Assembly of Canonical Orthodox Bishops of North and Central America
Office of the Secretariat
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
February 2nd, 2012
The Assembly of Canonical Orthodox Bishops of North and Central America, which is comprised of the 65 canonical Orthodox bishops in the United States, Canada and Mexico, join their voices with the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops and all those who adamantly protest the recent decision by the United States Department of Health and Human Services (http://www.hhs.gov/news/press/2012pres/01/20120120a.html), and call upon all the Orthodox Christian faithful to contact their elected representatives today to voice their concern in the face of this threat to the sanctity of the Church’s conscience.
In this ruling by HHS, religious hospitals, educational institutions, and other organizations will be required to pay for the full cost of contraceptives (including some abortion-inducing drugs) and sterilizations for their employees, regardless of the religious convictions of the employers.
The First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution guarantees the free exercise of religion. This freedom is transgressed when a religious institution is required to pay for “contraceptive services” including abortion-inducing drugs and sterilization services that directly violate their religious convictions. Providing such services should not be regarded as mandated medical care. We, the Assembly of Canonical Orthodox Bishops, call upon HHS Secretary Sebelius and the Obama Administration to rescind this unjust ruling and to respect the religious freedom guaranteed all Americans by the First Amendment.
# # # # #
Contact:
The Office of the Secretariat
1559 North Woodlawn Street
Wichita, KS 67208-2429
Phone: 316-687-3169
Assembly Web Site: www.assemblyofbishops.org
Solidarity is key.
First they came from the Catholics….
there is that pesky constitution getting in the way of our great and glorious leader!!!!
I’m glad my Orthodox Brothers have our backs.
@ Macker:
Dammit! F’in iPad again….
this group is working toward unifying all orthodox denominations like the serbs, russians, oca, greeks etc into one american orthodox church that is headed by a metropolitan here in america.
this is a good thing
coldwarrior wrote:
Please explain. I’m ignorant of the issues.
(btw, got the Russian Caravan tea -- fabulouse -- and that Ethiopian coffee ain’t bad either)
eaglesoars wrote:
there is no reason why there has to a seperate orthodox churches in the US anymore. the ethnic reason for it died off 20 or so years ago now the parishes are either dwindling or are full of non-ethnic orthodox converts or orthodox from other parishes. so by unifying what is already a unified teaching and dogma, the american orthodox church will be stroger, more viable, and on better financial footing.
it is better to take ‘orders’ from a metropolitan in america than the metropol in say moscow or belgrade.
eaglesoars wrote:
yummy!
coldwarrior wrote:
understood, thanks
Thisis where we need to stand strong against the creep in chief and his evil intentions. Above all, this make it obvious what his ultimate intentions really are.
@ father_of_10:
He may not be the anti-Christ, but he is definately anti-Christian…
@ coldwarrior:
I used to get hammered at the little Irish joint next to Nicholas.
I can’t for the life of me remember what it was called
I met all of the girls that worked at the Supercuts on Liberty across the way in whatever the bar was called above the Oyster House to the right. (‘Blue’ at the time I think), and that’s where they all drank.
@ father_of_10:
rush was talking today that dick morris theorizes that 0 did this to paint all republicans as being anti-contraceptive, etc. morris said the opening shot of this was stephanolpolus’ grilling of romney in that debate over contraception and rights.
Bumr50 wrote:
stomped brain cells will…ummm…what was i talking about?
Iron Fist wrote:
Hiya babe………..
His anti-Christianity is a symptom, not the cause. The cause is a totalitarian, nihilistic ideology. The Catholic Church is a target because it supports a strong family unit and provides services that compete with the gov’t, thereby decreasing the population that the gov’t can haul into slavery.
Next up -- the family unit itself. There is a reason they’re going after food in the schools and the military.
father_of_10 wrote:
The only religion he respects is Islam. All others, are useless for him.
@ coldwarrior:
Heard that, and I think it’s dead on.
