETER SAITES, LISA BOOTE, WITH FR. NIKOLAOS TAMBAKIS (ABOVE)

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CONGRATULATIONS TO ALL THE PARTICIPANTS AND ORGANIZERS OF OUR 1ST ANNUAL EPIPHANY CROSS DIVE! GOD’S BLESSINGS AND BEST WISHES TO WINNERS RHEA SCOLLIE, SMARAH MELISSIS AND

ALEXANDRU TODOSIA!

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GENERAL ASSEMBLY – FEBRUARY 2011

The Board of Directors invites all of the members of the Greek Orthodox Community to a General Assembly that will take place on Sunday, March 6th, 2011, at 12:15.m., at the Parish Hall, 651 Beverly Street. In the event there is not a quorum, a second General Assembly will be held on Sunday, March 13th, 2011, at 12:15p.m.

ΓΕΝΙΚΗ ΤΝΕΛΕΤΗ – ΦΕΒΡΟΤΑΡΙΟ 2011

Σο Διοικητικό υμβοφλιο τησ Κοινότητοσ προςκαλεί όλα τα μζλη τησ ςε Γενική υνζλευςη την Κυριακή, 6η Μαρτίου, 2011 ώρα 12:15μ.μ. ςτην Κοινοτική αίθουςα, οδόσ Μπζβερλη 651. Αν δεν υπάρξει απαρτία, θα πραγματοποιηθεί νζα ςυγκζντρωςισ την Κυριακή, 13η Μαρτίου, 2011 ώρα 12:15μ.μ.

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Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church presents:

SOUVLAKI DINNER

(Souvlaki, Tzatziki, Mediterranean Rice, Greek Salad and Pita)

$10

Thursday, February 10; 4:00-6:30pm Thursday, February 24; 4:00-6:30pm

Take Out/Pickup only Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church,

651 Beverly Street (at Balmoral) Tickets available at the door. Telephone: 344-9522

Email us at greekdinner@tbaytel.net to be on our mailing list! Facebook – Join our group – “The Great Souvlaki Dinner Takeout”

Website: www.gothunderbay.com

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FEBRUARY 10 - HIEROMARTYR HARALAMBOS THE WONDERWORKER. 10 ΥΕΒΡΟΤΑΡΙΟΤ - ΑΓΙΟΤ ΙΕΡΟΜΑΡΣΤΡΟ ΦΑΡΑΛΑΜΠΟΤ ΣΟΤ ΘΑΤΜΑΣΟΤΡΓΟΤ

"On February 10th we honor one of the most beloved Saints of the Eastern Orthodox Christian

Church. His name is Haralambos. In English, the translation for the name Haralambos used by most

Orthodox Christians is "Harry". Haralambos lived in the 2nd century in a small town called Magnesia in

Asia Minor. He became a Priest at a very early age and served his community with great zeal.

What has prompted the Orthodox Christians throughout the

world to display such love and affection for St. Haralambos? Why

has he been so very close to the hearts of all of us for over 1700

years? Perhaps it is because of the fact that no other Priest in the

history of Christianity suffered so much in one lifetime for his

religious convictions.

In the city of Magnesia, the governor of the province,

Loukianos, inflicted great pain upon St. Haralambos because he

refused to worship the idols of the Empire. The saintly Priest was

first tied to a post in the public square and ridiculed by the pagans.

Soldiers of the governor slashed the body of St. Haralambos with

heavy cutting irons. St. Haralambos in spite of the terrible agony

refused to deny Christ and accept their pagan gods.

After being tortured, Haralambos was dragged by his beard

through the streets of Magnesia by soldiers on horseback. Many

additional forms of torture were used to force Haralambos to give up his faith, yet he would not. During the

ensuing months, St. Haralambos miraculously survived all forms of torture. Eventually the people called

him "the man they cannot kill". People spoke of many miracles attributed to St. Haralambos during his

imprisonment.

Thousands came to the jail to seek his blessing. Hundreds of afflicted souls came to be healed of

their sicknesses. Haralambos became known also as the miracle-worker. He caused the lame to walk and the

blind to see. Some thought he was the Resurrected Christ who had returned to earth. St. Haralambos

proclaimed to all that he was not the Messiah but he was only the instrument of the Lord's Divine Grace.

The Roman Emperor, Servius, was enraged by the actions of Haralambos and ordered the Saint to be

brought to the capital of the Empire that was then located in the ancient city of Antioch (192 A.D.) In the

city of Antioch, Haralambos was led about the city with a horse bridle in his mouth. This was done to

ridicule both him and the Christian faith, which he continued to uphold.

