Laetuntur Cœli! Orthodox Church and Roman Catholic Church are one!

[Duque de Bragança]

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/8358027.stm

The Greek Orthodox Church is urging Christians across Europe to unite

in an appeal against a ban on crucifixes in classrooms in Italy.

The European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg ruled last week that the presence of crucifixes violated a child's right to freedom of religion.

Greece's Orthodox Church fears the Italian case will set a precedent.

It has called an emergency Holy Synod meeting for next week to devise an action plan.

Although the Greek Orthodox Church has been at odds with Roman Catholicism for 1,000 years, the judicial threat to Christian symbols has acted as a unifying force.

The European Court of Human Rights found that the compulsory display of crucifixes violated parents' rights to educate their children as they saw fit and restricted the right of children to believe or not to believe.

'Worthy symbols'

The head of the Greek Church, Archbishop Ieronymos, shares Catholic complaints that the court is ignoring the role of Christianity in forming Europe's identity.

It is not only minorities that have rights but majorities as well, said the archbishop.

One of his subordinates, Bishop Nicholas from central Greece, lamented that at this rate youngsters will not have any worthy symbols at all to inspire and protect them.

Crucifixin San Remo town hall 6.11.09
The mayor of one Italian town displayed a 2m high crucifix in protest

Football and pop idols are very poor substitutes, he said.

The Greek Church has ostensibly intervened in this case in response to an appeal by a Greek mother whose son is studying in Italy.

But without doubt it is concerned that its omnipotence in Greece is under threat.

A human rights group called Helsinki Monitor is seeking to use the Italian case as a precedent.

It has demanded that Greek courts remove icons of Jesus Christ from above the judge's bench and that the gospel no longer be used for swearing oaths in the witness box.

Helsinki Monitor is urging trade unions to challenge the presence of religious symbols in Greek schools.

The socialist government here is also considering imposing new taxes on the Church's vast fortune, but at the same time is urging it to do more to help immigrants and poor Greeks.

[Alexandru H.]

Let's burn the heretics and atheists! 

[Alatriste]

Let's burn the heretics and atheists! 

No! The Lord sayeth "You shall not make for yourself an idol, whether in the form of anything that is in heaven above, or that is on the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth"!

Crucifixes and icons are sinful idols, let's burn them instead!

[Duque de Bragança]

Let's burn the heretics and atheists! 

No! The Lord sayeth "You shall not make for yourself an idol, whether in the form of anything that is in heaven above, or that is on the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth"!

Crucifixes and icons are sinful idols, let's burn them instead!

From Charybes to Scylla, going from Catholic to nutty Protestant 

As for me, while it is logical in a secular state, I think there are more pressing concerns right now, especially when the real problems in Europe come from another Abrahamic faith (not Judaism sorry Comte Largent).

[Sahib]

Let's burn the heretics and atheists! 

No! The Lord sayeth "You shall not make for yourself an idol, whether in the form of anything that is in heaven above, or that is on the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth"!

Crucifixes and icons are sinful idols, let's burn them instead!

Greece needs another: Constantine Copronymus

[Grinning_Colossus]

The iconodules are idolaters and must be destroyed.

[grumbler]

Let's burn the heretics and atheists! 

Since you are yourself an atheist,* you cannot call for "us" to burn you.

"Let you burn me and the other atheists and heretics" would be more proper.




* Unless you actually do believe in and honor the gods of Athens

[Grey Fox]

Your god, is dead.

[Barrister]

Your god, is dead.

He got better. 

[Pat]

Your god, is dead.

He got better. 

A better comeback would've been the old:


"God is dead"

- Nietzsche


"Nietzsche is dead"

- God

[Strix]

Nuke'm all from orbit and let God sort them out. It's the only way to be sure.

[Barrister]

Your god, is dead.

He got better. 

A better comeback would've been the old:


"God is dead"

- Nietzsche


"Nietzsche is dead"

- God

Not bad. 

But I was going for a Monty Python-esque response.

[Vince]

-3 Stability hit to Byzantium.   

[Ed Anger]

Ah, the pining for the fjords.