Bumr50 wrote:
yep. the dems found out that guns and abortion are losing issues, so now time to move on to contraception
coldwarrior wrote:
I agree. The Obama Regime doesn’t want to talk about the economy or budget issues. They want to discuss Social issues. They know too many Conservatives get worked up about it and get all emotional. Its a trick the Left uses.
@ coldwarrior:
With Santorum they would love to bring up abortion. He wants to deny raped women the right to abort. They will hammer him on this.
@ eaglesoars:
Yep, anything that can lessen one’s dependance on the one true god, Government, must be opposed. All the Democrats are that way. Notice how they have pretty much all fallen in line behind Dear Leader on this Abortion thing. And yes, this is about the Leftist sacrement of Abortion. Contraception is merely a smoke-screen.
Iron Fist wrote:
I haven’t said (yet) that he is the anti-christ, but so far, he seems to be trying pretty darn hard to get a contender ranking.
Rodan wrote:
Which is also totalitarian. It’s a form of self-love
have to run an errand. brb
@ coldwarrior:
Mick McGuire’s!!!
@ eaglesoars:
The Left loves Islam!
@ Iron Fist:
he is their Messiah. The Obama thing is a cult.
coldwarrior wrote:
You have brain cells? who knew that…
@ coldwarrior:
My regular church is Evangelical Covenant, but I enjoy visiting other denominations sometimes. About a year ago, I went to a Greek Orthodox service, and while very very different from what I’m used to, it was an interesting experience. Very deeply rooted in history & tradition, and much more formal than I’m used to.
Iron Fist wrote:
I don’t think I’ve mentioned this before. Politically, I’m pro-choice. Why? Because if the gov’t can tell you you MUST give birth, it can also say you CANNOT give birth.
Keep something in mind. George Tiller, the partial-birth abortion provider murdered was in Kansas, where Governor Kathleen Sebelius was his biggest supporter.
She got Sec HHS which has perpetrated this monstrosity.
Elena Kagin LIED about the position of the ACOG re partial-birth abortion in order to get it passes. She’s now on SCOTUS.
John Holdren, Obama’s czar for science and technology co-authored the book ‘Ecoscience’ with Paul and Ann Erlich that maintained, among other things, that forced abortion was constitutional.
What we’re seeing is the soft tickles of the fur the eugenics monster at our throats. Mark my words.
Ok, back in a bit
So with the 3 leading contenders for the nomination we have 2 staunch Catholics and a staunch Mormon. Regardless of Gingrich’s indescretons in his past, I actually do believe in repentance and think what he espouses today is what he truly tries to be. that being said, we have 3 men that are anti-abortion and active in churches that are anti-abortion and pro-family. Compared to Obama who went to a radical church and now doesn’t seem to claim any established faith and he is totally in the bag for killing babies. forget contraception. Let’s focus on his baby-killing credentials.
@ father_of_10:
The last thing we need is a fight on Social issues. The Democrats win that because they are able to scare people and show the GOP as Theocrats (not true mostly). This will turn off many Suburban Independent Economic Conservatives.
This election needs to be about our Economic and Fiscal troubles.
@ Rodan:
Right on cue…
@ mfhorn:
we are orthodox church of america
the oca was russian but then split out during the 1917 revolution when there was no communication between the patriarch of moscow and the churches in america. the oca is american led.
Bumr50 wrote:
well, isnt that a coinkydink!
@ Bumr50:
Yup, they want a Social issues/Cultural war fight. Whether its fair or not. most Independents get turned off by this and the GOP has a habit of over reaching.
Rodan wrote:
smart move by the dems, but i think in this case they overreached on the catholic church thing.
@ coldwarrior:
Yes, that they over reached on. Always let the Dems over reach, it turns people off. But now too many in the GOP want a Social issues fight.
@ coldwarrior:
@ Bumr50:
If people on the Right got as worked up about Fiscal and Economic issues as they do on Social/Cultural issues, we would not be in this mess.