The soldiers of the Emperor nailed Haralambos to a cross with over 100 large spikes that pierced the

skin of the pious Saint. Other forms of torture were administered, and yet Haralambos did not relent or die.

In his great anger, the Emperor ordered Haralambos beheaded!

As the two executioners raised their swords to kill the Saint, suddenly a voice was heard from

heaven saying, "Well done My faithful servant, enter into the kingdom of Heaven." At that very moment,

St. Haralambos passed away without a single blow being struck. The executioners were dumbfounded. They

knelt before the body of the Saint and asked God for forgiveness.

The Emperor became even more enraged, and ordered the two would-be executioners of Haralambos

beheaded. Their names were Porphirios and Baptos, whose feast is celebrated also on February 10th. Thus

the beloved Saint Haralambos truly had become "the man they couldn't kill," for he was taken by God

Himself into the Kingdom of Heaven."

St. Haralambos guarded his people much as a shepherd would guard his flock, therefore, he is

considered to be the protector of shepherds and their flocks. The body of St. Haralambos is now in the

Monastery of Saint Stephen in the Meteora, Greece, where it performs miracles to this day. http://saintharalambosgoc.org/ministry/thelifeofsaintharalambos.html

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10 ΥΕΒΡΟΤΑΡΙΟΤ: ΑΓΙΟΤ ΙΕΡΟΜΑΡΣΤΡΟ ΦΑΡΑΛΑΜΠΟΤ ΣΟΤ ΘΑΤΜΑΣΟΤΡΓΟΤ Ο άγηνο Φαξάιακπνο θαηαγόηαλ από ηελ Μαγλεζία ηεο Μηθξάο Αζίαο. Γελλήζεθε ζηα ηέιε ηνπ 1νπ αηώλα κ. Φ.

θαη καξηύξεζε ζε ειηθία 113 εηώλ. Όηαλ μέζπαζε δησγκόο ελαληίνλ ησλ Φξηζηηαλώλ, ζηα ρξόληα ηνπ Σεπηηκίνπ Σεβήξνπ, θάπνηα πλεπκαηηθά ηέθλα ηνπ αγίνπ Φαξαιάκπνπο πξνζπάζεζαλ λα ηνλ πείζνπλ λα θύγε, γηα λα κε ζπιιεθζή. Εθείλνο, θπζηθά, αξλήζεθε, γηαηί είλαη αδύλαην ζηνλ θαιό πνηκέλα λα εγθαηαιείςε ην πνίκληό ηνπ ηελ ώξα ηνπ θηλδύλνπ θαη γηαηί ήηαλ έηνηκνο θάζε ζηηγκή γηα ηελ νκνινγία θαη ην καξηύξην.

Σπλειήθζε θαη βαζαλίζζεθε απάλζξσπα, αιιά αληηκεηώπηζε ηα θξηθηά βαζαληζηήξηα κε ζαπκαζηή αλδξεία, αθνύ πξνεγνπκέλσο νκνιόγεζε κε παξξεζία ηελ πίζηε ηνπ. Αξθεηνί ζηξαηηώηεο, από απηνύο πνπ δηαηάρζεθαλ λα βαζαλίζνπλ ηνλ γέξνληα Ιεξέα, βιέπνληάο ηνλ λα ππνκέλε ηα απάλζξσπα βαζαληζηήξηα κε ηόζε γελλαηόηεηα, αιιά θαη κε απίζηεπηε εξεκία, θαζώο θαη ηα ζαύκαηα πνπ έγηλαλ κε ηελ πξνζεπρή ηνπ, πίζηεςαλ ζηνλ Φξηζηό θαη ηνλ νκνιόγεζαλ Κύξην θαη Θεό ηνπο. Ο έπαξρνο ζνξπβήζεθε από ηελ νκαδηθή κεηαζηξνθή θαη δηέηαμε λα ηνλ αθήζνπλ ειεύζεξν. Αξγόηεξα, ν ίδηνο ν Σεβήξνο, κε κπνξώληαο λα αληέμε ηελ παξξεζία θαη ηελ αλδξεία ηνπ γέξνληα, δηέηαμε ηνλ απνθεθαιηζκό ηνπ.

Λακβάλνληαο αθνξκή από ηνλ βίν θαη ηελ πνιηηεία ηνπ αγίνπ Φαξαιάκπνπο, ζα ζέιακε λα ηνλίζνπκε ηα εμήο: Πξώηνλ. Τν όλνκα Φαξάιακπνο είλαη ζύλζεην. Απνηειείηαη από ην νπζηαζηηθό ραξά θαη ην ξήκα ιάκπσ.

