Militant anti-theists of the 21st century have little good to say about religion, often blaming it for most of the world's ills.
Rating: 4.4|Votes: 18
The Ecumenical Councils were always convened for a specific reason: to combat false opinions and heresies, and to clarify the Orthodox Church's teaching. But the Holy Spirit has thus seen fit, that the dogmas, the truths of faith, immutable in their content and scope, constantly and consequently are revealed by the conciliar mind of the Church, and are given precision by the holy Fathers within theological concepts and terms in exactly such measure as is needed by the Church itself for its economy of salvation.
St. John of Shanghai
Rating: 7|Votes: 1
St. Euphemia was tortured during the persecutions against Christians under Diocletian, and her death and suffering are commemorated on September 16/29. But today her memory is celebrated because of a miracle that happened during the Fourth Ecumenical Council. This council was supposed to decide who is right—those who believe that Christ was both God and man, the God-Man, or those who asserted that the divinity in Christ completely swallowed up His humanity, so that even His sufferings were only apparent.
Rating: 2|Votes: 1
After serving an all-night Vigil, and taking it out from the Blachernae church, the sacred Robe of the Mother of God was carried in a procession around the city walls. Its edge was dipped into the waters of the Bosphorus, and it was then carried to the center of Constantinople to the church of Hagia Sophia. The Mother of God protected the city and turned back the Russian warriors. An honorable truce was concluded, and the siege of Constantinople was lifted.
Fr. Dionysy Pozdnayev
On the eve, there were already proclamations pasted along the streets calling the pagans to kill the Christians, and threatening with death anyone who dared to hide them. During the night, the boxers appeared with burning torches in all parts of Peking, attacking Christian homes, grabbing the misfortunate Christians and torturing them, trying the force them to renounce Christ.