Rodan wrote:
ahhh, but 0 can walk it back in october and recapture the liberal catholic vote. nice ceremony in the rose garden, some bishops…
Rodan wrote:
no kidding!
coldwarrior wrote:
How? How can he walk this back?
coldwarrior wrote:
I don’t think the Bishops will be fooled again. bho went to far. He will not be able to walk this back. Not to mention he has expressed no intention of walking this back. The liberal Catholic’s will stand by the Church on this one.
Rodan wrote:
The Gutless Old Party has never learned how to fight the Left. I don’t see that changing anytime soon…
Rodan wrote:
This is where you are wrong. These people are fiscal conservatives, perhaps, but they are Social Liberals. Their social issues also trump their fiscal issues. I think if they got into power you would be very disappointed in them. Mitt Romney is one of them.
Ok, what did I tell you. Mark Simone (subbing for Hannity) said there’s a story at drudge about state agents taking away a 4 yr old’s lunch because it wasn’t healthy enough and making the kid eat cafeteria nuggets. It’s the headline at drudge but I can’t get in -- too much traffic I guess.
The kids lunch was a chicken sandwich, banana and chips
http://townhall.com/columnists/calthomas/2012/02/14/losing_liberty
eaglesoars wrote:
He can’t. The Bishop’s already know he is a liar.
Lily wrote:
And to force abortions on women carrying, say down’s syndrome children.
Or, on the alter of ‘diversity’ abort babies who are the ‘wrong’ race.
Lily wrote:
Slow learners
eaglesoars wrote:
bho wants to be the supreme authority here or at least the government to the supreme authority. This is so wrong in so many ways….just like the post were the child had their lunch taken away because it wasn’t healthy enough deemed by the school. It is trampling all over the constitution….
Today, I Voted Early. EAT SHIT MITT!
Iron Fist wrote:
ummm…mitt aint no fiscon.
@ eaglesoars:
I just heard this on the wireless driving home with my wife from the grocery store. I was livid, to say the least.
eaglesoars wrote:
There won’t be any forced abortions; the government will just refuse to provide any medical care for the mother and child. (Or allow anyone else to provide care.)
Lily wrote:
they have been being fooled by the left for 40 years now, this isnt going to change until there is a purge, excommunications and a retrenchment of the catholic church
eaglesoars wrote:
Maybe so, but they are seeing the true aura of bho and know he is not to be believed in anything he says….either way they are on to him now.
Better late than never.
coldwarrior wrote:
Beginning with Нанси Пелоси!
eaglesoars wrote:
nice rose garden ceremony, have a bunch of bishops and cardinals in, sign an executive order allowing the catholics to follow their beliefs by his hand.
nice photo op…all’s well and the suckers will buy it 100%
Da_Beerfreak wrote:
Perhaps. That says nothing about the self-claimed authority of the gov’t to implement a forced-abortion policy.
Macker wrote:
kennedy
coldwarrior wrote:
That very well be so…but there is shift going on in the Church right now and bho is soldifiying the Church maybe more than it has been in many, many years.
@ coldwarrior:
Which Kennedy are you referring to? All four of the Kennedy Brothers are dead, do you mean the next generation?
coldwarrior wrote:
Note a chance. He’d lose the Sebelius/Planned Parenthood demo.
coldwarrior wrote:
I don’t think this will happen. At all. He is not taking on a Catholic person re ..Kennedy…He is taking on the Catholic Church.
Lily wrote:
a few very public excommunications and removal of those jesuits who are into social justice and liberation theology, might be a good place to start
@ Lily:
I wonder if The Pope will specifically address this issue about Обама?
Macker wrote:
most of the dead ones at least
eaglesoars wrote:
AND it would undercut the campaign ‘Republicans want women pregnant and in the kitchen’ meme.