Πξαγκαηηθά, ν άγηνο Φαξάιακπνο ήηαλ έλα θσηεηλό πξόζσπν, ζην νπνίν αθηηλνβνινύζε ε ηέιεηα ραξά. “Η ηέιεηα ραξά εδξάδεηαη ζηελ ηαπεηλνθξνζύλε, ελώ ε εηζαγσγηθή ραξά δελ είλαη απαιιαγκέλε από ηελ θαληαζία” (άγηνο Δηάδνρνο Φσηηθήο). Ήηαλ εηξεληθόο, γαιήληνο θαη κε ραξνύκελε δηάζεζε, αθόκα θαη θαηά ηελ ώξα ησλ θξηθηώλ βαζαληζηεξίσλ.

Η ραξά δελ είλαη απιό ζπλαίζζεκα, αιιά θαξπόο ηνπ Αγίνπ Πλεύκαηνο, πνπ δίδεηαη σο δσξεά ζε εθείλνπο, νη νπνίνη κε ηελ κπζηεξηαθή δσή θαη ηελ άζθεζε θαζάξηζαλ ηνλ λνπ θαη ηελ θαξδηά ηνπο από ηα πάζε θαη θαηεζθήλσζε κέζα ηνπο ε ράξε ηνπ Αγίνπ Πλεύκαηνο. Η ραξά ζπλδέεηαη ζηελά κε ηελ ηαπεηλνθξνζύλε θαη ηελ κεηάλνηα. Όηαλ έλαο άλζξσπνο κεηαλνή θαη επηζηξέθε ζηνλ Θεό, ηόηε ραίξεηαη θαη παλεγπξίδεη όινο ν νπξαλόο, νη Άγηνη θαη νη Άγγεινη. “Φαξά γίλεηαη ελ νπξαλώ επί ελί ακαξησιώ κεηαλννύληη”. Αιιά θαη ν ίδηνο όηαλ κεηαλνή εηιηθξηλά ιακβάλεη ηελ άθεζηλ ησλ ακαξηηώλ ηνπ θαη γεύεηαη ηελ ράξε ηνπ Αγίνπ Πλεύκαηνο, αλάινγα κε ηελ δεθηηθόηεηά ηνπ.

Η ραξά ζπλδέεηαη θαη κε ηελ αληδηνηειή αγάπε, πνπ είλαη θαη απηή θαξπόο ηνπ Αγίνπ Πλεύκαηνο. Σηελ παξαβνιή ηνπ Αζώηνπ πηνύ, πνπ είπε ν Φξηζηόο, βιέπνπκε θαζαξά ην πόζν ζηελά ζπλδέεηαη ε ραξά κε ηελ αιεζηλή αγάπε. Όηαλ ν άζσηνο πηόο επηζηξέθε ζηελ παηξηθή νηθία, ηελ Εθθιεζία, ν Παηέξαο ηνπ, ν άγηνο Τξηαδηθόο Θεόο, ηξέρεη λα ηνλ πξνϋπαληήζε κε αλνηθηέο αγθάιεο. Τνλ ληύλεη κε ηελ ιακπξή ζηνιή ηεο ζεία Φάξηηνο, ηνπ δίδεη ην δαθηπιίδη ηεο πηνζεζίαο, ζπζηάδεη ην ζηηεπηό κνζράξη, ηνλ κνλνγελή Τνπ Υηό, θαη ραίξνπλ θαη επθξαίλνληαη.

Όηαλ ν άλζξσπνο θπξηαξρείηαη από ηα πάζε θαη θπξίσο από ην νιέζξην πάζνο ηεο ππεξεθαλίαο, δελ κπνξεί λα ραξή πξαγκαηηθά ηελ δσή ηνπ. Ο άγηνο Σηινπαλόο ν Αζσλίηεο έιεγε όηη ν άλζξσπνο ζα ππνθέξε ζηελ δσή ηνπ κέρξη λα απνθηήζε ηαπείλσζε. Ο κεγάινο αδειθόο ηεο παξαβνιήο, ζηελ νπνία αλαθεξζήθακε, δελ κπόξεζε λα ραξή καδί κε ηνλ Παηέξα ηνπ θαη ηνλ αδειθό ηνπ, επεηδή δελ αγαπνύζε αιεζηλά. Η αγάπε ηνπ ήηαλ ςεύηηθε θαη εκπαζήο, αθνύ ήηαλ θπξηεπκέλνο από ηα πάζε ηεο ππεξεθαλίαο θαη ηνπ θζόλνπ.

