Fr. Nektarios in front of the desecrated Orthodox Serb tomb in Zociste. Dozens of cemeteries have been destroyed after the NATO led intervention in Kosovo despite the international civil and military presence. In many cemeteries tombs were smashed by axes and opened. Often remains of the deceased were scattered around. Want to help? HT Fr Victor Potapov “The victory of jihad in Kosovo would be a local triumph pointing the way to further victories to come, eventually to a worldwide... Read more

Yaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh — aaaaawwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwnnnn! Read more

Anticipating groans & begging forgiveness in advance … After forty years of shaving himself every morning, a man in a small Southern town decided he’d had enough. He told his wife that he intended to let the local barber shave him from now on. He went to the shop, which was owned by the pastor of their Baptist church. The barber’s wife, Grace, was working that day so she performed the task. Grace shaved him, sprayed him with lilac water... Read more

Yes, it’s in the religion section on eBay. Read more

From the New Yorker: Joan Acocella traces the growth of the Mary Magdalene myth—neither the Bible nor current Catholic doctrine identify her as a prostitute. According to gnostic texts discovered last century, she was Jesus’ chief disciple. The fallen Magdalene we know may be a result of successful doctrinal warfare waged by the Orthodox Church against competing Christian sects. HT SlateHuh? That, I must admit, is the dumbest thing I’ve read in a while. Can someone, perhaps having read the... Read more

A while back I posted notice of an Orthodox book on the Female Deaconate. I’m not an avid Blog Comment reader; perhaps others share this laxity, but here’s a comment [in progress] from an “Orthodox Female Seminarian” that warrants a read: … Whenever this issue comes up so many people jump on the bandwagon of the fallacy of Slippery Slope its just annoying. I have read this book thoroughly, and while she, yes, asks for women to be ordained, she... Read more

Terry Mattingly mentions this project. Yes, though I’m no expert, my name’s there. Wanna help? Send me good resources on St Constantine. And, soon! Oh My … this piece is like something one might think, but never write. (Reader beware.) HT News Forum Read more

Remember when George [HW] Bush shocked us with his pick of a virtual unknown, Quayle, as VP? Now, George [W] Bush’s VP has shocked us with his “pick” of a virtual unknown while hunting quail. If I were a conspiracy theorist I’d be going bonkers thinking of how the Republicans have no candidate waiting in the wings and, of course, Cheney is not running for president. For him to step aside would cause chaos. Then again, his exit could be... Read more

Happy Darwin Day! I kid you not. Nearly 450 Christian churches around the country plan to celebrate the 197th birthday of Charles Darwin on Sunday with programs and sermons intended to emphasize that his theory of biological evolution is compatible with faith and that Christians have no need to choose between religion and science. More …“I find deep spirituality in the truths of evolution.” And, of course, the Creationist response is just as monkey-fied: When pastors dismiss the creation account... Read more

From Europe’s biggest-selling newspaper, the Sun: ”Furious Muslims have blasted adult shop [i.e., sex shop] Ann Summers for selling a blowup male doll called Mustafa Shag … If I were a Muslim, I’d be “hurt” and “humiliated” that the revered prophet’s name is given not to latex blowup males but to so many real blowup males: The leader of the 9/11 plotters? Mohammed Atta. The British Muslim who self-detonated in a Tel Aviv bar? Asif Mohammed Hanif. The gunman who... Read more