Lily wrote:
i see no evidence of this happening, but i hope you are right
eaglesoars wrote:
If the ‘Greens’ want to force a ‘one child policy’ on this Country, then it’s time to take up arms and fight the bastards.
coldwarrior wrote:
Didn’t John Paul do that with some priests in South America? (not sure if they were jesuits)
coldwarrior wrote:
That very well may happen…as far as the Church is concerned this is a war on it’s tenets…sorry they will not back down from this.
coldwarrior wrote:
Then if I understand you correctly, you’re asking for De-Kennedyization. Is that right?
Um…isn’t that kind of…Communistic?
Da_Beerfreak wrote:
How about a NO child policy for ‘undesirables’?
coldwarrior wrote:
It is happening.
eaglesoars wrote:
who else would they vote for?
they have no choice. unlike half of the catholics who vote dem
eaglesoars wrote:
There, fixed that for ya! 8)
eaglesoars wrote:
yes
Macker wrote:
I have no idea. But I am sure he is very aware of what is going on..and is issuing things to the Cardinals and the Bishops concerning this…will he something public…probably, but I don’t know.
Macker wrote:
what are you talking about?
eaglesoars wrote:
Same difference, I’m not worried about the small details. We know who the real ‘undesirables’ are…
coldwarrior wrote:
And of those the dem voting Catholic’s they will side with the Church.
bho is not making any friends or voters for him by doing this.
Lily wrote:
i certainly hope so, november will tell the tale.
coldwarrior wrote:
Point taken.
Macker wrote:
much appreciated!
@ coldwarrior:
Checka U E-mail!
coldwarrior wrote:
All I had to do was ask my liberal dem voting Catholic mother. She stands by the church. The Pope we have now has been moving the Church towards a more conservative stance. It is very noticable in the Masses.
@ eaglesoars:
I was hoping you didn’t mind. Being a Lutheran, I always admired John Paul The Great. I wish I could have met him while he was alive. I would have poured my heart out to him.
He was a Man of God, and I know he rests in Heaven now, and always.
Lily wrote:
its february, the vote is in november, i hope you are right,
coldwarrior wrote:
Yes it is early. I hope I am right too. But I really am counting on bho doubling down on this..and I do think he will. This will be a huge mistake.
Macker wrote:
I was also confirmed in the Lutheran Church (Missouri Synod, no less). I’m no longer a Christian -- if I had my druthers I’d convert to Judaism. And I am in total agreement with you re: JP. When you find out how he fought Communism, it is awe inspiring.
But I think Pope Ben is on his way to also being a great pope. I like him a lot. He ‘gets’ Islam, that’s for sure.
uh oh. somebody tell dorian
Issa preparing to hold Holder in contempt?
@ eaglesoars:
I was raised in the WELS tradition. Strict folks for sure. Way too strict: after my father passed away in 1991, the church wouldn’t do shit for my mom. I got pissed and left. I am with ELCA for now, but chances are good that the next time I move, I might try and find a LCMS church in my intended destination.
And isn’t it interesting how both John Paul The Great AND Benedict XVI have actually had to take a dump in the forest (one as a member of the Polish Resistance, the other as a draftee into the Wehrmacht), thus bringing to fruition Steve Martin’s famous comedy question: “Is a Bear Catholic? Does The Pope shit in the woods?”
eaglesoars wrote:
I really hope this administration’s house of cards all come tumbling down at once where there is no way of spinning it’s marxist intentions.
Daily Caller has the school lunch story
Lily wrote:
Would it help if this were to occur as close to the Election as possible?
Macker wrote:
Contrast w/Soros who turned in fellow jews w/the justification “If I handn’t done it, somebody else would have”.
Yeah, well ‘somebody else’ ain’t going have to answer to G-d for that one, sparky
eaglesoars wrote:
This is insanity!!!!!!!!!!! I don’t even know where to begin. Who in the hell gave the USDA the right to dictate what the hell we eat? Oh right bho administration. This has got to stop … we are wasting money on this nonsense????? Unbelieveable.
Macker wrote:
No. The Dems would spin it as election strategy by the GOP (and so would the media). It has to happen with enough lead time to ‘steep’ in the general public’s idea of what the O admin is all about.