Δεύηεξνλ. Ο άγηνο Φαξάιακπνο δελ εγθαηέιεηςε ην πνίκληό ηνπ ηελ ώξα ηνπ θηλδύλνπ. Έηζη ζπκβαίλεη κε ηνπο γλήζηνπο καζεηέο ηνπ Φξηζηνύ. Δελ ζπζηάδνπλ ηνπο άιινπο γηα λα δήζνπλ απηνί, αιιά ζπζηάδνληαη ππέξ ηνπ πνηκλίνπ ηνπο, γηα ην νπνίν, άιισζηε, θνπηνύλ θαζεκεξηλά κε κεγάιε απηαπάξλεζε θαη πξνζπκία.

Οη Άγηνη αληηκεησπίδνπλ ζηελ δσή ηνπο πνιινύο θαη κεγάινπο πεηξαζκνύο, αιιά θαη πελζνύλ γηα ηα πάζε θαη ηηο ακαξηίεο ηνπο. Όκσο δελ ιππνύληαη άκεηξα ρσξίο ειπίδα, νύηε θαη ραίξνληαη άκεηξα, αιιά εγθξαηεύνληαη θαη ζηελ ραξά θαη ζηελ ιύπε, γηαηί γλσξίδνπλ πνιύ θαιά όηη “ε πνιιή ιύπε νδεγεί ηελ ςπρή ζηελ απειπηζία, όπσο θαη ε πνιιή ραξά ηελ νδεγεί ζηελ ππεξεθάλεηα. Καη όηη ην ελδηάκεζν κεηαμύ ηεο ιύπεο θαη ηεο ραξάο είλαη ε ειπίδα” (Άγηνο Δηάδνρνο Φσηηθήο). Έπεηηα, ε Φάξηο ηνπ Θενύ παξεγνξεί θαη επθξαίλεη ηελ ςπρή πνπ ηαπεηλώλεηαη θαη ζξελεί γηα ηηο ακαξηίεο ηεο.

Πνιιέο θνξέο, “ζθεπηόκελνη ζπλερώο ην κέιινλ ράλνπκε ην παξόλ θαη δελ ραηξόκαζηε αιεζηλά ηελ δσή καο”. (Άγηνο Νεθηάξηνο). Η εκπηζηνζύλε ζηελ αγάπε ηνπ Θενύ δηώρλεη ηελ αγσληώδε κέξηκλα θαη ην άγρνο, πνπ καο καπξίδνπλ θπξηνιεθηηθά ηελ δσή θαη δελ καο επηηξέπνπλ λα ραηξόκαζηε αιεζηλά. Σπλήζσο παξαπνλνύκαζηε όηη ε θνηλσλία ζηελ νπνία δνύκε, δελ καο επηηξέπεη λα ραξνύκε αιεζηλά ηελ δσή καο, ιέο θαη θηαίλε νη άιινη γηα ηα πάζε, ηα ιάζε θαη ηηο απνηπρίεο καο. Εάλ ε δσή καο είλαη παξάδεηζνο ή θόιαζε γη’ απηό δελ επζύλνληαη νη άιινη, αιιά εκείο νη ίδηνη, γηαηί νη ζπλάλζξσπνί καο δελ είλαη ε θόιαζή καο, όπσο ππνζηεξίδνπλ νη άζενη ππαξμηζηέο, αιιά ε ραξά καο. Ο άγηνο Σεξαθείκ ηνπ Σαξώθ, όηαλ ζπλαληνύζε θάπνηνλ άλζξσπν ηνλ απνθαινύζε ραξά ηνπ. Αληί άιινπ ραηξεηηζκνύ, ηνπ έιεγε: “Φξηζηόο Αλέζηε ραξά κνπ”.

Τέιεηα ραξά δελ είλαη δπλαηόλ λα ππάξμε ρσξίο ηελ ηαπείλσζε θαη ηελ αγάπε. Άιισζηε, ε ζσηεξία καο πεξλάεη κέζα από ηελ ηαπείλσζε, ηελ κεηάλνηα θαη ηελ αληδηνηειή αγάπε γηα ηνπο ζπλαλζξώπνπο καο, ηνπο ειαρίζηνπο αδειθνύο ηνπ Φξηζηνύ.

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Separate Truths

It is misleading — and dangerous — to think that religions are different paths to the same wisdom. By Stephen Prothero

April 25, 2010 Boston Globe

At least since the first petals of the counterculture bloomed across Europe and the United States in the 1960s, it has been fashionable to affirm that all religions are beautiful and all are true. This claim, which reaches back to “All Religions Are One” (1795) by the English poet, printmaker, and prophet William Blake, is as odd as it is

intriguing. No one argues that different economic systems or political regimes are one and the same. Capitalism and socialism are so self-evidently at odds that their differences hardly bear mentioning. The same goes for democracy and monarchy. Yet scholars continue to claim that religious rivals such as Hinduism and Islam, Judaism and Christianity are, by some miracle of the imagination, both essentially the same and basically good.