Lily wrote:
I don’t know if this was given by the bho admin. But go look at my #17 where I wrote
Lily wrote:
This happened at a preschool. It’s all about teaching young kids how to stay out of trouble and live a happy life in a police state.
Macker wrote:
Pray for it to happen around Election time. With what bho is doing to this country and now taking on the Catholic Church…pregnancy is a disease???????? I always come around to the builder’s of the titanic.
And I know it is a legend….they declared it unsinkable even by God.
But one this is not a legend…they never christened. bho thinks he is unsinable.
I have a tech question re this blog. Sometimes when I roll my cursor over an emoticon, the code for it shows. Other times not.
Today it’s NOT.
What gives?
Lily wrote:
Insurance policies have always said something to the effect ‘Pregnancy is cover like an illness’ some of them are dumb enough to write “like any OTHER illness” but I’ve seen that verbiage for years.
@ eaglesoars:
They seem to be going after everything….guns, religion, food, even to the point of making sugar a drug (really, mess with my damn soda’s and there will be hell to pay), cuts in the military, the family unit, pregnancy as a disease…the list is growing.
No he is NOT Christian and I do believe this plays into what he is doing. His extreme dislike for the Jewish people, Israel, Christians. These are opening salvo’s to his war against what the United States stands for.
Who he really worships is an evil old dead man Alinsky.
@ Da_Beerfreak:
I am sure the parents are very happy that they are policing what their children eat at a pre-school no less. I would be extremely ticked if this happened to my child.
eaglesoars wrote:
I have never noticed.
So many things slip by me.
Lily wrote:
Imagine this. Your health insurance costs increase dramatically for every gun in your house.
Alinsky is just his Clauswitz. He worships nihilism.
Lily wrote:
They are also trying to teach that the Government is always right and the Parents are always wrong. All Hail the State…
@ eaglesoars:
Search Results
ni·hil·ism/ˈnīəˌlizəm/
Noun:
1.The rejection of all religious and moral principles, often in the belief that life is meaningless.
2.Extreme skepticism, according to which nothing in the world has a real existence.
Who in there right mind would even consider this. But I agree with you this sums up bho to a tee. evil.
@ Da_Beerfreak:
The only thing I can hope for is that Americans get p*ssed at this crap…..we are on such a slippery slope right now.
Lily wrote:
A better definition is that life has no INHERENT meaning. Which gives anyone free rein to ‘decide’ what is meaningful, e.g. ‘social justice’.
Lily wrote:
Unfortunately all too many ‘parents’ are more then happy to let the State take care of their kids.
eaglesoars wrote:
And what if they person who ‘decides’ what is meaningful is inherently soul-less????
Lily wrote:
You’re getting it. Keep on going there…………
Moochelle “controls” her kids with a set diet.
http://www.usmagazine.com/celebrity-news/news/michelle-obamas-daughters-malia-and-sasha-have-a-set-diet-2012102
UNLIKE HERSELF
I just got a chance to log on. I am very happy to
see the Orthodox Bishops closing ranks with the Catholic
Church.
They are after our freedoms & we are all in it together.
OT -- My totally awesome Valentines Day Dinner:
Too full for dessert.
From here.
Not that anyone cares, I’m just SO happy with my meal…
eaglesoars wrote:
It is not a good ending for sure.
@ RIX:
All religions should be outraged.
ALL of them.
We need voices on the right, IN OFFICE, to stand up and say that this has nothing to do with contraception and everything to do with freedom.
RIX wrote:
I think more and more Christian Churches will start closing in ranks with the Catholic Bishops. Excatly which Christian religion believes it takes orders from the government and nor it’s religious tenets???? If they go after the Catholic Church, every other Christian denomination is up for grabs.
yenta-fada wrote:
Yes and when they grow up and are out from under their dominating mother they will gorge themselves on everything they were deprived from. Their children don’t seem very happy.
Bumr50 wrote:
Wow. That tapas menu looks great. I think I’ll have the Jumbo Lump Crab & Buffalo Mozzarella Hoelzel on Toasted Olive Foccacia
@ Bumr50:
I had Rush on today & he was reminding everybody that
Stephanoplous went weird at a Republican Debate,
astroturfing contraception as an issue.
It was a WTF? moment.
you can see at it was a set up for Obama
breaking bad on the Church. Now they are calling
it a war on women & Redpublicans want to outlaw
contraception.
This is Axlerod & Ploff sleaze.
It is war on he Church & faith in general.
@ Lily:
Heck, even the dog wants out.
Michelle on nutrition is like Dillinger on
bank security.
@ RIX:
He was citing Dick Morris’ theory that this was a set up. It hadn’t occured to me before, but I think there’s something to it.
Newsbusters has it.
And the reliably insane Andrew Sullivan says the Catholic bishops set a trap for Obama
@ eaglesoars:
It’s a converted dive bar!
They made the “pool area” into a dining room.
The urinals still flush with a lit poker machine button above them!
It’s an interesting joint.
The chef is amazing!
RIX wrote:
They are really trying to spin this in favor of bho aren’t they???
No what this is all about is bho telling the Churches what to do. It has nothing to do with outlawing contraceptives….besides people have been able to those free for a very long time at any clinic…it is about forcing the Catholic Church to do something that is against it’s tenets.
eaglesoars wrote:
the screen capture of Chris Matthews in a face/palm moment is priceless.
RIX wrote:
When I was younger I had two friends whose mother insisted on being very nurtrious….on Easter they would get a basket of fruit. They would come to my house to eat the candy I got in my Easter Basket.
As I grew up I liked candy but never over ate it. My two friends would gorge themselves with candy every chance they could get.
Bumr50 wrote:
I saw that. Ever wonder how these guys end up in Gibsonia?
@ eaglesoars:
Why in the world would the Bishops set a trap for obamma????
@ Lily:
Oddly enough, I tie the war on faith in with the outrages at
TSA airport screening areas.
Stay with me, there are by definition molestations
of children & the elderly etc. , I have witnessed it.
Now a war on the Church.
I am convinced that this is to see how much tolerance we
have to lose our liberties.
Lily wrote:
NOT OUR MOM!!
The woman spent DAYS writing clues for us to find the stuff for our Easter baskets. Major scavenger hunt. And we ALWAYS got this HUGE chocolate bunny. Then we’d get dressed up in our Easter hats -- which she always let us choose ourselves and off to church.
The only thing she did was ration the stuff. Only so much a day. Same with the Halloween haul. We didn’t care.
@ Lily:
Human nature. You have to let kids eat candy, unless
they are putting on too much weight.
It’s part of being a kid.
Lily wrote:
heh. just look at the screen capture of Matthews. It’s just Sullivan being reliably insane.
@ RIX:
You are very right! I posted an article by Cal Thomas that addressed just that..Losing Liberty post #48
RIX wrote:
The TSA is an incubator for perversion. Under the direction of the state, some of these people could become quite useful
RIX wrote:
This was in the 70′s too!!!
/now days kids can’t even be kids anymore.
Lily wrote:
Good points in the article. I think that we are at a
crossroad & if we go on the wrong path in 2012, God
help us.
@ eaglesoars:
Aha.
@ Lily:
Gotta let them be kids. It’s over too soon.
Later. Everybody have a great evening.
RIX wrote:
It really is rather scary..May God have mercy on us. I think obamma is going to run a ‘scorched earth’ campaign. If he wins we lose, if he loses we lose..I can just see the riots.
Bumr50 wrote:
You know I am just in awe of people who leave everything they know and just dig in a MAKE it.
In my neck of the woods, I’ve come to admire the Koreans SO MUCH. They just BUST their asses and ask for nada. I’m pretty sure I could not do what they have done.
Hell, I spent 16 days in Spain, and altho I loved it, I was so homesick I cried when I got home.