This view resounds in the echo chamber of popular culture, not least on the “Oprah Winfrey Show” and in Elizabeth Gilbert’s bestseller, “Eat Pray Love,” where the world’s religions are described as rivers emptying into the ocean of God. Karen Armstrong, author of “A History of God,” has made a career out of emphasizing the commonalities of religion while

eliding their differences. Even the Dalai Lama, who should know better, has gotten into the act, claiming that “all major religious traditions carry basically the same message.”

Of course, those who claim that the world’s religions are different paths up the same mountain do not deny the undeniable fact that they differ in some particulars. Obviously, Christians do not go on pilgrimage to Mecca, and Muslims do not practice baptism. Religious paths do diverge in dogma, rites, and institutions. To claim that all religions are basically the same, therefore, is not to deny the differences between a Buddhist who believes in no god, a Jew who believes in one God, and a Hindu who believes in many gods. It is to deny that those differences matter, however. From this perspective, whether God has a body (yes, say Mormons; no, say Muslims) or whether human beings have souls (yes, say Hindus; no, say Buddhists) is of no account because, as Hindu teacher Swami Sivananda writes, “The fundamentals or essentials of all religions are the same. There is difference only in the nonessentials.”

This is a lovely sentiment but it is untrue, disrespectful, and dangerous. The gods of Hinduism are not the same as the orishas of Yoruba religion or the immortals of Daoism. To

pretend that they are is to refuse to take seriously the beliefs and practices of ordinary religious folk who for centuries have had no problem distinguishing the Nicene Creed of Christianity from the Four Noble Truths of Buddhism from the Shahadah of Islam. It is also to lose sight of the unique beauty of each of the world’s religions.

But this lumping of the world’s religions into one megareligion is not just false and condescending, it is also a threat. How can we make sense of the ongoing conflict in Kashmir if we pretend that Hinduism and Islam are one and the same? Or of the impasse in the Middle East, if we pretend that there are no fundamental disagreements between Judaism, Christianity, and Islam?

This naive theological groupthink — call it Godthink — is motivated in part by a laudable rejection of the exclusivist missionary view that only you and your kind will make it to heaven or nirvana or paradise. For most of world history, human beings have seen religious rivals as inferior to themselves — practitioners of empty rituals, perpetrators of bogus miracles, and purveyors of fanciful myths. This way of seeing has given us religious violence from the Crusades and the Holocaust to Rwanda and Nigeria. In response to such violence, the 18th-century Age of Enlightenment popularized the ideal of religious tolerance, and we are doubtless better for it.

I understand what these people are doing. They are not describing the world but reimagining it. They are hoping that their hope will call up in us feelings of brotherhood and sisterhood. In the face of religious bigotry and bloodshed, past and present, we cannot help but be drawn to such hope, and such vision. Yet we must not mistake either for clear-eyed analysis.

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When it comes to safeguarding the world from the evils of religion, including violence by proxy from the hand of God, the claim that all religions are one is no more effective than the claim that all religions are poison. As the New Atheists (another species of religious lumpers) observe, we live in a world where religion seems as likely to detonate a bomb as to defuse one. So while we need idealism, we need realism even more. We need to understand religious people as they are — not just at their best but also their worst. We need to look at not only their awe-inspiring architecture and gentle mystics but also their bigots and suicide bombers.

What the world’s religions share is not so much a finish line as a starting point. And where they begin is with this simple observation: Something is wrong with the world. In the Hopi language, the word “Koyaanisqatsi” tells us that life is out of balance. Shakespeare’s “Hamlet” tells us that there is something rotten not only in the state of Denmark but also in the state of human existence. Hindus say we are living in the “kali yuga,” the most degenerate age in cosmic history. Buddhists say that human existence is pockmarked by suffering. Jewish, Christian, and Islamic stories tell us that this life is not Eden; Zion, heaven, and paradise lie out ahead.

So religious folk agree that something has gone awry. They part company, however, when it comes to stating just what has gone wrong, and they diverge even more sharply when they move from diagnosing the human problem to prescribing how to solve it. Moreover, each offers its own distinctive diagnosis of the human problem and its own prescription for a cure. Each offers its own techniques for reaching its religious goal, and its own exemplars for emulation.