@ eaglesoars:
The restaurant is very conservative friendly, and Christian symbols and verses are throughout the bar and restaurant.
I’ll bet he’s pretty saddened to see what is happening in the country that gave him this opportunity.
Bumr50 wrote:
Still better than being in Spain. Their numbers are apocolyptic.
@ eaglesoars:
In fact the The Ten Commandments are posted at the front door.
Bumr50 wrote:
Where’s the ACLU?
gotta go. tonite is my NCIS nite
eaglesoars wrote:
The so called Department of Homeland Security is the cornerstone of the New American Police State. Baby Bush laid the foundation and Idi Obama has been building on it like a madman since taking power.
coldwarrior wrote:
There are several good reasons, most historical, why there are several Eastern Orthodox administrations in the US, Canada, Latin America and the like. Ethnicity is not even the main reason for the continued practice, although it does further complicate things.
However, your post does tend to reinforce a serious misconception about Orthodoxy that many people have. Since the Catholics have a Pope and the Southern Baptist Conference has an elected leader and other churches have similar hierarchies, we assume that Orthodox Church, with all its various bishops with various impressive titles must have a similar structure. However, that appearance is somewhat deceptive.
In the Orthodox Church ALL Bishops are equal in rank, despite their varying fancy titles. However, whenever you have a group of Bishops, you will have a “first amongst equals.” At a meeting, the “first amongst equals” would be offered the chairmanship. (Check Chapter 15 of the Book of Acts for an example of such a meeting.) Each Orthodox country has an ongoing “first amongst equals” who is an administrative leader. However, to your rank and file Orthodox Christian, only the priest and the bishop over him is relevant. Just as a hospital administrator does not dictate how a doctor does his surgery, a Metropolitan, Patriarch nor any other “first amongst equals” does not interfere in the pastoral care that any Bishop provides.
No Metropolitan (or any name given to a “first amongst equals”) ever give orders and any Bishop who would “take orders” does not have a very good grasp on the Orthodox Church. In fact, one would wonder how such an individual would become an Orthodox Bishop in the first place.
All countries with an Orthodox presences are in one of three states. In Russia, Serbia, Greece, Georgia, Romania, “Czech Lands and Slovakia” and the like, the Church is Autocephalous, meaning it is completely independent. If the Orthodox presence in minimal, there may be no Bishop living in that country or, if Bishops do live in the country, they are directly connected to their home country. There is an in between state known as “Autonomous.” Finland, Japan and the Ukraine, etc. are examples of Autonomous Churches.
An Autonomous Church is completely independent with one exception. All Autonomous Churches look to their mother church for the selection of their “first amongst equals” Bishop. This is about as far as “taking orders from a metropolitan” as the East is from the West.
The American Orthodox Churches are all, at a minimum, Autonomous. The lone exception, the Orthodox Church of America (OCA)is considered by some to be Autocephalous and to others it is Autonomous with Moscow being its Autocephalous mother church.
The fact that the various Orthodox administrations cannot even agree on the status of OCA demonstrates the fact that we are not ready for a single administration in North America at this time.
yenta-fada wrote:
She hates all people, including her kids.
RIX wrote:
Yep. If the parents are cold-hearted control freaks, the kids will either become rebellious later on, or too depressed to function.
eaglesoars wrote:
This is a very important point and--unfortunately--too few of us in the pro-life movement take heed of your warning.
Of course, I am unswayed. I have been consistently pro-life since 1984. Yet, your point, that the federal government has far too much power is well taken.
State sovereignty and State’s rights are the ONLY answers to this dilemma. Roe v. Wade 410 U.S. 113 was a serious violation of the 10th Amendment.
I use the Confederate flag as an icon for a reason. While, there are abuses of power on the State level, as well, defending ourselves from the dictates of the federal behemoth in Washington, D.C. is far more difficult.
The debate on abortion should be a State-by-State debate. Anything else is pure federal tyranny.