Christians see sin as the human problem, and salvation from sin as the religious goal. Buddhists see suffering (which, in their tradition, is not ennobling) as the problem, and liberation from suffering as the goal. Confucians see social disorder as the problem, and social harmony as the goal. And so it goes from tradition to tradition, with Hindus seeking release from the cycle of life, death, and rebirth, Muslims seeking paradise via submission to Allah, and practitioners of the Yoruba religion seeking sacred connections — among humans, between humans and the persons of power they call the orishas, and between humans and the natural environment.

The great religions also differ fundamentally when it comes to the techniques they employ to take you from problem to goal. In Confucianism, the rules and rituals of ancient Chinese civilization foster the religious goal of social harmony. But according to Daoists, these very rules and rituals cause the human problem of lifelessness. Civilization is a vampire, Daoists claim, sucking the life out of us, depleting our qi (vital energy), and taking us to an early grave. The only way to pursue the Daoist goal of fostering life is to live in harmony with the naturalness, simplicity, and spontaneity of what Daoists call the Way.

Finally, each of the world’s religions looks to different exemplars — Christian saints, Hindi holy men — to chart the path from problem to goal. Inside Buddhism alone, these exemplars include the arhat (for Theravadins), the bodhisattva (for Mahayanists), and the lama (for Tibetan Buddhists).

For more than a century, scholars have searched for the essence of religion. They thought they found this Holy Grail in God, but then they discovered Buddhists and Jains who deny God’s existence. Today it is widely accepted that there is no one essence that all religions share. What they share are family resemblances — tendencies toward this belief or that behavior. In the family of religions, kin tend to perform rituals. They tend to tell stories about how life and death began and to write down these stories in scriptures. They tend to cultivate techniques of ecstasy and devotion. They tend to organize themselves into institutions and to gather in sacred places at sacred times. They tend to instruct human beings how to act toward one another. They tend to profess beliefs about the gods and the supernatural. They tend to invest objects and places with sacred import.

These family resemblances are just tendencies, however. Just as there are tall people in short families (none of the other men in Michael Jordan’s family was over 6 feet tall), there are religions that deny the existence of God and religions that get along just fine without creeds. Something is a religion when it shares enough of this DNA to belong to the family of religions. What makes the members of this family different (and themselves) is how they mix and match these dimensions. Experience is central in Daoism and Buddhism. Hinduism and Judaism emphasize the narrative dimension. The ethical dimension is crucial in Confucianism. The Islamic and Yoruba traditions are to a great extent about ritual. And doctrine is particularly important to Christians.

There is a long tradition of Christian thinkers who assume that salvation is the goal of all religions and then argue that only Christians can achieve this goal. Philosopher of religion Huston Smith, who grew up in China as a child of Methodist missionaries, rejected this argument but not its guiding assumption. “To claim salvation as the monopoly of any one religion,” he wrote, “is like claiming that God can be found in this room and not the next.” It

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might seem to be an admirable act of empathy to assert that Confucians and Buddhists can be saved. But this statement is confused to the core, since salvation is not something that either Confucians or Buddhists seek. Salvation is a Christian goal, and when Christians speak of it, they are speaking of being saved from sin. But Confucians and Buddhists do not believe in sin, so it makes no sense for them to try to be saved from it. And while Muslims and Jews do speak of sin of a sort, neither Islam nor Judaism describes salvation from sin as its aim. When a jailer asks the apostle Paul, “What must I do to be saved?” (Acts 16:30), he is asking not a generic human question but a specifically Christian one. So while it may seem to be an act of generosity to state that Confucians and Buddhists and Muslims and Jews can also be saved, this statement is actually an act of obfuscation.

A sports analogy may be in order here. Which of the following — baseball, basketball, tennis, or golf — is best at scoring runs? The answer of course is baseball, because runs is a term foreign to basketball, tennis, and golf alike. Different sports have different goals: Basketball players shoot baskets; tennis players win points; golfers sink putts. To criticize a basketball team for failing to score runs is not to besmirch them. It is simply to misunderstand the game of basketball.

So here is another problem with the pretend pluralism of the perennial philosophy sort: Just as hitting home runs is the monopoly of one sport, salvation is the monopoly of one religion. If you see sin as the human predicament and salvation as the solution, then it makes sense to come to Christ. But that will not settle as much as you might think, because the real question is not which religion is best at carrying us into the end zone of salvation but which of the many religious goals on offer we should be seeking. Should we be trudging toward the end zone of salvation, or trying to reach the finish line of social harmony? Should our goal be reincarnation? Or to escape from the vicious cycle of life, death, and rebirth?

While I do not believe we are witnessing a “clash of civilizations” between Christianity and Islam, it is a fantasy to imagine that the world’s two largest religions are in any meaningful sense the same, or that interfaith dialogue between Christians and Muslims will magically bridge the gap. You would think that champions of multiculturalism would warm to this fact, glorying in the diversity inside and across religious traditions. But even among multiculturalists, the tendency is to pretend that the differences between religions are more apparent than real, and that the differences inside religious traditions just don’t warrant the fuss practitioners continue to make over them.

We pretend that religious differences are trivial because it makes us feel safer, or more moral. But pretending that the world’s religions are the same does not make our world safer. Like all forms of ignorance, it makes our world more dangerous, and more deadly. False rumors of weapons of mass destruction doubtless led the United States to wade into its current quagmire in Iraq. Another factor, however, was our ignorance of the fundamental disagreements between Christians and Muslims, on the one hand, and Sunni and Shia Islam, on the other. What if we had been aware of these conflicts as of 9/11? Would we have committed 160,000 troops to a nation whose language we do not speak and whose religion we do not understand?

What we need is a realistic view of where religious rivals clash and where they can cooperate. The world is what it is. And both tolerance and respect are empty virtues until we actually know whatever it is we are supposed to be tolerating or respecting.

Stephen Prothero is a religion professor at Boston University. This article is adapted from his new book, ”God is Not One: The Eight Rival Religions That Run the World--and Why Their Differences Matter.”

The story is told of an agnostic professor who visited the Fiji Islands. The

professor remarked to an elderly chief, “You are a great leader, but it is a pity you

have been victimized by those Christian missionaries. No one believes the Bible

anymore. People are tired of the story of Christ dying on cross for the sins of

mankind. We know better now. I am sorry you were manipulated to accept their

story.”

The old chief looked at the professor and answered, “See that great rock over

there? On it we smashed the heads of our victims. Notice the furnace next to it? In

that oven we used to roast the bodies of our victims. If it hadn't been for the love of

those missionaries and the message of Christ they brought, you would be our

supper.”

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GREEK SCHOOL

FOR

CHILDREN!

We resume Greek School for children

of ages 4-7 on Saturday mornings from

10:30 – 11:30am

Our teacher –

Mrs. Athena Blieske

12 Things I Wish I’d Known… First Visit to an Orthodox Church By Frederica Matthewes-Green

Orthodox worship is different! Some of these differences are apparent, if perplexing, from the first moment you walk in a church. Others become noticeable only over time. Here is some information that may help you feel more at home in Orthodox worship—twelve things I wish I’d known before my first visit to an Orthodox church.

#9. Making Editors Squirm.

Is there a concise way to say something? Can extra adjectives be deleted? Can the briskest, most pointed prose be boiled down one more time to a more refined level? Then it’s not Orthodox worship. If there’s a longer way to say something, the Orthodox will find it. In Orthodox worship, more is always more, in every area including prayer. When the priest or deacon intones, “Let us complete our prayer to the Lord,” expect to still be standing there fifteen minutes later.

The original liturgy lasted something over five hours; those people must have been on fire for God. The Liturgy of St. Basil edited this down to about two and a half, and later (around 400 A.D.) the Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom further reduced it to about one and a half. Most Sundays we use the St. John Chrysostom liturgy, although for some services (e.g., Sundays in Lent, Christmas Eve) we use the longer Liturgy of St. Basil.

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ΠΡΟΓΡΑΜΜΑ ΙΕΡΩΝ ΑΚΟΛΟΤΘΙΩΝ - ΦΕΒΡΟΤΑΡΙΟΤ 2011

ΣΕΣΑΡΣΗ 2 +Η ΤΠΑΠΑΝΣΗ ΣΟΤ ΚΤΡΙΟΤ ΗΜΩΝ ΙΗΟΤ ΧΡΙΣΟΤ. ΟΡΘΡΟ 9:15ΠΜ, ΘΕΙΑ ΛΕΙΣΟΤΡΓΙΑ 10:15ΠΜ.

ΚΤΡΙΑΚΗ 6 + ΚΤΡΙΑΚΗ ΣΗ ΧΑΝΑΝΑΙΑ. ΑΓΙΟΤ ΦΩΣΙΟΤ ΠΑΣΡ. ΚΩΝΣΑΝΣΙΝΟΤΠΩΛΕΩ.

ΟΡΘΡΟ 9:15ΠΜ, ΘΕΙΑ ΛΕΙΣΟΤΡΓΙΑ 10:30ΠΜ.

ΠΕΜΠΣΗ 10 +ΑΓΙΟΤ ΙΕΡΟΜΑΡΣΤΡΟ ΧΑΡΑΛΑΜΠΟΤ ΣΟΤ ΘΑΤΜΑΣΟΤΡΓΟΤ. ΟΡΘΡΟ 9:15ΠΜ, ΘΕΙΑ ΛΕΙΣΟΤΡΓΙΑ 10:15ΠΜ.

ΚΤΡΙΑΚΗ 13 +ΚΤΡΙΑΚΗ ΣΟΤ ΣΕΛΩΝΟΤ ΚΑΙ ΣΟΤ ΦΑΡΙΑΙΟΤ. (ΑΡΧΗ ΣΡΙΩΔΙΟΤ) ΟΡΘΡΟ 9:15ΠΜ, ΘΕΙΑ ΛΕΙΣΟΤΡΓΙΑ 10:30ΠΜ.

ΚΤΡΙΑΚΗ 20 +ΚΤΡΙΑΚΗ ΣΟΤ ΑΩΣΟΤ. ΑΓΙΟΤ ΛΕΟΝΣΟ ΕΠΙΚΟΠΟΤ ΚΑΣΑΝΗ.

ΟΡΘΡΟ 9:15ΠΜ, ΘΕΙΑ ΛΕΙΣΟΤΡΓΙΑ 10:30ΠΜ.

ΑΒΒΑΣΟ 26 +Α’ ΨΤΧΟΑΒΒΑΣΟΝ. ΑΓΙΑ ΦΩΣΕΙΝΗ ΑΜΑΡΕΙΣΙΔΟ. ΟΡΘΡΟ 9:15ΠΜ, ΘΕΙΑ ΛΕΙΣΟΤΡΓΙΑ 10:15ΠΜ.

ΚΤΡΙΑΚΗ 27 +ΚΤΡΙΑΚΗ ΣΗ ΑΠΟΚΡΕΩ. ΑΓ. ΣΕΦΑΝΟΤ, ΓΕΛΑΙΟΤ, ΠΡΟΚΟΠΙΟΤ.

ΟΡΘΡΟ 9:15ΠΜ, ΘΕΙΑ ΛΕΙΣΟΤΡΓΙΑ 10:30ΠΜ. +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

SCHEDULE OF DIVINE SERVICES - FEBRUARY 2011

WEDNESDAY 2 +PRESENTATION OF OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST IN THE TEMPLE. ORTHROS 9:15AM, DIVINE LITURGY 10:15AM.

SUNDAY 6 +SUNDAY OF THE CANAANITE. ST. PHOTIOS, PATRIARCH OF CONSTANTINOPLE.

ORTHROS 9:15AM, DIVINE LITURGY 10:30AM.

THURSDAY 10 +HIEROMARTYR CHARALAMBOS THE WONDERWORKER. ORTHROS 9:15AM, DIVINE LITURGY 10:15AM.

SUNDAY 13 +SUNDAY OF THE PUBLICAN AND THE PHARISEE.(BEGINNING OF THE TRIODION)

ORTHROS 9:15AM, DIVINE LITURGY 10:30AM.

SUNDAY 20 +SUNDAY OF THE PRODIGAL SON. ST. LEO BISHOP OF CATANIA.

ORTHROS 9:15AM, DIVINE LITURGY 10:30AM.

SATURDAY 26 +1ST SATURDAY OF THE SOULS. ST. PHOTINI THE SAMARITAN WOMAN.

ORTHROS 9:15AM, DIVINE LITURGY 10:15AM.

SUNDAY 27 +MEATFARE SUNDAY. STS. STEVEN, GELASIUS, PROKOPIUS THE CONFESSOR.

ORTHROS 9:15AM, DIVINE LITURGY 10:30AM.

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Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church presents:

APOKRIES Saturday, February 26th, 2010

6:00 p.m.

Food! Fun for All Ages! Costumes! Prizes! Music! Dancing!

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George Comminos CFP, CIM RRSP Financial Advisor Investment Planning 204-1205 Amber Drive Life Insurance Thunder Bay, Ont. P7B 6M4 Tax Planning Tax Free Savings Plans Complimentary reviews Retirement Planning F: (807) 683-4586 RDSP Cell: (807) 628-7758 Estate Planning 1-800-880-1424 ext. 3 Health Insurance gcomminos@assante.com www.assante.com/advisors/gcomminos

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Bess and Sheila want you to come join the fun at Bingo! Monday, February 14, 2011

ALL BINGOS ARE AT THE C.L.E. LOCATION at 5:45 PM

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THANK YOU TO OUR SPONSORS:

YOUR AD HERE. SUPPORT OUR COMMUNITY.

YOUR AD HERE. SUPPORT OUR COMMUNITY.

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ORTHODOXY AROUND THE WORLD – RUSSIA – Blessing the waters during Holy Epiphany.